ojaysjoel blog

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Devotion: Please watch the video clip above and train your child appropriately in the ways of God. Remember the psalmist says in psalm 127 that "Psalms 127:3-5  Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." I have seen rich men, brought to hospital by strangers because children are outside of the country. And the lack family support. If you want to be happy in your old age train your children at home don't give someone else to train for you.    Please share your thoughts with us. Hallelujah  It's from Dr Joel Olanrewaju, gbemide09@gmail.com. For more devotionals check ojaysjoel.blogspot.com.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.  Isaiah 26:3 KJV Devotion: In the present day Nigeria, the ordinary people have a lot to worry about because the present do not favour them and the future looks bleak. To put food on the table is continuously beyond many, many children will drop out of school and the security situation is not looking good.   But we have somebody- God, who is ready to save us from all these hassles of life. He said in Isaiah 41:10 that he will not leave you nor forsake you ... , we know that whatever Good says He will do he always do unless we do not keep our own side of the bargain. What is that, that we must do? We must keep our mind focused on God and trust in Him. Then we will have perfect peace. Not just peace but perfect peace which nobody can give. Even with your billions in the bank account you're not safe from accident, your connection will not save you from from sickness etc but if you...

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12 NKJV Devotion: In Christendom and secular world are several rules and guidelines for living without chaos. There was the "laws is Moses" among which is the Ten commandments from which was derived the other laws making a total of 613 laws of Moses.   When Jesus came he summed up the laws into the golden law which is: "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." This is called the Golden law as against the secular law which is "Silver law" which says "Do not do unto others what you will not want them do unto you"   It's the same as golden law, right? Yes and No. The silver law is interpreted in the Negative, it simple say don't do bad things it did not say do good. The golden law says go out of your way to do good to others. An example is this - when you meet a strugg...

Psalms 27:14  Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Devotion: Waiting sometimes can be frustrating especially when there's no time limit. But waiting for God is different in so many ways- no time limit, requires faith and being attentive to the signals from God otherwise one may miss the message. But the result is always full of joy and happiness. It is glorious. A person may disappoint but God never does. Whatever he says He will do He will do.  Joseph waited and endured hardship yet he became who good destined him to be. David waited nearly 2 decades before getting the crown. Ruth had to travel and worked on the grain field before attaining the motherhood status. The messiah Jesus Christ had to grow up and become an adult before starting his ministry. (John 2:4  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.)  Waiting is not excuse not to do anything, Noah was busy ...

For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.  II Corinthians 7:10 NKJV Devotion: Jonah confronted the people of Nineveh with thier sin and they, all under the guidance of the king went into mourning and fasted in repentance of thier sins. (Jonah 3 : 5-10)  But in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 13:13  But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.) the people did not repent because of pride and all perish with the exception of Lot's family. Lot's wife felt sorry for her loss and turned back but she perished.(Genesis 18:20 & 24 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;)  Dearly beloved, when confronted with your misdeed all you need to do is repent and prayerfully come back to God. Be, r...

He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue. Proverbs 28:23 Devotion: Truth, even when spoken in love, can sometimes hurt. When you admonish your friend out of concern that they shouldn’t gossip or because they are acting immaturely, it may hurt and offend them. But that is better than praising them even when they are doing wrong because, in the end, when your friend comes to a turning point in life, they will realize that you are right and will bless you for correcting them. Beloved, let us not be tempted to flatter people in order to please them. But in all our ways, may we be honest and truthful, even if it may hurt or offend people. Speaking the truth in love will give you more favor than trying to please others with a flattering tongue. That’s what the Bible says! Prayer point: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wisdom through Your Word. As I come to learn that speaking the truth in love, even though it may hurt, is better than...

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. Psalms 42:11 NKJV Devotion: The Life we live is not straight, it is full of ups and downs. There are left and right turns and even reverse even when you don't want to. It's is the same with everyone in earth either you're a believer or not but the end result is what matters most. Your Faith in God makes the difference.   David suffered series of twists and turns in his life, something he won at other times he loss but it did not deter him from achieving his goal therefore he was right to write the verse "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God."  The secrete was hope in God not in the power of his might, not in his soldiers (2 Samuel 23: 8-9) but in God. We have all probably gone through ups and downs but ...

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 NKJV Devotion: A child is a gift from God given you and me too look after. God has sovereignty over the children we do not. So in bringing them up we have to follow the principle of God as we read in the bible verse of today. (Proverbs 22:6)  How do we do this? 1) be a good example to the children. Children always copy adults in thier immediate vicinity. 2) teach them the word of God from as early as possible. 3) using the bible let them know the difference between what is acceptable and not and practicalise before them. 4) pray for them regularly and teach them to pray. 5) ensure that the children grow up among Christian children of equal Christian standard. 6) leave the rest for God to handle, thier destiny is in the hands of God.  Dearly beloved, are you having problem bringing up your children? Prayerfully follow the steps above, may God help us all in Jesus name. Hallelu...

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James 1:27 NKJV Devotion: Religion is a  cause ,  principle , or  system  of  beliefs   held  to  with   ardor  and  faith in any material thing or the supernatural eg Sun, Moon, idols or animal or the general overseer of a denomination.   Religion is different from Doctrine which is  a  principle  or  position  or the  body  of  principles  in a  branch  of  knowledge  or  system  of  belief. It is a learned set of habits that became a set of rules for a group, society or sect.  Thus a church denomination can have a doctrine.    In Christendom the true religion is defined by God through Christ and His Apostles, it is "to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and...

"But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. 1 Corinthians 11:3" Devotion : The God we serve has laid down a chain of command that exists in His kingdom. This implies that the Father is the first in command, followed by Christ Jesus, followed by the man, and finally the woman.  If this chain of command is adhered to there will be peace in the fellowship we have with one another. But what do we have in most places of worship these days? Why are there so many denominations in the church of God?   Nobody wants to take instruction from anybody. We all want to be head at the same time which is impossible. The real reason behind this is pecuniary gain, each up coming pastor wants to be a General Overseer (GO) so that church income will be under his control to spend as he wish.   I urge you to desist and allow God's work to progress, if you are truly called into ministry, do the w...

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33 NKJV Devotion: I read this few days ago- "the life that we live is preparation for eternity" I can't remember the author now but I observed that it is the absolute truth.   If the 70-80(120) years allotted to each one of us is preparation for eternity then why misuse it. Most use it in such a way that one will think they actually will live here for ever, they are so cruel, they perpetrate all forms of evil act not minding who is affected.  If we have at the back of our mind that one day we will leave this place for eternity we should rather use this few years to prepare very well by living right, doing right and pleasing God with our lives. We should accept Christ as Lord and Saviour of our lives and prepare to meet Him in heaven. (John 14:2-3)  In doing that, that which the worldly people run after that makes them to miss heaven will be added to you with...

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, II Corinthians 5:18 NKJV Devotion: In many countries of the world today is division between and among the religions and denominations. It is so much that you cannot worship in another assembly if you are not a member. But we all say we worship "one God"  We know the there's only one God, why then is division among the Christian family? The reason is not far fetched - money, love of which is root of sin. Each  church leader wants to covet the church income to personal use. Nobody wants to bow to another, each wants to be a General Overseer(GO) hence artificial barrier is created between believers in Christ.   What can we do to break the barrier? Pray and genuine bible teaching, love, charity and true fellowship with other Christian based on genuine knowledge of the word of God. When we genuinely understand that our ministry is of "Reconcil...

And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” Malachi 4:6 NKJV Devotion: The Lord has a way of speaking to God's Children and that He is doing to me right now. Good just confirmed that my journey this past weekend was the right thing to do. I visited my daughter who was living away from home and I found out she was lonely and expectant of a father's visit. The visit was a boost for her, I discussed with her and encouraged her.       I'm with the other person now, whom I have also spoken with and we prayed together just as I did with the young lady. Now this is reconciliation that God himself recommended in our passage of today.  Dearly beloved, when last did you visit your children and encourage them and pray for them. Speaking on phone is not enough. Try to visit them this coming weekend and reboot thier lives. May God bless and keep you ín Jesus name,...

Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Luke 6:36 NKJV Devotion: The word merciful can be translated to mean being compassionate that means to see yourself in the position of the other person and act as you will others act to you. An example is this: before you became born again you used to come late to work but now you don't come come late and you're the boss in the same office.  The boss had retired, during his time he was merciful to you, he did not punish you all he did was gently chastise you. That was mercy, now it is your turn what will you do? Be merciful to the young worker. He too will give his life especially after noting your conduct he will understand why you did not dismiss him. You received mercy have mercy on others, emulate your God, see yourself as a sinner who received mercy and be merciful unto others while they are yet sinners. One day they too will become born again. Be blessed in Jesus name.  Dearly beloved, what is your understandin...

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. I Timothy 4:12 NKJV Devotion: The population of youths are growing tremendously in many churches these days and there is need to manage this properly by the older generation. If managed properly the youth forms a great army of God, ready to go to the field to win more souls for Christ.   Youths crave respect and love while the older generation crave respect. We all love our children but that's not the end of it we must respect their views on the church and Gospel matter as well. To make this possible is to guide their views and to make sure youths do not derail from the words of God. We must be ready to listen to them as they introduce new approach to mission works and gently make lovely corrections to make sure the word of God is not corrupted.   Let's have youths in the different church committees and boards so that they can air their views and...

The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. Nahum 1:7 NKJV Devotion: I like to ask dearly beloved, Do You Trust God? If your answer is yes why are you afraid when trouble comes? You need not behave like sea weed tossed here and there, unstable. Once you actually trust Him nothing can shake you, stand firm in faith and call on God when trouble knocks, believe me trouble will knock at one time or the other. Good says in Jeremiah 33:3 call on me and I will answer you ..... So why are you afraid to call on God. If your answer is No, then you have to do a little work of giving your life to Christ by confessing His as your Lord and Saviour who is the son of God. That He gave his life on the tree because of your, my sin, our sin. That's all, from there trust Him and whenever hardship arises God will handle it sometimes even without your knowledge. If you know and follow His instructions in Jeremiah 33:3, your problem is solved.  Dearly belove...

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; Matthew 6:19 NKJV Devotion: Recently I had to deratify my house and compound generally because I have a small garden and two other unoccupied compounds behind me. Why deratify? Rats are destructive and those ones consume anything, edible or not. They are very small, God forbid if they entery your wardrobe you may have to change many dresses.  Some people buy clothes almost weekly and once used, most of it never get used again. For some people it is latest gadget, car or houses in different parts of the country as if it is possible to sleep in two rooms at a time.  I paused and asked myself why buy many dresses, why not use the money for charity, to help the less privileged, the elderly and orphan. The earth fades away and its lusts will fade with it. Soon the body will reject the clothes, it will become a burden, the electronics, computers of few years back canno...

  "He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him inurn even as the last one of the trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. Psalm 91:15" Devotion : God has promised to respond quickly to His children. How beautiful to hear that from the almighty God! *The only* responsibility we have is to call Him and believe that he will do that which He promised. In the Book of Jeremiah 33:3 God says call on me and I will answer you... Therefore if you do not call on Him with the scriptures you may wallow in trouble, bondage, dishonor, short life, and sin.    Why not call Him today and enjoy His answer, deliverance, honor, long life and salvation? Dear reader, if you have not had a definite encounter with Jesus so that you can become a son and co-heir with Jesus please do today by accepting Jesus Christ as a son of God as your Lord and Saviour.   Be blessed in Jesus name, hallelujah. Edited by Dr Joel Olanrewaju, you can reach me on gbemide09@gmail.com and f...

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. Psalms 119:114 NKJV Devotion: When we trust in the Lord, we are proud to say "God is our hiding place and my shield" but to those who do not trust God for their safety they run helter skelter looking for protection where it is not available. They do not have rest of mind like you and me.  When you go out of the home to some place and maybe there was street fight our upheaval you're afraid because home is far away and you don't have a place of refuge there but when you finally get to your destination or your house you know there's a measure of protection.   Your house of protection does not necessarily mean physical house but spiritual because a physical house can be destroyed by bombs. We definitely have a spiritual house in God our refuge and his word is reassuring (2 Samuel 22:3; Proverb 18:10)  All we need is trust God and His word , this is why we must pray before getting out of our physical homes. Th...

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 NKJV Devotion: The destiny of a man is in his hands, you choose to succeed or otherwise by your actions or inactions. This principle applies to your spiritual life to a large extent especially those who live in countries where Christ is preached.  Moses preached to the Israelites in the wilderness to choose between God and mammon, Moses said in Deuteronomy 30:19, "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live", we know that Israelites went back severally to serve other gods other than Jehovah who delivered them from slavery in Egypt.   God has probably delivered you from idolatry, from wickedness, from gambling, alcohol, lust of the flesh and narcotics yet you still preferred yo...

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.  Proverbs 12:25 NKJV Devotion: Solomon was a very wise man and was able to interpret situations easily. He knew that when a person was anxious and lonely he would probably go into depression but if there was someone to spill the bottled thoughts on and get good counsel the anxious person will get relieved.  Are you anxious about anything? You need to interact with someone, maybe your close relatives, church elder you trust or your pastor. Their counsel and prayers will relieve your anxiety.  Do you notice any of your children or friend is anxious, don't wait go to the person in good conscience and speak good words to him or her(Gen 49:21). Prayerfully counsel the person and assist him to relieve his or her anxiety. For feedback, questions, suggestions and prayer requests reach me on gbemide09@gmail.com and for more devotionals check ojaysjoel.blogspot.com.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9 NKJV Devotion: Doing good to some people is an habit, they will go out of thier way to assist someone or give to thier hurt while some are tight fisted. As children of God we can and should all do good; if it's was not your habit you learn to do it. It is not as simple as that but we must prayerfully follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus went out of His way to turn water into wine so that someone was not disgraced (John 2:7-9), He was compassionate with the widow and raised her son from the dead(Luke 7:12-15). Despite His busy schedule and the multitude around him He found time to heal the bleeding woman with issue of blood (Matt.9:22-23).  Therefore as children of God we must emulate Jesus and go out of our ways to do good to that elderly widow on our street, that orphan, the young unemployed person etc. We have to share our time or means with them ...

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 (KJV) We are not exempt from feeling and perceiving fear as God's people. We can be worried for our children's safety, our elderly parents’ health, future events, business challenges, betrayals and broken friendships in God’s Kingdom, and so on. All these images of death are the works of the devil. He instills visions of lies, accusing voices, and negative thoughts in order to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). They are but illusions that appear real to trick the mind! God’s beloved one, you don’t have to be afraid of anything. Even though you may face challenges, trials, and temptations in this life, Abba Father is always watching over you and all your loved ones. In Him are power, authority, and sovereignty. He ensures that no weapon formed against you will prosper because He loves you (Isaiah 54:17). Cast all your anxi...

“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” Ephesians 6:2‭-‬3 NKJV Devotion: There are many promises in the bible which will be fulfilled if you do the will of God. Today's verse however tells us about a special promise, a promise with string attached and it apply to all people either Christ, Muslim or whatever. This string is so important that it must not be interpreted otherwise as some might want to do. Some will find adjective to qualify the father or mother eg good mother or born again father but the fact is the bible says your father and mother simple.   Do you want to live long and enjoy life honour, respect your parents whoever they may be. Dearly beloved, let us do what the Bible says and it will be well with us in Jesus name. Shalom, hallelujah.  I am your friend Dr Joel Olanrewaju, reach me on gbemide09@gmail.com for questions, suggestions and prayer requests. For mor...

"After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Genesis 15:1" Devotion : The God of heaven and earth be blessed for possessing all knowledge and wisdom; He knew what Abram was going through. He came to Abram at the point of need to encourage Abram to press on. He exhorted Abram not to fear because He was his faith, his shield, and his exceeding great reward.  Faith to overcome all doubt; shield to protect him from the enemy; exceeding great reward to meet all his needs. If you are born again you are the seed of Abraham and all the blessings mentioned by God are your inheritance.  Remember you must be born again (John 3:3) to access these promises because it is meant for only the children of God, if you have not given your life to Christ please do before it is too late. (2 Cor 6:2)  Praise the Lord! Share your thoughts here! I am your friend Dr Joel Olanrewaju visit my page at o...

Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. Psalms 80:9 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: Matthew 13:5 Devotion: In the past few days I have been gardening in my yard and I noticed one important factor that sustains weeds. The factor is that unlike crops weeds are either deep rooted, have many roots or have tentacles that spread far (psalm 80:9) whereas roots of crops are not deep, few and rarely have tentacles; easily dry up unless taken care off by removing weeds from it, watering and applying fertilizer to it so that it thrives.  Tree crops too don’t have as deep roots as wild trees with the exception of few trees like Mango trees and palms trees. The children of darkness don’t sleep they work round the clock(Job 1:7) The life of many people can be compared to weeds and crops. Many “Christians” are shallow in the spiritual matters no wo...

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NKJV Devotion: In such a time like this in the nation of Nigeria, when the situation looks so gloomy, with insecurity of life and property associated with financial insecurity; all things work against the people. It makes people to be afraid and most people don't even know how to proceed with their lives.   Believe has turned cold, some Christian have started looking unto non believers for help buy you and me do you join them? We should not forget what God told Joshua and by implication you and me "Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”    God is with us (Isaiah 41:10) and will guide us to navigate the time and season without loss of life and property. He will provide for our needs according to His riches (Phillipians 4:19). Let's look unto C...

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1 NKJV Devotion: Dear reader, praise God that you have given your life to Christ. You are a Christian and you attend Sunday service yet you are focused on things ephemeral, things here on earth that can easily perish. You run after material things - big houses, big cars, you want to travel out, you want to dress up to oppress even in the church.   Dear, have you forgotten that Jesus says in Matt 6:33 seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and that, which the unbelievers run after will be added to you without stress. Why focus on perishable things? (Matt 6:19)   If you have truly given your life to Christ let people see it in your speech, dress and simple life. You don't need to focus on the here and now, channel your service to the things of God and Humanity, think of how you can populate the Kingdom of God rather than how...

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. Psalms 23:1‭-‬2 NKJV Devotion: Psalm 23 reminds us that in life or in death — in times of plenty or want — God is good and worthy of our trust. The psalm uses the metaphor of a shepherd’s care for his sheep to describe the wisdom, strength and kindness of our God. It gives voice to the sheep who are always eager to share what they know to be true, that staying close to the shepherd is always the safe place to be, for there can be nowhere He leads that does not, in the end, result in that which will be good for His flock.  Dearly beloved, are you close to God so that these assurances can be yours. Let's us renew our relationship with God so that we can access the promises of God. Hallelujah. This is from your friend Dr Joel Olanrewaju, reach me on gbemide09@gmail.com for questions, suggestions and prayer requests and for more devotionals on ojaysjoel.blogspot.co...