Category: Daily Devotionals

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

The place of trials in growth (23/6/2021)

James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” – NIV

Everyone wishes to live and go through life free of any troubles, pains, hustles and challenges. Many people’s prayers are in this direction. But the reality is that trials are the norm in life and part God’s plan to make us grow in Himself. James relates how trials of many kinds, faced by those in Christ, are a means to our growth to maturity and being complete in the Lord. He urges us to rejoice in them.

Trials of our faith are not to be taken negatively, but in good faith and joy because they produce perseverance. Patient endurance over time shape and mold in us the character of God which is key in maturity. Nobody matures in the soft pleasures of life. No general or athlete is trained in luxury. It takes pain, tears and sometimes what appears like failure. Job said, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”(Job 23:10).

How we view the challenges of life determines how they shape us, either to become bitter or better, to stagnate or grow. No challenge of life leaves us the same. Bitter people never grow through their trials. They stagnate or retrogress instead. Better people are shaped and grow from challenges. They thank God and rejoice in them as Paul did. Which one are you?

Romans 5:3-4 “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

The ultimate purpose (24/6/2021)

Ephesians 4:13-14 “… until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” – NIV

The ultimate purpose of growth is to attain maturity. Maturity to the follower of Christ is manifested when the person becomes like Jesus, reflecting His character and so truly become Christian (Christlike). Paul mentions the goal of spiritual gifts in the church as; to bring unity in the faith despite our differences, and to attain the knowledge of the son of God and mature in Him attaining His full stature.

Jesus said it is enough for the student and servant (us) to be like the teacher and Master (Him) (Matt 10:25). When the growth process is fully done, we shall be like Him. The fruit of our lives will reflect Christ in every way. We shall bear much fruit, shine His light for all to see, until it will be said of us, that we are like Christ.

This is the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life. The fruit is of the Holy Spirit. When this is done, we bring much glory to the Father as we become true witnesses of His transforming power. Then we can no longer be tossed back and forth by winds of doctrines, promising this and that, as promoted by cunning and crafty men coming with all sorts of things in the name of the Lord. We shall be stable and firmly grounded in truth that liberates.

John 15:8 “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Maturity Vs imaturity (25/6/2021)

1 Corinthians 3:2-4 “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?”

At some point, maturity is expected to be attained. But when that doesn’t happen at the right time, it becomes awkward. Beautiful and lovely as a child is, he is expected to outgrow childhood stage. The Corinthians, by the time Paul wrote, were still babies immature in the faith and yet expected to have matured. This manifested in being worldly, disunited, jealousy, and quarreling among themselves. These are still the marks of immaturity.

On the other hand, there are signs of maturity expected to be exhibited. These include the fruit of the Spirit love, peace, patience, kindness, …(Gal 5:22-23), unity in the faith, becoming more like Christ. It is in the maturity of God’s people that He is most glorified as we reflect Him. The church’s mission in the world is to be ambassadors of God, representing Him and His kingdom. In imaturity, the church brings more shame than glory to God.

Let each one of us who is individually a member of the body of Christ seek to grow so as to meaningfully contribute to the body and bring glory to God. Paul said there is a view of things, approach to issues and perceptions of people in a dignified manner that shows maturity. It sees everything from God’s perspective. Let God help us attain that level.

Philippians 3:15-16 “All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

How we grow (26/6/2021)

Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” – NIV

There are no shortcuts to growth. Growth is both the effect of personal commitment of each one of us, as much as the result of the inputs into our lives. We often admire the early church and their great accomplishments for God. But few want to ask what they did to grow so strong in the Lord and to attain what they achieved. The scripture above gives us the secret: daily devotion. Nothing replaces a personal intimate walk with God towards quality spiritual growth.

Four major avenues of growth are mentioned: devotion to teachings of the apostles, fellowship among themselves, breaking of bread and prayer. The word was the centre of teaching. Their fellowship with one another was sincere. They broke bread in communion with one another and with the Lord. They prayed daily. Such was their lifestyle. And they grew so much to be like their Lord that they were nicknamed Christians (Acts 11:26). We cannot do less and expect to be like them or better.

Growth is first and foremost individual. And this means devotion to the teachings of the word through personal study, fellowship with others, communion with the Lord and prayer at individual level. What manifests publicly is developed and shaped in the secret chambers. The church is only as strong as its individual members. The extent of our growth is determined by the quality of our personal devotional lives with God.

Acts 2:46-47 “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

To fully release your potential (27/6/2020)

1 Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” – NIV

Paul was in the middle of discussing spiritual gifts. He brought in the importance of love without which all gifting is worthless. And adds how growth from childhood to manhood changes many things. As earlier noted, we outgrow some habits as we mature. Among them is pettiness of reasoning, thought and action. We see things from a more strategic and broader view.

So much potential been deposited in us by our Creator. He gifted us to serve and help others become the best they were made to be. It is until we outgrow childish mentality and mature that we can be able to realise and fully release our potential in the world. There are things God can’t show or do through a person who has not matured to some level. There is a level of ministry that one can operate in only if they are grown up. And this happens for several other areas in life.

It’s my humble prayer and urge to all that we seek to be the best God made us to be. If not, the world will miss our gifting. Some are preoccupied with things they were never made to do. Others have settled for so little and yet much more is in them to bless the world. Let it not be that when we get to the other side of eternity we realise how much we could have achieved for the glory of God and the blessing of humanity — and yet we didn’t because we didn’t grow into our full potential and gifting. That will be an eternal regret!

Hebrews 5:11-12 “There is much we have to say about this matter, but it is hard to explain to you, because you are so slow to understand. There has been enough time for you to be teachers — yet you still need someone to teach you the first lessons of God’s message. Instead of eating solid food, you still have to drink milk.”

Shalom children of God. Blessed Sunday

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things;    do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” – NIV

In the ups and downs of life, many things happen. There are nice and pleasant things. There are nasty and horrible ones too. We fall and rise up, stagger and stabilise. That’s what Israel went through. Even in their worst situations, God still promised to restore them. In the verses above, He asks them to forget the past because He was doing a new thing.

Whatever the past was, good or bad, God gives new chances and beginnings. He is God of another chance who heals, restores, forgives and comforts again. He wipes the past away. Even if the past was good, He has better things ahead. He says do not dwell on the past. The more you dwell on the past, the less you see or perceive the new thing God is doing. From the wasteland, lose, hopelessness, He makes a way and causes a blossom.

Let this encourage you today. God heals and restores the past. Arise from the shadows of the valley, from the guilt and pains of the past. Cast your past to Him. Let God’s light shine upon you. See the new things God is doing in your life. Forget the past. Leave it to Him.

Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”

Shalom. Peaceful week

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.” – NIV

Solomon had laboured to explain how there is a time for everything under the sun. He now describes how hard people work and wonders what people gain out of it. He concludes that people work to be happy while they live. This is true even today. Whatever people do, they aim at deriving satisfaction and fulfillment from their hard work through earning or utilisation and release of their potential.

The years God gives us in this life are few even if one lived to be a hundred, in comparison to eternity. While we go through much, nice and not very pleasant situations of life, we can enjoy our lives and the blessing of God upon our labours. God promised to bless the work of our hands. To be blessed is to be happy. God’s plans for us are always for welfare and for good, not for evil.

As we live this life and the years God gives us, let’s enjoy them in the Lord. All our endeavors and labours without God will not satisfy. Many think they can do without God and enjoy wealth or the things they possess. Even with all one may posses, without God, nothing really satisfies. It all becomes vanity, like chasing after wind. And yet many are into deception of focusing only on work and possessions without God!

Luke 12:15, 21 “Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” … “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor. Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Hebrews 9:27 “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…”

Death is a painful reality we live with in this life. It is an enemy and it will be with us until it has been fully conquered and thrown into hell for eternity. As it takes our loved ones, we feel it’s cruel arm, and yet we can’t stop it, despite the best efforts in medical and self care in all ways. When the appointed time of our departure comes, we leave. We are experiencing alot of this now.

Death was a result of sin after the fall of man (Rom 6:23). God will destroy sin and death, renew all things and those who believe in Him shall enter an eternity without evil. Physical death then, is a transition from mortality to immortality, the temporary to eternal and a rest from their labours for those in Christ. It’s a glorious time, to be much looked up to, but a deep pain for those left behind. Let’s be comforted that our loved ones in Christ who die are in glory with the Lord. But those who don’t know, nor love God are dreadfully lost for eternity!

As we go through life, knowing that we too will go that way, let’s prepare ourselves to meet our Creator. Physical death is an appointment for all, but after that is the judgement. Death is not the end. It’s a transition to an eternity we must prepare for while here on earth. The Lord calls us to live for Him and His service as we await our appointment.

May God comfort all who have lost dear ones!

Revelation 14:13 “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Psalms 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13 “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Psalm 91:1-2 “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High  will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” – NIV

Psalm 91 gives powerful words of assurance of God’s protection on His children. The promise is to whoever will choose to make God his refuge and fortress. A refuge is a place one runs to for safety from danger. In war, fortresses provide good protection from enemy sight, access and arrows. The Lord is a refuge and fortress to those who trust in Him. The enemy cannot see, access nor succeed in shooting you.

Paul mentions the fiery darts of the enemy ever being short at us in the spiritual warfare we are engaged in (Eph 6). But as we dwell in the shelter of the Most High, none of them will reach us. Even with trouble all around us, we shall be safe and secure in Him. In Him we find peaceful rest amidst trouble.

It’s God’s commitment to protect and shield those in Him. He does not fall short of His promises. In the perilous times we are in, with so much going on around us which seems to create uncertainty and fear, choose to dwell in the shelter of God Most High, believe His report about you and say of Him, “He is my refuge, strength, comfort and fortress.” And rest in Him. It’s well with you in the Lord.

Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;  the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Hebrews 12:2-3 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” – NIV

The constant battles and challenges we are engaged in eventually drain strength and can wear us out. As a result, fatigue and burn out set in and people give up or surrender to negative situations despite knowing the right things to do. Jesus endured the horribly painful cross, its shame and fierce opposition from evil men because of the joy that lay ahead of Him. We are encouraged to fix our eyes on Him so that we do not grow weary and lose heart.

Jesus was tried and tempted in every we are but never gave in. The great heroes of faith too went through very terrifying trials but never lost heart. Let their example and testimony encourage us in our faith. They overcame. We too shall overcome. Sufficient grace was upon them to endure. We too have sufficient grace to go through.
It’s the devil’s intention to bombard us with so much from every side and throw thoughts of quiting. Do not quit!

Looking to Jesus, learning from the examples of those who went ahead of us, focusing on the prize and reward ahead will strength our commitment and perseverance to go on. You are not alone going through it. Victory is promised to us, if we don’t grow weary. As we trust God daily, He renews our strength. We shall overcome because we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Isaiah 40:29 – 31 “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Shalom. Blessed Sunday