The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

DAILY VITAMIN - Making Jesus Your Priority One problem with man is his selfishness. As someone once mused that man is naturally selfish. Everyday we see everybody trying to advertise themselves; it's not like that's altogether bad, but if its against the 'rule of the day', then it is. For instance, we see employees who are paid to advertise their employer rather using their working time to advertise themselves. If it were their spare time, then it wouldn't be that wrong, but with their bought time, that makes it worse than plagiarism. The same thing can be likened to our walk of faith with God- or rather if you like, our Christian walk. Your life today was bought by God, and it is only candid that you use your bought time to advertise more of Him than yourself. The angels proclaimed that God giving Christ to us brought glory to Him, peace to our world, and the goodwill we all now enjoy (Luke 2:14). So the ecstatic life we now live was only possible because God

DAILY VITAMIN - Waiting Out The Storm In this year, as at other times, there are going to be a lot of panic attacks- giving ups on some people's part and discouragements from even those we think wouldn't; but as clearly as the sun comes out at 6, it's an inevitable phase in life. The only difference between its effect on one person from another is the way they handle them. Their attitude is what makes the difference. So, it's never the problem, it is the person. A lot of people are going to say to others as it was said to Joseph 'Let's see how their dreams are going to manifest'; and as to Jesus they would tell them 'Nothing good can come out of here' . As to Jephthah they are going to spew them out because of their petty societal class; and these are really going to shake a whole lot of persons, making them feel unworthy, even to the extent of burying their own dreams with their own hands. David was once in this same situation. He had at various

DAILY VITAMIN - Finding The Pieces That Completes Your Game Only a few set of people can affect us in ways that will spur us to get that which we must to make a mark in our world, but the gambit sometimes is finding and accepting these ones. A lot of people come and go our way everyday of our lives, but our ability to acknowledge and stay acquainted with those that we must meet, and the grace for them to reciprocate, is the defining factor of how well and fast we would receive our long-awaited rising. David had had friends come and go- right from when he tended to the sheep in the desert to when he got enlisted into the infantry ranks, but none of these were as impactful as Jonathan was to him....And Jonathan loved him as his own soul..(1 Samuel 18:1), even to the extent that he aided David's rising to his betrothed throne at his own expense. The same thing with the blind man at Bethesda; he must had received a lot of greetings and alms daily, but on  that day he heard Jesus&#

DAILY VITAMIN - Finding Rest In God And Peace With Men Most times than often, God's will would always clash against our personal will; and at this stage, our rest would be dependent on whose we would choose. A lot of people experience this daily; that is, placing their wills above God's, and though they might get what they intended for, but they lose that soothing peace they relished. They develop a conscientious feeling that haunts them as a result of their neglect of God's best for their best. While some others, despite the loss they may encounter, still choose God's above their's, and as a result even with the losses they acquired still remain at peace and joyous, because they believed God's best is what's best for them. You see, just like you must understand, what's right may not be beneficial, but it definitely leads to where's right. There is nothing more precious to all beings than peace - peace in the country, peace of mind, peace at hear

DAILY VITAMIN - Why You Must Thank God "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]." (1 Thessalonians 5:18 AMP) The most important thing in life is not marriage, neither is it greatness, nor wealth, nor your having a lot of wonderful kids, or a good career with awesome giveaways; all these are graciously nice, but individually they do not constitute the most important thing in life. The most important thing in life is the privilege of life itself; because without life, there wouldn't be any need for a wedding, or a journey to greatness, or more money. Your being alive is the center for the commencement of the accomplishment of these things mentioned. So, instead of waiting until you get a perfect spouse before you thank God, think again and thank Him for the life you still live. Instead of waiting until you move

DAILY VITAMIN - Reacting Right "The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaks frowardness" (Proverbs 10:32) How do you react to people's everyday actions towards you? It is true that actions speak loud, but reactions do the extreme. Your attitude in response to the words of a family member, a friend, a stranger, or a foe determines what you get as a by-product of that discourse. It defines who you truly are behind the many debris and aesthetics life conditions have dawned on you. The wise man wrote 'A soft answer turns away wrath' (Proverbs 15:1): and that is to say that the showing off of your self-conceitedness, and the showing up of your humility in response to the daily requests and words that come to you have their individual wages. A humble approach in responding can tame the hidden tiger in a man, but a conceited approach unleashes the unwanted at any time. So, are you a regular participant in the game of harsh w

DAILY VITAMIN - Surrendering All "And he that endures to the end shall be saved" (Mark 13:13) On those words of Jesus that centers on the eschatological era lies the key to a very grave human problem. A lot of individuals find it hard to just accept what God has for them at the moment, having faith in Him, that regardless of whether He changes this present of ours' or not, He's still God; and so in pursuit of respite, they run to as far as the eye can meet just to learn the world's alternative fashion of life so as to get what it offers to its captives, all because they were discontented with what God had in mind for them. When Jesus said....neither should ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given to you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost (Mark 13:11), it may not be directly pointing towards this subject, but it is likened to saying that sometimes when our human ego keep telling us 'it's not enough', we

DAILY VITAMIN - Emulating Noah In a world which was doomed for destruction; one where the verdict had been passed already; where millions were to be taken away by the floods, Noah found grace. It's like saying he got his name cancelled from the book of the verdict- just him, only him. But why? What made him so different from the populace at that time? Noah was a just man, a perfect man, and he walked with God (Genesis 6:8-9). So, we can say that these criteria can save a man from the billed out desolation, or life recession to come. First, he was just: God desires company with the just (Micah 6:8), and so if He makes the just His friends, it means He would be willing  to keep that friend with Him, safe and sound, regardless of the judgement met by the surrounding world. Recall, Paul's statement, the just shall live by faith, which is to say, they live in God. Second, he was perfect: Haven't you heard that you are made perfect in Christ? So, Noah is likened to a man who

DAILY VITAMIN - Starting At The Bottom "For everyone who tries to honor himself shall be humbled; and he who humbles himself shall be honored." (Luke 14:11 TLB) If you must become a master who would stand on his feet, you must learn at the feet of someone. At the feet, there is usually no fame, no clear gain at the moment, no titles, but as you master all things learnt from the feet, you become a master able to stand on his own feet. The little things we learn from people who are superior to us are not just some things that happen, but necessary things that shape our lives, if by any means we must be (or even above) where they are now. So, do not hate the feet position, it's the beginning point of greatness. The disciples often sat to listen to Jesus on feet level; and after Jesus had gone, they did greater things. At the feet level, Elisha poured water on the hands of Elijah, but after Elijah had gone, he had double his anointing. No matter how defaming or mediocre

Through prayers, lives are blessed worldwide every single day of the year; and this is majorly because there is a true Saviour who hears prayers, and loves to bless as many as come to Him with a sincere heart- willing to heed their call and to weed out their troubles.The subject of prayer can never be overemphasized or undermined; rather it is a key to the complete growth of the believer. Prayer is not just a religious act or some sacramental duty; at least it's not meant to be, it is simply God's way of relating with us as we do with friends and family. In this book, you'd learn how prayer is a victory in itself, and never a waste  of time, because even while we are still praying, God has already started doing something great; and that's why we cannot but call it  blessed-for not only do we meet our blessed savior in it, we are drawn to become more like Him through it. T HE BLESSEDNESS OF PRAYER is now also available on Amazon ( ISBN  978-1090443397) at $15.99. It

DAILY VITAMIN - Pay Attention! God's At Work The time had come for David to fight against those he loved; to fight against the host of the God he fought for. Perhaps, David had no idea who the Philistines prepared to fight at morning-light, but being subject to Achish, he was willing to lend a hand. Then the princes of the Philistines arose, and demanded David's absence from the battle before them. Now, to the Philistines, they were wise, and so they had outsmarted David to the scheme they thought he must have had, which was to reconcile with their rival- Israel, and as such making a mockery of them; but little did they know that they were fulfilling God's will, preventing David from pollution as God's anointed. While to David, it was the biggest blow of life that after all his service, they still couldn't trust him (1 Sam 29:8). He must have felt dejected, disappointed, confused, inferior, and magnetized to rejection, but little did he know that it was the plan

DAILY VITAMIN - Training Is In Session Every individual was created to undergo tutelage under God; right from Adam when God would come down to teach him, and train him in all he must do. The only problem now is that due to our freewill we decide whether or not we want to remain being trained by Him. A typical example is seen in the life of John the Baptist and Demas. John stayed in the desert place, surrounded by honey and locusts, learning of God all he needed to know before he was revealed to Israel as a Prophet to forerun the Messiah's birth (Luke 1:80); and guess what, John didn't despise this training, he obeyed, and as a result, he was shown to Israel. Demas, on the other hand, got so familiar with the Christian life that he sought for adventures; he got frustrated by the pain, and decided to seek pleasure...departing to Thessalonica, having loved the world (2 Timothy 4:10). Just as they were, and others are as well, you are right now on a training session with God.

DAILY VITAMIN - Subjecting Your Will To His   "...Not my will, but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42) Over time, emphasis have been made on the importance of our desiring God's will above ours'. The truth is, we may not see the benefit in it now, because as Paul said 'we see now as through a glass'(1 Corinthians 13:12), but if we were to give it a little time, it becomes plain before our eyes, that is, the glorious merits it contains- which is, the power to transform our very lives to the best God has reserved for us. Little wonder why David said 'He shall choose our inheritance for us' (Psalm 42:4). By this, David was giving up the idea of attacking any land to possess it, unless God bids him to, because he knew that though the land might be green, but how long those greens would last mattered most, and depended on God's approval of such a place- believing that though God's choice might not present such qualities now, but soon it shall blossom in

DAILY VITAMIN - Overcoming Self The temptation of Christ was a test of a man's ability to suppress the irreverent craves of his ego; and that's the same test God let us pass through each passing day- just to see our most truest priority, and the degree of our brokenness towards Him. For instance, using the scenario of Christ's temptation, let's see how similar it is to the experiences we encounter every day of the year in regards to this subject. In Matthew Chapter 4; Verse 3: The devil came to Him, saying, you call yourself the Son of the Most High, prove it, turn this stone into something edible, and Jesus responded, 'man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God (Matt 4:4). It's the same thing as saying 'I know I am the Son of God, but I do not have to do what you tell me just to gain your approval; I do only what God bids me to'. Everyday, our egos swell, saying to us in whispering notes,'you are better than them all, show it

DAILY VITAMIN - Drop The Stubborn Act The story of Asahel reveals the detriment of being stubborn; even with the option of going in the safer direction, he kept on chasing shadows until he ended up dead. Many a times we hear God speaking to us, telling us to quit one direction and take up another, but on seeing how much hard labour we'd put into that, we reject those words of His. Let me tell you how this ends: Stubborness is like a nail's tear on your clothing; as stress and strain continue to be applied on that spot, it creates a bigger hole able to humiliate you wherever you may be. It may harmless for a while, but in time you'll find how deprecated it has made you Stubbornness is that tiny 'tatty' hole on a wall of a man's life, with which with one more blow brings it all down. To Asahel, it felt so close as though he was going to catch up with Abner, but he never did; and that's because the farthest stubbornness can bring you is 'so close but ne

DAILY VITAMIN - It's Never Too Late With God At the latter phase of Sarah's life, she defied the law of medicine and biological science; She completely overturned the protocols of the natural life. At the latter days of Abraham's life, he bore a seed of nations. He also broke the bars of normalcy. Prior to this time, Sarah was barren as an empty barrel; in fact she had given up: it felt so hopeless to hold on to hope, but even at a minute after this hopeless moment, God responded, saying 'Is there anything too hard for the Lord'. On Abraham's side, he had lived with his father for 75 years, though having a separate tent, yet under Terah's jurisdiction. But even at such an age when hopelessness of anything new to come had set in, God took him out, and made a world of men out of him. I just want you to know that there's nothing too difficult for God to achieve. In fact, your case may have been branded 'hopeless' as Sarah's womb was, but bel

DAILY VITAMIN - Go For God The astrologers on a quest to understand the things that be focus their eyes on the stars; the scientist drills his head into paleontology; the wise man seek the same in books; but look at this, God speaking through the word of the wisest earthling, showed all of creation the ultimate source of understanding. He said 'they that seek the Lord understand all things'(Proverb 28:5). In those words, He's simply saying though the books may give a clue, the stars may point out a direction, paleontology may tell unknown histories; but if you must understand the unknown, you must be plugged to Him. In Him, Moses understood the beginning of the world; In Him, Solomon received wisdom to judge hideous cases. And in Him also, we can do much more. Little wonder why Paul wrote you can do all things.....not through the complexity of books alone, but rather because Christ is involved. Know this, that your being in Christ makes you qualified to receive understa

DAILY VITAMIN - Know Who You Are Many a times, we tend to forget whom we are, perhaps because of the numerous challenges we face; but guess what, except you realize your worth, you might just remain comfortable in the slough of life. Unless you embrace it, though a man of honor you may fade away as a mere beast (see Psalm 49:20). Just in case, you are in a feat as the one I just described, then I believe it's time for you to retract yourself as Mephiboseth did.  After so many years in the outskirt of town, the prince began to adopt the personality of the peasant. In fact he got so used to Lodebar, that he began to forget he was royalty. It's just like the prodigal son as well; the challenges of his adventure struck him down that he totally forgot he once ate the steaks kings did only to feed on pig's husks.  Some challenges we pass through would pull a mega-weight on us so as to make us begin to lose confidence in God, and in ourselves, but note that God doesn

DAILY VITAMIN - God's Got You One of the many comfort-producing verses of the Scripture is that recorded by Luke as the words of Jesus. He wrote '...your Father knows that ye have need of these things'(12:30). Even though what we experience on a daily basis poses such a threat to those pain relieving words of Christ, they are the only truth we can and must rely on. The owed fees, the accumulated debts piling up before our eyes, the quit-notice running into the last week of its signed period; all these make us want to doubt God. They all assent to the fact that maybe we have been abandoned. These experiences so much as cloud our entire atmosphere, that we begin to feel as though its God's desire for us to stay worried and sorrowful. So, are you presently on this lane of experience where your present problems seem to surmount your past victories? Perhaps you have a deadline to beat with only an hour left, or let's say you feel like you are never going to get favour

DAILY VITAMIN - Becoming Love If the unbelieving world could not perceive God's love until Jesus brought it before them to reality, the present suffering world won't see. Jesus until we bring Him to reality, by living as He did. Your call unto. Christianity was not just so that you may be saved, but that also others may be saved through you. The Christian faith is more than just some sunday piety activity. It's a call to shine until people see the very Person of God through us. We are mirrors of Christ's personality such that once we receive the light, we shine it out to others as well (Matthew 5:14-16). Luke wrote about how sinners drew near just to hear Him (15:1). Question #1: Why would a person want to hear any word that was against his present state? This they did, because though Jesus preached against sin, yet He didn't hate the sinner. He didn't just shut the door of their woeful state, and left them the way they were, rather He opened a new door ful

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DAILY VITAMIN - Seeing From Within When answers to our desires begin to seem far-fetched, we turn unto signs, seeking just any confirmation that God has answered. Yet guess what, here's all the confirmation you need....'While you are yet speaking, I will hear' (Isaiah 65:24). That's enough if you are someone who believes God for whom He says He is. Remember, His Spirit gives us witness, and that's enough guarantee. Eliezer, on narrating the success of his sojourn to the house of Bethuel in an attempt to take Rebekah as wife for his master's son, said 'And before I had done speaking in my heart, behold Rebekah came forth....' (Genesis 24:45); and in the same way, every time we seek of God according to His will, He answers; though sometimes we may not be aware until it becomes manifested in tangible form, yet it doesn't change the fact that He has answered. God wants you to believe Him even when there's no substantiation to your desire. He want

DAILY VITAMIN - God Knows What You Feel Many individuals have it as a dogma that we commit sin when we tell God how we feel; but truth is, God is truly interested in listening to how you feel than some rehearsed line they force you to say mechanically, and which you say with no heart in those words. God is not a dictator, He is your Father; and every father is interested in the affairs of His children. He knows our weaknesses, yet He doesn't condemn us nor criticize us, but rather has promised to give us the strength we need to overcome it all. When in pain, telling God how you feel is the beginning of the healing process- that is when we engage it in a humble manner. When in need, telling God how you feel is the key to your desired change, because He works with what you say. Remember, He said "Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou may be justified" (Isaiah 43:26). At Jericho's lane, Jesus didn't rush to restore Bartimaeus'

DAILY VITAMIN - Freely We Received, Freely Give In life, there are times when our giving to others shouldn't carry the ultimatum of receiving back from them, or any other. At this point, your action of giving stops being a duty, nor an investment, but an expression of the love borne within you of God. For instance, Barzillai found himself in the position of lending a hand to the king. But while many of us would see that as an opportunity to receive greater things thereafter, he saw it as a medium to save a soul greatly in need of help (2 Sam. 19:37). A medium to simply fulfill God's will.  And even when he was pressed to receive a reward, he would recommend an off-scene personality instead. And so it suffices me to ask this question; How many of us can really put the letter O(others) before M(me) in our personal alphabetics? How. many would choose others' restoration before their amassing of gain? A lot of us won't sow a seed except we are assured of a harvest for o