The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

DAILY VITAMIN Most times, the memories of our deeds and some events of our lives tear open old wounds that continually turn sore in the environ of guilt. In this situation we try everything possible within our reach: listen to solemn songs, hear pitiful speeches; but to no avail- our greatest human efforts cause only but momentary relief, which exits as soon as the feeling come rushing in again. It was never in man's capacity to take away sin, only God's; and that's why only Him can take that feeling of yours-that pain, that regret, and turn it into something wholesome, because only God can forgive even to the eternal. Ezekiel was a man, and all he could bear for the iniquity of Israel in his capacity as man before God was 430 days, each day for every year Israel spent in the bondage of sin in Egypt (4:4-6). The animals sacrificed only could hold sin but for a moment of the man's life; but God in the flesh as Jesus bore not just Israel's sin, but the world's at...

DAILY VITAMIN Have you ever felt like God lied about all He said He had planned for you because something off the script you envisioned occurred? If yes, it's time to change that mind set and attitude into something more productive. A setback is not a license to stay back. Even the tides teach us that- such that regardless of how high the fence used as a demarcation between the sea and the land is, it still continues to hit until it eventually brings down that wall. Your not-so-good state is not an excuse to exile yourself to a state of forever penury and mediocrity, because life doesn't decide our lot, our choices do. For instance, the children of Israel had suffered for 39 years plus in the bewildering deserts; in fact they must have gotten used to being stagnant-no progress, no nothing, at least not until God advised that they go forward northward (Deut 2:3). Nevertheless the final verdict rested on their decision to obey and move. Don't let the devil cheat you, believi...

DAILY VITAMIN I'd like us to go on a series i term 'God has taught me' as we have for a while now, such that everyone can share a bit of what has been a personal lecture from God in their lives, perhaps through the ''comment'' option, or any means you'd prefer, so that others like you and i can gain a little additional influence to move our lives further faster. So here's one i've learned; Peter confessed 'God has showed me not to call any man common...' (Acts 10:28). That simple statement carries great weight because it reveals the so great redefining and transforming power of God. Peter had learned to see that indeed like John said God can use stones to take the place of princes, even as the heathen could then be translated into jews in heart. In essence, every person carries within him/her the potency to express some great degree of glory, because God is able and willing to make that happen. Therefore, 1) Never look down at others: ...

DAILY VITAMIN #Godhastaughtme Here's a reason why we shouldn't indulge in self-pity when it feels like we are in the worst of situations; it is because before the pain God has been and is still mindful of you, and wills to bless you (Psalm 115:12). His eyes are ever on us, watching over us to keep us safe, giving us the boldness to believe that all is well despite the feeling of pain that seems to overwhelms us. Same way, being just as God is by the love of Christ upon us, we have the responsibility to stay mindful of one another, watching over each and everyone of our needs. You have the mandate to reveal God to the world; and one of the only ways to do that is by a simple act of love..... A little being mindful concerning the pressing affairs of the needy. In fact, the first criterion of being as Christ is, apart from our very redemption, is the acquisition of a life of compassion and love, without which no man can serve the other as Christ came to serve for the goodwill of...

DAILY VITAMIN #Godhastaughtme When Jesus said 'Without Me you can do nothing' (John 15:5), was He defying the essence of talents, hardwork and destiny. Did He take away the accolade of success from the arms of industriousness and talents? This and more i hope we'd learn today. So here's what i've learnt on this: We are like computers having 'hardwares' within our compartment that make us complete, and loaded with 'softwares' to go beyond limitations; yet without being connected to a power source- whether directly to a circuit, or by use of a cell, the system won't work. We find our completeness in God. And that's why its true that nothing can help us unless God does. Look around, there are a lot of individuals radically overwhelmed with multiple talents, yet they are still way below par...far behind their expected ends. Many with billionaire familiars, yet still languishing in the pool of penury. God's decision and ability to bless a ma...

DAILY VITAMIN #Godhastaughtme   Here's a reason why we shouldn't indulge in self-pity when it feels like we are in the worst of situations; it is because before the pain God has been and is still mindful of you, and wills to bless you (Psalm 115:12). His eyes are ever on us, watching over us to keep us safe, giving us the boldness to believe that all is well despite the feeling of pain that seems to overwhelms us. Same way, being just as God is by the love of Christ upon us, we have the responsibility to stay mindful of one another, watching over each and everyone of our needs. You have the mandate to reveal God to the world; and one of the only ways to do that is by a simple act of love..... A little being mindful concerning the pressing affairs of the needy. In fact, the first criterion of being as Christ is, apart from our very redemption, is the acquisition of a life of compassion and love, without which no man can serve the other as Christ came to serve for the goodwill ...

DAILY VITAMIN  There is a difference between giving and giving generously. Generosity is more than just how much you give, but how hearted you do. What makes the poor fellow rich in the sight of God is how richly he gives even though in need himself. Richly, not in terms of quantity or even quality, nor quantifiable mass, but richly based on how much from the heart it is given. Was the heart rich in compassion, God's love and mercy as it gave? Or was it full of egotism, self-pride and every trait that makes him believe it is all in his power? Remember, a broken heart and a contrite spirit[full of the first traits], God wil not despise (Ps 51:17); and as long as there is a willingness of heart and readiness of mind[spurred by genuine love], it is acceptable towards God (2 Cor 8:11-12). This is why God isn't just crazy in love with any giver, but a cheerful giver. One whose givings start from the heart outward. One who first gives with the heart and reflects it by his hands. Tha...

DAILY VITAMIN  The story of God and Moses gives us a glimpse into the true meaning of what Jesus meant when He said ``Be of good cheer, for i have overcome the world``(John 6:33). Prior to his meeting with Pharoah, God told Moses how He was going to let Pharoah reject Moses` words on numerous occasions for reasons best to Him; but one thing was sure: God was teaching Moses to learn how to trust Him, and to comfort himself in Him even when after so much, so little seems to be achieved....you know why, because it`s only temporal, but God`s promise of a deliverance is ever permanent. Just like Moses, you might have encountered some situations that appear insurmountable. You have tried and tried, yet it seems as though your trials were inefficient even when it`s your best.....cheer up, don`t focus on the problem, focus on God. You are an overcomer, because Jesus dealt with that problem a long time ago. Whatever you`re facing is just a facade of what Jesus already overcame on your beha...

DAILY VITAMIN  Have you ever seen a fellow who on the physical doesn't have much, yet speak as though he has something coming. My guess is that after he's spoken and has gone, majority would like "Good riddance, what the hell is wrong with him?" The Jews said that a lot to Jesus since they couldn't understand his standpoint; but unlike many of us who fidget having hope on the permutation of luck, Christ was always confident regardless of how the present seemed because He had His hope locked in on God....and on an understanding that others couldn't fathom. And that's exactly what He wants of us, even if it means others questioning our sanity. As a word of assurance, David speaking to his son said "...the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee until thou has finished all the work" (1 Chro 28:20). God created us to live up to the standards He made in us- which is His likeness; and so it depicts that we car...

DAILY VITAMIN  God always has a plan for your life. You may not like the plan, but His plan is always good enough to make of you all you're destined to become. Life, sometimes, may not turn out the way we fantasized it to be in our heads, but in time, it will surely turn out the way God planned it and planted it in our hearts. All we have to do is trust Him. Most times, on seeing events they term disadvantaged, a lot of people verbalize comments that would make you feel like you have no chance at all to fulfill your dreams; but if there is something God has taught me these past few years, it is that it is not about men's opinion about you or your situation, but about His concerning you. How early or how late you are means nothing when God's decision is set. Only God is beyond time, and so only Him can make late great and early count. All you really have to do is trust Him. This to me is the principal theology every man should adopt- Living a trustfilled life towards God. D...

DAILY VITAMIN  Every individual carry within themselves the ability to create their world according to how they see best. That is, we create our worlds as perfect as we see it to be; and this is achieved simply by the words we speak. The Psalmist wrote "for he commanded, and they were created"(148:5). Each and every word we speak, whether knowingly or not, becomes a command the moment it proceeds out of the curvatures of our lips; such that when you say "please", you issue a command to appeal to the individual you might have offended. So, in simple words, the chisels that shapen our worlds are hinged on the words we speak. In verse 8, it says "Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his words", depicting that all circumstances work together to bring into reality all you've spoken; and as a result when we speak negative, we get negatives, whike when we speak positive, we create positives. Therefore, here's what we ought to do- use ...

DAILY VITAMIN  David ordered a census of all Israel in his days, and the very act wasn't really pleasant before God. No one knew why David made it a priority to know the numeration of men in his host that very moment, perhaps he thought to have a concrete proof of his establishment, other than God's reassuring words. Just like David, many of us either want to feel assured that God is capable in that he gave us all He's promised on time, or that we have all we require to win any challenge we encounter. Counting the people wasn't the problem, the intention behind it was. God wants us to live our lives trusting Him absolutely. He doesn't want us to grow in confidence because of the number of individuals we have in our armies, but because of all He's said He would accomplish in our lives. He wants us living off Him. Not relying on our tangible accomplishments, but on Him. Don't be confident that your future is bright because you have multiple degrees, or becaus...

DAILY VITAMIN Let God Be Enough #2  In an attempt to mock Judah, and to frighten them, Sennacherib spoke about how God could not save them, since no other nation gods could save them. He felt so confident in his words "Don't believe Him", decorated by his bravado that the elders might have even peed on themselves. But know this: the gods of the other nations weren't Jehovah. Many of them might have shared similar gods, but none had the God of Israel, so literally Sennacherib had never tested the God of the Jews. These victories over the non-living gods puffed him up to think he could conquer God, but on paper there was no alibi to support his claims nor his chances of beating the God who destroyed the whole of Egypt in a mere exhibition of His might. Here are two things to learn from this: 1) The fact that others failed shouldn't make you believe you would too. Scriptures say that 'some put their trust in chariots, but i put mine in the Lord', for while...

DAILY VITAMIN Let God Be Enough #1  Have you ever had the feeling of having your assured hopes squandered? Your supposed impenetrable defences tread to pieces? Your source of fortification besieged? Well, the citizens of Judah had that feeling. At a point in their lives when everything was going alright and rosy, and the people were getting to respect God's laws and principles, trusting Him for their every need, news came that plans were being made to put the entire nation under tribute. The cities they thought as safeholds were caged in, and crashing, as it became clear that the enemy was clearly planning on defying God to totally annihilate whatever freedom they had. Well, i guess this seems familiar to you. At a point when we had acceded to the fact that everything had cooled down, and peace (of mind and heart) restored, trouble surfaced again. The kind of trouble that begs the question if God still exists, even when seconds ago, you reverenced Him in full awareness. The sort ...

DAILY VITAMIN  When Solomon spoke about how the path of a just man shines ascendingly forever (Pro 4:18), he illustrated how every day God has great benefits en route towards wherever such a man dwells. Like i said last time, God has a basic instinct to help those whom He loves; but what about those who love Him?  Just in the same way those God loves are blessed before Him, those who love Him are destined for good things (Rom 8:28). Those who love Him through His Son Jesus, who is the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24) are bound for glory beyond what meets the eye. God commenting on wisdom says "those who love and follow me are indeed wealthy" (Pro 8:21 NLT). But what does it mean to love wisdom? 1) "love is a deep affection towards one": Embracing God's wisdom and as a result taking steps as He dictates is the very first phase to getting rich in God. Once we become conscious of how God is priceless compared to every other thing in life we'd realize that having G...

DAILY VITAMIN  When Solomon spoke about how the path of a just man shines ascendingly forever (Pro 4:18), he illustrated how every day God has great benefits en route towards wherever such a man dwells. Like i said last time, God has a basic instinct to help those whom He loves; but what about those who love Him?  Just in the same way those God loves are blessed before Him, those who love Him are destined for good things (Rom 8:28). Those who love Him through His Son Jesus, who is the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24) are bound for glory beyond what meets the eye. God commenting on wisdom says "those who love and follow me are indeed wealthy" (Pro 8:21 NLT). But what does it mean to love wisdom? 1) "love is a deep affection towards one": Embracing God's wisdom and as a result taking steps as He dictates is the very first phase to getting rich in God. Once we become conscious of how God is priceless compared to every other thing in life we'd realize that having G...

DAILY VITAMIN  When God advices we get rid of something He terms "not needed", obliging would be the best option for the moment; and in the same way when He says retain something regardless of how unhelpful it seems, it means it has a greater usage in purpose than what meets the eyes. It's just like the initial moments when weeds start to sprout in a vineyard, it doesn't make sense to the person concerned to put so much effort into removing some tiny harmless greens, at least not until its deprecating impact begins to reveal itself. When He says drop it- be it that habit, possession, or even an individual, just like with the farmer, it may not really make much sense to you, but if you refuse, in years to come, perhaps one, two or twenty, the forechosen repercussions would begin to surface. While speaking to Israel concerning the inhabitants they were meant to drive off from the promised land, God said "...that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in...

DAILY VITAMIN  Weevils are basically herbivorous bugs, but by a deeper look into their lifestyle, they relate to us how we, as humans, limit ourselves all because we've chosen a comfort zone as our permanent preference even when it is just mediocrity. Weevils love bean seeds; and as a result preferably live in them, such that regardless of how much you expose them to the free world, they prefer the sack full of beans. Now, know this: God didn't create weevils attached to the bean plant, it just revolutionized, creating a niche for itself in the core of almost every bean seed when allowed, the same way man revolutionized into loving pork, mutton and beef rather than the other meat kinds the ancient men would have consumed. The irony is that because the weevil refuses to leave the bean sack, it might never get to see a free world which has much more sacks where that came from. The same applies to us. Most of us are simply comfortable with the way we are, the habits we have, our ...

DAILY VITAMIN  We've heard of preacher talking about men robbing God, and we can attest to it as true because Malachi stated the same in scripture (Mal 3:8), but how hardly do we hear of men bribing God, which is the very deed almost every one of us engage in on a daily basis. Bribes could pass for a gift, but in reality it is a false compensation for our unwillingness to do what is needed and what is appropriate. In our normal daily lives, we try to bribe God just to secure the acquisition of the things we desire the most. Whenever in prayer, despite being fully aware in our unwillingness to obey His every will, we still table so called "community services" we would do in exchange if we were blessed; for the very fact that we try to connive our way into getting things outside the way He truly wants us to, we attempt to bribe Him. When we fail to pay those we owe, but still give massives amounts to NGOs, hoping perhaps it could work on God like a tickle, we attempt to br...

DAILY VITAMIN  Understand this: It is not our working for God that makes Him fulfil His part of the contract, it's our walking with Him. While it is good we do the Lord's bidding during our lifetime as earthlings, God is not seeking for workers, He seeks children. Children work, but most importantly live with their father; workers may not do the latter. Children learn, love and obey their father on an obligation of love, while workers do it for the paycheck. God wants a person who would walk with Him in love,and out of love work for Him. So, it would be absurd to think we can deceive Him into giving us our every need by carrying out some community service somewhere around church. The greatest miracle God ever gave was given out of love, and so every other expected must come out of the same; and here lies His simple test to assess how to earn it: "If you love Me, obey Me" (John 14:16 TLB). Our willingness to walk in perfect obedience with Him out of the love we have f...

DAILY VITAMIN  The most powerful force in our material universe is the power of influence. Every day and all year long, people take a different approach to life, some with the theme- good guy turned bad, or a bad to nice evolution. And most of the time, it isn't because they personally got fed up with their situation pro tem, but because they got a conviction to try that different something. Influence drives a man to take into effect a life pattern that meets his envisioned desires, as it appeases his present will, only giving him the audacity to take a risk at it, regardless of whatever consequences there might be. Living in a world of factual temptations, we are in a generation where influence has usurped the place of purpose. Where the supposed godly is open to any move that appeals to his fleshy gain rather than his call to live in "celibacy" from every form of godlessness. The present conditions provide more than enough factual reasons why we ought to compromise. Of...

DAILY VITAMIN  Statements like "Victory is won in the glimpse of defeat" may sound irrational, but almost everytime and always it turns out to be true. The greatest victory can be won even at that instant when you've decided to give up. Getting what you desire could be yours if you'd only wait a little bit longer in the battlefield of your belief and deeds. How do i know this? Not only does it happen to everyone of us in which we sometimes lose or sometimes win, i know a particular situation where it happened, and as assured as i can be the individual involved came out with a victory, and this person is no one else but Moses. Israel had just offended a multiple ring of nations simply because they were possessing the territories God ordered them to. But as they got closer to the next land God pointed at, they saw their opposition coming out immediately in a huge attack to totally destroy them. The sight, i believe, was so terrifying that it would have easily cut off I...