Good-life Daily Devotional

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  Matthew 10:33, "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. ”            The word  ‘ deny ’  the Greek word  ‘ arneomai ’  which means to contradict, i.e. disavow, reject, abnegate, refuse.It is a display of disloyalty against the Lord.  Our loyalty and reliability to the lord will be tested at one time or the other through very precarious conditions that would require making a choice between Christ and self. It is part of our growth process and failing a test doesn't   mean that we would be rejected by God .  If that was the case, Peter who was appointed the first general superintendent of the church wouldn ’ t have been forgiven after he denied Jesus three times in a row (John18:25-27). Jesus had foretold the event a few days before it occurred and prayed that the enemy ’ s plan to remove Peter from the fold wouldn...

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi   Judg 11:1-3 “Now Jephthah of Gilead was a great warrior. He was the son of Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute. Gilead's wife also had several sons, and when these half brothers grew up, they chased Jephthah off the land. "You will not get any of our father's inheritance," they said, "for you are the son of a prostitute." So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Soon he had a band of worthless rebels following him.”   Stories like Jephthah are all too common with the crave for sexual liberties and the propagation of humanistic ideologies. He was termed an illegitimate child haven been born out of wedlock by a prostitute but according to God’s plan no human is illegitimate .There may be illegitimate relationships but children from such relationships have equal right of existence before God.        Most gang members are product of illegitimate relationships and victims of parent...

Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  Matt 26:26-29 TLB “As they were eating, Jesus took a small loaf of bread and blessed it and broke it apart and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take it and eat it, for this is my body."  And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks for it and gave it to them and said, "Each one drink from it,  for this is my blood, sealing the New Covenant. It is poured out to forgive the sins of multitudes. “ John 13:1-15 TLB  “Jesus knew on the evening of Passover Day that it would be his last night on earth before returning to his Father…  So he got up from the supper table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his loins,  poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him…. You call me 'Master' and 'Lord,' and you do well to say it, for it is true.  And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet.  I have given you ...

Rev . Michael Benson Ajayi   Num 14:1-4 TLB  “Then all the people began weeping aloud, and they carried on all night.  Their voices rose in a great chorus of complaint against Moses and Aaron. "We wish we had died in Egypt," they wailed, "or even here in the wilderness,  rather than be taken into this country ahead of us. Jehovah will kill us there, and our wives and little ones will become slaves. Let's get out of here and return to Egypt!"  The idea swept the camp. " Let's elect a leader to take us back to Egypt !" they shouted.”       The fear of the unknown is a major challenge that must be overcome if meaningful progress is to be made in life. It usually manifests itself whenever we are about to take major steps in life for the first time .Sometimes major steps such as marriage , relocating to a new state or country , teaching children about sex education , starting a ministry or business, job change , economic reforms in ...

John 12:26 KJV “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”  Mal 1:6-8 TLB "A son honors his father, a servant honors his master. I am your Father and Master, yet you don't honor me, O priests, but you despise my name." "Who? Us?" you say. "When did we ever despise your name?"   "When you offer polluted sacrifices on my altar." "Polluted sacrifices? When have we ever done a thing like that?" "Every time you say, 'Don't bother bringing anything very valuable to offer to God!'  You tell the people, 'Lame animals are all right to offer on the altar of the Lord-yes, even the sick and the blind ones.' And you claim this isn't evil? Try it on your governor sometime-give him gifts like that-and see how pleased he is! …”        The word ‘honour’ used  in John12:26  is the Greek word  ‘timao’ it means to prize, i.e...

  By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi  John 16:32 NKJV "Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me."              Loneliness is a state of the mind born out of negative emotions, it is a sense of isolation or exclusion from the company of others and a feeling of rejection and abandonment which may be real or imagined. Most times, it is imagined and is as a result of receiving and believing evil reports . Everybody goes through loneliness ;it is our response to this feeling of being left out that is of relevance.              Jesus was no stranger to abandonment but wasn't overcome by it.Man is gregarious by nature; always struggling with identity crisis while seeking to fit into our social group ,therefore ,it isn't out of place to feel a disconnect when those physical qualities ne...

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 consequences of spiritual complacency . Exorcism (deliverance) makes a person clean for a moment but does not make a person completely free . Demon possession renders a person spiritually unclean and disorderly with strong destructive tendencies.                  Demons are fallen angels withou...

By Rev.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  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 opportunity with God...

By Rev. Michael Benson 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 where Jesus made appraisals of people's actions , giving credit to whom it was due with the intention of bringing out the best out of them. 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 pet animal - dog, a metaphor for a friend and those who were not part of the Abrahamic covenant . Her acknowledgme...

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   Prov 6:9-11 TLB “But you-all you do is sleep. When will you wake up? "Let me sleep a little longer!" Sure, just a little more!  And as you sleep, poverty creeps upon you like a robber and destroys you; want attacks you in full armor.”       The easy way out is born out of a reluctance to work or exert oneself in any way, it is a habitual inactivity while hoping to achieve one’s dreams and aspirations.  Marketing institutions have capitalized on this growing trend to sell the idea that a person can stay at home and do nothing and yet become stupendously rich through a pyramid scheme that requires a network of individuals being compensated with cash rewards for participating in the scheme. These financials schemes usually come with no securities because they are devoid of the three major ingredients that constitute a viable business namely: 1)a market, 2)a tangible accessible,verifiable product and 3)an engaging d...

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi  Rom 15:14-16”. ..   So, my dear friends don't take my rather bold and blunt language as criticism. It's not criticism. I'm simply underlining how very much I need your help in carrying out this highly focused assignment God gave me,…”. Msg Bible         Criticism is the act of expressing disapproval and of noting the problems or faults of a person or thing (Merriam –Webstar Dictionary)         We loath disapproval by nature even the most religious amongst us. Prophet Job was a successful entrepreneur, preacher, husband and father;he suffered major losses because he could not stand being criticized Job 16:4 NLT “I could say the same things if you were in my place. I could spout off criticism and shake my head at you.” He preferred flattery even if he was heading in the wrong direction Job 16:5NLT “But if it were me, I would encourage you. I would try to take away your ...

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi.  Eccl 3:1 TLB There is a right time for everything:   Eccl 3:11 NIV  “He has made everything beautiful in its time….”    There is an appropriate time for a child to start walking and another for eating solid meals. It is part of human design that at certain times a unique event is expected to manifest in our lives.       Desire is a confirmation of the existence of a thing , you cannot desire what does not exist , and with respect to the fulfillment of our heart’s desires we have a role to play just as a baby will need to make attempts at walking  before he or she can actually walk.  However, there are circumstances that could delay the process of the manifestation of a desired outcome in our lives. They are personal, environmental, physiological or medical and divine. Therefore, delays are either caused by us, God or other persons.        Whenever a delay is caused by G...

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  Josh 7:3-5 TLB “ Upon their return they told Joshua, "It's a small city and it won't take more than two or three thousand of us to destroy it; there's no point in all of us going there."  So approximately three thousand soldiers were sent-and they were soundly defeated. Josh 8:1-2 “Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid or discouraged; take the entire army and go to Ai, for it is now yours to conquer. I have given the king of Ai and all of his people to you. You shall do to them as you did to Jericho and her king; but this time you may keep the loot and the cattle for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."          God gave Israel a second chance in their battle against the adversary after a humiliating defeat. They failed earlier because of insincerity. Integrity is the foundation upon which sustainable success and development is founded. Many times we encounter defeat not because of b...

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 put an end to their problems and it is more worrisome when a preacher declares that the lord will bring all our pro...