Month: July 2024

Date: Wednesday, 17^th July, 2024

Text: 2 Samuel 11:1-17

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

Idleness gives Satan a foothold. If you are not engaged with something godly and profitable, the devil will engage you. The Turks have a proverb which says that the devil tempts all other men, but that idle men tempt the devil.

The popular proverb, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop,” implies that evil thoughts find their way into our minds easily when we are indolent and idle. When a man is idle, all sorts of evil ideas creep into his mind and it becomes the perfect place for the devil to carry out his evil works.

According to today’s text, there was a time when David the king became idle. He stayed back home in his palace when other kings went to war. It was then Satan gave him something to do.

One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. He found out that the woman was the wife of one of his choice soldiers who was at the battle front fighting for the nation.

Before he knew what was happening King David found himself in the sin of adultery; the lady became pregnant and in order to cover up his evil tracks, he tried to push the pregnancy on the husband; when the husband did not fall for that trap, he officially arranged his murder and snatched his beautiful wife- 2 Samuel 11:1-17.

Idleness made a king to betray his own gallant soldier into the cold hands of death. Uriah, the poor soldier could never have thought, in his wildest imagination, that the same king David who sent him to battle would mastermind his murder on the battle field. That is one of the consequences of indolence.

David later asked for forgiveness and God forgave him but that did not save him from the consequences of his evil actions. God severely punished the king by bringing calamity on him and by laying a curse on him and his household- 2 Samuel 12:1-12.

His children turned against one another committing incest and killing themselves. He was temporarily dethroned by his own son, Absalom who raped his father’s wives in broad day light. The curse eventually consumed four of his sons, namely Amnon, his first born, Absalom, Adonijah and the baby born from the adulterous act-2 Samuel 12ff. He reaped what he sowed.

Action Nugget: Take active steps to free yourself from the trap of idleness and indolence.

Date: Tuesday, 16^th July, 2024

Text:  Matthew 25:14–30

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

The “Parable of the Talents” in today’s text, tells of a master who was leaving his house to travel, and, before leaving, entrusted his property to his servants. According to the abilities of each man, one servant received five talents, the second had received two, and the third received only one. Then the master went on his journey.

By the time he returned, he called his servants to give accounts of their stewardship. The one with five talents had put them to work and gained five more; the one given two had gained two more and their master commended them handsomely.

However,  the servant with the least ability could not multiply his talent. He went and dug the ground and hid it there. While the others worked with their talents, he idled away engaging himself with unprofitable things.

When the unproductive servant was called to give account of his stewardship, he began to fault his master and gave excuses typical of indolent folks. Instead of accepting the blame, he accused his master of being, “a hard man, harvesting where he had not sown and gathering where he had not scattered seed.” Matthew 25:24-25

His master replied by describing him as a “wicked, lazy and worthless servant”, got him arrested and thrown to jail. His master said he could have kept the money in the bank to yield some interest instead of hiding it in the ground.

The talent was taken from him and given to the man with ten talents because “whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Matthew 25:29

Reflective nugget: Laziness is a sin.

Date: Monday, 15^th July, 2024

Text:  Proverbs 6:6-11

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

God has created nature in such a way that both the living and non-living components complement each other; and when you observe its elements carefully you can learn wisdom; because since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that no man can give excuse. Romans 1:20.

The word of God says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” Psalm 19:1-4

We can actually gain wisdom and conquer indolence by observing an animal as small as an ant. The word of God says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.

“How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep- So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.” Proverbs 6:6-11

Sleep is very good because we rest and get refreshed through it; however, anyone given to it will lose much productive time.  If you sleep for 8 hours every day, by the time you clock 70 years, you must have slept for more than 23 years of your life! If you must conquer indolence, reduce your sleep; convert and invest those hours to achieving meaningful and productive work.

The word of God says, “Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.” Proverbs 20:13.

Prayer Nugget: Father, grant me wisdom and strength to conquer indolence in Jesus name.

Date: Saturday, 13^th July, 2024

Text: Joshua 1:1-9

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

In several corners of major cities like Lagos, Nigeria, you will see many betting shops. On TV you would often view several commercials promoting betting. It has really become a huge business thriving in the country despite the hardship ravaging many lives. Why is this so? This is because so many have left their lives to chance. They wishfully think and fantasize that they would one day wake up and suddenly stumble on riches and wealth. There is a Scottish proverb that says, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.”

Even if you make riches by luck you cannot sustain it by luck. Riches in the hands of an indolent person would soon grow wings and fly away to those who can sustain them.

If you ask those who are genuinely and sustainably financially successful they would tell you that they made it through God’s favour, strategic thinking, hard and smart work; relentless investments, financial prudence, patience and endurance.

One of the virtues lacking in the lives of the indolent is self-motivation. Self-motivation comes from the will power to pursue your God-given dreams and aspirations. The indolent lacks the ability to push themselves out of their comfort zones.

When Joshua became the new leader of Israel, three times God told him to be strong and courageous. The third time, the Lord said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Strength and courage are needed if you must conquer the spirit of indolence.

Prayer Nugget: I rebuke and cast out the spirit of discouragement, lack of self motivation and weakness in Jesus name.

Date: Friday, 12^th July, 2024

Text: John 5:1-17

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

Another word for indolence is idleness, laziness or slothfulness. It is a word that describes someone who avoids work and loves inactivity or ease. An indolent person is also described as a slacker or a sluggard.

 We are wired to be active. You will notice that any part of the body that is often put to use looks bigger and stronger while the less active parts looks smaller and weaker. Simply put, indolence reduces and weakens a man.

In today’s text Jesus was criticized for working on a day declared for rest- a Sabbath day. He was accused of violating the law by healing a man that had been sick and bedridden for 38 years, on a Sabbath. The religious leaders began to persecute him for this reason. In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” John 5:17 (NIV)

The agenda of God for mankind and for individuals cannot be carried out when the spirit of indolence is at work. One common thing about indolent persons is that they complain a lot and look for every excuse to avoid work. They always procrastinate, saying, “I will do it later, I will do it later.”Their tables are always filled with backlogs of files they have refused to attend to.

An indolent person would refuse to go to work and when you ask him, he could complain that “There’s danger out there, I could be kidnapped on my way to work!” Proverbs 22:13 says, “The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!”However, he has bills to pay.

The spirit of indolence makes a man unproductive, robs him of fulfilling his potentials and reduces him to a beggar who always depends on those who are productive. An indolent person will not always be able to meet up with his responsibilities and becomes a burden and disappointment to himself, his family, employer, business associates and so on.

Make up your mind to be a hard and smart worker.

Action Nugget: Break yourself free from the spirit of indolence today!

Date: Thursday, 11^th July, 2024

Text: Daniel 1:17-20

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

A very classic example of a man with an excellent spirit is Daniel. Right from his youth God gave him and his three friends an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And even out of the four, God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.

Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. Daniel 1:17; 20 NLT

In other words, the magician students of the king only knew one-tenth of what Daniel and his friends knew. When they scored 10 out of 100; Daniel and his colleagues scored 100 percent. This implies they were nowhere near the special abilities and talents of Daniel, Meshach, Shedrach and Abednego.

A queen mother described Daniel as a man with an excellent (extraordinary) spirit, knowledge and insight, the ability to interpret dreams, clarify riddles, and solve complex problems- Daniel 5:12.

Because of the extraordinary spirit within him, he so distinguished himself among the commissioners and fellow government leaders, that the king planned to appoint him over the entire realm.

Daniel’s excellent spirit was given to him by the Most High due to his close relationship with Him. He was a lover of God and he believed in holiness. He never arrogated any of God’s glory to himself and he was not a materialistic person.

He had a special prayer altar which he serviced three times a day (even at the threat of death). Daniel was so devoted to his God that he preferred to go the lion’s den than miss his prayer schedule- Daniel 6:10.

Prayer Nugget: Father, please, fill me with your excellent spirit in Jesus name.

Date: Wednesday, 10^th July, 2024

Text: Hebrews 1:9

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

When Jacob (Israel) was about to die, he gathered all his sons together and told them what was going to happen to them in the future. Concerning Rueben he said, “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. Unstable as water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it— He went up to my couch” Genesis 49:3-4

Thus, Rueben was cursed by his dad because many years before then he slept with his father’s concubine, Bilhah (the maid of Rachel, Jacob’s first wife who became the mother of Dan and Naphthali) and dishonored his father’s bed (Genesis 35:22-25). He did it secretly thinking his father did not know. Unknown to him, his dad knew about it but never mentioned it to him until the day of his death.

His reckless and uncontrolled lifestyle brought an evil pronouncement upon his head and demoted him from his glorious position of excellence down to becoming an average person. Joseph, his little brother, who was equally tempted by the sin of immorality in the household of Potiphar (Genesis 39:6-12) but refused to bow to sexual sin, took his place.

Rueben lost his excellency of dignity and the excellency of power on the platform of sexual immorality and his life became unstable like the wild waves of the sea.

1^st Chronicles 5:1 says, “Though he was the firstborn, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed. So he is not reckoned according to birthright.”

Righteousness indeed exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to a people- Proverbs 14:34.

If you desire to break free from the spirit of average, you must love righteousness and hate iniquity; then you will watch God as he pours his oil of gladness on you that will lift you far above all your contemporaries- Hebrews 1:9.

Prayer Nugget: Father, please, help me to climb higher in life; by your grace and mercy I will not engage in any activity that will bring me down.

Date: Tuesday, 9^th July, 2024

Text: Proverbs 13:20

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

At a point the Jewish rulers arrested Peter and John and questioned them requesting to know by which power they were able to perform the spectacular miracle of healing a man born lame. The courage and boldness the two apostles displayed marvelled the panel of interrogators. Acts 4:13 says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

They realized that some virtues from the Lord Jesus Christ had been transferred to the unschooled former fishermen.

If you are currently below average or average and you desire to ascend the ladder of excellence, simply look for role models who have already achieved excellence and begin to walk with them. Follow their godly sterling principles and work ethics. Before you know it, you too will begin to exhibit excellence.

Joshua was Moses’ errand boy- Exodus 24:13-18. While Moses’ carried out his excellent spiritual leadership role, Joshua closely observed and after 40 years when God sought for a replacement for Moses, Joshua was fully ripe and ready for excellent leadership.

Do you desire excellence? You have to be intentional. Watch the company of the people you keep. Deliberately choose the company of excellent individuals; very soon you will see yourself dropping your mediocre ways and adopting their excellent lifestyles.

Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.”

Reflective Nugget: Excellence can be infectious; allow yourself to be infected by godly excellent men.

Date: Monday, 8^th July, 2024

Text: Colossians 3:23

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

There is a price to pay in order to achieve excellence. Many things call for your attention but your ability to shun these distractions and concentrate your attention on a given task demonstrates your focus. You need to channel your energy on a given task per time to achieve excellence.

Hard work is another requirement of excellence. To be hard working is to put in a lot of effort in achieving a given task. There is an element of endurance in handwork. The Holy Scripture says, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” Colossians 3:23^.

It takes more than hardwork to achieve excellence. Diligence is consistent hard work. The missing link between a hardworking person and a diligent one is self- discipline. This is the ability to delay gratification in order to reach your goal.

Consistency is needed in order to attain diligence. Don’t work hard only when you feel like working. Do so, come rain, come shine- in all weather. Sacrifice your sleep and burn the midnight oil. The word of God says, “The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor.” Proverbs 12:24.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said, “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.”

It is only a matter of time and the difference between the average and excellent will be glaring for all to see. It takes diligence to achieve excellence and maintain it.

Prophetic Nugget: Receive grace to be focused and diligent in Jesus name.

Date: Sunday, 7^th July, 2024

Text: 1 John 1:4-5

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

When you want to get rid of darkness in a room you don’t need to struggle, just switch on the light and darkness will flee. The word of God says, “In Him (Christ, the Word) was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” 1 John 1:4-5

In order to defeat or override the spirit of average, simply activate an excellent spirit. Excellence is God’s attribute. The Psalmist says, “O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!” Psalm 8:1

Some of the components of excellence is self-efficacy, determination, resilience, focus and diligence. To be determined is to have firmness of purpose; it is to have a strong self will to achieve a desired goal.

Self efficacy is the ability to set goals and accomplish them based on confidence in your abilities (in God’s ability) and your determination.

Resilience is your ability to turn your setbacks to a set up for a comeback. Excellence can be a tough feat for someone who gets discouraged easily. On the paths to excellence you will meet with challenges and sometimes failures.

You are not a failure because you fell; the person who falls and refuses to get back up is the failure. You will not be a failure in Jesus name.

When you fall get up, dust yourself up and forge ahead. The word of God says, “For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again”- Proverbs 24:16a. A sinner may fall and never rise again because he lacks the backing of the Holy Spirit. So you need to surrender to the lordship of Christ and live a holy life. You will excel in Jesus name.

Prayer Nugget: Ask God for the grace to be resilient in the face of the challenges on the path to excellence.