The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

  DAILY VITAMIN - God Will Answer You "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry" (Habakkuk 2:3) It doesn't matter how it may look like now, never doubt that God will indeed answer you. You matter to Him, so He will suddenly come to your rescue. Jesus was speaking on this subject matter and affirmed that He will answer. He said "And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily" (Luke 18:7-8). But before we go any further, let's understand what He meant by speedily here so that you dont get confused when it seems to be taking a lot of time to manifest. First things first, He spoke of bearing long with them. That speaks of a waiting period; and then intermittently spoke of helping them speedily. It may sound contrasting, or like some beaut...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Mind What You Think "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight O LORD..." (Psalm 19:14) Just imagine for a minute if everything you thought and said were recorded in a book. Well, we know they are clearly known before God; but nonetheless let's imagine they were written down in a book for all to read. Let's imagine there was a book for you just as we have the book of Job; what would it contain?  Would it be filled with praises to God, or complaints against Him? Would it be filled with words of faith and assurance in God, or murmurings of doubt towards Him? Would you be proud of what you read? Would it be a book you would gladly recommend to boost the faith of men?  If your answer is in the positive, then good for you; but if not, then you've got a lot of work to do. God desires that we think acceptable thoughts and speak acceptable words. Thoughts and words that edify, being seasoned with grace. Thoughts...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Now Is The Time "Today, when you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion" (Hebrews 3:15) The story is told of an affluent woman who was aboard the Titanic. She was served dinner but opted to have her favourite dessert afterwards in an hour time, whilst her company had theirs. Unfortunately, before the hour mark, the mighty Titanic was already down in the depth of the ocean. She kept her choice food for later, but later never came.  You see, while you can stall when you eat, you must never stall when to pursue God.  Our theme scripture says now is the time to listen to God's Word, to obey Him, to seek Him, to follow Him and to honour Him; not tomorrow. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says that salvation is for today, because now is always the appointed time to seek God. That's why Jesus warned those who asked for some days to bury their dead (Luke 9:59-62). Now is always the time; tomorrow can be late. It is never assured, but now is yours....

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Live By Faith "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17) The Bible says the righteous shall live by faith [not sight] (Habakkuk 2:4); and he shall not be forsaken (Psalm 37:25). Thus, don't let your present condition get you depressed. It is not permanent. Focus on God and His Word.  The scripture tells us that we start to sink when we judge by sight. For instance, we are told that when Peter saw Jesus walking on water and gave him word to come, Peter walked on the water, but as soon as he saw the boisterous wind,  fear came in and he began to sink (Matt 14:28-31). And Jesus told him he sank because he failed in faith on the premise of what he saw.  Now to you; you may not have a job yet, but don't let it cast you down. If God has promised you, then He will establish you. Keep on in faith. I'm in no wise telling you not to be concerned, but I'm...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Walk Holy "Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labour of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you" (Psalm 128:1-2) It is no doubt that in Christ we have been born again by the Spirit of holiness, however we are told all through scripture to walk in this holiness. And that's because it has its benefits on the earth as well.  First, walking in holiness means walking towards the ways and Word of God and away from the ways of sin. And this is very possible because now we have a regenerated spirit that can and has overcome sin (1 John 3:9); but walking this way is a choice we must make on a daily basis. And David said such a man who does so shall have all things well with him. Note, not in heaven - since that is assured, but also here on earth.  And second even though we are born into holiness in Christ, walking in it requires prompt and utmost obedience to God; and this as ...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - You Are Not Wasting Your Time "For still the vision awaits its time;  it hastens to the end- it will not lie. If it seem slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay" (Habakkuk 2:3) The Bible tells us that Noah spent a hundred years building the ark; and we know that everything he got as a reward afterwards was a direct result of everything he did in obedience to God. And it is said that he obeyed God in all things (Genesis 6:22), and that can only lead to prosperity (Job 36:11). Anyway, here's what I want you to know: Whatever it is you are doing right now in accordance to God's instructions is not a waste of time. Its result may not have shown yet, but it will. Can you imagine spending hundred years on one project no one sees any need for? That's how Noah felt.  He spent a good century of his life building an ark to escape a coming flood when there hadn't even been a drop of rain on the earth. You can bet people mocked him as ...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Let God Lead You "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God" (Romans 8:14) God wants to lead you in everything you do. And that's a truth scripture affirms, and as such can't be disputed. All through the Bible, He speaks to us as in a Shepherd-sheep relationship. And this is what is exciting about that. A sheep can't get anywhere right without being guided by the shepherd; and the moment it loses touch with this guidance, it stands a great chance of getting lost.  David said "The LORD is my shepherd: I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake" (Psalm 23:1-3). Emphasis is on " lead ". From this scenario, based on where this was written- the desert lands of Palestine, you'd wonder how he found green pastures enough to even lay down in rest, but there he told us how - G...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Obey God Now "Today, when you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion" (Hebrews 3:15) Every obedience to God's instructions has its time. You can't choose to ignore it today and pursue it tomorrow; the blessing is attached to the time designated for its compliance. That's why God despises procrastination. When Jesus called the young man who opted to bury his father first, He told him to follow him immediately (Luke 9:59-60). He did so because the blessing attached to that obedience was for that exact moment. The fruit was to be reaped on that day.  The same thing can be seen in the lives of the Israelites. When God commanded them to go into Canaan and subdue it, they rejected His Word out of fear of what they assumed the enemy was. And as a result practised unbelief, because obedience takes faith, thereby procuring God's wrath upon themselves. Upon seeing what had befallen them, they prepped themselves to go but God adv...

  DAILY VITAMIN - In Christ, There's Hope For The Dead "...Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them" (Revelations 14:13) Jesus described those who die in the LORD as living and not dead. Their mortal flesh might have died, but their eternal spirits are alive in God forever.  Our theme scripture calls such people blessed. It says they are taken into rest and their works of righteousness do follow them. And recall what is spoken about this: He said God will never forget our works... (Hebrews 6:10). So even at death God never forgets how such lived for Him, and He rewards them with everlasting life with Him.  That's what Isaiah tried explaining. He said the just man that dies has been freed from the evil to come; he has entered into peace and shall continually walk in his uprightness (Isaiah 57:1-2). His righteousness goes with him to the throne of God to earn ...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Don't Doubt God's Ability  "And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short? Thou shall see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not" (Numbers 11:23) Many times, consciously and unconsciously, we doubt God's power to do all things. Our thoughts and conversations give us away. In our theme verse, we see Moses who had the wonderful works of God in display several times still questioning if God could feed over a million people in the desert. He had forgotten that God is the same One who makes rivers and springs even in the deserts.  Anyway, he was subtly doubting God. And sometimes it would seem justifiable. The odds were highly against such an occurrence. Notice the question he asked: "Shall the flocks... be slain for them, to suffice them?" (v. 22). He was judging God through the limitations of his condition. He was evaluating God's sufficiency from his insufficiency. But isn't that what we all do...

 DAILY VITAMIN  - Plead Your Cause, Not Complain "Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified." (Isaiah 43:26) The Bible tells us in Numbers 11:1 that when the people complained, it displeased God and His anger kindled hot against them. The scripture also tells us that God despises murmurings, with ample evidences to show for it.  With this, it becomes difficult to discern how we should approach God when things aren't happening as we were told. But God shows us what to do: He says put Him in remembrance. Plead your cause that you may be justified.  There's a big difference between pleading your cause and complaining. For example, when Hezekiah was told he would die, what he did when he prayed was pleading his cause. Most of the psalms written also had this in clear expressions. Compare Psalm 89:19-52. You see, in pleading your cause you hinge your case on God's Word to you. For instance, "God, you said that if I s...

DAILY VITAMIN  - Understanding God "For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge" (Romans 10:2) These words speak of all other major religions as well. It would be wrong to say that they don't have a passion for God. It would be, because they do, their devotions show it, but not according to knowledge. The Muslim is seeking to find the true God, and so is the Hindu, or the Shintoist and so on and so forth; but while the desire is there, what they all have in common is that the way remains unknown to them.  And that is why all God has ever wanted to do is to show man His way, and not just His acts. But still many know it not, nor understand it and so continue to walk on in darkness.  However Paul reveals it: he says Christ is the end of the law of righteousness to all that believe (v. 4). That is, Jesus is where the buck stops when it comes to knowing God. You see, while many of these religions have dos and don'ts to kind of pleas...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Banking On The Word "Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified" (Isaiah 43:26) Our theme scripture speaks about reminding God of all His promises towards us. But how can we do this? By repeatedly crying "Remember me O Lord"? That could work since God's mercies are often independent of merits, but there's a more effective way. And that is by banking on His Word.  As you may have heard, God is not moved by tears, He's moved by the willingness to hold on to His Word of what will be regardless of what may seem to be; by those who will bank on His Word. And it literally means exactly what it says.  When you receive a cheque, you take it straight to the bank to get your cash in hand. And as long as the signature is right, it has to be honoured. Now, the same thing is applicable with God. When you receive a promise in your spirit and aren't seeing its fruits yet, you take it to the LORD, hav...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Perfectly Joined Together  "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10) In Philippians 4, Paul gave a stern warning to the Saints. He said "I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord" (v. 2). Those two fellows represent the many Christians that live in strife one toward the other.  So through Paul, God wasn't just speaking to two Greeks, He was speaking to the entire body of Christ. And that's because He wants unity amongst us. Jesus said "That they all may be one, as thou, Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us... " (John 17:21). And being one was exactly what Paul described in our theme scripture.  He said that we may speak the same thing (one Gospel, with no dis...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Enriched In All Things "God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing" (Psalm 23:1 MSG)  Apostle Paul, writing to the Church in Achaia, said "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:4-7). Did you see that? " Enriched " in everything and every way. David experienced it, and now Paul was confirming its reality in the lives of the saints; because even though times change, God never changes. It says He has enriched us in everything by the grace given us by Christ Jesus. What that means is that even if it seems like you don't have all you need, all you need to get all you would have has been imprinted upon you.  Little wonder why Paul went ahead to tell t...