From mess- message - ministry

What God wants to do with your past is to turn it not only into a message but a ministry. He desires to make you an example what His grace can do in a life that has been restored back to Him.

Just last weekend, we had another impact session of Project25000 with a number of teenagers here in Lagos and the content of the vision (Life Mastery for Teens) we are running is Vision, Sexual Purity and Character. The reality is that these were things that have personally shaped my life. I once lived with no sense of direction, I wavered through life without a destination in mind. I once struggled with sexual sins with no one to help. All these God brought me out of. When I share with teenagers at our programs or one-on-one, I share from God's word and from a testimonial perspective. This drives the message deeper into their hearts. Today, through God's help, I've been a tool to help people find meaning and direction for their lives and to bring them out of whatever has held them down. A number of them have given their lives to Christ and others committed to getting more intimate with God.

God knows how to make sense out of your nonsense. No matter how devastating or terrible your past is, God can create a wonderful and inspiring future from it.

Remember Paul, previously a murderer, and strong apologist for the Jewish faith became a very strong apostle that turned the world upside down for Christ. Paul referred to himself as the chief of sinners, but God made him chief of the apostles at the end.

Only God can tell what He wants to make out of your mess?

Will you trust Him?

Prayer:

Father, make a ministry out of every mess I've been through in Jesus Name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

Stay grounded, stay rooted

What keeps a tree firm on the ground during a storm? It is surely not the beauty of its leaves, or the beautiful curves of its branches. It is that unseen part - the roots, that makes it firm in the ground. Without this, the tree will give way in times of heavy flood or violent winds. 

David tells us in the Psalms that we are like a "tree planted by the rivers of water." For a tree to be planted by the water, its root must go down deep and into the soil and it will surely flourish.

So, after you are restored, where you are planted is of utmost importance. When God has restored you to Himself, you need to start hanging around people that look like where you God is taking you and not where you are coming from.

I was speaking to a friend today whom I'm seeing how God is radically changing his life before my very eyes. The dealings of God in his life have been so deep and powerful that it only reveals God wants to do a great work through him. One thing he mentioned was that when we had a genuine encounter with God, he had to leave that committee of friends and moved to another area entirely and he began to demonstrate even more commitment to God and his local church.

Staying grounded will cost you, but it will make you.

Prayer:

Father, whatever it will cost me, I want to stay rooted and grounded in you every single day of my life in Jesus Name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

Keep Standing

It has been repeatedly said that it is harder to maintain success than it is to attain it. This is the same with the walk of faith too. You may get saved in a matter of seconds, but it takes a lifetime of walking with God to finish strong.

When we look at the Lost Son, after he returned home and got restored back to his father, we heard no mention of him anymore. He had settled fully into the bosom of his father. This reveals that we must stay and go deeper in to God when we are restored.

Paul tells us, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 6:1, KJV). Restoration comes with strong demands of staying in fellowship with the Father. Standing here is not a product of effort but of Grace. We are to stand on the grace that saved us and grow in it every single day. We must always bear in mind that the devil is unrelenting in drawing souls to himself.

We must trust in the saving grace of God. The same grace that restores still has the capacity to keep us from falling. I'd end with this lovely scripture, it says, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:4, KJV). Please memorize that scripture.

Prayer:

Lord, I receive grace to stand steadfast in you. I choose to grow your grace every single day in Jesus Name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

There is enough blood

There is a song Travis Greene sang over and over at the Experience last year. My favorite part of the song is where it says, "On the hill there is the cross, on the cross there is blood for me...the blood is flowing down." How beautiful are those lyrics for us today. It may have been over 2000 years ago since Jesus died for us, but His blood still speaks better things for you and I today.

We usually sing, "The blood of Jesus sets me free, from sin and sorrow." This is very true for us today. We must realize that God values blood. In Leviticus we are told that, "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins." How true! God works wonders through His blood.

Remember when the Prodigal son returned home, the father asked that they killed the fattened calf to celebrate his return. In so much joy, his father said, "And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry" (Luke 15:23, KJV). So, they began to make merry for his return.

Friends, do you know that while they were rejoicing, a ram was dying losing its own life (its blood was shed)? Interestingly, it wasn't just any calf, it was a fattened one. in fact the brother attested to the fact that this ram was special (probably reserved). Do you realize that God also has slain his best for your sake? The lamb of God was slain from the foundation of the world for us. God sent His Only Son to die for your sins. His death gave you life, his fall, gave you the opportunity to rise. You can be sure that the price that God paid for you is greater than any sin you may have committed.

I've always thought to myself that one drop of the blood of Jesus is enough to cleanse all the sins of the most notorious sinner.

You have been bought with a price and that price is the very blood, the life of Jesus.

Blood has been shed for you. The fattened calf has been killed for your sake. You can make merry with God today, because a sacrifice was paid- The Lamb of God.

Won't you return home now?

Prayer:

Father, I believe that you have shed your blood for me. I believe that the blood that was shed was for my sake. I receive your sacrifice for me. I am made whole in Jesus name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

What it means to be dead or lost

I was speaking with someone at one time and explaining to him what death really meant according to the Bible. The explanation didn't quite go down well with the person as he thought that death was simply the termination of life.

But is that it?

Death in God's word refers to a separation from life and not the end of life. From the time Adam fell, every other human born into the world was born dead - dead into sin. Sin itself caused the separation. This is why scripture says, "The wages of sin is death." In other words, sin causes a separation between us and God and that separation is death in itself. Sin and death are alike. Death (separation from the life of God) is caused by sin.

The Lost son we've been talking about, left his father's house, and went to spend his substance on a sinful lifestyle. When he returned his father said, *"For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry"* (Luke 15:24, KJV). For goodness sake, this boy was alive (by all sense of the word. Doctors hadn't certified him dead) yet his father said he was dead and lost.

Anyone who is yet to be saved is DEAD in sin. Those who are saved are ALIVE in Jesus Christ. You have not truly began to live until you have the LIFE of God on your inside. This is why John could write, *"In him was life and the life was the light of men"* (John 1:4, KJV).

So, are you truly alive? Do you have the life of God within you? Your constant fellowship with the Father is the key to renewing the life of God within you.

Remain alive. Remain ever fresh.

*Prayer:*

Lord, I choose to have your life and to remain in constant fellowship with you. I never want to be lost or dead while yet living.

*Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

God only needs to perceive your repentance?

In one documentary I watched about sharks, I learned that they are so sensitive that they could perceive blood miles away from where it is spilled. In other words, they are attracted by the scent of blood. When they sense it, they swim rapidly to the spot to feed on their prey...sometimes these prey are humans too.

Now, do you know that in much the same way when God perceives (even in your thoughts) that you repent from a sin or you demonstrate the willingness to return to Him (this includes being genuinely sorry  for wrongs done), He comes with an entourage of His Grace and mercy to rescue you from the bondage of that sin?

When the lost son was still in the strange land far from his father, he began to talk to himself, he said, "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father..."

I love that final part. It says, "And he arose, and came to his father..." he not only was remorseful and truly sorry for his sins, he repented (proved by action).

When his father saw (perceived repentance) he had compassion and ran to him, kissed him and celebrated his return.

This reveals a whole lot for us today. Immediately the father had seen him, his heart went out to him.

Friends, no matter how far you've gone from God, He still expects you back. Whenever he senses (Like the sharks do) that you have a change of mind, he comes with all His might to rescue you.

In Yoruba, the word "repentance" is "ironupiwada" translated it means something like "A deep change of mind/thinking that affects a change in behavior and character" That's repentance!

So, the son that left in pride, arrogance returned home with remorse, humility and submission. He knew he missed it and was willing to retrace his steps.

The only person that cannot retrace his step is the devil, you can still retrace yours (as long as  we are alive). Repent and return and see God receive you with His strong arms of mercy and grace.

Do you receive this tonight?

Prayer

Lord, I turn from every thing I've done against you. I repent of my wrong deeds (mention them) receive me to yourself in Jesus Name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

NB: I apologize for not sending this yesterday. It was already prepared, but I had issues with power supply. All gadgets were off.

The Faithfulness of God

God isn't like the planets that keep shifting and moving day after day. Neither is He like the wave of the sea that is tossed to and fro. James describes God saying, "Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness or shadow of turning" (James 1:17, KJV).

There is no variableness. The standard of God does not change. Paul says the foundation of God stands sure. That's super amazing.

_Do you know what this means?

It means we can always bank on the faithfulness of God as our Father, Forgiver, Helper, Teacher and much more. Haven't you ever wondered that when people get into trouble in their lives, they suddenly become religious, they remember that God exists and something within them assures them that God will hear. Well, He always does.

Luke 15 records something profound about the Lost Son. It says, "and when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!... I will arose and go to my father..."

*Now, here's the point*

Your real self is that which desires the presence of the Father. It says "when he came to himself", this means that the deepest parts of each of us, at the fabric of our making by God is encrypted a divine code that always relates back to our Father. Though the son wanted food, he realized that he had to get into the Father's presence before he could access all that he needed. So, the proof that you have found yourself is revealed in your desire to seek the presence of the Father.

Friends, when you meet people who are deep necked in sin, or simply wavering from God or perhaps are indifferent about Him, simply know that they are not their real selves. Within them lies a desire for God.

Are you still in the "far country" of sin or backsliding? You can return home now. The Father is waiting.

It's time to return home... You can trust the faithfulness of God.

Prayer:

Father, I trust your faithfulness. I come into your arms again, receive and restore me in Jesus name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

Do you remember Him?

Isn't it amazing that the scripture says we should REMEMBER God in the days of our youths? It is amusing, do you know why? I believe one can only forget something that is not clearly evident  or something that is temporarily out of reach. But, God is everywhere, as a matter of fact, He is Omnipresent, His impact and influence can be seen in everything, from the rising of the sun to its setting, the glorious firmament and every other thing. Despite the glaring evidence of the presence of God, how come people still forget Him?

At one time I got talking to the Dad of a close childhood friend, apparently he was so intelligent that he had chosen to make light of the influence or existence of God. It was clear that he did not regard God, but one thing was clear, he feared adversity. He kept repeating over and over during the discussion the effect adversity has on people. In his opinion, people who sought God did so out of the many heavy problems they faced. 

You see, the only time certain people remember God is during points of adversity -points where they have wasted their substance (like the lost son) or perhaps when they are drowning and dying in sin or being destroyed by the enemy. Scripture tells us to, "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:" (Isaiah 55:6, KJV).

Call unto God when He is near. Do not wait until adversity hits before you begin to seek God. Remember Him today, right now. The days of adversity will come, but let those days meet you in the presence of the Father. Remember the Bible says, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them" (Ecclesiastes 12:1, KJV).

Wrapping this up: One thing needed to scale through the days of adversity is strength. Your strength must not be small in the days of adversity. Build strength into your inner man now.

Prayer:

Father, strengthen me every single day in my inner man. When the days of adversity come, let me have strength enough to scale through in Jesus name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

Are you in lack?

There are two reasons why people may end up in lack or want. First, the absence of the Shepherd and the failure to manage the resources God has given to us. We see the Lost Son in a strange land, after squandering the wealth and possessions he had been given, the Bible says, "And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want" Luke 15. The problem with this young man is that he SPENT ALL.

You may be going through a setback financially, emotionally or in any other form. It is often because we fail to "replenish" ourselves or the source from which we benefit.

That young son fell into dire lack because he first had left his father. King David said, "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psalm 16:11, KJV). At his right hand, there are pleasures. Again we are blessed with all spiritual blessings, also through Christ's poverty we were made rich. Our staying with the Father (the Shepherd) guarantees that all our needs will be met according to His riches in glory by Christ.

Second, because the son SPENT ALL he was reduced to nothing.

What are you doing with the resources God has committed into your hands? Are you now in want because of how you've failed to manage His resources? Are you still in the Father's house?

There's much more with God. Return to the house of blessing.
.....
Scripture for meditation: "The lord is my shepherd I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1, KJV)

Prayer:

Lord, I receive wisdom to manage and increase the resources you've committed into my hands in Jesus name

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

Do you know who you are?

The greatest battle any of us will ever fight is the battle of identity. It has gotten so bad in the world that people are born male prefer to be female and go for what they call gender-reassignment surgeries. There are all kinds of movements in the world all claiming something. All these movements and developments are all seeking to discover their identity. It is futile to try to discover who we really are and who God made us to be without knowing God himself. In Genesis, God said, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion..." (Gen 1:26, KJV). In the image of God we were created.

NB: Remember we are talking BOUNCE BACK, but these past few days we have been examining the different paths that leads one away from God so that we can recognize where we presently are and know how to get back.

So, when the enemy comes the first root he tries to attack is our identity. While growing up as a christian (I'm still growing), several times voices will come in my head "Are you sure you are born again?" This question led me many times to run to the altar for altar call to salvation, at other times I would turn to Romans 10:10 to say the prayer of Salvation again. It was that serious. The challenge about this is, whenever you are not confident in who you are or your identity in Christ, you are bound to sway and end up a prey to the enemy.

When the devil came to Jesus, he said, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread" (Matthew 4:3, NKJV). If Jesus had obeyed that would mean that he obeyed the voice of the enemy just to prove his Sonship. The voice you are to listen to is the voice of God within you (the small still voice that bears witness with your own spirit that you belong to God).

So, where do you stand? Are you constantly taunted by the enemy questioning your salvation or your victory over a particular besetting sin in your life?

Establish yourself strongly in who God says you are. Only dogs return to their vomit, lions do not. You are a child of the King of Kings. You are royalty. You come from a divine dynasty where your Heavenly Father rules.

Rise up and declare your identity. When you loose an understanding of your identity you settle for mediocrity. It appears that our fellowship with God is what constantly reinforces our identity in our spirits. When the prodigal son left his father's house, he began to feed pigs (something that was far beneath him).

If I may ask, what are the things you find yourself doing now? Do you think you are involved in things that are beneath what God has called you to be?

Stop. Get up. and return to the Father.

Remember, there is a King in you.

Prayer:

Lord, unfold to me afresh my identity in you in Jesus Name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

Stay in the Prison

I've been studying the life of Nick Vijucic for a ghostwriting project I'm currently working on, and I found it deeply inspiring. Nick was born over 30 years ago without arms and legs (a very rare condition). His parents did not treat him any differently from his other siblings, they sent him to a normal school like others. Due to his condition, he became the object of bullying from his colleagues. At one time, he felt so depressed that he attempted to drown himself in the bathtub. Then in that moment, he remembered the love of his parents, and because of this love, he decided not to take his own life and from there he discovered God's purpose for his life. Now, he lives life fully, though without limbs and yet affects the world with the love of God still.

Put simply, the love Nick's parents had for him constrained him from taking his own life. One scripture that fits this perfectly is, *"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead" (2 Cor 5:14, KJV).* So, God's love is a sentence we have been given for eternity. We cannot escape His love. More importantly, his love is like a prison which we are enclosed in.

The prodigal son we talked about yesterday didn't want this. He went to a "far country" where he was away from the influence of his father and there he spent all he had on prostitutes and a wayward life.

*Here's the word*

As long as you are in the presence of the Father- strong in fellowship and communion, dwelling within the courts of God - the desire for sin will be continually dealt with. The son could only behave in those manners because the Father's presence was no longer felt. He felt independent. You can declare your independence from any other thing in the world, but not from the love and presence of God. It is dangerous. The greatest expression of the absence of the love and presence of God is hell (and that is where all who reject the love of God end up. John 3:18).

The love of God was why Joseph could say "How can I do this wicked thing and sin against God?" That was his consciousness. The love of God constrained him from acting in the way Potiphar's wife demanded.

Do you find it easy to continue in your vomit or to go back to things you've repented from? Check. Your fellowship with God and His word will kindle the flame of his love in your heart again.

His love alone can prevent you from falling into sin.

Stay imprisoned in the love of God.
.....
Scripture for meditation: "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead" (2 Cor 5:14, KJV).

Prayer

Lord, I receive your love everyday. I choose to be conscious of your presence everyday of my life in Jesus name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

The ONE mistake the prodigal son which you must not dare

So, last night God opened my eyes to see something in a new light. The opening verses of the parable Jesus told has some very profound insights for us. Jesus said, "A certain man had two sons, And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living." The son asked his Father to give him what belonged to him from the massive possessions the Father had (I believe the Father really wanted to teach Him a lesson from the very start that was why he never objected to the whole request).

I learned that the word "Father" in Hebrew means, "Source and Sustainer." Here was a boy who had a Father (His source and sustainer) and yet he sought for "things." For him, the things that he could get off his father was more important than being with the father.

Here's what God impressed on my mind as I meditated on these things:

"It is not what you have that sustains you, it is who you have. We have God as our Heavenly Father, no other person can sustain us like He does, not even our earthly parents." I guess this is why Jesus said we should not call any other person "Father" except our Heavenly Father.

So, who sustains you? Is it your job, parents, your husband or your friends? You must look beyond your salary or any source of income you have. God is the SOURCE and the SUSTAINER of your life. Scripture tells us that He upholds all things by the word of His power. I've always said, "It is not gravity that holds the universe in place, it is the Word of God."

So, if God can sustain all the universe by His word, he surely can sustain you.

I urge you to refuse to be satisfied with the "things" God can give you, rather be satisfied with HIM. He alone is sufficient. The son had everything including His Father, but he chose the things and left to a place where he squandered everything.

If all you have are material blessings - the Father's presence, then you are of all the people the poorest.

Don't make the mistake of the boy. With God, you have everything because He is Father and Father= Your Source and Sustainer.

Are you still going to keep on asking for things or for Him?

......
Scripture for meditation: "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32, KJV).

Prayer:

Lord, I refuse to be satisfied with things, I want you. I know in you I find my completion. Your presence is all I need. Forgive me for the desire for things. I want you.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

So, where are you?

At a point in time, my mentor and Pastor, Temiloluwa Ola, said to me "Tobi, for a long time you just disconnected from me. I couldn't even pick you on my radar." This sent a strong signal to me. God had by divine arrangements made him My Pastor since my service year and today he's still My Pastor though he's not based in Lagos.

In much the same way, we may all be on earth but there are certain people who are off the radar of God. This must have been the case with Adam when God came calling in the garden saying, "Adam, where are you?"

Though God is everywhere and nothing can be hidden from him, yet what we do can isolate us from his presence and influence. Because of our self will and power to choose, we can make certain decisions that will send us far from God.

The lost son which Jesus spoke about did the same thing. He made the choice not only to take the inheritance he was not ripe for, he went into a far country - so says the scripture. It now further says and There he spent his substance.

Whenever we go far from God, we expend our substance. This includes every blessing God has given us, we detach from all the profitable relationships God has placed in our lives. The farther we go away from God, the more we expose ourselves to the one who comes to Kill, steal and destroy.

Adam hid behind trees when God sought for him. Today, what tree are you hiding behind? Are you hiding behind the tree of your job, your relationship, your business, or some other habit you're engaged in? What's your excuse for absconding from God's presence?

When you stay away from fellowship with God you become prey to the enemy. Don't let the enemy waste all God has given you before you realize that you need Him more than anything.

Prayer

Lord, I come out of everything that's taking me away from you. I want full restoration in Jesus Name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

Permissive but not Perfect

The theme for this month was inspired by a service I was told to anchor in church on one of the days in April. It so happened that Bounce Back was what came to my heart as I prepared, and while I rounded up my preparations, the story of the Prodigal son came to my heart and that was when it all clicked.

Throughout the month, we will pick vital lessons from this story. It carries a lot of insight for our walk with God.

When I was 14 years of old, I felt as though I had arrived, I was a teenager after all. My voice had already started getting deep, had some strands of beard coming out from my chin, and I was about the same height as my mother. I felt I had my own life to live and could take decisions on my own. Was I right? Certainly not, but I felt so. In many ways, we are like this as believers, we feel that we have reached certain heights and can demand certain things from God because it is "our right." Yes, they are our right, but we may not be ripe to receive them.

Do you know that the prodigal son was just like that? He felt that he had come of age, that he could now handle what belonged to him, therefore he made a request for his inheritance which was supposed to come to him much later.

Now see this: For the fact that God grants you your wish doesn't mean that is His perfect will for you. It is not enough to pray according to God's will, rather we are to discover God's will then pray it out to manifestation. What you ask according to God's will may just be His permissive will and not His perfect will for you.

Yes, John mentioned that when we pray according to God's will He hears us, fine! But we must go a step ahead to discover the will of God first before we pray that will. His perfect will is always perfect for us.

It is good to know what is freely given to us of God, but it is better to know when to access them and how God wants us to access them. Many times we fall into traps because of our own desires to get certain things.

For the fact that God permitted that relationship doesn't mean it is perfect, for the fact that you got that high-paying job doesn't mean it aligns to God's plan for your life, the list goes on.

Paul completes this by saying, "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Eph 5:17, KJV).

Get out of permission into perfection.

I hope this blesses someone tonight

Prayer:

Lord, help me to understand your perfect will and bring me into its fullness in Jesus name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

Condemnation Kills

The other day a very special friend came around and I found out that she had an injury on her leg, immediately I took her to a nurse around the area to dress the wound. As soon the nurse touched the surface of the wound (with cotton wool soaked in Mentholated Spirit), she screamed and wiggled her leg away from the touch, this ensued for minutes before we were done. Here was the solution to the problem, yet she was running away from it.

In much the same way, I've come to discover that when people fall or experience a setback in life, rather than running to God (where the solution is) they run away from Him (thinking the solution could be out there somewhere). Just like my she was wriggling away from the touch of the nurse (who had the key to healing the wound), many of us flee from the presence of God (like Adam) rather than running to Him.

In the book of Genesis when Adam and his wife had sinned, they realized they were naked and immediately they began to sew fig leaves. Let me say here that *SIN WILL REDUCE YOU*. Imagine people whom God clothed with glory, they now became people wearing leaves, they suddenly became tailors just to cover their shame.

Irrespective of the power of sin, God is still very much interested in us. The joy of restoration is always greater than the pain of correction.

One song I listened to has this lyrics, _"I'm running, I'm running, I'm running to the mercy seat..."_ That should be our attitude when we fall.

So, where are you right now? Because of a past fault are you running away from God or running towards Him?

*The farther away you run from God the more you open yourself to be a victim for the enemy.*

Embrace the loving arms of God now. Condemnation drags one faster back into sin than temptation can.

Condemnation kills. Embrace the loving arms of the Father (Yes, He will correct you, but He will restore you)

*Prayer:*

Lord, I run to the mercy seat today. I choose to be trained by your arms of correction while I enjoy your restoration in Jesus name.

Focus Scripture- Romans 8:1

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

Why we fall in the first place

We are talking Bounce Back in this month of June, but we wouldn't be talking about a Bounce back if there wasn't a falling, or some backsliding at a point in time. Isn't it rather surprising that Solomon writes that, the righteous falls seven times yet rises again? The righteous still have the tendency to fall.

Adam was 100 yards of perfection. He was in God's image, had unlimited power and authority, had unrestricted access to the very presence of God and had a lovely wife too. Yet, in the midst of this great power he fell to a simple temptation of eating a fruit of a tree which God hadn't commanded them to.

I've meditated on the happenings in Genesis 3 and the real reason why we experience a fall in our lives. *What the enemy does is to try to disassociate us from fellowship with God, even if its for a moment*. He does it by cleverly excusing the truth, or trivializing the impact of that truth even if disobeyed. When the enemy succeeds in doing this, then he has got you. You become open to his lies.

*Imagine this scenario

_Ben is in a room with two sisters. He has very strong feelings for one. Though he is a brother in church, over time he has had fantasies about this lady (let's call her Sandra). As the enemy would have it, the other lady leaves later on and Ben is left with Sandra. They have mutual feelings for one another. This presents the perfect opportunity for them to act out. The thoughts come "Ben, why don't you just touch Sandra. Profess your love to her." The thoughts continues, "Don't worry even if you sin, God will forgive you. Don't you remember that Jesus said 70*7 times. Now imagine if men should forgive themselves that much, how much more God?"_

He begins to rationalize it. At this point of giving logical thought to a revelation that is clear in scripture, we loose the battle and the fall starts from there.

The fall into sin is never sudden, it is always gradual.

Whenever you start rationalizing a clear injunction from scripture, know that the enemy has got you in his palms.

When the enemy comes with his rhetorics, rebuke him with the Word of God. The word of God is true, the foundation of God stands sure. What God calls sin is sin, light can never look like darkness neither can darkness look like light.

Have you been boxed into a corner by the enemy? Have you taken certain steps you now regret?

Know where you fell, know where your axe head has fallen. In that same place, God will open up an opportunity for restoration.

Tomorrow we talk more (Series starts tomorrow June 1 Happy New month in advance)...

*Prayer:

Lord, help me to find where I've missed and find my path back to you in Jesus Name.

*Oluwatobi Adesanya
Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

Bounce Back

I attended LYD (Live Your Dreams) 4 last year and Dr. Cosmos Maduka  (CEO, Coscharis Motors) shared extensively with us about his life story. The interviewer asked him at some point to share his story on the loss of about N22B. He had stood as the guarantor for someone and in the end certain events took place which led to him coughing up that huge sum since he stood as collateral to the person (s) involved. He was able to bounce back from that huge setback and his business still thrives today.

Now,

Do you know that in much the same way man lost a lot when he fell into the gimmicks and tricks of the devil? As a matter of fact, we lost more than N22B in that mistake that Adam made, we lost the whole of humanity to the cold and evil hands of the devil and his little toy -sin.

People have often asked (certainly you've heard it too) questions like:

_"If God knows everything why did He plant the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil?"_

God know that Adam will eat the fruit and fall into sin, why didn't He stop him from eating the fruit?"

...and the list is endless. People come up with speculations and answers which may not really be valid...

Can I say something here?

Nothing can catch God by surprise. He knows EVERYTHING. Nothing can be hidden from the knowledge of God. Everything (past, present, and future) is like an open book before him.

The most important thing regarding this questions and others is the fact that God has a plan for your restoration. In my words, God has a BOUNCE BACK plan to bring you back to Himself.

Though God was angry and displeased with the actions of man, he made a statement after he had cursed the ground, the serpent and the woman, which revealed that God had something up his sleeves all along.

Do you know what it is?

I call it the BOUNCE BACK PLAN.

So, friends, have you backslid, have you lost track with God, have you missed having those deep fellowship you've always longed for?

Never feel there's no hope for you.

If you've fallen, I want to let you know that there is a BOUNCE BACK PLAN up God's sleeve to get you back to Himself.

In the month of June, we will be exploring the theme BOUNCE BACK.

....Stay Tuned for more.

Much love,

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

You need to be overflowing

Scripture says that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12:34) Jesus said again "a good man out of the GOOD TREASURE of his heart bringeth forth that which is good" (Luke 6:45). This means that whatever we see manifest in the physical is a product not of scarcity, but of the abundance of what you carry on the inside.

As a visionary, your cup has to be running over. This means that you must desire an abundance of revelation, insight and knowledge of the Word and the areas of life God wants you to find expression. It takes a man or woman loaded with content to truly be able to impact the lives of those God has called them to.

You need to be fed till you are filled till overflowing, then and only then can you dish out freely to everyone.

With God, there is always abundance. Scripture says "they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17). Another scripture says "At thy right hand, there are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11).... That's the God we serve.

Are you filled or empty? Let God fill you today.

Prayer:

Lord, fill me up till I'm overflowing with your presence, your word and the necessary knowledge and insight I need to accomplish your vision for my life in Jesus Name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

Vision is just like Faith

This morning, I began to meditate briefly on the concept of vision. I realized after muttering for a while that Vision is just like faith. Scripture tells us, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." I soon saw that that is what vision is exactly. In other words, we can say- Vision is the SUBSTANCE of THINGS hoped for, the EVIDENCE of THINGS not seen.

What God has shown you about your future is your SUBSTANCE, it is your EVIDENCE for a great life to come. This is why the devil wants to ruin the lives of many youths, it is not because of the present, he is afraid of what each one is carrying for the future. This is why the devil specializes in keeping a lot of people in the dark as regards their purpose. A blind man on the road to destiny will never get anywhere.

Friends, if you've found your SUBSTANCE, your EVIDENCE, protect it by all means. Why do you think the devil was so keen on killing baby Jesus? he wasn't scared about him as a baby, he was scared about the SUBSTANCE (The Salvation of mankind) He was carrying for the days to come.

If you haven't found your vision, ask God tonight. Scripture says "Call unto me and I will answer and shew thee great and mighty things thou knowest not" - Jeremiah 33:3

Prayer:

Lord, show me my own substance and let me not trade it for anything in the world. Help me Lord in Jesus name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional

The Mantle of Responsibility

Mantles are symbols of the anointing. We see how the mantle was used in dividing the river Jordan for Elisha after Elijah had been raptured into heaven.

There is a different kind of mantle I want to talk about here. It's what I call The Mantle of Responsibility. We must get to the point where we take our assignments on earth seriously and choose to make it a MUST. Jesus said while here "I MUST do the works of Him that sent me..." He said somewhere else "I MUST preach the gospel in other cities also..." These words connote responsibility.

There's really nothing God can do for you and I until you and I choose to be responsible. In the beginning, when God created the heaven and the earth, scripture records that there was no rain on the earth. Why? Because there was no man to till the ground. In other words, there was no man to take responsibility for the cultivation of the plants. God didn't send rain until the time of Noah (that was the first ever record of rain).

Friends, until God sees that you are willing to take responsibility for the dream He has laid in your heart, then He will not be committed to showing Himself in your life.

Your vision will speak only if you are willing to walk by faith.

Prayer:

Lord, I desire to see results in my life, therefore, I choose to take responsibility for the vision/the dreams that you have placed in my heart in Jesus Name.

Oluwatobi Adesanya
For Daily Dealings Youth Devotional