ojaysjoel blog

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/ecc.3.11.KJV Devotion: Our God is awesome and wonderful and He makes everything beautiful in His time. When you see the bright uncountable number of Stars in the night sky and remember that God set them in their places you know that God is wonderful.   Imagine how a new born grows and becomes adult it is just marvelous. The human anatomy is the greatest engineering work one can imagine. That joints work perfectly for several decades and remain in perfect condition is a beautiful work of omnipotent God. The big trees tap water from the soil and within seconds it gets to the leaves several meters above even as trees don't have pipes inside. This is great engineering work by omnipotent God.  Imagine how you started 2023, remember what God did for you and y...

The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; And his kingdom ruleth over all. Psalm 103:19 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.103.19.KJV Devotion: Since God created the universe and earth in it, there had been kingdoms and kingdoms but many of the kingdoms are no more. The had disappeared having been conquered by other kingdoms.  Presently some nations are lording it over others by placing restrictions on them. But surely no earthly kingdom will last forever another will overthrow it; God's kingdom has been since creation and it is still operating and will last forever. There's nothing happening on earth that is not under the control and influence of God.  When we believe this then we can have confidence of tomorrow, we can face difficulties knowing that God shall help us through it. If we believe in God's sovereignty over our lives we can plan our lives according to His plan for us.  A new year is approaching less than 48 hours from now, as we plan for the year let u...

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Isaiah 40:29 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.40.29.KJV Devotion: God loves the imperfect world and sent His perfect son to redeem the world. God's son Jesus Christ came into the world to do the work of salvation of the sinful world.  God knows that you and me are faint and we often mess up (sin) yet God loves us and blots out our sins when we call on him to. God gives us new power to start again because He's a God of second chance. God re-energizes us when our faith is little and shaky.  In some situations we seem totally powerless, we are not in control at such periods of our lives God is solidly behind us and He gives us strength to cross the river (Lamentations 3:22-23). He renews His spirit in our hearts so that we retrace our feets back to Jesus.  Therefore, dear reader do not despair or lose faith when you mess up, you're only human just like any other person. None of us is perfec...

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10 KJV Devotion: This teaching is very important for any disciple of Jesus Christ especially new converts like the Galatians. You have been saved solely to safe others (Matt 28 vs 19). One way to do this is doing good to others thereby unbelievers will see your good work and ask to join you therefore you will have opportunity to win them for Christ.   Solomon in his godly wisdom said in Proverb 3:27 "Do not withhold good from the deserving when it is within your power to act" this is a very true teaching to follow. In the physical or secular jobs as you have opportunity you need to assist those deserving and be a good example for others to follow. On your street be a good Christian by reaching out to the less privilege. The still good clothes that you no longer use can keep some people warm, give it out. The indigent child will benefit from a scho...

"Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Matthew 7:9" Devotion : The LORD God Almighty is wiser in answering our prayer request than what man can possibly do. God is not insensitive to our request to give us what we have not asked for; He will possibly not give us what we ask for if what we are asking will destroy us because He loves us so much and cannot afford losing us.    If you are a child of God and it seems you are not receiving what you have prayed for, try to reexamine your request. Find out if the Holy Scriptures support your request; if the Word of God supports it then wait patiently for it in faith. As children of God, we should be students of the Holy Scripture so that we do not pray amiss (James 4:3).    Another reason may not get what asked for is sin, so first confess your sin and ask for forgiveness. If what you pray for will harm other people or you don't need it yet you may not receive answer to such prayer...

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; And that which he hath given will he pay him again. Proverbs 19:17 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/pro.19.17.KJV Devotion: Today is boxing day, the day after Christmas, a day when gifts are packaged in boxes and sent out to families and friends. Today's verse is apt in that it encourages us to give to the less privileged in our society.  The season is a season of sharing of love and happiness. According to the verse above let's put a smile on the faces of our neighbours by sharing our meals with them, clothing them, helping the elderly in our neighbourhood, paying bills to keep them warm, giving scholarship to indigent pupils and students. If we do these we are only storing treasures up for our selves and at the right time we will harvest it.   Jesus in Matthew 25 vs 40 echoes the same verse when He says "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, in as much as ye have done it unto one of the le...

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.1.21.KJV Devotion: It's Christmas today, joy to the world for the Messiah was born. Jesus means one who will save His people.   Today there is evil all over the place children are being murdered in wars, life long properties are being destroyed and people are kidnapped for ransom. These are evidences that the world did not learn to enjoy the peace that Jesus brought to the world. So many people rather live like they are in animal kingdom where might is right. These days we talk not only of physical might but also economic might of nations which make them oppress other nations and place restriction on what others can do or not do.   Jesus, the Prince of Peace came and reached love and peace, saved His people from their sinful ways. Let's not make mistake Jesus will come a second time but not to save but to ju...

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:13‭-‬14 KJV Devotion: Jesus Christ is the gift for the whole world. He was given to the whole world so that the people in the world can be saved and prosper therewith (John 3:16). When He was born, the angel of the Lord came to deliver this good news to the shepherds in the fields. They gave glory to God and declared the peace and goodwill of God to humanity.    God cannot stop loving people because they are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).  Dear beloved, God cannot stop loving you. He has your goodwill at heart; He thinks about you and wants your life to be filled with peace. Just as the angel of the Lord gave glory to God, you must also endeavour to give glory to God for giving Jesus Christ to you. If you have Jesus Christ, you have everything because He is the heir of God, and you are t...

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.Isaiah 9:6 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.9.6.KJV Devotion: The Nation of Israel was in turmoil and there was problem everywhere so God remembered His people and sent this prophecy to keep hope alive.  It is Christmas time but so many people are suffering, so many people have nothing to eat and hope is fading by the hour. They are really troubled and confused but God says rejoice, because you have Jesus. Like God parted the Red sea Jesus will make a way for you. (Exodus 14,: 21-22). You probably need miracle, Jesus is God he will feed you like he did in the wilderness.(Mark 6:41-44) Are you confused do not worry (Luke 12:22-31) the wonderful counselor is Jesus Christ he will guide you. You need peace? Don't worry the one who calmed the sea storm (Mark 4:39) will give you...

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.7.14.KJV Devotion: God promised that he will send the Messiah and he did - Jesus Christ the Messiah came in the form of man, born as prophesized of a virgin in the lineage of David. We receive salvation because Jesus came and died on the Cross. This is a reason to praise God. The prophecy about Jesus Christ was fulfilled after many years nevertheless it was fulfilled. There are so many other prophecies in the Bible that were fulfilled and some are still being fulfilled. It is same with you and me there are several visions we've been told by prophets or from the Bible, some of which had come to pass and many yet to be fulfilled. Should we them despair or become weary in our believe because our personal prophecies tarry? No, rather we should remain steadfast in our trust in God. We should continue to live ri...

Serve (worship) the LORD with gladness: Come before his presence with singing. Psalm 100:2 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.100.2.KJV Devotion: It is still the season of advent, a time for reflection and joyful expectations of the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a time to come before God in joy and worship God with gladness because He is God, our creator, saviour, deliverer, protector, Redeemer, helper, hope, giver, promiser and promise keeper.   God is worthy of our praises and expects us to praise Him always. Therefore I urge you to take a worship song and sing loud to God wherever you're today. No matter the situation you find yourself and it will be a pleasant situation, just sing praises with gladness and begin to experience your testimony in Jesus name.   Remember to share your means with the needy in your neighbourhood, invite them to a meal, but them gifts and help the lonely elderly persons nearby. Please don't forget to give the good news of our Lo...

Glory ye in his holy name: Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. 1 Chronicles 16:10 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/1ch.16.10.KJV Devotion: The Ark of God was returned and everyone was happy, the King, David most especially. He wrote the song of praise and asked it to be played while he leaped for joy, dancing and shouting the shout of joy. (Read 1 Chronicles 16).   This year 2023 is about to end, remaining few days, I urge you to look back and you'll discover that you have a lot to praise God for. When you remember the ups and downs, the blessings, health that you enjoy, how God saved you or a member of your family you'll understand that you have a reason to rejoice and praise the Lord.  That God saved you and called you His own, not minding that your are not perfect is enough reason to praise and worship God in choruses, hymns and dancing. Dear reader, I have a reason to praise God, do you have reason? Search your heart. God will give you testimony in the remaining...

O clap your hands, all ye people; Shout unto God with the voice of triumph. Psalm 47:1 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.47.1.KJV Devotion: God inhabits our praises, He does not eat nor drink and has no needs that He cannot provide for Himself. God does not need our monies, properties or anything other than praises. All God demands from us is our praises and some people are so stingy they cannot give God praises. In several verses in the Bible we are urged to praise God. In psalm 100 vs 1, the psalmist says "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands."    Few years back I was totally down, out of job, yes out of job the first thing i did was to dance and sing praises to the Lord of my salvation, my provider, Redeemer, helper, hope, defender, and lifter up of my head. Hallelujah. Till now I don't know why I did that but I know it relieved my tension and I had joy in my heart.   No matter the situation when happy praise God, unhappy? Praise God, down and out, prai...

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. Psalm 28:7 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.28.7.KJV Devotion: The Lord God is a trustworthy God, when trouble knocks we should run to him and he will defend us and we should have confidence that no trouble can overcome us. This is what the psalmist is telling us in the verse above. In addition the psalmist rejoiced and sang songs of praise thus increasing his Faith in God. We should also praise God in our songs.  Dear reader, when you are going through the waters or fire(Isaiah 43 vs 2) do not panic put your trust in God your strength and shield. You may not see him but God is always there working for you in the background unless you have walked away from him. (You walk away when you seek power from other human being like you or you trust in the power of your arms. A trust in man always leads to failure). To reinforce your trus...

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Romans 15:13 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/rom.15.13.KJV Devotion: Let's examine the relationship between hope and faith. From online sources this is what I got.       When people have hope they have faith, because they hold a belief that says “I believe that the future will be better.”  And while they have no grounds to “prove” the hopeful assumption, they have faith in it. While faith without hope is possible, hope without faith is not. Thus faith is not sufficient for hope.  From above we can deduce that both are interwoven but that God, is the father of both Hope and faith. This our God of hope will fill us with all joy and peace when we have Faith which in turn will strengthen and increase our Hope by His power (holy spirit). In other words if you believe, have faith, you you'll have tremendous joy and hope in your future o...

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. John 15:18 KJV Devotion: It seems strange that being a devoted follower of Jesus somehow attracts haters. People are easily irritated by you; they exclude you or count you out for no apparent reason. If this situation resonates with you, just know that nothing is wrong with you unless the Holy Spirit convicts you about a character or attitude that needs realignment. Beloved, what you are experiencing is what Jesus Christ had experienced here on earth. He, too, was hated for no reason (John 15:25), and as the opening scripture says, it is already expected that if the world hated Christ, it would definitely hate His followers too. Jesus said that the world doesn’t know His Spirit (John 14:17), and that is why we are rejected, persecuted, and hated.  So, whenever someone manifests the spirit of the world against you, rejoice and give thanks to God, for this only confirms that the Holy Spirit is at work in your life! ...

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. John 14:21 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/jhn.14.21.KJV Devotion: When one of my sons was growing up he imitated me - the way I walk, speak, pray, love and obeys me whatever i ask him to do he does. He's now grown up and still loves me so much that he makes sure to call me daily. Now that is love without condition because I did not do anything special for him before he loved me.  This is what Jesus expects of you and me, to love Him unconditionally, to obey and emulate Him. It is not enough to say I'm a born again Christian, I love Jesus while our lives say otherwise. Even as Jesus loves us freely He expects obedience from those of us who love him. That made the difference between the 11 Apostles, the women (Mary, Magdalene etc) and Judas Iscariot and the other followers whose sole aim was for either hea...

O come, let us worship and bow down: Let us kneel before the LORD our maker. Psalm 95:6 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.95.6.KJV Devotion: David invited you and me to worship God in reverence. Let's stop and ask ourselves, why worship God? The reason is simple - God is our Creator and great provider. He did not just create us He created everything that we will ever need to survive. I see more than enough reason to worship God in that.  We should reverently worship God in all situations, no matter what, in joy or grieve, in success or otherwise, when we receive good news of bad news, all the time we should worship God. We also need to worship God with our neighbors, colleagues, teach them the word of God and to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour over their lives and to worship God.  We should worship God in our body, how we dress and and use our body, in our work and relationship. When we notice the wonders of God in creation - beautiful mountain scenery, rivers flowing gently...

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Peter 3:10" Devotion : The Apostle Peter by the revelation of God spoke about the passing away of the present heaven and Earth. Our Lord Jesus Christ also touched on this subject when He said heaven and Earth shall pass away but His words shall not pass away (Matthew 24:35).  The reason for their passing away is the sin of the devil in heaven and the sin of mankind on Earth. These sins corrupted heaven and Earth, therefore God has made provision for a new heaven and a new Earth (Revelation 21:1).  The question we should ask ourselves is am I a contributor to the sin of the world? What shall I do to free myself free sin? God has given us a saving grace in that if we believe Jesus Christ is son of God who died for our sin and make a decision to fol...

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Matthew 6:25 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.6.25.KJV Devotion: The verse above from one of the teachings of Christ on the mountain is apt for today's lifestyle where every thought is about accumulation of wealth and gadgets. The physical wealth- properties, vehicles, electronics that we possess are highly valued by some people to the extent that they can do practically anything including killing others to acquire these ephemeral things.  Most people believe the properties belong to them, that they own them whereas they don't. All that we possess are lent out to us by God and when the time comes, God will repossess them and we will return to God or otherwise empty just as we came. So I wonder why the primitive accumulation, why acquire wealth by fire by force when we will lea...

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.40.3.KJV Devotion: This prophecy about preparation came years before John the Baptist was born and to God's glory John fulfilled the prophecy. He was in the wilderness and preached about the coming Messiah Jesus Christ.   I call upon you today to give your life and accept Christ as your Lord and Saviour and to join a Bible teaching Church. Dear reader while waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ let's get ourselves ready by daily meditation in the word of God and daily commune with Him through Christ. With that we'll not sin but be able to live a life of obedience as Holy Spirit helps us. It is in doing this that we'll be confident, prepared and suitable to fulfill our roles as front-runner to the coming of Jesus Christ.  We have been called and praise God we are a born again Christian. ...

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…. – Colossians 3:16 Things in this old world aren't getting any better, and in recent times, the Holy Spirit has been speaking an urgent message to my heart. He's been saying, Press in. Draw into a more intimate relationship with your heavenly Father. If you don't, you won't make it. If you do, you will see more glorious outpourings of God than you can imagine. That message is for more than just me. It's also for you and every other believer on the earth today. We are in the last days of this age. Jesus is coming soon. It's an exciting time, but it's also a dangerous time. Those who don't do what the Spirit says, who don't press into the Lord, will go from disaster to disaster. But those who do will defeat the disasters and turn them into glory, in Jesus' Name! Your first step in drawing closer to God is to realize that you know God first in His Word. Time spent meditating in the New Testament is time sp...

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) Hebrews 10:23 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/heb.10.23.KJV Devotion: Hallelujah, you have confessed that Jesus is Christ the son of God and you have given your life to Him. Now circumstances do come when your faith is tried to the point of death and you have option to deny your faith in Christ and be saved or be faithful and die. Few years ago there was a video clip of christians being slaughtered like ram. They refused to deny their faith. There was argument that they should have denied and be alive but that is for another day.    Let's focus on the three Hebrew children Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego who stayed faithful to the end and God delivered them. God made true His promise to never leave us nor forsake us in the situation.  There are many other instances God promised us and fulfilled the promise. He said he will send the Messiah Christ and he did, Christ promised us ...

1 Peter 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Devotion: Apostle Peter teaches us to honour Christ as Lord in our hearts, this means we should believe and trust Christ in our hearts. We must live our lives as Jesus taught and commanded; our lives must radiate the love of God. We are also to study the word of God and understand it very well so that we will be able to respond to anyone who asked why we are Christian or why we are different from other church goers. People will ask why we dress, speak and live our lives modestly. We must be able to respectively explain from the biblical point of view. Our lives must radiate love to everyone who comes in contact with us at any time. We must not be like some who are saints in the church and live differently on the streets. Our lives must be able to win souls for Christ anytime. Dear reader, think your li...

1 Peter 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Devotion: Apostle Peter teaches us to honour Christ as Lord in our hearts, this means we should believe and trust Christ in our hearts. We must live our lives as Jesus taught and commanded; our lives must radiate the love of God. We are also to study the word of God and understand it very well so that we will be able to respond to anyone who asked why we are Christian or why we are different from other church goers. People will ask why we dress, speak and live our lives modestly. We must be able to respectively explain from the biblical point of view. Our lives must radiate love to everyone who comes in contact with us at any time. We must not be like some who are saints in the church and live differently on the streets. Our lives must be able to win souls for Christ anytime. Dear reader, think your li...

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Deuteronomy 31:6 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/deu.31.6.KJV Devotion: Good day out there, I'm sure you are getting ready for Christmas, it is advent, a time for reflection, a time to increase your faith in God and also a time to take a bold step in the new year. God told the Israelites to step into the Red sea boldly to cross a distance of about 12 kilometers. One can only imagine what went on in their hearts at that point in time. But they believed God and immediately their feet touched the waters it disappeared under their feet, the land became dry. (Exodus 14: 13-22)  When you watch sky divers on YouTube you feel for them when they have to take a dive into the sky but they trust in their parachute. Maybe you are among the people planning to start a new business or relocate to another city or country and your heart beat ...

but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.40.31.KJV Devotion: Our discussion on advent season continues today. It is a time of hopeful anticipation, spiritual reflection and renewed strength. Every one of us will go through the valley at one time or the other, the most important issue in such situation is not to remain there and not trying on your own strength. One should also not settle for temporary Measures or rely on human effort or promises as it will come to naught.  The Bible says in Isaiah 40:31 above that those who wait, hope, expect or look for for God shall (a decided matter) not will(probable) have their strength renewed. This should be a source of joy for you and me because we have a God who never fails, He never disappoints so whenever life boxed us into a corner we must not lose hope. We must...

I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, And in his word do I hope. Psalm 130:5 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.130.5.KJV Devotion: Welcome to the advent season. Advent means "coming or arrival" and today is the first advent Sunday, we are waiting for the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ to celebrate his birth and if He comes as He promised we expectantly wait for him.  Coming to the physical situation of life sometimes you have reason to say enough is enough I give up, I'm tired, I cannot go further etc. Your reason might be genuine because of frustration the financial situation throws up every now and then but as children of God we must be different and be the difference in the society. The people look up to us for encouragement and we must not disappoint them.  Just as the Jews expectantly waited for the coming of the Messiah we must wait for the coming of Jesus Christ to redeem us. No matter what life throws at us we must be steadfast in our trust in God that He who ...

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8‭-‬9 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/eph.2.8-9.KJV Devotion: I used to have a friend in the late 80s who was very upright, never cheated, did his work and fully earned his pay, did not permit slothfulness etc. In fact on the surface you would think he was a born again Christian but he was not. He was totally areligious. He would taunt us who professed our Christianity saying he would make heaven before us. His believe was that he would earn heaven by work and not by grace through faith. He did not have faith so he could not access Grace.  My dear reader I urge you this morning to take the free gift of faith that God deposited in you so that you will receive the greater part which is grace to become a child of God. Just like my friend above you cannot earn grace your can only receive grace through faith. Both are freely given. Glory to God y...

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: Matthew 6:14 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.6.14.KJV Devotion: We live in communities where we relate with other people either at home, work place or on the streets. As humans we mess up daily in these relationships and in relationship with God. The Bible says all have sinned and fall short (Rom 3 :23)..... but if we ask for forgiveness God is ready to forgive us.(1John 1:9)  Truly some people are arrogant and will not ask God for forgiveness so they continue living their sinful life. There are people like that who find it difficult to say I'm sorry please forgive me when they wrong you. To you and me who had received forgiveness from Christ, those of us who were redeemed by Christ it is not an option it is a command to forgive others.  While still on earth we are prone to sin and when we ask God for forgiveness He forgives so we too must make it a point of duty to forgive others no matter t...