The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

DAILY VITAMIN - Faith Goes With Patience "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." (Hebrews 10:36)        Hebrews 11 specifically tells us the story of men and women who today we term heroes because of how they overcame their ordeal. It tells us of Noah, of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, and a plethora of many Old Testament saints. But one thing it clearly shows us there is that their faith was greatly effective because they greatly exercised patience.       For instance, Noah loved God; he trusted Him. He knew God's Word to be unfailing; but guess what? He could have given up. He could have gotten tired of waiting. Many of us would have. Five hundred years was more than enough time to lose faith. But Noah never lost faith, because he was patient with God. Abraham also had to wait twenty-five years for a child. Time was moving fast, and so was his body's physiology. He was literally getting old, as we

DAILY VITAMIN - Let The Kingdom Be Established "And in the days of those things the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever" (Daniel 2:44)      Jesus showed His disciples the signs that shall precede His return, but of all only one did He motion that shall initiate the establishment of the Kingdom of God on the earth. Note, the Kingdom of God has come, and we are dwelling in it. It is presently resident in our spirits. God's heaven is resident in us actively; however it hasn't been completely established on the earth, because when it does not only will His true knowledge fill the earth as the water covers the sea, His will shall also be done throughout the earth in unison. The politics of the earth won't stop it, because His will shall become the lands' politics.       And so i

DAILY VITAMIN - If You Can Think It, He Can Do It "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" (Ephesians 3:20)      In Matthew 21:22, Jesus said we could get anything we ask for if we simply believe. Isn't that great? It's awesome; it gets me every time. But what's more awesome is what our theme verse had to say: It says beyond what we could ask, think or even imagine.     Remember, we've just seen how Jesus said we could get "anything"; but in this scripture Paul defines anything. He says if you can think it, God can do it; if you can ask it, God can do it; and if you can imagine it, God can do it. However, this is the best part: He said even if you can't ask it because it seems too big, or can't think it because it seems too good to be true; or you can't imagine it because it's impossible to fathom; He said He can still do it. Recall that He is t

DAILY VITAMIN - Eternally Saved In Christ "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)      When we received Christ, we weren't just temporarily rescued until something catches up with us again. No! We were completely and holistically delivered from all judgments set against us (Colossians 2:14). The scriptures says that we that are in Him shall no longer perish but have an overflowing life in divinity (John 3:36).      Christ isn't just a safe house in preparation for heaven as many think; Christ is heaven Himself, and He is God. He says "where I am, there shall you also be" (John 14:3); and so heaven begins and ends in and with Christ. Heaven, as you know, is characterized by the eternal life we shall enjoy in it; but Christ said if you believe in Him [and have received Him] you have eternal life - the very life of God (John 6:47, 1 John 5:12). That'

DAILY VITAMIN - Life "I am giving you the choice between life and death....Choose life." (Deuteronomy 30:19 GNB)      Life is simply a series of events looped together in time. But by our choices we can either keep them stitched together in the making of the materiality of the purpose we were born with, or we can tear them apart. We can go further to call it a passage of realities presented in time as dictated by choice.     Someone once said that no one can make it out of this world alive; but we can choose to make maximum use of the time we have to do something worthwhile now that we are alive.     Death is not a choice; life is. How we choose to die doesn't really add much to who we are or aren't; but how we do choose to live does. Death isn't a topic you should concern yourself with, because it's a constant: an inevitable eventuality; a path every man passes; the terminal end of a life stream; and a prelude to eternity. But life; that's a choi

DAILY VITAMIN - Trust Your Way To Rest (2) "He trusted very strongly in the Lord God of Israel. In fact, none of the kings before or after him were as close to God as he was. For he followed the Lord in everything, and carefully obeyed all of God's commands to Moses. So the Lord was with him and prospered everything he did..."       (2 Kings 18:5-7 TLB)      The people of Judah had just seen the king of Assyria destroy the people of Northern Israel; and now he was invading their lands. But that wasn't the real problem. It was more like the battle of the Spartans and the Persians at Thermopylae. They were outnumbered by about ten to one. Plus the enemy also had the nerve to go before the gates of Jerusalem to mock the people and God. What nerve!      But doesn't that remind you of something you may have gone through or are presently going through? The messengers of Assyria said that it was God's will for them to ravage Jerusalem. Hasn't it ever fel

DAILY VITAMIN - Trust Your Way To Rest (1) "And why couldn't they go in? Because they didn't trust him" (Hebrews 3:19 TLB)      From our theme verse, we can see that the biggest sin of the Exodus was that they didn't trust God. You see, when trust isn't present, many other necessary things also lose their place. And as such these selected individuals couldn't inherit God's promised rest even though He had assured them of it.      Hebrews 4:3 says "For only we who believe God can enter into his place of rest. He has said, "I have sworn in my anger that those who don't believe me will never get in," even though he has been ready and waiting for them since the world began" (TLB). So, we can see that nothing hinders the manifestation of God's promises than lack of trust on the recipient's part- on your part. The devil can't stop it; other men can't, but you can because the scripture affirms that unless we bel

DAILY VITAMIN - Be Conscious Of Angels "Are not the angels all ministering spirits (servants) sent out in the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation?" (Hebrew 1:14 AMP)      Every child of God has been assigned angels to watch over them and to take care of their well being. That's what the Bible says, they aren't just created to worship God in heaven, but also to watch over His people on the earth - to strengthen and protect them. This was greatly evident in the Old Testament.      Remember that the people of that dispensation never had the resident presence of God's Spirit within them, and so the activities of angels were more highly pronounced. We saw angels fighting on their behalf; guiding and directing them; strengthening them as well; and at other times when God worked personally through His Spirit, He was termed the 'Angel of the Lord'. So the work of the angelic beings had always been evident and effective

DAILY VITAMIN - We Don't Want Titles, We Want Impact "Then who are you? Tell us, so we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you have to say for yourself?" (John 1:22 TLB).       The religious leaders wanted to know whom John the Baptist was, but in the following verse he told them what he was sent to do. We see the same thing happen to Jesus. Matthew 13:55 tells us that the Jews wouldn't believe in all Christ did because they assumed his identity didn't correlate with it. They said "How is this possible?...He's just a carpenter's son, and we know Mary his mother and his brothers.." (TLB). He might not have had an admirable identity to them, but they couldn't deny His works.      Jesus could have been anything He wanted to be on earth. Not only was He God and had the power to have chosen to be anything He wanted, but He also had the influence to have naturally done so. In fact, at some point the people decided to carry out

DAILY VITAMIN - Never Doubt! "Ye believe in God, believe also in me" (John 14:1)       Nothing moves God to do great things than the unwavering faith of a man despite having no sight of hope anywhere near. Believing, even when there is no tangible reason to, is a bolstering tool in the making of a man before God; while on the other hand, doubting because appearances suggest there are reasons to is a reproach to the making of such a man.        In Matthew 14, the scripture says that having seen Jesus walking on water, Peter asked to come meet Him. At His Word, Peter began to walk afloat on water; but as soon as he took notice of the enraging coastal wave, he began to sink (v.27-31). As soon as he became more conscious of the conditions than of God's reassuring Word, he began to fall from the reality that had been given to him. And Jesus pointed out the problem - He said "Why did you doubt me?"        Many people are doubting God rather than believing Him

DAILY VITAMIN - You Have An Enviable Heritage "Behold, I and the children God hath given me are for signs and wonders..." (Isaiah 8:18)        In the sight of God you're blessed, and He says it shall be translated in the material world before the eyes of men too. He says you shall be envied and never pitied; because you will always be on top. For instance, you can't pity the light, you can only envy it. Everything desires to be like it; it breaks through all boundaries and evades all protocols. And it can't be held back. The same thing about the salt. It can't be pitied by the soup, because it gives life and taste to the soup. And that's exactly who God says you are- a light and a salt (Matthew 5:13-16). A sign and a wonder that keeps the world staring and wondering.      Now, let's see how Jesus exemplified this reality. Matthew 13 says that when "he returned to his hometown.... and taught there in the synagogue and astonished everyone wit

DAILY VITAMIN - The Spirit And The Wheel "When the cherubim stood still, so did the wheels, for the spirit of the cherubim was in the wheels" (Ezekiel 10:17 TLB)       The revelation of Ezekiel regarding the spirit and the wheel is the perfect description of how we can walk in the Spirit. Recall that having been born again now, not of corruptible seed, but of the incorruptible, which is the Word of God, we now live in the Spirit. Our life source has moved from the blood to the Spirit of God; and as such we no longer participate in the sin of Adam, but only of the righteousness of Christ. Glory to God!       Moreover, we are told by Paul to not only give ourselves to live in the Spirit, but to also walk in Him (Galatians 5:25). For centuries, even till now, many still struggle with what it means to walk in the Spirit. Paul gave us a clue when He told us to live as the children of light that we are everyday of our lives (Ephesians 5:8). But even that still appears ambig

DAILY VITAMIN - The Believer’s Mandate "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season: reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine" (2 Tim 4:2)       The believer has a responsibility to spread the Word to as many as the Lord sends his way. He is the sower of the Word, assigned to the harvest field of the earth, to propagate the expected return for the Kingdom. And like any worker during seed time, no condition should impede him/her if (s)he really desires the anticipated harvest.      Paul writes that both at times when we feel like it or not, we must preach the Word. In his First letter to young Timothy he made this known. He said "Until I get there, read and explain the scriptures to the church; preach God's Word" (1 Tim 4:13 TLB). It is our duty to preach the Word to the world, thereby drawing them into Christ and His Church where we must continually nurture and culture them with the Word of faith. It is the very seed that sav

DAILY VITAMIN - Highly Positioned In Christ "Truly, of all men ever born, none shines more brightly than John the Baptist. And yet, even the lesser lights in the Kingdom of Heaven will be greater than he is!" (Matthew 11:11 TLB).      According to the theme verse, John the Baptist exceeded the glory of the Patriarchs, and we who are one with Christ shall exceed him. Glory to God! This means that experiences the men of old couldn't access have been freely given to us. Our realities are now congruent with God's. We are walking in His light, and living in His glory.     Now it all makes sense; what the scriptures spoke of us. Ephesians 2:6 says that "we are seated in Christ in heavenly places". It says we have been lifted from the grave into the heavens. Our conversations and life now come from there. In other words, we are no longer at the bottom. We are above and beyond. It is the entire science of redemption- Christ coming down so that we may go up.

DAILY VITAMIN - God Wants Your Mind "And be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind" (Ephesians 4:23)      God is very much interested in your mind as much as He is in your spirit. Many people are saved, but they can't appropriate the reality of their salvation in their everyday lives. They claim to feel God, but they don't know Him. God resides in our spirits, but with the consciousness of our mind we learn to know Him.       Romans 12 says "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (v.1-2).       God understands the value of the mind, and so does the devil. He knows it can either impede or promote your fellowship with the Spirit. Little wonder why Satan tries so

DAILY VITAMIN - Unusual Wisdom "For it won't be you doing the talking - it will be the Spirit of your heavenly Father speaking through you!" (Matthew 10:20 TLB)       The Bible says of Jesus that "the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him; the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel and might; the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (Isaiah 11:2 TLB). Jesus literally walked all His days in the power and operation of the Sevenfold Spirit of God.      Many a times when we study the Bible characters under the Old Covenant, and see how God worked mightily through them, we "wished" we were like them. When we see Daniel's unusual insight to every issue at hand, and Joseph’s brilliance, we desire to be them; failing to understand that in Christ we have more than that by the Spirit who works it out of us. In Christ, our least light shall by far exceed their greatest (Matthew 11:11). 2 Corinthians 3:11 says that under the law their gl

DAILY VITAMIN - The Benefit Of Being A God-Associate "Say ye to the righteous that it shall be well with him..." (Isaiah 3:10)       Being associated with God automatically qualifies you for blessings. Check through scriptures and you'd find this out to be true. From Abraham to Isaac to Jacob, down to the woman from Shunem. In 2 Kings 8:1-6, we are told of how she was given a hint about the future that saved her and her house from the impending danger- the same miracle Joseph enjoyed because of his ties to baby Jesus; and even when she returned, she recovered all she had missing out on just for being acquainted with God and His prophet.      But you are not just acquainted with Him. You don't just know Him; you are an associate of the God-kind - a colleague of the divine. You are a kind of Himself. The perfect resemblance of His person in Christ. You may not have been living like it, but that's who He says you are -and expects you to be. He says "You

DAILY VITAMIN - You Also Have The Power To Forgive Sins "If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven." (John 20:23 TLB)        Many years back they brought a sick young man to Jesus Christ, and He assured him that his sins had been forgiven (Matthew 9:5). The religious leaders thought it was blasphemous that a mere man would assure others he could forgive sins. But, oh, how they forgot that He wasn't a mere man. And right before their eyes, He confirmed this truth by healing the young man with a simple command. They shuddered with great fear at the sight of this- unable to comprehend how God could give a man such authority (v. 8).       But know this, God didn't stop with Jesus; He still does so with us who believe in Him. Jesus said "He spoke to them again and said, 'As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you'. Then he breathed on them and told them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit

DAILY VITAMIN - The Essence Of Having "As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches but on God who richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good deeds, liberal and generous (1 Tim 6:17-18 RSV)          What I'm about to tell you now is the greatest discovery of all time. Many mighty people never knew this, and so were drowned before they could even swim in the very ocean of glory. It will teach you how to live better. The prophets knew it; the wise men were aware of it; and till date God still inspires us to accept it - and that is the truth that the essence of having has always been-and will always be-giving.           A seed is useless if it's never going to be sown. Its value lies in its cultivation. Jesus said unless it falls to the ground, it abides alone. In other words, until what you have leaves your hands into another, it may never be multiplied into abundan

DAILY VITAMIN - Miracles Abound Within You "..I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13)      A man with God, they say, is always majority. This is because beyond whether or not he has the numbers physically, he naturally dictates the events of life. As said in the Revised Standard Version of Job 22:28, he decides on a matter, not the the circumstances presented; and whatever he proclaims as so, shall be so.      In 2 Kings 6, we see an illustration of this under the Old Covenant. Elisha was a walking miracle. He was in every place he went a miracle waiting to happen. First, we see how he brought forth steel out of river (v.6). Even science can't explain that till date. Later on, we see how he single-handedly delivered Israel from the Syrian' plot, leading its entire cavalry to his capital in surrender. And we cannot forget the miracles he performed in Naaman, the Zarephathian widow and how he never lacked even in a famine and so