The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

DAILY VITAMIN - Find Relief In Jesus I have come to understand that a word of your ordeal with God never leaves you in the same spot. God’s comfort will heal wounds men's hands can't reach. You see, you might get in a cab, down you go to a professional psychologist, but still might return as down as you went. You might see a doctor to advice you on how long of a life span you have, but you might still leave with the same expected life span. In fact, you may even see a teacher to help you with better understanding of Dalziel's equation and mathematical theorems, but there is also a big chance you'll return without understanding anything better as you did earlier before. I'm not saying these professional helps aren't good, I'm simply saying there aren't better than God. They may provide help, but true rest comes from the Lord. But what does God say? 'Come unto Me, all ye... that are heavy laden', but He isn't just calling you for a session...

DAILY VITAMIN - Chasing True Needs The thing about God is that most times He does not give us our best, but His best; and that's why we tend not to receive what we think we need, but what He says we need. The truth is, we think we know what we need, but we don't, we only know what we think we need. Just like a child who craves the idea of becoming a drug baron because he watches them with their so feigned elite state and glittering flair on TV, and though his parents warn him why he must not tread that path, he pays them no mind,at least not until he sees how so many drug dealers get shot or arrested or what have you as the evening News. We are so much like that kid; we think we know what's necessary in our lives - where we must live, how we must live, and with whom we must live, but in real sense we don't, because we are the creation, and every creation requires its Creator for the knowledge of the blueprint of its life. You don't have to fail before you realize...

DAILY VITAMIN - You're Blessed! God has given you all you need to be whom He has said you shall become. Remember, He has blessed you with all spiritual blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). He has loaded you with so great potentials that I believe even nature envies you; for in the same way nature's sun brightens the day, your soon-to-be revealed sunlight shall shine on so many unto liberty (see Matthew 5:16). For instance, take David for example; how did a sheepboy in less than 13 years gain so much allegiance from every individual on the streets of Israel? God had set all things in order so that David didn't really have to strive. Though times came when he ran for his life, switched personalities to stay alive, begged just to be fed; but in the times of his ever greatest challenges, God stood there fighting for him. And I am sure it felt like a movie to the on-lookers. When he needed to pull a city down, loyalists were there to do it all on his behalf, all because God ...

DAILY VITAMIN - Reconciliation The essence of Christ's life and death is for the purpose of reconciliation; that is, a continual saving process. Let's see it this way: you are a prize to take home; and regardless of how far we were in our lostness, God would go the distance to trade in His Son just to get you back. And so that means that when Christ was dying, He was doing just that; not because He merited death, but because He sort to bridge the gap to cover our lostness, and when He arose again, He did to give us the life God willed us to possess and the duty to extend it to others as well. Just as Paul wrote in Romans 11:15, the casting away of the Son on Calvary hill reconciled us all back to God, and by His resurrection, we arose from sin to righteousness, from death to life, from judgment to peace, from condemnation to conversion, from hell-bound to heaven; and so now we can say that because He is holy, we are as well, for what the root is, so are the branches (v. 16)....

DAILY VITAMIN - God Will Push You Until You Grow Resilient One thing I have come to understand is the fact that when you do well, and yet you still don't get the best, keep doing well until you get that best. Most times when failure strikes and hits us down beneath the 'tunnel' of hope, it isn't because God wasn't aware; in fact to be. factual He was, and often times He permits it because He knows that it's not the action (i.e.unexpected blow as a result of the ordeal) that truly matters, but our reaction to that ordeal; as it can be depicted that while action makes a path, reaction chooses which to follow. Permit me to say this, but I believe God stretches us so as to re-amend our breaking points, because the truth is, if today after one failed attempt there is no zeal to retry, there will never be a zeal tomorrow to press on after 999 failed attempts as Edison encountered. The greater He stretches us, the greater the patience we gain and the greater the nee...

DAILY VITAMIN - Your New Identity In Paul's heart-felt letter to the Achaian church, he summarized the effect of Christ's deed on mankind. He revealed our new status before God. You know many have been deceived by the devil into thinking that they are still as hopeless and hapless as they were before they met Jesus. But that isn't what apostle Paul teaches us in that letter, rather he showed us how high the gift of salvation hoisted us in the sight of God; in that it brought us into One's hands, and other things into our hands. He wrote 'ye are Christ's'- teaching us that the essence of God's sacrifice in Christ isn't just for the purpose that you follow Him, but rather that you follow Him until you begin to walk with Him, and then abide in Him, such that there is no telling as to whether there's a difference between you and Jesus: a process He everly remains patient to see occur. Furthermore, Paul also wrote 'all are yours': all Chri...

DAILY VITAMIN - Find Hope In Jesus Try taking a walk through the city, you'd realize that almost half its population are suffering from depression; both the man in the Porshe as well as the man in the projects. And the very reason why  this occurs is because regardless of all they've accumulated, they still lack the hope of ever being fulfilled. And that's where life actually finds its essence. Rekindling our hope often times can be the most difficult task to accomplish; and as a result of this fear, we run to the 'shrink' to help us find it back, or simply just wait for some hopeful guy to help push us whenever we feel down. But guess what God thinks: As much as your alternatives are so much of a good idea, God is really enough to keep you going. One, because He holds the eventual end of your goals and aspirations, and as such your eyes on Him and that goal should spur you always to keep going. Second, His words. God said '..they that wait upon Him', t...

DAILY VITAMIN - Overcoming Your Ego Most times when we get an advice, that egotistic part of us always want to tell us that we are better than what that advice can ever make of us. The truth is, we act this way not because we do not know how rightly the advice shows us the way to get out of our flaws, but because we'd rather stand flawful than kneel to be changed. And with this, I believe that the greatest limit a man has is not in the gifts he doesn't possess, but in the profitless ego he won't let go. For instance, in one of this series, I centred on the fall of Rehoboam (son of the wisest earthling of his day), which happened not because the solution wasn't at his fingertip, but because he'd rather kick his life away than let himself learn at the feet of others. The same thing happened to Judas: whom despite being told his tomorrow and the consequence would still go ahead to live the error he had been told would happen; just like a child failing a test despit...

DAILY VITAMIN - Greater Than Morality Most times I dare to think of what a perfect human would be like- his aura, his confessions, and his wholesome personality; yet I also know that in the mirror of God's standard, that man wouldn't be as perfect as we think he is. We are but a population with a new identity, which without we would never have escaped the punishment God delivered us from. And guess what, that identity was given to us in Christ. And so it becomes absurd when we conclude that morality is all there is to stay free from judgement, for even morality on its own could not save society from the hell they were running into. For instance, the Pharisees were moral, so moral that those from the rurals could spot the difference between the normal clique and the Pharisees'; they observed all the law they knew, yet it wasn't what the society of the then Israel needed. It wasn't what Bartimaeus or the hemorrhagic woman needed. Just as the fish doesn't need ...

DAILY VITAMIN - Love Must Be Proven It's funny you know when we humans live life ignorant of the real extremity of the word 'love'. You know it's easier to say it, write about it, even believe it, but all of that doesn't matter if we don't live it. Just imagine I were to actually love someone, certain things would be required from me by such a person; for instance, that I always keep that feeling a memorial in words and in deeds, and if possible give up my being for it. I would be constantly willing to spend and to be spent for its manifestation. At least that's what Jesus did. Now, on this note, we are going to place God and man on trial, and actually see who kept up to their words in this love affair. - GOD Right from Genesis up to Revelation, one thing that never stopped was God's confession of His love for man, despite our unfaithfulness. In words, He said it; in reactions, He showed it when He wouldn't condemn us in the representation of the...

DAILY VITAMIN - Beating Fear The most greatest impediment to human success is fear; and ironically it goes beyond having only a physical inhibitory effect. Fear tells the man who is new in business how those risks in investment might fall apart. Fear tells the man on the road that the left route has a death hole all because only a few cars tread that path. In. fact, ultimately fear tells you only the worst that can come out of an untested and unanalyzed situation; and this it does best in particular when we choose to live in ignorance of the fact that for every worst there is also a best. Even Jesus was faced with the trembling feigned quakes of fear. First, on sea when the ship seemed as though it was going to capsize; though the disciples gave in to the reality they could perceive, but Jesus chose to believe in God, and in the best God could do even in the midst of a tidal wave. Then at Gethsemane, it brought to His mind all the horror the cross had awaiting Him that He may give u...

DAILY VITAMIN - Get Alone Time With God There is a huge difference between loneliness and aloneness. While loneliness says "I have no one, and so I must be on my own'', aloneness says 'I have all there is to have, yet I must be here right now'. Your ability to be alone at particular moments helps you to retrace all you have done for a specific period of time, analyse them, correct them, and draw enough strength to practice them. In fact, it is this ability to carve a niche for yourself away from the masses once in a while that keeps you enigmatic in the eyes of others. For instance, Moses had spent so much time with the Exodus- nurturing them, teaching and counseling them, that he had been drained out, but when God called him into solitude with Himself for 80 days, on the 81st, the children of Israel could not recognize him because he had been covered with so much of God's glory. The same thing occurred with Jesus; after spending time alone with God, and wa...

DAILY VITAMIN - The Elasticity Of Hope So many things occur in life that if we were left to judge, we'd rather not exist than do experience them. These occurrences oftentimes could be so frustrating and demeaning that the scripture confirmed that it makes the wise mad indeed. In our daily lives, we face so much challenges, so much that almost sometimes we begin to doubt the promises of God attached to the Christian- which we are. We even start to believe that perhaps disappointments and failure were part of God's plan for us. Well, while it's true that setbacks are sometimes a means to keep us setting forward, it is never God's agenda for it to become a permanent tag on you; and so this goes to everyone who are trembled constantly by a wave of problems that sometimes you finalize within yourself that Jesus already left your ship, hear what God has to say to that: First, 'The Lord is with you, while you are with Him' (2 Chronicles 15:2). Your being in an up-cl...

DAILY VITAMIN - The Most Important Secret One of the greatest secrets to human success is your ability to surrender the helm, even after your humanly best work, to Him who flourishes every good work unto fruition. Why men may call it being religious, God calls it wisdom. In the days of Asa (2 Chronicles 13), one thing was sure, and that was that Judah prevailed against all odds because they RELIED on God. Note, it never said they didn't work, but they never fully depended on their best, but on God's ability to complement the rest. The grace of God was provided to aid our work, our responsibility, our essence; and so it would be right to say that without anything as work, there would have been no need for grace. For instance, God knew man would have to strive to remain in Him in the midst of the tempting train of worldly merchandise, despite having found Him; and because He knows that man's best ability can't completely fight off sin, grace was made available to susta...

DAILY VITAMIN - CONQUERING THE ORDEALS II Every problem encountered by a man has been measured to be his size, regardless how mighty it seems, such that the moment he gets tired of it, he can easily rip it apart. Scriptures say we are tempted only as much as we can bear (1 Cor 10:13). So there you go, your problems are not so big as you thought...okay, they might actually be big, but they are not too big for God, and definitely not big enough for you. Well, that depends on the reaction you choose to impose on it when it comes. For instance, just minutes to the great battle of Ziz, the odds were beginning to disfavour Judah, seeing that the ratio of their warring ranks was 1:3, but inspite of this, Jehoshaphat would seek counsel from God. First lesson here: No problem is too big for us not to take it back to God in prayer, for in prayer unto God, we find our strength and the weakness of such ordeals before God. Next, a word from God came to His messenger, and one i believe would hav...

DAILY VITAMIN - CONQUERING THE ORDEALS I Our biggest problems come and stay most especially when we believe we can handle it on our own; yet the simple truth is that not even the most critical thinker or the most effective brain-bug can handle all their problems alone. This Creator-creature alignment is in similitude to the parent-infant relationship. There are so many things the infant could do without the guardian, but there are also a vast number of things that are hinged on his parents which determine his entire welfare. Even the birds and lions show us this - for after they have starved a while, food is provided much easier than they thought it would; something we'd call nature working in their favour, but it is truly God playing the role of the Creator (guardian) to maintain the balance. Truth is, there are many situations God knows you can handle with your so much acquired skills, but despite this we tend to break when a more grievous one approaches. As to the lion and to...

DAILY VITAMIN - Face Your Fears The major difference between the successful and the failed is their mindset; and that's because our perception of things determines the outcome and mode of its conception. This means that we can never be bigger than the state of our hearts and minds. While the successful believes it is possible, the failed says 'it might or might not'. The tale of the Exodus from Egypt teaches us this: when Moses sent 12 different men from 12 different tribes with a bit of genetic differences to spy out Canaan, there was indeed a difference in their reports. Now, note these men never met the inhabitants one on one, neither did they confront them in battle, but from a distance while they reaped the fruits of Canaan, they spied its cities and its people. On their return, all representatives except those from Judah and Ephraim testified of how impossible the set-target is. Though they didn't even try it out, yet they concluded it not feasible. And this is...

DAILY VITAMIN - Total Surrender The greatest statement any man can ever have of himself before God is that written of Moses.....'as the Lord commanded him, so did he' (Numbers 17:11). Nothing is so appealing before God than a life of total surrender, because while self-reliance tells God how much you think you don't need Him, total surrender speaks out ''LORD, it's all You''. Many atimes we wonder how Jesus had so much dominion over all things on the earth. While some might say because He was God, it would shock you to know that He worked His way there. How? Let's not forget that on earth, despite being the perfect Word of God, Jesus was in every form human as we are, operating under the ministry of the Son of man. Yet something made Him unique; something distinguished Him from the rest, and that was His nature of absolute surrender. Though He was in the form of God, yet He didn't take advantage of that: but was in every way subject to God. Sc...

DAILY VITAMIN - Obedience Is The Key One thing a man who walks with the Lord, or who wills to, must know is that with God obedience recovers losses. It is actually the key to His heart. Many atimes when we weigh the risk of giving up all our false gettings for Christ, we tend to wish we didn't have to. That's the same way it must have felt for Peter when Jesus told him to leave the ships and follow Him, still having an urge to return to it immediately after Christ's death. The same way it must have felt for Paul when he dropped his law repute only to embrace the gospel of truth with so much fervency amidst the trials and buffeting. The same way it must have felt for the well-to-do Elisha to have dropped the wealth of his home, and the flock he had bred, only to follow the poor prophet who didn't even have a home. But in all of this, God showed Himself mighty because they all had a witness that indeed all things worked together for good to those who love God enough to...

DAILY VITAMIN - The Love Of Christ The Ephesian church was always in Paul's prayer; and one of such was that they would know the love of Christ (3:19). To the Christian, this is proportional to praying that they receive the grace to obey God's command just as Christ out of His love for the Father obeyed even to the cross; for the scripture says, And this is ...love...that we keep His commandments (1 John 5:3). But to the non- Christian, it is praying that they receive the Person of Jesus internally so as to live before others as He lived, imparting them as He did, and saving them as He did. No man can know the essence and extremity of love unless such a man has had Jesus in His passion deep within his heart. Not even Shakespeare who wrote so beautifully of love can live so great a love in reality; but Jesus can because He already did, and so can you, when Jesus is right there within you. "May the Lord bring you into an ever deeper understanding of the love of God" ...