Good-life Daily Devotional

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi    "Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions. These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy." 1 Timothy 6:3‭-‬5 NLT    The consequences of the merchandising of the glorious gospel of the kingdom of God are not farfetched. The essence of the preaching of the gospel is more about transformation of the frail  human  character into God's divine nature . This is only possible through the preaching of the truth of the gospel devoid of human sentiments.      Modern church growth school of thoughts te

 By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi      " But his delight is in the law of the Lord , And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper." Psalms 1:2‭-‬3 NKJV    " Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all." I Timothy 4:15 NKJV    At new birth , the born again believer in Jesus Christ is likened to a new born baby full of potentials for success and prosperity because we are created in God's image . Babies are fed 'milk' and as they mature 'meat' . These are the two levels of spiritual growth , babes are much dependent on others for sustenance while mature Christians are more responsible (. Heb.5:14-15, 1 Cor 3:1,2 .Jn16;12) There are things the lord will not give a babe until they attain maturity . God prospers according to a person's

By Michael Benson Ajayi   " All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."II Timothy 3:16‭-‬17 NKJV   The word 'work' is the Greek word ' ergon ' it means : business, employment, that which any one is occupied, that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking , any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind , an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opposite to that which is less than work .     Through the Word of God we attain our best in all our endeavours. The Word of God is the manual for human existence. The manufacturer of a product attaches a manual to enable users get the best out of it likewise humanity is God's product that comes with a manual : the word of God contained in the Holy Bible ( Prov1:1 Mssg Bible) 'A

By Michael Benson Ajayi   " And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.  And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him." Genesis 17:15‭, ‬19 KJV   The new testament says Jesus Christ came to fulfill old testament prophesies about himself.   The scriptures says " And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. " Luke 24:44 KJV   His earthly lineage was foretold to be the "seed of a woman" in Gen3:15  the Bible says "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law," Galatians 4:4 KJV    He was described as t

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi " For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:" Romans 1:20 KJV "For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)Romans 2:14‭-‬15 KJV    Most of what is outlawed in the Holy scriptures  are a taboo in ancient African custom and law. African tradition believes in the existence of a supreme personality before whom a person is accountable. Before the arrival of christian missionaries , Africans communicated with God in ways taught by their ancestors which involved interpretation of the unknown from the known .    This was how Abraham

  By Michael Benson Ajayi  Galatians 4:9-10 AMP "Now, however, that you have come to be acquainted with and understand and know [the true] God, or rather to be understood and known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly and worthless elementary things [of all religions before Christ came], whose slaves you once more want to become? You observe [particular] days and months and seasons and years!"        The debates on whether Christians should celebrate religious holidays, birthdays is quite a sentimental issue .In analyzing it we shall approach  it from both scriptural and logical perspectives in other to give a balanced understanding of the subject matter.            Firstly,  our salvation is all encompassing with nothing missing and nothing broken, the scriptures say in Hebrews 7:25 AMP "Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is

 By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi " Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne." Rev 3:21 NLT    "After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere." 1 Corinthians 15:24‭-‬28 NLT     One of the challenges Christians face is haven to explain the relationship between Jesus Christ and God the father and

 By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi " For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:6 NLT  The word 'son' in this scripture is from the Hebrew word 'bên' it means order, class 'branch'. In this context the Son of God is a branch , order or class of God .     Isaiah 9:6 is referring to Jesus Christ , he described himself with the qualities mentioned in this scripture.  To understand the concept of a 'branch' consider this statement : "dentistry is a branch of medical science that deals with dentition " you cannot separate dentistry from medical science , therefore, dentistry is a 'son' of medical science..    Jesus Christ is a class or branch of God and he has always existed and is eternal (Psalm 90:2)  His wisdom and understanding and power is unlimited (Psalm147:5; Isa40:13-18)  God t

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi   "But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8 NLT   "  Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. " Hebrews 2:14‭-‬15 NLT    The aforementioned scriptures says Jesus came to destroy the works  of Satan . Sin gives Satan the advantage to oppress humanity . Sin derives its strength from the laws of Moses. For were there is no law , there is no sin.     Before Jesus came humanity was under the curse of the law and there was nobody qualified to intercede on our behalf of humanity : after Adam sinned humans came into the worl

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  " I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you." 2 Timothy 1:5 NLT    Your parent's spiritual foundation can influence your worship . Children raised in homes where it is believed that demons , witches and wizards can control a believer in Jesus Christ therefore requiring powerful preachers to be protected from such  ; that child will grow to have a distorted picture of who a believer in Jesus Christ is thinking  believers are at the mercy of Satan and his agents  . The believer in Jesus Christ is above Satan and demons (Luke 10:19, Mark 16:17)     This is common in many African churches . It is common to find Christians in this part of the world changing churches up to ten times during their lifetime as a result of fear of witches ,demons and Satan . This is because they were exposed to parents who were or still in

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  "He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him."1 Timothy 3:4 NLT     The process of raising children requires recognition of the fact that a nation resides in every child . We should bear in mind that the future is in our hands to either make or break .     Adults bare on their bodies and psyche the signature of their parents or guardians. The outcome of a child's upbringing is inevitable , whatever we sow we shall reap .       Personalities are made out of the imputes from the family , community , religion , security agencies , media , schools attended and government. The state of these elements of mind moulding are registered in a persons subconscious and manifests in all that a person does. Your attitude and character is the output of a learned behaviour knowingly or unknowingly.     For instant, Nigerians had suffered military rule for over thirty years and this implants the dominion mentality in an individu

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  Mark 3:14-16 NIV  “ He appointed twelve — designating them apostles-that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. “        The word 'authority' is the Greek word  ‘exousia’ it means;  privilege, force, capacity,  competency, freedom, mastery , magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control, delegated influence: The believer in Jesus Christ has been given delegated influence over satanic powers and just as darkness disappears at the appearance of light so does satanic powers surrender at the presence of the believer in Jesus Christ .  Authority is positional ( a function of the office a person occupies ) and ethereal  ( divine ,effective, real : though not physically visible ) God places persons into office to reward some persons and bring judgment on some others: even Satan has a role to play in divine justice on earth (1Cor. 5:5,1Tim1:20)        Satan is not as powerful as port

 Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  " She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love." Proverbs 5:19 NLT " So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." Genesis 1:27 NKJV     Lovemaking in a marriage is ordained of God . It takes place between a married human male (husband ) and  human female (wife) according to God's original design in the Scriptures (Gen.1:27)  It is for procreation and for bonding between a husband  and his wife . It is sacred before God and should not be treated with levity .      Lovemaking should be at the forefront of discussions between a husband and a wife . The more we talk about a thing the more interesting and profitable  it appears to be. Faith in the ability of sex as a bonding and pleasurable agent comes from hearing words about it . Complaining too often  destroys the desire for sex.    Satan understands this pr

  Rev Michael Benson Ajayi   " Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6‭-‬7 NLT    " He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?" 1 Timothy 3:4‭-‬5 NLT Bible   The word 'manage ' is the word 'rule ' it is from  the Greek word 'proistēmi ' it means to set or place before , to set over ,to be over, to superintend, preside over , to be a protector or guardian , to give aid , to care for, give attention to , profess honest occupations.       These are the features of a healthy family , the first objective of a husband and wife is for the family to always be set to fulfil a divine purpose

WIFE'S OBLIGATION TO HER HUSBAND  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi     "So I advise these younger widows to marry again, have children, and take care of their own homes. Then the enemy will not be able to say anything against them." 1 Timothy 5:14 NLT     The biblical  definition of a marriage is the union between a male and female human beings . The bible says in Mark 10:6 " But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. "  Each partner in the marriage has a specific role to play as prescribed by the Bible.     When a woman opens herself to be  led by the scriptures she gets rewarded with virtue and honour . This requires a lot of discipline and a determination to have a peaceful home. A virtuous woman starts her day with the Word of God and prayer. This is her source of strength and hope . A woman with a poor prayer and bible study culture is unstable, easily irritated , bitter , full of complaints and eventually destroys her home.      The f

HUSBAND'S OBLIGATION TO HIS WIFE  By Rev. Michael "I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly. For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve". 1Tim2:12    In the old testament ( Exodus 12 ) the head of the home carried out the act of atonement that was meant for the priests office by sacrifice of a lamb .   In Genesis 14 Abraham the husband to Sarah was introduced to his high priest Melchizedek to whom he gave tithes as a mark of humility and in Gen15 he began to operate in the priestly office. Only the priest made a sacrifice to God . The husband's first duty is to play the role of a priest to his wife. The bible says in 1 Cor. 11: 3 "But I  would have you know, that the head of every man  is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man;  and the head of Christ is God."   Apostle paul spelt out the role of the husband as priest to his wife . the word 'head' is the Greek word kephalē  from the primary root

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi       " Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”Genesis 2:18 NLT     “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning  ‘God made them male and female.’ ”  And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’  Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”Matthew 19:4‭-‬6‭, ‬19 NLT   The word 'joined ' is the Greek word 'proskollaō ' it means : to glue upon, glue, to join one's self to closely, cleave to, stick to "  The marriage relationship is like conjoined twins. Each persons shares in the other person's hurts and joys , it changes the lives of the married dramatically and under the Lord's leading, it is one of the most ext

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  "You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as,"Colossians 2:20 NLT " I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die." Galatians 2:21 NLT    The laws of Moses places the burden of salvation on man ; while the law of grace places the demand on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross . The born again Christian is saved because of the obedience of Jesus Christ. The law demands absolute obedience to the six hundred and thirteen laws for a person to be saved.     Despite the stringent nature of the law, those under the era of the law enjoyed God's love and mercy . The high priests  who were bound by the law sometimes broke it (John7:22-24; Matt12:10-13) . There were exceptions that allowed the law of Moses to be broken . For insta

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi    " Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?" Romans 6:1‭-‬2 NLT  " And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died." Romans 14:15 NLT   The new law in Jesus Christ also known as the perfect law of liberty (James1:25) the holy commandment ( 2 Pet.2:21) The new covenant (Her 31:31) the law of faith ( Rom3:27) the law of the Spirit of life ( Rom8:2) is often interpreted to mean liberty or the license to be free . While it gives us freedom from the demands of the laws of Moses ,it does not give is freedom from the Lord . The law of Christ is a Law like any other law . Laws have governing abilities and punitive capacities. It is not a license to live in sin and rebellion against godly authority.    A pil

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."Philippians 2:13 NKJV  Jesus Christ's death on the cross marked the end of the law of Moses as a pathway to the attainment of righteous standing before God. " For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."Romans 10:4 NKJV .     Believers in Jesus Christ are no longer bound by the rigid law of Moses. The Bible says  " For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. " Romans 6:14 NKJV we are liberated from the law , the Bible says   " Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldn

 By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   "When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear. "Hebrews 8:13 NLT   “The day is coming,” says the Lord , “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord . “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." Jeremiah 31:31‭, ‬33 NLT   The death of Jesus Christ on the cross fulfilled and ended the laws of Moses ( Matt5:17) " For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God." Romans 10:4 NLT  The law came with a curse for anyone who breaks one of the 613 laws ‘Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them.’ “And all the people