Tag: wisdom

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Title: Limiting circumstances |By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: May 17, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 6, No. 1

“Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert.” (Num 14:33NIV)

Why did God say that the children of the Israelites that rebelled against Him in the wilderness, when He was leading them into the Land of Promise, would be nothing but shepherds for forty years? Was it because that was the only vocation available for humans at that time? No! There were all sorts of vocations that people could learn and practise then.

In fact, as we see in Scriptures, there were all kinds of skilled workers among these Israelites at that time. For example, we have people like Bezalel and Oholiab among them at the time. And these young men were experts in all kinds of crafts. There were also among them women who were skilled in spinning cloth materials. (Cf. Ex 31:1-11 & 35:25-26)

So, at that time, there was no shortage of skills to engage in all kinds of vocations that could transform a land into a wonder among these Israelites. But how much could they accomplish for themselves and their nation with their various skills and vocations while wandering in the wilderness? Not much!

The prevailing circumstances in that wilderness did not give much room for them to fully utilise whatever special skills or abilities they had and build great vocations or careers with them. They could not settle down there to farm. They could not settle down there to build houses. And they could not set up a market there for people from different nations to come and trade in. The best they could do there was take care of their animals and wait until God led them out of there into the land flowing with milk and honey, which He had promised them.

But why, then, didn’t they just get out of the wilderness and move into the land God had promised them? They could not. They could not because they had no power of their own to take that land. God had to give it to them. Then why was God not giving it to them, since He had promised to do so? It was because He did not want the unbelieving older generations among them to enter the land. So, He was waiting until the last one of them died before giving the land to their descendants, something that took forty years. And that, of course, also means that those qualified to enter that land of rest and prosperity were stuck in the wilderness because of their natural relationships, their relationships with their parents, grandparents, uncles, aunties and so forth.

What is the point of all this? It is that the circumstances of our birth or of where we are can put certain limitations on us, even lifetime limitations. Yes, the circumstances of our family or those of where we live, work, do business or study can keep us in poverty, illiteracy, danger or illness. And it does not matter how hardworking, diligent, educated or gifted we may be, those circumstances may never allow us to attain certain heights of usefulness, prominence, prosperity or comfort in life.

Unfortunately, many don’t know this. They don’t know that regardless of what degree of hard work, diligence or carefulness they employ where they are, as long as certain circumstances are prevalent there or in their families, their efforts will not succeed in giving them the experience of prosperity or peace that they desire. So, they keep putting in more effort. And if they are not shown mercy by God, frustration and depression are bound to set in at some point and ruin them.

What, then, do such people need? They need divine intervention. In other words, they need God to step into their situation. And what will that accomplish? First, when God steps into their situation, He will open their eyes to see what their problem really is, which is that they are being limited or hindered by certain circumstances of their lives. Second, He will take steps to remove or change the circumstances limiting them or take them away from those circumstances to where they need to be to flourish and be all that He wants them to be.

In the case of the Israelites that we are considering, God, at the right time, had to lead them out of the wilderness into the land He had prepared for them, so that they could flourish with their gifts, abilities and vocations. Otherwise, their names and memories would have disappeared along with them in the wilderness. But in the case of Isaac, when he was living in Gerar and there was a severe famine in the land, all God needed to do was give him favourable circumstances. So, though it was a time of severe famine, the man still rose above all odds and flourished in the land. (Cf. Gen 26)

So, if you feel or can see that certain prevailing circumstances where you are have been working against you and making nonsense of your diligent labour or carefulness and forcing poverty, illness, illiteracy or any other terrible thing on you, don’t waste time at all to take the case up with God. That is because He is the only person that can show you what to do and also fix the problem for you. And He will surely have it handled for you, if you will patiently allow Him.

But if you choose to use your own wisdom to address things and move to where you should not move to or stay where you need to get away from, you will someday realise, like Naomi of bible days, that you have not solved your problem at all but have only made it worse (Ruth 1). My earnest prayer is that you will act wise in this matter and not make things worse for yourself while you are trying to handle them. Amen.

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Encourage them|By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: February 22, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 41

“Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the service of the LORD. For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered fellowship offerings and praised the LORD, the God of their fathers.” (2Chron 30:22NIV)

As we see in the bible, that is, under the old covenant, it was the duty of the Levites and their priests to learn and understand the written will of God about how He was to be served and worshipped. That way, they would be able to lead the whole nation of Israel to serve God faithfully and stay away from unclean and impure things. (Cf. Ezek 44:15-31; Malach 2:7)

But as we also see in the bible, it was not every generation of these Levites and priests that demonstrated understanding and faithfulness in handling the worship of God. To say the fact, most of their generations did not handle the service of God truthfully at all. Therefore, we have several prophets of God condemning them and pronouncing God’s judgment on them.

For example, we are introduced to the sons of Eli in 1Samuel and told how they were nothing but sons of the devil, even though they were the leading priests in the land. So, God had to ruthlessly judge them and their descendants after them. Also, we have God expressing His displeasure towards the ways of the priests of the time of Malachi. Look at how this is set forth in the bible:

“And now this admonition is for you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name,” says the LORD Almighty, “I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me. “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will spread on your faces the offal from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. And you will know that I have sent you this admonition so that my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the LORD Almighty.” (Mal 2:1-4NIV)

Did you see that? God had no word of praise for those priests at all. And that was because they were corrupt and would not serve His purpose for choosing them. In other words, instead of leading the people in the true worship of God, they were misleading them and getting them into trouble.

Since the nation of Israel, then, had a history of having corrupt and irresponsible priests and Levites, what should be the response of the people, if they suddenly stumbled upon an upright priest? It should be a response of gratitude to God and encouragement to such a priest.

Now that is what we see Hezekiah demonstrating in our opening bible text. This king was leading a spiritual reformation and restoration in the land at that time. So, he needed all the spiritual help he could get. And given the history of corruption of the priests and Levites in the land, he must have been surprised to find that there were still certain priests that understood how God was to be served and that were also devoted to serving Him accordingly. So, the least he could do was to speak encouraging and kind words to those priests. That way, they would be inspired to do better and better in their service to God and to His people who had abandoned Him for years.

In like manner, any time we see people in our land who are devoted to doing what is right and to maintaining justice where they are, we should do all we can to encourage them instead of discouraging them. We know what our country looks like today. We know that it is hard to find in our neighbourhoods, schools, government offices and business centres people who are upright in heart, diligent and trustworthy.

Therefore, anytime we come across anyone who has these qualities, anytime we come across anyone who has refused to be corrupted and made irresponsible by sick our society, we, like Hezekiah, should do whatever we can to encourage them. That is how to strengthen goodness and righteousness in our world.

Interestingly, Paul admonishes us to do similar things in the church. He tells us that wherever we see church leaders that are doing well in feeding us with the word of God and leading us in His will, we should doubly honour them. Why? It is because such leaders are hard to come by. (Cf. 1Tim 5:17)

As the bible shows us, even in the days of the apostles of old, there were so many so-called church leaders that were greedy, corrupt and irresponsible. Therefore, Paul wanted the brethren to know that they must learn to encourage the upright and faithful leaders among them. Otherwise, Satan may, at some point, get these also to lose heart and start imitating the greedy, immoral, manipulative and injurious church leaders around them. (Cf. Phil 3:17-19; 2Peter 2:1-3)

The point I am making, at any rate, is that we all who love righteousness must learn to appreciate it in others. Then we can strengthen it in our world instead of weakening it.

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Be of true help to them|By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: February 15, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 40

“..John Mark went with them as their assistant.” (Acts 13:5NIV)

Who did John Mark go with to assist? Paul and Barnabas! They were on their first missionary journey. And they needed a trusted brother from the church to be around them as their assistant. So, John Mark volunteered to go with them.

Now that reminds of a time in which I travelled with a highly respected pastor of mine to Accra in Ghana. He had just been transferred to the branch of our assembly in that city to get the work there established. And he seriously needed someone to be with him before his family would relocate to join him. So, when he asked me if I would want to go with him, I said ‘Yes’.

Why did I say ‘Yes’ to him? Was it because I was going to be preaching with him? No! Or was it because I was being given an opportunity to travel out of the country for the first time? Yes, that was part of it. I really wanted to see what life outside this country was then. But that was not my main reason for saying ‘Yes’ to him. My main reason for following him was that I saw that he could really use my assistance.

So, I went with him, not to preach with him but to help him in whatever way he wanted me to help him. That, of course, involved handling house chores for him, running errands for him, taking his phone calls and so forth. And when I was leaving about three months later, he wished he could keep me with him a little longer. But since he couldn’t, he sent me off with this prayer that I will never forget: God will grant that you will never lack helpers in your life.

Now what greater reward could I have hoped to receive from him other than those heartfelt words of prayer? None! And that is the greatest reward you too could ever get from anybody for faithfully and willingly making yourself available to serve them, especially in their moment of need. But will you get it? Will there be people in your life praying for you every time they remember you for being such a great help and comfort to them in their lives?

Paul, while addressing Timothy in a letter, says this about a man called Onesiphorus:

“May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.” (2Tim 1:16-18NIV)

At a time when everybody abandoned Paul because of his chains, at a time when he was feeling all alone because there was no one around to minister to him with words of encouragement or resources, Onesiphorus was there for him. This man went out of his way to look for this apostle when he came to Rome. It was difficult for him to find him. But he did not relent until he found him and ministered to him. And all that Paul could do was pray heartfelt prayers for him and for his household that they would find mercy on the day of the Lord.

Unfortunately, even today, just as it was with Paul in those days, leaders often find it hard to find trusted and willing people to stand by them to assist or support them. Yes, they often find it hard to find people who will willingly want to make their load lighter, not because of what they want to get or because they are paid to do so but because they truly care. And this is equally true in the church. I mean that, even in the church, it is often hard to find people who are always genuinely looking out for their church leaders and seeking ways to make their load lighter. Most of us only want to serve if there is something for us to gain and if and only if it is convenient.

This, of course, explains why most of our leaders pray for us simply because it is their job to do so and not also because we are continually inspiring them to pray for us. It also explains why we are having fewer and fewer servant leaders in the church. Most of our leaders have not learnt how to genuinely and willingly serve others. How, then, can they teach others to do so? So, they have to resort to the use of money, force or manipulation to get people to do their bidding. And that is how many of them have ended up surrounding themselves with people who are only loyal to themselves and their bellies and not love servants.

Now my prayer is that you will not wake up one day to find out that all the people around you are loyal only to themselves and not at all to you. I also pray that God will provide you with true and willing helpers in your life, helpers who will continually seek to make your life and work easier and more productive. But you too should learn to sow the seed of true help and assistance into the lives of the leaders in your life, both in the church and outside the church. And their heartfelt prayers will water that seed, so that it will bear a great harvest of helpers for you someday.

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Domestic oppression |By: J.O. Lawal | FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones
Date: February 08, 2023 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 39

“Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers. Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.” Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.” Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.” When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.” (Neh 5:1-6NIV)

As we see in the book of Nehemiah, in order for the Jewish exiles that had returned to Jerusalem to be rid of the harassment and disgrace they were facing from the hostile gentiles surrounding them, Nehemiah had to leave his comfort zone as King Artaxerxes’s cupbearer and come home to help them. Was it easy for him to get this king’s permission to do this? No! He really could have lost his life in the process of seeking it. But because he had first sought the Lord’s face and favour before approaching the man, his request was miraculously granted. (Cf. Neh 1-2)

Now when he eventually came and began to labour for the welfare of his people, he thought it was only the oppression they were faced with from outside that he had to deal with; he did not know that he would have to handle domestic oppression as well. But it was not long after he had successfully dealt with the external forces contending with the welfare of his people that he realised that the people he was working hard to save were equally oppressing one another.

Remember that Moses also had a similar experience. He had, on one occasion, killed an Egyptian in his attempt to save one of his own. But to his surprise, it was not only the Egyptians that were oppressing his people. They themselves were oppressing themselves. And when he tried to point this out to one of them, he ended up having to run for his life for the next forty years. (Cf. Ex 2:11-15)

In any case, as we see in our opening text, Nehemiah was really angry when he realised that while he was labouring hard to help his people get established in the land, there were still among them those who were using their positions of advantage to oppress others. And he had to call their nobles and officials into a meeting and bound them with oaths and curses in order to solve the problem. Otherwise, all his labour to comfort the people and give them rest would have come to nothing because of the domestic oppression going on among them. (Cf. Neh 5:6-13)

Similarly, in Nigeria today, there is much distress everywhere for the citizenry. And is this because our leaders are so cruel and unfeeling? No! Yes, we cannot run away from the fact that many of our leaders have not done well at all in caring for the people. But the truth also is that much of the distress we are now experiencing is not a direct consequence of their ineptitude but that of the domestic oppression we too are subjecting ourselves to.

For example, can we in all honesty say that our leaders are totally to blame for the outrageous increase in fuel prices that we are now seeing? No! That is an offspring of domestic oppression. Or can we in all sincerity put all the blame for the scarcity of the new naira notes that we are seeing on our leaders? No! That is also a product of domestic oppression emanating from many of our commercial banks and POS operators. Or can we say that our leaders are totally to blame for the daylight robbery of many Nigerians by those in the power sector? No! That is equally a product of domestic oppression.

Yes, our economy has been badly managed by our leaders for many years. And no one, as I pointed out before, can excuse them from taking responsibility for that. But we are the ones making this economy daily worse through our greed. Our greed is the force driving us to use the poor leadership in the country as an excuse for pursuing unjust profit in every possible way. So, our pains and miseries are mostly self-inflicted and our oppression largely domestic.

If we, then, are going to witness any relief soon, we all must choose to end every form of domestic oppression we are perpetuating or sponsoring in our offices, business centers, neighbourhoods, schools and even religious assemblies. Remember that, right now, we don’t have any Nehemiah that will compel us to do what is right. So, if we don’t begin to do what is right as a matter of urgency, it may not be long before our beloved country is totally colonised again by foreigners.

Now this sort of colonisation, of course, is not going to be territorial, as it was before we gained independence. Rather, it is going to be an economic thing. In other words, our economic independence will totally be taken away from us and we will be nothing but economic slaves of some other nations. My prayer is that things will not degenerate to that level before we all come back to our senses or before God sends a Nehemiah to us to redeem our honour. Amen.

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

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

They won’t ask or wait for your permission | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 27, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 30

Pastor J.O. Lawal
Pastor J.O. Lawal

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to another week of the year. My prayer is that your heart will be strengthened and humbled to allow God to fully take charge of your life, so that it is only His works and not Satan’s works that will be finding expression in it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

In Revelation, chapter 3, verse 20, John gives us this great outcry of our Lord Jesus to the church of the Laodiceans: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20NIV) Why would the Lord need to be knocking the door of any Christian’s life? Is He not our Lord? He is! And as our Lord, is He not supposed to be inside our lives and sitting over all our affairs? He is! Why, then, would He need our permission and cooperation to come in and fellowship with us in any area of our lives?

The reason is simple. The Lord does not force Himself on people. On the contrary, He allows them to think for themselves and decide whether they need Him in their lives or not and act accordingly. That explains why the whole world has not been saved. The Lord will not force His salvation on us. We will have to agree that we need salvation and that we cannot save ourselves from the things destroying us unless He saves us.

But then, it is one thing for us to come to the Lord for salvation, it is another thing for us to allow Him to utterly save us and to eternally keep us safe. And how will this be possible? It is by giving Him room to lead us in every area of our lives, not keeping any part away from Him. As God’s children, He is already living us, for we are His temple. However, that He is living in us does not mean that He is in charge of our lives and all our affairs. That He is living in us does not mean that He will not have to knock the door of certain areas of our lives to see if we will permit Him to take charge of them.

We all know ourselves. We all know whether we have given our Lord Jesus room to control us in every area of our lives or not. We all know those areas of our lives in which we have totally shut Him out because we don’t want to hear what He has to say to us about them or because we believe we can handle ourselves in them. What we may not know, however, is that our Lord Jesus did not die for us to be Lord only over a few areas of our lives. Rather, He died for us to be Lord over every area of our lives.

Also, our Lord Jesus did not rescue us from the devil and his hosts so that He could become Lord over just some areas of our lives. Rather, He rescued us so that He might become Lord over every area of our lives. Therefore, if we will not willingly permit Him to take charge of every area of our lives, if we are shutting Him out of our lives or some part of our lives, simply because He will not force Himself in, then, we can expect the enemies of our souls that He saved us from to seize the opportunity to come back into our lives and renew their works. And they will not knock or wait for our permission if they are coming in. They will just come right in, with or without our permission.

Look at what our Lord Jesus says about this: “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” (Matt 12:43-45NIV) Did you see that? The devil and his demons are always looking and checking out for where to rest. And the only reason they will not be able to make our lives or any area of our lives their home or resting place is for them to see that it is already occupied and governed by the Lord Jesus.

But if they should come around to examine our lives and find them or any part of them empty and unoccupied by the only one who has authority and power over them, they will not lose time at all to gather forces to take charge of that part of our lives. Then things can only get worse for us in that part of our lives. And if we still hesitate to allow the Lord to step in and take charge, it will not be long before the works of these evil beings spread to other areas of our lives.

Now perhaps this is the situation with you. Instead for things to get better in certain areas of your life where you are encountering challenges, they are not just getting worse but also beginning to affect other areas of your life that have been peaceful. Then you need to check yourself to see if you have not shut the Lord Jesus out of some of your affairs. And if that is the case, the only solution is for you to repent and open the door for Him without delay, so that He can do that which only He can do and restore your peace and joy. But if you remain adamant and insist on not allowing Him, then, be ready to welcome more of Satan’s works in your life and affairs with or without your permission.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
Fire in my Bones General Post Youth for Jesus

How much are you worth?|By: J.O. Lawal|FIRE IN MY BONES

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: November 23, 2022|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 28

“A man can hire a prostitute for the price of a loaf of bread…” (Prov 6:26GNT)

What is Solomon telling us here? Well, it is something many people are already aware of. And it is that the price to have a prostitute can be as low as a loaf of bread. In other words, just to have a loaf of bread to eat, there are ladies that will be ready to sleep with any man.

Now what such ladies don’t realise is that whatever price they accept, great or small, to give their bodies away to be defiled in this manner is what they are worth in their own eyes. Yes, that price represents the value they place on themselves. So, you who give yourself to be polluted by men because of a plate of food, a bowl of ice cream or a plate of fried rice and chicken are not worth more than that plate of fried rice and chicken in your own eyes.

This, of course, is not applicable to women alone but also to men. That is because there are young men as well that are ready to give their bodies to be defiled by any woman that is willing to give them money, buy food for them or give them some accommodation. These ones loiter from place to place, doing nothing tangible with their lives other than scout for women that will be willing to pay for their sex services. And what they also do not realise is that whatever they get from the nonsense they are doing represents nothing but all that they are worth in their own eyes.

But then, what I am talking about here goes beyond rewards of prostitution. See, any time we yield ourselves to do something that is obviously wrong because of monetary gain or some other forms of reward, we are merely declaring that we are not worth more than the reward we are getting. And it will amaze you what some people are worth in their own eyes. It will amaze you to know the price that some people are willing to receive to assassinate someone, pervert justice or lure a friend into a den of kidnappers or those who will use them for money rituals.

To say the fact, people take as low as N5,000 for these things. And I can’t dispute the fact that there might be those who will take even less and blame their desperation on poverty. Perhaps you too will take less than that amount to ruin your life or someone else’s life and destroy your soul hell. Who knows? God knows! You know!

But is there really anything in this world that comes any close in worth or value to what our souls are worth in the sight of God? Is there any price that we may be given in this world that is worth the destruction of our souls here in the world or in hell? There is none.

Our Lord Jesus, once while speaking to His disciples, said this: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt 16:26NIV) What does this mean? It means that even if this whole world were to be sold and its price presented for the redemption of a man’s soul from eternal destruction, it would not be enough. That is because a man’s soul is of much greater worth in the sight of God than the whole universe. And it is of much greater worth than the whole universe because while this whole universe as we know it will someday perish, man’s soul will always live on forever (Heb 1:10).

You can, then, see why our Lord Jesus would not bow to the devil when he offered Him all the kingdoms of this world and their glory. He knew that His soul was worth much more than all these things that would someday perish. So, He would not sell it just to have them. You can also see why the only payment that would do for our redemption from destruction was the sinless soul of a man, the man Jesus. (Cf. Ps 49:7-9; Luke 4:5-8; 1Tim 2:5-6)

So, stop undervaluing yourself before yourself and before others. You may not have all the resources you need or want at the moment. And you may not have yet attained the height you will want to attain in life. That still does not mean that you should sell your soul for peanuts, for the price of things that are bound to perish. What should keep in mind, instead, is the fact that the life of a man is not defined by the abundance of his possessions or by the position he is occupying. Rather, it is defined by what God says about it.

What God says about you, then, is what you should hold on to as the description of what your life is worth. And He is saying that you are worth the life of His only begotten Son, whom He sacrificed for you. So, take your place as His Son and inheritor of all that He possesses, things that can never perish, spoil or fade. And as long as you are living on this basis, you will never lose your mind or your soul for anything of this life.

Copyright © 2022, 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)

Categories
FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

Despite their intercession | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 20, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 29

Beloved: welcome to another week of the month of November 2022. I pray that God will keep your heart form embracing any form of rebellion that may expose you to destruction without remedy, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The word of God says, “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed — without remedy.” (Prov 29:1NIV) Unfortunately, there are many stiff-necked people today, even in the church. These are individuals that are never ready to take correction. So, it does not matter what you say to them about their sins or wrongdoings, they will not repent. Some of them don’t even want to hear or look at what you want to say to them about their errors. And that is simply because they are stubborn, stiff-necked.

Now from what Solomon tells us in that bible text, the only thing such people can expect for their stubbornness is sudden destruction, a kind that has no remedy. That means there is nothing anyone will be able to do for them or do to save them when their destruction comes. They just have to perish.

Yes, it is true that God does not delight in the death of any sinner but in their repentance and salvation (Ezek 18:32). It is also true that He is patient with sinners, so that they will be able to utilise the opportunities for repentance that He is bringing to them (2Peter 3:9). But where the sinner is stiff-necked and unwilling to repent, what will God do? Will He continue to endure their nonsense? No! At some point, He will allow them to face the full consequences of their sins.

But then, someone may say, “What if there is an intercessor for the stiff-necked person, one that is praying for them that God may show them mercy? Will God still allow them to be destroyed?” Truly, God Himself has said that even if it just one intercessor that is praying for a sinner or an entire nation, He will honour that intercessor and refrain from destroying that nation (Ezel 22:30). And we have an example of this in how He listened to the intercession of Prophet Amos for the nation of Israel. Twice, this man of God pleaded with Him not to destroy Israel. And He listened to Him (Amos 7:1-6). Woe, then, to that man, woman or nation that has no one to intercede for her. That is because disaster may overtake her without warning.

However, even though God always honours the intercession of His people for sinners, if these sinners refuse to repent, a time will come when they will have to face the consequences of their sins. At that time, whatever intercession being made for them will fail and the destruction they have been escaping will come upon them suddenly and without remedy. For instance, despite his continuous intercession for the nation of Israel, at some point, God told Amos that He would no longer spare them – He must destroy them. Why? They were stiff-necked. (Cf. Amos 7:7-9)

Also, we see how Abraham fervently interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah in the bible. This man stood in the gap between them and God’s wrath, asking for mercy for them, even if it was only ten righteous people that could be found in them. And God listened to him. But did He find ten righteous people there? No! On the contrary, what He found was only a family of four righteous people. So, despite the intercession of Abraham, He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah when they least expected it and spared only Lot and his family. (Cf. Gen 18&19)

Sadly, there are people today who are grossly misbehaving and yet are counting on the intercession of their parents or certain men or women of God. What they don’t realise is that if they don’t change their ways and stop being stiff-necked, a time will come when their destruction will no longer sleep but will overtake them suddenly. Then they will perish without remedy and despite the intercession of those godly people. And if you too are like that, if you are stubborn and unwilling to accept rebuke, however slight it may be, you may just be preparing yourself for sudden destruction – destruction without remedy. So, repent now before it is too late. And may God help you to do the right thing. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

Don’t be selfish | By: J.O. Lawal |Fire in my Bones

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: November 16, 2022|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 27

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil 2:4NIV)

What does it mean to be selfish? It means to be concerned about yourself alone, especially at the expense of others. It means to do things or go for things for the sole purpose of satisfying ourselves and without considering how others are affected. And the word of God says that is a wrong way to live.

Now is it wrong to be concerned about ourselves? No! Or is it wrong to want to satisfy ourselves? No! Unfortunately, there are people who think we don’t have to be concerned about ourselves at all but about others and that we don’t have to satisfy ourselves at all but others. These are the kind that would say, “Always think of others first.”

But as nice and gracious as that may sound, it is not at all a godly philosophy. Why did I say that? It is because there is nowhere in the Scripture in which God tells us to think of others first. On the contrary, what we have are Scriptures in which God says, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Why is God telling us to love our neighbours as ourselves? The reason is that until we learn to love and treat ourselves right, we cannot love and treat others right. (Cf. Matt 22:39)

By the way, even those who tell us to always think of others first are really not putting others first in their lives. I am saying this because the major reason they love to put others first is that it makes them feel good or accomplished. I mean that there is a measure of satisfaction these people derive or seek to derive from putting others first in their affairs. So, ultimately, their putting others first is not really about others but about themselves. Can we, then, say that they are putting others first? No!

Well, my point is that being selfish is not basically about not putting others first. That is because you can be putting others first and still be dubious. Yes, you can be putting others first and still be cheating them. If you have younger ones and you grew up with them, you should understand what I am saying. Here you were, sharing a lump of meat among you and your younger ones. And you decided to first give them their own share, so that they would see you as selfless. But was that to say you did not cheat them at all? You know the answer.

So, the idea of putting others first may not eliminate cheating or selfishness. However, it is possible not to put others first and still not be selfish. This is a situation in which you are not just concerned about yourself but also about others. And that is what Paul is speaking of in our opening bible text. There he tells us not to look at our own interests alone but also at the interest of others.

What is the difference between a selfish person and an unselfish person? A selfish person is only concerned about their own interests and not at all about yours. So, for example, if they make or sell to you a product, they will only be concerned about the profit they will make from the sale and not at all about your enjoyment of it. That, of course, is the foundation for all fake products and substandard services. The people behind them are only concerned about their own gain and not at all about the benefit or loss you may derive from what they offer you. They are selfish.

Something similar can be experienced in relationships, whether natural or spiritual. When people are merely concerned about how much they can squeeze out of you and not concerned at all about how that will affect you or concerned about what they also can do to show that they care about you, they are selfish. And selfishness irritates. Selfishness puts off kind people. In fact, it will only take a kind person that is walking in the love of Christ to remain forever kind to you, if you are selfish.

So, don’t be selfish. Don’t be concerned about yourself alone but about others as well. If people are helping you or working with you, be genuinely concerned about their welfare as well and show it as often as you can. Yes, be sure you are regularly considering how you can show them that you too care about them and that you are not a parasite.

See, selfish people are parasites, always seeking to drain others. Selfish people don’t move the world forward or contributing anything significant to make it better. It is unselfish people that are moving the world forward and making it better and more enjoyable for everyone to live in. They are the ones coming up with new inventions and easier and better ways and methods of doing things. They are the ones making and selling to us products or services that give us value for whatever money we pay for them.

Yes, they too may be making profit and probably getting richer through what they are doing for us, depending on the kind of relationship we have with them. But whatever they do for us is not just about them but also about us. So, God is happy with them because they are making us happy. And He will be happy with us too, if we will stop being selfish and start making others really happy by being unselfish in all that we do.

Cheers!

Categories
General Post

It’s only a matter of time | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 13, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 28

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours without measure from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to another week of the month of November 2022. And I pray that your heart will be rid of every form of hypocrisy in your walk with God, so that you will not end up being revealed as a counterfeit believer, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A preacher said this in a meeting I once attended: “My father in the Lord told me there is nothing you are after in ministry that you will not find. If you are after money, you will find it. If you are after women, you will find them. If you are after fame, you will find it. And if you are after God, you will also find Him. Everything you find depends on what your heart is after.” And I believe that is true to a very great degree. What people are after in the kingdom of God is what they will most probably find.

But then, will what they find be worth the trouble, time, energy and resources they have invested into getting it? Will it bring their soul the satisfaction they are seeking? Will what they find bring them the praise of God or His condemnation?

Paul, while writing to the Philippians, says this: “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.” (Phil 1:15NIV) So, as far back as the days of this apostle, we have been having in the church people who serve God in a spirit of envy and competition. You should not be surprised, then, if you find people in the church who are jealous of your usefulness in the church and who are doing all they can to prove to others that they are better than you or take your position. Their ancestors in the church also acted in a similar fashion.

Furthermore, Peter too, in his second epistle, speaks about some of the reasons people are in the church and are presenting themselves as servants of God. According to him, some are in the church because of greed, because they see service to God as a means to enriching themselves. And there are those in the church because of adultery. These ones see in the church great opportunities to seduce naïve women and men and mess them up in sexual immorality. (Cf. 2Peter 2)

At any rate, whatever your reasons may be for being in the church and for making yourself available to serve God, time will tell. I mean that it is only a matter of time before what you really want in the church is revealed for everyone to see. And I am not talking about what will happen on the day of judgment but what will happen right here on earth.

Remember Gehazi. Remember that it was only a matter of time before it was revealed that, all along, he had been following Elisha, the man of God, for earthly riches. And remember Judas Iscariot. Remember that even though he concealed the greed in him all those three and a half years of following Jesus up and down, a time came when his greed came out in the open for everyone to see. But did these men find the satisfaction they wanted through what they got? No! What Gehazi found was leprosy. And what Judas Iscariot found was death. (Cf. 2Kings 5; John 13)

In like manner, if your heart is not right in your service to God, if what you are after in the church is not God Himself, there is nothing you get that will satisfy you. Whatever you get, be it money, fame, position, women, men, job or healing won’t satisfy you. On the contrary, it may end up becoming your nemesis, the very thing that will destroy you. So, mind yourself and see to it that your purpose in being God’s kingdom and in serving Him is right. And may He Himself keep your heart right with Him both now and always, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a great week.

Categories
Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

More than competence |By: J.O. Lawal | November 09, 2022

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 5, No. 26

“The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.” (Gen 39:2-5NIV)

Evidently, from what we see in Scriptures, Joseph was a highly competent young man when it comes to administration and management, whether of people or of things. But it was not his competence that took him to the top everywhere he found himself; it was God’s favour.

As we see in our opening bible text, when his master saw his competence and success in handling whatever was committed into his hands, Joseph found favour in his eyes. Therefore, he promoted him, made him his personal attendant and put him in charge of his whole household. But do you know that Joseph’s master may as well have ignored the competence he saw in him? Do you know that he could as well have considered his competence to be a threat to his own position as the master of that house?

See, it is not everyone that is comfortable with having competent people around them. There are people that feel threatened when they have a wise and competent subordinate or colleague around them. They see them as a threat to their current position or future position. So, they become jealous and start considering how they may pull them down or how they can show everyone that they are overrated.

Remember the story of King Saul and David. Remember that even though David killed Goliath and saved the nation of Israel on one occasion, King Saul never wholeheartedly accepted him as a loyal servant. Why? It was because he was not comfortable with his competence and the fact that God was with him everywhere he went. He was not comfortable at all with the fact that the young man might just become the next king, just by watching the way he was rising in the army and becoming more and more popular among the people. (Cf. 1Sam 17&18)

So, even though he promoted David and gave him a high rank in the army, he did it reluctantly. He did it because he had no choice, for the bible tells us that all his officers and the people of Israel loved the young man because of his competence and because he fought and won their battles for them. Then, even though he made him his in-law by giving him one of his daughters, it was not because he loved and cherished him as one of his loyal men. Rather, it was because he wanted the girl to be a trap that he would use in catching and killing him.

In any case, when he could no longer bear the thought of David becoming his successor, he, in his jealousy, began to deploy all the resources at his disposal to hunt him down at every given chance in order to kill him. If David, then, had not found favour in the sight of God, he would have perished at some point in the hands of this wicked and jealous king.

Therefore, the fact that you are competent does not mean that the people that matter where you are and who, to some extent, can decide how high you rise in life or how far you go in life will respect and appreciate you. They may not at all. Instead, they may be the ones that Satan will use to prey upon your very life. This is why you need to find favour in their eyes, even though they are wicked and unreasonable. And God can make that happen.

How reasonable and kind was Potiphar? We would not know, for we are not told in the bible. But we are told that Joseph found favour in his eyes. So, even though he was a total stranger to him and not an Egyptian, he kept on promoting him until he put him charge of his whole household. And how reasonable and kind was the prison warden that this young man met in the prison, having been shamefully treated by Potiphar’s wife? We are not told in the bible. But we are told that God caused Joseph to find favour in his eyes, so much so that the man recognised his abilities and put him in charge of the entire prison facility and all that was going on there. (Cf. Gen 39)

Also, we are not told how reasonable and kind the Pharaoh of Joseph’s days was. I suspect that he must have been a highly reasonable and kind man. But then, it would take more than being reasonable and kind to make a total stranger, one just coming out from the prison, your second-in-command and ruler over your entire nation. All the odds were against Joseph in that situation. But because God’s favour was working for him, Pharaoh and his officials did not see anything wrong with putting a man with such great competence over their entire nation, even though he was not a native. (Cf. Gen 41)

So, if there is anything you need more than competence to keep rising in life, it is God’s favour. It is good to be competent. And you should labour to be known and seen as a very competent person in whatever field you are working. But competence without God’s favour will never leave its prison room. So, crave His favour. Receive His favour. And whatever abilities you have will begin to shine forth and open doors of greatness for you.