I MUST TELL JESUS

Dearly Beloved, I MUST TELL JESUS “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Psalm 55:22 NIV). The author of the hymn “I MUST TELL JESUS”, Reverend Elisha Albright Hoffman (1839-1929) was pastor of a church in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, United States, when he visited a woman who had gone through many sorrows and afflictions. The woman was discouraged because of her predicament. With heavy heart she asked Reverend Hoffman what she would do. Hoffman encouraged her from the word of God and concluded that she cannot do better than to take all of her sorrows to Jesus. The woman was for a moment seemed to be lost in meditation, then her eyes lighted as she exclaimed, “Yes, I must tell Jesus.” As Reverend Hoffman left her home, he was inspired to write the wordings of the hymn. As the woman exclaimed, Hoffman re-echoed many times in the hymn, “I must tell Jesus.” You must tell Jesus about all your trials because you cannot bear your burdens alone. Because He ever loves and cares for His own He will kindly help you in your distress. You must tell Jesus about all your troubles because He is a kind, compassionate Friend. He will surely deliver you if you ask Him, and quickly put an end to your troubles. The world may be alluring you to evil and tempting your heart to sin. You must tell Jesus, and He will help you to have victory over the world and its temptations. No matter the situation you are passing through, tell it to Jesus. He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NIV). "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37 NIV). You can see similar calls in Psalm 37:5; Isaiah 50:10; 55:1-3; Jeremiah 33:3; Matthew 7:7-11; Luke 11:9-13; Philippians 4:6; 1 Peter 5:7). This great hymn indeed reminds us of the need to rely on our wonderful Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, in every situation and trial of life. I must tell Jesus! In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Quote for the Day 31Jan2015

We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience. - George Washington

Quote for the Day 30Jan2015

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace. - Anonymous

Quote for the Day 29Jan2015

God is willing and just as capable of giving you victory in your current challenge as He was with those in times past. Take comfort in God’s promise that He watches over you and He wants to give you victory. - Henry Blackaby

Quote for the Day 28Jan2015

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. - Maya Angelou

Quote for the Day 27Jan2015

Those who bless God in their trials will be blessed by God through their trials. - Author Unknown

Quote for the Day 26Jan2015

Whenever you allow your circumstances to define your life instead of the promises of God as contained in His Word, you will always appear little, impotent and incapable to possess your promised inheritance from God. - Olufemi Babalola

Quote for the Day 25Jan2015

To say that God is God of impossibilities is an understatement. He is the God that rules over every impossibility of life. He willingly turns impossibilities to possibilities every day. - Bayo Afolaranmi

GOD OF IMPOSSIBILITIES?

Dearly Beloved, GOD OF IMPOSSIBILITIES? “Now to [God] who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV). Some people in one of my BBM networks were surprised to see my BBM display message in that BBM network: "I serve God of Impossibilities". They thought that it must be a mistake, and they called my attention to it. To them, God cannot be God of impossibilities. I tried to explain that God is both God of possibilities and God of impossibilities. To buttress my point, I explained further that God is God of impossibilities because He specializes in turning impossibilities to possibilities. It is easy to accept God as God of possibilities because He naturally does that every day. However, it is difficult to see Him as God of impossibilities because we hardly take note of His actions of turning impossibilities to possibilities. There were many people in the Bible who also found it difficult to see God as God of impossibilities. Abraham and Sarah were typical examples of such people. In Genesis 17, God promised Abraham that He would “bless [Sarah] and also give [Abraham] a son by her... and she shall be a mother of nations [and] kings of peoples shall be from her” (verse 16 NKJV). Abraham did not believe and even suggested a human possible way to accomplish such promise. However, the God of impossibilities assured Abraham that He would indeed do the impossibility through Sarah. In Genesis 18, God re-echoed this promise. When Sarah overheard it, she also did not believe. God questioned Abraham for this: “Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son” (verse 14 NKJV). At the very time God of impossibilities promised, He fulfilled His promise and Sarah gave birth to a son at her old age. You may read Numbers 11:18-23; 2 Kings 7:1-2; Matthew Mark 10:23-27; 11:20-25; Luke 1:11-20, 26-38 to see other accounts of many other people that find it difficult to believe the God of impossibilities in the Bible. Look specifically at these Bible verses: “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Has the Lord's arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not’” (Numbers 11:23 NKJV). “I know that [the LORD] can do everything…” (Job 42:2 NKJV). “Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You” (Jeremiah 32:17 NKJV). “But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Matthew 19:26 NKJV). “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV). There are many real life stories apart from the biblical accounts that attest to the fact that God is not only the God of impossibilities, He is above every impossibility. In fact, to say that the God I serve is God of impossibilities is an understatement. He is the God that rules over every impossibility of life. He willingly turns impossibilities to possibilities every day. He will do the impossible in your life this year in Jesus’ name. Amen. In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Lord, you specialize in turning impossibilities to possibilities. Do the seemingly impossible in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen. NB Are you on BBM? Have you been receiving inspiring daily messages from me through it? If no, invite this second BB PIN:79D09A93. God bless you!

Quote for the Day 24Jan2015

Getting close to God while we are strong and healthy prepares us to lean on Him for support and hope when difficult days in life come. - Lawrence Darmani

Quote for the Day 23Jan2015

Let’s be careful not to let our prayers become a listing of others’ flaws. The kind of prayer God desires flows out of a humble evaluation of our own sinful hearts. - Anne Cetas

Quote for the Day 22Jan2015

Our society is so caught up in winning, we forget that most of the great men and women in history have, at one time or another, failed at something, often repeatedly, and discouragingly. But each failure is nothing more than a brick in the wall that forms the foundation of our success. - Carlton Young

Quote for the Day 21Jan2015

You cannot walk backwards into the future, and the future God has in mind contains more happiness than any past you can remember. - Bob Gass

Quote for the Day 20Jan2015

Whatever your life's work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quote for the Day 19Jan2015

People, who consider themselves victims of their circumstances, will always remain victims unless they develop a greater vision for their lives. - Stedman Graham

Quote for the Day 18Jan2015

God may be keeping you in His will and purpose for your life, and He may be waiting for the appropriate time to answer your prayer in His own way. Do not be dismayed. It is for your good! - Bayo Afolaranmi

IT IS FOR YOUR GOOD!

Dearly Beloved, IT IS FOR YOUR GOOD! "For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome" (Jeremiah 29:11, AMP). "It is good that one should hope in and wait quietly for the salvation (the safety and ease) of the Lord" (Lamentations 3:26, AMP). Since about four weeks ago that my wife decided to nurture the chicks that suddenly became motherless through the mysterious death of their mother hen, I have continued to learn more lessons of life. One of such lessons is the way God handles our situation, especially when we do not like such way. My wife does not allow the motherless chicks to move freely around outside our residence when she is not at home to monitor their movement. Therefore, she normally confines them to an enclosure. Whenever this happens, they normally make pathetic noises. The moment they are released, the joy of freedom is seen in them as they move freely around our courtyard to look for what they could eat on their own. One day, when my wife was not at home, out of pity for these chicks, one of our children released them from their enclosure. Alas, one of the chicks fall prey to a hawk. If the other chicks could reason, they would have blamed the person that carelessly released them, and appreciated my wife that always confines them to safety and allows them to move out freely under her watchful eyes. They would have known that their confinement is for their good. God, at times, relates with us in a similar way! He "confines" us into His will and purpose so that no evil will befall us. He releases us to be free to do what we want when He knows that there is no danger ahead of us, or when He is ready to watch over us. In such cases of "confinements," we may be groaning and praying that He should release us, but He will not if it is not for our good. Any attempt for us to do things against His will and purpose may have adverse consequences. Have you been praying that God should do something for you, and He has not done it? Probably He is keeping you in His will and purpose for your life, and He may be waiting for the appropriate time to answer the prayer in His own way. Do not be dismayed. It is for your good! In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Quote for the Day 17Jan2015

Forgiveness of everybody, especially yourself, for every action, is your path to happiness. Resentments and regrets cause suffering. Forgiveness and gratitude make life joyful. It is that basic. - Author Unknown

Quote for the Day 16Jan2015

God’s moral standards are absolute. It is only when we see sin as something abhorrent to the Lord that we will be motivated to make right moral judgments. Calling sin by a softer name will change neither its offensiveness to God nor its cost to us. - C. P. Hia

Quote for the Day 15Jan2015

What we see today is not the fruit of chance but a fruit from seeds planted in the past. Plant seeds of peace now and you will create a life of peace in the future. – Debra Cummings

Quote for the Day 14Jan2015

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality. - Desmond Tutu

Quote for the Day 13Jan2015

You don't have to be like the world to have an impact on the world. You don't have to be like the crowd to change the crowd. You don't have to lower yourself down to their level to lift them up to your level. Holiness doesn't seek to be odd. Holiness seeks to be like God. - Diann L. White

Quote for the Day 12Jan2015

If you use what little you may have to serve the Lord with all your heart, you will find that He can do great things when you begin to do your part. - Dave Sper

Quote for the Day 11Jan2015

Living for Jesus Christ will make our living on earth meaningful and our death a gain for us. - Bayo Afolaranmi

WHO KNOWS THE HOUR?

Dearly Beloved, WHO KNOWS THE HOUR? "Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come?" (Ecclesiastes 9:12 NIV). The death of Reverend Josiah Adegoke Adeleke (1967-2005), my mentor, friend, and brother in Christ, in a ghastly auto accident with another friend, Reverend Chris Tayo Orodiji (1973-2005), on Tuesday January 11, 2005 is still a mirage to me. In spite of the fact that I was there at the mortuary giving them final bath and dressing in preparation for their burial, and the fact that I was one of those that lowered their coffins into their graves, I still find it difficult to believe that those two great men of God who died at their prime age in active service have gone forever. I will see them only in heaven when I also die or at the marriage feast of the Lamb after the rapture of the saints. Both of them were very intimate friends who had shared with me many things about our personal, educational, and especially ministerial endeavors. So, all the plans, dreams, and aspirations they had have gone with them unfulfilled! So, they have abandoned their promising ministerial careers for the rest of us! So, they will not publish those books they have written their outlines! So, they have left their wives and very young children behind to face the struggles of life alone! So, they have.... Their short lives and sudden death are indeed a challenge to the living that "Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.... Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed…. But man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more. As water disappears from the sea or a riverbed becomes parched and dry, so man lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are no more, men will not awake or be roused from their sleep" (Job 14:1-5, 10-12 NIV). Their short lives and sudden death are a strong confirmation of the words of Solomon, "'Meaningless! Meaningless!' says the Teacher. 'Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless,'" and "What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?" (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:22 NIV). What really are we living for if death can render everything meaningless within seconds without warning? Why are we struggling to become somebody on earth when it is certain that we will leave everything one day? This makes the words of Paul in Philippians 1:21 relevant here: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (NIV). Living for Jesus Christ will make our living on earth meaningful and our death a gain for us. GOKE and TAYO lived for Christ and their death is indeed a gain for them and Jesus Christ. Who are you living for? Their short lives and sudden death are now a warning to me that I have to "discharge all the duties of [my] ministry" (2 Timothy 4:5 NIV). Again, the words of Paul to Archippus clearly come to mind: "See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord" (Colossians 4:17 NIV). I have to be up and doing because I do not know when God will also call me home. I do not know what people will say when I am no more. I do not know whether my Lord will commend me with words like, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:21 NIV). I do not know.... Their short lives and sudden death are indeed a challenge and a warning to us to "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses" (1 Timothy 6:12 NIV). If those two great men of God could die at their prime age, then, anyone may be the next to be called home. Let me conclude with these words of Solomon, "Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them" (Ecclesiastes 9:12 NIV). In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). NB This message was first sent out on January 30, 2005. I am sending it out again in honour of these two late revered ministers of God.

Quote for the Day 10Jan2015

You have a genuine friend in Jesus if you have accepted His offer of salvation — a friend who is always loyal; one who lifts you when you stumble. He has shown you the greatest love one friend can have for another — love that led Him to sacrifice His life for you. - Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Quote for the Day 09Jan2015

Peace in Christ is a gift and a revelation. It is knowing that Jesus Christ is in control forever no matter what. - Supo Ayokunle

Quote for the Day 08Jan2015

When we sustain a heart-breaking loss, when grief overwhelms our soul, the Savior who gave Himself on the cross reminds us that He is in control. - D. De Haan

Quote for the Day 07Jan2015

We have a Savior who understands and offers His peace in the midst of our struggles. - Bill Crowder

Quote for the Day 06Jan2015

You are important to God! He has a plan and purpose for your life. He will equip you for every ministry He calls you to do. Seek His will, find your place of service, and pursue with perseverance all that God wants to do in and through your life. He will faithfully lead you and empower you! – Ed Powell

Quote for the Day 05Jan2015

Our children are the heritage of the Lord. Do not destroy the future of God’s heritage in your care. Our children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be their peace. - Babatunde Isiaka

Quote for the Day 04Jan2015

To receive and enjoy double honour from God this year, make sure that you have received Jesus Christ into your life, and do not sell your birthright, your authority in Christ, to the devil by indulging in sins and conscious disobedience to the words of God and the will of God for your life. - Bayo Afolaranmi

MY YEAR OF DOUBLE HONOUR

Dearly Beloved, MY YEAR OF DOUBLE HONOUR “But you shall be named the priests of the Lord, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs” (Isaiah 61:6-7 NKJV). I do not usually believe in tagging a year with a particular theme, but I always use particular Bible passages to pray for people every year and even base my first message for that year on those particular passages. However, some hours into this year 2015, I was led to tag this year “My Year of Double Honour” based on the Bible passage (that is, Isaiah 61:6-7) that the Lord has laid in my mind some weeks back to use in my annual prayer for the recipients of my daily and weekly messages. The people of Israel had sinned against God. They had broken their covenant with the LORD. The LORD on His part abandoned them and allowed them to be taken to captivity in Assyria and Babylon. They became servants of strangers in their land of captivity. They were forced to serve foreign gods. Jerusalem, their holy city, and the temple of the LORD in it became ruined. It was a great disaster for the people of Israel who were once a pride to many nations. However, the LORD would not abandon them forever. The prophecy in Isaiah 61 is about the restoration of the city of Jerusalem (in particular) and the land and people of Israel (in general) to their original state. The LORD promised to restore the people. Instead of serving other people and their gods, they will be serving the LORD. In fact, they will become His special priests. They shall enjoy the riches of the strangers that had enslaved them. The LORD promised to give them double honour in place of their shame. Their possessions in their land will be in double portions. This promise of double honour was resounded also in Isaiah 40:2 and Zechariah 9:12: “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.... Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you” (NKJV). The promise is likened to the double portion of the inheritance that the eldest son in a family would receive from his father's estate (Deuteronomy 21:17). As the eldest son was given special honour, so also Israel, like the Lord's firstborn (see Exodus 4:22), will be honoured. People everywhere will acknowledge that the people of Israel are indeed God's special people because of these blessings and an everlasting covenant (the New Covenant referred to in Jeremiah 32:40; Ezekiel 16:60; 37:26; Hebrews 13:20) that God is giving Israel. However, this promise of double honour is not automatic. Esau (the first son of Isaac) despised his birthright, and Jacob enjoyed the honour (see Genesis 25:32-34; Hebrews 12:16-17). Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob could not enjoy the double honour because of his sin (see Genesis 35:22; 49:4; 1 Chronicle 5:1-2). Do you know that you also can receive double honour from God this year? Make sure that you have received Jesus Christ into your life (see John 1:11-12). Do not sell your birthright, your authority in Christ, to the devil by indulging in sins and conscious disobedience to the words of God and the will of God for your life. 2015, My Year of Double Honour! In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Lord, I want to enjoy your double honour this year. Help me Lord not to sell my birthright.

Quote for the Day 03Jan2015

Press forward and fear not! Though trials be near; The Lord is our refuge; whom then shall we fear? His staff is our comfort, our safeguard His rod; then let us be steadfast and joy in our God. - Anon.

Quote for the Day 02Jan2015

What a comfort to know that God is always with us - we do not need to go through life alone! - Cindy Hess Kasper