The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

  DAILY VITAMIN - Remember That You Are Loved “But God is so rich in mercy; he loved us so much that even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by our sins, he gave us back our lives again…” (Ephesians 2:6-7 TLB) In today’s world, with all the hardships and trials we battle against daily, it’s easy to think that we are alone. That God has abandoned us. That we are not loved. But that’s not true. The scripture tells us that God has never forsaken us and never will (Hebrew 13:5). He cares for us. That’s why He gave His human life in exchange for our glory. And if He did this when we were unworthy, how much now that He’s made us worthy? Things may not be working well right now, but don’t stop believing. Look behind you, you’d realize that God’s been there all the while. He isn’t going anywhere. The Bible calls Him the Shepherd who doesn’t abandon His sheep. If it will take Him days to find you and restore life unto you, He’d do it. Why? Because He loves you. He knows you by name,...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Actions Speak Loudest “Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16 TLB) It was 4:30 p.m., sometime in late January 2015. The students were crowded en masse for Laboratory Practice registrations. Everybody was there; the sleek guys and girls, and the geeks as well. And also there was myself, and my very good friend Earnest. We were both members of the Christian Community on campus; but Earnest was the more vocal kind. Well, on this day, the hall was replete with students and the process slow, but eventually it got to our turn. The Registration Officer (R.O) requested for the required fee and documentation and thus signed me up; however when it was Earnest’s time to get registered, he failed to ask for the fee. Anyway, when we were both done with the process and on our way back home, Earnest softly indicated that we stop for a moment. As we stood there under the c...

  DAILY VITAMIN -  You've Got A Great Shining "Arise, my people! Let your light shine for all the nations to see! For the glory of the Lord is streaming from you." (Isaiah 60:1 TLB) Sometimes you might look at yourself and wonder how any of the good things stated in scriptures can be true as it regards you; the same way many Nazarenes must have also presumed of themselves since they held strong the belief that nothing good could out of Galilee in general.  But hear me: you are a good thing because Jesus despite being a Nazarene was, and you take after Him through His Spirit in you. You have something in you that can't be measured by phenotypic traits, and that's called glory. And guess what? You've got it plenty. In the theme verse, God shows us that this glory residing within us isn't local; it's meant for nations to see and experience. Not just your family or neighbours; no. But like Jesus, for the entire world. So you're a global phenomenon. Get...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Find Your Spark Again “For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:2) This is one of the toughest periods in modern history: economic collapses in major countries, public health catastrophes—the pandemic and all, and then there’s the fact that recently there have been a mass suffrage of sudden depression by lots of people, possibly even yourself right now; but worse is that because of this people are beginning to lose faith in themselves. And that’s something crises as such do to you. The above scripture uses the term “the darkness”, connoting an entity and not the opposite of daylight. In other words, evil forces who by the advent of certain events push many into emotional conundrums that leave them in gross darkness—which can be said to mean the absence of light/joy in a man. Give or take, depression borne from certain disappointments. You see,...

  DAILY VITAMIN -  Your Best Is Yet To Come "...no mere man has ever seen, heard or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord." (1 Cor 2:9) Today marks the end of the year, but not the end of your life. Thus, where you find yourself today isn't the pinnacle of all God has in store for you. The theme scripture tells us that His plans are unfathomable--too good for common minds to comprehend nor unearth. And then coupling that with the confession that the path of the righteous shines brightly till the end of time (Pro 4:18), it becomes apparent that many a good thing are still in store for you. You'll see this and give praise to God. However, being this is the last day of the phase in our lives called 2022, i'd love to pray for you: "Father, I thank you for a productive year; because sometimes even though we felt stuck or stifled, you had your own plans, and those plans are why we are still alive today. So again, I thank you,...

  DAILY VITAMIN -  Share The Joy This Christmas "The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father's point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord--not soiled and dirtied by his contcts with the world." (James 1:27) The essence of all celebrations is not just to merry and bask in the euphoria of our abundances, but to appropriate the significance of that abundance in all we do. That is, to show what the event truly stands for in the first place. In the light of Christmas, we know it's in honour of God's gift to us--Jesus. Hence, Christmas is all about giving back. Jesus gave His life and glory for us to have an upgrade of that in our once doldrum of a life. And in his honour, we are bound by responsibility to help others have that too. The angels announced that in Him light had come to all men, today we must also help others see the same light. The scripture tells that we start with those who feel l...

 DAILY VITAMIN -  Overcoming Grief "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) The scripture tells us that no man can truly know the happiness of another man, nor his grief, because only the bereaved or the joyous bears the brunt of the experience (Pro 14:10 TLB). Grief, on one hand, is a complicated feeling, set in motion by some sort of loss that seems larger than life itself. For example, the loss of a child, partner, business; with each coming at varying degrees. In that case, it would be absurd to assume I understand how such a person feels. It is impossible; outrightly impossible. Perhaps have an idea of it, but never the exact entent of his pain. I cannot, I repeat, I cannot know what the other man who losses his child suffers even if I had suffered the same fate; because people suffer differently. Some worse than others. But there is a commo...

  DAILY VITAMIN -  Maximizing Faith "....as thou has believed, so be it unto you." (Matt 8:13) Once you understand the extent of the power one can unleash through faith, you'd never doubt God nor yourself ever again. In our theme scripture, we see the story of the centurion whose servant Jesus healed. The first thing jesus did was recognize and praise his faith, then told him that whatever he believed becomes his reality. Many times in scripture, He repeated this. Mark 9:23, to the man with the epileptic son; Matt 9:29, to the blind men; Mark 11:22-24, to His disciples. In other words, faith is the basis of all reception. Thus, there can be getting without first a believing. To better understand this, I'd like you to know that when you faith for a thing, you release the power to create it. And this is the same power capable of creating new worlds. Recall that the worlds were established through faith (Heb 11:1-3); so when you choose faith, you exercise your God-potent...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Is Anger Really A Sin? "Be ye angry, and sin not..." (Ephesians 4:26) Anger; is it a sin? This is one of the most debateable premise in most church meetings about the subject. So, here's my take: anger is not a sin. Yes you heard that right; it isn't, rather it is the acttions of anger that is considered sin. Don't worry, I'll explain. As the theme scripture says, it is normal to get angry at times, but when sin comes in then it becomes something evil. So, it's not a matter of how often we get angry, but one of how we channel that anger. Let's consider cain. After God rejected his offering, scripture says he was angry as most people are when rejected, yet notice what God said "...if thou does not well, sin lieth at the door." (Gen 4:7). Thus, while it is not untrue that sin sneaks behind the angry, it is what he or she does that gives it the leeway it needs to thrive. And what did cain do? He went ahead and slew Abel, and as...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Have Faith In Yourself "...According to your faith be it unto you." (Matt 9:29) The Proverbs syntactically tells us that men are what they think of themselves (Pro 23:7). And that's true; exactly why a lot of believers are impoverished despite the heritage and promises of God for us. We expect God to throw down miracles at all times, failing to understand that there is a time for the demonstration of miracles and another for the demonstration of inherent potential.  Before crossing Jordan, God supplied manna, but afterward he didn't, because the people had enough "manna" within to feed nations if they'd only harness it. You see, the world is a level playing ground; which is why hardworking unbelievers prosper in spite of the marker in scripture that says such will not prosper. God is a just God. He doesn't reward laziness or cowardice; and so if anyone will do what needs to be done to get what must be gotten, he or she will achieve ...

  DAILY VITAMIN -  You Can Do It   "...Anything is possible if you have faith." (Mark 9:23 TLB) The scripture admonishes us never to read the path of the godless (Pro 24:1). These godless people prosper ironically on the earth, thus we are told not to envy them when they do (Psalm 37:7); but this they do by plotting violence and cheating (Pro 24:2). In other words, God is saying there is always another way. There is a better way to make your light glow than doing despicable things. Yes, we all want the best things of life, but there is a better way to attain them. You don't have to prostitute yourself or rob institutions to get these things. There is always a better way. And He shows us how. Proverbs 24:3-4 tells us that any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts. The term "any enterprise" can be made to mean "anything desired". So anything you dream of can be y...

  DAILY VITAMIN - What The Devil Wants from You  "The thief's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy." (John 10:10 TLB) Satan has a sole plan for mankind, whih is to wreck the plan of God for them. Therefore, what is God's plan for man? To reveal His glory through them. The mandate of the chosen Christ is  the mandate of all men (Isaiah 60:1-3). Recall Jesus said that as the Father sent Him, He sends us (John 17:18); while John explains better by saying as He is even now in glory so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). And His Spirit upon us is the guarantee for this (Isaiah 61). So what is the devil's MO? Jesus said it is to steal, kill and to destroy. Note, that this doesn't always involve a loss of life, because spiritually speaking living is different from breathing. The cessation of breath isn't the definition of death. Adam breathed but in God's eyes was dead alongside all men till Jesus restored us to life. Death is actually the loss of purpose an...

  DAILY VITAMIN - What God Wants from You   "You are the world's light--a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see." (Matthew 5:14 TLB) There is a way God sees you--and that is simply as He sees Himself. In John 8:12, Jesus called Himself the light of the world as He also alled us as seen in the theme scripture. So you are light. We all are. When God saw the earth covered in darkness, He ushered in light by His Spirit, but it didn't end there. He perfeted the process by sending man. Man is the light of God on the earth to annihilate every darkness. That's what you are and what I am. However, no one buys a new lamp only to have it buried underneath a bed. So, we as lamps of the divinity have a singular responsibility to shine. This Isaiah emphasized in Chapter 60 of his book. In verse 1, he tells us we got light enshrined in us because God's glory is upon us. Then in verse 2, he tells why God gave us light. He said darkness ravages the earth and iron...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Receive His Forgiveness "So overflowing is his kindness towards us that he took away all our sins through the blood of his Son, by whom we are saved." (Ephesians 1:7 TLB) When Jesus died for us, He did two distinct things for us. First, He redeemed us. This involved the cleansing of all our past sins; making us whole and anew in the sight of God. He gave us a clean slate as new creations, with an identity free of darkness and full of the light of God. Second, He made available the forgiveness of sins. Remember the propitiation through faith in His blood declared His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past (Romans 3:25), but He also says that if any man yet sins, we have an advocate with the Father... (1 John 2:1). So now even when we fall short, we can still receive forgiveness of sins free of guilt. Yes, His blood was the price and it's been paid for. He made provision for our weakest moments. Thus, if you ever fall short, never be afraid ...

  DAILY VITAMIN - There Is Deliverance In The Lord "But Jerusalem will become a refuge, a way of escape. Israel will reoccupy the land." (Obadiah 17 TLB) Do you feel oppressed or distressed? Know that there is help in God. The Bible says in Mount Zion, deliverance comes. Mount Zion here presents us with a picture of God's constant presence. Remember, He dwells there (Psalm 48:2). And we are told that there He breaks the bow of the oppressor (Psalm 76:2-3). Yes, in His presence, every root of affliction is cut off. So, what do we do in times of trouble? We take refuge in the Lord. He doesn't just save us from impending dangers, He liberates us from already existing ones (Psalm 34:17-22). Recall that He said even lawful captives will be delivered (Isa 49:25). So it doesn't matter how you got there in the first place, you just need to return to the Lord with all sincerity and camp with Him; and as you continually spend time with Him, the chains begin to come off on i...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Walking In Holiness "For God has not called us to be dirty-minded and full of lust, but to be holy and clean." (1 Thess 4:7 TLB) John tells us that he that believes in Jesus as the Son of God is born of God (1 John 5:1); and we know that such a man cannot sin (1 John 3:9), but the question is why? It is true that the day we got saved, the Spirit of Christ came into us, and because the first fruit (Jesus) is holy, we the lumps became holy entities. However, the why is really because such a man born of God yields himself genuinely to God. The Bible calls him a servant of righteousness (Romans 6:18); and he does righteousness as proof of his rebirth (1 John 2:29). 1 John 5:18 says that whosoever is born of God sins not, but keeps himself, and the wicked one touches him not. The words "keeps himself" is a call to responsibility toward holiness; similar to what Paul said in Romans 6:19. So while we have been reborn in holiness, we must appropriate this ...

  DAILY VITAMIN - Stand Strong In The Lord "O Lord, you alone are my hope; I've trusted you from childhood." (Psalm 71:5 TLB) A lot of us admire how David's life turned out, and many times even desire we could be him; but if we knew what we had to go through, we wouldn't envy him one bit. He faced a lot of challenges, but he overcame them all by staying strong in the Lord. Remember what he said in Psalm 42:5: "My soul don't be depressed; hope in God." However, in Psalm 71, which is one of the easiest prayers you can engage in when at your lowest to get back on your feet, we see how he dealt with hardships: he talked with God until his faith was resurgent. First, he asked to be free from the confusion depression brings (v.1); and made a decision to trust God in spite of how things appeared (v.14), and at the end admitted that God had made him a wonder (v.7) because He had increased him on every side (v.20-21). And now I'm asking you to do the same...

  DAILY VITAMIN - One Decision Away By Faith "For salvation that comes from trusting Christ--which is what we preach--is already within easy reach of each of us; in fact, it is as near as our own hearts and mouths. For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord, and believe in your own heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:8-9 TLB)   Some centuries ago, there was a young eloquent teacher named Apollos who admonished people after the doctrine of John the Baptist; that is, preaching repentance as the prerequisite for salvation (Acts 18:24-25). He would go ahead from town to town telling people to return back to God or face His wrath as the old prophets did. But even with this, no matter how hard the people tried to desire God more they couldn't, because though they had the zeal, they lacked the life and knowledge that made it possible. Something Apollos would learn afterward; that repentance isn't the pivo...

   DAILY VITAMIN - Show Yourself Approved "In fact, in everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God." (2 Cor 6:4 TLB) The scripture tells us that the grace of God shouldn't be in vain in our lives, but to be used toward edification for the glory of God (v.1); such that regardless of what we may have to go through, we might remain strong for the Lord. And we are told this we can do by: 1. Pureness; for to him of a pure mind all things are pure (Titus 1:15), and he that comes to you with a pure conscience always will find God (Heb 10:21-23, 1 Peter 4:16) 2. Knowledge; for only by the knowledge of His will can we walk worthy of God unto all pleasing (Col 1:9-11), and they that know their God well will be strong and full of exploits for Him (Dan 11:32). 3. Long suffering; for those who are reproached for His Name has the Spirit of God laid His glory, and by committing themselves to Him have their souls kept (1 Peter 4:14,19). 4. Kindness; for he that is k...

 DAILY VITAMIN - The Gift Is For All "For he longs for all to be saved and understand this truth" (1 Timothy 2:4 TLB) Everything Jesus did, He did for all and with all in mind. In other words, Jesus didn't die for the Christians alone; on the contrary He died for the whole world, but those who receive this gift of salvation become Christians (Christ-like) (John 3:16). The Bible says that it is for everybody the Lord calls (Acts 2:39), and our theme verse tells us that left to God He would have all called and saved. Consider what the Psalmist wrote: "HE received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them." (Psalm 68:18). He didn't leave anyone out of this package; all are eligible. Little wonder, John tells us that He was the sacrifice not only for our sins but for all as well (1 John 2:2). However, though all are eligible, only those who receive this gracious gift can access it (John 1:12). That's why even thoug...