ojaysjoel blog

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Ephesians 1:7 KJV Devotion: In the old testament, blood of animals was shed periodically for the atonement of sin. In Exodus 30:10  it written "And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD".The religion of then was bloody.   In paganism blood ritual was frequent, for atonement, to ask for mercy, to chase away devil or even overcome sickeness and death.   Thanks to God for his son Jesus Christ, who delivered us from bloodshed by making himself a sacrifice for us once and for all who believe in him. In the time past armed robbers were tied to the tree and shot, yes they died of their sin but no innocent pers came up to die in their place. But Jesus Christ, the only sinless human tha...

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 KJV Devotion: From Christ Apostolic Church, Gospel Hymn Book      Hymn 568 - What a Friend we have in Jesus Ye are my friends. Joh. 15:14 1 What a Friend we have in Jesus,   All our sins and griefs' to bear   What a privilege to carry   Everything to God in prayer!   O what peace we often forfeit   O what needless pain we bear,   All because we do not carry   Everything to God in prayer! 2 Have we trials and temptations!   Is there trouble anywhere?   We should never be discouraged   Take it to the Lord in prayer.   Can we find a friend so faithful,   Who will all our sorrows share?   Jesus knows our every weakness   Take it to the Lord in prayer. 3  Are we weak and heavy-laden,   Cumbered with a load of care   Precious Saviour, still our refuge   Take it to t...

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21 KJV Devotion: First post general election day in Nigeria. Reading the social media one wonders if most commenters are truly Christians because most of the commenters show venom in the mouth. The names give most of the evil commenters away, they bear Christian names. I'm not surprised because name alone is not enough to tell if someone is true child of God. A true child of God is born again and lives above board. He/she obeys God without reservation. You cannot hear evil comments from them. Recently someone insulted me on social media repeatedly, all I did was to thank him. Many others chatted me privately and praised my action.  Dear Nigerian reader, the tension is very high now after the election please learn to tolerate and don't repay evil with evil. You should not allow anyone to wound or even kill you, instead be kind to them, be compassionate and understanding. But leave the scene of argument because no ma...

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 KJV Devotion: Today is beginning of another round of general elections in Nigeria. We start this morning with presidential and national assembly elections. Most people look up to the political class for succour but I dare say 99.9% of the time Nigerian politicians do not live up to standard.    They only struggle for the post for personal selfish interest, at most they may favour their wives, children and family members. They totally forget the indigent population who routinely stand in the sun or rain to vote them in. Once elected politicians will be ashamed to associate with you, they will travel in cars, SUV with tinted windows, they will not relate with you. But Jesus has no cars or SUV with tinted windows. He is right there with you always, just call on Jesus and He wil...

"Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. Proverbs 8:14" you  Devotion : It is good to be born again. When you are born again, you become a child of God, and as a child of God, you have access to the inheritance of God.      One of the greatest gifts of God is divine wisdom, which is the right application of knowledge to give you good results.   The opening scripture throws light on what divine wisdom will produce in you. It produces good counsel, sound wisdom, understanding, and strength. Dear beloved, ask God for wisdom, and He will give it to you. (James 1: 5)  When you receive divine wisdom, nourish it with the Holy Scriptures (Psalm 119:15-16) since the Word of God is the wisdom of God. In the Holy Scriptures, you will find good counsel to run your life, sound wisdom to make good decisions, understanding to execute your plan, and strength to live in divine health. Praise the Lord! Share your thoughts here! This messa...

Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Joel 2:12‭-‬13 KJV Devotion: Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40 days of fasting and prayers that will culminate in Easter celebration. It is a season of sober reflection on our activities in the past and time to come nearer to God. Time to repent and rededicate to God.  The the Lord God has called on you and me to turn to him with all our heart, in  fasting and prayers, to cry unto him for mercy and forgiveness. He is anxiously waiting for us to come. The Lord God is a merciful God and gracious he is slow to anger, He is full of love and He loves you. If you are a sinner don't think that God does not love you, He loves you more than you can imagine and He...

Please watch this video attentively and you will never be same again.     https://youtu.be/TVWTzRaCk7g it is a message Delevered by lion of Judah.  The Habits 1) Chasing a woman/man other than your wife. Examples from the Bible: a) Samson's destiny destroyed at the feet of Delilah, (Judges 16 1-end) Samson lost his life in his prime and never fully fulfilled his destiny. b) David story of adultery with Bathsheba (2Samuel 11:3) and murder of Bathsheba's husband  c) Solomon did not fully receive the promise of long life and his Kingdom was rent because of his many women.(1 King 11: 1-end)   There abound many men of God today (I don't want to mention names) who did not fulfill destiny because of extramarital relationship. We often read about them in the newspapers. 2) Love of pleasure -1 Timothy 5:6 But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. It is impossible to love life and God at same time. Night orgies, drinks, watching blue and x-rated film...

Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit. Psalm 51:11‭-‬12 KJV Devotion: In human society,when a person offends another he is cast out. There's a culture whereby if a young man dies the wife is accused of killing him and thus ostracized from the community. With God it is not so because although God hates sin He loves the sinner. Therefore when a sinner confesses just as David did in Psalm 32 & 51, God will welcome him with open hand. The repentant sinner is restored and enjoys God's salvation and grace.  Are you a sinner, do not think it is over for you our God is a God of many chances and He is eagerly waiting for you to repent and sin no more. Come to Jesus today and confess your sin, He will restore you the joy of salvation. Hallelujah.  I am your friend Dr Joel Olanrewaju visit us at ojaysjoel.blogspot.com for more devotionals.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16 KJV Devotion: In the preceding chapters (5-9) Jesus selected the twelve among the multitude of his followers and taught them the words. He made a disciple of them and gave them power. In this chapter 10, Jesus sent them out to minister to the lost tribes of Israel; but because he knows what will happen he gave the instructions (Matt 10: 5-42) on how to conduct themselves and what they should do in various circumstances.   Matthew chapter 10 is a good place to read and master before going out to minister the word of God. A disciple must be very knowledgeable, wise and prudent in management of time, human, material and financial resources, Paul is a good example in this wise. A disciple must be very discipline and must not be covetous(be harmless like a dove).   These attributes are scarce these days and it takes a lot of discrete and prayerful search ...

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13 KJV Devotion: When you stand firm in faith nothing will be impossible for you because your God is a God of possibilities.(Luke 1:37) This statement can be translated to "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". We remember Christ brought Lazarus back to life after 4 days of death(John 11:14, 43)   In John 11:40  Jesus asked Martha did "I not say unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" the strength we are talking of is derived from our believe in Christ Jesus. In other words we can do all things if we believe.   Now what happens to the unbeliever? Can he or she do all things? No, for example he cannot raise the dead. To do that requires a strong faith, self denial in fasting and praying which is demonstration of faith. You pray to God because you have faith in God's ability to do whatever you ask of him.  The other question is what l...

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God. Psalm 42:1 KJV Devotion: On national geographic, each time I saw thirsty herd of deer rushing to the brook to drink water even in the presence of pride of lions I remember Psalm 42:1. They will not mind losing one of them they must drink water and be satisfied.  Unfortunately only very few people pant  after the word of God and are willing to sacrifice their time to study the word. Fewer people are willing to leave their secular job for the great commission (Matt 28:20).    Some of us were eager to learn the word when we first gave our lives to Christ but many have since lost the zeal. They find it difficult to read the Bible, some cannot even pray for 5 minutes without dozing off. If you belong to this group you have to find your first love for Christ. Start by observing morning devotion and asking for guidance before you go out in the morning. Try to attend weekly bible class and get ...

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Galatians 5:16 KJV Devotion: Good morning, in this world there are two sets of people those who walk in the flesh and those who walk in the spirit. You are either for the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21)which is devil or for for God (Galatians 5:22-23). Walking in the flesh means living for yourself and doing the things of natural man; in this case you follow what your heart desires and most of the time human desire is at variance with God's plan.  Any person walking in the flesh will probably suffer from lust of the flesh, of the eye and of the mind. Such persons do not love they are egoistic. They love themselves and they are proud, there is no love in them. They think of themselves and themselves alone and the plot how to cheat other people, they mistreat their neighbours instead of love and they don't do anything to please God but themselves.   If you walk in the spirit you are full of love and ev...

“Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.” Ecclesiastes 10:20 (KJV) Devotion: The secret thoughts and actions of everyone are subject to God’s judgment. There are many things that we do in secret – either good or evil – and we think because no human being is watching we are cleared. The eyes of the Lord God are everywhere watching over the good and evil (Proverbs 15:3). Dear beloved, be very conscious of both your secret life and public life and live them to the glory of God. Beloved, what you do in secret will equally be judged by God, therefore, be mindful to examine your secret life and let it be full of righteousness, holiness, and joy so that God can reward you openly (Matthew 6:4). Likewise, the secret life of unrighteousness of everyone will be exposed and punished openly for people to know who they really are. Fear God and live a life pleasin...

I wanted to write on the topic above but I find it written already and I don't have anything to add please read and study. Your life will not be the same again in Jesus name amen Stephen Sizer Philippians 3:10-14: The Purpose Driven Life I recently bought myself the latest must-have luxury in-car accessory – a travel mug. Vacuum sealed, I could enjoy my favourite hot drink for an entire journey. Knowing I would be driving quite a bit that week I decided to give it a whirl on my way to a day conference at Oak Hill College. I decided to baptize it with some really strong Arabic coffee with cardamom seeds purchased in Jerusalem. High in caffeine there is nothing that will kick-start you faster in the mornings. The aroma itself is quite intoxicating – in an entirely legal sort of way. In the stop-go traffic of the M25 I began to enjoy the fragrant aroma of my Arabic coffee with cardamon seeds. With around a hundred or so other clergy attending from right across England I had decided th...

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” Psalms 23:6 (KJV) Devotion: Who you follow determines what will follow you. We are living in a world where a lot of things are happening, both good and evil. Good or evil things do not happen by chance. Good things will happen in your life when you make the LORD your shepherd (Acts 10:38). Making Jesus Christ your shepherd guarantees goodness and mercy in your life. Dearly beloved, Jesus Christ will make sure that you have value for the sacrifices you have been making for Him. On the other hand, those who reject Him have automatically opened the door for anything evil to come into their life because the devil has nothing good to offer (John 8:44). Dear beloved, continue to submit to the Lord Jesus and enjoy His fellowship, goodness, mercy, protection, long life, and the like (1 John 5:12). Hallelujah. Be An Overcomer!   Prayer Point: My Lord Jesus Christ, thank Y...

Commit thy works unto the LORD, And thy thoughts shall be established. Proverbs 16:3 KJV Devotion:   As a child I lived with my maternal grandmother along with some other aged women. The other women were idol worshipers; I observed one very important act of them and that was they never do anything or go out without consulting their idol. If idol worshipers could be that faithful how much more I a child of God. My grandma was Anglican and she would call me to prayer before we got out of the one room apartment.   These days it matters little to so many people to pray before getting out of the house and it is not right. Today is Monday the first working day in the Christian world. Whatever day it is to you does not matter, the most important thing is to follow the godly counsel as presented by King Solomon in Proverbs 16:3 above.    Let us make it a habit to commit our ways, work or whatever unto God before we embark on it. God promised to prosper the labours of ou...

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10 KJV Devotion: The past few years has been difficult for the human race more so in the past year when the Ukraine war started and the world economy on the brink. So many people found it difficult to make ends meet especially in third world countries of Africa, South America and Asia.   The cost of daily living has risen tremendously so much that many people could not afford three meals per day. This has lead many people to do different things to survive even some confess that Jesus Christ is their lord and savior. People have started doing things that they will not normally do in order to survive example some people sell parts of their bodies to make money to feed while some people will do things to please fellow human beings just to make ends meet.    But we as children of God are not supposed to please men but please God. Let us r...

Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:10 KJV Devotion: Psalm 139 is a song of praise to a wonderful God. God was described by David as an omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God who knows him in and out; he said there is no hiding place from God.  Wherever you go even at the uttermost part of the world, under the ground, above the seas God knows and and sees you, infact God is there with you. Whatever you do God knows it and guides you.    David went on to declare that he was wonderfully made by wonderful God. The same happens to you and me we are also wonderfully made by wonderful God especially when we give our life to Christ and live for Christ. Let us therefore return to God if we have not or we are have backslidden; let us start to appreciate God because we are wonderful creatures of His hand; His righteous right hand upholds us otherwise we would have been destroyed.(Isaiah 41:10)  There is no hiding place from God it...

"O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Psalm 95:1" Devotion : The psalmist called to his family and friends to worship God through songs. When you come to know the Lord, there is something that cannot be separated from Him: He loves music and expects His creation to worship and praise Him through songs and hymns.  The psalmist called Him the Rock of Salvation. Dear beloved, who is God to you? Is He also the rock of your salvation? If indeed He is the rock of your salvation, you will call your family every dawn to worship and engage your family in devotion before the morning starts. When you do this, your day will be full of good tidings, and all things will begin to work together for your good because you love God and are called according to His purpose.    Call your friends to worship if you don't have a family, and you will be creating a family of friends unto the Lord. May God give you a heart of worship to worship ...

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Ephesians 4:29 KJV Devotion: A Yoruba adage says "oun pẹlẹ a máa yọ obì lápò oun líle a yọ idà lápó" literally meaning a gentle speech leads to peace while harsh words cause strive. There are some people who cannot speak a sentence without swearing or using distasteful, unpalatable words.   Such people are found in the motor parks, lumberjacks, drug abusers etc; but they are also in the homes where abusive spouse swear frequently. In some churches ministers make distasteful jokes while in the entertainment industry jesters says unedifying (distasteful) words.    As children of God we must watch what we say all the time because our word defines what we think and ultimately our personality. Jesus says what you eat is less important than what comes out of your mouth because from the heart comes evil thoughts (Matt 15:17-20) ...

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 (KJV) Devotion: Living a disciplined life before the LORD is the sure way to remain victorious in every endeavor. Discipline is a controlled behavior resulting from training. A Christian who is not disciplined cannot have dominion on earth and over the devil (1 Corinthians 9:27). One has to learn how to submit to God before creation and the forces of darkness can obey their authority.  Dear beloved, do everything you can to live a humble life before God and the authorities He has placed over you, and the whole world will bow to you. Always be alert to do away with pride, use the Word of God, and remain humble for God to lift you up in due time (1 Peter 5:6). You shall surely win when you live a disciplined lifestyle. Hallelujah! Be An Overcomer!  Prayer Point: Father of my praise, I’m delighted to learn from You today. Thank You for teaching me about discipline. I promise to practice w...

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Romans 5:3‭-‬5 KJV Devotion Hey, dearly beloved, I am not making light of this verse 3 because nobody smiles in pain or affliction. The iron in the foundry do not take it easy but when it is forged into an instrument or appliance it has more value.   Tribulation, affliction either for our sin or incidental is not easy to bear but if we stand firm in Christ then we develop character, have experience and hope. As we retain our hope in Jesus Christ we are not ashamed because the end result is glory. The patriarchs of faith all endured and were all rewarded with glory. The glory of reigning with Christ is far more pleasurable than the ephemeral pleasure of this world.  Dearly beloved lets us stand firm in our fait...

"Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: Acts 18:9" Devotion : Apostle Paul, in his ministry on Earth, came to a crossroads, where he had to decide whether or not to stop preaching the gospel because of fear. Jesus Christ appeared to him in a vision and allayed his fears; He asked Paul to speak boldly and not stop for any reason.    Dear beloved, it is possible that you have also come to a crossroads where you want to stop doing what God has assigned to you. Take encouragement from the opening scripture, and do your assigned task boldly. Don't stop for any reason and lose your reward. You might be thinking that there is no use for you because of your condition or your circumstances.  I have good news for you: There is no useless person in this world; you are useful to God. God can put you to good use because there is nothing too hard for Him to do. Cheer up and make yourself available for God to use. Halleluj...

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV Devotion: In the word of God two examples suffice to describe timid persons who later became Generals for God. After the death of Moses the leadership fell on Joshua.  The same Joshua who along with Caleb( Numbers 13:30) proclaimed that the children of Israel will conquer the land was afraid to enter and take the land. He was bold under Moses but felt the shoes left behind was oversized for him. God personally had to assure (Joshua 8:1)and re-assure Joshua(Joshua 10:8) before he took the land.  Timothy was a personal assistant to Paul(Timothy 1:2), he grew up in religious family under his grandmother. He new the word of God but he needed to be prodded to head the church. He was afraid of elders, their culture and ways but praise God Timothy had Paul to encourage him (2 Timothy 1:7).   To you and me why are we afraid to go out for Christ, we have the spirit of po...

The fear of man bringeth a snare: But whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25 KJV Devotion: The whole world is in the grip of fear because of the ragging war in Ukraine and the ripple effect on world economy. My country Nigeria's case is double trouble because of artificial hardship foisted on the people. Even as general elections approach some government policies have created deep fear and mistrust to the extent that many people have started to protest on the streets.  There's palpable fear 😨 among the peoples because nobody knows where it will all end. But we as children of God should not fear but firmly believe in God that he only rules in the affairs of men and will resolve the situation. As we believe in the ability of God to keep us safe let us watch, pray and stay away (as much as is depends on us) from trouble spots. No unecessary travel, stay indoors and if you can do your business at home please do it from there.  The Lord will keep you saf...

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV Devotion: If you want to succeed in life you must be steadfast in whatever you do. In secondary school I was not a genius but I was hardworking because my dad would not have me sit around without reading daily. So it became an habit and I became one of the best in my class. I know other good students too were hardworking.  A sloppy artisan will suffer hunger while a hardworking one will flourish. As a follower of Christ we are called to evangelise (Matt 28:20) and there's no room for relaxation if we actually want to achieve the crown.   This is the crux of the counsel given above by Apostle Paul(1 Cor.15:58). We cannot afford to be sloppy in the work of God, we must be steadfast and diligent with the work because our labour is not in vain.   Dearly beloved, it is another weekend...

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. James 1:2‭-‬3 KJV Devotion: The Bible is a mystery that is very difficult to understand unless the Holy Spirit interprets it. An example is the verse above where Apostle James says rejoice when you fall into temptation, the natural man will not understand this. The question is how can I rejoice in such situation?   We all know that there's no promotion without passing an examination for any student. The life will live is a race from earth to heaven and we must have to pass many examinations on the way home in heaven if we must live with Jesus Christ. If this is our ambition as children of God, there will be temptation. It will be brought by Devil because he also wants people to live with him in Hell.   We do not want to live with Lucifer but with Jesus so we must pass the examinations ie overcome temptations victoriously to make heaven. Our joy come...

Hymn 831 - They that trust in the Lord are secure 9.9.9.8. & Ref.  My grace is sufficient for thee. 11Cor. 12:9.  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,"  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 race for the prize, fainting soul,  Though a weary you bow down the knee,  Rise again, and press on to the goal,.  "My grace is sufficient for thee." 4 Neither trial nor doubt brings dismay,  Nor from danger that comes will I flee,  For I stand on this promise today  "My grace is sufficient for t...