ojaysjoel blog

"For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. Isaiah 54:5" Devotion : It is very comforting to hear that the LORD is the husband of the children of God. For those of God's children who are still ignorant, after reading this gospel their ignorance will be erased and they will get close to their husband. For those who are not born again, God wants to be your husband; will you give Him the chance to be your husband? The word "husband" being used here tells how close the LORD God wants to be with us. It also gives us the idea of how responsible God is and wants to demonstrate it to us. If you allow Him to be your husband, He becomes your Redeemer and commits the whole earth to you because the whole earth belongs to Him. He is always looking for a man to bless and commits His inheritance to. Dear reader, will you be the one God will trust and commits His inherita...

"Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Psalms 37:5" Devotion : It is easy for the children of the LORD to commit their way unto the LORD but do they trust Him? This is a question we all must answer one way or another, especially in times of waiting. After praying to God, you must receive your answer in prayer before you stop praying. If you don't receive the answer in your prayer, waiting patiently for the physical manifestation of your prayer becomes frustrating. God will test every child of His with the ability to wait/patience. The enemy is inpatient and will want to influence you to be like him but GOD wants to develop the virtue of patience/long-suffering in you. The opening scripture described God as a prayer answering God; therefore, we must learn to marry our prayers with our trust in God so that the moment of prayer can be exciting. Hallelujah! Dearly beloved, are your prayers being answered by God? Share your comme nts h...

"And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Genesis 2:15" Devotion : The LORD is such a good GOD: He did almost everything for man; after creating man, He took man and put him into a garden of Eden, a wonderful garden, to dress it and to keep. The whole duty of man was to dress/cultivate this beautiful garden, to be entirely his business. Unfortunately, man disappointed the LORD God and He kicked him from the wonderful garden He had given him. GOD hates disappointments; if Adam and Eve had admitted their mistake/sin and asked the LORD for forgiveness, God would have forgiven them but Adam blamed God and Eve blamed the devil. Dearly beloved Christian, where has God put you or what has He committed to your care? Kindly please Him by honoring Him and your responsibility so that you don't lose it by repeating the mistake/sin of Adam and Eve. Dare to be different unto Your GOD and you will never live to regret it. Praise the ...

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:6" Devotion : The natural/carnal mindset ends in death or is short-lived. To be carnally minded or to have a natural mindset is to be led by the five natural senses of the body, that is, the sense of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch/feel. These are the children of God who are concerned about only what will gratify the body. In other words, they are only concerned about what to eat, wear, and live by whatever they see, hear, or feel: they are not concerned about their spiritual needs. On the other hand, those who are spiritually minded or have the heavenly mindset have prioritized their spiritual needs above everything else: they live by the Word of God. These are God's children who give priority to the study of the Holy Scriptures, prayer, fellowship, righteousness, brotherly love, faith, hope, worship, and praise; these activities can only produce life and peace. Halleluj...

"Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Luke 12:27" Devotion : When our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ utters a word, we must not take it for granted but rather take it seriously and make it dear to our heart. When we make it dear to our heart, it brings understanding which leads to appreciating Jesus Christ as GOD. Have we as children of God considered the lilies of the field? They are so beautiful and prettily arrayed! They don't toil and neither do they move/spin; they are fully dependent on the LORD for everything. Their faith, hope, and love are GOD and God makes sure they have their due. This is the message Christ Jesus wants to drum home into us. We, as children of God, will surely have our due; therefore, we should not worry, toil, and misunderstand God. We should work in our jobs/career in a sincere and faithful manner whilst depending on the Lord and ...

"My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. Psalms 145:21" Devotion : Beloved, what we use our mouths for is what we will become in the future. Some use their mouth to eat haphazardly; they are not selective in what they eat. This has a tendency of destroying your body, which is the temple of God. Others use their mouths to talk ungodliness/gossip; there is good gossip and bad gossip. Good gossip goes to further the work of Christ Jesus whilst on the other hand bad gossip runs down the work of the ministry of Christ. Which of these two are you using your mouth for? I hope you are using it for good gossip so that you can be blessed. Your mouth was created by the LORD to praise and worship Him, Hebrews 13:15-16. Also, your mouth was given to you by GOD to chart a good course for your life, Proverbs 12:14. Learn to use your mouth aright and God will bless you; people will also admire your life and bless you. Hallelujah! ...

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16" Devotion : The posture of your coming before the throne of grace is very vital to what you receive from the LORD. If you are bold before the throne of grace, your faith will be rewarded with great mercy and great measure of grace. However, if you are not bold before the throne of grace you might not know what to even ask for and so leave the throne with little for your faith. It is high time we got to know that we are even seated with Jesus on this throne so we are heirs of the throne of grace. If you know who you are in Christ and what you have in Christ, the Christian life/journey becomes easier and enjoyable. As children of God, we have been encouraged severally to fear not; therefore, let us wear boldness on a daily basis by speaking the words of boldness to our own selves and obtaining what we are entitled to as heirs of God and coheirs ...

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5" Devotion : My fellow readers and brethren, Jesus Christ is definitely right. The earth can be inherited; Heaven is not the only inheritance of the Saints. The earth also is an asset of God which can be inherited by faith and by the conduct of meekness. To be meek is to be extremely humble and being totally devoted and obedient to our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ without any shadow of doubt. Moses was meek amongst the people of his time yet missed the promised land out of anger/disobedience. Instead of speaking to the rock, he was angry with the Israelite and hit the rock twice, Numbers 20:8-12. Even though water came out of the rock, God was angry with Moses because the rock that followed them was Christ and Christ must die once, 1 Corinthians 10:4. So Moses missed the promised land though God favored him by showing him the promised land from far off before he died. We must be meeker than Moses: we shou...

"Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. Isaiah 54:4" Devotion : Yes, you can't be ashamed because Jesus Christ took all your shame and nailed it to the cross of Calvary, Colossians 2:14-15. Praise the Lord! When Apostle Paul came into contact with Jesus Christ he truly declared that he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jews first and secondly to the Gentiles, Romans 1:16. Anybody who feels ashamed of Jesus Christ is living in ignorance and after reading this gospel should repent and be bold with the inheritance he/she has received. Truly indeed, Jesus Christ is our inheritance; we move, live and have our being in Him. Those who are not born again and feel ashamed/shy to receive Him as Lord and Savior should repent and receive Him as Lord and per...

"For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Isaiah 41:13" Devotion : Is it not beautiful to hear the LORD speak like this to you as a child of God? Of course it is! He has given you the assurance that He will hold your right hand and help you. Hence, fear not because He is your God. There is no greater God anywhere save our Almighty GOD.  And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. Luke 12:4.  We should not be afraid of humans or spirits if we live right with God, He is capable of protecting us. Is anything agitating your mind, are you afraid of what tomorrow will bring or how you will pay your bills, talk to God. Do not be afraid He who promised will settle all for you. Share your testimony. http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6" Devotion : When the Holy Scripture said "in everything", it left nothing out; therefore, "in everything", we must be anxious for nothing. Do you know why? It is because you serve a living GOD who cares so much about you and is always expecting you to talk to Him about everything, even what you think is not so important. You can reach Him by His laid-down procedure: prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. If you put prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving to work in every request you make, consider it done so there will be no need to be anxious. Anxiety is very dangerous and can even kill; consider many people who have lost their lives through road accidents because of worry/anxiety.  Put away all forms of worry and anxiety today, just tell God according to His laid down rules (above) and all will be well with yo...

"From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalms 61:2" Devotion : The Psalmist had a limited knowledge in his worship of God: he only cried unto God when he was in trouble. In the New Testament, the children of God have limitless knowledge in their worship of God: meaning that they don't have to wait until they are in trouble before crying unto God. In the New Testament, worship/prayer is a lifestyle, Hebrews 13:15-16. What the Psalmist should be commended for is that he cried unto the true God, the true Leader of all. Believers in Christ Jesus should know their God and Jesus Christ, who is the true rock higher than all. Hallelujah. Those who know the true LORD will be strong and carry out exploits. Praise the LORD! Dearly beloved, who is your leader? Does he have the qualities of GOD? Share your comments here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bi...

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1" Devotion : In life, what we create is very vital to God as well as to our own selves because others could benefit or could be destroyed by it. When God created the heaven and the earth, He benefited from it because heaven is His throne and the earth His footstool, Matthew 5:34-35; others also benefited from it. In other words, His created beings enjoyed what God had created. The life of a believer in Christ Jesus begins at his new birth, that is, the very moment he/she accepted Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and personal Savior. Thereafter what he/she does is very essential because he/she could be charting a cause for a victorious life or a mediocre life. Heaven represents the spiritual and the earth represents the physical; therefore, a Christian should place a premium on his spiritual life as much as his physical life. The spiritual comes first, followed by the physical, and God expects us to win in both are...

"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Ephesians 4:7" Devotion : Grace is a special ability given by GOD to accomplish His will/purpose. The opening scripture acknowledges that the LORD gives believers in Christ Jesus supernatural gifts and these gifts are accompanied by grace. It also emphasizes that this grace is not the same in its measure: the bigger the gifts/the more numerous the gifts, the higher the measure of grace. Therefore, as a child of God what you need to be concerned with is what you are doing with your gift/gifts; it is not the time to compare your gift/gifts with someone else's gift/gifts because what the Lord expects from you is faithfulness. In other words, He is looking at how well you are able to use the gift/gifts to bless lives so that He can give you more if you deserve it, Matthew 25:20-30. Praise the Lord! Dearly beloved, are you fond of comparing the gift/gifts of servants of God? Share your com...

"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4" Devotion : As a child of God, sometimes take time to ask yourself the following questions: how did I become a born again Christian? Where would I have been if I were not born again? What is my Christian life like without winning a soul? If these questions are honestly answered, you will have compassion for any lost soul you come across in your day-to-day endeavor. The Christians who mourn/prayerfully fight for lost souls will be blessed and comforted with good tidings and benefits. Everybody became born again because someone preached to him or her; even if you were reading the gospel/Bible and you became born again, you were convinced by the Holy Spirit. Everybody needs somebody; therefore, if you see a drunkard, prostitute, thief, gay person, etc, mourn for them in prayer and extend the good news to them so that the LORD can reward your effort. Remember to show them the love of Christ. Hallelujah! Share ...

"For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Isaiah 54:3" Devotion : The above promise in the opening Scripture is just wonderful! The children of God have been given the go-ahead to expand on the right and on the left: there is no inhibition whatsoever because the LORD is with us. Nothing should be impossible for you. Hallelujah! The land, riches, estate, properties, including those of the Gentiles/the Ungodly, are ours in Jesus' Name. What we need to do is to pray for direction as to how to take this wealth and these riches from them in a righteous way. The best way is to win them for Jesus Christ of Nazareth, because when you win them for the LORD they will gladly give their wealth and riches to you, even with joy. Praise the Lord! Dear beloved, are you ready to take this inheritance from the ungodly? Are you also ready to inhabit the desolate cities? Share your tho...

"And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:5" Devotion : The opening scripture above refers to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He is the light of heaven and earth who came into the world: when He landed on earth, satan and his kingdom of darkness could not understand Him, because He shone beyond their comprehension. The life of Jesus Christ on earth was characterized by mighty signs, wonders, authority, and power. He was fully in control of all things; had He not come to die to redeem us from our sins, He would not have died on the cross. Glory to the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ that He has made us just like Himself. We are the light of the world and the kingdom of darkness cannot comprehend us, Matthew 5:14-16. As a Christian, you should distinguish yourself from those in the world so that you can so shine better and better every day. When you want to shine, shine Christ Jesus to your sphere of contact; it is the only ...

"I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. Psalms 4:8" Devotion : Natural sleep has been created by GOD to give rest to the human body and rejuvenate it. Good natural sleep is given to the children of God so that they can wake up with renewed energy and a refreshed body to carry out the will/purpose of God for the day. If you are denied a good natural sleep, you are likely to have a rough day and your body, especially your brain, will not give you the accurate results that it usually gives you. Good natural sleep is attained in an atmosphere of good security. The Psalmist enjoyed good natural sleep because the LORD provided him with a secure atmosphere for a good sleep. Children of God should make time for themselves to have good sleep: they should not be afraid whatsoever, because GOD is with them and ready to provide them with that atmosphere of security. Hallelujah! Dearly beloved, do you enjoy good natural sleep? Share yo...

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16" Devotion : The opening scripture above is dealing with corporate prayer, which can be applied to prayer in general. Failure to forgive hinders corporate prayer; no wonder Apostle James said we should be bold enough to tell one another where we or they are going wrong so that corporate prayer can be a time of feasting and refreshing because answers are received and miracles, signs, and wonders are pronounced. As a child of God, you should not keep offence inside you as it will pollute your spirit. Go to the offender quickly and show him/her his/her fault quickly and politely before it begins to harm you. The enemy would want you to keep offence inside you so that he can rely on it to destroy your conscience and spiritual growth in prayer. Don't allow him; put him to shame and enjoy prayer any time you pray alone, a...

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27" Devotion : There are two kinds of peace: the worldly kind of peace and the Jesus Christ kind of peace. The worldly kind of peace does not solve the troubled heart of a child of God. This is so because the child of God has been born into a different family, that is, the family of heaven, and worldly peace cannot appease heaven. Another reason is that worldly peace is limited and outward but the heavenly peace/Jesus kind of peace is limitless and works from within before showing on the outside. It is the only solution to overcome fear, which fights us from the external forces of darkness. Dearly beloved, if you have Jesus Christ in your life you have this special kind of peace to overcome anxiety, fear, and a troubled heart. Hallelujah! It gives you the opportunity and privilege to soar higher in life, like the eagle....

"But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. Romans 5:15" Devotion : The grace we have obtained as children of God is much more than the offence of Adam and Eve, who brought the entire human race under sin. This grace is the supernatural ability that Jesus has given to all mankind, but it can only work for you when you become born again and have His life and Spirit in you. Grace should be respected and handled with care; it does not give you the opportunity to abuse it through willful sins, disregard, and neglect of the LORD and our Lord Jesus Christ. When grace runs out on you, you are bound for hell and the tormenters therein. As children of God, let us respect, honor, and hold grace in high esteem to do the work of the ministry better than ever. Praise the Lord! Share your thoughts here! http://play.google.com/...

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3" Devotion : When you are born into the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, you begin to know the difference between life in heaven and life on earth. To be poor physically on earth is bad enough to destroy you or put you in a place of scarcity and lack. However, spiritual poverty in the kingdom of our dear Jesus Christ is a place where you have totally submitted your will, property, and assets to the use of the Master of your soul. To be poor in spirit is to deny the self and crucify your life and everything you have to Jesus Christ of Nazareth. These are the Christians Christ is looking for so that He can commission them to help in the spread of the gospel and the expansion of His kingdom. Dearly beloved, are you poor in spirit? Can you trust Jesus with your life, money, estate, business, and family? Share your comments here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.b...

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalms 91:1" Devotion : The secret place of GOD is very personal to the child of God. It is a place of rest where there is no struggle in life; therefore, if the born again Christian has reached a place in his/her life where he/she does not struggle to get things from God or to get things accomplished, then he/she has arrived at the secret place of the MOST HIGH. When you arrive there, you will definitely have a personal testimony. To the Psalmist in our opening Scripture, his personal testimony was, "I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." I will also say, "THE LORD IS GOOD AND HIS MERCIES ENDURES FOREVER." Dearly beloved, have you arrived at the secret place of GOD? Share your personal testimonies here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9" Devotion : There are people in this world who just have the habit of delaying or showing a lackadaisical attitude in everything. It should never be your attitude or said of you as a child of God. The Almighty GOD had to stress this on more than one occasion to encourage Joshua to lead the Israelites into the promised land. As a child of God, be sensitive to the voice of God. Jesus Christ said my sheep hear my voice and they follow me, John 10:27-28. Open your spirit up through constant study of God's Word, prayer in the Holy Ghost, prayer in your understanding, and exercising the Holy Scriptures; when you are doing these things on a regular basis, God will definitely start speaking to your spirit. When God speaks, He buttresses it with the Holy Scriptures as confirmation of His voice. Go ahead and act...

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28" Devotion : In the Kingdom of God there are general blessings and there are specific blessings. The opening scripture above is an example of a specific blessing. The specific blessings are conditional blessings of which you can only be a partaker after fulfilling the condition therein. The condition is that if you love God and you are called according to His purpose, all things will work together for your good. Those who are part of the we are the children of God who have done/carried out the purpose for which they have been called. They have experienced the above scripture and are talking from experience and not just talking per se. If you claim you love God and have been called for God's purpose, then don't complain when challenges come your way, because they are part of the package that will work for your good. Hallelujah! Dear...

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7" Devotion : If you have a problem with submission as child of GOD, it is time to say to yourself, "I AM SUBMITTED TO GOD". The more you say it to yourself, the Holy Spirit will empower you to submit to Him and hence to those in authority. A child of God should freely submit to God so that it will be easy for him to resist the devil and all manner of evil. Praise the Lord! If you do not submit to God, you cannot resist the devil and evil. Hence, you will become proud like the enemy and become his footstool, being controlled by him. That is the more reason that some Christians cannot make much progress with the gospel. Be an exception and submit to God and the authority in your church and your state. God will richly bless you. Share your thoughts here! http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Romans 3:24" Devotion : As a child of God, you have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Hence, your life should be distinct from that of the world. That is why you cannot dwell in sin, because the seed of God cannot sin, 1 John 3:9. If you claim you are born again and you are dwelling in any sin of any sort, it is time to call it off and appreciate the Justifier whose name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He has justified you, which means that the moment you accepted Him as Lord and Savior, you were declared not guilty of your past, present, and future sins. Therefore, if you are still dwelling in sin, you are not living up to expectation and you are dragging the Holy Name of Christ Jesus into mockery just like the swine. Dearly beloved, you can say no to sin and yes to righteousness to glorify the Holy Name of Christ Jesus and put Sat...

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28" Devotion : As a child of God, God has given you the privilege to enjoy His rest. If you are not enjoying the rest of God, it simply means that you are still carrying your load instead of laying it on Jesus Christ of Nazareth. How do you lay it on Jesus? You do so in prayer and afterwards refuse to think about the load, and rejoice in and celebrate Jesus Christ for taking up your load. This is done in faith because we live by faith and not by sight, Romans 1:17. God has given every child of God natural gifts and spiritual gifts to profit withal. Hence, if you are laboring, it means that you still have not discovered your gift or you have abandoned it. The will of GOD for us is to work from the place of rest where there is no struggle for what we do for the LORD. Dearly beloved, think about this very gospel and stop laboring and carrying your load. Praise the LORD! Share your comment...

"The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. Nahum 1:7" Devotion : The Prophet Nahum came into contact with the LORD and testified of His goodness, deliverance, and omniscience. What an awesome God we serve! The question we need to ask ourselves is, are we good like our God? This is very important because we, as children of God, are the seed of God and have all the nature of God in us, but are we cultivating His nature in our life? We have been called to be like Him; just as Jesus Christ is the express image of God, we also have been begotten to live the express image of the LORD on earth. Anybody who comes into contact with us must see and experience Jesus Christ of Nazareth in us. We should do good to others, especially the poor and needy; we should be a stronghold for the orphans, widows, widowers, and the weak in society; above all, we should influence people to put their trust/confidence in our Lord and Savior Jesus Chris...

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Revelation 12:11" Devotion : The Holy Scriptures have given us weapons to fight and defend ourselves against external aggressors such as Satan and his cohorts of darkness. Amongst the weapons are the blood of Jesus Christ and the Word of our testimony. If the angelic beings overcame satan and his cohorts of darkness with the blood of Jesus and the Word of their testimony, then the children of God on earth seriously need the blood of Jesus Christ. The life of an animal is in the blood; that is why God forbade the Old Testaments saints from eating the blood of animals. Therefore, there is supernatural power in the blood of Jesus to overcome every sickness, disease, and the power of the enemy. Hence, don't forget to use the blood every day and at every moment of urgency when it is needed. You should also learn to be vocal with testimonies to sha...