The Oscar Ajoku Blog: Daily Vitamin Devotional

  DAILY VITAMIN - God Answers Prayers "Call to Me, and I will answer you..." (Jeremiah 33:3) It's October 20, 2011, the day the University of Benin's list of admitted students came out. Unsurprising, I made it. I was going to be studying Biochemistry come November. But then trouble arose. We were broke; so it was almost impossible to get the tuition. Unlike in the U.S, there is no access to student loans or any form of financial aid here in the country, except you want to test the waters with the banks, in which most times than not you get drowned eventually. So there I was, with an offer to get into college in a month and no money. My parents didn't have enough, and neither did I, nor my sister who had been really supportive financially all the while. Of course I had a job, working in a local church as a personal assistant to the head pastor, for free. So all I could was pray; some days cry, but inarguably hope that something would come up.  A month went by; scho

  DAILY VITAMIN - The Lion And The Gazelle “See you a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before mean men.” (Proverbs 22:29) Every morning the lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve; in the same light the gazelle knows it must outrun the fastest lion if it must survive. It doesn’t matter which we are in this world, but by daybreak we better be running. Running here depicts the act of improving oneself. And as such if we aren’t improving at the same pace the world is, we’ll be left behind. The world is changing rapidly and only those who can keep up with the changes by adopting the capabilities to adapt can thrive. Be it in business or what have you. Staying static has never helped anyone. We must be kinetic; actively and readily willing to enhance our know-how. So whether you are a boss or an employee, be keen to get better daily. Just so you know, God is an advocate of innovation. In the days of Uzziah, the

  DAILY VITAMIN - All Eyes On You “Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1) When you sneak into a supposedly hidden place or in the best of your craftiness commit a sin believing no one saw you, you’re wrong. Totally wrong. No man may have seen you, but many in the audience of the other realm see you. Nothing is hidden under the sun, the scripture says, and that’s just how it is.  The Bible calls us spectacles to angels. Do you know what that means? They watch us like a movie all the time. And then there’s God whose eyes are stayed on us (2 Chronicles 16:9). So we can’t hide. God sees everything. Everything we do. There’s no avoiding Him. No “don’t let Him see”. He sees it all. Little wonder He says through Paul, “Don’t be deceived, God cannot be mocked. Whatsoever a man sows so shall he reap.” (G

  DAILY VITAMIN - Don’t Be Deceived, God Is Real “The fool has said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 53:1) God exists whether you believe it or not. Ignorance doesn’t override truth. It’s like saying hunger doesn’t exist because you’ve never gone starving all your life. Well, just take a trip down the block and you’d find out just how wrong you are. The same goes with our belief about the existence of God.  We judge things sometimes on the basis of perception; which is fair by all standards, but could also be a faux pas, seeing how limited human perception can be. The fact that we don’t see a thing doesn’t mean it isn’t there. The fact that we don’t know a thing doesn’t make it unreal. Forget what they say about how what we don’t know can’t kill us because it will kill us and then bury us for free. So please wake up, don’t confuse your lack of comprehension to mean a lack of presence. God is real. He says He is I AM, and whether you accept that or not, He still remains I AM. All t

  DAILY VITAMIN - You Don't Have To Do It Alone "I know that [the determination of] the way of a man is not in himself; it is not in man [even in a strong man or in a man at his best] to direct his [own] steps." (Jeremiah 10:23 AMP) The Bible tells us that man plans, but the end result of that plan still lies in God's hand. With this we can easily appreciate the sovereignty of God. Hannah understood this, thus she said of him: He raise one up and brings another down. So even when a man shines so bright, it is not enturely of his doing, for by strength shall no man prevail (1 Samuel 2:9). Everything we are and can be is largely dependent on God's making. The theme verse tells us that, therefore even those brilliant ideas we think we cook up are a product of God's doing. In Biblical times, those who understood this fully always succeeded. Because through this knowing, they clung fast to the giver and not just the gift, realizing that he who has the giver has the

  DAILY VITAMIN - God’s Still In The Business Of Doing Miracles “…But with God, everything is possible.” (Matthew 19:26 TLB) In the year 2010, a step-aunt of mine, then in her early forties, woke up with a swollen abdomen. Believing it to be nothing but a consequence of the mountain of food she’d consumed the night before, she paid it no mind. However, the bulge only got worse. Petrified at what that could mean, she decided against visiting the hospital on her own, but instead took the first bus to our home. After a few days, she and my step-mom finally went to the teaching hospital, but the doctors couldn’t detect the course. Some plainly said they couldn’t see anything in the test result as a causative factor; others added a little negative remark without proof: it might simply be a tumor. Perhaps ovarian. Hopefully not cancerous. That was the day the panic started. No hospital was willing to risk operating on her without a clue to what was actually wrong with her as required. So aft

DAILY VITAMIN - How To Make Your Marriage Work: Love, Like Truly Love, Your Spouse “And you husbands show the same kind of love to your wives as Christ showed to the church…” (Ephesians 5:25 TLB) Love is a duty you owe to all whom you hold dear and also to those who you don’t. The scripture advises us to love without dissimulation (Romans 12:9), and here it tells us to love our partners that way specifically as Christ did with the church. The question then becomes “what did Christ do?” First, He sacrificed for her; gently corrected it, and meekly put up with her till she fully learned the correction. He understood her weakness and in the midst of it all, stood as her strength. Like He said to Paul, my strength is made perfect in your weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). But today I’d like us to focus on understanding. Love is understanding; and understanding is the only way we can learn to tolerate each other. I have always said that there is no perfect marriage with perfect people, just a m

  DAILY VITAMIN - God Is Supreme "...The purpose of this decree is that all the world may understand that the Most High dominates the kingdoms of the world, and gives them to anyone He wants to, even the lowliest of men!" (Dan 4:17TLB) I find a lot of believers talk about the devil so much these days you'd think the devil created this world. They get scared when they speak of him, but fail to understand that the devil is insignificant in the place of God.  What this means is that the only reason why the devil has a role in this cycle of life is because God lets him. And that there is God's most fearsome attribute - not His ability to make be,  but His ability to let be. See Lamentations 3:37-38. In the days of Job, despite his not being born again in the order of things, the devil couldn't touch him. He had to seek clearance from God. And even when Jesus said this thief steals, kills and destroys, note that He said he seeks to not that he will succeed; for as the

  DAILY VITAMIN - The Power Of Belief "Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you have it; it's yours." (Mark 11:24 TLB) A lot of folks don't like to talk about it; some think it's mere fallacy, whileothers accept it, but belief is the foundation of all becomings. Whether we succeed or fail, it's always first down to the belief system we've built in ourselves. That's why the devil craves to destroy it. Yes, just so you know, that's what he tries to steal, kill and destroy - your belief (faith); not your life. A life without sustainable belief is death personified; and he knows this. We are nothing without belief.  He knew he couldn't kill Job, so he went after his belief so he would curse God and die. So the devil doesn't really care if you live or die, but he does care that you don't become what you were born to be. That's why he came after Jesus, and even now after us.  In Revelations 12, once he knew what th

  DAILY VITAMIN - Be Thankful In All Things "Be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants from you..." (1 Thesis 5:18 GNB) Gratitude is the most important virtue any believer should possess. Christians are happy people because we are grateful people. And therein lies the key to a life full of joy: being grateful in and for all things.  When faced with an impossible task and a difficult situation, having only five loaves to feed over five thousand heads, the first thing Jesus did was give thanks (Mark 6:41). Once that was done, the unimaginable then happened. You see, nothing moves God into action more than a grateful heart, especially one in the midst of reasons to have been bitter. The Psalmist calls it our sole purpose for living - to worship the Lord at all times; good or bad. And here's what I'll say to you regarding that even as you head into the new day: That your life isn't as colourful as you think it should be doesn't mean that the life yo

  DAILY VITAMIN - God Will Do It "Yes, ask anything, using my name, and I will do it." (John 14:14 TLB) God can do anything. Ephesians 3:20 says even things beyond our reach and comprehension. So there's nothing to much for Him to accomplish (Jeremiah 32:27). Thus the reason why Jesus said 'anything'. We might limit our abilities to a certain degree, but God has no limitations. He can do anything. The same power it takes God to create an orange is what it takes to create the orange tree. The same power it takes to heal the sick is what it takes Him to create a whole new man. In other words, there's no too-big-for-God-to-do. What you have to do is ask. He said ask that your joy might overflow (John 16:24). Whatever it is that's necessary for your full joy to manifest in this life can be done by Him in a blink of an eye. The only requirement is that it's something He has approved for you (Isaiah 45:19 TLB).  If God would do just about anything we ask whe

  DAILY VITAMIN - Remember That You Are Loved “But God is so rich in mercy; he loved us so much that even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by our sins, he gave us back our lives again…” (Ephesians 2:6-7 TLB) In today’s world, with all the hardships and trials we battle against daily, it’s easy to think that we are alone. That God has abandoned us. That we are not loved. But that’s not true. The scripture tells us that God has never forsaken us and never will (Hebrew 13:5). He cares for us. That’s why He gave His human life in exchange for our glory. And if He did this when we were unworthy, how much now that He’s made us worthy? Things may not be working well right now, but don’t stop believing. Look behind you, you’d realize that God’s been there all the while. He isn’t going anywhere. The Bible calls Him the Shepherd who doesn’t abandon His sheep. If it will take Him days to find you and restore life unto you, He’d do it. Why? Because He loves you. He knows you by name, and

  DAILY VITAMIN - Actions Speak Loudest “Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16 TLB) It was 4:30 p.m., sometime in late January 2015. The students were crowded en masse for Laboratory Practice registrations. Everybody was there; the sleek guys and girls, and the geeks as well. And also there was myself, and my very good friend Earnest. We were both members of the Christian Community on campus; but Earnest was the more vocal kind. Well, on this day, the hall was replete with students and the process slow, but eventually it got to our turn. The Registration Officer (R.O) requested for the required fee and documentation and thus signed me up; however when it was Earnest’s time to get registered, he failed to ask for the fee. Anyway, when we were both done with the process and on our way back home, Earnest softly indicated that we stop for a moment. As we stood there under the canop

  DAILY VITAMIN -  You've Got A Great Shining "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) Sometimes you might look at yourself and wonder how any of the good things stated in scriptures can be true as it regards you; the same way many Nazarenes must have also presumed of themselves since they held strong the belief that nothing good could out of Galilee in general.  But hear me: you are a good thing because Jesus despite being a Nazarene was, and you take after Him through His Spirit in you. You have something in you that can't be measured by phenotypic traits, and that's called glory. And guess what? You've got it plenty. In the theme verse, God shows us that this glory residing within us isn't local; it's meant for nations to see and experience. Not just your family or neighbours; no. But like Jesus, for the entire world. So you're a global phenomenon. Get

  DAILY VITAMIN - Find Your Spark Again “For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:2) This is one of the toughest periods in modern history: economic collapses in major countries, public health catastrophes—the pandemic and all, and then there’s the fact that recently there have been a mass suffrage of sudden depression by lots of people, possibly even yourself right now; but worse is that because of this people are beginning to lose faith in themselves. And that’s something crises as such do to you. The above scripture uses the term “the darkness”, connoting an entity and not the opposite of daylight. In other words, evil forces who by the advent of certain events push many into emotional conundrums that leave them in gross darkness—which can be said to mean the absence of light/joy in a man. Give or take, depression borne from certain disappointments. You see, dis

  DAILY VITAMIN -  Your Best Is Yet To Come "...no mere man has ever seen, heard or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord." (1 Cor 2:9) Today marks the end of the year, but not the end of your life. Thus, where you find yourself today isn't the pinnacle of all God has in store for you. The theme scripture tells us that His plans are unfathomable--too good for common minds to comprehend nor unearth. And then coupling that with the confession that the path of the righteous shines brightly till the end of time (Pro 4:18), it becomes apparent that many a good thing are still in store for you. You'll see this and give praise to God. However, being this is the last day of the phase in our lives called 2022, i'd love to pray for you: "Father, I thank you for a productive year; because sometimes even though we felt stuck or stifled, you had your own plans, and those plans are why we are still alive today. So again, I thank you,

  DAILY VITAMIN -  Share The Joy This Christmas "The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father's point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord--not soiled and dirtied by his contcts with the world." (James 1:27) The essence of all celebrations is not just to merry and bask in the euphoria of our abundances, but to appropriate the significance of that abundance in all we do. That is, to show what the event truly stands for in the first place. In the light of Christmas, we know it's in honour of God's gift to us--Jesus. Hence, Christmas is all about giving back. Jesus gave His life and glory for us to have an upgrade of that in our once doldrum of a life. And in his honour, we are bound by responsibility to help others have that too. The angels announced that in Him light had come to all men, today we must also help others see the same light. The scripture tells that we start with those who feel l

 DAILY VITAMIN -  Overcoming Grief "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) The scripture tells us that no man can truly know the happiness of another man, nor his grief, because only the bereaved or the joyous bears the brunt of the experience (Pro 14:10 TLB). Grief, on one hand, is a complicated feeling, set in motion by some sort of loss that seems larger than life itself. For example, the loss of a child, partner, business; with each coming at varying degrees. In that case, it would be absurd to assume I understand how such a person feels. It is impossible; outrightly impossible. Perhaps have an idea of it, but never the exact entent of his pain. I cannot, I repeat, I cannot know what the other man who losses his child suffers even if I had suffered the same fate; because people suffer differently. Some worse than others. But there is a commo

  DAILY VITAMIN -  Maximizing Faith "....as thou has believed, so be it unto you." (Matt 8:13) Once you understand the extent of the power one can unleash through faith, you'd never doubt God nor yourself ever again. In our theme scripture, we see the story of the centurion whose servant Jesus healed. The first thing jesus did was recognize and praise his faith, then told him that whatever he believed becomes his reality. Many times in scripture, He repeated this. Mark 9:23, to the man with the epileptic son; Matt 9:29, to the blind men; Mark 11:22-24, to His disciples. In other words, faith is the basis of all reception. Thus, there can be getting without first a believing. To better understand this, I'd like you to know that when you faith for a thing, you release the power to create it. And this is the same power capable of creating new worlds. Recall that the worlds were established through faith (Heb 11:1-3); so when you choose faith, you exercise your God-potent

  DAILY VITAMIN - Is Anger Really A Sin? "Be ye angry, and sin not..." (Ephesians 4:26) Anger; is it a sin? This is one of the most debateable premise in most church meetings about the subject. So, here's my take: anger is not a sin. Yes you heard that right; it isn't, rather it is the acttions of anger that is considered sin. Don't worry, I'll explain. As the theme scripture says, it is normal to get angry at times, but when sin comes in then it becomes something evil. So, it's not a matter of how often we get angry, but one of how we channel that anger. Let's consider cain. After God rejected his offering, scripture says he was angry as most people are when rejected, yet notice what God said "...if thou does not well, sin lieth at the door." (Gen 4:7). Thus, while it is not untrue that sin sneaks behind the angry, it is what he or she does that gives it the leeway it needs to thrive. And what did cain do? He went ahead and slew Abel, and as