Good-life Daily Devotional

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi    Luke 17:5 "And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith."         When muscles undergo intense exercise, as from a resistance training bout, there is trauma to the muscle fibers  and this triggers   the satellite cells to start fusing together to the muscles fibers, often leading to increases in muscle fiber cross-sectional area or hypertrophy. This process is the same when we put our faith to work. It has been discovered that when muscles are not put to work, they begin to deteriorate. Faith is like spiritual muscles needed to receive the provisions that God has already provided for us.  The scriptures says He has already given us ( not trying to give us ) all that pertains to life and godliness (2Pet.1:3) . Everything you shall ever need throughout your lifetime on earth has already being provided for.   We need faith to partake of them.    The word  'Faith'  is the Greek word ‘pistis’ it means : total

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Nah 1:3 -6 KJV “The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power.” Phil 2:9-11 KJV “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”      A battle between an angel and a demon is like that between a well-trained soldier belonging to an elite armed forces group like the US Marines engaged in a battle against a member of the boys scout. It is a total mismatch. It took an angel to destroy an entire platoon of the Assyrian army (2Kings19:35) They are described as mighty (Rev 10:1)  to give us an idea of how weak Satan is in comparison to an angel , the scriptures says in Rev. 20:1-3 NIV “And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.  He

Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi Col 1:16 KJV “ For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” Eph 6:12 KJV    “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”    The bible teaches that the believer in Jesus Christ is engaged in a spiritual warfare , first there is the battle for the control of our mind through spiritual arrows (thoughts ) that are shot at us on a daily basis , these arrows fly in the day ( when we are conscious ) and at night ( when we are not conscious , sometimes they come in the form of dreams and nightmares) . The scriptures says in Psalm    Ps 91:5 AMP “ You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wi

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi      Ps 57:4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. KJV Flaming arrows are words sent by a high powered delegation to scare us into abandoning our faith in God . David encountered this severally Ps 64:3-8 says ” Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not. They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?  They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep. But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.  So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away. KJV Ps 37:14-15 The wi

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi 2 Cor 10:3-6 KJV For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. WHAT IS A STRONGHOLD IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE : a place that has  been fortified so as to protect it against attack , a place where a particular cause or belief is strongly defended or upheld . It is the Greek word  ‘ochuroma’  which means a castle , an arguments . Therefore , a stronghold is any idea that appears insurmountable like a fortified castle.  2 Corinthians10 describes these ideas as being in the form of imaginations which is the Greek word ‘Logismos’  it means  computations ,reasoning, thoughts  . The

    By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi        Luke 10:17 - "And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name."       A name bears the identity and the power in the office occupied by it’s bearer. Whenever a name is mentioned , a demand is made on the power inherent in that name. Therefore, whenever the name of Jesus Christ was mentioned by the disciples it was as though Jesus himself were present in their midst in the fullness of His unlimited power;  demons had no option but to obey .     The scriptures describes the potency in the name of Jesus Christ in  2: Phil 2:9-12 “ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father “  Jesus Christ is the embodiment of  the word of

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  Luke 10:25-37  "…You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."  But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?....."      The scriptures say in Eph2:8 that it is by grace that we are saved. The word 'grace' is the Greek word ‘Charis’ and it means: to be acceptable and favoured by God  .It is a divine influence impressed upon  the heart of the recipient leading to him or her achieving extraordinary feats .It is an empowerment to excel and to be distinguished .                       Many people out of pride resist the truth about justification by faith and the grace of God and have exposed themselves to emotional traumas and satanic manipulations. They love titles and public recognition like the lawyer in (Luke10:28) and his mundane “acts of righteousness “ . He was self- centered, putting himself before God and his fellow man.  His

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  Acts 10:22 KJV” And  they said , Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the,Jews,was  warned  from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.”     There is a thin line between the practice of man-made religion as often demonstrated in the formalism in Christendom and true worship in the spirit . Except when analyzed under a scriptural microscope, one may not know the difference .There are two types of error , one that is deliberate and born out of ignorance and that which is not deliberate, sincere and born out of a lack of proper guidance. Cornelius’ error falls into the second category. Both errors are easily hidden under a religious camouflage in some churches.      Cornelius could have easily passed for what we may refer to as 'a faithful brother in the lord' considering his  antecedence .The phrase 'they said

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   The Christian life is characterized by benevolence. Tithing should not be over-emphasized with threats while using the old testament as a yardstick for giving, this is against the law of love which is the guiding principle of all Christian actions. Giving by the law of love is not limited to the tithe but a devotion of one’s life to the course of the gospel. Tithing was a Jewish religious law which requires the giving of the tenth part (10%) of one’s earnings or harvests to the priest. (Numbers 18:26 Leviticus 27:30; 2 Chronicles 31:5 Deuteronomy 14:24;). It was a method of taxation needed to sustain the offices of the priests and Levites however, the same cannot be said of the New testament, nowhere is it recommended or commanded in any of the gospels, however, recognizing the importance of finance in the effective running of any organization Apostle Paul gives an order in 1 Cor 16:1-2 “Now concerning the  collection for the saints , as  I h

Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi  Mal 3:10 KJV  “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the  windows of heaven , and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it”  Tithing is an acknowledgment of God's ownership of the universe and it was used to meet the material need of the clergy, stranded stranger, orphans and widows (Deut 26:12-13).  The word ‘windows ‘ is the Hebrew word ‘arubbah’ it means chimney (vent) ,a sluice (opening for water ). Water is symbolic of refreshment, while the chimney is symbolic of peace. Smoke symbolized intense anger (Gen.19:28,74:1, Psalm 102:3) From all indications, there was a reward for tithing according to the old testament. Tithing brought about pleasantness to the tither and the community. Under the new testament we are already blessed with ALL spiritual blessings including the blessings of tithing

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi The Prophet’s And The Righteous man’s Reward Matt 10:41-42 AMP  “ He who receives and welcomes and accepts a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives and welcomes and accepts a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  And whoever gives to one of these little ones [in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water because he is My disciple, surely I declare to you, he shall not lose his reward."         There is a reward for honouring ministers of the gospel .  The word 'prophet'  is the Greek word  ‘ 'Prophetes’ it means : a foreteller ; by analogy, an inspired speaker; by extension, a poet:  It is important to have a person with the capability to open our eyes to the wider implications of our actions. Our actions and choices come with consequences.  Ministers of the gospel are a gift from God sent to help us avoid life’s pitfalls.  

By Rev,Michael Benson Ajayi  John 1:12 AMP  “But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name “           The born again Christian has all the blessings of Jesus Christ dwelling in his or her spirit (center of consciousness) and nothing can be added to what God has already blessed us with . 2 Peter3: 1 says we have been given everything needed to live a fulfilled life and this is achieved through the knowledge of who we are in Christ.Note , the tense of the word ‘ given ’ used in that scripture; it is not futuristic but in the now and present continuous..           Therefore, if we have been given all blessings , which other blessing are we seeking for? The word  blessing  in (Eph1:3) is better appreciated from its meaning ,it is the Greek word  ‘ eulogia ’ which means : fine speaking, commendation , adoration; benedicti

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi Matt 10:8 NIV "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."     The religious superstitious ‘miracle seed’  is any material gift demanded by a preacher as a precondition for a person to receive a blessing from God. This is contrary the teachings of Christ and contradicts the gospel of grace in so many ways and is one of the reasons for corruption in society and the rejection of the gospel by many . This theology gives Satan the advantage; it feeds the ego of such preachers making them rich at the expense of the poor, it does not glorify God in anyway.            The born again Christian is blessed with all blessings (Ephesians 1:3 ) and only needs faith from God’s word to experience them . Miracles are free and the apostles demonstrated this free gift in  Acts 3:6-8 NIV then  Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In th