The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

DAILY VITAMIN  What is life if not a community established to enrich one another while we can. What is life if not the reason why we live. Life is not a chance, it is a duty that enforces more duties on us- with love as its best way to be lived. Life is the most unpredictable element on earth. One minute you're here, and the next you are....there. But as unpredictable as it is, we have a choice- a choice to live it the best we can while we can. A choice to make impact. A choice to leave our imprints on the sands of time. A choice to leave our legacies in the hearts of men. Like Shakespeare said "All the world's a stage, the men and women are merely players. They have their exits and their entrances". How well do you want your life to play out in the memories of men- and even in the sight of God, then choose today to make a difference where you are. To live a life of goodness, love and prudence. Choose to influence a soul positively. Where do you start? Anywhere. How

DAILY VITAMIN  We've been looking at how to acquire the awesome manifestations reserved for us this season, and how to bring it to the light of our realities. Well, here's one. Great manifestations also come through great connections. Having the right connection is the main source of procuring production. You can learn that from an electrical circuit; without the right connections, its purpose would be futile. Its functionality shows that if we want light and brillance, there must be an effective connection foremostly. And for the record, what-or who-do you think is the greatest connection you need to enjoy your everyday life? Many a person strive so hard to get amiable with certain persons, only to end up dejected and desperate, simply because where they thought they could find help failed them. Men can help you- believe me, but nobody helps you best like God. Jesus grew in favour with God and men (Lk 2:52). His status with God provoked the replication of the same amongst men

DAILY VITAMIN  We serve a prayer hearing God, but more importantly, we serve a prayer answering God. Speaking to Zechariah, the angel said "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son..." (Luke 1:13). He didn't just hear it, He responded to it with the appropriate answer. I want you to know that that request of yours isn't just being stored up in heaven, it is having a response prepared for it for your joy to be full (see Ps 18:6-19). Regardless of how hard the matter is, with God it is never too hard to not be answered. So expect a response today. God hears the prayer of the righteous (Pro 15:29), and such prayers before Him always avail much (Jam 5:16). Thus, from this moment, approach His throne of grace with this new sense of belief that whatever you ask in His name, He will do (John 14:14); and whenever you go to Him, you will always find grace to help in time of need. Prayer can change anything, and fortunate

DAILY VITAMIN  To be joyful-and to stay joyful-is a choice only you can make. It may come from within but only you can release it. Unlike happiness which is dependent on events and occurrences, joy is God-inspired not sight inspired. It is a virtue God naturally gives to all who bear His Spirit- and as i would love to believe: You. However, despite how much God fills you with His joy, only your willingness to accept it and let it show can really initiate its evidence on you. Like a water system, regardless of how much water are running through the pipes, without someone to open the taps, the environ may yet fade into drought. So yes, i'm asking you to open the taps to your heart and receive God's unending joy. Don't focus on the negatives all around you presently, simply saturate yourself in the joy that emanates from His promises; and with that receive strength to breakthrough that tantrum keeping you on the planes of sorrow and grief. How do you immerse yourself in this

DAILY VITAMIN  There are two things that shape how our lives turn out to be years from now- (1) The information we read or listen to, and (2) The people we associate with. The company you keep is as good as what you become. Innocent fellows have died-as we see regularly from the news-all because they had dangerous friends. Sometimes you don't need to know the devil, bad friends are enough to ruin you. And that's why we must be very cautious about the sort of friends we keep. To me, these are the two thoughts you should have when picking a friend: First, what's his plan for himself? And secondly, what's his plan for you? Well, you might say it doesn't matter; the thrill of the moment you both enjoy presently is enough. Well it's not. No matter how short term a friendship is, its effect should be long term, not a hit and run. I'm sure Amnon would have thought he had a great friend in Jonadab. But guess what? It may have felt good at the moment, yet he was wro

DAILY VITAMIN  The Scripture teaches that as He was, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). And from an acute study of His(Jesus) life, you'd realize that He was a  comforter. First, He proved this by bringing joy to the weary and hope to the lost by His words and deeds; and secondly He notioned that He would send another comforter of the same kind as He. So He was-and still is-a comforter to us. Well, what does this mean to us? If we are as He is, then it means that we were prepared to comfort others as He did. This is so because we were saved to save, forgiven to forgive and still are comforted to comfort one another. In fact, the reason why God gives others comfort is to enable us to give others in their time of need as well. So, what doea this mean now? Seek avenues to be a beacon of hope to others. Where encouragement is needed, be the one people can look up to. Where constructive criticism is needed, be genuine not just provocatively bizarre. To the fellow who can't find

DAILY VITAMIN  The only thing better than giving is giving; and the only assurance for getting is giving. Acts 20:35 says "It is more blessed to give than to receive". So it can be depicted from here that the more we grow in our capacity to give, the more we grow in our capacity to be blessed. And this we find expressed in Christ's own words in Luke 6:38, which says "Give and it shall be given unto you; good measures shaken together, pressed down, and running over will be put into your bosom". Other than that, giving on its own create a consciousness in us that we can never lack; because every gift is an investment that assures us that the future is bright. Why? Because a generous man devises generous things, and by generosity he shall stand (Isa 32:8)- and not fall. Furthermore, we don't have to wait for a holiday to be kind to someone, or to share a gift to somebody; every day is always a big excuse to give to someone, to love someone, and to show someone

DAILY VITAMIN  The literary elite, Paulo Coelho, wrote in his book, The Fifth Mountain, "The inevitable always happens. We need discipline and patience to overcome it. And hope. It isn't a question of placing hope in the future. It is a question of recreating our own past". As such, it is never too late to change your life. In fact, every moment you still have this sweet air shuttle through your nasal route is another chance to recreate your desire out of the shambles presently before you. Every time you twitch your eyes open to see the morning sun is you having another shot at life; and it is only pertinent you use it prudently. The difference maker between becoming a new person and the old person you have been is a choice. Thus, it is time to be bold enough to make that choice that would change your life, towards goodness. And when you do make that choice, don't be ashamed- because it is the right choice. Thousands of people have made the choice- if not even millio

DAILY VITAMIN  The beauty of fellowship with God is that you can go to Him as you are, seeking the help you need, and He will never cast you out empty-handed. It's a trait He can't just help but exhibit. Jesus said "If any man come to me, I will in no wise cast him away"(John 6:37). Regardless of your race, age, or even spiritual status, God has a prerogative to keep attending to you as long as you keep humbly seeking Him. So, it's never a long distance relationship with God. It's never one that would ever feel unfulfilling; rather it's one that always meets its purpose- which is transforming those engaged in it. So, listen up! You can live the best life possible here; you can relish in all the joy in the world; you can have a fulfilling destiny. All you have to do is become conscious of what you have with God- and in God, and simply ask. Jesus said "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full&quo

DAILY VITAMIN  Sustenance begins from God. Whether it is the sustenance of the good health you presently enjoy, or the sustenance of your prosperity, life, joy and relationships; its primary source is-and comes from- God. This doesn't mean our every day efforts play no part at all, on the contrary they do, but believe me it doesn't even play a part more impactful than one-tenth of God's. As strong, wise, handsome and charismatic as David was, he didn't attribute any of the good feats he experienced to self- it doesn't mean he didn't do anything, for God's sake he slew Goliath, but he realized that it may have been his hand on the blade that brought down the giant, however there was a greater Hand on his; and so- he attributed it all to God. For all of his blessings sustained over time, he gave credit to God. He once said "I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me" (Ps 3:5). Thus, like David, get conscious of this truth to get t

DAILY VITAMIN  Someone once mused that "It is better to remain silent and be presumed a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt". Two things in life show what- and how much of it-we carry inside of us; and these are our Actions and Reactions. What we do and how we respond to situations either validate or invalidate all we say we are. And as creatures of a wise and perfect God, it would only be a taboo if we exercise folly routinally, or even at all. So, as hard as it may seem, when you have nothing impactful to say, just zip it. Truth is, no one wants to hear us talk when what we have to say adds nothing to their lives. This is because words are like seeds; and if a seed isn't bound to bear fruits, no one would want them sown on their field. Words are expensive and shouldn't be abused, so if it isn't wise, keep it until you have something wise to say. If it isn't impactful both for you and to the hearer, don't say it. The wrong use of the mouth

DAILY VITAMIN - Trading Your Time Advantageously  I hear a lot of young people tell each other to just make up their mind and do what they have to as it wouldn't matter ten years from now. Well, it's unfortunate how wrong they are, because it does matter. Time is the most important factor in this transient life. In his book what to do between birth and death, Charles Spezzano says that the phrase  spending your time isn't a metaphor, it is how life works. Everything we do in life we do with time and in time. If you were to build a house in 2020, before it costs you a million, it would first of all cost you two years. So everything we do and get in life is done and gotten in time. So, what are we supposed to do to maximally get the best out of life? Trade your life wisely. Effective time usage is a rudimentary key to absolute conquest in life. Remember, aiming at a bird for an hour won't put food on your table, taking your shot when you should does. The problem with

DAILY VITAMIN  One of the most difficult things than trying to get someone who has lost all hopes to believe in hope again is trying to get yourself to believe in hope when all things fall apart. In the midst of this sense of hopelessness, there is yet a bolster of hope made available for you and I; such that no matter how grievous our situations are, a possibility still remains that all things will be well again very soon. Some days back, i decided to ask God a question regarding my path in life, and as i waited that foggy morning for a response, He impressed upon me the need to open up my Bible- flinging it at once it opened up at Isaiah 41. He said 'read on'; and at the 13th verse, these ever hope giving words blew my mind away. In it, He said "For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee". That single verse stands as an insurance anytime anyday that no matter how bewildering life seems to you presently, you will al

DAILY VITAMIN - Be Self Motivated For some time now, I have been trying to get a group of kids to read more than they did a year ago, but despite my 165 days daily motivational speech to them, they chose to remain as they were. In fact they became less motivated than ever before, and more rebellious. One day I decided to put them up to a test, and having evaluated them, I publicly ranked them before their eyes, making them realize that if they didn't want to stay at the bottom, or drop to the bottom, they'd have to read harder in school to surpass the other. I have never loved this approach, but it is true that man is more motivated by competition than anything else. He only sees a need to curtail his bottlenecks when he seems challenged. You see, man has a survival instinct; and thus initiates his adrenaline pumps to get better whenever he feels threatened by another. Those kids proved it. However, i'll suggest a better way; which is self motivation. As I have said in t

DAILY VITAMIN  Nothing we get in life is really entirely the product of self effort. No matter how much we think it is, it isn't. This is because no man can receive anything unless it is given to him from above (John 3:27). So, it becomes malignant to simply believe that we are self sufficient. Paul says " our suffiency is not in ourselves, but.... of God" (2 Cor 3:5). Thus, we must never forget the authencity of the words 'Not by power, nor by might, but by the Spirit, says the Lord'. He is the difference maker in our lives. He is the reason why you yet have breath; the reason why everything you touch seems to work. You might contend against that, saying you worked your way up; true, i'm in no wise trying to take away your due credit, but the moment you truly realize the potency of those words 'Not by power nor by might', you'd appreciate the truth that the most influential force for your success is first the power upon you before even the power

DAILY VITAMIN  Miracles require the right atmosphere and a people eager for one to occur. In esssence, what this means is that what separates you from your miracle- which definitely would come from God- is you. Nothing hinders miracles from happening than self. That self doubt, that non-enthusiasm for a miracle, that murmuring and tireless complaints are what keeps it out from occurring in your own life. The irony about this is that a whole lot of us live like the 'diabetic'- starving and strained in the midst of plenty. We live in an environment abundant with miracles, yet we never get to hold on to any with our names on it. What's the problem? Atmosphere and our hunger for it. To live in the isle of miracles, we must always recreate its alluring presence. And how do we do this? First, by dwelling in habitual praise. Make praise- wholehearted worship-a lifestyle, and you'd never be eluded by miracles. Secondly, there must be an ever manifested aura of faith in and aro

DAILY VITAMIN  Life isn't really measured by how early or how late a man dies, but by how well he lived his time here. Life may not seem fair in the amount of time it accords to its various participants, but it is in the chances equivocally given to us all. Some may have numerous chances for a change of story, but we all have the needed chance to change a story- that is, we all have one chance at least to make an impact while we live. And believe me no one cares about how long or short you lived, the only thing history cares about is how well you did it. So yes, make your life count by living for something more than irrelevancies. Live for impact. Live to touch millions of hearts. Live to affect destinies in the present and generations in the future ahead. Live to change stories. Live to draw forth hope from the hapless. Live to leave your prints on the heart of someone in need of it, and then you would have sealed it on the sands of time. Like i said already, how long you live, o

DAILY VITAMIN - Becoming An Effective Leader Who is a leader to you? Is he someone who has a title on the lintel of his office door? Or someone who is recognized publicly as one in charge? Well, if that's what you thought prior to now, then you've been wrong for so long. You see, it's one thing to rule and another to lead. While the first is Positional, the other is based on the disposition displayed. While the first is centered on a title, the other is assessed by effectiveness. The right to lead must be earned. People should want to follow you for who you are, and not your title. You see, leadership is dynamic and impact oriented. It attracts those it affects. As long as you keep on breeding the leader in individuals, you'd be bound to lead. Leaders don't struggle for leadership positions, rather they create so much influence that they are called upon to lead. They know that position means little if influence is lacking. This is because they know that people on

DAILY VITAMIN  In our world today, it does not matter how beautiful we make our streets; if the minds of the people do not become beautiful, they will reduce the streets to the quality of their minds. There is nobody in this world that lacks the opportunity to succeed; we only have people who do not recognize their opportunities. We miss many miracles and wonderful opportunies because our decisions are influenced by just what our physical eyes can see, rather than focusing on what our eyes have seen. Therefore, do not easily brush aside those things you think are problems. Look critically at them; you might find out that tucked inside a problem is its inherent solution and a hidden opportunity to excel and create wealth. What you do not have in your pocket right now, you have in your heart. And if you have it in your heart, you are going to have it in your pocket. It is only a matter of time. "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he". Only when you become a new and differ

DAILY VITAMIN  In addition to the subject of our discourse on the last note about how people would only listen to your words when they can assert its impact on them, people are only interested more in those who find interest in them. That is to say that people would only care to know about what you've got to say when they are sure and know you care about them. In fact, Dale Carnegie's most used quote suggests the same- "To be interesting, be interested". In advent of this, i want you to know that every relationship requires the meeting of the interest of both parties. Man may be predatory or parasitic in the approach to get what he wants, but no one wants to be treated that way. Everyone wants sort of a symbiotic association where their needs from that relationship are met as they meet the other's. Even God desires to be loved as much as He loves us, that's why the first and great commandment is to love the LORD thy God with all our heart, mind, and soul. In