Tag: Fire in my bones

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: An image that doesn’t exist

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 24

“Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food.” (Prov 12:9NIV)

With the widespread use of the social media and Artificial Intelligence (AI), we are confronted like never before with pretence of very great proportions everywhere we turn today. What I mean is that many are now labouring hard to show themselves to the world as rich, influential, important and powerful, when they are really nothing. And why are they doing this? Desire for the praise of men!Unfortunately, many of God’s people are also being moved to do likewise.

So, if they cough, they too want the whole world to know. If they wear a new dress or a new hairstyle, they want someone somewhere to know about it. And if they don’t have a new dress or hairstyle to show off, they will let ‘AI’ do the trick for them and project about them whatever they want others to see.Now don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that you should not use the available social media platforms or ‘AI’ to project whatever you want people to see or know about you.

Rather, I am saying you should check your reasons for doing so and also be sure that what you are projecting about yourself is the truthYou want people to see you as good looking, calm and prosperous in life. That is fine. But are you actually good looking, collected and doing well in life at the moment? Or are you merely deceiving yourself?Perhaps what you want is for people to see that your business is doing well and can serve them well in some ways.

So, you are putting all kinds of images and videos of yourself and that business out there for people to see. And that is also fine. But is what you are projecting really the truth? Or are you merely fooling yourself and others?Then why do you want others to see whatever image of yourself you are projecting? Is it merely for the praise of men? Is it to update your people on certain truths they need to know about you and whatever you are up to, truths that they may not be able to learn through any other means? Or is it just to go along with the crowd?

Well, as Solomon tells us in our opening text, it is better to be a nobody and yet have people that you are well able to cater for than to pretend to be somebody and be living in hunger. In other words, instead of using your time lying and doing all kinds of silly things to gain attention, why don’t you give yourself to doing something meaningful that will make you a truly responsible person?

See, many of the so-called influenzers or socialites today are broke and unhappy. Yes, it may seem that they have the attention of the whole world. But they are broke, frustrated, unhappy and useless to themselves and others in their lives. That’s why they often end up killing themselves or their loved ones.

If you too, then, should walk in their steps, wasting your time, energy and whatever resources you have on projecting an image of yourself that does not exist, you will most likely end up like them. That is because you will have unconsciously driven true help away from yourself. So, frustration is bound to be the fruit that you will reap.Well, my point is that you need to stop wasting your time, energy and resources on projecting an image of yourself that does not exist.

Instead, give yourself to doing something legitimate with your hands, something through which God’s blessings can overwhelm your life. And when He is done with you, you won’t need to project anything about yourself or your work. That is because there will be many that will gladly do so for you for free, for the results will be speaking for themselves.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Never allow Eliab

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 8, No. 22

“When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” (1Samuel 17:28-29)

What did Eliab, David’s oldest brother, hear him discussing with some of the soldiers in the camp of Israel? He heard him discussing what would be given to anyone who killed Goliath and ended the harassment he had been giving the entire army of the nation. And was it wrong of David to ask questi ons about such a matter? No!

See, even though David was not yet in the army at the time, he was a free Israelite like every soldier in that army. So, he had a right to ask questions about anything relating to the welfare of the army and of the nation as a whole. Of course, those he was talking to may refuse to answer him, since he was not their commanding officer. That still wouldn’t change the fact that he had a right to ask them battle related questions.

More so, David was not asking questions that day about what would be given to anyone who killed Goliath simply for the sake of being informed. Rather, he was asking to see if risking his life to confront and kill that giant would come with any meaningful appreciation.

But his oldest brother was not even going to let him speak. He just wanted to shut him up. Why? There was no sensible reason offered in the account. He just did not think David should be talking to any of the soldiers. And since he was far older than him, he was ready to use his age to bully him into keeping quiet.

Now perhaps you too are like that. You like to bully others and shut them up, without making any effort to find out whether they are making sense with their words and actions or not. And you are ready to use any advantage you have over them, which may be age, wealth, education or position, to silence them. You are just another Eliab. You are nothing but a discourager, a killer of good dreams. And anyone that allows you to silence them may never amount to anything in life.

Thankfully, David would not allow Eliab to silence him, even though he was his oldest brother. Of course, he would not insult him or speak disrespectfully to him. Nevertheless, he would not allow him to silence him and put out the fire of greatness burning inside of him. So, he went on to become great as God had ordained him to be.

You too should never allow any Eliab to silence you or put out the fire of greatness or success that God has lighted in you. No, never allow anyone, who has no word of encouragement, comfort or inspiration to give you, to kill you on the inside, Instead, as David turned away from Eliab to talk to others who would tell him what he needed to hear, you too must be ever ready to turn away from any Eliab, regardless of who they may be.

Now you don’t have to be disrespectful to do that. You just need to respectfully and wisely excuse yourself from their discouraging and dream killing words. And may God continually strengthen you to walk in victory over every form of discouragement till you reach His goal for your life. Amen.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

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FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2025 Pastor's Desk

Title: Is it what you need to hear?

Series: From Pastor’s Desk

Number: Vol. 14, No. 21

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to the third week of the month of September 2025. My prayer is that your ears will never again be deaf to the voice of the Spirit of God, so that you will not perish with this world of darkness. Amen.

As we see in the book of Revelation, one of the things the Lord Jesus kept on saying to His churches that He wrote letters to was that the one who had ears to hear should hear what the Spirit of God was saying to the churches. That is telling us that it is not everyone that has ears to hear the voice of the Spirit of God, whether for their promotion or protection. What some people have ears to hear is their own voice or the voice of the devil. So, regardless of what God is saying to them by His Spirit, they cannot hear it.

For example, despite the warning of Prophet Micaiah to King Ahab, this king would not listen to him. His words could not just enter his ears and cause a change of decision, so that he may be protected from the death that was awaiting him in battle. But the words of Ahab’s prophets entered his ears and made him bold to go to a battle that would claim his life. Why? Those prophets told him what he wanted to hear. (Cf. 1Kings 22; 2Chro 18)

So, one of the reasons people become deaf to the voice of the Spirit of God is that they want to hear only what they want to hear. And even if they have to pay someone to tell them what they want to hear, they will gladly do so.

No wonder the bible says:“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2Tim 4:3NIV)

Now perhaps you too are one of those that we are talking about. All the preachers and people that you are listening to are only the ones that will tell you what you want to hear. But is what you want to hear what you really need to hear? If what you want to hear is not what you need to hear, then, you are not different from King Ahab. So, you are already exposing yourself to danger. And if you fail to repent on time, you will surely ruin your life and soul someday.

So, before you turn away from whatever anyone is telling you, first ask yourself whether what the person is saying is what you need to hear or not. And if it is what you need to hear, if it is what will truly benefit your life and set it in the right direction, know that it is the voice of the Spirit of God that is talking to you. Accept it, then, even if it hurts. That will be your wisdom.

Have a lovely week.

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Be safety conscious

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 19

“Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.” (Ecclesiastes 10:8-9)

What is Solomon speaking to us about here? Basically, he is speaking to us about the need to be careful in all that we do. And he uses four different activities that we may engage in to illustrate his point to us.

First, he speaks about the digging of pits. As we all know, we often dig pits for various good reasons. And there are times that we dig pits to deliberately endanger the lives of others.

In any case, Solomon’s point is that we must always keep in mind the fact that we ourselves can fall into a pit that we have dug, even if we have dug it for a good and legitimate reason. Therefore, when digging any pit, we should put safety measures in place.

That way, nobody’s life, including our own very lives, will be endangered by it. Then we should be careful never to dig a pit for anybody’s fall. That is because we may end up being victims of our own wickedness.Solomon also speaks about breaking through walls. And there are times that we need to break through some walls to move ahead in life or to enjoy some relationships or to know some secrets.

But whether it is a necessity that we break through a wall or not, it is important that we demonstrate utter carefulness and preparedness in doing. That is because we may not fully know or appreciate what is waiting for us behind that wall. And if it should be a snake or something even more harmful, we should meet it ready.

Otherwise, we may end up being sorry for ourselves.What we are saying is that what is behind a wall of limitation may be more dangerous and limiting than the wall itself. And where people don’t function with an understanding of this, where all they are after is just breaking through their limitations and they are not preparing for what may be behind those limitations, they may end up losing their lives or endangering their lives in ways beyond their expectations.

Furthermore, Solomon speaks about the quarrying of stones and splitting of wood. And while these things can be done legitimately, it does not cancel out the fact that there are dangers associated with doing so. Therefore, anyone quarrying stones or splitting wood ought to know that he may endanger himself and others around him while doing so, if he is not safety conscious.

Now Solomon says this to let us know that each job has its own hazards. It will be wise of each of us, then, to appreciate the dangers associated with whatever work we are doing and put measures in place to protect ourselves from them. Otherwise, we may end up endangering ourselves and others that we love. And how painful would that be?

At any rate, while it is highly important that we are safety conscious in all that we do, we must also never forget that unless God keeps us safe, we will not be safe, however careful or safety conscious we may be. So, we must never put our trust in our being safety conscious but in God. And may God continually keep us all safe from all forms of accidents and hazards, in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

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FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2025 Pastor's Desk

Title: Even if you are a king

Series: From Pastor’s Desk

Number: Vol. 14, No. 20

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be abundantly yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to another week of the month of September 2025.

My prayer is that God will daily strengthen your heart to take His word seriously for you to always be successful in all your endeavours, in Jesus’ name. Amen.As we see in the bible, it does not matter who we are in life, God wants us to take His word seriously.

Why? It is because it is only through His word that can truly succeed in life and also enjoy our success. So, even if you are a king over people, you still need the word of God to be a successful king, a king that those under him will flourish.

Look at the instruction Moses gave to anyone that would be king over the people of Israel:“When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites.

It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.” (Deut 17:18-20NIV)

What is the first thing anyone that becomes king over the people of Israel must do? He must get a copy of the book of the law of God for himself. Why? First, it is so that he may give himself to reading it and also to meditating on it all the days of his life.

Second, it is so that he may be careful to live his life according to God’s word. And if he will do this, as Moses points out, he and his descendants will prosper and also reign a long time over the land.You can see, then, that even for any king in Israel to prosper and have many descendants that will reign after him, he must take the word of God seriously. He cannot ignore His word or claim that he is too busy for it.

Otherwise, his reign will not last. Unfortunately, as also see in the bible, most of the people that became kings over the Israelites did not take the word of God seriously.

So, their kingdoms did not endure. Instead, at some point, God had to send all the people into exile because of them. And we see the same thing happening in our world today. Wherever leaders do not take the word of God seriously, they cannot prosper. Instead, they are bound to lead their people into all kinds of slavery.

In any case, the point I am making is that if kings need to take God’s word seriously in order to prosper in life, we who are not kings cannot expect to prosper in life without taking His word seriously. So, if you have not been taking His word seriously, you need to repent for your own good.

How? First, get your own copy of the bible that you can read and understand. Second, give yourself to reading it and to also meditating on it. And as you daily do so, it will not be long at all before you find yourself living according to what God is saying to you.

Now anyone that is daily living according to what God says is bound to prosper in life. He may start small in life like David. Yet God will see to it that he prospers. He may also face many challenges in life like Joseph or Job. God will still see to it that he prospers. So, regardless of your position in life at the moment, take the word of God seriously. And true and lasting prosperity will be yours.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

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Fire in my Bones General Post Youth for Jesus

Title: The Lord looks at the heart

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No. 18

“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”” (1Sam 16:7NIV)

When did God say the words of our opening bible text to Samuel? It was when he was in the house of Jesse to anoint one of his sons as king over Israel, that is, in place of King Saul. And who was Samuel not to consider his appearance or height? It was Eliab, Jesse’s first son.

Now why was Samuel not to consider Eliab’s appearance or height? It was because God needed more than his appearance and height in order to make him king. God also needed his heart to be right.

Unfortunately, the man did not have the kind of heart that could make God choose him as king over His people. So, he was rejected.But then, it was not only Eliab that was not considered by God to have the heart of a king among Jesse’s sons. Six other sons of his were also considered by God not to have the heart of a king. Only David, the man’s last son, was considered by God to have the kind of heart He needed His king to have. And it was he that Samuel was told to ordain as king over the people of Israel. (Cf. 1Sam 16:1-13)

What is this teaching us? It is the fact that even though God is the one that promotes or exalts people in life, He does not exalt them indiscriminately. On the contrary, He exalts people based on what He sees in their hearts.

The fact, then, that someone is in a low position does not mean that God is going to exalt him. If the heart of the person is not right for exaltation, God is not going to exalt him. Yet we may see Him taking someone that is already in a high position to an even higher position. Why? The person’s heart is right for exaltation. Therefore, if you want God’s exaltation in life, take care of what is in your heart.

Yes, it may look like you are qualified for certain positions in life because of your education, beauty, intelligence, family background or social status. But if pride, bitterness, lust, envy, hypocrisy or dishonesty is your heart, God may not consider you fit for those positions. We would not know exactly what God saw in Eliab’s heart and in the hearts of his other brothers that made Him reject them for the position of king over Israel. But He saw what He saw. And what He saw displeased Him. So, He rejected them.

Now perhaps there is something God is seeing in you too that is making Him reject you for certain positions of elevation that could have been yours in life. You need to rid your life of whatever it is. But you cannot do that unless you know what it is. How, then, will you know what it is? God Himself, who knows what is in every heart, will have to reveal it to you.

If there is any prayer you, then, must learn to pray, it is that God will constantly reveal whatever displeases Him in your heart to you, so that you may rid yourself of it. And may He, in His mercy, answer you each time you offer this prayer to Him, so that you may do the needful about the state of your heart and never hinder yourself again in life.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Will your presence bless them?

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 8, No. 17

“From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.” (Gen 39:5NIV)

Whose household was blessed by God, as we see in our opening text? It was Potiphar’s household. Why was his household blessed? It was because he put Joseph in charge of it.

Now why would God bless an entire household because of Joseph? The reason was that he took Him seriously. And because he took Him seriously, He ensured that His favour was on his life wherever he went. So, it did not matter whether he was in a house of slavery or in a prison, he was bound to shine and prosper. And anyone that favoured him or associated with him was also bound to be a part of his prosperity.

This, then, is teaching us that association matters a lot in life. If we associate ourselves with the right people, our lives will most likely go in the right direction. Likewise, if we associate ourselves with the wrong people, our lives will also most likely go in the wrong direction.

Potiphar’s life and family began to move in the direction of prosperity because he recognised God’s favour on Joseph’s life and put him in charge of everything he had, even though he was not an Egyptian like himself or a family member. We too should learn to recognise and appreciate God’s favour in the lives of others, so that we may relate to them appropriately. Otherwise, we may miss the goodness God may have communicated to our lives through them.

Then it is equally important that we too function in life in such a way that our presence in the lives of others will cause them to go in the right direction, in the direction of prosperity and not disaster or chaos. See, as children of God, it is not good at all for us to be friends with people, work with them or live with them for a while and our presence won’t bless them. What is good is for people to be able to place their fingers on the obvious progress or prosperity that their lives have experienced because we are their friends or because we have worked with them or lived with them.

All of this is why we too, like Joseph, must take God seriously. If we take Him seriously, we will walk in His righteousness and continually express our dependence in Him through prayer. And that will cause His favour to continually rest on our lives. Anyone, then, who associates with us is bound to be a partaker of the working favour of God in our lives. That, of course, will cause them to have great testimonies to share about their experience with us.

Do you, then, want those in your life to continually share great testimonies of how your presence is blessing them or do you want them to continually express regrets over knowing you or allowing you to be a part of their lives? Everything depends on how seriously you take God. And my counsel is that you begin to take Him very seriously, if you have not been doing so. May your presence in people’s lives never again bring pain but comfort to them, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Cheers!

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FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2025 Pastor's Desk

Title: Train yourself to be godly

Series: From Pastor’s Desk

Number: Vol. 14, No. 16

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great delight that I welcome you to another week of the month of August 2025. My prayer is that God will daily strengthen you in the week and throughout the remaining years of your life to live a life that is well-pleasing to Him. Amen.

As we begin this new week, I want to encourage you with the words of Paul that say:“Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1Tim 4:7-8NIV)

What is the first thing this apostle says to us here? It is that we should not waste our time with stories that do not promote godliness and that do not agree with the truth God is saying to us. And there are many such stories from one culture to another. They appear to be saying the truth about life because they have been told again and again for generations. But they are not the truth at all, for they are contrary to what God is saying to us through His holy Scriptures. And if we do not want our lives and souls to be ruined by them, we must stay away from them.The second thing Paul tells us in that text is to train ourselves to be godly.

Why? The first reason is that godliness is not automatic. Yes, we are God’s children and have in us what it takes to be godly, for God has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2Pet 1:3).

But if we do not give ourselves to doing things that will promote godly living, godliness will not manifest in our lives.

Unfortunately, many of God’s people don’t know this. They think once someone becomes born again, he will automatically be seen by those around him as godly. But that is not true at all. If that person will not give himself to the word of God, to prayer and to the fellowship of God’s people, godliness will not be seen in his life.

Also, if he will not begin to consciously take steps to do what is right and to stay away from what is wrong, he will not gain a reputation as a godly person. So, if you want people to see you as a godly person, you have to consciously begin to train yourself to do those things that will promote godliness in your life.

Another reason Paul tells us to train ourselves to be godly is that the benefits of doing so are enormous. And these benefits are not just earthly; they are also eternal. Think about this: there are problems that you cannot have in this world, if you are living a godly life.

For instance, if you are not a drunkard, there are some forms of disgrace you cannot experience in life. But if you are one, you are bound to be disgracing yourself from time to time.

So, if you do not want certain problems in your life, all you need is to train yourself to be godly. Also, if you want God’s praise here on earth and also when you get to heaven, daily train yourself to be godly. And may the Spirit of God strengthen you to act accordingly, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a lovely week.

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: The test of patience

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No.14

“On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”” (Acts 1:4-5NIV)

Who gave the command in our opening text? It was our Lord Jesus Christ. And to whom did He give the command? It was to His disciples.What, then, was the command? It was for them to wait in Jerusalem until they were baptised with the Holy Spirit.But exactly when would they be baptised with the Holy Spirit? The Lord did not tell them. He only said to them, “In a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.” So, they would need to have faith in Him to obey this instruction.

Also, they would need to be patient in order to see what He had spoken of come to realisation. Now did they wait or not? They waited. And did the Holy Spirit come on them or not, as Jesus had promised? He came on them. But how long did they wait for the Holy Spirit to come on them?

Well, bible scholars would have us believe that they waited for about ten days. Jesus died during the Passover feast. And He showed Himself to these disciples in a period of forty days after His resurrection. Then the Holy Spirit came on them on the day of Pentecost, which was just fifty days away from the Passover feast. (Cf. Acts 1:3 & 2:1-4)

In any case, the point is that for those early disciples to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit, they had to be patient in waiting for Him. No one today has to wait like that to be baptised with the Holy Spirit, for He has already been made available by God to baptise all those who believe in Christ Jesus. But those early saints had to wait for Him to first be poured out on all humanity before they could receive Him.

And if they had not been patient in waiting for Him, if they had left Jerusalem a day or two days before He came, only God knows what would have become of them and of the church of Jesus Christ on earth.Thankfully they waited. And I am sure the Lord chose them because He could trust them to wait for as long as they had to until the Holy Spirit be poured out on them.

Can He also trust you and me to wait for Him in any situation? Can He trust us to patiently wait for Him to perfect what He is doing concerning our lives, in spite of the challenges or opposition we may face while waiting?King Saul could not be trusted by God to patiently wait for Hm. So, even before He failed God, He had chosen someone else to replace him (1Sam 13:13-14).

What happened? Well, once when the Israelites were at war with the Philistines, he too was commanded to wait until Samuel could come and offer some sacrifice to God before he would lead his men to war. And he did wait for seven days, the time set by Samuel.

However, when Samuel was not showing up that seventh day, he got impatient at some point and decided to offer the sacrifice himself. Why? It was mainly because his soldiers were deserting him. But should he not have called all of them to order, as their king? He should have done that. But he did not.Then even if all his men left him, was God not with him? Was God not sufficient to win the battle or war with him alone? How many men did Gideon need to defeat the Midianites of his time? Only three hundred men! Yet he defeated them because he had the consciousness that God was with him. (Cf. Judg 6-8)

But Saul did not have that consciousness. So, he allowed the misbehaviour of his men to make him lose his patience and do something God had not given him the right to do. Unfortunately for him, Samuel showed up just when he finished making the sacrifice. That means the man of God still came the very day that he had said he would come. So, he only needed to wait a little longer that day. And if he had, God would have established his kingdom.

Sadly, he failed that test of patience and lost what he was trying to keep. And we too may end up losing what we are desperately trying to keep, save or obtain, if we will not learn to be patient with God. Yes, we may be faced with all kinds of challenges that will give us the impression that God will be too late to save us or to perfect what concerns us. But as long as we function with the consciousness that He cares about us and will never leave us or disappoint us, we must keep on waiting for Him patiently.

Yes, as the apostles of old did while waiting for the Holy Spirit, it will be good for us to keep on strengthening ourselves in prayer and in the word of God, while we are waiting for God to fulfil His purpose for our lives. Yet we must be determined to patiently wait for Him, even if we have to do so till our time is up here. That is the only way we will not fail our test of patience and be fully rewarded by Him.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Be quick to judge it

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus

Number: Vol. 8, No.13

“When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.” (Eccl 8:11NIV)

After Amnon had raped his half-sister, Tamar, many or some of those who were privileged to know about the matter must have been waiting for a sentence to be passed by King David and his officials on the young man. But for some reasons not mentioned in the account, no sentence was immediately passed on him. In fact, judging from the account, it did not look like any sentence was ever going to be passed on him, for two years after, when he was assassinated, the sentence was yet to be carried out. (Cf. 2Sam 13)

Now why was no sentenced passed by King David on Amnon for raping his own sister? As I already pointed out, we are not told in clear terms in the account. It may be because he was the crown prince and sentencing him to death or to exile may not look politically okay. We wouldn’t know the reason for sure.However, because the sentence for his crime was not quickly carried out, Absalom, the elder brother of the rape victim, decided to take the law into his own hand.

Two years later, when everybody thought the matter had been forgotten, he arranged for Amnon to be assassinated. Then he fled.Now was Absalom also punished for murdering his own elder brother? No! Did David send anybody after him to arrest him and make him face justice? No! Then when he came back from the self-exile he had imposed on himself, was he punished by the king? No! Why was he not punished? Again, we are not told in clear terms in the account.

But then, because he was not punished, he had the opportunity he needed to stage a coup to get rid of his father from the throne. And he would have succeeded and destroyed his father, David, if God had not stepped into the situation to deal with him and rescue the nation from his hand. But many lives were needlessly lost in the process. They were needlessly lost because the man that was in a position to judge wickedness failed to do so when he had the chance to do so. (Cf. 2Sam 14-20)

Well, I personally believe that it is because of all this that Solomon, who witnessed it all, says to us in our opening bible text that when the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do evil.

What that means, first, is that when we are in a position to judge wickedness and will not judge it immediately or at all, somebody else that is not in a position to judge it may be filled with enough anger to judge it. And because the person is not motivated by justice but by anger or bitterness, they will most likely go beyond what is appropriate and adequate in judging the matter. Then they will have made a bad situation worse and be exposed to judgment themselves.

Second, when we fail to judge a crime in time, the person involved and other evil doers like them may be encouraged to do more evil. Why do many, for instance, keep on violating traffic rules in our country? The reason is that people are hardly judged for doing so.

So, most people drive their vehicles with the mindset that nothing will happen to them, even if they break all the traffic rules of the land. And think about the number of lives that have been needlessly lost as a result of that. It is unspeakable.In any case, Solomon wants us to know that if we want our society to be sane and healthy for us all to live in, we cannot afford to ignore crimes.

Instead, we must be quick to judge it in accordance with the laws of the land or of wherever we are, especially when we already have enough evidence to do so. Otherwise, before we know it, evil will so multiply against us that we will need divine intervention to judge it. And where that is the case, we ourselves cannot boldly say that we will be safe when all has been said and done.

Copyright © 2025, 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: 08146472876)