ojaysjoel blog

I WAITED patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings. Psalm 40:1‭-‬2 AMPC Devotion: The verses above is the testimony of the psalmist about what earnest prayer can do in the life of a child of God. No wonder the bible says pray without ceasing 1Thessalonians 5:17. There are some problems that will not just go with short time prayers but will only yield after long suffering in prayers and fasting. If you are in such situation do not relent continue in earnest prayer till something happens. In Act 12:5, the church prayed untill Peter was miraculously brought out of the prison by Angel. Dear reader do you have prayer request? Send it to us and you will have testimony in Jesus name. Hallelujah. -JO.

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. Psalms 68:5 NIV Devotion: Do you have a dear father ...... a beautiful song by Jimmy Cliff in the 60s.  In the physical most people have a Father, some have a dear Father but I had a lovely, dear Father who was ready to lay down his life for his son.   I remember my father was a lovely family man, he loved us and sent each of us to school even from his meagre resources. He made neat and smart uniform ( he was a tailor) for us, bought all books and gave money for lunch daily. He would sit with us and told us life changing stories. He was a prayer warrior and prayed for each child by name daily. The day I left home for Russia he cried like a baby. On the night of my marriage he was around and suddenly a snake appeared from nowhere. My dad killed it with bare legs. He stepped on its head not minding what could happen. He was such a good dad. RIP my dad.   Now I have another Father, He is the Fathe...

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Galatians 6:7 Devotion: In this computer age I hear people say "garbage in garbage out" meaning you receive what input you fed into the computer. It is same in real life what you put into the soil is what you reap from the soil.  I have not read or heard of a man who reap yams from pineapple farm it's not possible. As parent let's know that whatever training we give our children will make them who they will be in future.  Students should know that the result they receive at the end of the semester is the result of their input into the semester. If you study hard you get good result; if you did not read you get poor grades or fail. Salvation is free but to maintain it to the end requires hard work in living right and maintaining holiness so that Holy Spirit can live within us to guide us to the end. That is why Jesus says in Matthew 11:12 "and from the days of John the Bapt...

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5‭-‬6 NIV Devotion: Natural human being have tendency to believe in their ability and knowledge to do things. Many times they  are able to get things done but no always.   But you and I as children of God are encouraged to submit  our plan to God  in prayers and supplication with thanksgiving then everything will be made smooth, easy and help will come from every angle.   I remember that I got a job without sweat recently even though I had struggled to get same job for a year. All I did was to fast and pray for 3 days and contacts just facilitate the employment. The person who had always rejected my application gladly accepted it because I submitted to God.    Please know that submission to God is not suspension of brain, you still have to do your part, in the example above -  submissi...

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 1 Corinthians 13:13 KJV Devotion: The word CHARITY translated to mean LOVE in some versions of the bible means much more. According to Merriam Webster's dictionary Charity means generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering, it also means  benevolent   goodwill   toward  or  love  of  humanity.  It is therefore save to conclude that charity is greater than faith and hope. An act of charity towards the needy gives him or her hope and boost his or her faith in Christ.      An illustration is this: a Christian living among unbelievers can easily spread the gospel of Christ by his humaness, benevolent act, love (Charity). A story is told of a conversion to Christianity;  because a believer did not ask the unbeliever to pay for the windshield of his car broken by the son of the unbeliever. The unbeliever saw it as an act of...

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57. Devotion: There is victory for the children of God either in the physical or in the spiritual. We the children of God are winners but we must not relent, we must persist in the struggle till victory is achieved.   Even when something happens in the struggle, when your mind says it’s never going to work out, but in your heart, you know what God promised is on the way. Your mind says, “You’re wasting your time; there’s no use believing.” But you just keep on keeping on, doing the right thing, trusting God, thanking Him that’s it’s on the way. That’s sustaining faith. Don’t expect everything to be easy, victory is certain.   Don’t expect everyone to be for you. If it hasn’t happened yet, that doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. The victory is on the other side of the opposition. It takes staying power, it takes a made-up mind, it takes someone that’s not moved by the circumsta...

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24 NIV Devotion: Razor blades blade are very thin, smooth stainless sharp objects used to dissect tissues or simply cut small objects. While a hammer is a heavy metal used to break or force objects into another, make a new object of and old piece of Rusty metal. Some tongues when used without wisdom of God, are like razor blades used to tear the heart of people, inflict deep, difficult to heal wound in the heart. This causes lasting resentment and leads to poor relationship. Yet some others are like a very heavy hammer designed to break hearts. It's used to say the truth but in a manner to disgrace, to deride or to cause a change into desired shape. The receiver needs wisdom to sift the truth from the pieces apply it and shine. The razor tongue can totally destroy while the blunt hammer tongue if gently used can correct. In Proverbs 15:4 the bible says "A wholesome tongue is a tree of life:...

“I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.” Psalms 130:5–6 (KJV)  Devotion: To wait is to remain in a state in which you expect or hope that something will happen soon. There are certain times in the life of a Christian when all you need is to wait on the Lord (Psalms 40:1). The LORD has plans for every child of His, and these plans are tied to time. For example, the Lord cannot give you a spouse when you are just five years of age. You have to grow to a rightful age—when you are mature enough to handle matters of marriage.    Dear beloved, when you pray to God from the Holy Scriptures, have patience with the Lord. Be expectant and keep thanking Him while you wait (Hebrews 4:2). Never complain because there is a delay, and before long the answer will materialize.       Develop the virtue of patience in you i...

For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God), and His ears are attentive to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who practice evil [to oppose them, to frustrate, and defeat them]. [Ps. 34:12-16.] 1 Peter 3:12 AMPC Devotion: I have chosen the passage above from amplified bible classic so that the meaning can be plain enough. The passage suggests that when you come to God he answers your requests, he listens to you if you're living right with him and your neighbours. But to the unrighteous, it is otherwise especially when they device evil. There's no hiding from God it is either you live right or not and be rewarded according to the works of your hand.  There can't be progress if the Lord is against an evil act, He will surely frustrate the plan of unrighteous and make him fail.    Dear reader, do check your subconscious mind, see and re-examine how you have been living and return to the Lord today...

And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD , and his name one. Zechariah 14:9 KJV Devotion: Who is the king over your life? Is it the small gods of your fathers or forefathers or your stocks, computer or social media, football, hockey or Casino? Many people worship these things involuntarily without knowing because they think of it all the time , admire it so much that they don't have time to read the bible or even pray for themselves. Gadgets are good and make life comfortable but when you become addicted to it, it becomes your Lord.   Have you surrendered your life to Christ? If yes congratulations. He's your Lord, the Lord over your life, household and business and you should serve Him Matt 28:19-20. He Jesus will serve you too by providing that which the world seek for you without sweat. Matt 6:33.   Dear friend do you have any concerns share it with us. Hallelujah.    -JO.

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11" Devotion : The wiles of the devil are all the enemy's tricks to deceive his victims. The armour is the resources given to Christians to destroy the wiles of the devil. The armour is meant to be put on always, since the devil and his minions work twenty-four hours a day.  The armour includes the shield of faith, helmet of salvation, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, boots for preaching the gospel, and the sword of the Spirit.  Believers need to know these weapons and use them so they can remain in continual victory.  Dear reader, do you know about this armour? Share your comments here!

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8‭-‬9 KJV Devotion: There's a Yoruba proverb that says "a child cannot have as many new garments as many rags (old, worn out garments) possessed by his father" in other words he is inferior to his father. Our God is so supreme, far above that nothing on earth can be compared to him.  God knows the end from the beginning, He told prophet Jeremiah that "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" Jeremiah 1:5. While human being cannot ordinarily predict what will happen in few hours time unless God reveals it to us. This is the reason God's way or plan is superior to human way or plan. As children of God we are to prepare ourselves re...

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1" Devotion : Time is a measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues. A season is a period of the year. These two definitions show that everything under heaven is influenced by time and season.    In our personal life, we have time to eat, sleep, wake up, go to work, etc. We have a season to celebrate birthdays, grow into adolescence and adulthood, marry, etc.  Our plans, activities, and life are tied to time and season; each of us are passing through a season of our lives today either you're a child, an adolescent, young adult or full adult or aged. The question we should ask ourselves is what did I achieved in a  particular season? How can I make sure I did not waste the next seaon of my life? What did i achieve for God and myself? It will be a disaster to be financially unstable as an adult particularly due to wasted previous seaso...

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27 KJV Devotion: In the passage above God through Apostle James clearly spelt out the definition of Pure Religion for us. There's no other way to it, it is either we follow the definition and get the reward or not and receive nothing . It is noteworthy that being born again is different from religion but being born again is sine qua non. It is mandatory to make heaven while religion as defined above is very important and profitable for a truly born again child of God. It is by our practice of religion that we demonstrate our faith in Christ to the unbeliever. Through practice of Pure Religion we evangelise to our neighbours just as the apostles were named Christian in Antioch because of their conduct.  Are you ready to be called Christian? Then, practice Pure Religion - help the helpless, bless the p...

I will say to the Lord , “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”  Psalm 91:2 ESV  Devotion : A story is told of a catechist who while crossing the street was about to be knocked down by a fast moving car. He called on the god of iron to save him but that god was unable to safe him and he was knocked down. In this story we can safely conclude that though he was a catechist his refuge was the "god of iron". He didn't make God his refuse. He served other gods.   Dear reader who is your refuge? When trouble comes who do you call upon - gods or God of heaven -Jehovah.  The Bible says at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Philippians 2:10. If you have Jesus as your Lord, He becomes your refuge you can run to Him always and your problem will bow down before Him.  If you have not made Jesus your refuge by giving your life to Him, through confession of His Lordship over your life please do so now. Tomor...

  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  2 Corinthians 12:9. Devotion : We who trust in God have sufficient Grace to live abundant life in the physical and are sure of glory when we meet Jesus at the judgement throne.  This is the reason  we can boldly sing this song:- My Grace is sufficient for thee. 9.9.9.8 & Ref.     1. They that trust in the Lord are secure. Tho' the storm rages dark o'er the sea; For this anchor of promise is sure ''My grace is sufficient for thee,' Chorus: My grace is sufficient for thee, My grace is sufficient for thee, Oh, matchless, boundless grace of God, My grace is sufficient for thee. 2. What a boon to the pilgrim opprest, What a balm such a promise must be To the laden ones seeking for rest, "My grace is sufficient for thee.' 3. In the ...

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: Ephesians 1:3" Devotion : Indeed, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven. The physical things we need have been provided by Jehovah-Jireh.  What we need to do to actualize them is to believe that we have all these blessings, then begin to declare them, and thank God for them. This is according to the teaching of Christ when the bible says in Mark11:24 "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them".    He who promised is a righteous God and He will never disappoint, Philippians 4 :19, so as we ask and believe we should also be thankful to Him. Phil 4:6.   Dear reader, what you need to believe is that as a child of God you are not in need but one whose needs have been provided for...

Search me, O God, and know my heart!  Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!  Psalm 139:23‭-‬24 ESV Devotion: The psalmist is so sure of himself that he asked God to search him. How many of us can stand before God and boldly ask God to search us. The Bible  says if God counts sins who can stand before him.  As children of God we must come to the level whereby we will be able to say "Search me Oh Lord." If not it means we need to reexamine our lives and come back to full obedience.  Dear reader do you have any questions or testimony, share it with us. Hallelujah!   -JO. 

1 Timothy 3:4  One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; Devotion : In the secular world you have to have a  basic qualification to occupy a certain post, but the qualifications vary some will state as follows - Bsc with 5 years experience, others Master's degree or a PhD. In ministry God has the same standard for all. No variations and His standard cannot be diminished for someone to occupy a post.  In Paul's first Epistle to Timothy chapter 3 the standard is well spelt out and must be strictly adhered to because any deviation will lead to disaster. We have seen it happen in so many self styled denominations where immorality reigned. We heard of self styled Bishops with many wives, concubines. There are also ministers' children into drugs, alcoholism and the like.  Many ministers can be compared to Eli, they will be judged accordingly. Read 1 Samuel 2:1-end. It is better to be ordinary Christian than be a missionary, a p...

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 1John 4:4 KJV. Devotion : A toddler is always afraid whenever it finds itself in a strange place or meets strange people. This apply to you too if you're a babe in Christ. Whenever a situation arises you begin to shiver sometimes physically and or spiritually. This is because of little Faith due to lack knowledge of the Word of God and how to apply it effectively.   Many people believe so much in witchcraft and the evil it can perpetrate. So it is not uncommon to lose ones sleep because one expects witches to come at night. In  2 Kings 6:16 the Bible says "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them" therefore why are you afraid?    There is tendency for people to be afraid of job loss, inability to pay bills etc. This fear is based on lack of faith in what God can do while we do the needful. The needful ...

For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. Ecclesiastes 7:12 Discussion : There are basically two economies in the world and every nation on the face of the earth fall under either of them. These are: * The Knowledge Economy * The Religion Economy The rich and prosperous nations of the world belong to the Knowledge Economy while the the poorest and poverty stricken nations of the world belong to the Religion Economy. The Knowledge Economy is one that engages the brain, asks relevant questions, and proffer solutions to problems.  The Religion Economy is one that blackmails God and dumps every responsibilities on Him. The Knowledge Economy tasks the brain, the Religion Economy numbs the brain. Most Knowledge based Economy counties have no natural resources but yet they are  prosperous nations.  Such countries uphold the rule of law and corruption is minimal. Many Religion Economy countr...

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.  1 John 3:18 KJV Devotion: Jimmy Cliff sang a song years ago, I can't really remember the words. I'll paraphrase it -  action speaks louder than words, don't listen to those who will turn your night to day in words only.  There are many people around who makes empty promises of what they cannot do or will never do. Their words are sugar coated and easily believable but empty it is. We should rather believe in Jesus Christ who loves us and demonstrated it by giving His life for us.  If you say you're born again live it and let people give testimony that you're born again. If you love someone show it in deed by giving a helping hand, gift and nearness to the person especially if the person is your spouse.  If you love Jesus demonstrate it by evangelising and winning souls for Christ.  Do you have questions? Let's have it. Hallelujah!   -JO. 

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2" Devotion : In secular world people have role models, heros, mentors who they look up to for guidance, mentor-ship and otherwise. The people of the world have their national idol who youths pattern their lives after. Unfortunately all these idols,  heros, mentors without Christ Jesus lead to one end - ETERNAL DAMNATION.  This is the reason you and I must look up to  Christ Jesus our role model, who in fact, is not just a role model, but a God model.  Jesus is a perfect example as He never said anything without being the first to do it unlikely our earthly role models who says do what I say not what I do.  When Jesus said he loved us, he proved it by dying on the cross for us and when he said he was the resurrection and the life, he proved it by his resurrecti...

She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.  Proverbs 31:20 KJV Devotion : Today is international women's day, the to express gratitude to the women in our lives and talk of their attributes. Please read Proverbs chapter 31:1-end. Dear reader man or woman check out the attributes of virtuous woman in the chapter and make necessary adjustments if need be. There's always room for improvement.  In the past couple of years there were a few women in my life - my wife, colleagues in the office, and people I just know. I am using this opportunity to appreciate my wife for being there when I was not, good representation when I couldn't and for her love.  The lovely sisters I worked with who provided for my need at a critical point of my life, thank you very much. My pal who barely knows me and yet gave me good counsel and financial support when I was very low, I appreciate you so much, thank you. You who gave me clue on how...

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.  Matthew 4:4 KJV Devotion: A Nigerian politician coined the phrase "stomach infrastructure" in reference to the food politics he played in his state. He was noted for doling out government money to people on the street for one time meals instead of giving them means of generating income.  He was less concerned about cottage industries, road construction etc. The same can be said of many "Christians" whose only reason for going to church is to ask for one thing or another in prayers.  Such person are less concerned about evangelism. Matt 28:20. They do not seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness all they are after is wealth. Some church leaders too are only interested in profit making and not the soul of the congregants. I urge you, if you are in this category to change today, seek first the kingdom of God and His ri...

Therefore also now, saith the LORD , turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:  Joel 2:12 KJV Devotion : Israel had forgotten their Lord God Jehovah and suffered loss. But God  loves them and told them to return as written in the verse above.  Reading the whole of Joel chapter 2 we noticed that promise of restoration and deliverance followed. All their loss was restored and Israel became happy and free people again. We have testimony of that in the book of Psalms 126: 1-end. Perhaps you had suffered loss financially, properties or even spiritual loss,  the Lord says return to Me, Joel 2:12, fast, pray and seek my face with mourning then I will restore you to myself and return your loss to you. I will heal your land. 2 Chronicles 7:14. If you're in that position I urge you to return to God today, confess your sins and stop sinning.   Dear reader do you have concerns?  Share it with us. Hallelujah! Ame...

 I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.  Jeremiah 31:25 KJV Devotion : The passage above is a prophecy shown to prophet Jeremiah in his dream. The Lord God of Israel promised to restore and replenish Judah and did as promised.  Do you as a child of God make a promise and fulfill it, do I fulfill my promise. It is easy to promise someone a thing but difficult to  carry through the promise.  As children of God our yeah must be yeah and nay must be nay.  We should strive to be a blessing to the weary all the time and a counselor to the disturbed. Share your thoughts on the topic with us. Hallelujah!  -JO

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;  Colossians 4:2 KJV Devotion : There's a Christian hymn that says "Christian! seek not yet repose.... " and I think it is right. We should not relax but rather "pray without ceasing" 1Thess 5:17. Why do we have to pray always? This is because we wrestle against  principalities, spiritual wickedness in high places, against powers and rulers of darkness of this world. They do not sleep day and night, they are permanently looking out for who to devour, whose faith to destroy  Ephesians 6:12.  We should also pray with thanks giving and supplication while making our petition/requets known to God Phil. 4 :6. In all situations we must keep our guards let's we slip away from the truth of God's word. The flesh is weak and the devil is so deceptive therefore watch and pray.  Dear reader, if you have questions or concerns please feel free to ask for support in prayers. Hallelujah   -JO. 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9 KJV Devotion : Do you remember the story of two sisters in which the elder broke a plate and hid it. The younger threatened to report but the elder begged her not to for a fee - she must do the cleaning on behalf of the younger one.  The threat became so much, the elder sister almost became a slave because she was doing all the household chores. One day she decided to confess to her mother who instantly forgave her daughter. The mother told her I was in a corner and saw you broke the plate but since you kept quiet I was monitoring you. You sin turned you to slave.   The same happens to you and me when we sinned and hide it. We have guilty conscience and become slave to our sin but we have a faithful and just father who will instantly forgive us and set us free. We should not be too ashamed to confess we are human like any other. Dear reader,...

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,  Acts 3:19 ESV Devotion : In the elementary school those days we have what is called the Price Giving Day. It was usually at the end of the academic year. It was a day most students look up to with pride. Our parents would dress up and come with us.  With all modesty, I was always winning at least 2-3 prices (mostly Books) especially in mathematics, sometimes overall best student and one other subject. My parents would prepare a good meal for me and but new clothes for me.    When we first believed it was real in that we had reasons to believe. We instantly knew the difference between a believer and a non even in the physical life because our lives changed, there was a reward (transformed live) from God for believing. Our lives were completely transformed, but what do we have these days. People come into repentance and there's no sign of life transformation. Lives remain same, they contin...

Devotion : For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. – James 3:16 Failure or success in life starts from the home and to succeed there must be perfect unity or harmony within the family. There must be understanding between the husband and the wife and by extension the children. This is why we say behind any successful man is a good woman and behind every successful woman is a good man.  The success I refer to is both spiritual and physical which includes financial  success, happy and healthy family.  Failure in ministry always starts with disharmony in the family, no matter how much struggle you put in if there's strife at home prayers will not be answered   Holy Spirit will not move in fact it will go away because it hates strife.  Simple causes of disharmony in the family are - selfishness,  envy,  laziness,  uncooperative attitude and outright hatred. The solution to these are found in the Bible and husband a...