The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

  DAILY VITAMIN  - The Key To Success In God "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word" (Psalm 119:67) It is good to make plans in life, but it is better to live in God's plan; because that's where the blessings are. The scripture says many a man make plans, but it is the Lord's that prospers; only His.  In our theme scripture, David said he was afflicted when he went astray from God's guidance; but now that he is walking in His Word everything is good. And we can tell from his words in Psalm 34. He said the strong creatures may suffer lack and retrogression, but not those who inquire of and require His constant guidance and help on the authority of His Word (v. 10 AMP). He says they shall never be put to shame (v. 22). Things may not have looked good thus far, but they will. Isaiah said "Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light is the sun shall be sevenfold....in the day that the LORD binds

 DAILY VITAMIN  - A Help In Time Of Need "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1) The scriptures tell us that even in our deepest troubles, we have a reliable source of help always in the Lord (Psalm 23:4). And many times these troubles aren't a product of our mistakes, they are just there. Job said though they aren't inherent in all places, yet man is born into it (Job 5:6-7). But then he gives us a way out.  In verse 8, he says "I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause". Isn't that what God assures us of? He said "Call in the day of trouble and I will show you great things and deliver you" (Psalm 34:17). He also said "Commit thy work (ways) unto the LORD and He shall establish thy thoughts (Proverbs 16:3). And then Job tells us why we can rely on this. He says when we do this, God will (1) set up on high those that are low, and exalt them to safety (v. 11). (2) disappoint the devic

  DAILY VITAMIN  - The Name Of Jesus "Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth" (Philippians 2:9-10 AMP)  The Name of Jesus is an assurance in times of need. It has been so glorified that now it can pick us up into glorification. And in fact, it is the reason for our victory over the dark world (Mark 16:17). The scripture says that Christ Jesus has been glorified far above all entities of the worlds (Ephesians 1:21), and at the mention of His Name every being trembles and every knee bows.  In Luke 10, having experimented with it, the disciples returned with joy saying even the devils are subject unto us through thy name (v. 17). Highlight that part in your mind; get a mental note on it: the devils (all evil spirits and Satan) are subject unto us through the Name of the Lord Jesus. Plea

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Your Help Comes From The LORD "My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:2) I love the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir 's rendition of " My Help ". The soft melody reminds you of the ever sustaining truth that God is the source of all peace, and that He can be counted on. And that while the channels may run dry, but the source never does.  In the Psalm we just saw, David was looking towards the hills, perhaps  expecting some human allies to arrive for an impending war somewhat like how Aragorn did for Gandalf's arrival from the eastern hills in Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers. They were his channels of strength in warfare; but then he remembered that no they weren't, but that God is his strength in warfare. He said my help comes from the Lord.  And if he said the hills then it had to be the hills of His heavenly Kingdom, and we know he never lost an important battle (Psalm 89:20-24). And that'

  DAILY VITAMIN - You Are A Diplomat Of Heaven "For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts" (Malachi 2:7) In our theme scripture, we are told that priests hold the knowledge of God, and through them others come to know Him. Well guess what? You are a priest. Before you get shocked because you've never wore a robe before, remember that the Bible calls you a person of a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). That is one descended from the true and only High Priest Jesus Christ. And so it says you are a priest of the Kingdom (Revelations 5:10), and that through you others will be drawn into it.  You see, the entire Bible speaks of Christ, and our lives through Him. In Zechariah 8:23, the scripture having built up on the truth that many will seek to know God tells us that they will hold on to one who is a Jew (meaning the called out ones of God which we are now in Christ as believers), and

  DAILY VITAMIN  - You Have Passed Over Condemnation (2) "But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit]." (1 Corinthians 9:27 AMP)  At New Birth, our spirit was redeemed and regenerated to carry the life of God in it; and with that and by its renewal through the Word by the Holy Spirit our soul is brought into oneness with God. However for our body, it can't be redeemed, for it is corruptible. Little wonder why the scripture says it must die though our spirit lives (Romans 8:10) till we put on the incorruptible.  But even though it cannot be redeemed, it can be controlled. You see, the actions of our bodies are a function of whom we wield ourselves to. The Bible says if to sin, then we shall live in displeasure to God, but if in obedience, then w

 DAILY VITAMIN  - You Have Passed Over Condemnation (1) "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:1) Notice what the Bible says: You can't be condemned now that you are in Christ because now you live for God and through Him. That means your past can't condemn you because you have been forgiven and given a new identity that has no such past in Christ.  And by the help of the Spirit, there can be no damnation in your present or future. That also means you can't end up in hell or on the wrong side of God's judgment. Please understand that this is applicable to those who live and walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh with its many self-absorbed pleasures; for when the Spirit leads, He leads to the very heart of God.  Hence, if you are in the former category of persons, I'm talking to you. You have passed over condemnation and can return no more to it. In Exod

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Will You Stop Loving God If He Took It Away? "Who shall ever separate us from Christ's love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?" (Romans 8:35 AMP)  In Job 1:11, the devil was so confident that if God took all away from Job, he would desert Him. So now I'm asking you, will you stop loving God if He took all away from you? I think that's the only question life asks us. Life is like a pressure cooker; it cooks you with the intention to either cause you to melt away or to get stronger. And every temptation and test we face are based on this truth.  Many a person have become atheists and agnostics not because they never once believed in God, but because they assumed He touched something they could never "forgive" Him for. So much of our unbelief is as a result of the pain of having lost something important - a job, a child, a partner and what h

  DAILY VITAMIN  - It's Never Over With God "Do not rejoice against me, O my enemy, for though I fall, I will rise again! When I sit in darkness, the Lord himself will be my Light" (Micah 7:8 TLB)  Have you ever heard of the phrase that "When one door closes, another opens up"? Well, it may sound as a cliché, but it is very true. Even Jesus experienced it.  The scriptures record that when the people of Gadara beckoned on Him to leave their city, those on the other side welcomed Him with open arms (Luke 8:39-40). In other words, God never leaves us without a compensation, a way of escape, a witness of His rewarding power. When what you think is your all is taken from you, God always prepares something greater to compensate for that loss.  For instance, when Joseph was stripped of his freedom, God ensured that He turned it around to exalt him. When David was forced into vagrancy, God ensured that He turned it around to give him a royal legacy. When Christ was take

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Let Testimonies Help Your Faith "And the report of him went forth into all Syria: and they brought unto him all that were sick, holden with divers diseases and torments, possessed with demons, and epileptic, and palsied; and he healed them." (Matthew 4:24 ASV)  Everything God has done for others is proof of all He can do for you; and all He's done is a promise that there is always more to come. That's what our theme scripture tells us. The people had heard of all He had done in other cities, and so came out massively to have Him do the same for them. And scripture says He did.  You see, only you can limit what God can do in your life. These fellows heard the testimonies of others and it initiated an infallible degree of faith in them to receive theirs. And if we'd do the same, we'd experience the same.  Has God changed the levels of your colleagues, relatives or what have you? Don't let it get you worked up, thinking about how low you th

DAILY VITAMIN  - Control Your Words "Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be" (James 3:10) The scripture says it is absurd for a tree to bear two different kinds of fruit, or for a fountain to bring forth two different kinds of water (v. 11-12). It is a great absurdity indeed, and God says that so is a believer who lives with the dispositions of those yet in darkness.  The Book of Luke says that we are identified by our fruits regardless of what tree we are meant to be; and that's how God judges us- how we live as against how we are supposed to live. It says "A good man out of the good treasures of his heart brings forth that which is good... For of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). This is how we prove our identity in Christ to those watching us. If truly we are His, then we must act like Him, think like Him, and thus speak like Him. Remember, "But now being made free from si

  DAILY VITAMIN  - Act Your Faith "...the just shall live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4) Faith is not a thought; it is action. That is why they are called acts of faith, not thoughts of faith; and its product works of faith, not the imaginations of faith. In other words, your faith is no good to you if it stays in your heart alone. No! It isn't. Because the equivalent of its capacity in materiality can only be seen when we act in it.  The scripture tells us of a leper who came to Jesus. First, it was forbidden of lepers to associate with the healthy - that's why till this day they have their own colonies, but this man came to where Jesus was meeting with people in a certain city in search of his healing; and the Bible tells that when Jesus heard and saw his actions, He touched him and immediately he was made wholesomely clean. Second, he didn't just sit somewhere hoping for healing rain to fall upon him, he approached its source and retrieved it.  The scripture als

  DAILY VITAMIN  - How To Overcome Sin "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Romans 6:16) The first thing we must know is that the believer has received the capacity to live above and free of sin. The chains of unrighteousness that kept us bound to sinfulness has been broken in Christ; however because (s)he still wears this corruptible flesh, there is still some level of vulnerability to fall: thus the need to continually stay sanctified in the Spirit.  When John wrote that he that is born of God cannot sin (1 John 3:9), he was speaking about our original nature in Christ. We are not designed to sin, but by choice we can. But anyway, in today's devotion we'd learn how we can live never to choose to.  All sins come from our submission to three things - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,  and the pride of life; and we are categorical

 DAILY VITAMIN  - Never Be Afraid To Ask "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7) Jesus told us that if ever we are in need, we should ask of the Lord, and we will receive. He said "everyone that asks receives" (v. 8). He also said that if we are lacking what we require to smile again, we should ask, and it will be done for us (John 16:24). And we can be sure of this because if we ask anything in His name, it will be done unto us (John 14:14). And it pleases Him to do so because we are His children. Thus, He tells us that if evil men can help their children, why wouldn't he help us? (Matthew 7:11). However, let's consider His words to Zechariah. He said "Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field" (Zechariah 10:1). First note that since the scripture constantly uses

  DAILY VITAMIN  - God Will Reward Your Good Works "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." (Hebrews 6:10) The opening scripture tells us that God never forgets our works- and if they be good, He will surely and keenly reward us for them. This is because God owes no one; He pays in full at all times. And so we are encouraged to keep doing good, for in due time we shall receive our reward in glory... not just in heaven, but on earth as well. Remember Galatians 6:9. Jesus said in this world manifold and in the world to come everlasting life (Mark 10:30). One person who can testify of this would be Mordecai. He had saved the king from some treacherous aides, but it almost seemed as though his good deeds were thrown under the carpet. Yet he wasn't fazed by man's disappointment as long as God's Word remains true.  After some years, a new aide sou

  DAILY VITAMIN  - You're A Child Of God Now "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:26) The scripture says that only they who are the children of the promise are counted as seeds and children of God (Romans 9:8), and from the same scriptures we understand that the seed of promise God spoke about is Christ Jesus.  Hence, putting all the pieces together and as our theme scripture affirms, all who belong to Christ are children of God by faith. But do you know what that means?  1. It means you have a family in heaven now. You're not alone; thus He said "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deut 31:8). You have One who loves you and would give anything for you. He has your provisions at heart, and promises to grant them to you. It may seem like you have nobody, but in this you've always got God, and He is more than enough. David knew this and said "Though my father and mother forsook me, then the Lord will take me up&q

 DAILY VITAMIN  - Blessings Unto You "And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel: so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong" (Zechariah 8:13) Never let the present circumstances convince you that you are not blessed, because you are. That's what the Word of God says; and as a result He is going to change our story. It tells us that we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heaven by Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3).And so it doesn't matter how today looks, the days after have been programmed to be better, because you are blessed.  In Abraham He promised us blessings, and in Christ He confirmed it when He made us so. He said the families of the earth shall be blessed through us, and then in Christ He fulfilled it before our eyes. Anyway, just in case you still think your problems outweigh the potency of God's promise, understand what He inferred in o

 DAILY VITAMIN - It Is Never In Vain "He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36) The Bible speaks of a day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ (Romans 2:16). So, there is a day when everything we have done will be brought to the light- some to glory, others to wrath -by an even standard, Jesus. And the good news is that we who have stuck to Him will not be disappointed; our walk in righteousness will not be in vain.  The scripture says "To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life. But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jews first, and also to the Gentile" (Romans 2:7-10). This means God will reward us. Remember, He is not unrighteous to f

  DAILY VITAMIN - God Has Prepared For Your Future "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou came forth out of the womb I sanctified thee... " (Jeremiah 1:5) God has you covered. The Bible says He possessed your reins and covered you even while you were still in the womb (Psalm 139:13). It also says your substance is visible to Him (v. 15). That means God can see who you are, who you were, and who you can be and are going to be.  In short, God knows your tomorrow just as well as He knows your today. It may seem like an uncertainty to you, but it is not to Him. He's been there and back. Furthermore, there is nothing like an uncertainty with God; He is all-knowing, and He knows all about you. And that's why I can tell you for a fact that God already has everything in place for you to be everything He says you will.  He has the right people coming your way. He has the right opportunities set before you. He has created solutions to problems you haven

  DAILY VITAMIN - Loving People "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love" (Romans 12:10) The greatest commandment tells us to love God, and the second instructs us to love people. The two go together. There's no way you can claim to love God and not be given to loving people. John 15 says that if we abide in His love, we'd bear fruit. And what is this fruit? Those qualities that reveal the Father in us; of which the first is love. Remember Jesus said people will know you're from me if you love one another (John 13:35). In his letter to Philemon, Paul commends him about his love and faith towards the Lord and people; and then tells him that in this way all he affirms to believe would be best communicated to all around as they see the similarities he shares with our loving God (v. 5-6). You see, God loves people. The scripture says He so loved us that He would not let us perish and so gave us the gift of life (John 3:16). He cares for us; that's