Good-life Daily Devotional

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi Col.1:27" To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:" .         The greatest miracle a person can ever experience is when he or she receives Jesus Christ as lord and saviour .At salvation our spirits bonds with the spirit of the living God through Jesus Christ: its the greatest thing that could ever happen to a person. Before salvation we were alienated from the Spirit of God and we're at the mercy of fallen spirits and were aliens to the God type of life through our ignorance (Ephesians 4:18)             But when we received the gospel in to our hearts, our spirits experienced a rebirth, the scriptures says in Titus 3: 4-6 "But after that the kindness and  love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of  righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and ren

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi Matt 18: 3" And said,  Verily I say  unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye  shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven"     The word 'converted' is the Greek word 'strepho' which means to twist, i.e. turn quite around or reverse, turn self about. The word 'become' is the Greek word 'ginomai' which means to arise, be assembled, fall, be finished, follow, be found, be fulfilled , grow,be made, be performed,  seem, be showed. Therefore, Jesus is saying that except a person be willing to make a u-turn from his or her self-centered agenda or what he or she assumes to be their purpose in life and decides to follow Jesus with the simpleness of the heart of a child without the fear of falling in error and being fulfilled with what life presents each day as a child does without bogus ambitions with the readiness and willingness to assemble with other believers  like children do

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi John 1:3 "All  things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made  that was made." Psalm 53:1 "The fool hath said in his heart,  There is no God. Corrupt are they,  and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good."           The concept of evolution as postulated by atheists is that which teaches that through the process of abiogenesis the smallest possible organic matter was formed by atoms coming together abruptly and without a cause. And from this cell, life on earth in all its complexities evolved. This process they claim ,was preceded by a sudden explosion known as the 'big bang' which led to the creation of the universe and out of it came the first cells from where life on earth began. To believe in this theory is tantamount to believing that  jet planes emanated from the desert .  If evolution is true then it should be a continuum with evidence of the over 1 billion species of

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi.       1Cor.6: 12 "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient:  all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power  of any."    This scripture underscores the degree of immunity the child of God enjoys under the dispensation of grace through Jesus Christ. This became necessary because of man's inability to fulfill the laws of Moses(Exo.24:12), therefore, forgiveness was needed through blood sacrifice that justice may be satisfied and man made eternally free from the condemnation of the laws of Moses . The law required atonement for sins through blood sacrifice (lev.4:1-4,17:11, Hebrew9:22) but this was not a sufficient cure for sin because animal sacrifice though repeatedly executed could not take away sins. There was always a sense of guilt from an unclean conscience (Heb.10:1-4,11)          By shedding His blood, Jesus Christ obtained eternal redemption for us (Heb.9:25-28a) and it wa

Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi Matt 24:12 "And because iniquity  shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.".      As we approach the end of the human age and the second coming of Christ, the world shall experience an increase in demonic activities prominent among which shall be the greatest fall amongst Christians because of the enemy's intrusion into the church. The fall is known as the apostasy which means disloyalty.  Jesus predicted that disloyalty shall be a common trend in the last days.           Our worship determines our commitment to one another therefore,  disloyalty to Christ is the foundation of one's disloyalty to one's  spouse, family or community . Marriages have been hard hit by this with an ever increasing number in divorce cases among believers. One's devotion to Christ's ideal increases our devotion to our spouse. Love is an irrevocable commandment by the lord (John 13:34 ) . In the last days the message of love and me

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi 1 Tim 2:1-2 KJV “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”   Prayer is the communication between God and spirits. It exist in the following forms : (1) supplication (Greek:   deomai ) which means   to beg (as binding oneself), when making a supplication on behalf of a person ,you present yourself as part of the guilty party   while using the pronoun ‘we’ and ‘us’.(2) prayer (Greek: proseuche) which means to worship in the spirit while speaking in tongues(3)   intersession (Greek:enteuxis) which means   an interview while making supplication on behalf of a guilty party :in this case prayers are made on behalf of a person   other than oneself   (4) Giving of thanks (Greek: eucharistia) which means gratitude while actively using a grateful language to God

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi Mark 9:29NKJV “ He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.”  In this scripture Jesus Christ made it abundantly clear that fasting is a requirement in dealing with stubborn cases.   In Mark 9:23 NIV He said "Everything is possible for him who believes." Therefore, all that is needed to receive a miracle from God is that we believe He is trustworthy enough.      Fasting positions us to receive breakthroughs. It is an act of faith and a demonstration of one’s resolve to make the necessary changes required to receive a breakthrough. It isn’t wrong to ask God for a thing. Even if it is God’s purpose, we still need to ask to receive(Mt7:7).As Christians, we have desires and God is obligated to meet those desires, if we believe (Mk 11:23-24) The scriptures says in   Ps 81:10 KJV   “I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide , and I will fill it.” Our responsibility is in

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi         Mark 8:33" But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he  rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of  men."          In a parallel scripture in (Matthew 16:17) Peter had earlier been eulogized for his acknowledgment  of  the divinity of Jesus Christ and that revelation remains the bases for the existence of the church.  Ironically, a few chapters later, Peter began to rebuke Jesus after He had revealed God's plan for our redemption ; of a necessity Jesus had to be sacrificed as an  atonement  for  sins . Peter who was under Satan's influence at that moment. His carnal reasoning exposed him to the devil's antics and he soon became Satan's mouthpiece.            Before the resurrection of Jesus Christ, none of the disciples was born again. Salvation requires believing in the bodily death and resurrection of Jesus C

Rev Michael Benson Ajayi Mark 16:18 "They shall take up serpents; and if they  drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."         Believers in Jesus Christ are an extension of God's healing hands to humanity. When a person gets born again ( receives Jesus Christ as lord and saviour Rom.10:9), Christ's Spirit unites with the person's reborn spirit, soul and body. The regenerated spirit of the believer is not in anyway inferior to that of Jesus Christ, they are of the same quality and inseparable. Ephesians 6:17 says "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit". That is why the spirit of the born again christian is so powerful . It is connected to Jesus and it is inconceivable  to say that a believer in Christ is possessed by a devil. It is impossible. That's tantamount to saying that Jesus can be possessed by a devil.God forbid.        All things were made by Christ

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi         John: 4 :35-38 "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and  then cometh  harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.  And he that  reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice  together.  And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.   I sent you to reap that whereon ye  bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours."      This scripture once again underscores the uncertainties in the world's economic system. Our prosperity isn't  determined by the quarterly economic reports of the world's money market , this scripture highlights a major flaw in  the postponing of giving till a later date for the fear of a delay in receiving a harvest for one's investments. This discourages us from  investing  in missionary wo

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi Hebrews 10:25 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."     The strength of the early church viz a viz its numerous achievements was hinged on the power of fellowship.  The scriptures says in acts 1:4 "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me." the fulfillment of this divine promise was predicated on the disciples being together,  likewise there are certain aspects of God’s promises towards us individually and collectively that can only be fulfilled when we fellowship together.  This is more visible in the area of marriages,  being an active member of a sound bible -based christian congregation is critical in building an enduring marital relationship as it minimizes our exposu

Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi Psalm 31:13-14 "For I have heard the slander of many: fear  was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they  devised to take away my life. But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou  art my God. "          The English dictionary defines fear as" an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat" Fear is a common occurrence but should not be allowed to dominate our lives.  There is a natural fear designed to keep us alive such as the sudden reaction to the sound of an explosion or the sight of an approaching vehicle that has lost control :this is a natural fright ,we are designed to respond to dangerous stimuli.  It  protects us from harm and improves character. For the fear of punishment a student could decide to do his or her homework and this would lead to discovering the benefits getting homework done on time.        However, there is

Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi Matthew 12:15 "But when Jesus knew  it, he withdrew himself from  thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;"         This scriptures underscores the importance of healing as an integral part of God’s plan for humanity. Jesus did not discriminate in his healing ministry,  it cut across religious and racial divides. For as many that came to him received their healing at no cost.          As part of the package for our salvation, Jesus paid the price for our healing through the bruises on His body.  The scriptures says Isaiah 53: 5" But he  was wounded for our transgressions,  he  was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace  was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. ". Also  Matthew 8:16-17 says "... and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all  that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmi

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Dan 9:2 “ in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” NKJV     Prophet Daniel was among Jews taken into captivity by the king of Babylon as a consequence of their rebellion against God’s word. This was in fulfillment of the prophecy in    Jer 25:8,11-13.   Three years had gone by after the expiration of the seventy years trial period, and yet the Jews were still in bondage just like a lot of Christians experience unnecessary delays in many areas of life. Did God lie about their deliverance or was prophet Jeremiah a false prophet? Does the holy scriptures contradict itself ? God forbid.                   The scripture says it is the lack of knowledge and understanding that leads to bondage (Isaiah5:13). To understand scriptures, we need to interpret contexts with other

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi Matthew 15:28 "Then Jesus answered and  said unto her, O woman, great  is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that  very hour."       This scripture underscores the extraordinary power to bring about positive change in a person with God's kind of faith.  This woman had a conviction based on a revelation of God's word about the divinity of Christ and that there were  no limitations to any person with God's kind of faith : this led to the healing of her daughter who was miles away from where she met Jesus.           Distance is no barrier in the realm of faith. Jesus described this woman's faith as great because of what she had to overcome to access the power of God  .  She overcame the doctrines that disqualified her from being a partaker of the blessings of God. God's love for her was far greater than any law that disqualified her (Col.1:12-13). She also overcame

 By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi Matthew 17:20 -21 "And Jesus said unto them,  Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have  faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and  nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."        The word 'unbelief' is the Greek word ' apaistia' and it means disobedience. The disciples were surprised at the outcome of their prayer.  They thought they had no role whatsoever to play in the outcome of a miracle like many Christians today .They thought prayer was an incantation that moved God to act on our behalf  regardless of our commitment to the laws of faith .               They were sent on a mission trip and came back rejoicing at their success in casting  out demons .However,  the difference between this situation and the former was the absence of the word. Faith to hea

Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi Mark 11:23 "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith".       The word 'doubt' is the Greek word ' diakrino' which means  to separate thoroughly, to withdraw from, or oppose; to discriminate ,hesitate ,contend ,stagger,waver. To better understand what doubt is,  imagine what happens when a teenager is ill of a very high fever and is taken to the hospital and because of the level of the fever the doctor decides to administer an injection and commands  the teenager to stay still .The  teenager agrees to be treated by the doctor but not in the manner chosen by the doctor and so he hesitates, withdraws, opposes, contends with the nurse, wavers at the treatment plan and staggers away and separates himself from the