Good-life Daily Devotional

By Rev.  Michael Benson Ajayi Ex 14:13-14 NIV “Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."        Moses was faced with a condition in his leadership carrier were all human formula failed him, he was being chased by Pharaoh and the Egyptian army and the only way forward was through the sea. Death was certain whichever way , except there was divine intervention.        Sometimes we find ourselves where our best plans fail not because we did not make the necessary calculations but due to circumstances beyond our control, this results in discouragement and depression with suicidal tendencies. Many persons are simply going through the motions of life, they’ve actually lost the will to live. Some of the factors that results in discouragement includes; THE HARDNESS OF THE WAY  (Numbers 21:4 ): God

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Eccl 11:3 AMP bible” If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.”      Superstitious  is defined as:  a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation : it is an irrational abject attitude of mind toward the supernatural, nature, it can also be described as  a notion maintained despite evidence to the contrary” (Merriam Webstar Dictionary ) Superstitious  beliefs are the greatest hindrance to the development of underdeveloped countries . They militate against scientific discoveries and productive work ethics. Science is a gift from God to help us appreciate and harness the potentials of the universe.       It is a gift of the Holy Spirit described as the ‘word of knowledge’ (1Cor 12:8). The word ‘knowledge’ as used in 1 Corinthians 12:8  is th

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi    "Then his people believed his promises. Then they sang his praise. Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn’t wait for his counsel! In the wilderness their desires ran wild, testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland. So he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a plague along with it." Psalms 106:12‭-‬15 NLT Bible   The word 'plague' is the word used in the King James Version ' leanness of the soul' and it means a ' plague or pandemic '    A plague or pandemic is the result of twisting the truth of God's word , it is the result of rejecting God's wisdom while engaged in hypocritical praise singing many preachers teach that an energetic dynamic praise session and the ' sowing of seeds ' guarantees a miracle but contrary to this  the  scriptures in psalm 106:12 says God's people praised God but went about contravening universal laws that guarantees a safe ecosystem . This resulte

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi.  "'so all the world from east to west will know there is no other God. I am the Lord , and there is no other. I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the Lord , am the one who does these things." Isaiah 45:6‭-‬7 NLT   God is both creator and judge , he judges our choices . He gave us the right to chose as an act of love.  The first couple :Adam and Eve where given the right to make choices between Good and Evil that was the essence of the Tree of Good and Evil . A test of their fidelity.    The life we live and our environment is a function of the choices that we make : this is what gives meaning to life's circumstances .  When God created the world it was in perfect harmony with Heaven , the Bible says in Genesis 1:1" created the heavens and the Earth " the word 'and' is a conjunction, meaning the Earth was in perfect harmony with God until man made a choice to live independent of G

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   “Do you think it is right for you to claim, ‘I am righteous before God’? For you also ask, ‘What’s in it for me? What’s the use of living a righteous life?’  Job 35:2‭-‬3 NLT   "Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them."    “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? Job 38:3-5 NLT Bible       Faith is our total dependence, reliance  or loyalty towards God . It is the title deed that a desired outcome will come to pass with God's help . Faith in a person is determined by the information one has about that person.     Job's faith was threatened ; he could not understand that despite the fact that he was declared righteous by God in Job Chapter 1 , he suffered a major misfortune and suffered with protracted ill health. One of the ironies of life is that good things happen to bad p

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi,                     Hebrews 9:27-28: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many”     Those who believe in reincarnation  claim life is a never ending cycle: at death a person is reborn into a new body as a divine act of justice with some being rewarded with a good life and others misfortune. This logic at some point exempts us from being accountable for our actions and portends a lot of danger to the human race. It is one the reasons for the increase in wickedness the world over as it gives no justification for repentance  It is a legitimization of evil: for instance , imagine someone reincarnating into a mass murderer as an act of divine justice .               In Luke 23:43, Jesus speaking to the penitent thief beside him said in Luke 23:43 KJV  “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” The word ‘verily’ is same as 'truly' , this means tran

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi 1 Kings 3:8-9So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" NIV The word ‘discern’ is the Hebrew word  ‘ biyn ‘  it means ; to separate mentally (or distinguish), i.e.(generally) understand: King Solomon had just taken the mantle of leadership from his father King David, he had received the best training academically and knew an academic certificate was not a guarantee for  successful living. Some of the most impoverished countries in the world have some of the highest concentration of highly read individuals, an example is my country Nigeria with the highest concentration of tertiary degree certificate holders in Africa and yet among countries with the lowest living standards despite the abundance of human and natural resources.    This is proof that academic achievement does not equate to wisdom or the ability to discern properly. This con

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi      Matt 7:22-23 KJV “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”       It is interesting to know that prophets and miracle workers who are often celebrated are at the risk of not making heaven along with persons who do not meet with God’s standard for salvation. There greatest undoing is the misconception of the principle of salvation by grace, where human effort is of no relevance but an absolute trust in the finished redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross.        The prophetic office is sacred and it demands very strict discipline. Elisha refused an offering from a highly-placed foreign public officer (2kings5:16) a rare occurrence among today’s prophets with their claims of working in the so-called ‘anointing for high favour’ contrary to

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi Matt 24:30 TLB “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”               There have been so many speculations about the second coming of Christ by religious scholars especially from the world’s three major religions Judaism, Islam and Christianity. While most Jews reject Jesus Christ(Rom9:31,10:3), they look forward to the coming of their messiah however, Muslims believe Jesus Christ is alive and is with God  “Indeed I will take you (away) and lift you up to Myself and purify you from those who disbelieve…” (Quran 3:55) .They also believe in the second coming of Christ, this is written in (Quran 3:45-46)  “God gives you tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be Jesus Christ, son of Mary….who are nearest (to God).  He shall speak to the people in infancy

By  Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Luke 17:15-16NIV  ‘ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him —  and he was a Samaritan. ’             Thanksgiving is the highest display of worship that anyone could ever give to God. It is an acknowledgement of His  trustworthiness and praiseworthiness which is the differentiating factor between Jehovah; the creator of the universe and man-made gods.          Jesus takes it personal when this simple act of appreciation is ignored by believers like the ones in Luke17:11-18. Though healing is free, miracles are very effective witnessing tools. They build the faith of those we share our testimonies with .            Testimonies have another benefit to the testifier; the scripture says in Luke 17:19 KJV  … .your faith hath  made thee whole … . The word Greek  ‘ sozo ’  describes the compound word  ‘ made the whole   ‘ : it means to   ‘ preserve ’ .   The fellow who te

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  1 Cor 13:9KJV " For we know in part, and we prophesy in part."         A Prophesy is a declaration of God's divine will and righteous purpose . 2Tim 3:16-17 says, they are profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought and action), So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.  Prophets uphold the moral standards of a society.  Thus, prophesies must align with objective and logical faith in order to be valid as truth from God.        God does not contradict Himself neither does His word . Therefore , a prophet must be well grounded in God's written word to avoid misleading his or her audience. God reveals Himself through His word , 1 Sam 3:21KJV says " And .... the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi John 11:44 "And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go."             Lazarus' death is so unique in that God's plans for the resurrection of the dead in Christ was revealed in that moment to Jesus' followers. Jesus described Himself as being the resurrection and the life to his disciples (John11:25) prior to this event,  Jesus had earlier demonstrated His ability to raise the dead in  ( luke7:11-16).  The fact that we shall be resurrected after physical death is profound and it is the core of the Christian faith.         The resurrection power of the risen and glorified Christ is already at work in the life of believers. It is evident in the various testimonies of miraculous restoration experienced by believers the world over. This is part of the benefits of the newness of life inherent in practicing the Christ-like

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi         John 11:38-39 NKJV” Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone."        The Greek word that is translated "groaning" is the word  ‘Embrimaomai’   , it means - to snort with anger ;sigh with chagrin; to have indignation on or to blame .It also means to straightly charge or murmur against. These adverbs expressed Jesus’ state of mind as he confronted the powers that held Lazarus bound in the grave and that's the same way he feels about your situation .  Faith working by love for God is all that is needed for miracles to take place.  Attributing a misfortune to God;s punishment closes the door on faith for the miraculous. It is a demonstration of doubt . Our unbelief gives Satan the advantage over us and this was why Jesus groaned  . Misfortunes are consequent on violating universal laws. These have within them punitive power against those w

By Rev  Michael Benson Ajayi John 11:11 NIV “ After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."          The lord Jesus received information from a messenger saying Lazarus -a dear friend of His- was terminally ill and a day later, the messenger returned to Bethany. Unscathed by the news, Jesus continued on His missionary work for a whole day thereafter, He departed for Bethany and on arrival His dear friend Lazarus had long died and was buried. It took four whole days from the time Jesus was informed about Lazarus’ illness to when He physically arrived at his graveside. It was intended to teach us that no matter how discouraging the circumstances might appear, situations are subject to change .God is not bound by human deadlines . Eventually Lazarus was raised from the dead and presented to his family (John 11:1-16).          The death of Lazarus was spoken of as ‘sleep’; however, the disciples earli

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi    Luke 14:16-17 NIV Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'           God’s will is for humanity to dwell with Him in His kingdom in perfect harmony for eternity. It is a place of celebration and rejoicing in everlasting peace and unlimited joy  . It is symbolized in the parable of the marriage feast in Luke 14:16-24 were an open ticket has been issued to all and sundry without any exception. The beauty of this invitation is that all expenses have been paid. The greatest tragedy that could ever befall a man is to reject this once in a lifetime opportunity (Heb 9:27). Many unfortunately for the fear of being accountable to a higher authority reject this offer while for some others; it is as a result of ignorance of the consequences of rejecting God’s offer.          The two major e