ojaysjoel blog

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33" Devotion : In the kingdom of God, first things are first and second things are done second, and so on. When the order is changed when God has not said so, things become jammed and do not yield the expected result. The opening scripture is a good example, in which Jesus Christ admonished His disciples (you and me who believe) and admirers (including those who have yet to accept Christ into their lives but love going to church service) to seek the kingdom of God and God's righteousness, and that all other needs would be supplied by God. In other words, find God's utmost interest and receive our Lord Jesus Christ, and all other needs will be met. When you change the order, you will struggle without finding rest for your life. Even as Christians, we should make Jesus Christ our utmost priority, before anything else, because we are crucified with Christ...

"Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:24" Devotion : The disciples of Jesus Christ were exhorted by Jesus to use His name. Why did He tell them to use His name? Jesus Christ would soon leave the earth; therefore, He had to ensure that the disciples experienced the value of His name. His name has answers to questions; His name has power to give what they asked for; His name has power to make them joyful. Their responsibility was to ask whatever they needed by faith using His name. Precious one, do you know the value of the name of Jesus Christ? Do you use it? Use it as much as you can to receive answers from God to make your joy completed. Praise the LORD! Share your comments here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2" Devotion : "Behold" means see with the eyes of your spirit, grasp and have fellowship with it. In other words, the Prophet Isaiah is telling us that if we can only see with the eyes of our spirit, grasp and have fellowship with the Lord, we will come to the conclusion that God is indeed our salvation; we will trust in Him and not be afraid. Furthermore, we will know Him by the name of Jehovah, our strength and our song. The opening scripture should encourage people to be intimate with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever, Hallelujah! Share your thoughts here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. Psalms 18:2" Devotion : The opening scripture speaks so much about who God is to the Psalmist. The Psalmist was talking from a personal relationship or personal encounter with the LORD. He said the LORD is his rock, fortress, deliverer, God, strength, trust, buckler, horn of salvation, and high tower. Nine personal encounters produced nine attributes of God. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God", Matthew 16:15-16. Dearly beloved, have you had any personal encounter with the LORD? Who is Jesus Christ to you? Share your comments here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Psalms 103:3" Devotion : Forgiveness and good health are directly proportional; in other words, forgiveness leads to healing or forgiveness brings about healing. God cannot heal you until He has forgiven you. This was demonstrated by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when He forgave the man sick of the palsy before ministering healing to the same, Matthew 9:2-7. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ also exhorted us that when we do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will our heavenly Father forgive us our trespasses, Matthew 6:15. He said this in line with prayer, meaning that unforgiveness is a serious hindrance to prayer. A Christian who lives a lifestyle of forgiving others their sins and wrongs is a Christian whose prayers are always answered, and who lives in abundance of heavenly blessings. Dearly beloved, are you living a lifestyle of forgiving others their sins and wrongs? Share your comments and t...

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1" Devotion : Faith is a vital ingredient in our walk with our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, Hebrews 11:6. Faith is a substance: faith can be apprehended by our heart/soul. Faith is evidence: the basis of faith is the Word of God/Holy Scriptures. Therefore, whatever you are believing should have the scriptures to support it; if it has no scripture to support it, then your faith is baseless and cannot be fulfilled by God and our Lord Jesus Christ. This should encourage the children of God to be students and teachers of the Holy Scriptures so that their hope in whatever they are believing can be done without any shadow of doubt or struggle. Dear believer in Christ, do you have scriptural evidence for what you are praying about/believing? If you have, then wait patiently for the answer. If you do not, then start searching the Holy Script...

And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Luke 18:27" Devotion : A rich young man came to Jesus Christ to ask what he could do to inherit eternal life. Jesus started by telling him to obey the commandments. The rich young ruler replied that he had been obeying the commandments since his youth. Jesus Christ ended by saying that he should go and sell all that he had and give to the poor, and he would have treasure in heaven; thereafter he should come and follow him. The rich young ruler went home sorrowful - he could not let go of his possession to follow Jesus. Jesus said to His disciples that it is hard for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of God. Furthermore, He added that it easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. The audience were shocked and asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus then quoted the opening scripture to them. Jesus explained to them that even though it ...

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4" Devotion : Pain is a localized physical suffering associated with bodily disorder: death, sorrow, and crying are all the by-products of pain. When death, sorrow, and crying occur, many tears are shed. Death, sorrow, and crying will continue to occur on earth till Jesus Christ comes again to put an end to it. No wonder in heaven there is no pain, because God shall wipe all tears and stop all manner of things that cause pain. What remains is rejoicing and celebrating the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Dearly beloved, do you have a burning desire to go to heaven? It is a glorious place to be, praise the LORD! Share your comments here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10" Devotion : Nehemiah gathered the Israelites and asked Ezra, the scribe, to read the book of the Law to the children of Israel. Whilst Ezra was reading the Law to the Israelites, the Word of God touched their conscience and they began to weep. After Ezra had finished reading the book of the Law, Nehemiah consoled the people and said that day was holy unto the LORD, so they should not weep nor mourn. Instead they should go their way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to the needy for the joy of the LORD was their strength. Beloved God does not want you to mourn or weep at hearing the Word; He wants you to celebrate the Word so that His strength can be imparted to you. All that He wants you to do when you fall foul of His Wor...

"LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: Psalms 10:17" Devotion : We serve a living God and a wonderful God! The opening scripture says God hears only the desire of the humble. We should be quick to realize that the scripture did not say the prayer of the humble but the desire of the humble. It means that before we pray, we should have a desire in our heart so that our prayer will be specific. Now, after the humble person has prayed his desire to God, God hears and prepares the heart of the humble person to receive the answer to the prayer. Why must God prepare the heart of the humble person to receive? He prepares his heart to receive so that after he has received the answer, he will give God his glory. Secondly, God prepares his heart so that he can wait patiently for the answer. Finally, God prepares the heart of the humble person to receive so that the humble person can become a channel of blessing ...

"The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. Proverbs 13:4" Devotion : In the opening scripture above, the sluggard and the diligent man are contrasted. Sluggards are people who are habitually lazy; in fact, they are so lazy that they make excuses not to work and do not sow during seed time. Therefore, at harvest time, they have nothing to harvest. Such people will desire but have no means to satisfy their desire because they are poor. The diligent, on the other hand, are people characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort; indeed, they are busy working and sowing during seed time. Hence, in the harvest they are busy harvesting their crops and saving some against a rainy day. Such people desire and are able to meet their desires because they are financially sound enough to afford anything. God gives more grace to the diligent to continually enjoy success so they can be a channel of blessings to others. Dearly ...

"If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. John 14:14" Devotion : Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He is God; the express image of the Godhead bodily, Hebrews 1:3. Why did Jesus Christ ask His disciples to use His name? He asked them to use His name because He will depart from them to heaven and using His name will be similar to having His physical presence with them. He will also be the power behind the name to do whatever they asked. The Holy Spirit will also be present to respond to the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Believers in Christ Jesus should love using the name of Jesus Christ, because it is the only name exalted above all other names to get things done, Philippians 2:9. Dearly beloved, do you love using the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth? If yes, why; or If no, why not? Share your thoughts with other readers! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline I use the name Jesus because it's the tick...

"Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. Philippians 4:9" Devotion : The Apostle Paul, in the opening scripture, gave his disciples a spiritual principle to apply to their life. The Apostle used his lifestyle as a living example to teach the gospel. He believed in leadership by example, a principle which Christ Jesus also taught His disciples, Matthew 28:19-20. There are five vital words/phrases that must be of interest to every Christian. They are learned, received, heard, seen in me, and obey. Christians must look up to their leaders to learn from them, receive from them, hear/listen to them, see the Word of God in them, and finally obey it. A leader who tells you to "do what I say but don't do what I do" is a bad leader and must be avoided. The best leader to follow as Christians is Jesus Christ of Nazareth: He is the author and finisher of our faith, Hebrews 12:2. Dearly b...

"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deuteronomy 6:5" Devotion : Love has dimensions: the dimensions of love mentioned in the opening scripture make up the kind of love God expects from us. He wants us to love Him with our whole being: spirit, soul, and body. These are the three dimensions of love God demands from us. Our heart/spirit to worship Him, our soul/mind to meditate/memorize His Word, and our body/might to present to Him as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto Him. Dearly beloved, which part of your being lacks the love of God? Share your thoughts here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.12.2.ESV Devotion : Living a transformed life does not come by accident or chance; it comes by making a conscious effort to renew your mind daily by God's Word. The scriptures are the only tools given by God to renew our mind. Therefore, Christians who do not make a determined effort to study and meditate on the scriptures are missing, and will continue to miss, the greater blessings from the Word of God. The opening scripture has identified the Christians who conform to the world: they are those Christians who fail to renew their mind with the scriptures. Such Christians will face the same challenges that worldly people face. For example, some Christians are complaining of economic hardship, which worldly people are also complaining of. The Christians who a...

"For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Philippians 2:27" Devotion : The one who was described as sick was a person by the name of Epaphroditus. He was the Apostle Paul's companion, who ministered to the needs of Paul. Sickness does not come from God; it is an attack from the devil and his cohorts of darkness. No wonder God has provided His mercy to heal sicknesses and diseases! Praise the LORD! The Apostle Paul used this weapon of pleading for the mercy of God to heal Epaphroditus; he had tried other weapons but could not get the healing until he cried for the mercy of God. The mercy of God is so powerful that it cannot fail. Dearly beloved, are you going through any challenge and have tried everything you know that could help? Try calling on God's mercy, it will never fail you. Share your comments here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bib...

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Peter 3:15" Devotion : There is a hope that believers in Christ Jesus have committed to. That hope is that the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ's second coming is sure, even though He may tarry. For He who died, was buried, resurrected, and ascended to heaven, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, cannot tell lies about His second coming. We are exhorted by the Apostle Peter to be ready always to give an answer to every man who questions our hope. To be able to give a good answer, we must sanctify the Lord God in our hearts. In other words, we must set apart our hearts for the Lord Jesus Christ. He does not like a divided heart, or a heart that cannot distinguish between the holy thing and the unholy thing. Let us all sanctify our hearts daily so that we can be in a position to serve and give accurate answers to ques...

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Colossians 3:23" Devotion : The Apostle Paul was an apostle who preached what he practiced and practiced what he preached. He came to the conclusion that the only way to please the LORD with our work is to do it from a true heart; in other words, to be Christ conscious and have Jesus as the focus of whatever we do. If you do this unto men, you are a pleaser of men and will not receive eternal rewards. However, if you do it wholeheartedly unto the LORD, you will receive lasting rewards. Dearly beloved, what is the motive behind your actions? Are they focused on the Lord Jesus? Share your comments here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Hebrews 12:14" Devotion : Men have a horizontal relationship with one another and a vertical relationship with God. Christians have been encouraged to be at peace with their fellow men. Furthermore, Christians are to live in holiness with God, without which they cannot see God. To see God is to have an intimate relationship with Him, in such a way that you know Him and experience Him every day. Peace and holiness are the vital ingredients we need to practice in order to enhance our relationship with our fellow men and God. Take some time to meditate on peace and holiness so that you can have testimonies to share with someone. Praise the LORD! Share your thoughts here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Psalms 103:2" Devotion : The soul consists of the mind, will, and emotions; the seat of the soul is the mind. The Psalmist is sharing his secret with other believers: speaking to the inward man, the soul, to bless the LORD. Why should we speak to the soul to bless God? The soul will forget when we do not tell it to bless the Lord. The soul is weak and needs awakening by our speaking to it. Sometimes you hear certain Christians complaining frequently; this is a sign that their soul is too weak to remember all the benefits they have enjoyed with the LORD. If they can only speak to their soul like the Psalmist in our opening scripture, they will begin to see everything that the Lord Jesus has done for them. Dearly beloved, what have you learnt from this article? Share your thoughts here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. Ecclesiastes 3:14" Devotion : Dearly beloved, we are serving a living God full of beauty and perfection. The opening scripture is the manifestation of the greatness of Elohim. Whatever God does, He intends it to last forever; however, the recipients of what God does have an important role to play. The recipients must move along with God's plan, else whatever He does might not last forever. For example, God created Adam and Eve to live forever but their disobedience curtailed God's plan. Dearly beloved, has God given you a precious gift? What do you think is the intention of God behind the gift? Share your comments here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15" Devotion : When mankind fell in the Garden of Eden they became sinners; in fact, their nature became polluted with sin and they began to bear the nature of sin. They, therefore, needed deliverance from sin. Jesus Christ was sent to die on the cross to deliver mankind from sin. All mankind has been delivered from sin but to honor Jesus Christ and become a personal beneficiary of this inheritance, you must first accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. After you have received Christ Jesus, eternal life becomes your present inheritance; you then qualify to enjoy all the promises of God in the Holy Scriptures. This is the message of the Gospel, or good news. Dearly beloved, do you preach the good news? Share your comments here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. Chronicles 15:7" Devotion : There is a tendency to give up when there is no motivation. No wonder our opening scripture motivates the believer in Christ Jesus that there is a sure reward for his work. What he needs to do on his part is to be strong on the inside and on the outside; he should also strengthen his hands to keep on working. A mindset of reward should be enough to urge the Christian to keep working for the LORD. Jesus Christ is the rewarder of those who do not give up on God's work, Revelation 22:12. Dearly beloved, have you given up on God's work? Share your thoughts here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. Isaiah 54:17" Devotion : The children of God have many heritages, two of which have been mentioned above. The first is "no weapon that wages war against you shall prosper"; the weapons of the enemy are deceit, lies, doubt, immorality, sickness etc. The second is "every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn", meaning that any tongue that speaks against you with the intention of judging you, you shall bring it to naught. The devil and his cohorts of darkness can throw their best weapons but they will surely fail; they can speak their best language against you but you shall silence it. Praise the LORD! Share your comments here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.biblevers...

"Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Romans 12:14" Devotion : The opening scripture has given us a key to eternal blessings. It exhorts us to bless those who persecute us; we should bless and not curse. As Christians, we have a forward and upward life: this means that we have been called only to blessings and not curses. We are the light of the world and must show the world the right way to live a godly life. When we curse, we are not living our nature and the enemy can creep in and destroy. Some of those who persecute us have a chance of being born again; therefore, if we curse them, all those who have the chance to receive Christ will miss this chance and go to hell. We reap what we sow; if we sow curses, we will reap curses, and if we sow blessings, we will reap blessings. Finally, our Lord Jesus Christ did not curse people - He only cursed a fig tree. Dearly beloved, have you been persecuted before? How did you handle it? Share your comments here! http:/...

"And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. Exodus 33:14" Devotion : In the old covenant, the presence of God came upon the prophets, lived with the prophets, and walked with the prophets. However, in the new covenant the children of God are born into the presence of God and the presence of God lives inside them. The presence of God is called the Holy Spirit, which Jesus Christ gave to the church after His departure. When the Holy Spirit is in you and with you, He gives you rest. In fact, you operate from a place of rest, a place without struggle, and a place full of abundance. Dearly beloved, are you operating from a place of rest? Share your comments here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Peter 5:8" Devotion : An adversary is someone who always takes the opposing position, in other words, an opponent or an enemy. The devil is described as an opposition, opponent, and an enemy. He has nothing good in him and will never do good. He seeks people who are vulnerable to destroy them through hypocrisy and deception. The only way a believer in Christ Jesus can outwit him is to be sober and vigilant. Soberness and vigilance must go together to identify the operations of the devil and his cohorts of darkness. Christians must therefore shun sleepiness, dull-mindedness, drunkenness, ignorance, and prayerlessness to overcome the adversary. Dearly beloved, what did you learn from the article? Share your thoughts here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. Peter 2:24" Devotion : Jesus had to die for sins He did not commit before we could receive righteousness. In essence, when you are born again your sins are cleansed for the righteousness of Christ. You become the righteousness of God, hence you can declare yourself righteous. The death of Christ Jesus also produced divine health for the believer. The stripes of Christ provide divine healing; even though this took place in the past, when you claim it by faith then divine health becomes a present reality for you. Dearly beloved, are you enjoying divine health? Share your thoughts here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline