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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Be on your guard against them | By: J.O. Lawal |

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: October 05, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 21

“Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.” (2Tim 4:14-15NIV)

It is true that the word of God tells us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us, so that we may be like God our Father, who shows mercy and kindness to even bad people (Matt 5:43-45). But that is not the only thing it tells us about how to relate to our enemies and those who persecute us. It also tells us to be on our guard against them. Otherwise, though we love them and are praying for their good, we may end up being victims of their wicked schemes.

For example, in our opening text, Paul tells Timothy to be on his guard against a certain man named Alexander the metal worker. Why? It is because he has been a victim of the man’s wickedness. He says, “He did me a great deal of harm.” What sort harm the man did Paul he does not say in this letter. But it was bad enough for him to warn Timothy to be on his guard against him, so that he too would not become a victim of the man’s wickedness.

In like manner, if we do not want to unnecessarily become victims of people’s wickedness, we must know those that we need to be on our guard against. For example, people who are directly attacking our faith in Christ Jesus are suspects in this matter. We must be on our guard against them. This, of course, does not mean we are to be like them and start attacking them as well or that we are not to pray for their salvation. No, we must not be like them. And we must not stop praying for their salvation, for that will be acting contrary to the will of God who wants all men to be saved (1Tim 2:1-4).

However, we must not foolishly or ignorantly walk into whatever traps they may be setting for us. Instead, apart from praying to God to frustrate their wicked plots against us, we must also be ready to take whatever legitimate step we can take as humans to stay away from their trouble. For example, when Paul learnt from his nephew that there was a plan afoot to assassinate him by some Jews, he did not dismiss it as a rumour or say, “Don’t worry. God will protect me from them.” Instead, he told the young man to discreetly inform the commander in whose barracks he was being held. And the commander did the needful and arranged some soldiers to take him to safety.

Why did Paul function like that, instead of foolishly or arrogantly walking into a death trap, all in the name of trusting God? It was because he knew that the reason God revealed the matter to him was so that he could act on it and save himself. And if he had not made a wise use of that revelation, he may have lost his life in the process and also ended his ministry before his time was up. We too must learn to use whatever God reveals to us about those who oppose us to protect ourselves. Otherwise, we may end up being victims of evil people without need. (Cf. Acts 23:12-34)

Apart from those who oppose our faith, people who are ruthlessly ambitious, envious or greedy are also individuals we must be on our guard against. They may not reveal themselves as our enemies in an open or direct manner. But some of them are like Joab, who would call you ‘brother’, even though he had the dagger he would use to kill you hidden away in his dress. And some of them are like Judas, who would betray you with a kiss to anyone who paid him enough money for your head. (Cf. 2Sam 20:8-10; Matt 26:47-50)

In any case, however close anyone may be to you and whatever pet name they may be calling you, as long as you know them to be greedy, ruthlessly ambitious or envious, be on your guard against them. And I pray that God himself will continue to keep you safe from all harm and from the schemes of wicked and unreasonable people, including enemies that pose as friends. Amen.

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

An evangelical woman|By J.O. Lawal|Date: September 11, 2022| Series: From Pastor’s Desk|Number: Vol. 11, No. 19

Beloved: grace and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to the second week of the month of September 2022. My prayer is that God will fill your heart with great inspiration to lead many others to Him, so that they also can enjoy His goodness and salvation, just as you are enjoying them. Amen.

In John’s gospel, he shares a story with us about a Samaritan woman that our Lord Jesus met by the well of Jacob in a town called Sychar. Evidently, the woman we are talking about must have a very troublesome one. That is because, as the conversation our Lord with her reveals, she had gone through five different marriages and had been divorced by her five different husbands. And even at the time the Lord met her, she had moved in with another man that she was not married to at all. Imagine, then, the kind of reputation she must have had in that town and among her people. I believe that is the explanation for her being all alone at the well to fetch water. She was somebody most people did not want to have anything to do with. (Cf. John 4)

Yet, when the Lord was done talking with her and introducing her to His well of living waters, she left her water jar, went back into the city and practically brought everybody with her to listen to Him. And that was how He ended up spending two more days with them.

But how did this troublesome woman suddenly become evangelical? How did this woman that nobody wanted to associate with succeed in bringing a whole town to Jesus? She must have spoken passionately to all the people about her experience with the Lord. That means what she heard from Him so blessed her that she forgot about her bitterness and hatred for those around her and began to freely tell them to stop deceiving themselves and come and meet their Lord and Messiah.

In like manner, if we have been blessed at all by our Lord Jesus, He expects us to become evangelical like this woman, forget about all the wrong things people have done to us and begin to lead them to Him. This is so that they too, like us, can experience His salvation and goodness in their lives. Unfortunately, many of us are not doing anything about this. We are not inviting others to come and join us in the beautiful fellowship we are having with the Lord and His people.

Why, then, are we like this? Could it be that we are not enjoying His goodness in our lives at all? Or could it be that what He is doing for us and in our lives is not worth talking about? Or could it be that we are ashamed to be associated with Him? Whatever our reasons may be, it is selfish of us not to lead others in our lives and around us to the one that is doing our lives good and bearing all our burdens for us moment after moment.

So, if the Lord has been nothing but good to you in your life, home and affairs, as we face this new week, become evangelical like that Samaritan woman and begin to lead those around to join you in fellowshipping with our Lord Jesus Christ and with us too. Truly, you may not know how to preach. That woman also did not know how to preach. Yet she brought all her townspeople to our Lord Jesus, the one who knew what to say to them. You too should bring all those people in your life who are in need of the Lord Jesus into our fellowship. And the Lord will give us the right words to say to them and meet them at the point of their needs. May the Spirit of God will your heart with great passion and boldness to act accordingly, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have yourself a splendid week.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Show respect for their things | Fire in my bones | J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: August 31, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus |Number: Vol. 5, No. 16

“If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in another man’s field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field or vineyard. If a fire breaks out and spreads into thornbushes so that it burns shocks of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution. If a man gives his neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if he is caught, must pay back double. But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges to determine whether he has laid his hands on the other man’s property.” (Ex 22:5-9NIV)

One of the ways to limit growth and development where we are is to continually treat the properties or possessions of our neighbours with disrespect. See, whatever a man has or owns represents him. That is because that thing is a product of his labour, a product of his sweat. So, if you treat it carelessly or without respect, it is the person that has it that you are actually disrespecting. And wherever that is the case, wherever we are messing up with the fruit of other people’s labour, growth and development are bound to be hindered.

Therefore, if we want growth and development to be fast and progressive in our land, there must be laws that will compel us to treat the properties and possessions of our neighbours with care and respect. We cannot assume that people will treat their neighbours’ things with care and respect. That is because they may never do so. In fact, the natural man is naturally selfish. So, he cares only about himself and what belongs to him. And there are situations in which he may not even care about himself or what belongs to him. That being the case, if there is nothing to compel him to care for others and what belongs to them, he may never do so.

You can see why God, when He brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, did not assume that they would naturally be nice to one another. Instead, He gave them laws, as we see in our opening bible text, that would compel them to treat one another’s properties and possessions with seriousness, even if they did not like another. Of course, these people had all suffered as slaves of the Egyptians for centuries. But that did not mean that they would think about that and be nice to one another or to the foreigners among them. They still needed laws to compel them to do so.

Look, the fact that someone has suffered before and has now been comforted does not mean that he will be kind to others. If the love of God is not in living in him and compelling him to be kind to others, he will not be kind to them at all. You may know certain rich or influential people who started out in poverty in life and who are yet terribly cruel to those under them. Why has the history of such people in poverty not taught them to be kind to others? It is because there has never been kindness in them.

Money or position never makes anybody kind or wicked. These things only highlight what people have been all along. Therefore, we cannot assume that people will treat their neighbours’ possessions, properties or businesses with respect and care either because they are rich or poor. There must be laws that will compel them to do so. And that was God did with the Israelites when He brought them out of Egypt. He gave them laws that would make them respect the possessions and properties of their neighbours. So, even if you did not like your neighbour, when you thought of the penalties that come with not treating their things with respect, you would behave yourself.

See, God did not want a situation in which people would cultivate the habit of wasting, losing or destroying their neighbours’ properties or possessions and saying, “Oh, it was a mistake.” So, He said, “Even if it was a mistake, your being sorry is not going to be enough. You have to refund the money you lost or replace the property you damaged. That would teach you to be more careful with other people’s things in the future and also prevent you from hindering the progress of your neighbour or limiting his enjoyment of his possession or property.”

But you know we often get upset when people demand that we refund or replace things that they entrusted to us that we lost or messed up. Why? It is because we think it is unrighteous and wicked of them to do so. We see it as a sort of revenge. But that is not how the word of God describes revenge. Revenge is when you pay people back evil with evil. And it is different from when you demand that people act responsibly in handling your things.

God Himself wants us to act responsibly and carefully in relating to anything that belongs to our neighbours. That was why He gave laws to the people of Israel concerning this. And we do have similar laws in many countries and organisations today, laws demanding that people treat their neighbours’ things or anything that is entrusted to them with seriousness and care. The unfortunate thing, however, is that it is not everywhere that these laws are enforced.

For instance, in Nigeria, even the government is not serious about enforcing laws that protect lives and properties. So, many are daily strengthened to mess up with the fruit of others’ hard work and labour. And we wonder why we are not moving forward at any serious rate. God will not preserve the fruit of our labour or prosper the works of our hands, as long as we keep treating what belongs to others without care or respect. So, we need to change our attitude along these lines, individually and collectively. Otherwise, the growth and development we are looking forward to seeing in our lives and land will never happen.

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Don’t detest hard work |Fire in my bones | J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: August 24, 2022 |Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 15

“I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” (John 4:38NIV)

There is a growing hatred among many young people today for hard work. All they want is much profit with little or no work at all. They want to live in mansions, ride the latest exotic cars, eat delicacies all the time and move around with the finest of ladies or guys in the world. All for doing what? All for doing almost nothing!

Is it wrong to live in mansions or to ride exotic cars or to eat delicacies or to marry beautiful ladies or handsome men? No, these things are not wrong in themselves. But we need to earn the right to have them through honest, hard and diligent labour.

Now observe that I said spoke of honest, hard and diligent labour as a means to earning the right to live large. That is because it is not every job that is hard to do that is also honest. For example, robbery, drug trafficking, human trafficking, kidnapping, burglary, prostitution, and swindling are all hard and risky jobs to do. And they can make plenty of money available for people to live very large lives. However, regardless of the degree of devotion and diligence given to doing these jobs, they are not honest or legitimate jobs. So, those involved in them can only hope to get destroyed through them sooner or later.

So, when I am taking about being given to hard work, I am not talking about any kind of work. Rather, I am talking about legitimate and honest work that people can proudly identify with. And I am saying don’t be ashamed to give yourself fully to any such job. Why? First, it is because God rewards those who work hard and diligently. Paul, writing to the Colossian brethren, says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.” (Col 3:23-25NIV)

Did you see that? The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is interested in our work and also in our attitude towards it, regardless of whom we are working for or working with. And He will reward us right here in this world for whatever we do, even if we are not Christians. This explains why He may pick an unbeliever from among believers and exalt him, if he is hardworking and diligent. There is no favouritism with Him.

I am sure you know the story of Joseph and of how God exalted him. Why did God exalt him in the manner that He did? One main reason was that the young man was a hard and diligent worker. And it did not matter to him where he was, whether he was in slavery or in the prison, whatever he found to do, he did it wholeheartedly. So, he was always experiencing exaltation and standing before those who mattered wherever he was. Of course, he did not become great in one day. But because he had a culture of working hard and diligently, God was able to clear the way for him to attain the highest position anyone could ever wish for in life. (Cf. Gen 39-41)

If you too will learn not to run away from hard work but to handle your work, whatever it is, seriously and diligently, God, who is always watching you, will see to it that you are always standing before those who matter where you are and not before irresponsible and useless people (Prov 22:29). Then, if you do not faint, a day will surely come when you will be led by Him to that height that no one thinks you can ever attain. And who knows how close you are to that day?

Another reason you shouldn’t run from hard and diligent labour is that you may through it offer comfort and rest to future generations. As our Lord points in our opening bible text, His disciples had a very rare privilege of eating the fruit of the labour of many prophets of old that had lived and ministered before them. Those people did the hard work of clearing the way for Him to come. But they were the beneficiaries of their hard work.

In like manner, the Christian liberty and sound spiritual education may of us are enjoying today have been made available for us through the hard work of some great men and women of God who lived here in the world before us. These people gave themselves to hard and diligent spiritual labour with perseverance in order for the truth of Jesus Christ to be preserved for us. And if they had detested hard work, all that we are now enjoying in terms of our spiritual heritage today would not have been ours to enjoy.

Interestingly, the same thing is true in the natural realm. The sophisticated lives many of us are living in the world today have been made available to us through the hard work of some great scientists, thinkers, academics and business men and women that lived years or centuries before us or that are living now among us. Similarly, there are many young people today that are able to enjoy quality education and live comfortably because of the hard work of their parents or grandparents. But what if these people had run away from hard work or if they had treated it with contempt, would the kind of lifestyles some of us are living now have been possible at all? No!

So, if you give yourself to hard work, you won’t be the only one to enjoy it. Others coming after you will also enjoy it. Stop running away, then, from hard and diligent labour, for it is your own way of vitally making the world a better place for all to live in

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

In praise of wickedness | Fire in my bones | J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: August 17, 2022 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 14

“I have thought deeply about all that goes on here in the world, where people have the power of injuring each other. I have seen wicked men buried, and as their friends returned from the cemetery, having forgotten all the dead man’s evil deeds, these men were praised in the very city where they had committed their many crimes! How odd!” (Eccl 8:9-10TLB)

One main way to keep a town, city, country, or organization in stagnation, misery, or poverty is to continually praise or reward wickedness. Unfortunately, many people do not understand this. Therefore, because of fear, greed, or love for the praise of men, they praise wickedness where they should condemn it or reward wickedness where they should punish it. Then they sit down and wonder why there is not much growth, development, prosperity, and safety where they are. Isn’t that odd?

Well, that is exactly the situation Solomon is dealing with in our opening bible text. According to him, he had been to funerals of wicked people and had seen how even victims of their wickedness spoke well of them. But they knew in their hearts that these people deserved no form of praise or commendation. Yet hypocrisy, fear, or greed would not allow them to say the truth that they knew about them. And Solomon is asking if that is not odd.

Now perhaps you have once attended a funeral in which those who were asked to speak spoke ill of the dead person. I have never attended one. And I am sure most of those who have attended funerals at different times and of different persons will agree that people hardly speak ill of dead people at their funerals, even if they have been direct victims of their wickedness. Why is this so? Hypocrisy!

Hypocrisy is the major reason we will be singing the praise of a wicked person, whether they are dead or alive, even when we have been victims of his wickedness. Today, we often see those who have hurt their own people terribly and oppressed them in many ways being praised and commended in religious houses by the very same people they have been oppressing, especially when they make some huge donations. What is behind such things? Hypocrisy!

But as Solomon tells us, it is odd and actually foolish of us to function in this manner and still expect a better society. It is foolish of us to continually speak and sing in praise of wickedness and still expect it to go away from our society. That will never happen. It will never happen because what we are doing is counter-productive.

See, we cannot be strengthening evil with our words and songs and expect those doing it to stop. They will not stop. Instead, they will continue to act under the assumption that we are okay with whatever they do. And even when they know that we are not fine with their wickedness, they will still continue to perpetuate it, as long as they can induce us to sing their praises instead of saying what we really think and know about them. You can see why vote buying, vote selling, and other similar nonsense are widespread in our land.

In any case, if you and I want to break the wings of evil where we are, we have to begin to call it what it is, instead of singing its praise, maybe out of fear, hypocrisy, or greed. But are we going to do that in our homes, schools, offices, neighborhoods, cities, and religious assemblies? May God grant us sufficient willingness and courage to always do so, for our good and for the good of those generations of people that may come after us, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

A promotion that can’t be condemned

from pastor's desk

Date:May 16, 2021|Number: Vol. 10, No. 2

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 2021 and pray that, starting from the week, you will, like never before, begin to experience divine elevation that people cannot condemn or despise, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now one of the things that will make it possible for people to see you get elevated and not despise your elevation is the obvious presence of the wisdom of God in your life. For instance, the bible says this about David, “So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.” (1Sam 18:5NKJV) Did you see that? Even though David was a very young man when he joined the service of King Saul, he was made a commander over the soldiers.

But why was this young man made a commander like that? Was it simply because he killed Goliath? No! Or was it because he was a friend of the king’s son, Jonathan, who happened to be the crown prince at the time? No! Indeed, David, against all odds, killed the Philistine champion, Goliath. And that made him become a very popular person. Also, he was indeed a friend of a very powerful and respected prince, Jonathan. But all these things did not mean that he was qualified to lead other soldiers, who were mostly older men, or motivate them to success.

See, we are talking about leading soldiers here, men who were trained to face death anytime, any day and anywhere. So, David would need to be more than a prince’s friend to lead them. Also, he would need to be more than a warrior to lead them. He would have to earn their respect for them to follow him. And for him to earn their respect, he would have to show that he had what it takes to protect them and lead them in victory, regardless of the circumstances.

And that was exactly what he did. He behaved himself wisely in handling whatever assignment he was given by his master, King Saul. That means all the soldiers who were observing him could see that he was handling all the military affairs committed to him with wisdom and prudence. So, when he was set over them as their commander, they all accepted him as worthy of the position. Nobody thought of him as being overrated or as being given an undue advantage. Instead, they all celebrated him and submitted themselves to his leadership.

Now that is the kind of elevation or promotion you too need in your life. You need a kind of promotion that even those who hate you will agree that you deserve. And for you to have it, you also, like David, need to be conducting yourself wisely wherever you are and regardless of your age or social status. So henceforth, whatever task you are given at work, in school, in your neighbourhood, in your family or in the church, handle it diligently and wisely and not anyhow. Yes, make sure you put a stamp of excellence and wisdom on anything that you do.

And why is that important? It is important because people are always watching you, whether you know it or not. And how you handle whatever is under your care is one of the things that will determine whether they see you as someone that deserves a higher position in life or not. Truly, God does need people’s opinions to promote or elevate you. He can promote you with or without their approval. However, if you are going to enjoy your promotion and increase in usefulness with it, you need those around you to accept you as worthy of being in the position you are. Otherwise, you may end up hating that elevated position, when you are being despised by the very people that are supposed to work with you or cheer you up.

Thankfully, through Christ Jesus, we all now have access to all the treasures of wisdom, knowledge and understanding (1Cor 1:30; Col 2:2-3). And all we need to see their expression in our lives is to devote ourselves to God’s word and prayer. So, as you go this week, renew your devotion to His word and prayer, and you will be amazed at the way His wisdom will become obvious in your life in all that you do and at the way people will start accepting and celebrating your progress.

Do have a great 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)

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Fire in my Bones

Title: Even if you have made a mess of your life – March 17, 2021

fire in my bones
fire in my bones


Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 3, No. 44

“In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.” (2Chron 33:12-13NIV)

The world we live in is one in which we cannot totally avoid being faced with trouble. I mean that even if we are godly, of the best conduct and know how to relate to others in peace, there is still no guarantee that we won’t be faced with one form of trouble or the other. The only guarantee we have is that, as long as we recognise Jesus as our Lord, we will walk in victory over whatever challenge we may be confronted with in this world. (Cf. John 16:33; 1John 5:4-5)

However, in most cases, the troubles people face in life are brought upon them by themselves. Remember that Solomon says, “God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.” (Ecc 7:29GNT) And that is the case with many people. Through certain bad choices and foolish decisions, they are continually making their lives, which would have been full of rest, joy and meaning, bitter, horrible and meaningless. In short, the decisions and steps some people are daily taking are those that can only keep them in perpetual trouble and pains.

Notwithstanding, even if we have made a mess of our lives through our foolish and bad decisions and steps, we can still experience mercy, forgiveness and restoration, if we will turn to God for help instead of persisting in our foolish ways. And that is one of the things we learnt from the story of one of the kings of Judah named Manasseh.

Now Manasseh was one of the kings that reigned the longest over the people of God, Judah. He reigned over them for fifty-five years. But he used most of those years to do evil. This man was not only wicked to the people; he was also hostile to God. He would not worship God at all, though his father, Hezekiah, loved and worshipped Him all the days of his life. Instead, he worshipped all the starry hosts, converted God’s temple into that of idols, practised sorcery, divination and witchcraft and even offered his sons in the fire to demons. (Cf. 2Chro 33:1-9)

In short, Manasseh gave himself to doing everything God had warned His people not to do and led the whole nation astray. (Cf. Deut 18:9-13) And though he was warned by Him, he paid no attention whatsoever. Therefore, God gave him over to his enemies, so that they could do with him as they wished. They put a hook in his nose, chained him like a commoner criminal and dragged him far away from his kingdom to Babylon. (Cf. 2Chro 33:10-11)

That, of course, should have been the end of that man. But it was not. Why? It was because, as we are told in our opening bible text, in his time of distress, he humbled himself greatly before the Lord and sought His mercy and favour. In other words, this man cried out to God for mercy and help. And did He answer him or not? Oh, He did answer him. In fact, using bible words, God was so moved by his honest and heartfelt prayers that He favoured him and brought him back to Jerusalem and to his throne, so that he ruled and did exploits again.

But what if Manasseh had not called upon God in his time of distress? What if he had continued to relate to God in insolence? Would he have been saved and restored? No! But because he cried out to God for mercy, He answered him and showed him mercy. Mind you, we are talking about an evil and injurious man here. We are talking about a man that God accused of being more wicked that the former inhabitants of the land of Canaan. Yes, we are talking about a man that was accused of polluting the land with innocent blood from end to end. Yet when he cried out to God for mercy, He answered him, forgave him and also restored him. (Cf. 2Kings 21:11&16)

In like manner, if you too will cry out to God for mercy, He will answer you, regardless of what mess you have brought yourself into. And it does not matter whether you are as bad as Manasseh or worse than him. All you need is to stop justifying your wickedness or trying to save yourself. The one who tries to save himself will certainly perish, for no man can save himself. But the one who cast himself on the Lord will receive mercy, salvation and restoration, however wicked or vicious he may be. So, cast yourself on Him now that there is still breath in you, and you will be glad you did.

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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com / alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

Title: He won’t listen to anybody – March 10, 2021

fire in my bones
fire in my bones


Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 3, No. 43

“Please think this over and decide what to do. This could be disastrous for our master and all his family. He is so mean that he won’t listen to anybody!” (1Sam 25:17GNT)

The above remark was made by one of Nabal’s servants, who was quick enough to sense that disaster was coming for his master’s house and that if something reasonable wasn’t urgently done about it, they would all be doomed. But who was Nabal? Nabal, as the bible tells us, was one of the wealthy men in Israel during the reign of King Saul. And what made his servant make such a sharp and unkind remark about him? It was because his wickedness and bad manner were going to endanger the lives of everyone with him. So, his servant had to use very strong words that would make his wife appreciate the nature of disaster that was hovering over them and act fast for their safety.

But what led to all this? It was the fact that David had sent men to Nabal because he was having a celebration and had humbly requested that he would send something to him and his men to support them. And why would he do that? What relationship did he have with the man that would make him make that kind of request? Well, though he had no direct relationship Nabal, he did have a relationship with some of his men. (Cf. 1Sam 25:4-9&14-16)

As the account goes, while David and his men were wandering from place to place because of King Saul’s persecution, they had met certain servants of Nabal at Camel and had treated them very kindly, forming a wall of protection around them the whole time they were together. That, of course, was very unlike mercenaries, soldiers of fortune, which David and his men had become. They are usually known to be brutal and lawless, looting, raping and forcefully taking things that they are not given. But because David, who was the captain of these men, feared God, he would not allow them to maltreat Nabal’s servants, men who were merely doing their job, or steal from them. Instead, they treated them kindly and protected them.

Now naturally, if someone treated your workers, servants, children, parents, siblings or spouse well, you should hear about it, so that you can thank or appreciate them in whatever way you can. And you may, in fact, get angry with those involved, if you did not get to hear about such acts of kindness done to them on time. Unfortunately, that was not the case with Nabal. His servants did not even bother to say anything to him about the kindness of David and his men to them, even though it was the right and appropriate thing for them to do. Why? It was because he was a wicked and unreasonable man, one that would not listen to anybody but himself.

In any case, when David sent men sent men to him to give them something from what he had prepared for his feast, he would not answer them. Instead, he spoke harshly to them. And what was his excuse? It was that he had never heard about anyone called David. But did he find out from any of his men, if they knew anyone called David or if what those messengers of David had said was true at all? No! He did not even think about the matter. And that was because he was just being Nabal, a fool. (Cf. 1Sam 25:10-11)

Therefore, when David heard about the shameful way this man had conducted himself, he decided that he was going to wipe him and his household out for good and show them that he was not someone to be ignored or taken lightly. And if one of Nabal’s servants had not acted fast by telling his wife about the disaster coming on them, they all would have perished. (Cf. 1Sam 25:12-35)

Now think about it. Even when Nabal’s servants realised that none of them would be safe because of his bad manner, they did not approach him to say anything to him, good or bad. Instead, it was his wife that they approached. Also, when his wife heard of what was going on, she did not go to reason with him. Instead, she went straight to talk to David and persuade him not to act rashly and like a wicked man. And did David listen or not? He listened and repented of the evil he had wanted to do. In fact, he acknowledged the fact that it was God that sent that woman, Abigail, to prevent him from becoming a murderer.

But that was not the case with Nabal. Nobody, not even his wife, could talk to him or reason with him. And if what happened on that occasion had not happened, he probably would never have known how close he was to destruction, all along, because of his stubbornness and pride. But then, it was even too late for him, for God Himself would not tolerate his nonsense anymore and so took his life ten days later (1Sam 25:36-38).

What, then, is the point of all this? It is simple: don’t be another Nabal. Don’t be someone that nobody can talk to or counsel or reason with. Otherwise you may someday perish without remedy. Yes, it is good that we are firm and decisive in dealing with matters of our lives. However, none of us has what it takes to be absolutely correct or flawless all the time. Only God does. And that is why He often uses those around us to set us right and make us see the blind spots of our lives and be kept out of trouble.

This, of course, does not mean that we have to adopt every suggestion or counsel people bring to us. Rather, it means we are to have listening ears and be willing to see things through other people’s eyes. But if we turn ourselves into individuals nobody can approach or counsel, if we bring ourselves up to people that listen to no other person but ourselves, a day may come when, like Nabal, we will get into trouble and perish without remedy. And only God knows how many people, even His children, that have perished because they listened to nobody but themselves. So, watch yourself.

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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com / alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
Fire in my Bones

Title: His presence may not make Satan spare you – March 03, 2021

fire in my bones
fire in my bones


Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 3, No. 42

“That evening, Jesus said to his followers, “Let’s go across the lake.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him in the boat just as he was. There were also other boats with them. A very strong wind came up on the lake. The waves came over the sides and into the boat so that it was already full of water. Jesus was at the back of the boat, sleeping with his head on a cushion. His followers woke him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are drowning!”” (Mark 4:35-38NCV)

If we are going to fully enjoy God’s best for us in life and also become all that He wants us to become, we must not be afraid of encountering challenges. Instead, we must be ready to face them and deal with them, bearing in mind that God has said that He would never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5-6).

As we see in the bible, one major reason many of the children of Israel that Moses led out of Egypt did not enter the Promised Land was unbelief (Heb 3:19). But what made unbelief take root in their hearts? It was their unwillingness to walk in the light of God’s presence with them and embrace challenges. God was always with these people, as we are told in Scriptures, manifesting Himself in a pillar of cloud that was over them during the day and in a pillar of fire that was over them during the night (Ex 13:21-22).

Nevertheless, each time they were faced with any trial or challenge, they forgot that God was with them and started grumbling, to their own hurt and destruction. Why? It was because they were utterly ignorant of the concept of God’s presence with men. They thought that once God is with someone or once He is asking someone to do something, the person should not have to face any challenge or trial while obeying Him – God ought to have dealt with whatever challenge that may want to show up before it even shows up at all.

Indeed, God often deals with most of the challenges that are coming our way before they show up at all. And I am sure we may not get to know all our challenges that He solved without our knowledge until we fully come into His eternal kingdom. However, the fact that God is with us or has sent us does not mean that we are never going to encounter trials in this life. We will certainly encounter them, even while doing His will. But as long as we don’t allow the enormousness of those trials to make us so afraid that we forget to take recognise and take advantage of God’s abiding presence with us, we will walk in victory over every one of them.

Look at what we have in our opening text, for example. It was the Lord Jesus Himself that told His disciples that they should embark on that trip on the sea. And they obeyed. Not only that, He was also with them in the boat and on the trip. Yet they were faced with a strong wind that threatened to take their lives. How do you explain the fact that Jesus was in that boat and still some wind was bold enough to want to capsize it?

See, that Jesus is very much present with us does not mean that Satan is going to assume that we are going to take advantage of His presence. We may not just take advantage of His presence and instead try to fight him off with our strength, intelligence, influence and so forth. And that is exactly what he wants. He wants us to ignore or forget the presence of Jesus in our lives and seek to resist him according to our own understanding. That way, he can make a mess of our lives or faith, right in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In any case, though those disciples had Jesus with them in the boat, sleeping, yet a strong wind came against them. And when they saw that their efforts to arrest the situation were getting them nowhere, they remembered that Jesus was with them and woke Him up. And why did they wake Him up? Exactly what did they expect Him to do? We are not told in clear terms. But I suspect that they were not expecting Him to do anything different from what they had been doing. They just wanted Him to be aware that all of them were in danger and that it was not a time for anyone to sleep.

Now how often do we also act like that? We talk to God about our challenges not because we believe He can handle them or expect Him to handle them but because we just want to keep Him informed. In any case, it is better than not talking to Him at all or ignoring Him. The disciples called on Jesus in that moment of distress and He answered them. He got up and rebuked the wind and the waves, asking them to be quiet and still. And guess what? They obeyed Him. (Cf. Mark 4:39-41)

So, if you are too are being harassed or threatened by any wind of difficulties or challenges, you need to first remember that the Lord Jesus is very much present with you there. Then you need to take advantage of His presence with you by confronting those challenges in His name. And they will have no choice but to listen to you. But don’t ever think that Satan will always spare you because Jesus is with you in the boat or because He is the one that has instructed you to do what you are doing. That kind of reasoning will endanger your faith and put you at the enemy’s mercies. So, wake up.

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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com / alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)