The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

  DAILY VITAMIN  - What Does It Mean To Fear God? "O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him." (Psalm 34:9) What does it mean to fear God? Does it mean we ought to always shudder at the sound of His Name like the Israelites in the wilderness? If that's what God wanted, Jesus would never have taught us to call Him Father. We are His children; and children do not fear their parents; at least not in the way you think unless you were assaulted as a kid. In a father-child relationship, that fear is translated to reverence, honour and love. So a child do not get scared before the father, but respects, honours and loves him for his role in their lives as biological creator and physical protector, provider and guide.  Similarly, the fear of the Lord is to honour God, to respect Him and to love Him. What this means is that we put Him first. We think of Him first. We consider His word first. And we seek His way first in everything we do. To fear Him

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Destined For Glory "...and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified" (Roman's 8:30) Prior to that verse, Paul was trying to explain how things always work together for the good of those who are the called according to His purpose. Well, guess what? You are the called. I am. Jesus said no one can come to Him except the Father draws him or her (John 6:44). A process Peter describes as being called forth  out of darkness (1 Peter 2:9). So as many of us who are now saved were called out of darkness to His marvelous light; and so our theme scripture applies to us. Therefore, know that God has a life of glory packaged for you. A life of possibilities and change of story experiences. It may look like that's not possible judging from your present situation, but it isn't, believe me.  Let me tell you a story: There was a time I was out of a job for more than a year. I had no money, and each day my worries grew

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Faith Trumps Over Fear  "They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abides forever" (Psalm 125:1) There is only one proven way to overcome fear, and that is by putting a greater confidence in an entity you believe is superior to whatever scares you. For instance, consider a poor man who is jobless, broke and without a contingency, he's going to be scared to his bones whenever the mortgage payment is due. However, he stops being afraid of not being able to make payment the moment he gets notified he's won the lottery. He may not have the money in the bank just yet, but knowing the sum.won can swallow whatever challenges might be posed against him gives him the audacity to sleep with both eyes closed.  Nevertheless, there is a source of confidence more reliable than the lottery, and things even wealth can't fully surmount. There are fears even the rich suffer; but there is a solution that overcomes all fear, a

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Always Remember That God Will Take Care Of You "For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall." (Isaiah 25:4) During a typhoon or a hurricane, people evacuate cities because there's a tendency that even the bulkiest infrastructure might be pulled down by the intensity of the storm. That's how the enemy attacks, intensely and fiercely, but in all of this, Isaiah says He stays as a strength we need to pull through the storm. He did it then, and even now He will. A songwriter says God can do it again. He has done it before. You may not know how, you may not know when but He will do it again. In other words, there's nothing you desire of God right now that He hasn't given proofs to show He can do it. The testimonies He gave you in time past is the evidence of the ones He can give you in time to

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Live As You Were Called "But ye are a chosen generation, royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9) Our theme scripture refers to every born again individual as a holy person. As such there is a certain kind of life expected of us as believers. There are things we can't and shouldn't do anymore.  You see, Christ didn't come to make us not guilty despite the things we do. No. He came to proclaim us not guilty and so that we might never do these things again. That's why you will always hear me say, we can't do the things sinners do and not expect to end up where sinners end up. The difference between the born again person and the sinner is where they stand. Sinners stand in the light, sinners in the dark. If you find yourself living still in the dark, then you're not really born again.  Paul agrees with me. H

 DAILY VITAMIN  - As You Say It, You See It "Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee..." (Job 22:28) If you knew how much power you have as a believer, you'd never belittle yourself. The scripture tells us that the same power that created the world and raised Jesus from the grave dwells richly in you. Do you know what that means? Simple. You possess the power of a world maker and a world changer within you. In other words, you can shape and reshape your world to your taste. The external world might be in chaos but your immediate world would be a haven of peace. That's how Isaiah puts it (Isaiah 60:1-3). And He also reveals how it is possible. Isaiah 61 says this is because the Spirit of the Lord is upon thee. He (the Spirit) gives spiritual credence and power to our every word. So when we talk, we aren't just talking, we are shaping possibilities. Little wonder why Paul advised us to focus only on positive thoughts (Philippians 4:8).

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Staying Guaranteed of Rewards (2) "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth." (Deut 28:1) 3. Trust In The Lord : The Bible says no one who trusts in the Lord shall ever be put to shame (Psalm 34:22). Trusting God is the greatest proof of faith. It reflects where God stands to you in the grand schemes of things. It says that you know He is all He says He is and will bank your everything on that truth. And no man who makes God bigger than all things in his heart can ever be crowded out into obscurity. Because God will always make a place for him or her at the apex of the pyramid of honour. Proverbs 3:5-6 says that when we trust in Him, He will constantly direct us. To where? To places where rewards can be harvested. In Psalm 37, David called this position one

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Staying Guaranteed of Rewards (1) "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:58) There is a way that guarantees you of rewards with God. If there weren't, the Father wouldn't have said of Christ "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased with". There was a reason Jesus so pleased the Father, and that reason was in His quality of service; which is also the simplest way to set yourself up for rewards (see John 12:26). Moreover, God is always eager to reward His people. But as seen in scripture, there are certain things required of us to ensure such rewards never elude us. In a single chapter of the Book of Proverbs Solomon shows us how. And in this two-part devotion, we'll be looking at what they are. 1. Honour God's Word : "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Why God Blessed You "Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them." (1 Timothy 6:18 TLB) In Jesus' words, we are made to be lights. And to live as light is to add value to the lives of those around us. Look at the sun for instance. Freely sustaining plants and animals alike. Well, we are the sun of the world as Jesus was. He sustained and still sustains. Which is what He did while on earth. He met not only the spiritual needs of people, but their primary need as well. He fed the hungry if He met them in their hunger, comforted the mourning. He was everything they needed Him to be in order to fully express the love of God. Now the same is required of us. We were blessed to be blessings to many. This is what God meant when He declared we shall lend to nations and not borrow (Deuteronomy 28:11-12). The surplus blessing

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Let The Spirit Be Your Guide "And if you leave God's paths and go astray, you will hear a Voice behind you say, "No, this is the way; walk here." (Isaiah 30:21 TLB) If there's one thing I've chosen to do, it is never to be hypocritical. And to tell you I'm some perfect chap every minute of the day would be hypocritical because I'm not. In fact, the only reason I'm still here is because God won't let me go. He lovingly comes back to pick me up when I fall. And fall I do very often, at least within the realm of my mind, doubting and all the sorts. But He never lets me go. The Holy Spirit whispers to bring me back to the right path, and when I stubbornly won't listen He roars and drags me out of my spiritual Egypt as scripture says He does (Hosea 11:10-11, Isaiah 11:15-16). And that's why I'm still here. Not of my doing nor making but His, and that's why like David we say "Not unto me, not unto me, but unto

  DAILY VITAMIN - Make It Count "...for this purpose came I into the world..." (John 18:37) These words of Jesus resonate with the very idea that we were not brought into this world by mistake. The idea of designation and predestination. In other words, there was a purpose that engendered your being born. There's something God has prepared you for. Like any good old product, there's a need that must be met, a demand that must be supplied.  Every producer produces against an already established need. Leaving nothing to chance; if not profit wouldn't be highly assured. So they run their feasibility studies to ensure an advantageous purpose can be ascertained before such a product is put out. Even big corporations like Coca Cola know that we might need a gulp of sugar after an exhausting day, so a drink to enhance glucose availability in the body system was designed and has been meeting that need for centuries, guaranteeing generational profits. In the same way, God

  DAILY VITAMIN - Your Miracles Are In Your Hands "All things are possible if you can believe..." (Mark 9:23) Note, the emphasis is on You. You are the defining factor in the world of miracles. Not God. And I'll show you how. Miracles are 50/50. What this means is that we have a huge role to play. You see, miracles are not a big deal to God, just to us. It's everly in His atmosphere as oxygen is in ours. Yet a working mechanism is required if we are to obtain it with ease.  However, regarding oxygen, many, though, humans still can't absorb it directly due to one congenital mishap or another. Very painful it is. But such that not all of us can as readily get what has been made hugely available. The same applies to miracles. God does and grants platforms/seeds for miracles daily. As the scripture says He daily loads us with benefits (Psalm 68:19). The problem is that we have not grown the capacity to receive. Jesus said "According to your faith, be it unto you.

  DAILY VITAMIN - Ask Anything "If you ask anything in my name, I will do it." (John 14:14) As kids, weeks before our birthdays we are asked what we would love to have the most, and oftentimes than not we did get them. Even now as adults we still get asked. For instance, today's my birthday and if I didn't always do enough to hide that information from a lot of people including familiars I'd still get asked right now. But here's the thing: such gracious offers of asking in order to receive certain gifts only happen on certain occasions, humanly speaking; however with God it's a plain cheque. Jesus instructed us to ask if we've never asked anything of Him and assures us that when we do our joy will be complete (John 16:22-24). Meaning He won't disappoint us. Rather He will answer us, and speedily so long as it's not against His ways. For example, you can't ask God for your neighbor's wife. That'd be stupid when God Himself declared t

  DAILY VITAMIN - See It As God Sees It "Look as far as you can see in every direction, for I am going to give it all to you and your descendants..." (Genesis 13:14-17 TLB) Life is hard. That's the truth, but it's not what matters. What really matters is how we respond to it. Because that's what faith is all about: how we respond to it.  Faith says I'm still here when life has thrown its worst blow. Faith says it's not over when life's mockingly saying it is. Faith says I trust God when life says God can't do anything about the situation. Faith knows there's another way, God's way, and chooses that other way. In the theme verse, God told Abraham that though he may not have experienced the increase promised, but if he can see it he can have it. And Abraham did choose to see it, and he got it eventually. The thing is life offers us a choice. Always. Its reality and then God's. The reality of life is that life is tough and crazy things hap

  DAILY VITAMIN - Logic vs. Faith "What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead." (Hebrews 11:1 TLB) Does faith really defy logic? Well, that's a question with contrasting answers. Logic, in itself, deals with the aggregation of premises to reach a suitable conclusion. Such that if I say I am feeling feverish and have no appetite, then it can be inferred that I am sick. A postulation of fact based on provable evidences. Whereas faith, though, also based on an evidence, relies solely on one truth: that God is good and is real and is all He says He is. In this regard, logic will disagree because it cannot prove there's a God by way of premises. However, while that may happen, logic is necessary for faith to be legit.  First, for instance, a man who never knew hepatitis C is incurable would term it coincidence if it does vanishes f

  DAILY VITAMIN - A Clean Bill of Health Is Possible "No inhabitant of Zion shall say "I am sick..." (Isaiah 33:24) God is able to make all grace abound toward a man that he'd get to have all things in sufficiency, including good health. I've seen it happen many times. In Jesus' time, He healed as many as were sick and the Bible never told us these folks went back to being sick ever again. The woman with the bleeding problem, the blind man at the pool of Siloam, the invalid at Bethesda, and the old woman at the temple with a bad back, none of them returned to their sickened state after He touched them. And you don't have to either. The Bible said He will restore health unto us and heal us of all our wounds (Jeremiah 30:17). Not some, all. He knows how painful that condition is for you and promises to heal you. Why is this so important? Because it's against protocol for a child of Zion to be ridden by sickness. Our theme verse says it's an abominat

  DAILY VITAMIN - Do Not Let The Monster Win "....but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your experience how his ways will really satisfy you." (Rom 12:2 TLB) When a man becomes born again, what gets rebirthed is his spirit. Not the soul nor the body. This is why at first, the urge to smoke a joint or to down a full bottle of alcohol still remains if you used to do that, or the crave for drugs or to fornicate. And sometimes many still slip into these vices. Not because their salvation wasn't genuine, but because though their spirit has been saved, their bodily elements and a large portion of their yet-to-be spiritually influenced soul still remains as it were. Without a fresh newness. Still doing as you once thought and did. Which are the two actions that shape a man's everyday life. Now, these other facets of man learn to change and be transformed as the spirit influences our daily living. It's lik

  DAILY VITAMIN - Winning The Battle Of Life "I have given you authority over all the power of the Enemy, and to walk among serpents and scorpions and to crush them. Nothing shall injure you." (Luke 10:19 TLB) If there's one thing we can never completely escape in this world, it is trials. The Bible says man's days are few but full of troubles (Job 14:1). No one can avoid them. If you don't go to them, they will come to you. As long as you're still in this world, you cannot be totally rid of them; be it in the form of a troublesome neighbor, or a pesky boss, or simply just direct spiritual attacks. We can never truly live life without encountering them. As the opening scripture depicted, we live in world inhabited by serpents and scorpions. Some in human form like us, others as extraterrestrial forces. Yet in all these, we are expected to overcome.  Little wonder Jesus never promised us a trouble-free life, rather He only assured us of a trouble-less one. In t

  DAILY VITAMIN - Dream It, Believe It, Work It Till It Happens "Because of your faith it will happen." (Matthew 9:29 TLB) If there's one thing all humans share in common, it's the ability to dream. A lot of folks may never fully use this gift but it's there. Whether untapped or extensively utilized, that potential to create worlds with colours better and brighter than our present ones exist, and if we use it as it should be used new worlds can be formed. Have you ever wondered why God gave man the capacity for faith? It's because like Him mankind can create the uncreated in this world of the seen from the unseen. Mankind has the ability to see colours that never existed and make them be. To see life out of dead situations and hope from the hopeless. And this is exactly what Jesus showed everyone through His time on earth. Consider everything He did, it was simply an act of defiance against the usual. Against the normality of routine and the commonality of cli

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Use Your Time Wisely "Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should." (Psalm 90:12 TLB) Just like our theme verse supposes, many are just like David who prayed, "LORD, how long will I live? When will I die? Tell me how soon my life will end." (Psalm 39:4 GNV), because in a way they believe if they knew they'd be more intentional with their lives.  But is that really true? Anyway, I'll answer the first question for you: it could be anytime. We are all on borrowed time here. We are all on a clock. God has numbered our days, and whether we know it or not it's counting. And fast. This might sound weird to you, but it's always been strange to see people act like someone's life has ended when the doctor says he/she has only a year or less to live. Because the truth is we could even die before they do. We are all on the clock; the only difference is that those guys can see theirs now, w