Good-life Daily Devotional

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  " May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:5‭-‬6 NLTBible     Disunity occurs when we allow the pursuit of our individual interest override a common goal. We should be driven by a desire to fulfill a divine purpose : salvation of souls for God's kingdom  . Fulfilment in life comes from the pursuit of a vision that is larger than life . You were created to do more than you imagine you can do and through the word of God we know we cannot accomplish this without human assistance . We need each other .    It is against this backdrop that the spirit of unity is needed to help  us actualize our purpose in life . The Bible says "Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves to

   By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble."Ecclesiastes 4:9‭-‬10 NLTBible  "A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLTBible      The Lord wants us to dwell in unity , the body of believers is like the human body that can only function optimally when every part is functioning effectively and contributing its potentials to the other parts of the body.     Disunity is like losing a part of your body , this results in loss in strength and potentials and capacity to perform . The lord wants us to be united. " Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Th

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   "Elders who do their work well should be   respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”1 Timothy 5:17‭-‬18 NLTBible   Don’t you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings."1 Corinthians 9:13 NLTBible     The work of building a soul by a preacher involves giving up time , energy , finances , relationships that can never be gotten back .  Some preachers have paid the ultimate price while doing the work of ministry.  Jesus Christ said to serve you must first lose very important things .  “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or childre

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi    " If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need."Ephesians 4:28 NLTBible       There are two ways by which financial problems are solved 1) stealing 2) through honest work .     Growing up as a christian in the 80's whenever a person wanted to dedicate a new vehicle or a house  to God he or she would be required to tell the church his means of income . This served as a check for thieves pretending to be saints and preachers at that period pursued honesty and Christian character over spectacular ministries .       Christians are the living epistles and are mandated to promote honesty in the society . Decay in a society begins when preachers deemphasize the importance of honest work by dedicating homes, cars, businesses without seeking to know the sources of income of parishioners. This is one of the reasons why preachers are being ridiculed especially in my country

   By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi     "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Proverbs 25:11 KJV Bible    True beauty is determined by your speech .The words you speak could either make you appear ugly or beautiful. A woman known for speaking positive words always appears more beautiful than those who speak negativity. This is the reason for the loss of sexual attraction among many married persons . Your life is the sum of the effects of the speeches you have consciously been making about yourself , immediate family , your church , extended family , friends ,community and nation . It is impossible to keep speaking negatively about ones immediate family, church , extended family, community and country and be a happy person making sustainable progress.  Negative speaking is retrogressive resulting in stagnation.      The universe operates by the law of inputs and outputs. If you want a good output then consciously make good inputs especially when nobody

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi    "Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for secured Psalms 37:25 NLTBible “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 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 7:9‭, ‬11 NLTBible God owns the resources on earth and beyond and as a responsible father , he has made provisions for his precious people.        The resources come as either finished or unfinished goods and services. What this means is that some would need to go through a process of preparation (like preparing an egg sandwich ) before it is delivered to us . Some others like the air we breath come ready for our use. In some instances we would be required to play active roles in the processing stage (as in a tailor taking our measurement to make a well fitted clot

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi “Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. “Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the Lord . “Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin." Leviticus 19:16‭-‬17 NLTBible     The English dictionary defines 'gossip' or 'gossiping' as :a casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details which are not confirmed as true.        It defines 'slander' as : the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation.        Nations  have gone to war against each other on account of gossips or slander . It is for this reason that God frowns at it.      It is an abomination against God to raise a false report against a child of God. The scriptures says “You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by ly

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  "How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!" Psalms 133:1 NLTBible    The cry for global peace is at an all time high with far reaching effect on  the stability of nations the world over . It is impossible to attain lasting prosperity in the absence of peace and unity.     The success of any enterprise to a very large extent is a function of the social network of those involved in it. Businesses tend to thrive faster on a well knitted business network or social capital .    The business of spreading the Gospel of the kingdom of God is facilitated by a well knitted network of a body of believers. The church spreads faster when united. Disunited families struggle with untold poverty. The enemy knows this that is why he sows seeds of discord through willing persons to frustrate the process of winning of souls through the preaching of the Gospel   "Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?&

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   'The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? "Psalms 118:6 NLTBible     Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm. It is different from the natural instinctive fright needed for survival . Fear can lead to bondage , the Bible says " Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying." Hebrews 2:15 NLT Bible . The fear of humans results in life threatening trauma " Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety."Proverbs 29:25 NLTBible This results in spiritual , emotional and physical weakness resulting in major financial crisis as a result of dwindling creativity . Fear is a major cause of impotency amongst men .  Fear weakens our immune system and cause cardiovascular damages, gastrointestinal problems such as  ulcers  and irritable bowel syndrome, and decreased fertility. It results in  ac

   By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi    Acts    1:8 " .. ye shall  receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come  upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me  both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in  Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the  earth." Acts 1:8     The word 'power' is the Greek word 'dunamis'. It means:  strength power, ability inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth, power for performing miracles , moral power and excellence of soul    ,the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth "      Our daily demands requires physical, spiritual and emotional strength and with the passage of time we lose strength , it is for this reason that we need to be revived with strength . The anointing of the Holy Spirit is self regenerative and accessible to the believer . We do not seek for power anywhere outside the source of all power ,glory and dominion : the Holy

  By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi  "for anger gives a foothold to the devil." Ephesians 4:27 NLTBible "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat " Luke22:31    The word 'desired' in the above text is from the Greek word exaiteomai , it means :to ask from, demand of to ask or beg for one's self, to ask that one be given up to one from the power of another " this is the language of prayer . It is known as making a petition . Satan cannot attack any human without seeking the legal rights from God.        Man was created in the image of God and shares in the authority of the Godhead . However, when Adam rebelled against God he handed his rights and privileges to Satan and this has been recovered through the vicarious atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross of calvary . Notwithstanding, whenever a person contravenes or rebels against God's commandments , they indirectly surrender themselves to S

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  "And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him." 1 John 3:22 NLT      Prayer is the legal interaction between God and his creation . Animals, plants, demons, Satan pray to God as well as humans ( Christians and non Christians ) God is the father of us all and we depend on him for life.       In the book of Job Satan sought permission from God in prayers to strike job likewise before he attacks any human he must seek the legal grounds and present it before God .     In the new testament book of 1 Corinthians chapter five Satan was given the license to afflict the young man engaged in a sexual relations with his father's wife . The Bible says in the new testament book of 1 Timothy 1:20 NLT "Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God.". This is proof that Satan has a role to play in the church

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  "So my people come pretending to be sincere and sit before you. They listen to your words, but they have no intention of doing what you say. Their mouths are full of lustful words, and their hearts seek only after money."Ezekiel 33:31 NLTBible     The oxford English language dictionary defines  Crisis as a time of intense difficulty or danger , a time when a difficult or important decision must be made.     There are three major reasons for crisis 1) misunderstanding 2) conflicting interest 3) oppression and hostility as in the case of wars .       God's people were rebuked for their pretentious worship:  it was not sincere . but driven by the love for money . A preacher once said the fastest way to grow a church in Nigeria  is to promise people money during evangelism . I have had many occasions were  I have been asked if I will be willing to pay for church attendance. This is what the state of the church was in Ezekiel's time. With th

   By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi " While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman. They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” But the Lord heard them. (Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.)Numbers 12:1‭-‬3 NLTBible    "One day Korah son of Izhar, a descendant of Kohath son of Levi, conspired with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, from the tribe of Reuben. They incited a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 other leaders of the community, all prominent members of the assembly. They united against Moses and Aaron and said, “You have gone too far! The whole community of Israel has been set apart by the Lord , and he is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than the rest of the Lord ’s people?”Numbers 16:1‭-‬3 NLTBible     Moses was chosen of God to lead his people from Egypt to the promis

   By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi  The Israelites had a special ceremony in the Old Testament which took place every year on the day of Atonement : during which two goats were chosen by lot ,one to be sacrificed and  the other to become a scapegoat , then Aaron the high priest will assemble the people and lay his hands on the scapegoat's head.     This was interpreted to mean that the burden of sins of the nation has been transferred to the animal and  the goat was taken outside the camp and forced into the wilderness to perish  .    This is symbolic of a greater sacrifice when Jesus was led outside the city to be crucified,  God the Father placed our sins upon him and he became a scapegoat and our sacrificial lamb. This is what happens every day when you have to eat , something must die and become food for you to be alive.   "For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. Thi

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi "Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18‭-‬20 NLT Bible     The ultimate objective of being a member of any Christian congregation is to be trained into being a disciple of Christ and to transform men into being disciples of Christ through the teaching ministry .    Every  believer in Jesus Christ is expected to be active in the teaching ministry. The teaching ministry is not only meant for so-called 'teachers' , I used the word 'so-called' because many persons have been taught to believe that there are specialists or experts in God's kingdom. There are no experts in God's kingdom but the Holy G

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi "But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his Guod."Daniel 6:10 NLTBible     The Bible describes the church as the house of God and a temple where prayers are to be  offered for nations. Jesus Christ said in Mark 11:17  "my house shall be called a house of prayer ".  It is through prayers that nations attain good governance and peace . When believers in Jesus Christ commit themselves to truly pray for the nation ,God intervenes . They are to pray for righteousness in governance and for God's will to be done . Failure  to do so results in bad governance, poverty and insecurity .     It is because of the importance of prayers that families are expected to have prayer discipline , father's are to lead in prayers and should be known for their pray

     .By Rev  Michael Benson Ajayi    Ex 26:33-34 NKJV  “And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy.”       The Ark was the symbol of God’s authority over His chosen people by reason of the covenant He made with Abraham.  It contained the Ten Commandments and was placed at the centre of the Tabernacle .It served as a constant reminder of God’s promises to them.        The Ten Commandments were rules on social justice and equity and they had authority over everyone. No one was above the rules, not even the high priest. They were an expression of God’s love for His people. Love is defined by its rules; flouting them compromises one’s safety.    We do not like to be told what to do; however, we need to . Modern day parenting and pastoring  encourages overindulgence and children raised under such environment grow up being  adults that  loat

    By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi "Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following."Acts 20:30 NLT   "An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin." Proverbs 29:22 NLTBible        Disunity is defined as : disagreement and conflict within a group. It is the greatest hindrance to the promotion of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Disunity creates an avenue for Satan to promote sin.       The causes of disunity are not farfetched ,they include : Unhealthy Crave for power or self- promotion. Whenever there is an unhealthy pursuit of influence in a family or group it results in resistance. Self-promotion gives birth to unfair practices and injustices. In Numbers 12: 1-15  Moses' sister Miriam and Aaron rebelled against him desiring to rule by force and in Numbers 16 :1-35 Korah led an insurrection against Moses desiring to be part of leadership. In both cases ,God was not pleased with the rebe

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi “At the end of every third year, bring the entire tithe of that year’s harvest and store it in the nearest town. Give it to the Levites, who will receive no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners living among you, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all your work."Deuteronomy 14:28‭-‬29 NLTBible      Money is an amplifier of the state of mind of an individual . When sinners increase financially , sin increases in the society likewise when the righteous increases in finances righteousness increases in the society .Money has always been Satan's bait of choice to bring mankind into his kingdom   False prophets are known to promise people monetary gains if they agree to become members of their congregation thus increasing the love for money over God : the root of all evil . It is one simple way to know if a preacher is of God or inspired by Satan. T

    By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi " As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s." 2 Chronicles 20:13‭, ‬15 NLT Bible      The men of Judah were threatened by a huge ferocious army , there was literally no way out of this problem . Their response to this threat was to involve their wives and children in a prayer session for deliverance .      This was an opportunity to teach the children how to depend on the Lord in times of crisis. Children need convincing that the Lord is always with them regardless. When children are exposed to family problems and cooperate prayers made concerning them , it gives them the opportunity to see the Lord fulfill his promises concerning our protection and their faith grows .    It is advisable t

  By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi   "But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.” Daniel 3:12 NLTBible    It requires very strong convictions to do what is right in the face of very strong opposition .Christianity has been under strong opposition throughout the ages, and we are in a world where sin is celebrated and rewarded . As part of his strategy to frustrate God's people , Satan has infiltrated the church with his ideologies and manifests through preachers who promote the pursuit of the low human nature rather than uncompromising Christian character .     The scriptures says "But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment