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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

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.

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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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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: A point of reference for good – July 19, 2020

Beloved: grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great delight that I welcome you into another week of the month of July 2020. And I pray that God will perfect all that concerns you and make your life a point of reference for good things, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we see in the bible, the very first king God ordained over the Israelites was Saul. But after the record of his death, nothing serious is mentioned about him again. Why? It was because he did not live an exemplary life. Yes, he reigned for forty years. But those forty years meant nothing to God, for they were not lived to honour Him.

But the case was different with David, who became king after him. He so gave his heart to God that He continually used him as a point of reference to others. For instance, when He was going to tear the kingdom of Solomon into two and give the larger part of it to Jeroboam, He said to him by the mouth of Ahijah the prophet, “If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.” (1Kings 11:38-39NIV)

Did you see that? God was using David as a standard for that young man to emulate. In other words, if Jeroboam would just order his life the way David ordered his own life, he would not have any problem with God but win His approval. And there are a number of other places in the bible in which we see God using this man as His standard for judging the performance of other kings. (Cf. 2Kings 14:3, 18:1-3 & 22:1-2)

But why would God use David as a standard for judging others? Was it because he was utterly sinless and absolutely perfect? No, he was not any of these things. He had his own flaws as a man and even committed sins that most of the other kings did not commit. Nevertheless, he was someone that was always after God’s heart to please Him and bring Him praise. And because of that, when he sinned, and it was brought to his notice, he would not start arguing with God or making excuses for his sins. Instead, he would lose no time in sincerely repenting and also in seeking forgiveness. You can, then, see why God continually used him as the standard for appraising all the kings that came after him. (Cf. 2Sam 11,12&24; Ps 51)

In like manner, God wants us to live our lives in such a way that He can tell others to learn from us. Yes, we know that none of us is ever a perfect example of man, as He wants man to be. Only Jesus Christ is. However, if we will follow the Lord holeheartedly and pattern our lives after His, it won’t be long before God is able to use us as a point of reference in showing others how to live lives that are well-pleasing to Him (1Cor 11:1; Phil 3:17). And my prayer is that, as you continue your journey through life, your heart will be strengthened to walk everyday in this consciousness, so that your life may continually be a blessing to everyone in your world.

Do have a great week.

Copyright © 2020, 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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Don’t lose your mind because of them – May 24, 2020

from pastor's desk

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to the last week of the month of May 2020. My prayer is that God will strengthen your heart to remain true to Him to the very end, regardless of what men may do against you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the things we learnt from the earthly life of our Lord Jesus is devotion to God, even in the face of rejection, betrayal and denial of men. Here is One who fully gave Himself to doing the will of God in all things (John 8:29). Yet men, including those who benefited tremendously from His life and ministry, rejected Him. Even those who had the rare privilege of fullying sharing in His great life and ministry, at some point, denied and abandoned Him because of fear. That is besides the fact that it was one of them that betrayed Him and handed Him over to those who wanted to take His life. And he did that out of greed.

Nevertheless, in the face of all these things, our Lord Jesus stayed true to God to the very end. He did not lose His mind because He was ultimately rejected, betrayed, denied and abandoned. Painful as all this might have been, He did not become bitter. Instead, He committed His soul to the One who was able to deliver Him and also asked for forgiveness for all those who treated Him wickedly (Luke 23:34&36). Therefore, God answered His prayers, honoured Him, exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee must bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:9-11).

Similarly, Paul the apostle experienced the rejection of his own people, the Jews, even though he had given his entire life to doing the will of God, their God. Not only that, at some point in his life, he was abandoned by many among the people of God, including some of his own ministry associates, people that his life and ministry had been a blessing to. (Cf. 2Tim 1:15-18 & 4:9-10&16) But did he lose his mind because of this and withdraw his devotion to God? No! Or did he become bitter, resentful and malicious because of the rejection and betrayal he had experienced? No!

Instead, Paul cast himself totally on God for safe-keeping and also offered prayers of forgiveness for all the brethren who abandoned him, so that God would not hold it against them. And God answered him and kept him safe to the end of his earthly race. (Cf. 2Tim 4:16-18) This was why he was eventually able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2Tim 4:7-8NIV)

So, even if all hell is let loose against you, and you are being rejected, persecuted, abandoned, betrayed or denied by men, including those you love and those who have been blessed by God through your life, don’t lose your mind or throw away your devotion to God. Instead, follow the examples of our Lord Jesus and Paul the apostle by doing what Peter says. And what does he say? He says, “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” (1Peter 4:19NIV) Did you see that? If you are suffering while doing the will of God, don’t lose yourself. Instead, commit yourself to your Creator and continue to do good. And at the appropriate time, you will be rewarded for your steadfastness and trueness. May the God of all grace and comfort be with you. Amen.

Do have a great week.

Copyright © 2020, 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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Do not put your trust in princes – April 19, 2020

from pastor's desk

Beloved: I am delighted to welcome you to another week of the month of April 2020. And I pray that God will make where you are a place of rest and flourishing for you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

It is clear that many all around the world are confined to their various houses at the moment and cannot freely move around to work or do anything for themselves. And that is because of the rapid spread of COVID-19, which has forced governnments of all the countries in the world to place some degree of restrictions on their peoples. To what extent this is affecting everyone only God can tell. But it is clear that many are not finding it easy or funny at all, which is why there are all kinds of complaints and murmurrings everywhere. I mean that there are murmurings and finger pointing in many places against government leaders, political leaders, community leaders, religious leaders, leaders in the business world and even those who lead various world organisations. And that is largely due to the inability of many of them to provide true leadership and comfort for their people at such a time as this.

But then, the Lord already says to this to us about human leaders, “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.” (Ps 146:3NIV) Did you see that? The Lord says we are not to put our trust in human leaders. And notice that He does not say, “Do not obey human leaders.” We are to obey our leaders, as long as they are not asking us to do something contrary to the will of God (Dan 3&6). This, of course, is good and pleasing to God, who takes no pleasure in rebellion and pride (Rom 13:1-5; 1Pet 2:13-14).

In any case, why does the Lord tell us not to trust in human leaders? It is because they cannot save us from our problems. Yes, they will always promise us heaven and earth and salvation and relief from all kinds of problems and trials we are daily confronted with. But the truth is that even if they have the will to do the things they have promised to do, the ability to deliver does not belong to them but to God (Prov 16:1&9 & 19:21). And if He does not enable them to do as they desire or as they have promised, nothing will ever get done by them.

Therefore, the Lord warns us not to put our trust in them or in any other human but in Him. And why should we put our trust in Him? First, it is because He cares about us (Matt 6:25-34; 1Pet 5:7). Second, it is because He has the ability to fully take care of us (Jer 32:27). Third, it is because He can be trusted all the time (Deut 32:3-4; 1Thess 5:24). No wonder the writer of the Psalm I gave you above goes on to say:

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them — the LORD, who remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.” (Ps 146:5-9NIV)

Look at that. Blessed is the one whose trust is in the Lord, the Maker and Owner of everything. Why? It is because the Lord will certainly and always take care of him, regardless of what the circumstances of his life might be. Look at the different categories of people the Psalmist mentions in that Psalm and how the Lord takes care of them, though they are weak and helpless. And He will take care of you too, if you will allow Him and put your trust in Him, even during this period when many are filled with depression, distrust and bitterness. So, put your trust in Him, my friend, notwithstanding what your current situation may be. And you will find that He is utterly faithful and dependable.

Do have a pleasant week.

Copyright © 2020, 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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: Comfort is available in God – April 12, 2020

from pastor's desk

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be multiplied to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of April 2020. My prayer is that the comfort of God will overflow and overwhelm your life all through this period of national and worldwide crises, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Evidently, these are very difficult times for people all around the world. And that is basically because of the partial or total lockdown that we all are faced with. So, those who have money cannot really spend it to enjoy themselves the way they would love to. And those who do not have are agitated because they cannot go out to make some money to take care of themselves. Then those who have or who are suspected to have contacted this horrible disease ‘Coronavirus’ have had to unhappily surrender themselves for isolation and treatment. And families of those who died as a result of the disease also have had to deal with the pains of not being able to give them proper burial or pay their dead bodies their last respect.

To make matters worse, many in different parts of the world are daily confronted with the reality of the incompetence and limitations of their leaders. Many can now see for themselves that their so-called leaders, whether at the national level or at the community level, only care about themselves and are so selfish that all they can think of at the moment is how to take advantage of the present crises to further enrich themselves. This is why their supposed relief measures have become the laughingstock of many. Also, many can now see that their leaders, whom they have literally worshipped for years, are only humans too – they are not God. So, apart from the fact that they too can be messed up by this fast spreading horrible disease, they are equally and terribly limited in terms of capacity to handle certain life’s problems, even though some of them seem to be trying their best to help.

What, then, are we to do in the midst of these terrible times that are driving many crazy? Who are we to turn to for comfort and relief at such a time as this? It is clear that we all need to be comforted and given relief from the evils of these times. But who can we trust to comfort us now? And who actually has the capacity to do so?

Well, Paul, in one of his letters, answers these questions for us, when He says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2Cor 1:3-4NIV) Look at the way he describes God here. He calls Him the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. So, two things stand out here about the character of God. The first is that He is a compassionate Father. That means He is a Father that will not sit still and watch His children or anyone who reaches out for Him to suffer or get destroyed by their problems. The second thing about God is that He is the God of all comfort. In other words, every measure or form of comfort anybody can hope to have or receive in this life is with God and can only come from Him.

Therefore, at such a time as this, when most people are going crazy because they are distressed and really have no one to trust or depend on, we, who are God’s children, ought to be drawing their attention to the fact that we have a Father who will not only show them compassion but also comfort them. But if we ourselves have not learnt to receive and enjoy His comfort, there is no way we can lead others to do the same. For instance, the reason Paul was able to say through that letter that God is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort was that he himself had been enjoying His comfort. Then he made it clear that one of the reasons God was comforting them was that they too would be able to comfort others who are in trouble with the same comfort they had received from Him.

So, in order for us to serve as a channel through which others will receive and enjoy God’s comfort anytime, especially now, we must first show that our own lives are receiving and enjoying His comfort. But our lives will not receive and enjoy His comfort, if our hearts are not resting on Him and reaching out to receive from Him all that we need. If we, therefore, want to be fully comforted and also be channels of comfort for those around us during this period, let us set our hearts fully on God. And just as He comforted Job, David, Paul and other saints of old in their times of distress, He will comfort us too and also use us in comforting others with the same comfort we have received from Him.

Do have a week full of comfort.

Copyright © 2020, 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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: How long will you wait? – March 29, 2020

from pastor's desk

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I welcome you to another week of this year and pray that it will be a week of rest and peace for you in all ways, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, as we begin this new week, I want to admonish you with Joshua’s words to the Israelites, which say, “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?” (Josh 18:3NIV) Evidently, at the time Joshua said these words to the children of Israel, some part of the Promised land had been taken over by the people. In fact, records show that he had already led them to conquer thirty-one kings and their lands (Josh 12:7-24). Yet there were still very large areas of land for them to take over (Josh 13:1-5).

Unfortunately, it seemed at that time that the people were already comfortable with what they had. So, they were not making any move to take over the remaining lands and begin to enjoy them, as God expected. And this was displeasing to Joshua, who had patiently laboured for years to see that they fully came into what God had promised them. Therefore, he charged them with these words: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?” In other words, he was saying to them, “God has already given you this land to possess and enjoy. What, then, are you waiting for? Why are you not yet taking it over to possess and enjoy? Or are you expecting God to force you to do so?”

In like manner, there are things that God has already made available for every one of His children to possess and enjoy in Christ Jesus. And it is on each of them to find out what these things are and to embrace them for their enjoyment. God is not going to force us to take hold of His provisions for us. We are the ones that must want what He has provided enough to go for them. For instance, we know that He has already made provisions for us in Christ Jesus to walk in victory over sin, sicknesses, diseases, failure, poverty and every work of darkness. And it is now on us to go for a life of victory over these things. But if we ourselves don’t seriously want to experience them in our lives, it may take us forever before we begin to take steps of faith towards enjoying them.

Also, there are works God wants every one of His children to be doing for the advancement of His purpose here on earth. And He has already provided all that we are going to need to do these works. But if we are distracted, lazy or afraid, it may take us ages before we start doing them, that is, if we ever make any move to do them at all. This explains why there are many highly gifted children of God that are redundant in the kingdom.

In any case, the Lord is asking us right now, “How long will you wait before you start taking hold of all my blessings for you to be the persons you are supposed to be? And how long will you wait before you begin to do those good works I have appointed and gifted you to do?” Now nobody can answer these questions for any of us. Each of us must answer them for himself. But we must remember that we don’t have forever to enjoy those blessings of God that are meant for us to enjoy here on earth. What I mean is that there is not going to be a carry over of the things that are meant for us here on earth to heaven. If we fail to use what is provided for us here, when we have the opportunity to do so, then, that is our own loss. We won’t be needing any of those things in the kingdom we are being led into.

In addition, we don’t have forever to do those works God wants us to do here on earth. A time is coming when all such works must cease (John 9:4). And whatever we fail to do right here and right now is lost; it cannot be credited to our account. This is why we must wake up and begin to take advantage of God’s grace for us to do the things He wants to do and to live fully the life He has designed for us to live. And my prayer is that our hearts will be strengthened and encouraged not to waste God’s provisions for us to live excellent and meaningful lives right here on earth. Amen.

Do have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2020, 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)