Good-life Daily Devotional

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ," Philippians 3:8 KJVBible   " Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,"Hebrews 12:1 KJVBible      The Bible describes the missionary journey of the believer in Jesus Christ as a race , it is a marathon race that starts from the day a person receives Jesus Christ as  lord and savior and makes a commitment to live for him.  The speed of a vehicle in a race is directly proportional to its weight so is the rate of fuel consumption . Automobile and aircraft designers know this too well that's why new models of vehicles designed for speed have body panels ma

  Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  “Son of man, you’ve heard that proverb they quote in Israel: ‘Time passes, any prophecies come to nothing.’   Tell the people, ‘This is what the Sovereign lord says: I will put an end to this proverb, and you will soon stop quoting it.’ Now give them this new proverb to replace the old one: ‘The time has come for every prophecy to be fulfilled!’    “There will be no more false visions and flattering predictions in Israel.   For I am the lord! If I say it, it will happen. There will be no more delays, you rebels of Israel. I will fulfill my threat of destruction in your own lifetime. I, the Sovereign lord, have spoken!”  Ezekiel 12: 22-25 NLT     " Despise not  prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that  which is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 KJV      The word ' prophesyings ' is the Greek word ' prophēteia' it means,  a discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishi

   By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi The fire will be sent to purify the church . The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 3;10-15  " According  to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a  wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation,  and another buildeth thereon. But let every man  take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For  other foundation can no man lay than that is laid,  which is Jesus Christ.  Now if any man build  upon this foundation gold, silver, precious  stones, wood, hay, stubble , Every man’s work  shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare  it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire  shall try every man’s work of what sort it  is.  If  any man’s work abide which he hath built  thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  If any  man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss:  but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.  "     This fire is intended to put an end to the culture of bribery and hypocrisy in the church. The bible says in Job 15:34 &quo

   By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi    "Listen to me, you leaders of Israel!   You hate justice and twist all that is right.  You are building Jerusalem on a foundation of murder and corruption. Micah 3:9-10 You rulers make decisions based on bribes;     you priests teach God’s laws only for a price; you prophets won’t prophesy unless you are paid.     Yet all of you claim to depend on the lord. “No harm can come to us,” you say,     “for the lord is here among us.” Micah 3:11 Because of you, Mount Zion will be plowed like an open field; Jerusalem will be reduced to ruins! A thicket will grow on the heights     where the Temple now stands. Micah 3:12    Psalm 11:  3 "If the foundations  be destroyed, what can the righteous do?  The word 'foundation' is the Hebrew word shâthâh it means a basis, that is, (figuratively) political or moral support: - foundation, purpose. The church of Jesus Christ stands on the foundations of the teachings of the early apostles . The bible s

   By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi " Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God." Hebrews 3:12 NLTBible  ' Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”John 20:27 NLTBible     Faith is the guarantee of the manifestation of an unseen reality . It is the reason behind the hope we have in God and the fulfilment of his promises. It is the substance ( title deed) of things hoped for ,the evidence of things not seen (Hebrew 11:1) .The Bible warns against not having faith in God. Lack of faith is equal to calling God a liar and untrustworthy. This type of reasoning turns us into enemy's of God.    The gospel is so much under attack by the activities of faithless religionists . They plan to replace the holy scripture with humanistic dogma. The danger in this is the relative appr

   ROBBERY FOR THANKSGIVING OFFERINGS By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi    "Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs—everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality.    "When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. “May the lord bless you,” he said. “I have carried out the lord’s command!”   “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded.   “It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle,” Saul admitted. “But they are going to sacrifice them to the lord your God. We have destroyed everything else.”    And Samuel told him, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The lord has anointed you king of Israel.    Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the lord your

   By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   'But the  Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil  spirit from the Lord troubled him. And Saul’s  servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit  from God troubleth thee. Let our lord now  command thy servants, which are before thee,  to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on  an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil  spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play  with his hand, and thou shalt be well.  And  Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a  man that can play well, and bring him to me.  Then answered one of the servants, and said,  Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the  Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a  mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and  prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the  Lord is with him.  Wherefore Saul sent  messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me  David thy son, which is with the sheep.   And  Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle  of wine, and a kid,

     By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi   "One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. ” Then Jesus left them and went away." Matthew 16:1‭, ‬4 NLT     The born again believer is created in the image of God with the spirit of God dwelling in them . This is the same Spirit that Jesus Christ operate with during his earthly ministry , the Bible says "  And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him."Acts10:38 NLTBible      The Holy Ghost is God and gives faith to work miracles to believers in Jesus Christ. The bible speaks of a generation of persons who move from place to place in search of miracles ,Jesus Ch

   By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV   Faith is the substance of the unseen reality . It is the substance ( title deed) of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen ( Hebrew 11:1)     Faith is to human beings what electricity is to electronic devices . Without electricity electronic devices are dead likewise without faith nothing works . We are saved by faith .The bible says "... whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 NIVBible and " For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. "Ephesians 2:8‭-‬9 NIVBible     Our existence is by faith ( Galatians 2:20) our victory over the devil is by faith in Jesus Christ ( 1John5:4) and it is impossible to please God  without fai

   By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  " Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground." Hebrews 11:35‭-‬38 NLTBible.     The biblical and historical accounts of the harrowing experiences the early church passed through in the hands of brutal regimes led by unbelieving leaders is what many modern African church followers will ascribe to the effect of ancestral curses. , marine spirit attack ,Ogbanje  generational curses and so on. But it was none of such but

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  "Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.” Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living."2 Thessalonians 3:10‭-‬12 NLTBible       God loves us and it is his will to supply your needs . The scriptures says he knows what we have need of before we ask (Matthew6:8) Therefore. we should take no thoughts or be worried on how we can make ends meet ( Matthew6:25,31,32) God provides for the wicked unbelievers (Matthew 5:45) and animals . If he cares for them how much more the believer. Wild animals like lions have to hunt for prey ,likewise , we have a role to play in the supply of our needs.     Supplies can be hindered by unrepentant sin or disobedience , the bible says " Your wickedness has deprived yo

   By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  "Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5 NLTBible   "First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord ?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name." Proverbs 30:8‭-‬9 NLTBible     God wants the best for us , he created all things for  us to enjoy. While seeking for  fulfillment it is important we differentiate between our wants from our needs .    A 'Want' is a desire to possess or do something , it is a wish .On the other hand a need  is something we require because it is essential or very important rather than just desirable.      Food is a necessity so is clothes but not a house . You can do without a house by squatting with someone while you cannot do without food and clothes. Most

   By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  "Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?"Romans 8:32 NLTbible “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?  Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."Matthew 7:7‭-‬11 NLT    The above scriptures describes the  relationship that exists between God and us, it  is like that between parents and children.. As a parent I  want the best for my children within my means and so is with every  parent.    God is th

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi "After Josiah had finished restoring the Temple, King Neco of Egypt led his army up from Egypt to do battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River, and Josiah and his army marched out to fight him.  But King Neco sent messengers to Josiah with this message: “What do you want with me, king of Judah? I have no quarrel with you today! I am on my way to fight another nation, and God has told me to hurry! Do not interfere with God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.” 2 Chronicles 35:20‭-‬21 NLTbible       The importance of having the spirit of discernment cannot be overemphasized . This is why seeking for divine wisdom on a daily basis should be part of our prayers . Many Christians have the impression that being busy and zealous for missionary work is a substitute for critical reasoning and discernment. This has led to painful losses and even death of some of God's people and the question has been how can God allow this happen to this faithful b

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi "no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home."Psalms 91:10 NLT  " Praise the Lord , who did not let their teeth tear us apart! We escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap. The trap is broken, and we are free!" Psalms 124:6‭-‬7 NLT    God's care for his children is all encompassing , like a mother hen, he hides us under the cover of his wings of love and leads us to the place of unlimited provisions.       That does not mean that the life of the believer is devoid of crisis ., however in the face of both spiritual and physical threats he has promised to keep us safe .Whenever the enemy sets a trap to catch us the word of God says " For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease." Psalms 91:3 NLT   He promises us safety from physical injury , the scriptures says " They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. ...”Ma

   By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi   "Seek the Lord , all who are humble, and follow his commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly. Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you— protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.' Zephaniah 2:3 NLT   " Save me and rescue me, for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me, and set me free. Be my rock of safety where I can always hide. Give the order to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked, from the clutches of cruel oppressors." Psalms 71:2‭-‬4 NLTbible      Jesus Christ predicted that there shall be an increase in wickedness prior to his second coming . Insecurity is caused by God as a test as in Job's case (Job 1  and Job 2) insecurity is also caused by Satan with  God's permission and lastly by man due to lack of wisdom ,the bible says "Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins." Psalms 107:17 NLTbible and &

   By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi   "With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words " II Chronicles 32:8 NKJVBible  "Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; And their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out His hand, Both he who helps will fall, And he who is helped will fall down; They all will perish together." Isaiah 31:3 NKJVBible      The believer's life involves confronting the challenges of life both physically and spiritually . Not all challenges are spiritual , all that may be required in some cases is knowledge of a physical process. For example , boiling a kettle of water for tea is a problem that should not be considered as a spiritual problem.      Treat physical problems as requiring physical solutions and spiritual problem as requiring spiritual solutions.   The enemy is a spirit but operates in the physical more than the spiritual

     By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” John 5:8‭, ‬14 NLTbible     It is God's will to be healed and we have a role to play in receiving and maintaining our healing . Classic car owners can maintain a car for over two hundred years and this requires proper preservation and maintenance techniques , likewise the human body requires proper preservation and maintenance to remain healthy .     When the man in John 5 obeyed the Lord's command he received his healing "  Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, "John 5:8‭-‬9 NLTbible  The bible says ' He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death." Psalms 107:20 NLTbi

  Rev Michael Benson Ajayi" For instance, if we see a Christian believer sinning (clearly I’m not talking about those who make a practice of sin in a way that is “fatal,” leading to eternal death), we ask for God’s help and he gladly gives it, gives life to the sinner whose sin is not fatal. There is such a thing as a fatal sin, and I’m not urging you to pray about that. Everything we do wrong is sin, but not all sin is fatal."1 John 5:16‭-‬17 MSGBible.      1Timothy 5: 22 'Lay hands suddenly on  no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins:  keep thyself pure."             These scriptures clearly states it is not every case of sickness that a believer in Jesus Christ should engage in prayers. The word 'suddenly'  in 1 Timothy 5:22 is the Greek word ' tacheōs ' it means ( in manner) speedily , briefly , hastily , rapidly . Doing this is very dangerous ,many preachers have become casualties of sharing in someone's unrepentant sins with lives l

   By Michael Benson Ajayi  "Jesus Christ is  the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8 NKJV " And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them." Matthew 4:23‭-‬24 NKJV    The healing ministry of Jesus Christ involved him healing people regardless of their background because it is God's will to heal the sick . Healing was an integral part of Jesus' ministry ( Matt.11;15, Matt.9;35) and his healing promises are still valid today .   The scriptures says  in Malachi 3:6 NKJV “For I am the Lord , I do not change;.." He is healing through his anointed servants . He created medical science to reach more pe

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  'You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!" Isaiah 26:3 NLT   "I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?" Psalms 56:11 NLTbible       Peace is the absence of disturbance , it is a state of tranquility . It is not necessarily the absence of problems but the assurance that the outcome of any event will be to ones' advantage and to the glory of God.      With this understanding it is possible to be in an abusive situation and be in peace . The Bible speaks of Joseph's incarceration in Egypt , he was not guilty of any crime but was framed up by his boss's wife . The scripture says the Lord was with him in prison .Before his imprisonment  " The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master." Genesis 39:2 NLTbible  and while in prison " The warden had no more worries, because J

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  "This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”Joshua 1:9 NLTbible    ‘Thus says the Lord : “Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ”II kings 19:6‭-‬7 NKJVbible.       Fear is the opposite of faith , it is Satan's weapon against God's people. Whenever we start listening to Satan's lies the more afraid we become. Truth cures fear while lies promotes it .The majority of what we watch , read , hear from today's media are sensationally designed to cause panic . Fear sells more in today's world than truth. That's why there is so much fear in the world.     God promises his people peace " The Lord will give streng

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi "About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration. ) But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him. Acts of the Apostles 12:1‭-‬3‭, ‬5 NLTBible     Spiritual warfare is the process of the enforcement of God's mandate for the advance of his kingdom agenda by engaging and resisting the devil and his agents by grace through faith demonstrated through prayer, fasting and strategic productive hard work while meditating on the word of God.    The devil seeks to keep people away from being saved and he has agents like king Herod, in other to please the Antichrist he began killing the disciples. Peter who was the first general overseer was imprisoned with plans to have him executed but the church decided