Good-life Daily Devotional

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Matt 12:43-46 NKJV   “ ….Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation."            In this scripture Jesus gives us a picture of what happens during exorcism (deliverance ) and the consequence of spiritual complacency or laxity. Exorcism (deliverance) makes a person clean for a moment but does not make a person completely free . D emon possess ion r e nders a person unclean and disorderl y. .                Demons are fallen angels without physical bodies.   During Noah’s era they sought for human bodies through genetic ...

  By Michael Benson Ajayi  John 21:20 -22 "Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me".        Inferiority complex is a strong feeling of insecurity and inadequacy which influences all of a person's interactions. Peter felt that his leadership position among the disciples was under threat because Jesus gave what was considered special attention to John. This was his carnal reasoning but it was contrary to God's principles . The scriptures says in James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." We have equal opport...

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Matt 25:21 NIV "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share in your master’s happiness!”           The kingdom of God has a reward system for faithful stewardship. Jesus’ statement ‘share in your master’s happiness’ underscores the fact that happiness is a reward for faithful stewardship .      The bible is replete with instances whe re Jesus made appraisals of people's actions , giving credit to whom it was due with the intention of bringing out the best out of people. In Mathew 15:22-28 the Canaanite woman was honoured for her understanding of the principle of grace through a manner that many would have found offensive. In it, he likened her to a dog, a metaphor for a friend and those who were not part of the Abrahamic covenan t . Her acknowledgme n t of His divinity and bo...

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi      John 14:30 NKJV “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.”           In this scripture Jesus explains to His disciples that they would not be left comfortless. The statement ‘I will no longer talk much ‘was an assurance that even in the time of solitude and silence, they would not be left alone because the Holy Spirit shall remain with them throughout eternity. It is the consciousness of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives during those silent moments that give us the much needed peace.            Peace isn’t necessarily the absence of problems but the ability to remain calm, stable and purposeful in the midst of problems. This is where a lot of believers miss it, they often pray that the lord to put an end to their problems and it is more worrisome when a preacher declares that the lord will br...

By Rev.   Michael Benson Ajayi   Gen 8:5 KJV “And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.”         Noah was a descendant of Seth the man who led the first ever revival after the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden (Gen4:26). He was the first person to institute the act of worship and passed it on to his son Abel and down to Abraham.         Noah lived in an era where there was no written moral code : people did as they pleased and wickedness thrived . The re was a heightened demonic influence resulting in genetic mutation and the birth of giants with extraordinary capabilities threatening to destroy humans (Gen 6:1-7) thus the flood which was meant to restore law and order              Noah understood God's purpose for humanit...

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 or witches or wizards, as is often said by many churches; none of these have the capacity to stop a miracle from taking place in Christ (Luke10:19) if we believe. At the name of Jesus every knee must 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 pri...

By  Michael Benson Ajayi Mark 9:14 -29"And when he came to  his disciples, he saw a great  multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them....And  wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to  thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not."        The word 'questioning'  is the Greek word 'suzeteo' which means to: investigate jointly, i.e. discuss, controvert, cavil:--dispute, enquire, question , reason together. There was a strong dispute between the disciples and the multitude on a wide range of issues bordering on the authenticity of scriptures and from all indications the crowd of unbelievers  were dissatisfied with and lost faith in the disciples. This adversely affected the disciples' ability to  administer healing to a boy brought to them by one of the leaders from the opposing side     ...

By Michael Benson Ajayi. Matt 7:11-12 NKJV “ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! ”           The salvation experience is all encompassing involving the total rejuvenation of a person in all ramifications. Its impact on life is tangible and transcendental in comparison with any human experience.          It goes beyond the forgiveness of sins: it is a participation in the elements that constitute the divinity of Christ. The scriptures say in Matt7:11-12 that our Heavenly Father gives ‘ good things ’ to those who ask Him. The phrase ‘ good things ’ is a Greek   word ‘ agathos ’ which means benefits , well, good(s).In luke11:13 this term is used to describe the Holy Spirit.             This is evident of the existence of gi...

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi           There is a difference between  religious Christianity and the sons of God. The devil has so perfected the art of disguise that distinguishing between  his agents from the sons of God has become such an arduous task . Virtually everything in the church from miracles to the traditions of worship has a satanic near- perfect duplicate.             However , through God's word proper evaluation can be made to separate the wheat from the chaff. One common denominator in all this is a universal yearning for the manifestation of the sons of God.  This hunger for men and women of repute driven by a godly disposition is in itself proof that such persons exist.You cannot be hungry for what does not exist.      Jesus describes his followers as the light of the world and salt of the earth. Salt is a seasoning, preservative and purifier ,it is also a means...

BY Michael Benson Ajayi John 9:2 AMP “ His disciples asked Him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind? ”             Jesus' claim to divinity pitched him at loggerhead with the religious people of His time (John8:58-59) therefore miracles where a necessary tool to authenticate His claims .These miracles were unlike those of magicians who excited crowds by their acts but avoid any act that draw people to God.Giving sight to a man born without eyes was something only God could do.                It is generally believed by most proponents of  Jewish theology and traditionalists that God's punishment for the sins of one ’ s ancestors or parents extends to the  great -grand children Thus, being born blind was God ’ s punishment for the sins of the parents:in effect the blind man was under an ancestral curse.    ...

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi Matt 13:11-12 KJV “ He answered and said unto them, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. ”              The social construct of any people group is determined by the ideologies upon which that society is built . The instability in the society today is as a result of the deficiency of truth in what is commonly termed as wisdom in the world. Truth is absolute in nature and agrees with fact therefore, there shouldn ’ t be more than one interpretation to truth; for example one multiplied by zero should be zero regardless of whatever clime we find ourselves. Unfortunately, the religions of the world have different meaning to truth. What is true in one place does not hold water in an...

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   Luke 12:54-55 NKJV   “ Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.        The use of extraterrestrial such as the stars ,moon and meteorological analysis in the interpretation of spiritual events was common in Jesus' time as it is today.However , Jesus spoke against such in Luke 17:20-21 KJV   “ ...The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. ”           Predictions on the kingdom of God and the end times have become a source of fear and frustration to many. Salvation is by love not fear. God ’ s kingdom cannot be detected with scientific instruments. The kingdom is spiritual and cannot be interpreted by the movement of stars, asteroids or any other atmospheric phe...

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   Matt 25:15 KJV “ And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. ”              Each servant was given talents according to their capacity to deliver;it was in accordance to their investment ability. Life is a business, Jesus said in Luke 2:49-50 NKJV “… Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" The word 'business' is a Greek word ‘ huperperisseuo ’ which means to cause someone to overflow with something, to be present in (greater) abundance.                     We consciously or unconsciously engage in the business of exchange of virtues spiritually, emotionally, intellectually and materially on a daily bases. This is what played out in the encounter between Elisha and t...

By. Michael Benson Ajayi Mark 8:24-26 NKJV “ And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking." Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.         Jesus ’ healing methods were a reflection of God ’ s love for us, they were very unconventional: He laid hands, prophesied and in this case used saliva therapy .He did not operate by using any religious model or template. Each miracle was unique in nature with a message and in this case the scripture says Jesus took the blind man out of town and spat on his eyes after which he asked to know if he could see, it took two treatments before the desired result was achieved. This is contrary to what is observed in many churches were people are openly put in the public domain and made a spectacle of with digital theater effects for the media , Jesus did all he could do to maintain the dignity of those he prayed for.   ...