Category: Pastor’s Desk

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

If His word is blessing you | Pst J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date September 26, 2021
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Date: September 26, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 21

Beloved: It gives me great joy to welcome you to the last week of the month of September 2021. And may God’s immeasurable grace and Christ’s unfailing love overwhelm your life and home in the week and throughout the remaining part of the year, causing you to be victorious in all ways, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this new week, I want to remind you that if your life is indeed being blessed through the word of God you are receiving in this assembly, then, you have a duty to constantly lead others to experience what you are experiencing. You don’t need to know a lot of Scriptures to do this, neither do you even need to be an outspoken person. All you need is just a feeling of compassion for those around you whose lives could be tremendously transformed, if they too would be exposed to the teachings of the Scriptures you are exposed to. And you are good to go.

What I am saying is that if you are not selfish but compassionate about those around you whose lives are messed up because they are not living on the basis of the word of God, you would use your mouth, money, phone or anything else you have at your disposal to share the word of God that is changing your own life with them as well. As the bible shows us, after Philip had heard words from the mouth of Jesus, he could not stay still until he found Nathanael, who was most likely a friend of his, and told him that he had found the Messiah. And though Nathanael found it hard to believe that any good thing could come from Nazareth, Jesus’ home town, Philip still persuaded him to come and see things for himself. That was how he too became an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Cf. John 1:43-51)

Now was Philip already a preacher at that time? No! He probably did not even know at the time that he would end up being an apostle. But because he was convinced about who Jesus was and wanted his friend too to become His follower, he found him and led him to the Lord. If you too are convinced that the Lord is in our midst and that His word that is changing our lives can change the lives of your neighbours, friends, family members, colleagues at work or in school and so forth, you will lead them to experience what you are experiencing. They too, like Nathanael, may not believe at first that there is anything for them to gain from what you are telling them. But you also just need to act like Philip and tell them to give it a try. Yes, tell them to taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps 34:8).

Another duty of yours, if you know that you are truly being blessed through the word of God you are learning in our midst, is to share all good things with those teaching you. Paul says this to the Galatian brethren: “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.” (Gal 6:6NIV) Did you see that? Sharing all kinds of good things with the one teaching you the word of God that is moving your life forward or making your life better is something you are commanded by God to do. It is not a suggestion. It is a command.

So, week after week, as you are blessed with the word of God in our meetings, you should think of what good thing to directly share with those God is using to minister to you. This, of course, is something you are to do on the basis of what you have and not on the basis of what you do not have (2Cor 8:12). And as you do it, in obedience to God’s instruction, you will definitely be rewarded by Him for doing so, not just in heaven but also here on earth. How He will reward you is not what I can say. But from what we are shown in Scriptures, His rewards for obedience to His instructions are always mind-blowing and beyond human expectations or imaginations.

For example, because a widow obeyed Him and fed Elijah with what she and her son should have taken as their last meal, God saw to it that food was always in her house throughout the three and a half years of famine that the nation of Israel experienced and that her son did not die untimely (1Kings 17). Also, because Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anointed Jesus with a jar of very expensive perfume, the Lord said that wherever the gospel is preached, her name and what she did would always be mentioned (Mark 14:3-8; John 12:1-8). And it has been so. So, if you too will take His instruction about taking care of those who feed you with His word seriously, you will not fail to receive your reward. My prayer is that your heart will be strengthened to walk in obedience in this matter and in every other matter where God requires your obedience, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a very pleasant week.

Copyright © 2021, 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@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Tags blessing, his word

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

May you not fail in your responsibilities | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date September 17, 2021
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Date: September 19, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 21

Beloved: grace, mercy, and peace be abundantly yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to this new week and pray that you will not fail in any of the responsibilities God has entrusted to you in life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, why is this prayer important for you and me? First, it is important because only God can open our eyes to see those things that are truly our responsibilities and also strengthen us to do them. Why do people act irresponsibly? For the most part, they act irresponsibly either because they do not know their responsibilities at all or because they lack the capability to fulfill them.

So, if we don’t want to fail in handling any of our responsibilities, we must make it our business to regularly pray to God to open our eyes to recognize everything we are responsible for in life. Also, we must continually pray to Him to equip us with everything we need to fully discharge our responsibilities to Him, to ourselves, to our families, to the church of God, and to our world, in accordance with every day’s need. Otherwise, there is no guarantee that we will not fail Him woefully in all or many areas of our lives.

Another reason this prayer is important is that God is only going to reward us for the responsibilities He has entrusted to us and not for those He has not entrusted to us. For example, though there may have been many children misbehaving in Israel in the days of Eli the Priest, God did not hold him responsible for the misbehavior of all of them. On the contrary, He only held him responsible for the misbehavior of His own children. (Cf. 1Sam 2&3)

In like manner, in the parable that the Lord told of a man that gave his servants money to work with, the man did not at all hold any of those servants responsible for sums of money that he did not give them. Instead, he only held them responsible for what he gave them. That is why he did not bother to find out what the servant that did nothing with the money he had given him was doing all the time he was away. Anything else he was doing, whether good or bad, during that period, was not his concern. His concern was for him to work and be profitable with the money he had given him. And since he was unprofitable with it, there was no reward for him – all he got was punishment. (Cf. Matt 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-29)

So, in rewarding us for whatever we do in this life, God’s primary focus will be on how we handle those things that are our responsibilities and not how we handle those things that are not our responsibilities. And if all those things we take seriously or are profitable in are those things that He has not entrusted to us as our responsibilities, He won’t be praising or exalting us because of them, regardless of how much we put into them. That, then, would mean that we have merely wasted ourselves on them. My prayer is that the Lord will always keep us from wasting ourselves on irrelevancies and non-essentials instead of devoting ourselves to learning what our responsibilities really are and carrying them out. Amen.

Do have a fabulous week.

Tags fail, responsibilities, your responsibilities

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

The giver of justice | Pastor J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date September 11, 2021
No Comments on The giver of justice | Pastor J.O. Lawal

Date: September 12, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 19

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours immeasurably from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of September 2021. My prayer is that God will see to it in the week that you get justice in every area of your life where you are being cheated, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we know, the world we live in is one that is full of all kinds of injustice. And there is almost nowhere we are not confronted with one form of injustice or the other, starting from our various homes. This, of course, is destroying our society, for it makes room for wrong people to enjoy or control things that they are not qualified to control. And where this is the case, things can only be expected to fall apart.

So, if we don’t want our homes, communities, offices, schools, religious assemblies and society as a whole to continue to fall apart, we must begin to maintain justice in them. Yes, each of us must be determined to use our position or resources to establish justice wherever we are. In other words, we must see to it that it is what is right for people that we give to them and not what they are not qualified for or what they are overqualified for. We must also see to it that people are adequately and appropriately rewarded or punished for their acts, so that those around us may see our devotion to justice and begin to behave themselves.

Unfortunately, this, most times, is not the case with us. Most of the people that are in a position to give justice and establish it in our society are not devoted to doing so. And even when people complain, protest or go to a law court to get justice, they have no assurance that they are going to get it at all or get it on time. That is why many in our country, for example, have not risen in life beyond where they are. It is also why many others have become discouraged about practising righteousness and have started putting their hands in things they once condemned (Ecc 8:11).

Perhaps you too have already given up or are about to give up on righteous living because of the injustice you have suffered from men’s hands. That will simply amount to allowing evil to overcome you. But the bible says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom 12:21NIV) So, do not give up on righteousness because of the injustice in the world. Instead, continue to practise righteousness wherever you find yourself. Also, continue to pray to God to establish justice for you and every other person that is being cheated in the land, and He will answer your prayers.

The bible says, “Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the LORD that man gets justice.” (Prov 29:26NIV) Did you see that? The only person from whom we can get justice, true justice, in life is God. And if He does not give us justice, it does not matter how many powerful or influential people we meet or protest to for justice, we won’t have it. Is that to say that we should never meet people for justice? No! We are free to meet anyone that is in a position to ensure we have justice about any matter of life to do so. But we must never forget that unless God Himself moves and enables that person to give us justice, they may never give it to us.

So, in whatever area of your life that you feel cheated or robbed, the first person you should take your matter to is God. Once you do that, even if men would not give you justice, He will do what is right and just for you without delay. Remember that our Lord Jesus says, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”” (Luke 18:7-8NIV) Did you see that? God will never put us off, if we seek His face for justice. But are we going to seek His face? Are you going to seek His face? I pray that our faith will be strengthened always to seek God for justice in every area of our lives where we need it, in Jesus’ name.

Have a great week.

Tags justice, lawal, the giver of justice

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Be patient with Him | Pst J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date September 4, 2021
No Comments on Be patient with Him | Pst J.O. Lawal

Pastor J.O. Lawal

Date: September 05, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 18

Beloved: grace and peace be multiplied to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to a new week in the month of September 2021. My prayer is that you will keep experiencing God’s exaltation until you are fully established in His good purpose for your life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now one major way not to miss the full realization of God’s good purpose for our lives is to walk with Him with patience. As we see in Scriptures, the fact that God has a good purpose for someone does not mean that everything will be realized overnight. God, for instance, ordained David as king in place of Saul. But He did not put this young man on the throne the same day He ordained him. In fact, He did not put him on the throne until about thirteen years later.

Why, then, did God not put David on the throne the moment He ordained him as king? It was because he was not yet ripe for the position. Being a king comes with a lot of responsibilities and not just privileges. And if one is not wise and strong enough to handle those responsibilities, he would fail woefully. Also, if one does not have enough faithful, wise, competent and strong subjects that would help him establish and strengthen his kingdom, he would most likely be devoured by the wolves in that kingdom.

So, though God wanted David on the throne of Israel because he was a man after His heart, He still had to give him time to learn, prepare and strengthen himself for the position before putting him there. Otherwise, his reign would have ended even before it had any chance to start. And the accounts of the persecutions he suffered from the hands of Saul were enough proof for this.

In like manner, even though God has great plans for our lives and is committed to fulfilling all of them, He will not do anything that would end up destroying us or give us anything that we would not be able to manage or keep. Therefore, He may have to keep certain things from getting into our hands until we are adequately equipped to handle them, keep them and also not destroy ourselves with them. But if we are not patient, we may get angry with Him for not fulfilling His promises to us as we expect and throw away our confidence in Him. And doing that, of course, can only make us totally miss the fulfilment of His purpose for our lives.

Look at what He said to the children of Israel through Moses before He took them into the promised land: “The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.” (Deut 7:22NIV) Did you see that? Even though God was going to drive out all the enemy nations before His people, so that they may occupy the land flowing with milk and honey that He had promised to give them, He did not intend to do so all at once. Why? Was it because He was not powerful enough to do so? No! Rather, it was because doing so would not be advantageous to them.

As His words clearly indicate, these Israelites were not numerous enough to occupy and manage the whole land at that time. So, even if everything was given to them all at once, it would not be long before wild animals multiplied against them and began to kill them off. And that would not be good at all. Therefore, in His wisdom, God decided that He would only eliminate their enemies little by little until they were numerous and strong enough to take over the whole land. And He still operates by the same principle. He still fulfils His purpose for His children little by little, based on their immediate ability to manage His provisions and exaltation. All they need is to be patient with Him and continue to do His will, knowing that He is utterly dependable and powerful enough to fulfil His purpose concerning them (1Thess 5:24; Heb 10:35-39).

So, if you are already feeling that God is not fulfilling His purpose in your life or is acting too slow, His Spirit is speaking to you now, saying, “Be patient and continue to do the will of God.” That is because He may just be waiting for you to become strong or wise enough to manage what He is bringing. And my prayer is that whatever is lacking in your faith, wisdom or strength to manage God’s provisions for you will be immediately and abundantly supplied, so that your experience of His exaltation and salvation will no longer be delayed. Amen.

Do have a wonderful week.

Tags pastor lawal, patience, patient

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

He is concerned about the source too | Pst J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date August 29, 2021
No Comments on He is concerned about the source too | Pst J.O. Lawal

Date: August 29, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 17

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I welcome you to the last Sunday of the month of August 2021 and pray that the Lord will perfect all that concerns your affairs in the month, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Recently, I had a discussion with a young woman who was troubled about her family’s financial conditions and how things were not going well for them as they wanted. As she told me, she was so troubled about this matter that she, at some point, thought about becoming a ‘Yahoo girl’. But we know that the so-called ‘Yahoo boys’ and ‘Yahoo girls’ are nothing but fraudsters and thieves. Not only are they fraudsters and thieves, they are also sorcerers. In other words, many of them, if not all of them, have one thing or the other to do with demons in order to make money. And unless they repent, they are bound to perish even before their lives get started.

But why would that woman think of becoming a ‘Yahoo girl’? That was the question I asked her. I said, “You are a Christian and one who has a job. Why, then, would you think of doing that?” And her answer was a little surprising. It was surprising because, according to her, she has been seeing many ‘Yahoo guys’ in church meetings and observing the way they spend money in those meetings and also the way many so-called church leaders praise, adore and pray them. That made her feel oppressed and that she and her husband also needed to do something about their financial state.

Now thank God that though that dear young woman thought about getting involved in this evil thing, she was held back by the Spirit of God from doing so. But the point of the matter is that there are many in the church today who are involved in all kinds of illegal activities and who have remained comfortable among us because no one is rebuking or warning them. And regardless of how much they give to the church or how highly certain people sing their praises, their jobs and their gifts are detestable to God.

So, apart from the fact that they will not receive any reward from Him for what they are doing, they will also get punished by Him at the right time for the evils they are doing and also for being bold enough to think they could bribe God with wages of wickedness. Under the old covenant, God said to His people, “No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the LORD your God to pay any vow, because the LORD your God detests them both.” (Deut 23:17-18NIV)

Did you see that? God is concerned about what we do for a living. He is concerned about the source of our income. And if what we are doing is something that He hates, we had better not bring Him any money or offering from it. That is because even if men do not know what we are up to, He knows what we are up to and will reward us accordingly. Mind you, we are not the only ones that will get punished for this nonsense; every church leader that is encouraging or supporting us to carry on in it will also get severely punished along with us.

Why did God eventually destroy Balaam the seer? It was because he loved the wages of wickedness. He was a man that would prophesy to anybody, pray for anyone or curse anyone, without first finding out what they are really up to, if you offered him enough money. So, God destroyed him, just as He is bound to destroy all these preachers that are walking in his footsteps, if they too waste time to repent. (Cf. Num 22-24 & 31:8)

So, always remember that even though God wants you to be generous to Him, He is also concerned about where the things you give Him are coming from. This is why you must not be involved in anything unclean or allow anyone to pressure you to do so (Eph 4:28). Otherwise, you will be wasting whatever you think you are giving to God or to His church, and your destruction won’t be sleeping.

Do have a great week.

Tags source

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

One wrong thing | Pst J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date August 21, 2021
No Comments on One wrong thing | Pst J.O. Lawal

Date: August 22, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 16

Beloved: grace and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am glad to welcome you to another week of the month of August 2021. And my prayer is that you will always be prevented by the Spirit of God from desiring or doing anything that will expose you to God’s judgment, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now that may not sound like a very serious prayer to many. But Paul offers a similar one for the Corinthian brethren, saying, “We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong…” (2Cor 13:7NCV) So, though this appears to be a very simple prayer, it is perfectly scriptural. And since it is perfectly scriptural, it can actually be the difference between life and death or between exaltation and fall for us.

For example, Reuben was not cursed by his father because he was a troublesome young man that was always causing problems and pains. Rather, he was cursed because of just one wrong thing he did. He slept with his father’s wife. Why he did this is not stated in the bible. Perhaps he was seduced by the woman, just as Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph. We would not know. But just that one offence made him and his descendants lose their place of excellence in life. (Cf. Gen 35:21-22 & 43:3-4)

Also, what got Nadab and Abihu, two of the sons of Aaron, killed on the same day and at the same time? It was just a wrong step that they took. They were good people. Also, they were anointed priests of God. But when they offered unauthorised fire before the Lord, fire came out from His presence and consumed the two of them right away. They were not given any warning or any chance to repent. So, any wrong thing can expose us to instant destruction or a life time of trouble. (Cf. Lev 10:1-2)

See, people may be involved in all kinds of wrong things and not get punished for them immediately or in any serious or obvious manner. But just one more wrong thing from them, one that may not even appear as grievous as the ones they have been doing, and they may find themselves in some very serious trouble with God. That was what happened to King Belshazzar. God did not put him to death or take away his kingdom from him for any of the wrong things he had been doing before the day he and his people decided to use the articles belonging to His temple for merriment. But on the day he did that, the sentence of death was pronounced on him. And he was killed and his kingdom given to another. (Cf. Dan 5)

In like manner, someone may have been doing everything right before God and receiving His praise. But just one wrong thing from him can make him lose his life, his ministry or his place in the kingdom of God. Remember Moses. It was just one wrong thing that he did that made him lose his ministry of leading Israel into the Promised Land. So, one wrong thing can spoil everything for us. (Cf. Num 20:1-13)

All of this is why I find Paul’s prayer for the Corinthians to be a very relevant one for me and in fact for every child of God. And what again is this prayer? It is that we will not do any wrong thing, whether one that will lead to our death or one that will lead to our failure, destruction, depression or uselessness in life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a great week.

Tags From pastor's desk, One wrong thing

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

The judgment of deceit | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date August 14, 2021
No Comments on The judgment of deceit | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: August 15, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 15

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be multiplied to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you into another week of the month of August 2021. My prayer is that your heart will always be strengthened by the Spirit of God to walk in love and sincerity with all the people of God in your life, so that you won’t expose yourself to God’s judgment instead of enjoying the fullness of the joy of Christian fellowship. Amen.

The bible says, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Col 3:9-10NIV) Did you see that? Lying, deception or deceit is an offspring of the nature of death that God removed from us, when we got born again. So, we must not allow it in our lives or in our dealings with one another. Otherwise, we may expose ourselves to God’s judgment. And who knows how He is going to judge? Nobody!

For example, if Ananias and his wife Sapphira had thought God could judge them with death for acting in deception towards the people of God, they most likely would not have acted the way they did. But because they had no idea that He could do so, they lied about their giving and were immediately and seriously punished for it. Both of them were judged and killed by God the same day. (Cf. Acts 5:1-11)

Now someone may say, “But many of God’s people still act in deception every now and then. Yet they don’t get killed by Him each time they do so. How come Ananias and his wife’s case was treated differently by Him?” Well, first, we need to understand that the fact that people are not judged immediately with death by God for acting in deceit or for doing any wrong thing does not mean they are not being judged at all. There are different ways He judges people. And if they are not sensitive to His things, they may never know they are being judged.

Second, we need to understand that it was not that God was treating Ananias and his wife differently. Rather, He was merely using them as scapegoats to warn others that may want to follow in their steps. And I pray that you won’t ever take any step that will make God use you as an example of how He judges wickedness, in Jesus’ name. Amen. But why did God have to use Ananias and Sapphira as scapegoats for others to learn from? It was because they tried to introduce deceit into His church. And we too should watch what we introduce into God’s church, for He is watching us and will reward us accordingly.

At any rate, as bible accounts show us, what happened to Ananias and his wife happened at a time that the love of Christ was truly reigning in the lives of all the brethren and over their affairs. This love so much dominated their lives that those who had properties among them were selling them off and bringing the money they made from their sales to the apostles to distribute to others who had need. And that, in fact, was what eradicated poverty among them, for the bible says, “There were no needy persons among them at that time.” (Cf. Acts 4:32-35)

So, all the brethren at this time, whatever their number was, were truthful and loving towards one another. And God wanted it that way, for that was what would show the world that they were true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, during that same period, Satan somehow succeeded in getting Ananias and his wife to start thinking and acting differently. How long they carried on like this we would not know. But we do know that, at some point, they too, like some other brethren, pledged to sell a property of theirs and bring the money to the church. And they did.

However, they were not willing to bring all the money they made from the sales of the land to the church. So, they kept a part of it for themselves. Was that a problem? No! The money was theirs in the first place, as Peter would later tell them. So, they had the right to choose how they used it. But to try to deceive other people of God, who loved them and cared about them, and give them the impression that they were giving more than they were actually giving was unacceptable to God. That was why He judged their deceit, giving others like them an opportunity to learn and change their ways.

In like manner, if we too will not walk in love and sincerity with our brethren, whether in the use of our resources or spiritual gifts or in other matters, we may just be exposing ourselves to God’s judgment, which could be as terrible as physical death. Therefore, let us allow the word of God to cleanse us of all forms of insincerity and hypocrisy while we still can. And may the Spirit of God enable you and me to do what is right in this matter, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a lovely week.

Tags deceit, judgement of deceit, the nature of God's judgement

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

How to become an enemy of God | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date August 7, 2021
No Comments on How to become an enemy of God | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Since God our Father is a finisher of everything He sets his hands on to do, we too, as His children, must cultivate the culture of finishing every good thing we lay our hands on to do

Date: August 08, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 14

Beloved: welcome to the second week of the month of August 2021. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you both now and forevermore. Amen.

As we begin this new week, I want to exhort you with the words of Apostle Paul that say, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Gal 1:10NIV) Now does this mean that it is totally wrong to gain people’s approval or to please them? No! On the contrary, it is important that we learn to please people, especially those in our lives. That is because it will promote love, peace and unity in our relationship with them.

And what does God want among men? He wants love, peace and unity among them. So, when we work to please people and accomplish these things, He is pleased. And anyone who will not study and work towards pleasing men in this manner will unlikely give himself to the discipline that pleasing God requires.

However, we need to be careful that we do not displease God while we are trying to please men. And that is the point that Paul is setting before us in that bible text. He wants us to know that while it is true that God wants us to labour to please men, so that our dealings with them may be smooth and peaceful, He does not want us to do this at the expense of our relationship with Him.

What does this mean? Well, it means that God is the one that must define for us how we please people. Yes, people may desire that we act in certain ways in order for them to be pleased or happy with us. But they are not our creator, neither are they the ones that will judge and reward us for the things we do in this life, whether good or evil. So, while it is alright for them to desire that we please them in one way or the other, we must only do what they want if it pleases God. If what they want does not please Him or is not in agreement with His will, we must refuse to do it for them or give it to them.

Will this make them happy? Will doing things that displease people make them happy? No! But as children that are responsible to God, our most important goal in life is to please Him and make Him happy and not to please men and make them happy (2Cor 5:9). Yes, in most cases, when we please God and make Him happy, people will be pleased and made happy too. But there are times that pleasing Him will set us against men. And that will be because of their hatred for His righteousness and truth (John 3:19-21).

Nevertheless, even if in pleasing God, we find ourselves at variance with men, we should not lose heart or feel bad. That is because it is far better to be an enemy of men and suffer their temporary rejection, abuse or persecution than to be an enemy of God and be forever lost. If you have men as your enemies, God is able to save you from their hands. But if you have God as your eternal enemy, who is going to save you from His hand? Nobody!

James says, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4-5NIV) Did you see that? If, for any reason, whether it is fear, money, pleasure, position or a desire for men’s reward, you choose to be a friend of the world, you automatically become an enemy of God. And the consequences of that will never be good or enjoyable for you, whether in this life or in the one to come.

Remember Pilate. Why did he release a criminal to go and continue his life of sin but condemn an innocent man to death? It was because he wanted to please men (Mark 15:15). So, he became an enemy of God and of truth and justice just because he wanted to satisfy men. I wonder what he would say to Him on the day of judgment, if he did not receive salvation through faith in Christ Jesus before his death. And I wonder what you too will say to Him on the day He visits you, if you should allow yourself to become His enemy just to remain friends with adulterers, prostitutes, thieves, swindlers, sorcerers or any other kind of wicked person. Well, my prayer is that nothing will succeed in setting you against Him, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a great week.

Tags enemy, enemy of God, how to become an enemy of God

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Run away from sexual sins | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date August 1, 2021
No Comments on Run away from sexual sins | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: August 01, 2021
Series: From Pastor’s Desk
Number: Vol. 10, No. 13

Beloved: Grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to the eighth month of the year, the month of August. I pray that your life will be organised to experience the fullness of the blessings of God in the month, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this new month, let me remind you of the words of Apostle Paul that say, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1Cor 6:18-20NIV) What is our charge here? It is that we are to flee from sexual immorality. And what does it mean to flee from something? It means to run away from it.

So, when Paul tells us to flee from sexual immorality, he means that we are to run away from it. For example, when Potiphar’s wife began to make sexual advances towards Joseph, he started avoiding her. The bible says, “And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.” (Gen 39:10NIV) Did you see that? Though that woman made it her business to seduce Joseph everyday, he would not listen to her or even spend time with her. I am sure if he were not a slave but just an employee of Potiphar, he may have totally resigned from work. But because he could not resign and had to deal with that woman everyday, he also made it his business to avoid her.

Finally, a day came when all the other household servants were not in. And that day the woman grabbed his coat and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his coat in her hand and ran out of the house. Why did he run? It was because he would have fallen into the sin of sexual immorality, if he had not done so. See, sexual sins are sins of emotions. So, you cannot tell at what point you will give in, if you keep hanging around someone that is continually tempting you with them. That is why we are commanded to run away from it. Otherwise, we would have fallen into it before we know what is happening.

But why are we commanded to run away from sexual sins? Why are we commanded to stay away from something that feels good and seems good? It is because it defiles and destroys our bodies, which are God’s temple. As Paul points out in that text, our bodies do not belong to us but to God who paid the price for our redemption. And it is because they belong to Him that He now lives in them by His Holy Spirit. So, we are not the only ones occupying these bodies; the Spirit of God is also living in them with us. This is why we must not defile or abuse them in any way. Otherwise, we may end up being destroyed, for Paul further tells us that if anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person (1Cor 3:16-17).

Now we must understand that it is not sex we are told to run away from but sexual immorality. So, sex is not the problem; its abuse or misuse is the problem. Sexual passions, just like hunger and thirst, were given to us by God Himself as a gift for expressing love. But we are only allowed to express these things in a marriage relationship. So, if you are not married, you are wrong to be involved in any form of sexual activity, whether between man and woman, man and man, woman and woman, man and animal or woman and animal. It is even wrong for you to be involved in sex with yourself, which is popularly referred to as masturbation.

Look, you will be polluting your body, if you are involved in any of these things. And as I already pointed out to you, your body does not belong to you but to God. So, any time you pollute it, you expose yourself to destruction. What form this destruction will take or when it will come is what I cannot tell you. It may be the destruction of your future home or the destruction of God’s plan to exalt you or the destruction of your body by some deadly disease. But it will certainly come, if you fail to repent when you have the chance to do so.

So, run away from anyone or anything that could drag you into sexual sin. And don’t allow any of the lies that ungodly people, especially our film makers, are propagating about sex to lead you to self-destruction. The will of God is for you to control yourself and stay away from sexual immorality (1Thess 4:3-6). So, nothing is wrong with you, if you abstain from sexual immorality and stay pure. And may the Lord continue to strengthen your heart to do so, irrespective of how immoral those around are, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a fabulous August 2021.

Tags As we begin this new month, away, run, sexual sins

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Why you may miss the supernatural | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Post author By Pastor J.O. Lawal
Post date July 24, 2021
No Comments on Why you may miss the supernatural | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: July 25, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk
| Number: Vol. 10, No. 12

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Saviour. It is with great delight that I welcome you to the last week of the month of July 2021. And I pray that God will keep the eyes of your spirit illuminated to always distinguish what is spiritual from what is natural, so that you will never again miss His provisions for your peace and exaltation. Amen.

One of the reasons many of God’s people today often miss His provisions for their peace and prosperity is the erroneous belief that the spiritual always has to be spectacular or grand. But the spiritual isn’t always spectacular or impressive. I mean that it is not every time that God’s healing, deliverance, transformation or exaltation comes in an amazing way. And if we do not understand this, we are likely to miss or even reject what He has sent to us because it does not appear to us in a spectacular way.

For example, after Jacob had left his father’s house for Haran, he decided to pass the night in a certain place that offered him little or no comfort. All he could get in the place was a stone that he used in place of a pillow. But right in that same place, he dreamt of God, of His angels and of heaven. He even received a word of blessing from God’s mouth in that dream. And when he woke up, he was terrified and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it…How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” (Gen 28:16-17NIV)

So, God can be very much present in a place, and we may not know it, if our eyes are not opened to see Him. And you know that God is always actively present in all the meetings of His people, for Jesus has said to us, “Where two or three of you come together in my name, there am I in their midst.” But how many of us always take this very seriously, so that we may take advantage of it? How many of us always function with the consciousness that when we come together with other people of God, the Lord is there with us, watching everything we are doing and ready to reward our faith in Him or punish our misbehaviour? (Cf. Matt 18:20; Acts 5:1-11)

A lack of understanding of these things is the reason many attend church meetings week after week and do not experience the miraculous in any tangible way. It is also the reason many go from prayer mountains to prayer mountains and from prophets to prophets, seeking miracles that are not lost. To say the fact, the miracles many are running up and down to find could have easily taken place in their local Christian assembly, if they had taken the presence of God in their meetings very seriously.

See, you can be in a meeting that is so full of the power of God and not know it or experience it, simply because your mind is spiritually dull of understanding. Paul says this to us: “When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present…” (1Cor 5:4NIV) Did you see that? Anytime we are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus, His power is present with us to save, heal, deliver, exalt and even judge evil. And all we need is to recognise this, even though we cannot see it or feel it, and take advantage of it to change our situations for the better.

But when our minds are dull of spiritual understanding, we will be looking for the wrong things in our meetings. We may be looking for some great music, thinking that is where the power lies. Or we may be looking for someone that will scream the word of God into our heads or someone that will spice us up with some sweet words to pray or someone that will do something that will make us shake or have goose pimples. And when we don’t see these things, we may conclude that God is not active in those meetings, if He is there at all.

Now that is a sure way to miss God’s power and provisions for us. While nothing is wrong with having great music, great preaching or loud praying in believers’ meetings, it is not these things that make God’s power or blessings available to people. Rather, it is God Himself. Yes, it is His presence in our lives or our meetings that makes His power available for our enjoyment. Therefore, if, instead of putting our faith to experience the miraculous in Him, we put it in some spectacular performance from people, we will not experience His power that we are seeking to experience. It is as simple as that.

All of this is why we must continually pray that God will keep our hearts right, so that they will not be led astray by the spectacular and miss the supernatural. And may He grant this request in your case, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a lovely week.

Tags Why you may miss the supernatural