Daily Devotionals

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

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1 John 2:3-6 “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” – NIV

Many people confess knowing God even if they don’t believe in Him, let alone choosing to obey Him. Even those who believe in Him struggle with obedience especially where God’s commands contradict their desires. John clarifies what knowing God is, and ties it to obedience to His commands. He uses practical situations of what people normally say and seeks to clarify to such claimers what the truth is, that you can only say you know God personally if you are living in obedience to Him.

John further links knowing God with love for Him. One cannot obey God from their hearts if they don’t truly love Him. This knowledge of God comes through personal relationship with Him. That is how He reveals Himself to those who live in love and obedience to Him. Anything else apart from this is living a life of a lie.

Let’s examine ourselves. Do our confessions of knowing God match with our obedience to Him? This is a choice we make daily amidst the many things that seek to divert and make us compromise our relationship with God. And what God asks us to do in obedience to Him, is not too difficult to do. Even when we find it hard in our human abilities, He readily gives us strength to obey His commands. He needs our willing commitment.

Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

1 John 5:3 “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

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1 John 2:9-11 “Those who say that they are in the light, yet hate their brothers and sisters, are in the darkness to this very hour. Those who love their brothers and sisters live in the light, and so there is nothing in them that will cause someone else to sin. But those who hate their brothers and sisters are in the darkness; they walk in it and do not know where they are going, because the darkness has made them blind.” – GNB

John continues to compare light and darkness. He now gives a clear sign to show what what walking in love or darkness is: love and hatred. Those in Christ should be characterized by love in all they do, think or say. Because Jesus is the light of the world, those in Him and submitted to His Lordship, must be characterized by love. To whom is this love directed? To their brothers and sisters, to people.

Some say they love God but hate their brothers and sisters. To them, John says they are still in darkness upto now. If Satan is behind the darkness, and is the source of hatred, those who hate others are still in the grip of Satan even if they claim to be in Christ. Those who hate are still blind and walk about in darkness, not knowing where they are going. As love is the true mark of light, hate is the true mark of darkness.

John adds that those who love and are walking in the light have nothing in them that stumbles others to sin. Their lives are a source of inspiration and a blessing, not a stumbling block hindering the growth of others. They do good wherever they are as Jesus went everywhere blessing those He came by and who encountered Him (Acts 10:38). What signs do you manifest; of light or darkness? Everyone in Christ is (expected to be) the light of the world just as Christ is the light of the world. Avoid the deception of thinking you are in the light and yet living in darkness through hatred. Let love prevail.

1 John 4:11-12 “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

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1 John 1:5-7 Now the message that we have heard from his Son and announce is this: God is light, and there is no darkness at all in him. If, then, we say that we have fellowship with him, yet at the same time live in the darkness, we are lying both in our words and in our actions. But if we live in the light — just as he is in the light — then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin.” – GNB

John compares living in the light and darkness. Light represents truth, honesty and right. God being light, is the epitome of truth and transparency at it’s best. Darkness represents lies, dishonesty and thus sin. Whoever lives in darkness is living by lies, dishonesty and in sin. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. There is no sin in God.

Just as light and darkness cannot live together, so lies and truth cannot fellowship. Yet John notes that there are those who claim to be in the light (God) and yet live in darkness (lies). He says we are lying if we do so. This lie comes about when we refuse to acknowledge sin by denying, ignoring, downplaying and not confessing it. This hinders fellowship with God and with one another. Whatever fellowship we hold with one another in this way is hypocrisy!

So many are living in pretense by not dealing with sin through confession to God and to each other. Genuine fellowship can only happen in the light. As long as hidden evil motives and concealed sin reigns in the heart, John says we lie both with our words and actions. We claim to live in the light yet walking in darkness! Let the Holy Spirit search the genuineness of our hearts before God. Let’s leave darkness and truly walk in the light with God. He calls us to walk in the light for genuine fellowship.

1 John 1:8-10 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing. If we say that we have not sinned, we make God out to be a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

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1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” – NIV

God is the creator of time and He has put in place a time for everything that needs to be done in this world. Peter was addressing the elders and the youth, urging them all to be submissive to one another in humility. The youth may be tempted to run ahead of their God appointed time for lifting. The elders may be a hindrance to the rising of the youth. He then advises that we cast our cares upon God because He cares.

These are some of the things that make people run ahead of God’s time. Ambition is good, but can drive one to go ahead of God’s timing. Anxiety over things not working out as we would expect, God delaying or seeming to fail to answer our prayers drives people to take matters in their own hands to find solutions. Yet there is a due time for whatever God purposed to happen. Discerning that due time is key. And when it comes, things will flow. He makes everything beautiful in it’s time.

Its God’s mighty hand that lifts us up. Nothing and none can stand against it. Our part is to humble ourselves under that hand. It may not be easy or comfortable as this hand does its work to mold and shape us into what God desires us to be. The lifting comes only after the hand has done its work satisfactorily. Will you corporate with God’s hand working on you?

Ecclesiastes 3:1,11 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Shalom children of God

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Numbers 9:17-19 “Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the Lord’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s order and did not set out.” – NIV

The Israelites were in the desert of Sinai. The tent of meeting and worship had been set up. And the sign of God’s presence in it was the cloud which settled above the tent. At night, it was like a fire. The cloud was their guide to move or remain. When it moved, it meant God was telling them to move. When it settled, they were to settle. The cloud represented God’s command.

God operates in seasons and times. There is a time to settle, and a time to move on towards what He has destined for us. This happens through change. The Israelites needed to watch the clouds to notice what God wanted them to do. If they continued to settle yet they were expected to move, they would miss out on what God had. Likewise, if they moved ahead when God wanted them settled, they would miss out. It was important to keep in step with God’s move for maximum benefit and blessings.

God now speaks and leads us in various ways, not the physical cloud. But the principle is the same; be sensitive and discerning enough to move when God expects you to move, and settle when He expects you to settle. What do you feel God leading you to do this season? Respond and move with Him. Whenever and wherever He leads, let’s obediently and faithfully follow. He means well and has our best interests in heart. Trust Him.

John 10:3-4 “The gatekeeper 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.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

2 Corinthians 2:17 “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.” – NIV

Paul had a huge challenge in dealing with false teachers who made it their task to discredit and speak ill of him in Corinth. They did this because their intentions in ministry was not to preach the word to genuinely minister to others, but to them it was a business. As Paul states in the verse above, they were peddling the word of God for profit! Their fighting Paul in ministry was motivated by a feeling that he was hindering the gospel ‘business.’

How terrible this is, and yet so true and common even in our day! Some gospel ministers are not sent from God, but into preaching as a way of earning income. To them, ministry is business. The more ‘customers’ you have the better. Their focus then is more numbers, more strategies to woo people, fighting those who rise above them, advertise their ministries, convince as many about themselves, etc.

These results in dishonest ways which bring shame to God as they do anything to remain popular and win crowds to remain in business! Paul notes that to the contrary, as those sent from God, they speak before God with sincerity as they minister. Our primary accountability is to God, to be found doing only what He commissioned us to do. This will guard against any temptation to peddle His word for personal gain. May we be found as able ministers with sincere hearts before God. Integrity of every gospel minister is none negotiable.

2 Corinthians 4:2 “Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”

Shalom. Fruitful week

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Revelation 3:19 “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.” – NIV

The Laodicean church had settled and arrived. They felt they had all they needed. But when the Lord looked at them, they were lukewarm, in a pitiful and wrecked state. Out of love and desire to see them become what He wanted them to be, Jesus rebuked them for their complacence. He let them know it was out of love and expected them to respond through repentance.

No rebuke and discipline is pleasant. It may discourage, strip of confidence or cause pain temporarily. But it is for an ultimate good. Whoever positively receives discipline, correction and rebukes always becomes better. Those who, out of pride and hypocrisy reject well meaning discipline and continue in their ways, eventually destroy themselves. We all make mistakes one way or another.It takes humility and a focused mind to graciously accept corrective discipline.

God disciplines His own children as well. As it happened to the church in Laodicea, sometimes we stray, settle for what He didn’t intend for us, get entangled with worldly affairs, slacken in our walk with Him, and so on. Out of love, God rebukes and disciplines to correct us. And as He does, He has our best interests in mind, to make us the best He wants us to be. So take it in good faith and repent. He is not punishing, but correcting us.

Hebrews 12:6,7,11 “…because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?… No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Shalom. Peaceful weekend