The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

DAILY VITAMIN - As He Speaks Of Christ, So Also He Speaks Of You "In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17 AMP)    When God looks at you and I- Christians, He sees the express image of His Son Jesus Christ. Just as He is the express image and effulgence of the Father, we are in His glory the express image of the Son. This means that whatsoever God had said concerning Christ, He was also talking about us. That is, when you read the Word of God, whatever God said regarding the Son, He was also saying regarding you.    Remember, He said of Christ, "Sit here beside me in honour until I crush all your enemies beneath your feet" (Hebrew 1:13); and of us He would also say, "the Lord will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Romans 16:20). So, by red

DAILY VITAMIN - All Things Are Possible With God "David continued to succeed in everything he undertook, for the Lord was with him" (1 Sam 18:14 TLB)    I'm very sure a lot of us feel exactly as David did in those days. Here was the least significant boy in the house of an average income earner from Bethlehem, now working in the King's stead, and was one step from getting married to the King's daughter. However, one thought kept bothering him; which was "how am I going to find the dowry to marry a King's child looking at my fore-and-back ground? (v.23)".    Looking at where he was coming from, it left him with little hope; looking at where he was and how he had been demoted at work, he felt worse. Isn't that also how many of us feel presently? A great offer for a house in the suburbs gets presented to you at a discounted rate, but even with the cut in price, you still ask how you're going to afford it, seeing how unprofitable your pr

DAILY VITAMIN - The Content Of Our Hearts Defines Our Lives "Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life." (Proverbs 4:23 AMP)    The state of our hearts ultimately determine the eventual state of our lives. What we see colouring our everyday realities are basically the tool sets our own heart has permitted. Remember those wise words, "as a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). And so that means no man can rise above the latent content of his heart. If a man thinks negatively all the time, negative images will colour his everyday moments; and if he thinks positive things, he will receive positive occurrences as well.    As Jesus said, a good man brings good treasures into his life from the reservoir he holds deeply situated in his heart, and likewise the evil (Matt 12:35). We attract into our lives what we really are on the inside; and this reflects in our words, thoughts and

DAILY VITAMIN - We Are Giant Killers "Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Romans 8:37)    How great is that? We are not just conquerors, we are more than conquerors. That means that we don't just overcome what others can, we also overcome what they can't. The world may not know how to deal with their challenges, recessions and circumstantial inconveniences, but we do. In Christ, we do. We are as David was; we are giant killers.    David wasn't afraid when he saw the giant as compared to how the entire Israel had reacted at the sight of him. This was a changed David. The Spirit of God had radically transformed him. He wasn't concerned about its size, all he cared about was that he was going to bring it down. And down he did.    In the same way, we have been blessed with the capacity to overcome any or all circumstances in Christ. In fact, it says we can do all things because we have received strength from

DAILY VITAMIN - Another Jesus By The Spirit "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the suffering and afflicted. He has sent me to comfort the broken-hearted, to announce liberty to captives and to open the eyes of the blind." (Isaiah 61:1 TLB)    The Spirit of God is the comforter not only because He comforts us, but because He enables us to comfort others (2 Cor 1:3-4). Look at what Isaiah said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me...He has sent me to comfort..." In other words, we have been given the same ministry Jesus had on the earth. Hallelujah! By the Spirit, we continue the work of Jesus on the earth for the liberation and edification of men and the glorification of our Lord.     Jesus said that as the Father had sent Him [for the same purpose and with the same power], He has also sent us (John 17:18); and in John 15:27 He tells His disciples- of which we are enlisted -that they must serve as witn

DAILY VITAMIN - Destined To Shine (2) " Darkness as black as night shall cover all the peoples of the earth, but the glory of the Lord will shine from you" (Isaiah 60:2 TLB)    Jesus said "He does His work through Me" (John 14:10 TLB), and the Bible says as He is, so are we in this world also (1 John 4:17). It then means that God is the one who is going to fulfill His good pleasure by shining through you. You don't have to be bothered about your limitations and disadvantages because it's not in your strength but His that this will come to be; God is fully in charge of this material transaction of your change of level experience. Remember, He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could possibly ask, think or imagine through His power at work in us (Ephesians 3:20).    Thus, you're still on track, because it's not on your natural ability, but on God's capacity to shine through you. And what has He said will happen as a result?

DAILY VITAMIN - Destined To Shine (1) " 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)    Wow! Do you understand what that means? It's so good that even Jesus had to repeat it again (Matthew 5:14-16). God is not saying that you are going to receive the capacity for greatness soon; No! He says you already have the capacity for greatness from the LORD within you. Glory to God!    He says that as a result people from all around the world will come to admire you (v.3). That means there's hope for you and I my friend. You may be passing through a hard time today, but He says very soon because you have been faithful, you will be surprised all of a sudden how His blessings will overflow in materiality through your everyday life (v.5). Remember, this is coming from within you. The Spirit of God in you will make it possible.    People around you may not appreciate who you say you a

DAILY VITAMIN - Sufficient Grace Just For You "And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]." (2 Corinthians 9:8 AMP)    Did you see that? It's the most splendid piece of information you may ever come across. It says God is able to give you all His grace in sufficient measures so that you can increase in goodliness. This covers all aspects of life. For instance, it means that no matter how labile you have been in life, God can make you strong again. No matter how deep in sin you may be, God is able to restore you to righteousness. In fact, He says the deeper the sin, the deeper the grace to swallow it in Christ (Romans 5:20).    Also, He says that even if you are presently in a jeopardous situation, He is

DAILY VITAMIN - There's Glory In Obedience "Samuel said, What have you done? Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines were assembled at Michmash, I thought, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord. So I forced myself to offer a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly! You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God which He commanded you; for the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever; But now your kingdom shall not continue; the Lord has sought out [David] a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince and ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you." (1 Sam 13:11-14 AMP)    It had just been one year since Saul became king with a promise that he would deliver Israel entirely from the oppressions

DAILY VITAMIN - Wake Up! "When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home, even the hired men have food enough and to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you" (Luke 15:17-18 TLB)    There's a big difference between giving up and waking up. While one is retrogressive, the other is progressive. You just have to learn to tell the difference.    Not every journey has to be completed. In fact, unless it's the right one, it would be wise to get back to our senses before it becomes irreparable. For instance, when you've been on the wrong path for so long and decide to quit, you aren't giving up. Literally, you're actually waking up.    A lot of people are still asleep with the delusion that their motion automatically means all is going as it should. In fact, it doesn't matter what you amass in life, any life that leaves you with an iota of

DAILY VITAMIN - If You Won't, Then Mind Your Business "Teacher, they said, This woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. Now Moses in the Law commanded us that such [women--offenders] shall be stoned to death. But what do You say [to do with her--what is Your sentence]? This they said to try (test) Him, hoping they might find a charge on which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger." (John 8:4-6 AMP)    The people couldn't understand why Jesus said nothing despite when the evidences against her were glaring. But v.7 tells us why: "However, when they persisted with their question, He raised Himself up and said, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her."    The same people condemning this lady were also guilty before God in one way or another. Little wonder why He had said "First get rid of the board. Then you can see to help your brother" (Matt 7:5 TLB). We liv

DAILY VITAMIN - Supernaturally Protected (2) "Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4 AMP)    If Cain could have a mark placed upon him by God that made him untouchable by his adversaries (Gen 4:15)- perditionable as he was, how much more we who are Joint heirs with Christ (exactly as He is in the eyes of God) by virtue of His saving grace?    Jesus said twelve legions of angels are always on standby to protect and preserve us. And He gracefully gives us an example via scripture in Elisha. Elisha having seen his young squire running helplessly and crying out of fear told him that he was looking at the wrong army. He was focusing on the wrong thing- his problems and not his privileges; and that the forces with them were greater than the enemy's (2 Kings 6:16-17).    And what happened afterwards? The

DAILY VITAMIN - Supernaturally Protected (1) "But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord." (Isaiah 54:17 AMP)    Have you ever read of what seemed to be an "arrogant speech" from Paul to the Roman Church? Well, it might seem arrogant to the narrow minded, but it wasn't. What it was is the truth. Paul said "if God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31); and in the same vein to the Hebrew church, the writer says "I will not fear what man can do unto me" (Heb 13:6).    This I said might appear as excesses of arroga

DAILY VITAMIN - I've Got A New Attitude "As Saul said goodbye and started to go, God gave him a new attitude, and all of Samuel's prophecies came true that day." (1 Sam 10:9 TLB)    Every change of level requires a change in attitude. Even prophecies, which are conditional, are pushed into fruition by our attitude in response to God's Word.    I'm sure you must have heard the cliché "your attitude determines your altitude" being said many times; well, it's true because it is responsible for how high or low a man can get in life. In the 20th century, a musician Patti LaBelle sang "I've got a new attitude", and while many danced to its tune and the strong harmonics of her voice, not a lot actually changed. So they sang it, danced it, but not many truly implemented or lived it. But to God, this was paramount for anyone He would choose as king.    The KJV puts it as "God gave him another heart". This means his thought

DAILY VITAMIN - Honour One Another "Honor (esteem and value as precious) your father and your mother--this is the first commandment with a promise...Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to resentment], but rear them [tenderly] in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord...Servants (slaves), be obedient to those who are your physical masters, having respect for them and eager concern to please them, in singleness of motive and with all your heart, as [service] to Christ [Himself]--...You masters, act on the same [principle] toward them and give up threatening and using violent and abusive words, knowing that He Who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no respect of persons (no partiality) with Him." (Ephesians 6:2-9 AMP) Most times, when we talk about showing respect, it is always a one-sided situation, but the Bible never teaches that. As much as age and position ar

DAILY VITAMIN - Breaking The Limits "Nathanael answered him, [Nazareth!] Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip replied, Come and see!" (John 1:46 AMP)    First of all, a soon-to-be disciple of Jesus wondered if He could be the Messiah simply because of His geographical origin; then the Jewish leaders also tried to make a contravention against His identity on the basis of the same ground (John 7:52). It may be a social convention to believe that some men can be written off based on their family background, societal class, financial history, and academic laurels; but it is never the Kingdom's.    In the Kingdom of God, it's not about what men think, but about what God has said. It is not about what you presently have, but who you eternally are in Christ. Not about the number of buts on your profile, but about He who can make something out of nothing through your life.    And so in this light, God says that your limitations will never mean your expirati

DAILY VITAMIN - Never Settle For Less "Then Terah took his son Abram.....and left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; but they stopped instead at the city of Haran and settled there." (Genesis 11:31 TLB)    Never give up when you should be striving on in order to stay thriving. Never forget that!    In the light of that, the children of Israel in the days of Samuel the Judge said that they desired "to be like the other nations" (1 Sam 8:20), even when God had already made them greater than all the other nations. Can you believe that? And does that already remind you of someone you know? Remember, generations ago, they had assumed they were like grasshoppers in contrast to their adversaries when in God's eyes it was really the other way around.    Ironically, that's still exactly how a lot of people behave today, even Christians. We tend to accept the available at the expense of the desired; thereby settling for less than what God says

DAILY VITAMIN - Righteousness Has Its Rewards "He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises gain from fraud and from oppression, who shakes his hand free from the taking of bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes to avoid looking upon evil. [Such a man] will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him; water for him will be sure." (Isaiah 33:15-16 AMP)    There is always a place at the top for the righteous. He is bound by a covenantal promise to walk upon the high places of the earth. This covers both the nature of righteousness (which we have in Christ) and the practice of righteousness (which we must indulge in as now in Christ). This in its own right sets a man up for everlasting rewards; and today we'd be focusing on some of these rewards that can be found on the path of righteousness. The same rewards God has in store for us:   1. The Revelation of God

DAILY VITAMIN - Visibly Transformed " For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [lead the lives of those native-born to the Light]." (Ephesians 5:8 AMP) The day we became born-again, our spirit received renewal by the Spirit of God, and were endued with capacity to live above the limitations of our carnal flesh. However, as we give ourselves more to His fellowship, we are gradually transformed in the state of our minds and in the actions of our bodies. Remember, what Paul said the more we behold the reality of the glory of God in Christ "we are transformed from glory to glory by His Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18). Nevertheless, it doesn't stop there! In Matthew 5, Jesus said that now that we have been made like Him (v. 14), we must begin to live expressly in that image (v. 16). It is never enough to be something, we have to become it by living as it entails. A lion is not a lion because it looks like a lion

DAILY VITAMIN - There's Life In The New Covenant "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the person whose ears are open to My words [who listens to My message] and believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who sent Me has (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into judgment [does not incur sentence of judgment, will not come under condemnation], but he has already passed over out of death into life." (John 5:24 AMP)    All through the Old Testament, God seemed hard to reach. People could only exercise one feeling before Him- fear; and there was no actual proof that men were saved. But then the breach was broken, the veil removed, and the obstruction to our worship deposed; all comeuppance that were experienced in our communion with God were put aside, as the Son was now being offered and His Spirit given.    Those old days encouraged a regime of fear and wrath that hindered many from enjoying the fullness of God's love; but that'