Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,

PRAYER OF DEATH?

“But I say to you whohear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curseyou, and pray for those who spitefully use you” (Luke 6:27-28 NKJV).

Recently, I was in apublic transport. Two ladies were discussing openly what was happening in theirworkplace. I was not interested in their discussion, but a statement of one ofthe ladies caught my attention: "I no longer have mercy for anyone. I willpray the prayer of death for anyone who does any evil against me!" Ithought within me, "Prayer of death? Is this what the Bible teaches?"I could not ascertain whether this lady is a Christian or not, but I am awarethat that has become the main prayer point of many so-called Christians in thispart of the world. It will not be a surprise if some people after reading thismessage argue in favour of such prayer points against perceived and realenemies.

Prayer of death? Istill cannot find any of such in the Holy Bible, especially the New Testament.There are enemies, agreed. However, how do we relate with them according to theBible? How did Jesus Christ and His disciples relate with their enemies? Whatare their teachings about enemies? Did they encourage us to pray for the deathof the enemies? Here are some of their teachings:

“Do not rejoice whenyour enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest theLord see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him”(Proverbs 24:17-18 NKJV).

“But I say to you whohear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curseyou, and pray for those who spitefully use you” (Luke 6:27-28 NKJV. See also Matthew5:43-48).

“Bless those whopersecute you; bless and do not curse.... If your enemy is hungry, feed him; ifhe is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire onhis head” (Romans 12:14, 20 NKJV).

“...not returning evilfor evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing thatyou were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:9 NKJV).

Jesus Christ andStephen demonstrated these teachings while they were about to die in the handsof their enemies (see Luke 23:34; Acts 7:59; 1 Peter 2:21-23). The apostleswere persecuted by the power that be. They did not pray against these"enemies". They rather prayed for themselves for more enablement. Theoutcome of their prayer was awesome as they were refilled with the power of theHoly Spirit (see Acts 4:23-31). What has been the outcome of your prayer inresponse to the action of the enemies against you?

Instead of praying"the prayer of death" against your enemies, pray for yourself formore power of the Holy Spirit to be able to withstand all the wiles of theenemies.

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Help me, Lord, not to pray against my enemies, to beable to be filled with your Spirit to overcome all the wiles of these enemies.

Dearly Beloved,

WHEN GOD STIRS UP YOUR NEST!

“As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers overits young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings,so the Lord alone led [the people of Israel], and there was no foreign god with[the people of Israel]” (Deuteronomy 32:11-12 NKJV).

An eagle is a unique birdamong other birds. Many lessons can be learnt from its uniqueness. One of suchlessons is its deliberate stirring of the nest where it keeps its chicks (oryoung ones) in order to teach them how to fly and be stronger. An eagle alwaysbuilds its nest on tall trees or high cliffs where enemies cannot easily reach.The eagle that has been taking good care of its chicks for some time in thissafe and comfortable nest would without warning stir up the nest thereby makingthe chicks to be in danger of falling from the high place. As the chicks try tofly, the eagle would hover over the chicks and spread its wings to catch themand carry them on its pinions to safety. This is repeated on several occasionstill the chicks could fly perfectly on their own to safety without the help ofthe mother eagle.

In the Song of Moses as Moseswas about leaving the people of Israel after forty years of leading them to theverge of the Promised Land, he compared the dealing of God with the people ofIsrael to the stirring of nest of an eagle so that the people of Israel wouldbe able to be strong (see Deuteronomy 1:31; 32:11). He recounted how God hadbeen with the people of Israel in the wilderness for forty years, leading them,encircling them, instructing them, keeping them as the apple of His eye,protecting them, feeding them, and taking them to where they were about toenter the Promised Land. The people of Israel did not know that God wastraining them to become a strong and formidable nation when they were passingthrough the wilderness experience.

Are you also wondering why Godis stirring up the nest on your comfort? Why would He allow you to face thedifficulties you have presently? Why can He not make everything rousing foryou? Why is He allowing the righteous to suffer? He is stirring up your nest sothat you will become stronger. Job testified of God: “But He knows the way thatI take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10 NKJV).Apostle Peter considered this test as something done by fire (see 1 Peter 1:7).In spite of this, it is to bring “praise, honor, and glory” to God. As theeagle is always with its chicks during and after the stirring up of the nest,and even taking the chicks to safety, so also the Lord is with us (see Hebrews13:5). He will hover over you, carry you on His wings, and lead you to yourPromised Land (see Psalm 36:7; 61:4; 63:7; 91:4). So, when God stirs up yournest, it is to make you stronger.

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,

DO NOT BE A RUMORMONGER!

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehoodand speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body”(Ephesians 4:25 NIV).

I have had my message for the week ready bothin English and Esperanto languages. However, like Jude in the Bible who had tochange the subject of his epistle (see Jude 3), I have to set aside the initialmessage and write about a trend on social media in this part of the world.Undoubtedly, access to social media has made dissemination of informationeasier these days. However, this has made many people out of falsehood, deceit,pretense, inferiority complex, identity theft, plagiarism, and the likes tomislead others by what they disseminate through social media. This trend hasled to ascribing information to renowned religious or political leaders to givecredence to such information. Recently, a leading famous religious leader hadto release an official statement to refute a message credited to him. Unfortunately,this opportunity of easy access to social media in disseminating informationhas made other people to disseminate further the misleading, untrue, semi-trueor even sensitive information to other people without verifying theauthenticity of the source of the information. Some people are even ready toargue blindly in support of such baseless information.

In Ephesians 4:25, Apostle Paul admonished, “Thereforeeach of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, forwe are all members of one body” (NIV). Apostle John added: “Dear friends, donot believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are fromGod, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1NIV). Although the admonition here was about false spirits, however, it isapplicable also to false information. Furthermore, God warned the people ofIsrael in Exodus 23:2: “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong” (NIV).

Therefore, why would you be involved indisseminating misleading, untrue, semi-true or sensitive information to otherpeople? Why would you not first verify any information before forwarding it toothers?

While it is good to be informed and let otherpeople benefit from the information you have, be mindful the information youwill disseminate to other people. It is better to be sure of the source of anyinformation and its veracity before passing such information to others. Do notbe a rumormonger!

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).


Prayer Point: Pray that you will not joinothers to spread rumor, but that you will always verify any information beforespreading it.

Dearly Beloved,
“RIGHTEOUSNESS EXALTS ANATION…”

“Righteousness exalts anation, but sin is a reproach to any people.... [Therefore] let justice rundown like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream” (Proverbs 14:34; Amos5:24 NKJV).

Nigeria as a nation willcelebrate its 57th independence anniversary on October 1, 2017. To mark thisand as a result of the prevailing situations in the country, ChristianAssociation of Nigeria (the national body of Christians in the country) hasdeclared the day as a day of prayer for the nation. As I reflected on thisdeclaration, I felt sorry for the body in particular and the nation in general.The nation needs prayers, agreed. However, the people of the nation needre-orientation. Here is a nation and people that are largely divided byChristianity and Islam. Everybody is either a Christian or a Muslim. Even,handful of the citizens openly identifies with traditional religion. Churchbuildings and mosques are found on almost every street of villages, towns andcities of the country. Almost everybody is a pastor or imam in Nigeria. Peopleare trooping into prayer mountains/camps everyday seeking blessings andmiracles. Religion has become the major export of the country to other parts ofthe world.

In spite of these, the moralsituation of the country is like that of the people of Judah as described inIsaiah 59 where the hands of the people were defiled with blood ofinnocent people; their fingers were tainted with iniquity; their lips spokelies; noone called for justice, nor does anyonepleaded for truth; they trusted in empty words; their works were works of iniquity, and theact of violence was intheir hands; their feet ran to evil; their thoughts were thoughts of iniquity;justice and righteousness were far from them; they spoke and acted inoppression and revolt; and they conceived and uttered words of falsehood fromthe heart (see Isaiah 59:3-13). In fact, “Justice is turned back, andrighteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannotenter. So truth fails, and he who departsfrom evil makes himself a prey” (verses 14-15 NKJV). The so-called religiousleaders are not helping matters as most of them are like the shepherds in thedays of Ezekiel who fed themselves instead of feeding the flock (see Ezekiel34:1-10). No wonder, Isaiah earlier said that the people had been separatedfrom God by these sins, and these sins had hidden the face of God from thepeople. Is this not the true picture of Nigeria and its people?

It isgood to be religious as many Nigerians are today. But it is far better to begodly and righteous. It is good to cry out to God in prayers for the prevailingsituations of Nigeria, or any other country or person. But it is far better tolive holy and righteous life. For God to hear and answer our prayers, we mustbe ready to yield to the advice of another prophet, Amos: “But let justice rundown like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream” (Amos 5:24 NKJV). Godcategorically told King Solomon: “If My people who are called by My name willHUMBLE THEMSELVES, and pray and seek My face, and TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS,then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land”(2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV emphasis added).

Righteousness indeed exalts anation and its people. I wish Nigeria and Nigerians Happy Independence Day!

In His service,
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray that youwill not only be religious, but godly and righteous.

Posted by: "Bayo Afolaranmi"
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Dearly Beloved,
“LISTEN TO HIM!”
“Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters-one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” (Matthew 17:4-5 NIV).Many people nowadays enjoy being in the presence of God (in churches, prayer mountains, camps, religious conferences and seminars, and the like) serving Him and most especially praying (and possibly fasting) to Him for one thing or the other. However, most of these people are not ready to listen to and obey Jesus Christ in that presence of God and in their day-to-day activities. This was the error about which God corrected Peter and the other two disciples when Jesus Christ was transfigured in their presence on a mountain. They were so overwhelmed with the experience that Peter suggested that they should remain there. However, God reaffirmed His declaration that Jesus Christ is His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased, and that they should listen to Him. Listening to Jesus entails total obedience to His commands and wills for one’s life especially in one’s day-to-day activities. No wonder, He led the disciples to where they could really listen to Him.It is good to be in the presence of God and worship Him. It is good to serve Him in any way we can. However, it is better to listen to Him and obey Him in our day-to-day activities. Going to churches, prayer mountains, camps, religious conferences and the likes to worship God without listening to Him and obeying His commands is like wasting one’s precious time. Samuel candidly told Saul: Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22 NIV). Jesus Christ also said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15 NIV). Note that He did not say, “You will serve me,” though serving Him is also good, but listening to Him and obeying His commands are more paramount.In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray that you will learn to always listen to God when you are serving Him. _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

| Dearly Beloved,
LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY!“
Now it came to pass, as [Jesus Christ] was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples’” (Luke 11:1 NKJV).Our Lord Jesus Christ while on earth knew the importance of prayer, and He did not play with it. He started His earthly ministry with prayer and ended it with prayer. One of the instances of His prayer life is the verse quoted above.As He finished His prayer, one of His disciples came to Him asked Him to teach them (i.e. the disciples) how to pray. This indicates that they had been seeing Him praying, and probably they had partaken in His time of prayer, but they did not know how to pray. The Bible does not disclose the identity of this particular disciple. However, one of them asked, and it led to the teaching of what we know today as "The Lord's Prayer."The prayer life of a Christian cannot be over-emphasized. It is proper for us to meditate beforehand what we are to ask of God, and to arrange our thoughts, that we may not come thoughtlessly into His presence.As Christians, we are in the war front against the devil and his host. The Bible clearly states this that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the satanic powers (Ephesians 6:12), and that though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). We can use the efficacy of prayer against these satanic powers. But, how can we use this power effectively?Promises of God abound in the Bible that we should ask Him anything in prayer and He will do it for us. How can we rightly utilize these promises in prayer? We have to ask God to teach us how to pray.There are various ways of prayer. Only God can teach us the proper method of praying if we are ready to learn. Indeed, we cannot pray acceptably at all unless God take us through the course of prayer. Somebody has suggested the acronym "ACTS" to describe the ways of prayer. The acronym stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. While praying, what method should we use? We need to ask God to teach us.Lord, teach us to pray!In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray that the Lord will teach you how to correctly pray unto Him so that your prayers will be acceptable to Him. |

_________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,
THE MAJORITY!"
But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there" (Acts 27:11-12 NIV).In a democratic society, majority always have their way while the minority have their say. In other words, majority carry the day while the minority are left in the cold. That is the ideal. However, at times, majority opinion or decision may be dangerous and be detriment of the whole society.Paul the apostle was in a voyage to Rome as a prisoner. It was evident that the sailing had become dangerous. So, he advised the sailors against continuing the voyage. The centurion who was leading the journey and majority of people in the ship thought otherwise. The majority had their way while Paul had his say. However, the decision of the majority nearly cost them their lives after losing everything they had in a storm that led to a shipwreck.When Moses was leading the Israelites to the Promised Land, twelve spies were sent ahead of them to the land. Ten of the spies brought bad reports while only two brought good reports. The Israelites followed the majority and rebelled against God. This made the whole generation of those people not to get to that land except the two people that brought the good reports (see Numbers 13, 14).In leadership, while it is good to listen to the view of the majority and follow it, it is better, at times, to thoughtfully consider the view of the minority. Majority may have the same view, but they are not right all the time. The majority view may be dangerous at times. Therefore, pray for the discerning spirit, especially, the leadership of the Holy Spirit, before following the majority.In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray for the discerning spirit, especially, the leadership of the Holy Spirit, before following the majority. _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,
TAKE HIS YOKE!“
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30 NIV).A Bible commentator defined a yoke as “a bar or frame of wood by which two draft animals, especially oxen, are joined at the necks or heads for working together, for drawing a load or pulling a plow.” It is a primitive tool used mostly by farmers. It takes two animals for a yoke to be effective. No animal can work effectively without a yoke. A yoke has been used figuratively to mean many other things. Mostly, people have been using it to mean suffering or affliction. Therefore, to hear anything like taking or having a yoke connotes a bad feeling. In fact, a yoke speaks some hardship. However, Jesus Christ enjoins us to take His yoke! (Matthew 11:29-30). What is His yoke? What does it mean to take it? To take the yoke of Jesus Christ upon us means to put ourselves into the relation of servants and subjects to Him. It means to conduct ourselves accordingly, in a careful obedience to all His commands, and a cheerful submission to all His disposals. It is to yield ourselves totally to Him. He has appointed this yoke. He has Himself drawn in it before us, for He learned obedience. He wants anyone that will take His yoke to also learn some characters from Him. These characters include humility, gentility, diligence, submission, patience and other Christ-like attributes. In spite of its seeming hardship, the yoke of Jesus Christ is easier and lighter than any other yoke. No wonder, anyone who takes it finds rest in Him.People are taking many yokes today. No one is exempted. What kind of or whose yoke are you taking? Are you yoked with people, belief, value, or situation that are heavier than you? Yield to the advice of Jesus Christ. Take His yoke. Commit yourself to Him. His yoke is easy and light. Learn from Him and find rest for your soul.In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray that you will be able to commit yourself to Jesus Christ by taking His yoke and learning from Him. _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor)

Dearly Beloved,

THE CLAY AND THE POTTER

“[Thus says the Lord:] “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, andthere I will cause you to hear My words.... Look, as the clay is in thepotter’s hand, so are you in My hand.... Return now every one from his evilway, and make your ways and your doings good” (Jeremiah 18:2, 6, 11 NKJV).

The Bible passage, Jeremiah 18:1-11, that recounts the incident atthe potter’s house as an illustration of how God deals with His creatures hasbeen used widely in many sermons and songs/hymns. In most of these sermons andsongs, the emphasis has always been on asking God to form people in the ways Hewants. However, the point that God wanted to bring out in leading Prophet Jeremiahto that potter’s house to see what the potter was doing with the clay is moreor less clay-centred rather than potter-centred. That is, the outcome of whatthe clay becomes at the wheel will determine what the potter will make out ofthe clay. If the clay comes out fine at the wheel, the potter is happy with it,but if the clay is marred at the wheel, the potter will make it again intoanother vessel. So, what the claybecomes depends on the clay, not necessarily on the potter.

The application of that incident at the potter’s house as God laterpointed it out to Jeremiah supports this proposition. While God can makeanything out of people, it is the state of the people that will determine whatthey will become in God’s hands. If the people are obedient to God, He would begood to them, but if they were disobedient, even after warnings, He wouldrelent to be good to them, and form them the ways they deserve (compareDeuteronomy 28, 30:15-16; Isaiah 1:19-20; 3:10-11). This is in line with the law of sowing andreaping as explained explicitly in the Bible (see Psalm 126:5-6; Proverbs11:18-19; 22:8; 28:20; Ecclesiastes 11:1; Luke 6:38; John 12:24-25; 2Corinthians 9:6-8; Galatians 6:7-10; Philippians 4:14-19; Colossians 3:23-24).

As clay in God’s hands, how do you want Him to shape you? Thisdepends on you. If you want to be a useful and honourable vessel in His hands,then, you need to be obedient by cleansing yourself from all sinful acts andsanctifying yourself for His good use (see 2 Timothy 2:20-22; Romans 12:1-2).God is not a capricious God who does things without a reason. You are the majordeterminant of what He will do with you.

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,

LIVE A LIFE OF THE RIGHTEOUS

“Let me die the death of therighteous, and let my end be like his!” (Numbers 23:10b NKJV).

The above quoted statement iscommonly quoted when referring to a dead righteous person and consequently as aprayer for the living. It was the wish of a prophet in the Bible as he wasprophesying against/for the people of Israel. However, the prophet, Balaam,that made the statement, interestingly, did not live and die a righteous man. Hewas son of Boer from Mesopotamia. He was a wickedprophet/diviner/soothsayer endowed with the gift of prophecy (Numbers 22:5-6). He was not a false prophetbecause he did hear from God, and God did give him some true prophecies tospeak. Conversely, Balaam’s heart was not right with God because hespecialized in cursing people. He was summoned to curse the people of Israel,and he tried to do so on three different occasions despite the fact that heknew that God did not want to curse them (see Numbers 22-24). He could notcurse Israel directly, so he came up with a plan for Israel to bring a curseupon themselves as he advised Balak to lure the people of Israel to sin adulteryand idolatry (see Numbers 25, Revelation 2:14). He died fighting against thepeople of God (Numbers 31:8). What a pity! He became infamous in Bible history (seeMicah 6:5). In the New Testament, Apostle Peter described him as someone who “lovedthe wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15 NKJV). Jude described the apostates as peoplewho “...have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit…” (Jude 11 NKJV).Jesus spoke about the church in Pergamos in Revelation 2:14: “But I have a fewthings against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine ofBalaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children ofIsrael, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality”(NKJV). Balaam did not live a live of the righteous, and he did not die thedeath of the righteous as he wished.

Many people like Balaam wantto die the death of the righteous, and they want their end to be like the endof the righteous. However, they are not living a life of the righteous. Many ofthem love wages of unrighteousness like Balaam. They run greedily for profit inthe error of Balaam, and they are causing other people to sin because of theirnefarious deeds. How can such people die the death of the righteous, and howcan their end be like the end of the righteous? It is impossible!

No man can deceive God! Youwill reap what you show (see Galatians 6:7-9). If you want to die the death ofthe righteous and have the end of the righteous, you have to work towardsit by living a righteous life towards God and other human beings. Start livinga righteous and dedicated life now.

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray that you will beable to live a life of righteousness so as to be able to die the death of therighteous.

Dearly Beloved,
WOULD YOU BE PART OF THE LIST?"
So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart" (Nehemiah 4:6 NIV).Many books and articles have been written on the man Nehemiah who led his people to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. It is a pity that little or nothing has been said about the people that worked with him to successfully complete the rebuilding of the wall in just fifty-two days in spite of the intense opposition they faced in course of the project. Nevertheless, the chronicler of the book of Nehemiah devoted a whole chapter for the list of people that predominantly worked with Nehemiah, and the specific things that they did (see Nehemiah 3). These people were mentioned by name one after the other.Often, what most of us are doing is unnoticed, and we think that it is not significant. Some people have even withdrawn from making their little contribution to the advancement of the kingdom of God on earth and other good causes because they thought that they are not important and their contribution is not significant since it is not noticed and rewarded immediately. However, do you know that God is also taking note of what each of us is doing? Do you know that He is making a list of each of the people that contribute to the advancement of His kingdom? Paul said, "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV). Also he said in another place, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9 NIV).Would you be part of the list of people that contribute to the success of a good cause? Determine to make your little contribution even if it will be unnoticed. God knows how He rewards every good act in His own way and in own time.In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray that you will make all efforts to be in the list of those that God will reward for working for and with Him in His vineyard.
NBIf you are on Telegram, you are invited to join "Spiritual Digest for the Day" (https://t.me/spiritualdigest2003) where Bible verses, corresponding inspiring quotes, short prayers, hymns and other edifying messages are sent daily by Pastor Bayo Afolaranmi. God bless you! _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST AND TO DIE IS GAIN" (Philippians 1:20-21, NIV).

Dearly Beloved,
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR PORTION?“
Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done” (Isaiah 3:10-11 NIV).Every right thinking man wants good things happen to him. He wishes good things for himself. He does good things to himself. Nevertheless, good things cannot be his portion if he is not good to other people. The Lord told Prophet Isaiah to inform His people about what He planned to do for them according to what they were doing: good things for the righteous and disaster for the wicked. This is not a matter of either God is good or not. It is a matter of reaping what one sows. Consider the following verses:“He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment. He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made. The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head” (Psalm 7:14-16, NIV).“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7-8, NIV).“Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy. Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” (Revelation 22:11-12 NIV).What would be your portion if God decides to reward people according to their deeds today? Would you be rewarded with good things or with bad things? While your entering His kingdom depends on your relationship with Jesus Christ, your rewards both on earth and in heaven depend on you. In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray that you will always do good things so that good things will be your portion both here on earth and in heaven. _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,
DO YOU HAVE SHOCK ABSORBERS?"
Just be determined, be confident; and make sure that you obey the whole Law that my servant Moses gave you. Do not neglect any part of it and you will succeed wherever you go. Be sure that the book of the Law is always read in your worship. Study it day and night, and make sure that you obey everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (Joshua 1:7-8 TEV).The designers of various kinds of motor-vehicles, aircrafts, and so on design hidden devices that are fitted to the tyres or springs of vehicles to absorb vibration caused by the unevenness of the road surface. These devices are called shock absorbers. No one would enjoy riding in any vehicle with no or bad shock absorbers. Even in smooth and good roads, these devices are still very relevant parts of a vehicle.The world is full of unevenness and rough roads. Only "good shock absorbers" can absorb the "vibrations" caused by the unevenness and rough roads of life. These shock absorbers are proper understanding and application of the words of God while the vibrations of life are life experiences including the good ones like success, affluence, position of authority, and the bad ones like trials, suffering, persecution, and the like.Unfortunately, many people are indifferent to these shock absorbers and this has been to their detriment. A good example of such people was King Solomon. Because of his affluence, he did not yield to the words of God written in the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 17:16-20) and even the ones that he heard directly from God twice (1 Kings 3:14; 9:3-9). This made him to sin against God, and the Lord was angry with him and tore the kingdom of Israel from him and gave it to one of his subordinates (see 1 Kings 11). Jesus Christ was different. He could counter the temptations of the devil by the words of God (see Matthew 4:1-11).Do you have the shock absorbers to absorb the vibration of life? How good are they? How knowledgeable are you in the words of God? Are you meditating in them frequently? Do you have proper understanding of them? Are you applying them to your daily living? The Psalmist said, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (119:11 NIV).In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray that you will be able to be well-versed in the word of God and apply them to your life to be able to absorb the “vibration” of life. _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,

OBEDIENCE IS BETTER THANSACRIFICE!

“Has the Lord as great delightin burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold,to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel15:22 NKJV).

I administer many groups onsocial media, especial WhatsApp Messenger. Some of these groups have a strictrule of NO POST through the group, and penalty for violating such rule isimmediate removal from the group. I always endeavor to make this rule and thepenalty known to anyone that expresses interest in joining the groups before Iadd such person to the groups. Anyone that mistakenly violates the rule andapologizes is spared of the penalty. Some people violated the rule of one thegroups recently and I invoked the penalty by removing them from the group. Oneof them protested to me: “Why did you remove me from the group chat? Is it a crimeto say Amen to a prayer?” I responded: “No, but obedience is better thansacrifice!” He realized his error and apologized. I restored him back to thegroup. 

There are many things that aregood but may not be right or done in the right time. Making sacrifices is oneof such good things, however, King Saul knew better that doing good thingswrongly or against an instruction could cost one dearly. In his case, it costhim the kingship of Israel. In the first instance, Saul wanted to defend thepeople of Israel by waging war against the rampaging Philistines. He waited forseven days for Samuel to come and make the necessary sacrifice before he wentto war. When Samuel tarried in coming and his soldiers were leaving him, hewent ahead to make the sacrifice. Samuel frowned at this and said to Saul, “Youhave done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God,which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdomover Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord hassought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him tobe commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commandedyou” (1 Samuel 13:13-14 NKJV). On another occasion, Samuel instructed Saul to“…go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do notspare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox andsheep, camel and donkey” (1 Samuel 15:3 NKJV). However, Saul spared Agag, theAmalekite king, “and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs,and all that was good” (verse 9 NKJV). He claimed later that he wanted to usethe robust animals for sacrifice. Samuel told him pointblank: “Has the Lord asgreat delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of theLord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat oframs” (1 Samuel 15:22 NKJV).

What are those seemingly goodthings you are doing that are against the rule? No matter how good they mayseemingly be, doing them may cost you a fortune if you do not follow the rule. Donot underestimate any rule. Obedience is far better than any sacrifice nomatter how good the sacrifice may be.

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST AND TO DIE IS GAIN" (Philippians 1:20-21, NIV)

Dearly Beloved,
TREASURE IN CLAY JARS"
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV).Being a problematic church, Paul wrote his two known epistles to the Corinthian church to correct some of the anomalies that existed in the church. One of such anomalies was the erroneous view about the gospel message and the messengers of the gospel. This view is that the gospel, which is the New Covenant, is inferior to the Old Covenant given to Moses, and so, the messengers of the gospel, or the ministers of the New Covenant, were inferior to Moses and the teachers of the Law. However, in this second epistle to the Corinthians, Paul explained the superiority of the gospel to the Law. He considered the gospel message as a treasure kept in jars of clay. Such illustration was familiar to the Corinthians.The gospel message is indeed a treasure that supersedes any human knowledge or philosophy. God has kept or entrusted the gospel message in "clay jars," the apostles, now the preachers of the gospel. Clay jars are undoubtedly fragile. As humans, the preachers of the gospel are frail and weak like clay jar but the gospel message is entrusted to them. It was not entrusted to the angels or any other super-humans. God did this to show that spreading of the gospel message is not by human power, knowledge or even experience, but by His all-surpassing power. So, we must not look down on ourselves that we cannot preach the gospel, or depend on our ability or wisdom to do it, but rely wholly on God.The treasure, the gospel message, has been entrusted unto you to keep it and share it with other people. Are you jealously keeping it and zealously sharing it with other people around you? You do not need any special power or knowledge to do so. What you need is total reliance on the Holy Spirit who is there to teach, guide, remind, and strengthen you as you are keeping and sharing the treasure. No matter the pressure around you, He will see you through. "For this reason we never become discouraged. Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is renewed day after day. And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever" (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 TEV).In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray that you will be able to share the gospel message with people around you as you rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,
BEWARE OF THE CROWD! 
“Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them. Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead” (Acts 14:18-19 NIV).In their first missionary journey at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas performed a miracle that made the people of the town to mistake them for gods of the land. This crowd of people wanted to offer sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas. Paul and Barnabas had difficulty stopping the crowd from offering the sacrifice to them. However, it is interesting to note that the same crowd was used by some of the Jews to stone Paul! The crowd of people in any form or any place (even in the church) can be so funny. They are not predictable, and a wise man will not depend on them. Look at this account of Jesus Christ: “Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man” (John 2:23-25 NIV). The crowd of Jesus’ time indeed demonstrated this to Him. They were following Him, listening to Him, and were even ready to make Him king by force (see John 6:15), but He did not rely on them. This crowd of people praised Him by saying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!" (John 12:13 NIV), and within a week, they condemned Him, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" (John 19:15 NIV). While Paul was lucky to survive the unstable, “double-mouthed” crowd, Jesus was not “lucky.” Paul was stoned, but it did not resort to his death, though the crowd thought he was dead. Jesus was crucified and died on the cross, but He was raised from the dead on the third day. Many people have fallen victims of this double dealing of the crowd. They allowed the crowd to lead them to their downfall by the praises and sycophancy of the crowd. Are you at the brim of such fall? Who are the crowd in your life that is praising you today? The crowd may be your subordinates, associates, relatives, or even, at times, spouses. They may turn against you tomorrow. Do not allow them to ruin you. Beware of the crowd!In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray for the discerning spirit to be able to differentiate from sycophancy and praises of people around you.  _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,
ARE YOU A PEDDLER OF THE WORD OF GOD?
“Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God” (2 Corinthians 2:17 NIV).“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” (2 Timothy 4:3 NIV).Proliferation of churches, ministries and “ministers” of God is so common today that it is difficult to know genuine churches and those really called by God to be His messengers. Many so-called ministers of the gospel now peddle the word of God for personal aggrandizement. They do not have the expansion of the kingdom of God on earth as their aim, but their aim is how preaching the gospel message will profit them financially and materially. Some do so unconsciously while some do so deliberately. This trend has made many unbelievers not to see any good thing in the word of God and the genuine ministers of God.Interestingly, such fake ministers of God who peddled the word of God for personal profit abound during the time of the Apostle Paul. These fake ministers were referred to in many places in the Bible as “false prophets” or “false teachers” (see Matthew 7: 15; 24:11, 24; 2 Corinthians 11:13; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1). They corrupted and adulterated the word of God for selfish purposes. A Bible commentator described the situation thus: “...by making merchandise of it; they huckstered the word of God, made gain of it, sought merely their own worldly interest and advantage in it, and so mixed it with their own vain philosophy, to please the carnal ears and hearts of men; they blended law and Gospel, grace and works, in the business of salvation; they did, as peddling merchants do, mix good and bad commodities together, and then vend them for sound ware; or as vintners, who mix their wine with water, and sell it for neat wine.”This is a challenge to all ministers of the gospel: are you a peddler of the word of God, or its preacher? Why do you preach the word of God? Do you peddle it for personal profit or for the expansion of the kingdom of God on earth? Can you say like Paul, “...in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God”? Hear Paul again: “...we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2 NIV). It is also a challenge to hearers of the word of God: what do you want to hear from ministers of God? Do you really want them to preach the undiluted word of God or that which will suit you? Do not let the prophecy of 2 Timothy 4:3 be fulfilled in your life. Do not encourage peddling of the word of God.In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray that you will neither encourage peddling of the word of God nor be its peddler.  _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
+2348055159591

DearlyBeloved,

WHATPREPARATIONS ARE YOU MAKING FOR YOUR CHILDREN?

“NowDavid said, ‘Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house to bebuilt for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and gloriousthroughout all countries. I will now make preparation for it.’ So David madeabundant preparations before his death” (1 Chronicles 22:5 NKJV).

KingDavid was one of such good fathers in the Holy Bible that made adequatepreparations for his son, Solomon, to succeed where he (David) could not,especially in building a befitting temple for the Lord. Here was a man that Godfavoured and gave success in all his endeavours. A forgotten son who was chosenabove his elder brothers and was anointed to be the next king of Israel, he wasprotected from all his enemies and got established as the greatest king inIsrael. In appreciation, he determined to build a temple for God, but God didnot allow him to do so. He was categorically told that his son would accomplishthat task. David did not feel jealous of his son. He rather made adequateprovisions for the building (see 1 Chronicles 22, 28).   

Itis a worldwide-accepted norm that parents (especially fathers) should cater fortheir children. Apostle Paul declared, “But if anyone does not provide for hisown, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and isworse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8 NKJV). Many responsible fathers (andmothers) have been doing these faithfully. They have been going to any lengthto make sure that their children succeed in life even more than them, theparents. However, there are some irresponsible fathers (and at times mothers)that do not care about the present well being of their children not to talk aboutthe future success of the children. Such irresponsible fathers (and at timesmothers) do not care if they make use of every opportunity at their disposalwithout thinking of what will become of their children in future. 

KingHezekiah was a classical example of an irresponsible father that did not careabout the future of his children. He exposed his kingdom’s treasures andsplendour to some envoys that came from a foreign land. God through His prophetdenounced this act and predicted that the king of that foreign land would comeone day to carry away all the treasures and the people of Hezekiah’s kingdom aswell as making some of his descendants to be slaves in the palace of the kingof that foreign land. Surprisingly, Hezekiah was satisfied with this prophecybecause he thought that there would be peace and security in his lifetime. Herewas the person that prayed fervently against the prophecy that he would die(see 2 Kings 20:1-3; Isaiah 38:1-3). He accepted this later prophecy because itdid not affect him directly. That is, he did not care about what would happento the coming generation! Unfortunately, he gave birth to one of the worstkings in Judah (Jeremiah 15:4).

Howare you preparing for the future of your children? Do you care about theirfuture success? A caring and responsible father will not jeopardize the future ofhis children (like Hezekiah), but will do everything at his disposal (likeDavid) to secure a better future for them. What preparations are you making foryour children?

HappyFather’s Day!

InHis service,

BayoAfolaranmi (Pastor).  
PrayerPoint: Pray that you will be able to be a caring father (or mother) that willdo everything at your disposal to secure a better future for your children.

Dearly Beloved,
LOOKING BEYOND THE PROBLEM
 “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth” (Job 19:25 NIV).The man Job was a man of integrity that God could boast of even in the presence of the devil. By God’s permission, he faced many sufferings from the devil. His wife wanted him to curse God and die. His friends did not help matters in his trying time as they blamed him for his woes. In spite of all these, Job did not let his problem overshadow his belief in God. He was futuristic. He could look beyond his problem. He believed in his God and confessed that He would soon rescue him from all the calamities that he faced. God did rescue him and restore unto him all the things he lost.Many people allow their problems to overshadow their belief in God. They are so overwhelmed by the problems that they find it difficult to look beyond the problems. Many even have given up to the problems and they are waiting for the worst. However, like Job, we should not give up. We should rather look beyond our problems and look unto “Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross!” (Hebrews 12:2 TEV).What is the problem or challenge you are having now? Are you so overwhelmed with the problem that you are forgetting your all-powerful God? Are you about to give up because of your life challenges? Do not give up! Look beyond your problem! Your Redeemer is still living! He will see you through. You will overcome the problem, and people will rejoice with you in Jesus’ name. Amen.In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray that you will be able to look beyond your problem to God who greater than the problem.  _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,
REMAIN FOCUSED!"‘
Lord, if it's you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’" (Matthew 14:28-30 NIV).The disciples of Jesus Christ were in a boat buffeted by the storm. Jesus had to interrupt His prayer time in order to rescue the situation. Being the omnipotent God, He walked on the water! The disciples were terrified to see somebody walking on the water, so they concluded that that person must be a ghost. They cried out in fear. However, Jesus Christ revealed His identity and dissuaded them from the fear. Simon Peter wanted to be sure, and even wanted to do what Jesus was doing – walking on the water. Jesus invited him. Peter got down from the boat and started walking on the water. As he was walking towards Jesus, he lost focus and remembered that he was on a storming sea. Immediately, he started sinking. Thank God that he retraced his steps by focusing on Jesus again. He called for help and Jesus helped him.Undoubtedly, we are all in the stormy sea of life. The waves of life are buffeting us every day. The good news is that the Lord is not indifferent to our situations. He has come to our rescue and extended to us the call of relief from these storms. In Matthew 11:28-30, He said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (NIV). Some people have yielded this call while many have not. However, like Simon Peter, many of those people that have yielded the call have lost their focus on Jesus. They are now focusing on the storms of life. No wonder, they are sinking into the sea of life.Have you come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? Have you yielded to His call to come to Him? If yes, congratulations! If no, please come today! However, to enjoy His tranquility in the storm of life and even walk above it without sinking, you have to remain focused on Jesus Christ. Whatever the situation, He is more than able to rescue you from your storm of life.In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray that nothing will be able to distract you from focusing Jesus in the storm of life. _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,

THE DEATH OF THERIGHTEOUS (in honour of late Evang. Job Alabi)
“Let me die the death ofthe righteous, and let my end be like his!” (Numbers 23:10b NKJV).
I am overwhelmed by theapt reactions of people (especially on social media) to the news of the deathof late Evangelist Job Adegboyega Alabi, the first known full-time and one ofthe greatest evangelists of the Nigerian Baptist Convention who died peacefullyin his home in the morning of Friday 26 May 2017. Here was a man who was“forced” to resign from the pastorate of a local church and become an itineraryevangelist in a setting that did not recognize such then. He spearheaded theofficial recognition of evangelists in his denomination and did the work of anevangelist full time till his last day on earth. He influenced the lives ofmany people throughout his denomination and even beyond in spite of the factthat he did not hold any known "influential" official position at anylevel in the denomination or the society. He was a role model to many pastorsand members of his denomination. The great man of God did not have any scandalwhatsoever in his ministry as a church pastor and later a full-time evangelist.His death is indeed an irreparable loss to humanity.

As many people were (andstill are) reacting to his home call within hours of his passing away with manygood comments, remarkable reminiscences of his life and their encounters withhim as if these people have rehearsed the reactions before his sudden death,the words of Balaam in Numbers 23:10 came to my mind: “Let me die the death ofthe righteous, and let my end be like his!” (NKJV). How I wish my end were likethat. How I wish that people reacted to my home call with good comments aboutme, and recalled their good reminiscences of their encounter with me. How Iwish I leaved this world in active service to the Lord without anyscandal.  

Unfortunately, Balaamthat made that statement did not live and die a righteous man. He specializedin cursing people and “loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15 NKJV).He was summoned to curse the people of Israel, and he tried to do so on threedifferent occasions despite the fact that he knew that God did not want tocurse them (see Numbers 22-24). He subsequently advised Balak to lure thepeople of Israel to sin (see Numbers 25, Revelation 2:14). He died fightingagainst the people of God (Numbers 31:8). What a pity!

“Let me die the death ofthe righteous, and let my end be like his!” It is not a wish. Anyone that willdie the death of the righteous has to walk towards it by living a righteouslife towards God and other human being. Will you die the death of therighteous? Will your end be like the end of the righteous? Start living arighteous and dedicated life now.
In His service,
Bayo Afolaranmi(Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray thatyou will be able to live a life of righteousness so as to be able to die thedeath of the righteous.
NB
This message isdedicated to late Evangelist Job Adegboyega Alabi (1975-2017), the greatevangelist of the Nigerian Baptist Convention who died on 26 May 2017
 _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,
DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED “‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.’  And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said” (2 Chronicles 32:7-8 NIV).Sennacherib king of Assyria who was the then world power came to invade the land of Judah. He threatened the people to surrender to him instead of yielding to the words of encouragement from Hezekiah the king of Judah. The people had every cause to panic because of the military successes of that Assyrian king and his predecessors. However, they gained confidence from what Hezekiah said because they believed as Hezekiah said that Sennacherib depended on human resources while they had the divine backing.  The LORD indeed helped the people, and the human resources of Sennacherib failed him woefully.People tend to rely on human and material resources today, and they may be using them to oppress other people. However, the oppressed should not be discouraged. If they can put their trust in God as the people of Judah did, God would help them in His own way and His own time. No matter the strength of the oppressor, the Lord has promised, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV), “…because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 NIV).Who or what is the “Sennacherib” that has “invaded” your life and that is making you to be afraid or discouraged? Is the thing or person threatening you and you are about to lose hope? Do not be discouraged! Like Hezekiah, I am imploring you to trust in God. He is with you. He will fight your battles, and you will soon testify to His goodness over your life.In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray that you will not be discouraged in spite of any opposition you may have. _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,
WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER YOURSCENE? 

“So Haman was terrified beforethe king and queen.... So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had preparedfor Mordecai” (Esther 7:6b, 10a NKJV).

“Say to the righteous that itshall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe tothe wicked! It shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall begiven him” (Isaiah 3:10-11 NKJV). 

Recently, I was with a groupof people that were discussing jokingly about somebody who has just left aposition of authority. To this people, the person has become a subject ofridicule because he did not behave well to others when he was in authority. Infact, he can no longer relate well with others because his actions andinactions while in office are hunting him negatively now. Nobody even wants tobe associated with him.

I do not know this person,but, the comments of the people about him after he has left that office ofauthority made me think deeply about myself: if I leave the scene that I ampresently, what will people say about me? Will I be able to move freely withthe people over whom I once had authority? Will these people be ready to beassociated with me after all those juicy things that come with the office areno longer there? What will I be remembered for after I have left the scene? 

Every position of authority istenured. It will come to an end one day either by time frame or ultimately bydeath. No position of authority is permanent. Even the position of permanentsecretary is not permanent! Each of these positions is a scene. How are youacting yours? What will become of you after the scene when you are no longer inthat position of authority?  

Examples abound in the Bible andin history of what became of some people after they left their positions ofauthority. Haman in the Book of Esther is a classical example. As second incommand, he became worthless and died the very day he fell out of favour withKing Ahasuerus. He was hung on the gallows he initially erected to hangMordecai. His descendants were destroyed thereafter. His after-scene was so badbecause of his wickedness when he was in position of authority.  

Apart from the “rewards” thatpeople will give those that have left their scenes of authority, God will alsobring their actions and inactions into judgment. The writer of Ecclesiastes said,“For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing,whether good or evil” (12:14 NKJV. See also Psalm 58:11; 128:2; Proverbs 12:14;13:21; Ecclesiastes 8:12; Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 14:10; Galatians 6:7-9;Ephesians 6:8; Hebrews 6:10; 13:16; Revelation 22:12).

What will happen after yourscene of authority?

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,
IF GOD DOES NOT ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS...“
Why won't God give me what I ask? Why won't he answer my prayer? If only he would go ahead and kill me! If I knew he would, I would leap for joy...” (Job 6:8-10 TEV).It is evident from the Bible and life experiences that God does not answer all prayers, even those of His righteous ones! Job was a righteous man. God, Himself, testified to this when Satan tried to accuse Job (see Job 1:8; 2:3). However, God allowed Satan to tempt Job by destroying everything Job had, including his children. Satan even “inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head” (Job 2:7 NRSV). In his agony, Job prayed that God should kill him, at least to save him from all these suffering (see Job 6:8-10). God did not answer the prayer. To add insult to Job’s injury, his friends were accusing him and his dead children of wrongdoing against God. In spite of Job’s travail and the seeming silence of God to his plight, Job remained steadfast in his faith in God. He could still declared, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” and “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth” (Job 13:15; 19:25 NIV). It was as if he knew about this God’s promise: “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome” (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP). God did bless Job in multiple folds at the end of the day. Instead of doing what seemed better to Job, God did His best for him! On many occasions, God has deliberately refused to answer the prayers of His righteous ones. These people would be bitter that God does not do what they seem good for them. It takes spiritual maturity to accept the refusal of God for one’s request especially when one is passing through unpleasant life challenges. One may think that one’s request is the best while God has a better plan than one’s best request. If God does not answer your prayers, what would you do? Would you still remain steadfast in your faith in Him? Are you ready to take His refusal for your request in anticipation for His better plan for you? In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Pray for the grace to be able to accept the refusal of God for your prayer for your own good. _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Dearly Beloved,
DETERMINE TO BE DISTINCT!
“When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away” (Genesis 5:21-24 NIV).“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking” (Ephesians 4:17 NIV).Genesis Chapter Five is one of such boring chapters in the Bible. It contains the list of people that lived and died for nothing spectacular. In this list is the story of a man that was distinct—Enoch. He lived the shortest time of all the people in the list, but he lived with a purpose, and the chroniclers of the Holy Scriptures recognized it. Twice in the less than five verses that were devoted to him, it was recorded that he walked with God for most part of his years. A Bible commentator put it thus: “[Enoch] walked in the name and fear of God, according to His will, in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord then made known; he walked by faith in the promises of God, and in the view of the Messiah, the promised seed; he walked uprightly and sincerely, as in the sight of God; he had familiar converse, and near and intimate communion with Him….” In the Bible, another phrase for “to walk” is “to live.”Enoch distinguished himself from the other people in the list by living his life for God. God rewarded him in His own way. The nature of this reward has become a subject of controversy among Bible scholars. However, what matters here is that God took note of Enoch’s distinction and rewarded him for it.God is looking for people that will distinguish themselves in this perverse world by walking with Him. He wants people that will determine to walk or live in His fear and will, walk or live in all His commandments and ordinances, walk or live by faith and total trust in Him, walk or live uprightly and sincerely, and walk or live in intimate communion with Him. He is ready to reward such people accordingly. Will you be one of such people? This year, determine to be distinct!In His service,Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
Prayer Point: Help me, O Lord, to be distinct to Your glory wherever I find myself. _________________________
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).