Category: Daily Devotionals

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

1 Samuel 15:13-15 "When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”_ - NIV 

God’s message and instructions to Saul were clear; to wipe out the Amelekites and everything they owned. Saul went and selectively destroyed what was unpleasant and spared the best bulls and sheep, purportedly to come and sacrifice to God. They also spared Agag, their king. When he met Samuel to report, he confidently said he carried out the Lord’s instructions. This act of disobedience displeased God so much that He regreted why He made Saul king, and removed him from the kingship.

Disobedience comes in various forms. Outright or partial refusal to heed instructions. When what God requires of us is interpreted and executed as one wishes or finds convenient, that’s disobedience. We are not at liberty to choose what we wish to do and what we don’t like as far as God’s word is concerned. God calls us to simple trust and complete obedience. Jesus commissioned the church to teach obedience to His commands.

How is it that some are living in sin and disobedience in one area of their lives and yet appear very confident, committed and zealous for God in other aspects? Because of self styled godliness which has redefined God’s word and instructions to conveniently suit their ungodly bodily desires. It is double dealing with the world. The Bible says God cannot be mocked by such hypocrisy. We ultimately reap what we sow. Choose to simply trust and obey God. That’s the way of peace._Galatians 6:7 “Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. People will reap exactly what they sow.”__

Matthew 28:20 "...and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.”_ 

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

Romans 1:18-20 “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” – NIV

Does God get angry? Yes. Paul in the portion stated and following gives the reasons why. Some know God only as so good and loving even to hurt anyone or send people to hell in eternal torment. Others only know the angry part of God waiting to whip whoever doesn’t do right. They live in constant fear. These two extremes need to be balanced by a holistic biblical teaching on God’s character. God placed all the anger and punishment we deserved for sin on Jesus. Accepting Jesus releases us from God’s wrath.

God’s anger is directed against the godlessness and wickedness of people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. This is not in ignorance, but deliberately since whatever may be known about God has been revealed, through the preaching of the gospel and through nature which teaches about God. The magnificence of creation itself teaches even the dullest person about the nature of a great God who made these things. But men reject God despite knowing all these!

And Paul says men are without excuse for continuing in their rejection of God, practicing godlessness and all sorts of evil he mentions later. They even promote evil and legislate it! Whoever incurs God’s wrath has done it deliberately, by choosing wickedness even with the full knowledge of God and His character. Suck knowledge of God is meant to draw us to put our faith in Christ, and be saved from our sins and God’s wrath. And there is still opportunity to mend our ways with God.

John 3:17-18 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

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

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

John 10:3-5 “The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” – NIV

Jesus the good Shepherd demonstrates the love, care and intimacy with us by speaking and calling us His own by name. Then He leads the sheep out to the pastures and in safety by going ahead. Such is the assurance to the sheep that all is well. In keenly recognizing and faithfully following the guiding voice of their Shepherd can the sheep be certain of peace and safety. The frantic voice of the stranger seeks to divert, mislead into danger, however sweet it sounds. Run away from it.

Calling us by name means He knows and cares for us individually. You are not just part of the crowd or part of the statistics in the world. To God, you are very important and valuable that you deserve His full attention. Jesus’ parable of the one lost sheep out of a hundred demonstrates this – one is too precious to be lost! (Luke 15:3-7). He looked for one! Jesus heard the voice of a blind beggar, Bartimeus, and stopped to attend to him among the multitudes (Mark 10:46-52). He hears you!

Some people feel God doesn’t know or even care about them amidst multitudes. Just because your church or group is too large and doesn’t give you attention, doesn’t mean God treats you similarly. Such people feel so lonely, rejected and worthless. They become susceptible to manipulators. Men may fail, but not God. He knows you by name, including every detail of your life and what you are going through, and attends to you personally. He truly cares!

Isaiah 49:15-16 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Romans 13:11-13 “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.”

Sleep is a picture of rest, inactivity, passiveness or not being alert. It is associated with night or a period when evil is common and has overtaken many. Paul urged the believers to wake up from insensitivity so that they understand the times. He associates sleep with deeds of darkness. So if anyone who is a believer is still involved in deeds of darkness, he is in slumber.

We are children of the day, of light and not of darkness. Those who sleep do so at night. The believer’s meddling with the works of the flesh as mentioned in verse 13 are in slumber. But putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and not gratifying the acts of the flesh, is being awake and walking in the light.

God asks those called by His name to awake by doing away with works of darkness. When in slumber, one cannot discern the times, especially how near the coming of the Lord is. Paul said we are not of the night so that that day will take us unawares. But we are children of the day; sober and alert, and that His coming will not be a surprise. Let’s heed God’s warning call and awake if any has gotten to slumber.

Romans 13:14 “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”
1 Thessalonians 5:4-5 “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.”

Shalom children of God. Blessed week

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

1 Corinthians 1:18-19 “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” – NIV

Through prophet Isaiah, God declared that His ways are not our ways, neither His thoughts our thoughts. The difference is as far as heaven is from earth. This is the reason we may not know God with our limited human understanding. It’s like explaining some complicated happenings to a little child just begining to understand things. It doesn’t mean God is illogical.

When we try to put human logic and conceptualization to the things of God, we get lost. This is because God’s knowledge and wisdom is so incomparably vast, that even the most intelligent human mind can’t catch up with the foolishness of God. Because of this, the human mind will take God’s incomprehensible ways as foolishness. And because they reject it, they perish. They can’t picture how Jesus’ shed blood and death on a cross saves someone thousands of years later.

But what is foolishness to those using human intellect to understand, is life to those who recieve this truth in simple child like faith and submit to the Lordship of Jesus. God reveals to them, by the Holy Spirit, the riches of His grace and mercy. It becomes so precious that it can’t be exchanged with any treasures of this life! Paul tasted both sides, and he had this to say after this truth was revealed to him;

Philippians 3:7-8 “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ…”

Shalom children of God.