The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

DAILY VITAMIN - Always Have A Ready Answer "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you in meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15)          You are not a Christian by mistake. Christ saved you deliberately; and this made you put your trust in Him completely. So, it is not by chance that you've chosen to trust in Him. You have a cogent reason. You see, the world is a viewing center where people watch people. They came to John the Baptist to ask him why he did what he did; they did the same to Jesus; and definitely without a doubt they'd do the same to you.         However, when they do come with their questions, you must be ready. Paul was a man who was constantly ready and equipped by the Spirit; and by his testimony led many to Christ, and even King Agrippa was nearly compelled to follow suit. But to do this, religion alone won't do. You have to understand and a

DAILY VITAMIN - Thank Him In Anticipation "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank him for his answers" (Phil 4:6 TLB).       Most times when we read this scripture, some assume that he was speaking about thanking God after the reception of the answers to our prayers; but the King James Version reveals that the thanksgiving part is also meant to be among the prayer sequence. It says "...by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known". So, it's not a post-prayer agenda; rather it is meant to be an in-prayer agenda. It should in be your prayer itinerary.       David said we must "enter his gates with thanksgiving, and go into his court with praises; be thankful unto him.." (Psalm 100:4). And what are we going there to do? Scripture says to obtain help, grace and mercy in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). So, as we pray, we must also thank Him simul

DAILY VITAMIN - Don't Limit God "And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him" (Hebrews 11:6)        Men can't resist God, but they can limit Him. They can't stop Him from being who He is or doing what He does- He is I AM irrespective of opinions and actions; however they can hinder Him from being who He is and doing what He does in their lives. Mark 6:5 says that Jesus couldn't do as much as He wanted in Nazareth because they wouldn't believe Him. They limited Him. How? By their lack of faith. And that's exactly how many of us limit God every day of our lives.       Jesus said "According to your faith, let it be unto you" (Matthew 9:29). What this means is that God would do for you what you believe He can do for you. That's why it is said that being a believer isn't enough ground for you to be healed, believing God to b

DAILY VITAMIN - Prosperity In Christ "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers." (3 John 2 AMP)         John's words in our theme verse to the Church wasn't an idea nor an opinion, and neither was it an assumption; it is God's will for all His people. Yes, His absolute will. It is what Christ came and died for.          In Ezekiel 34, we see the dilapidating state of the people of God; but then in verse 24 He tells us of a chosen Servant, "David" [which is only symbolic for His position as the well beloved of God], and about how He would bring a season of blessings for God's people.  And in verse 29-31, He specifically reveals that by provision of this Messiah, hunger, shame and separation from God will be a thing of the past.         We see this quickly exercised by Jesus even while He lived on the earth. In Mark 8, about four thousand wearied me

DAILY VITAMIN - They Couldn't Get Over It "When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream." (Psalm 126:1)       When the Lord's hands come upon your situation, it kinds of puts you in a frenzy. That's what miracles do: they get you thinking. Their inability to be explained yet incapable of being denied sends the human reasoning into a frantic mode. That's why David said such moments become like a dream. A day ago you had no hope, and now others look to you for hope. That's something God specializes in.       Jairus had the same experience. The Bible says that after Jesus raised his daughter from the dead, his entire family "...just couldn't get over it..." (Mark 5:41-42 TLB). It was too good to be true, yet it was true. And this is something God promises to do in our lives every day. He says "Look, and be amazed! You will be astounded at what I am about to do! For I am going to do something in your

DAILY VITAMIN - Unlimited Access To The Present-Hour Knowledge "And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do" (John 6:6)      You are no longer an ordinary person now that you're in Christ. You have comprehensive insight into the mysteries and secrets of life, by the provision of He in whom is hidden all the mighty and untapped treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3).      This shows us that God meets every inquiry with wisdom. This means that God won't do what you are meant to, rather He shows you how to do it. This is why people are still in the same position in spite of what God has said concerning them: because they expect Him to do for them what He's declared they must learn to do themselves. Like the old saying goes, God subscribes to the concept of a man not just receiving fish but learning to fish; and He is always willing to teach us.      James 1:5 says "If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him

DAILY VITAMIN - Be Gentle With Others "I THEREFORE, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God's service, Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another." (Ephesians 4:1-2 AMP)       There is a virtue in Christ that made Him very popular beyond the miracles and signs He did. It outshone situations through Him beyond the shadows of the religious leaders; and made of Him a person everyone considered to run to in times of trouble- regardless of sort. And it was His gentle touch towards all situations.       Jesus was a man who judged never by appearance but righteousness, as He taught (John 7:24). Jesus wasn't in any way judgmental, but was in all ways considerate

DAILY VITAMIN - Let God Be Enough For You "...for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee". (Hebrews 13:5)      Our theme scripture assures us of God's reliability. Everything might fail, but God won't. He can't even if He wanted to; it's just inconsistent with His nature. And He says that even if everything created were to lose their place, His Word will never be anything else than settled forever. David went further to explain what that means: he said "Even when my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up...and lead me in a plain path" (Psalm 27:10-11). God is just too faithful to fail- regardless of circumstances nor conditions. You just have to believe it, and prove it every day in your attitude.      In late 2011, I was offered admission into the university of my choice. It was a memorable day- one I had been waiting for. I had aced the entrance exam, and was the number one pick on the department's

DAILY VITAMIN - Break Free "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace". (Romans 6:14)      The story is told of a man who was passing by a herd of elephants, and saw them being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. Surprised at what he had seen, he went over to the trainer who was just across the road and asked why the animals stood there without making any attempt to get away even when there were no chains or cages, and the trainer said "well, when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free".      A lot of us are just like those elephants. We go through life hanging on to the belief that we cannot do something simply because we failed at it once before. Many people assume that

DAILY VITAMIN - You Are The Image Of God "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abideth forever" (1 Peter 1:23)      Not every man is the image of God. Surprised? Well, don't be. When mankind was created in Genesis 1:26, God imputed in him His very nature and identity, but when Adam sinned he fell from that status. Now every man that was born to Adam was born into this fallen status. But in Christ things are different. In Christ, our identity has been recovered and restored. In Christ, we are again the very image of God.     Remember, the scripture calls us who believe the exact image of the Son (John 1:12); and the Son is also God. So, we are now actively in our Genesis 1:26 heritage again all because of Christ. So as I said, not everyone is the image of God on earth; don't let anyone deceive you. Just like no one can share similar DNA patterns with a father other than his child, no one can share

DAILY VITAMIN - Our Mission On Earth "It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others" (Ephesians 2:10 TLB)      The last part of that verse says that it is God's plan that we should spend our lives helping others. In other words, our lives are somewhat currencies God's given us to improve the present state of many individuals. But now the question is, how does He expect us to help them? Just like everything in life, God expects to see just as much of the spiritual equivalent as of the physical. This means that it is expedient that we offer help to their spirit and their body. We'll start with the most beneficial of them both.      When God planned ages ago that through our lives, we'd help others, He intended that we'd stand as medium to bring them to the position we have been placed in by Him. In the successive verses, the Spiri

DAILY VITAMIN - He Died for Love "...the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me" (Galatians 2:20 GNB)      The crowd in Jerusalem thought they were planning to kill Jesus, but they never knew that it was actually He who had long ago planned to die for them. They were motivated by jealousy and hate; but He was moved by love. It was something He had chosen to do for our redemption. They assumed they had cornered Him with their many great accusations that He couldn't respond anymore; they never knew He was simply surrendering Himself to the Father's will.      This is why His death wasn't a defeat or something to cry about as the disciples initially did, it was an absolute and flawless victory. A reason to celebrate. It demystified the mystery of love- the mystery of His love for us all. It was a well written script from divinity delivered to humanity. The people took responsibility for what they called the blasphemer's punishment, and the curs

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