Category: Pastor’s Desk

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to another week of the month of July 2023. My prayer is that nothing needed for your prosperity and peace will be hidden from you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the things we are shown in Scriptures is that we must never use the challenges of our lives as an excuse for living meaningless and unprofitable lives. Instead, in spite of the challenges we may be faced with, we are to open our eyes to see what legitimate things we can do with our hands to make life better for ourselves and those around us. And it is those who function in this manner that will experience God’s glory and exaltation in their lives, regardless of how lowly their positions in life may be.

For example, when Ruth came to the land of Israel with Naomi, her mother-in-law, she came with nothing and to meet nothing. She came to a place where she had no friend or family member to turn to for help. Yet she had to survive and take care of herself and her aged mother-in-law. And did she start crying because of that and saying that she had made a mistake by leaving all her people behind and following Naomi? No! Or did she go out to start prostituting herself? No! (Cf. Ruth 1:19-22)

See, Ruth had very genuine reasons for leaving her people and the comfort she could have been enjoying with them. She wanted to get away from the idolatry, sexual immorality and wickedness that were widespread among them. And it was her decision to do this that made her follow her mother-in-law, a woman who had nothing to offer her, to the land of Israel. So, she knew that she would most likely start life as one of the poorest people in the land when she got there. Yet she came because she would rather be a poor person among God’s people than be the richest of people among the wicked (Ps 84:10).

In like manner, our choice to live for Jesus Christ may place us in a position of poverty or shame in our society. But that does not mean that God wants us to stay in that position forever. What He wants is for His people to be above and not below. So, regardless of how lowly our position in life right now may be, God is able to lift us up from there to where we should be.

However, we also must be willing to act like Ruth in whatever lowly position we may now find ourselves in order to experience God’s favour and elevation. And how did she act in order to be lifted out of poverty into wealth and comfort? First, instead of complaining about her situation or messing around with her body, she found herself a job. This woman did not sit down at her home with her mother-in-law praying and expecting God to be sending money to them. Instead, she went out to look for a job. And God led her to find one, even though the job could only take care of their daily food at the time. (Cf. Ruth 2:1-3)

Now I am not saying that God could not have been sending money to Ruth and Naomi at home. He could. But could they tell when He was going to send it or how much He was going to send each time He did send them money? No! And since He had not said that they could not go out and work and make money, it would only be wise for Ruth to go out and work and expect God to make money available for her by doing so.

So, while it is alright for you to pray and expect God to miraculously supply your needs, you must also find a job to do, for God has commanded it (Eph 4:28; 1Thess 4:11-12). Get yourself a job to do, then, as long as it is legitimate, instead of complaining, stealing or messing up your body to make money. That way, God can supply your needs through that job and through any other miraculous means He may choose.

The second thing Ruth did was to be diligent in doing the job she found. Yes, it was a lowly job she found at that time. But she did it in such a way that the foreman of the field in which she was working took notice of her and spoke highly of her to his master, Boaz, who happened to be a relative of Ruth’s late husband. And that opened a great door of favour for her. If you too will do whatever job you are handling now with all your heart and might, it may just be what God will use in leading you to meet those who will favour you and lift you up. (Cf. Ruth 2; Ecc 9:10)

The third thing to emulate from Ruth was her willingness to accept godly counsel (Ruth 3-4). Yes, she had a godly mother-in-law who was always there to counsel her on the right steps to take. But if she had not taken her counsel seriously, she would not have come out of poverty and be known as we know her today. You too must recognise the people God has planted in your life to give you sound counsel. And as they counsel you, take it seriously and act on it. For their counsel, not even money, may be the very thing you need to rise above all your challenges in life. My prayer is that God will strengthen you to embrace these things and apply them to your life without delay. Amen.

Have a great week.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours immeasurably from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to another month of the year, the month of July 2023. And I pray that God will separate your life from every ungodly thing that is preventing His blessings from fully finding expression in your life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we are told in the bible, all of us who have been born again by God through faith in Christ Jesus have been blessed with all the blessings in the heavenly places in Him (Eph 1:3). These blessings, then, ought to be finding expression in our lives, bodies, homes, jobs, businesses, ministries and so forth. And if they are not finding expressions in them, we ought to know why. I mean that if it is not obvious in our lives that we are inheritors of God’s blessings, we ought to find out what is wrong.

At least, from what we know in the bible, even though Joseph was a slave in Potiphar’s house, the man could still tell that he was a special young man, that he was blessed of God (Gen 39:1-6). Also, though Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came into Babylon as slaves, all the kings they worked with could tell that they were blessed of God (Daniel 1-6). Then, though Laban did all he could to cheat Jacob and ensure that he did not prosper under him, he still could not deny the fact that Jacob was the reason God was blessing his household (Gen 30:27-28).

So, the circumstances of our lives, however ugly they may seem, cannot prevent the blessings of God from manifesting in our lives. That is because His blessings are more powerful than what any circumstance or curse can limit. However, through our own attitude to God and His word, we may limit the manifestation of His blessings in our lives.

For example, when Moses was done proclaiming the blessings of God on the people of Israel, he went on to tell them one of the things that could hinder the manifestation of these blessings among them. He said, “Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way.” This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.” (Deut 29:18-19NIV)

Did you see that? Idolatry hinders the manifestation of God’s blessings. Idolatry will bring disaster on everything in your life, good or bad. So, if you are involved in idolatry, it does not matter how hard you pray and fast, the blessings of God will not find expression in your life. Yes, as long as you are involved in one form of idolatry or the other, bowing down to other gods or employing their services for your prosperity, health or safety, the blessings that have been given to you in Christ Jesus will not work as they should.

All of this is why both Paul and John tell us in their letters to flee from idolatry and to keep ourselves away from idols (1Cor 10:14; 1John 5:21). So, keep yourself away from idols and anything that is connected to idolatry. Otherwise, you will be arousing God’s jealousy. And when you arouse His jealousy through your involvement in idolatry of any kind, you can expect Him to block the manifestation of His blessings in your life. Therefore, even if you are confessing His word of blessings, praying or having servants of God blessing you, it will not work. It will only be a waste. And if that is not what you want, if you don’t want your prayers and the prayers of others for you to go to waste, then, stay away from idolatry.

Also, if you do not want to be the reason the people in your life will be hindered from progressing, stay away from idolatry. That is because, as we see in the bible, it is not every time that those involved in idolatry suffer alone; there are also times that others in their lives may suffer with them. This is why Moses told the children of Israel in the bible text above to watch one another and see to it that none of them was permitted to engage in idolatry. Otherwise, he may bring disaster not only on his dry life but also on their own well-watered and flourishing lives.

In like manner, do not permit the people in your life who call themselves Christians to engage in idolatry of any kind. Instead, strictly warn them. And if they will not listen, stay away from them. Otherwise, you may end up being partakers of their punishment. This, of course, is only applicable to those who claim to know God but who are still involved in idolatry (1Cor 5:9-11). So, don’t apply it to the unbelievers around you. And may you always be filled with adequate strength and wisdom to abstain from every form of idol worship, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Beloved: grace and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. I am pleased to welcome you to the last week of the month of June 2023. My prayer is that God will always keep you from falling in love with the ways of the people of this world, so that you will not expose yourself to shame or destruction, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we are shown in the bible, there was a time that Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, was raped by a young prince called Shechem. And this eventually led her brothers, Levi and Simeon, to going on a vengeful mission of sacking the whole city of the prince. It is not a new thing, then, for people to rape people. And it is not a new thing for people to go to any extent, including wiping out an entire family, town or ethnic group in a quest to punishing one person’s offence. So, before you hurt anybody, always remember that it is not everyone that we will leave vengeance for God. Some may go to the extent of punishing your entire family for your sin against them. (Cf. Gen 34)

But then, how did Dinah end up being raped by that man? The bible answers that for us by saying, “Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and violated her.” (Gen 34:1-2NIV) So, what gave Shechem access to Dinah was the fact that she left her father’s house to go and visit the women of the land. If she had not left her father’s house to go and be with the girls of the land, she would not have become a victim of rape.

What is that telling you? It is that you need to be mindful of where you allow your legs to take you. It is not everywhere that is safe for you to go. It is not every friend or colleague at work that is safe for you to visit. So, before you start visiting or going out for recreation with people, be sure you know how safe whatever place they are taking you will be for you. And if you are not sure a certain place you are going will be safe for you under normal circumstances, you should know that going there may not worth the risk, if it is not the gospel of Jesus that is taking you there.

Do you know that there are even places you must not take the gospel of Jesus to, if you do not have an express instruction from the Lord to do so? We read in Scriptures that the Spirit of Christ forbade Paul the apostle and his companions from going to certain places to preach. Why? We are not told. Could it be that God did not want the people in those places to be saved? No, it could not be that. That is because the bible tells us that He wants all men to be saved. (Cf. Acts 16:6-8; 1Tim 2:3-4)

Why, then, did He forbid those men from entering those places to preach the gospel in them? It may just be that they may not be safe in them at that time. So, before you, as a man, start taking the gospel to prostitutes in their taverns, be sure you hear correctly from God. And before you, as a woman, start taking the gospel to street thugs at their joints, be sure the Spirit of God is leading you. Otherwise, you may end up suffering the same fate as Dinah Jacob.

Well, as we even see in Dinah’s case, she did not go to the women of the land because she wanted to turn them away from the worship of Idols to God. Rather, she went to visit them. That means she thought of them as friends and wanted to be in their company. Perhaps she felt bored that day and just wanted to get away from their boring house, where there was no partying, no crazy music to dance to and no comedians to make one forget his sorrows. But by the end of that day, it had dawned on her that their boring house was the only safe place for her to be in that town.

Today, we have many Christians, especially ladies, who, like Dinah Jacob, think the ways of the kingdom of God are boring. So, they want to try a little of the ways of those of the world. No, they don’t want to dress almost naked like them, go to night parties like them or keep many boyfriends or girlfriends like them. But they want to have a little feel or taste of what they are doing. And you can see this being expressed in the way they dress and conduct themselves when they are not in church meetings and also in the way they use the social media.

Now such people, if they are not shown mercy, will most likely end up ruined in one way or the other like Dinah Jacob. Then all that they have been labouring to preserve in their lives will be lost in almost an instant. And the shame that will follow may the very thing that will make their ruin permanent. So, before you step out of the boundaries of God’s instructions for you, don’t think only of what you will gain by doing so but also of what you will lose by doing so. My prayer is that God will keep you from foolishly or arrogantly running to any place where you will be destroyed. Amen.

Have a lovely week.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to another week of the month of June 2023. And my prayer is that God will always lead you to take steps and do things that will cause men to thank Him on your behalf and to also pray for you. Amen.

Now one of the things that is bound to move people to thank God for your life and to also pray heartfelt prayers for you is giving that is rightly done (2Cor 9:12-14). Some years ago, I prepared a bible study commentary for an assembly of God that I was attending. And some days after the commentary had been used by the various groups in the church for their bible study meetings, one of the group leaders sent me a gift.

But why did this group leader send me a gift? According to him, as he was reading the bible study commentary that I had prepared, the Spirit of God opened his eyes to see some bible truth that was of great benefit to his faith. So, right then and there, he decided that he was going to give the person that prepared the commentary a gift. And he did.

How, then, did I respond to that? First, I responded with thanksgiving to God. I thanked Him for giving me words to bless His people. I also thanked Him for causing at least someone to be blessed through what I was doing. Then I also thanked Him for moving this person to bless me with a gift. If he had not blessed me with a gift or come to tell me that he was blessed by the commentary I had written, I would not have known that he was blessed by it. There may have been others in that assembly who were equally blessed through the same bible study commentary. But I will not know them until we get to heaven. And the reason I will not know them until we get to heaven is that they did not show up to appreciate me for being used by God to bless them.

In any case, the one who showed up to appreciate me with a gift unconsciously inspired me to thank God for him. Also, he inspired me to say a word of prayer for him. You know when someone touches your heart with a gift, especially when you are not expecting it, it is natural for you to immediately start praying for the person. And such prayers are often heartfelt. So, they are bound to work mightily, as long as they are consistent with God’s will.

Then, apart from the fact that this person inspired me to pray for him through his gift, he also unconsciously sowed a seed of encouragement into my heart. When you know that what you are doing is not going to waste but is blessing somebody and also stirring up the person to want to be a blessing, you are bound to be encouraged to do more. And there are some people that have gone on in life to be a blessing to millions of people through the encouragement of just one person.

What is my point? It is that you have to learn to appreciate anyone God is using to bless you, especially in the church. And even if you have to be the only one that will appreciate this person among all the people that God is using them to bless, be sure you do so. That is because you cannot tell how far your appreciation will go in making that person better and more faithful in doing the will of God.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul speaks of how he always thanks God every time he remembers them and of how he always prays with joy for them. In fact, in the letter, he specifically prays that God will supply all their needs according to His glorious wealth in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19). Why? It is because these brethren had proved again and again that they appreciated his ministry and what God was doing through it. Look at some of the things he says about them in his letter: “Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account.” (Phil 4:15-17NIV)

Did you see that? Among all the churches that God was using Paul to bless at that time, it was only the church of the Philippians that always gave to support him and to encourage him. No wonder he was always happy to remember them and to pray for them. If you too want those ministering to you in your church to always be glad to minister to you and not just because it is their duty to do so, then, cultivate the habit of always appreciating them. And even if you have to be the only one that will be doing so, just that like the Philippian church, do so. That is because you cannot tell to what extent God is able to use the encouragement you are offering them now in leading them to fulfil their ministry. And I pray that God will strengthen you to take this matter seriously, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a fabulous week.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Title: Restless until His will is done
By: J.O. Lawal
Date: June 11, 2023
Series: From Pastor’s Desk
Number: Vol. 12, No. 6

Beloved: grace and peace be yours without measure from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Welcome to another week of the month of June 2023. I pray that God will awaken everyone that He has appointed to lift you up to make no effort to rest until they have done His will for you. Amen.

After Ruth had spoken to Boaz about the possibility of a marriage between the two of them, as she had been instructed by her mother-in-law, Naomi, to do, she came back to tell the woman how the whole thing went. And in response, she said to her, “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.” (Ruth 3:18NIV) Interestingly, Boaz acted exactly the way Naomi had said he would act. He did not settle down to rest at all until the matter of Ruth’s marriage was settled.

But who made that happen? It was God. It was He that drove Boaz to run up and down that day until Ruth no longer had to worry about being a widow or being childless. And if you too will entrust your life to Him, as Ruth did, He will also cause people to run up and down for you, taking no rest until they have established you in that place of fruitfulness, rest and prosperity that He has prepared for you.

Also, as we are shown in the bible, the very night before the day Mordecai’s, enemy, Hamman, was going to have him hanged, King Xerxes became so restless that he had to call in for the record book of the happenings in his kingdom. And it was why it was being read to him that he realised that he had neglected something important. He had not duly rewarded or honoured Mordecai for saving his life sometimes before from those who wanted to assassinate him. (Cf. Esther 6)

So, in his restlessness, he pondered on the matter till the following morning, when Haman came in to talk about how Mordecai would be hanged. That, of course, was what God used in overruling the plans of Haman. Therefore, instead of getting the king’s permission to have Mordecai hanged, what Hamman got was the king’s order to have him honoured all through the city of Susa.

What is that telling us? It is telling us that when God is set to honour and lift a man, He knows how to awaken those who are supposed to do the job, even if they are his enemies, and make them restless until they get it done. And that is going to be your experience this new week and throughout the remaining part of the year. God will wake up all the people He has already appointed to lift and honour you but who have been sleeping. He will wake them up and make them restless until they have done His will for your life.

Now if you believe that, banish anxiety from your heart. Then begin to thank and praise Him for what He is already doing. And before you know it, you will see all the wonderful things He has been doing for your exoneration and exaltation manifesting and causing people to praise His holy name on your behalf. Amen.

Do have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. I rejoice with you as we come into another month of this year, the month of June 2023. My prayer is that God will teach your heart to be steadfast and consistent in trusting Him and in doing His will, so that none of the good things He wants to accomplish in your life will elude you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

While explaining the parable of the farmer that went out to sow his seed, the Lord Jesus said this about those whose lives will bring forth the fruit of the word of God coming to them: “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (Luke 8:15NIV) What are the things that will make the word of God produce in our lives the results God wants to see, as shown by our Lord Jesus? The first is hearing the word of God.

The bible says faith comes by hearing the word of Christ (Rom 10:17). So, hearing what God has to say or is saying is very important. And until we have heard what He has to say to us about Himself, our lives and the situations of our lives, we cannot be expected to trust Him to take care of us or expected to know what He requires of us. So, if our lives will bring forth the fruit of faith in God and the fruit of what God wants, we must hear words of faith in Him and words showing us His will for our lives. In other words, the seed of faith in Him and the seed of His will must be planted in our hearts. Otherwise, there can be no harvest of what has not been planted.

The second thing that will make the word of God produce results in our hearts is for us to retain it. It is one thing for us to plant some seed on some ground; it is another thing for that ground to retain it. If the condition of that ground does not make room for that seed to survive and go on to yield its crops, it can only die or grow up to be unproductive. In like manner, it is not enough for us to hear the word of God; it is equally important we make room for it to grow and be able to bring forth fruit in our lives. If we do not make room for the word of God to live in us, that is, if we do not accept His word as something we need to work with in our lives, it will not accomplish the results it is meant to accomplish in our lives. It will only go to waste, as is seen evident in the lives of many who have severally heard His word and have remained unchanged by it.

The third thing that will make the word of God produce results in our lives is for us to persevere in acting on it. See, even if we have planted our seed on some good ground, a ground that has everything the seed needs to do well, we must still allow that seed to stay long enough there to grow and bring forth its harvest. As farmers know quite well, every seed has its own time of fruitfulness. So, they have to patiently care for it and also wait for it to be ready. Otherwise, they are going to destroy it before its time and lose their harvest and waste their effort.

In like manner, every seed of God’s word planted in our hearts has its own time of fruitfulness. And if we don’t want to miss it, we have to patiently nurture it until brings forth fruit. In other words, we have to keep acting on and praying about whatever God has said to us about Himself, our lives and the situations of lives until we see results. That we are not yet seeing results of acting on what God says to us does not mean we are not going to see it. The seed of every word spoken to us by God will surely grow in us and bring forth fruit, if we will permit it. But how soon it will bring forth its fruit is not what we may be able to say – it all depends on the character of that seed and the nature of challenges it has to deal with in our lives.

So, if we want God’s word to produce righteousness, healing and prosperity in us, we have to persevere in acting on it until we are seeing His righteousness, health and prosperity fully manifesting in our lives. Naaman, for example, had to wash himself in River Jordan seven times before he was cleansed of his leprosy. And that does not mean that once you too act on what God has said about a certain situation of your life seven times, the problem will be solved. Rather, it means that there are times that acting on God’s word just once or twice about certain situations of our lives is not enough to bring results. We must stay on acting on it for a while before the results we want to see will come.

Now how long we will have to keep acting on what God says in order to see results in certain situations of our lives is not what I can say. But I can say that if we do not faint or throw away our confidence in Him, we will not be put to shame. The results we are looking forward to seeing will come and even surpass our expectations. But if we are epileptic in acting on His word, if we are often taking vacations from acting on His word, we are uprooting the seed of His word from the ground of our hearts. So, there will be no harvest. We will simply have wasted the seed of His word and our own time and commitment. And I pray that an end will come to every waste of the word of God that is going on in our lives right now, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I gladly welcome you to the transition week between the months of May and June 2023. And I pray that your eyes will be opened to recognise everything in your hands that you are supposed to plant as a seed of prosperity and that your heart will be strengthened and led to plant it where it will grow and bring forth a great harvest for you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our Lord Jesus, once while preaching to the Jews, said this: “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (John 12:24NIV) And He said these words to make clear to the people how important it was for Him, the only begotten Son of God, to die in order for God to have many sons in His glory (Heb 2:10). So, what He said on this occasion was addressing something spiritual.

However, we must not forget that these words of our Lord are first of all pointing to something natural, something every farmer knows. Every farmer knows that in order to multiply any seed, you have to first plant it somewhere. In other words, you have to first give it up to death. Otherwise, it will remain nothing but a single seed and not multiply in your hands. But the moment you plant it in some good soil, you have given it an opportunity to grow and multiply itself back to you. And with the working of the blessing of God, that seed you have planted will, of course, multiply itself back to you.

But then, it is not only in farming that this principle is applicable. It is also applicable in almost every area of life. For example, if you want to increase in wealth, one of the things you must be given to is planting your money into one form of business or the other. Otherwise, what you have will not increase. It can only decrease.

The bible says this of a certain king of Tyre that was reigning during the days of Ezekiel: “By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth…” (Ezek 28:5NIV) How did this king increase his wealth? It was through trading. Yes, he traded with great skill. But if he was not trading the things he had, his trading skills would most likely have remained useless and dormant in him.

Unfortunately, many of God’s people don’t understand this. Yes, they want to increase in wealth and be able to do all the great things God wants them to do with money. So, they are praying, fasting and even giving to men of God. But they are not planting the money God is giving to them in any business or venture, so that it can be multiplied back to them. Instead, most of the time, they just eat everything that comes to them from God and wait for Him to send more.

Now that will not result in prosperity. It is, indeed, good to pray, for through prayers we are able to receive God’s provisions for us to enjoy our lives. And it is good to give to those feeding us with the word of God, for by doing so we can receive miracles that will save us from famine or that will grant us speed for accomplishment. But we must also understand that prayers will not make seeds that we have not planted grow. Then there are miracles of supply that God does not perform every day. Even the miracle of Manna did not last forever for the Israelites. It stopped at some point. It stopped when the Israelites came to where they could plant to harvest the milk and honey God had provided for them.

Therefore, even though God is ever ready to miraculously supply what we need and multiply it for us, He has also made it clear to us through His word that it is not everything He gives to us that is bread for us to eat. There are parts of His provisions for us that are seeds for us to plant, so that we can sustain His provisions in our lives. But if we continue to ignorantly eat what we are supposed to plant, we won’t be able to multiply and sustain God’s provisions for us. So, instead of continually receiving a bountiful harvest of what we have planted, which is a miracle on its own, we will often find ourselves waiting for another miracle of supply that we will consume as usual. (Cf. 2Cor 9:9-10)

You can now see why many of God’s people usually end up dying in poverty. It is not meant to be so. But it will continue to be so as long as we remain ignorant of the will of God for us about our prosperity. And what is His will for us about our prosperity? First, it is that we trust Him alone for our prosperity, for it is He that gives the ability to become wealthy. Second, it is that we separate our seeds from our bread. Third, it is that we plant our seeds in the right places, in the right ventures and in the right people. That way, His word of blessing that says, “As long as the earth remains, seed time and harvest will never cease,” will not fail to be operational in our lives for our prosperity (Gen 8:22).

Have a great week.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I welcome you to another week of the month of May 2023. And I pray that your heart will always be prompt and loyal in doing the will of God for you in every situation, so that someone else will not take the place that is yours in God’s eternal kingdom. Amen.

John the Baptist, once while preaching to the Israelites, said this to them: “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” (Matt 3:8-9NIV) And why did he say these words to them? It was because even though the will of God had been made known to them through their Scriptures, they were not living accordingly. Yet they never stopped showing pride in the fact that they were Abraham’s descendants.

Sadly, there are still many like them today. They too are living off the names and reputations of their parents or grandparents. But they themselves have no good name or reputation that could make any serious-minded person want to associate with them. And what they do not know is that they if they will not live up to the good names and reputations of their ancestors, a time will come when no one will reckon with their relationships with these ancestors of theirs again. Instead, they will turn to those who are walking in the footsteps of these great people and begin to celebrate their names.

Now that is exactly what John the Baptist was communicating to his people, the Israelites, when he said the words in the above Scripture to them. He wanted them to know that they couldn’t inherit Abraham’s relationship with God. They would have to build their own relationship with Him by taking Him seriously the way he did. Why? It is because relationships are built and not inherited.

See, that someone was a good friend of your late parents does not mean he is going to be a good friend of yours too. If you do not relate to the person the way your parents related to him, he may, at some point, change his mind about you and stop having anything to do with you. Does that mean he has changed his mind about your parents too? No! His relationship with your parents is a settled case. But there is no way he will continue that same relationship with you, if you will not treat him with the kind of respect and love your parents gave him.

In like manner, John wanted the Jews to know that if they would not take God seriously the way their forefather Abraham did, they would not enjoy God the way he did. On the contrary, God would find Himself other children that would relate to Him as Abraham did, even if He had to raise them from some stones. And what that is telling us is that if we will not do the will of God from our hearts, He may at some point find and replace us with other people that will do what He wants, even if we have come from a family of those who once served and cherished Him.

And we have examples in Scriptures of how certain people who would not do His will were replaced by Him with others who would do what He wanted. For instance, He replaced Eli’s sons with Samuel and made him the judge of the nation of Israel instead of them. He also replaced King Saul with David, even though David was not a prince. And my prayer is that He will not have to replace you with another person in His kingdom, in your family, in your neighbourhood or in your workplace or school.

But you have to begin to take your relationship with Him seriously. You have to begin to take the doing of His will seriously. What are the things He wants you to do? Where are the places He wants you to go? Who are the people He wants you to support with your resources? You need to settle down to pray and study His word to know these things and to be devoted to them. Otherwise, He will surely and someday find someone else to do what you will not do, for His work cannot be left undone.

Have a great week.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to a new week in the month of May 2023. And my prayer is that God will fulfil all His good intentions for making you a part of His church and of this particular assembly, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

It is now exactly eleven years that this assembly began to meet in this town as a church. And I give God glory and honour for establishing us in His will and for building us up in His love. I also thank Him for all that He has done for us individually and as a church and also for everything He has done through us in this land and in different parts of the world. His glorious name will be forever praised and honoured by all His creation. Amen.

I equally want to appreciate all of us, especially those who have been with us since the beginning, when we were less than ten people, for believing in the presence of God in our midst and for standing strong all this while, even when it did not look like we were going anywhere. I remember that for some years we did not increase beyond ten in number. And why? Was it because we were walking contrary to the will of God? No! Or was it because the word of God and His Spirit were absent in our midst? No!

To the best of my knowledge of the Scriptures, all along, we have been walking in the will of God. That is because we have been walking in love and in Christ righteousness and in utter dependence on God Himself for everything we need. Then the word of God and His Spirit have always been with us and in us, teaching us, guiding us and strengthening us to do His will.

However, unless God Himself adds to His church, human efforts to add to it can only result in chaos and judgment, when all has been said and done. Therefore, though our number was not increasing significantly for some years, we kept on meeting week after week, praying and learning the word of God. We also kept on sharing His word that has been blessing us with others by word of mouth and through all kinds of publications, as we were enabled by God. Why? Faith! We have faith in God and in the fact that He will surely build us up as His church and also multiply the work He has committed into our hands, if we remain faithful to Him and do not faint.

Now, today, though we know that the world is still before us to conquer for the Lord Jesus, we are grateful to God because He is daily building us to be conformed to the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ and also increasing us in number. Not only that, we are thankful to Him for enabling us to now publish His word on the radio and through the internet. And we know that He will carry the good work He is doing in us, among us and through us on to the very end of the times.

I want to encourage you, then, who are reading this never to despise the days of small beginnings. That is because if you remain faithful, God is able to make that which appears to be small and insignificant today great beyond measure (Zech 4:10). And even if it looks like it is going to take an eternity for what you are doing for the Lord to become great in your hand, remain faithful to Him. That is because it is not the largeness or greatness of what you are doing that God is going to reward, since He is the one responsible for it. Rather, it is your faithfulness in handling it that He will reward. And He will reward it according to His generosity not according to how much you think you have done. (Cf. Matt 20; 1Cor 3:5-9).

So, put faith and faithfulness to God above all things in all that you do for Him. He will surely honour you for doing so. And as you join us as an assembly this new year in partnering with God to be all that He wants us to be and also do all that He wants to do, you will also see Him glorified in your life, home and affairs, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Keep walking with God, and you will keep walking without fear.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am glad to welcome you to another week of the month of May 2023. My prayer is that God will strengthen your heart to continually trust Him, regardless of the circumstances of your life or of our country, so that He may fulfil all His good intentions concerning you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As many of us can see today, more and more of our young men and women are daily turning to swindling, banditry, money rituals, prostitution and several other vices in order to survive. And despite all the news of the terrible things that are happening to those involved in these evils, most of them are not deterred at all. Instead, they keep overlooking the consequences of what they are doing for the temporary enjoyment they are getting from them. And to make things worse, we now have many parents approving of what these young ones are doing. How sad!

But what is responsible for this kind of attitude? Why will people daily see in the lives of others around them the consequences of choosing to go in certain directions in life and still choose to go in the same directions? One main reason for this is desperation. When people are desperate to survive and to also enjoy their lives, at least, to some degree, they will be willing to do just anything and ignore the consequences.

So, if you find yourself willing to do about anything to survive in this world, regardless of what doing so might do to your soul, to your life and to the people close to you, you must understand that you are desperate. And what is responsible for desperation? It is ignorance of God.

When people are ignorant of God, they will also be ignorant of His love for them and of His power to take care of them. And when people are ignorant of God’s love for them and power to take care of them, they will not trust Him to take care of them. Therefore, if they find themselves in any situation that threatens their existence or enjoyment of life, they will become desperate in saving themselves from it.

But no man can save himself from any problem or difficulty. It is only the one that God saves that will be safe. That is why our Lord Jesus says, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” (Matt 16:25NIV) Did you see that? It does not matter how desperate you are to save yourself from poverty, sickness or death, you will not succeed, if that desperation does not drive you to God. And we can see all around us how many, in their desperation to save themselves from poverty, disgrace, sickness, barrenness or death, are ruining their own lives, destroying their homes and making our world a more dangerous place to live in.

So, stop acting in desperation and doing just about anything that comes to your mind in order to enjoy life, get healed, get married or have children. King Saul once acted against the will of God in desperation in order to save his kingdom. Yet he lost what he was trying to save. And if you too allow desperation to make you go contrary to the will of God for your life, you will also end up being a terrible loser, regardless of how hard you try to win. (Cf. 1Sam 13)

But if you hand over your life to God, He will surely preserve it for you and see to it that you have everything you need to live a meaningful life and to also enjoy your eternity with Him. What, then, are you going to do? Are you going to continue to live in desperation and frustrate yourself out of this life? Or are you going to give yourself and your burdens to God and patiently watch Him take adequate care of you? My prayer is that the Spirit of God will cause you to do the right thing about this matter, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a great week.

Copyright © 2023, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)