THERE ARE GOOD TIMES AHEAD OF YOU



 By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi
1 Peter 4:17-18 NKJV  “ For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
      This scripture underscores God’s approach to the issue of societal reforms; it is a process that begins with the church. There can be no true governance outside the perimeter of God’s elect. The need for societal reforms is necessitated by the fact that our prosperity individually is inter-wound with our collective prosperity. It is against this backdrop that the church should pursue a vigorous and holistic approach towards social justice and equity in the wider society. The scriptures says in Jer 29:7 “ And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare."
           We are inter related directly or indirectly therefore our collective good should be the concern of all. This is quite contrary to what is observed in the church today where certain persons have set out an agenda to build personal empires to the detriment of our commonwealth. History has shown that such ventures are nothing but vapour that soon fade away.
          The church is meant to be a pool from where tested and genuine leadership is sourced (Acts 6:1-7), therefore when the church is morally bankrupt, society is for the worse. In acts 6:7 we are told that the word of God spread as a result of good governance unlike what is being witnessed today where prayers, fasting, and false miracles and fables have taken the place of sound wholesome family oriented teachings. The effect is the agricultural crop rotation and shifting cultivation technique of church growth where the same sets of persons shift from place to place without a desire for a long term commitment to a mission. They have an ‘abandonment’ mentality.  Such churches experience increase in quantity not quality with diminishing returns in the sanctity of society. This is the reason for the rise in marital crisis; the way a person relates to God determines how they relate to their partner.
           It took a church of four persons: Daniel and his three faithful friends to change Babylon for the better and yet with the countless numbers of followers in our churches society buckles under the weight of social injustice and gross inequality with the seal of religiosity.
         It is against this backdrop, that the process of societal reform must start from God’s people, they are the righteous by grace and there’s need for the character of righteousness to be revealed through the highest level of transparency and accountability. This is what the world sees. They do not understand spiritual language but they do know how to identify integrity wherever it is found. This is why we must of necessity go through trials and temptation, through temporary deprivation Eccl 3:1-8, that means things won’t always go the way we plan regardless of how much spiritual exercise we put into receiving them. God wants us to learn how to value human relationship and our relationship with Him more than we do with things (Rom 14:14-16,1 Thes5:22). Our faith fails when our joy is determined by the craving for things; it leads to unfruitfulness in the things of the lord ( Mk 4:7,19) . Satan uses materials things as bait to destroy people and God doesn’t want us to fall prey to his antics.
     Some of the things we desire bring shame to the community and dishonor to the lord; during trying times we learn to identify and refrain from such things (2cor 6:3) also the true intents of our hearts are revealed so that we may be able to identify true believers (Deut 8:2, exodus 20:20) as such periods draws them closer to the Word of God. Sometimes battles are set up by the lord to test our resilience and love for His word (Judges2:21-22).
       Through trials we also learn to be better resource managers and invest wiser (Jn 15:2) thus making us more useful to the community (2Tim 2:21,) this sometimes requires the total destruction of  our old plans for prosperity for something new and better  ( Jer 18:4) .This is to prepare us for a glorious  future ( Deut 8:16) and give Him all the glory  as the scripture says in  Deut 8:17-18 “He did all this so you would never say to yourself, 'I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.' Receive grace for recovery as you read this now in Jesus name.
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Email : michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com

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