Good-life Daily Devotional

    Rev .Michael  Benson Ajayi  Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not." Daniel 6:12       God is sovereign and chooses to do things as it pleases him. Very often he waits for  situation to become extremely complicated beyond human comprehension and control before he acts as a demonstration of his might. The bible says in Jeremiah 32:27 " 27 Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?"     God does everything in accordance of the fulfilment of his purpose , the scriptures says in Ephesians 1:11 "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things

  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)     Go

 By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi   "I sat not in the  assembly of the  mockers, nor rejoiced; I  sat alone because of thy  hand: for thou hast filled  me with indignation.  Why is my pain  perpetual, and my  wound incurable, which  refuseth to be healed?  wilt thou be altogether  unto me as a liar, and  as waters  that fail? Therefore thus saith the  Lord, If thou return, then  will I bring thee again,  and thou shalt stand  before me: and if thou  take forth the precious  from the vile, thou shalt  be as my mouth: let  them return unto thee;  but return not thou unto  them.  And I will make  thee unto this people a  fenced brasen wall: and  they shall fight against  thee, but they shall not  prevail against thee: for  I am with thee to save  thee and to deliver thee,  saith the Lord. And I  will deliver thee out of  the hand of the wicked,  and I will redeem thee  out of the hand of the  terrible."     Jeremiah was a  lone prophetic voice that was bold enough to speak against th

    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  : after Adam sinned ,humans came into the world with a

    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 with the notion that 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

. By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi    The Israelites were God's chosen people by covenant between God and Abraham. It was revealed to Abraham that they will be in bondage for four hundred years as a result of their rebellion against God.      After their great deliverance from Pharaoh's army they encountered several battles while pressing on their way to the promised land. They were given these rules of engagement with the enemy  “When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you!  When you prepare for battle, the priest must come forward to speak to the troops.  He will say to them, ‘Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them.   For the lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you vi

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi     "But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.    So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program.    And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility." Acts 6: 1-3       " He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands." Psalms 78:72      As the early church began to increase there arose the problem of management of resources . Nepotism soon set in by the Jewish community resulting in the neglecting of non Jews in the distribution of resources . When the problem was brought before the leaders they proffered a Democratic and yet

By Rev Michael  Benson Ajayi    " If this happens, be sure to select as king the man the lord your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite; he may not be a foreigner. " Deuteronomy 17:15 NLT" For what man  knoweth the things of a  man, save the spirit of  man which is in him?  even so the things of  God knoweth no man,  but the Spirit of God." 1 Corinthians 2:11 KJV    There are three types of governance mentioned in the bible 1) Theocratic governance - where God ruled through an anointed servants like the case of Moses and Joshua, 2) Monarchy - like in the case of David and his son king Solomon, in this case power remained in a particular family and passed from generation to generation 3) Democracy as in the case of the early church where the leaders were prayerfully selected amongst the community of believers ( Acts 6:1-6)    The two most common types of governance is the Monarchy and Democratic types. God rules the world through leaders , likewise Satan

   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 the dreams and aspirations of 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 person's 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

   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 p

    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. This is a major cause of

. 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 purpos

   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, open to temptation and eventually destroys her home.      The first duty of th

  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 priest's 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 submission to God  , submission to divine authority and in Genesis 15 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 k

   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 ex

   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 613 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. Failure in one aspect of the law brought about a curse .    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 ex

    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 p

    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 brought the dispensation of the laws of Moses to an end ( 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 ob

    By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi  "Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ ”Matthew 15:9 NLT " Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition."Mark 7:9 NLTBible     The laws of Moses were mixed by the religious teachers with human traditions to produce another law to oppress their followers . There was no equity and fairness in the judicial  system . The same applies to many Churches today ,they teach man- made theology which promotes corruption in the society . Tradition teaches that your sins are acceptable as long as you keep donating money to religious leaders. Human traditions lacks the life transformation power of Gods word ." Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition."Mark 7:9 NLT    The Bible warns us against exalting man's traditions above God's word . Human tradition is not bad in itself as long as it is just , fai

   By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi "So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.1 Cor 15:58 NLT . " And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness."Col  2:6‭-‬7 NLT      The believer in Jesus Christ is likened to a tree : trees of righteousness (Isaiah 61:3) Regular uprooting and replanting of a tree over a long period of time eventually results in an unfruitful tree . A tree has to be nourished , pruned , watered  and in the right environment for it to be fruitful.  This is what it means to be stable .      The bible says in Eph 4:14 "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  " In a burst of anger I turned my face away for a little while. But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord , your Redeemer." Isaiah 54:8 NLT  “For if you return to the Lord , your relatives and your children will be treated mercifully by their captors, and they will be able to return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful. If you return to him, he will not continue to turn his face from you.”2 Chronicles 30:9 NLT    One of the consequences of backsliding is emotional and physical slavery by oppressors . Many of God's people have lost the joy that comes with salvation. They suffer emotional and physical pains silently in the hands of persons who use them as tools or objects of pleasure. Emotional insecurity is a major cause of diseases suffered by God's people .    Among the consequences of backsliding the bible says the backslidden is brought to nought ( Deut28:63) they shall be hurt

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  "Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us."1 Cor 5:6‭-‬7 NLT   In 1Corinthians Chapter 5 , a backslidden christian man was engaged in sexual relations with his father's wife : such sexual perversions brings shame to the church . The Holy Spirit is grieved whenever a Christian backslides . It is an act of betrayal .Every miracle of healing , employment , finance ,marriage ,children etc we received was given to us for the promotion of the gospel in righteousness and for soul winning  .The bible says  "Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles, and