The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

DAILY VITAMIN  - God Is Good, Trust Him  "...trust the Lord completely; don't ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success." (Proverbs 3:5-6 TLB)  Indeed, God is great.  Every time I read Noah's story, I wonder how he was able to build such a magnificent structure that could carry the weight of all the creatures in the world except the aquatics in pairs of sevens and twos. The creatures must have been innumerable, yet it housed them all perfectly.  But then we realize that it was God who gave Noah the schematics. God knew what He wanted, and He knew how to get it done. All Noah had to do was do "according to all that the LORD commanded him" (Genesis 7:5).  As long as he did that, all was fine. And it is the same with us. We have to trust God and everything will be fine. If we have lived long enough, we'd have realized that most times things don't go according to our plans, but th...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - I Am The Habitation Of God "In whom ye also are built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:22) The Bible says the Lord is a strong tower we can run into and be sure of safety. Isn't that just amazing? How in God we can completely overcome all adversities? Then it goes ahead to tell us that we are marked with Christ (Gal 6:17), and how we are victors in God. Now how much more amazing would it be if I told you that there's more; that we don't have to head about looking for a strong tower to hide from the storms of life, or to riffle through every nook and cranny of the body looking for the mark of Christ because He dwells in you?  Glory to God! You are God's strong tower now. We are told that God inhabits us through His Spirit in our theme verse. And that's exciting, because it means your body isn't yours anymore. Your body is now God's body on the earth - His temple. He lives in and through us. So sic...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Don't Doubt God "For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord" (James 1:7). A lot of us are the cause of our own retrogressions; not someone else, not God, and not even the devil. But ourselves. This trend began with the first man in the garden; how he fell from divinity to his present vulnerability, all of which came to be simply because he couldn't keep himself from doubt. He doubted God's Word and it plungedvhim an eternity behind his original purpose. And today we still find a lot of us making the same mistake.  In Mark 6, the Bible tells us Jesus went to his hometown of Nazareth across the Palestinian border, and despite their seeing His works, they still chose to doubt; and as a result we are told that Jesus couldn't do much there as he did elsewhere because of their unbelief (v. 2-6). In spite of the proofs He showed them, they chose to repel faith. The same happened in the days of Elisha. Regardless of his ab...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Do Good Works "Seek good, and not evil, that you may live... " (Amos 5:14) God remembers our works. The scripture says He never forgets about them (Hebrew 6:10); for in them lies our reward (Rev 22:12). As I have always said, while God justifies the unsaved by their faith unto righteousness, He judges us the saved by our works. That's what His revelational letters to the churches show us. And this is because works are of faith and of love toward Him.  As Christians there is a standard we are meant to live by. A certain kind of lifestyle suited unto godliness we are called to walk in, and God desires that we comply with it. And this lifestyle breeds good works that are pleasing unto God.  The scripture says the law cannot justify (Gal 3:1) nor can it perfect anything (Hebrews 7:19),but not good works. They give us life in fullness. Everything good comes from them. Take for instance, obedience.  It is a work of faith, and as with Abraham, it sti...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - His Duty To You "They that trust in the LORD shall be as Mount Zion which cannot be removed, but abides forever." (Psalm 125:1) The Bible tells us in our theme verse that as many that trust in the LORD can be put to shame. Exactly what David himself had reiterated in Psalm 34:22. He said they shall never be confounded, and here continues by saying they shall never be moved, because they shall abide in the place and confidence of trust forever. And he tells us why here: he says because God surrounds them to make sure of it. He said God will not leave them to go on into paths that are evil out of desperation, and so soon He will save them (v. 2-3). Exactly what Jesus taught in His parable. The widow went to the judge to seek respite from her oppressors, and Jesus said much more God will do it quickly for those who trust Him enough to depend on Him (Luke 18:1-8). In other words, when you ask a thing of God in His will, it may take sometime but He will do it. H...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Your Help Is In His Name "Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth." (Psalm 124:8) A lame man approached two of the disciples just in front of the temple gate, asking them for help, specifically financial help. He couldn't dream of any other form they could offer him based on how they looked.  Gazing intently, one of them said "Silver or gold I have none, but what I have give I unto you. In the name of Jesus rise up and walk." Yanking him up, the man's ankles received strength and he began leaping joining them into the temple (Acts 3:2-9). We see another scenario in the life of David. The giant came against him with all military arsenals, but he said he was going to contend with the giant in the name of the Lord d(1 Sam 17:45), and at the end we find that he slew the giant with a single strike.  The word says "As many as call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Roman's 10:17), but that goes beyond...

DAILY VITAMIN  - Imbibing A Child's Nature In Christ "And said, verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3) In the scripture above we find Jesus encouraging His disciples to become as children. The scripture says He took a child and set him in the midst of them, telling them to emulate him. Now Jesus wasn't emphatically telling them to emulate the child's own behavior. No! He wasn't. He was telling them to emulate a child's nature. And what's this nature of a child?  If you've been around kids long enough, you'd have learned that there's no such thing as pride with them. You might scold them today, but tomorrow they are either playing with or requesting something of you again. They forget evil so easily and humble themselves just as much.  And Jesus admonished, "Whosoever shall humble themselves as this little child, the same is the greates...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - God Always Makes A Way " Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: Is there anything too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27) Indeed there is truly nothing God can't do, and no opposition He can't overcome. And if He can do that, with Him we also can. That means there is nothing God would have you do that can't be done. No dream He's placed in your heart that can't be fulfilled.  See it this way. God told Israel they'd be sent out from Egypt at a specific time and even though the enemy tried hard to upend it, it still happened; because God never fails, He always finds a way, and where there isn't He makes one.  A lot of you may be scared that with the aggression the devil is coming at you, he can impede all the beautiful promises God has given you. But guess what? He doesn't stand a chance, at least not with God by your side. And we have this unhealthy fear most times because we misconstrue what is really meant in most parts of ...

 DAILY VITAMIN  - The Resurrection Power At Work In You " Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath and spirit to enter you, and you shall live" (Ezekiel 37:5) Everything God does is so that we might realize that indeed there is none like Him. And there is absolutely nothing that is impossible for Him. In our theme verse, we see Him commanding Ezekiel to speak life to some dry bones. However the mystery here isn't that Ezekiel had the power to, but that God was going to work through to make it happen.  Isn't that what He said He does in us? (Colossians 1:29). He works in and through us to do the impossible. Verse 5 of the opening scripture says that He will put sinew upon the dead bones, and skin to dress them in human flesh again and breath to cause them to live.  Now consider this: If God can raise a completely dead specimen into living beings, how much more will He do for the living? If He could do that, why can't He do the same for you...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Seek The Lord  "For this saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live" (Amos 5:4) The only way to be safe is to be with one who has the power to guarantee you maximum security from all kinds of opposition. And that is what God represents and does for us (Psalm 23:4). It is never His will to see us harmed (Lamentations 3:33). When the children of Israel exercised ingratitude as they moved from Hor towards Edom, God sent serpents to bite them, many of which died along the way (Numbers 21:1-6). However when they would pray to Moses to plead with God for a solution, God gave them an active solution, yet He didn't take away the snakes.  And the question becomes "why?" Now before we judge God, you should know that this shows us clearly why suffering remains in the world even though God seeks to save it's inhabitants daily. It wasn't God who brought the plague, but the sins of the people, as it was since the day of A...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Serve God With Gladness   "Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing" (Psalm 100:2) There are days when we might feel too bitter to be cheerful, yet it is in days like these that God expects us to be most cheerful. Recall what Habakkuk did. " Although the fig tree shall not blossom... Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation " (Habakkuk 3:17-18).  He didn't have a reason to rejoice, still he considered God as a valid reason to. And God wants the same from us.  He tells us to enter His presence with thanksgiving giving at all times, not gloominess; because there is nothing but joy wherever He is (Psalm 16:11). And since we are always in His presence in spirit, it means He intends it to be at all times (1 Thess 5:18). You might not know but not doing so robs us of great things. Consider Deuteronomy 28:47-48, " Because thou served not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness o...

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Watch !  "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise" (Ephesians 5:15) The admonition of Jesus to watch and pray is one we mustn't take lightly or ignore if we must get all God has in store for us. Paul tells us to redeem the time (v. 16); having realized the times we are in and living as much as we can to our best ability in fulfilling all imagined in it for us.  This is paramount because not doing so has grave consequences. Let's consider two contrasting examples.  The children of Israel had been informed that in four hundred years they'd depart their captivity, but when it was time, they didn't. Was it because God lied? No! God never lies. It was simply because they weren't watching. They were growing comfortable with their afflictions that they completely forgot all that were truly theirs.  God said " Put me in remembrance " (Isaiah 43:26), and it wasn't until they started doing so that He sent Moses...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Don't Give Up "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small" (Proverbs 24:10) Your success isn't the measure of what you started but of what you finished. Scriptures say the end of a thing is better than the beginning (Eccl 7:8). So it is not enough that you started, because the blessing is in that you finished.  The Bible holds a list of people who began things but never finished. And one of such examples are those set of persons who deserted Jesus in John 6:66. If you noticed, their names were not made known, because no one remembers the person who failed to finish.  It's just like the story of a certain man during the Gold Rush who sold all he had to buy a piece of land in search of gold, and after years of finding nothing sold it to another person who continuing  from where he had left off found the desired gold after only a few days. Many people give up too easily. They give up when things get hard, but listen to what Joab to...

  DAILY VITAMIN - You Lose Nothing With God "The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing" (Psalm 34:10) The scripture assures us that they that trust in the LORD and seek Him shall not lack any good thing. And just while some might want to water down the potency of that promise by saying He was talking about our life in eternity, Jesus came and made it clear to all. Peter had asked Him about what would be the lot of those who appeared to have lost a lot for His sake; and He said "Verily I say unto you, There is no man that has left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time and in the world to come life everlasting" (Luke 18:29-30). He said there is no man and never will be.  God takes good care of His own, and He will take care of you. Remember He is the good Shepherd, and the shepherd ensures you lack noth...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Don't Be Afraid To Speak “Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:34-35) Never mistake stupidity for humility; and a lot of people have. God tells us to shout it out loud from the rooftops- that is, our praise to Him and His gospel to the world; and that gospel includes all we are now in Christ Jesus. Some people placate their lack of understanding by quoting Jesus words, saying he that exalts himself shall be abased, and he that abases himself shall be exalted (Luke 18:14); but how is it exalting oneself if it is who we are?  Jesus never denied His sovereignty in God, and that never made Him any less humble because by His works He showed how lowly He is. Even before kings, He never retracted that He is the Son of God or that He shall dwell in glory for all to see. And neither should you. That isn't pride, it is truth in kn...

  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 ...