Good-life Daily Devotional

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi.  " Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. " Psalms 146:3 NLT Bible    Faith is believing in an unseen reality . It is contrary to the world's system of 'seeing is believing' . That is why the worldly person cannot live by faith . It is foolishness to him or her.      The scriptures says it is impossible to please God without faith (Heb11:6) . God cannot be seen with the physical eyes just like the human consciousness but he can be perceived with the human spirit ( spiritual eyes)        The worldly person says how can you believe in what you cannot see ? It's like saying because we cannot see the human consciousness therefore , humans have no consciousness. It will take almost the same energy to deny the existence of yourself as it will take to deny unseen realities .      God's promises are obtained by faith because they exist as unseen realities that can only be seen with spiritual eye

     The born again Christian is blessed with all spiritual blessings and the manifestations of these blessings are conditioned on we taking the necessary steps of faith.  Faith without work (necessary and specialized skills) is dead. A pot of soup can only taste good when the ingredients are properly prepared in the right proportions. Left by themselves, they do not taste good and are poisonous to the body, likewise waiting for God to manifest our blessings without taking corresponding actions is detrimental to our wellbeing.      The scriptures say 2 Kings 3:16 – 20 NIV   … and he said, "This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches…The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was — water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.” there was no water until ditches were dug. God does not give instructions we cannot follow, if you desire a job, start by at least preparing for an interview, wake up early, do exerc

     By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi  Deut 18:1-8 TLB "Remember that the priests and all the other members of the Levite tribe will not be given property like the other tribes. So the priests and Levites are to be supported by the sacrifices brought to the altar of the Lord and by the other offerings the people bring to him….They don't need to own property, for the Lord is their property! That is what he promised them!  The shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach of every ox or sheep brought for sacrifice must be given to the priests.  In addition, the priests shall receive the harvest samples brought in thanksgiving to the Lord-the first of the grain, the new wine, the olive oil, and of the fleece at shearing time…. "Any Levite, no matter where he lives in the land of Israel, has the right to come to the sanctuary at any time and minister in the name of the Lord,… He shall be given his share of the sacrifices and offerings as his right, not just if he is in need. “         Heb

   By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi    " That night God came to Balaam and asked him, “Who are these men visiting you?” Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent me this message: ‘Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come and curse these people for me. Then perhaps I will be able to stand up to them and drive them from the land.’” But God told Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!” Numbers 22:9‭-‬12 NLT "Then Balak tried again. This time he sent a larger number of even more distinguished officials than those he had sent the first time. They went to Balaam and delivered this message to him: “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Please don’t let anything stop you from coming to help me. I will pay you very well and do whatever you tell me. Just come and curse these people for me!” But stay here one more night, and I will see if the Lord has anything e

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  " Are any of you sick? ... And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." James 5:14‭-‬16 NLT      " Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered; And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you! When you cease plundering, You will be plundered; When you make an end of dealing treacherously, They will deal treacherously with you."   Isaiah 33:1 NKJV     A pastor's son stole the entire offerings from his father's office and relocated to another state over 2000 miles away . This resulted in the pastor's sack from work and public humiliation.    I noticed a string of painful financial disappointment over three years in the life of this young man and they followed a particular pattern of accusations

   Rev Michael Benson Ajayi   “‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels. ’ “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light.  Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.'  Luke 16:7‭-‬9 NLT    The last part of this scripture has been misinterpreted by some preachers  to mean making friends with mischievous businessmen to learn their ways and find help in times of financial failure.  These preachers  claim the children of this world are smarter than Christians . This is not true. Being smart or deceitful in business is not divine favour . God hates corruption .    The Bible

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi      "One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord . But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.” “What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” “Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replied. And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.” So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. Soon every container was full to the brim! “Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons. “There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing. When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her,

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi " About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the Lord says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.” “Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord , the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the Lord . Then Isaiah said, “Make an ointment from figs.” So Hezekiah’s servants spread the ointment over the boil, and Hezekiah recovered! "2 Kings 20:1‭, ‬5‭-‬5‭, ‬7 NLT    " Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit." 3 John 1:2 NLT  God's plan is that we live in good health and emotionally stable   . Sickness can either be physical or spiritual .     The Bible te

  Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down  his life for his friends."    There is a remarkable difference between what the world considers as love and what the word of God says love is. While the world defines it as compassion for self and for someone from which there is a derivable benefit, biblical love goes beyond passion: it is more than a feeling,  it is purposeful, necessary and sacrificial ; ironically, more persons perish as a result of love than any other reason globally .Over 5 million unborn babies are slaughtered yearly through abortion as a result of people making love .        The origin of wars are traceable to a person seeking to demonstrate affection for someone .In judges 15 , Samson declared war against the Philistines because his father in-law refused him access to his wife .Most men live their lives with a 'conquest' mentality and are driven by the desire to impress a woman. Adam ate the forbidd

   By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi     " And my master made me take an oath. He said, ‘Do not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. He responded, ‘The Lord , in whose presence I have lived, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful. Yes, you must find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family."  Genesis 24:37‭, ‬40 NLT   " If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 NLT     Biblical marriages are contracted based on  the fulfilment of a divine purpose. God's will is that through marriages there would be a propagation of his kingdom on earth .       Queen Esther was raised by Mordecai with the purpose of being a deliverer of the Jewish nation who were threatened with extermination , Isaac was the product of prophesy thro

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi   "And the Lord said, Who shall  persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at  Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner,  and another said on that manner.  And there  came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord,  and said, I will persuade him.  And the Lord  said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go  forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all  his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade  him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. " 1kings 22:20-22.       The lord was about to execute judgment against a rebellious king who treated God's word like trash. And so he anointed four hundred prophets with a lying spirit and they misled Ahab to his demise.     In 1kings 13: 1-31 A young prophet was instructed by the lord not to eat in Bethel ( food is a tool for making covenants ) but was deceived by an older prophet to do otherwise in the name of the lord and he paid the ultimate price.   When we love lies - words that cont

   By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter." Matthew 7:21 NLT    " The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer : ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector!  I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ Luke 18:11‭-‬12 NLT     Hypocrisy is the practice of engaging in the same behavior or activity for which one criticizes another or the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform. In moral psychology, it is the failure to follow one's own expressed moral rules and principles ( Cambridge English Dictionary )    Hypocrisy is the putting up of a false appearance. The gospel is truth (John 17:17) the hypocrite is a contradiction of the holy scriptures and discourages people fr

    Rev,Michael Benson Ajayi    Deut 14:28-29 TLB " Every third year you are to use your entire tithe for local welfare programs : Give it to the Levites who have no inheritance among you, or to foreigners, or to widows and orphans within your city, so that they can eat and be satisfied; and then Jehovah your God will bless you and your work."        God instructed His people according to the old testament to give back to Him the first of or best of the tenth part of everything He gave them Deut 14:23 TLB ” Bring this tithe to eat before the Lord your God at the place he shall choose as his sanctuary; this applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn of your flocks and herds. The  purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives ”  the essence of this ceremonial offering of the tenth cannot be over emphasized , God does not want His people to be controlled by love for material things for that will make us easy prey for the en

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  "For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile." Romans 1:16 NLT " For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power." 1 Corinthians 4:20 NLT     The difference between the born again experience and man-made religion is that religion places the burden of salvation on man and makes a person arrogant (col2:19-23) while the born again experience humbles a persons with a servant's heart , man-made religion promotes pride which is behind all the crisis in the world . Pride precedes a fall  because God opposes the proud (James 4:6)      Secondly, man-made Christian  religion places emphasis on externalism and promotes hypocrisy. They want to appear good but have hearts full of corruption and hatred . Haters do not have the life of Christ in them . The Bible says " If anyone claims, “I am living in the li

   By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  " The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18 NLT   The power of God is contained in the gospel . Whenever the gospel is preached ,the life changing power goes to work in the life of the hearers and affects the environment .      The way people respond to the word of God determines its effect on the society . The citizens of Nineveh accepted the gospel despite how harsh it was and they repented and it resulted in the deliverance and development of Nineveh . The bible says “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.” On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of as

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   " Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5‭-‬6 NLT    "When the south wind blows, you say, ‘Today will be a scorcher.’ And it is.  ...You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the present times." Luke 12:55‭-‬56 NLT    Natural man judges based on physical evidence and this can be very uncertain given that there are objects that are not physical yet real . Astrologists seek to make predictions designed to guide man through the course of life but unfortunately , the data required to predict the course of life is beyond man. Only God: the all knowing one can rightly predict the course of life because he also holds the power to change the outcome of a prediction .      The recent COVID -19 pandemic altered the prediction by astrologers and notable prophets b

   By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord . “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8‭-‬9 NLT    Human thinking says the universe was not created . It just happened. It began as a little dot and there was a 'Bing bang '  resulting in the expansion of the universe and humans and the over one million species of organisms came from meteorites (rocks). It says the universe is still expanding and there is the possibility of multi-universes.     This kind of thinking begs for many questions and one of which is according to the law of causation given that nothing happens without a cause including the so-called gravitational pulse . It is a universally accepted principle in jurisprudence and physical science that everything has a cause and there cannot be more than one cause o

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way. " Acts of the Apostles 13:2‭-‬3 NLT   "Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer." Luke 2:36‭-‬37 NLT    Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is different from the average religious devotee. Disciples are completely sold out to Jesus and live to promote the gospel of God's kingdom through teachings , prayer and fastings  . Anna was a widow who devoted her time to fasting and praying for the fulfillment

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Matt 17:19-21 NKJV “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move;  and nothing will be impossible for you.”      Note, Jesus did not attribute the disciples’ failure to ancestral curses , curse of the first born ,witches or wizards, as often claimed by most African prophets : none of these have the capacity to prevent your miracle from coming to pass  in Christ (Luke10:19) only if we believe. For at the mention of the name of Jesus Christ  every knee shall bow.               The fear of failure is an overwhelming concern about the inability to successfully accomplish an endeavor or project . It is the result of pride caused by an addiction to public validation and approval .Proverbs 11:2 NKJV says “When pr