Good-life Daily Devotional

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  James 4:17 "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.' Job 42: 8 "Therefore take unto you now seven  bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant  Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering;  and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him  will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly,  in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which  is right, like my servant Job. '     Jesus Christ paid the once- in -a- life time price by offering himself as a vicarious atonement for humanity . No more sacrifice is needed for salvation from  sins. The bible says 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  Hebrews 10:12_14_26' For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. ..Dear friends, if we deliberately continue s...

 By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   2 Corinthians 10:3-6 " For though we walk in  the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:  (For the  weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but  mighty through God to the pulling down of strong  holds;)  Casting down imaginations, and every  high thing that exalteth itself against the  knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity  every thought to the obedience of Christ;  And  having in a readiness to revenge all  disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled."      The above scripture says we are in a spiritual warfare for the control of our minds by the enemy of our souls . He who controls your mind controls the world around you and invariably your life and that of those affiliated and or dependent on you.        Mind  Control is the greatest weapon the enemy uses against God's people . Terrorist organizations know this too well and use the gre...

   By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  Josh 14:11 KJV “As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.”         Caleb was promised a portion of land as a forty-five year old soldier and it took forty years for this to materialize .At age eighty five, he was willing and ready to engage the enemy in a battle to claim the promised land. What optimism! How long have you been waiting for the fulfillment of a promise in your life ?          Following Jesus Christ requires walking by faith and this requires being optimistic . An optimist is a person with a positive outlook on life. He or she always looks out for the good in a situation no matter how bad it may seem; the opposite is a pessimist.  Optimism is a mental attitude or perspective . A common idiom used to illustrate optimi...

  By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi Acts 1:17-18 KJV“For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.”       This is the account of Judas Iscariot: one of the leaders of the early church. He was close to Jesus and considered the most trustworthy given that he was in charge of the treasury (John13:29).Judas had built his security around money and social status therefore, whenever his finances were threatened his love for God , missionary work and will to live diminished. There are many of such persons in the church who have put the pursuit of money above love and fellowship with God's people. King David prayed against this "  Give me an eagerness for your laws  rather than a love for money!  Psalms 119:36 we need this prayer daily for our family.       These persons lik...

    By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi 'Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith." Galatians 3:14 NLTBible     The relationship between the believer in Jesus Christ and Abraham was consummated by the vicarious atonement for humanity by Christ's substitutionary sacrifice on the cross of Calvary .      This act of God's benevolence paved a way for those with Abraham's kind of faith to be declared righteous and adopted into Abraham's family .      We have the same rights and privileges as Abraham . The scriptures says God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children, ” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And now that you...

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi   Gen 3:10 KJV “And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”      Adam's fall in the garden of Eden was the worst event to ever occur in the history of humanity . It marked the beginning of the decay of the human character. Genesis 3:10 highlights the consequences of this fall, firstly, it brought about fear instead of faith and secondly, nakedness : a sense of vulnerability. Nakedness is the product of low self-esteem, emotional and physical insecurity. An overwhelming sense of vulnerability and fear results in buried potentials; with people living below God’s standard for their lives.      The setting in the Eden was for God to have a one-of-a-kind relationship with Adam founded on unconditional love , discipline and wisdom .Adam misunderstood this through arrogance and presumptuousness : Satan gave a twisted version of God’s character centered o...

Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi  Psalm 119:71 “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statues."       The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ meant that all the demands of the law were fulfilled (Matthew.5:17). Failure to obey the laws of Moses meant death for the guilty party and Jesus Christ took the place of humanity on the cross taking upon himself all our curses (past,present,future) leaving none behind, that's what the scriptures means when it says "becoming a curse for us.." {Galatians3:13, Deuteronomy21:23 } The blood of Jesus Christ is our eternal immunity against curses (Ephesians 1:7,Hebrew.10:10). The era of the ministration of condemnation and curses ended when Jesus Christ was crucified (2Corinthians.3:9-11) we are under the ministration of righteousness (Romans.3:28) unfortunately, many preachers still minister condemnation by attributing trials, temptations to curses from the laws of Moses or from witches and wizard...

    By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi    Luke 18:9-14“….. I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."       It is difficult to wrap one’s religious mind around Jesus’ statement in Luke 18:14 where he declared a sinner  ‘Justified’. The word 'Justified' as used in this scripture is the Greek word “dikaioo “and it means to render (i.e. show or regard a person as) just or innocent. It means to declare a person righteous.  Man-made religion defines a righteous man as that fellow with a good public record  like the Pharisee in Luke 18:11 “For I don't cheat, I don't sin, and I don't commit adultery. I'm certainly not like that tax collector!” But  God’s definition of a perfect or righteous man according to James 3:2 is that fellow who….” does not offend in speech [never says the wrong things], ...

 By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   ". But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!"Romans 4:10 NLTBible     The document of the Christian's faith is premised on an irrevocable covenant or contract between Abraham and God . This covenant was instituted over four hundred and thirty years before the laws of Moses or any other monotheistic religious law came into being (;Gal.3:17) Therefore, the law of Moses does not invalidate the validity of the Covenant God made with Abraham , if that was not the case then the new testament will invalidate the old testament and so on back to the laws God gave Adam thus nullifying Adam's sins in the garden of Eden. God promised to make Abraham the father of a global family .The scriptures says in Genesis 15:5 "And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell t...

    By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  Matt 6:32 AMP  ” For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all. ”         Prayer is the communication between God and His children ;it involves exchange of information : therefore after speaking to the heavenly Father; we should wait for a reply . The answer could be through an inner voice by the Holy Ghost, through an anointed servant of God, ministry of angels or through the written word of God. God always replies prayers and if we could develop the habit of waiting to hear Him speak to us, we would be less anxious and make fewer errors in our decision making. At such times Satan always reminds us of our weaknesses, this to weaken our faith and eventually make us give up.           God does not need you asking for air to breath before giving it , He knows you...

      By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi   Gen. 15 : 6 "And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness."        The patriarch Abraham (c. 1996 BC-1821 BC) the son of Ur is regarded as one of the most influential historical personalities . He is the founding father of  the world's three largest monotheistic religions ( Christianity , Islam , Judaism )   Over 3 billion people in the modern world cite Abraham as the "father" of their religion . He was promised by God that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of the sky, despite the ongoing conflicts between  the Jews and the Muslims with regards to birthrights .      The documents of the three religions agree on some fundamentals with regards to the Abraham's faith . They all  agree on Abraham's salvation by his faith in God. ' For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” Ro...

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  Exodus 14:13-14 NIV “Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."      Moses was faced with a situation in his leadership  were all human formula failed him:  he was being chased by Pharaoh and the Egyptian army and the only way forward was through the sea. Death was certain whichever way , except there was divine intervention. Sometimes we find ourselves where our best plans fail not because we did not make the necessary calculations but due to circumstances beyond our control, this results in discouragement and depression with suicidal tendencies.     Many persons are simply going through the motions of life, they’ve actually lost the will to live. Some of the factors that results in discouragement includes; ...

 By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  Eccl 11:3 AMP bible” If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.”      Superstitious is defined as: a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation : it is an irrational abject attitude of mind toward the supernatural, nature, it can also be described as a notion maintained despite evidence to the contrary” (Merriam Webstar Dictionary ) Superstitious beliefs are the greatest hindrance to the development of underdeveloped countries . They militate against scientific discoveries and productive work ethics.       Science is a gift from God to help us appreciate and harness the potentials of the universe. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit described as the ‘word of knowledge’ (1Cor 12:8). The w...

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   "Then his people believed his promises. Then they sang his praise. Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn’t wait for his counsel! In the wilderness their desires ran wild, testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland. So he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a plague along with it." Psalms 106:12‭-‬15 NLT Bible      The word 'plague' is the word used in the King James Version ' leanness of the soul' and it means a ' plague or pandemic ' A plague or pandemic is the result of twisting the truth of God's word , it is the result of rejecting God's wisdom  while engaged in hypocritical praise singing ; many preachers teach that an energetic dynamic praise session and the ' sowing of seeds ' guarantees a miracle but contrary to this the scriptures in psalm 106:12 says God's people praised God but went about contravening universal laws that guarantees a safe ecosystem and wel...

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi. "'so all the world from east to west will know there is no other God. I am the Lord , and there is no other. I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the Lord , am the one who does these things." Isaiah 45:6‭-‬7 NLT    God is both creator and judge , he judges our choices . He gave us the right to chose as an act of love. The first couple :Adam and Eve where given the right to make choices between Good and Evil that was the essence of the Tree of Good and Evil . A test of their fidelity. The life we live and our environment is a function of the choices that we make : this is what gives meaning to life's circumstances . When God created the world it was in perfect harmony with Heaven , the Bible says in Genesis 1:1" created the heavens and the Earth " the word 'and' is a conjunction, meaning the Earth was in perfect harmony with God until man made a choice to live independent ...

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi    “Do you think it is right for you to claim, ‘I am righteous before God’? For you also ask, ‘What’s in it for me? What’s the use of living a righteous life?’ Job 35:2‭-‬3 NLT "Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them." “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? Job 38:3-5 NLT Bible        Faith is our total dependence, reliance or loyalty towards God . It is the title deed that a desired outcome will come to pass with God's help . Faith in a person is determined by the information one has about that person. Job's faith was threatened ; he could not understand that despite the fact that he was declared righteous by God in Job Chapter 1 , he suffered a major misfortune and suffered a protracted ill health.    One of the ironies of life is that ...

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi,          Hebrews 9:27-28: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many”    Those who believe in reincarnation  claim life is a never ending cycle: at death a person is reborn into a new body as a divine act of justice with some being rewarded with a good life and others misfortune. This logic at some point exempts us from being accountable for our actions and portends a lot of danger to the human race. It could result in an  increase in wickedness the world over. It is a legitimization of evil: for instance , imagine someone reincarnating into a mass murderer as an act of divine justice and upon his or her  arrest ,he or she let go : after all it is not his fault that he is a series killer according the the law of reincarnation.         In Luke 23:43, Jesus speaking to the penitent thief beside him said i...

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  But watch out, or you may be seduced by wealth. Don’t let yourself be bribed into sin. Job 36:18 NLT    "You say he does not respond to sinners with anger and is not greatly concerned about wickedness. But you are talking nonsense, Job. You have spoken like a fool.” Job 35:15‭-‬16 NLT     The theology that says God is not interested in how you achieve success but what matters is that you succeed by all means possible and attribute your success to God with infinitesimal acts of charity through donations to preachers and orchestrated almsgiving as described in Job 35:15-16 is unwise .       The church is disparaged every time a christian is mentioned in any financial scandal . Praising persons with questionable sources of wealth  destroys work ethics especially among youths and destroys faith in God's law of gradual progress  . The bible says in Exodus 23: 30 "By little and little I will drive them out from bef...