Tag: Faith

Is it just a placebo?

~ bohlajee123 ~ Leave a comment

Many, if not all of us have experienced unfulfilled dreams, disappointments, broken promises, unmet expectations etc., at some point in our lives and in one or more areas. It could have been the loss of a loved one, a job or promotion, broken dreams or relationships, etc., that causes us to wonder, ‘Does God really fulfil His word? Or is the whole thing just some form of placebo?

I heard a young man tell a story of how his life turned around to become purposeful recently, and as I listened, I could see the invisible hand of God show up in many way all through the journey – making ways, causing the bad things to end up working for him etc. One key thing that this story reiterated was the fact that in as much as God can move people and situations to work for our good, we (you and I) have an extremely important role to play if we want to see God ‘come through’ for us.

Let’s take a look at a few popular bible stories to explore this concept.
1) The blood of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12) – When God was going to send the final plague on Egypt which was the death of the first born of every living creature, He instructed the Israelites to put the blood of the lamb on their door posts so the angel of death will pass over them as it goes around the land. Now, if the Israelites chose not to obey, there would have been no difference between the Egyptians and the Israelites the next morning. Goshen too would have been filled with wailings for the loss of their sons and the verdict would have been that God cannot be trusted and He doesn’t come through.


2) Crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 14) – When the Israelites were by the red sea and Pharoah’s army was behind them, God parted the sea and told them to go across. Effectively, He made a way (like we sing) but, imagine if the Israelites chose not to step out in faith and walk on the dry land because they feared the walls on water on either side might come tumbling down any minute and kill them, or they were paralyzed with fear and just didn’t move, or … (fill in the gap). The likelihood is that the army would have eventually annihilated them and guess what the verdict would have been …


3) The Israelites and Canaan (Numbers 14) – When Moses sent 12 spies to check out the land God had given them, they came back and confirmed that the land was indeed everything God promised (their hearts desire) but, they had a ‘but’ – it came with a challenge that they didn’t think they could overcome. Hence, they focused on the challenge ignoring the reality of the promise being exactly what they hoped and prayed for. The result? The whole generation (except the 2 that said ‘let’s go at once, we are more than able to take the land’) died in the wilderness and didn’t walk in the manifestation of what was already theirs. God had promised it; it was staring them in the face; yet, they never laid hold of it and died without experiencing the fulfillment. Unfortunately, their disobedience led to a 40 year delay of the manifestation of the promise for Joshua and Caleb (the 2 that focused on the promise and were ready to act in spite of the challenges), as well as the generations to come.


4) The wall of Jericho (Joshua 6) – Unlike the generation before them, Joshua and the Israelites were ready to take the land even though Jericho seemed impenetrable. They were preparing to take the land when the ‘captain of the Lord’s army’ appeared to Joshua, and gave him a strategy that seemed absolutely useless to the human mind. Joshua had an option to either trust that strategy (God’s wisdom) or depend on his own mind and strength (human wisdom). Although God had already given them the land and caused fear to overtake the people of Jericho, the manifestation hinged on acting on the seemingly unrealistic strategy and this led to their seeing what God promised.


5) Naaman the Leper (2 Kings 5) – Naaman was a Captain in the Syrian army, was wealthy, smart, had ‘kingly’ connections, was influential but had a situation that all his wealth, wisdom and influence couldn’t solve. He was leprous. A maid who was part of the Israeli captives told him Elisha could heal him; so, he went to Israel and finally Elisha sent for him. However, instead of meeting with him, Elisha sent a message asking him to go and was in the river Jordan 7 times and his flesh would be restored. Naaman was furious at the instruction. He had an expectation in his head of how the healing should come and it certainly didn’t include washing in the river Jordan. “But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.” 2 Kings 5:11-12. If the story had ended there, it would have appeared that God was not capable of healing the leprosy since Naaman would have returned home the same way he left. Mercifully, his servants persuaded him to wash in the river and once he completely obeyed Elisha’s instruction, he got exactly what his heart desired – his flesh was restored.

When we pray for God to open a door and He does, do we have the courage to walk through regardless of the seeming challenges?
When we pray for God to send a helper and He does, do we recognize the person and embrace the helper with open arms or do we evaluate based on our perception of how the help should ‘be packaged’ and walk away from a divine solution/blessing?
When we ask for resources, and we wake up with an idea, some instructions, or He sends a person, do we act on it immediately; begin to list all the ways it might not work or are we quick to obey?

Don’t get me wrong, you sure have a brain to process things; but God gave you that brain (just like your skills, resources, breathe etc.) to help you work out His purposes. I hate to break it to you but what you call your life, is really not about you. It’s all about Him. So, once He says this is the way, you don’t use your brain to figure out if it makes sense, whether it’s practical etc. (most times as long as it is God, it likely won’t 🙂). Instead, you immediately apply your brain in conjunction with the Holy Spirit to come up with the strategy to make that thing a physical reality. It is your action of moving forward with a plan towards (not away from) what God has said, that shows God you’re ready for His partnership and then He makes all things begin to work to bring it to fulfillment. If you want to wait to see how it will work before you take the required action, the end of your story will likely be the verdict of ‘God does not come through’.

God ‘shows up’ for those who ‘show up’. Don’t miss out on great opportunities and answers to your prayers because those answers are dressed in ‘overalls’. Be careful when you put a ‘but’ where God had put a full stop and remember that your actions or inactions can also affect those who’s destiny is linked to yours.

I pray that where you have chosen not to follow God’s instruction or act in faith due to a challenge or because the solution didn’t come as we planned it to in our head despite the fact that God had brought the solution to you, may the mercy of God give you a second chance to retrace your steps, act on His word and walk into the manifestation of what He has promised so your joy will be full and your waiting will be over.

Remain connected,

Bolaji Ajayi

The ripple effect of obedience

~ bohlajee123 ~ Leave a comment

Obedience to God can be downright painful, illogical (based on all the things you can see/perceive with the natural mind), contrary to our feelings and emotions, confusing etc. and the list goes on.

Yet taking God’s word over your emotions, can result in the most exhilarating and satisfying thing you can do because it is in the place of obedience that you find yourself truly walking in alignment (in step) with God and get to “see God” – have an experiential knowledge of Him. It’s the state where you’re dwelling in the secret place of the Most High. It’s also in this state of walking in obedience that God is able to commit His agenda to you because He can trust you to immediately run with whatever He says.

Obedience works like the origin of a ripple. It’s that action that says “I trust what God is leading me to more than my feelings or understanding” that God then sees and sets things in motion to honour your act of faith in Him.

There’s a great example of this in the book of Esther chapters 5 through 9. We start from the point where Esther has accepted Mordecai’s request to help even though it might cost her life and she’s now about to appear before the king after fasting for 3 days and nights. At the time Esther went and stood in the inner court of the King’s house, her heart would likely have been throbbing since this was in reality a matter of life and death. Now, here’s a sequence of the result of her act of obedience.
1) God caused the king to favour her so he raised his scepter and she wasn’t executed.
2) Her invite of Haman to the banquet she prepared made Haman feel even more important than he already was such that Mordecai’s defiance made him angrier and he couldn’t wait till the time he had decreed to kill all Jews to get rid of Mordecai. He immediately sought counsel and set up gallows to hang Mordecai the next day.
3) The same day Haman plotted this, the king could not sleep at night and God caused him to ask for the records of the Chronicles where he was reminded of how Mordecai told of those that plotted to kill the king and he decided to reward Mordecai when he discovered he had not been rewarded. Side note: sometimes when you do a good deed, expect a reward immediately and don’t get it, it just might be that the reward is gaining compound interest to come in at a time when it would be “life-saving”. Imagine if Mordecai had been rewarded before, the king just might have moved on…selah.
4) Once the king had decided to reward Mordecai and was looking for ideas, in walks Haman. God uses the person that wanted to destroy Mordecai to come up with a way to honour him.
5) Esther tells the king about the plan to kill all Jews and informs him that Haman is the orchestrator to which Haman tried to plead with her and this leads to the king’s fury and Haman’s death on the same gallows he had set for Mordecai.
6) Mordecai and Esther get to repeal the decree that Haman had made to kill the Jews and in fact turn the tables around on their enemies and killed them instead.
7) Esther found so much favour with the king that in Esther 9 v 12 after the king had gotten the report of the people the Jews had killed even in Shushan, the king further asked Esther what else she wanted – up to half of his kingdom.
8) The Jews were saved, their sorrow turned to joy and had peace in a foreign land.

By a single act of obedience that seemed like a death sentence at the time, Esther triggered a partnership with God that culminated in the salvation of a whole nation – the Jews.

What is God asking you to do that you’re holding back on because it doesn’t “feel” right or seem practical? Truth is, God will still accomplish His purpose with or without you (ask the Israelites that died in the desert…their children fulfilled God’s word) however He wants you to take His word over your emotions so you can be a part of His “kingdom come” movement and walk in the good works which He created you for. The choice is yours and I pray that you choose obedience over “emotions” or ‘reason”.

Remain connected

Bolaji Ajayi

Is intellect all you need?

~ bohlajee123 ~ Leave a comment

In Acts 27, Paul is being transported to Rome to stand before Ceaser. During the journey, Paul warned of trouble and possibe loss of lives if they continued but the Captain and owner of the ship did not agree with Paul so the Officer believed them (afterall, they were the experts on this subject) and they continued on their journey. When they pushed out to sea, everything seemed great at first and even the weather seemed to favour them. ‘When a good wind began to blow from the south, the men on the ship thought, “This is the wind we wanted, and now we have it.” So they pulled up the anchor, and we sailed very close to the island of Crete.’ Acts 27:13 NCV. However, that joy was short-lived as a very strong wind came at them and that was the beginning of the end. Eventually, the word of God came to Paul a second time and he told them no life would be lost but everything else would. By the end of that chapter, they got to land and as Paul had said, and in spite of how much they used their skills to make decisions and save the ship, the ship got destroyed and only lives were saved.

This story is a great example of what Proverbs 3: 5-6 admonishes. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5‭-‬6 NKJV”.


Complete dependence on skills and intellect alone can be costly mainly because as humans we have no idea about what’s ‘around the bend’. We can’t predict the next 5 minutes how much more the next year, 5, 10 or 20. This is why it is important to allow the One who has seen the end, who decrees the end from the beginning, the One who has times and seasons in His hands and who loves you more than you can ever imagine be a part of your decision making. A way might seem perfect based on your analysis of a situation but can I crave your indulgence to bring God in before you act so you don’t end up in loss and regret? “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12 NKJV”

Can you trust that the One who’s thoughts for you are for peace and not evil, to give you an expected end; who formed you in your mother’s womb, has upheld you from birth and can carry you to your old age? (Jeremiah 29: 11 and Isaiah 46: 3-4).

He knows you know what you know. He is the one that gave you the intellect, wisdom, exposure, understanding etc., that you’re leveraging in your analysis yet He says acknowledge me in ALL your ways. Let God be able attest to your faith in Him by your obedience, trust and dependence on Him in your decision making and you will be the one in awe of how beautiful your life will turn out eventually.

Remain connected,

Bolaji Ajayi

Is it really dead?

~ bohlajee123 ~ 2 Comments

John 11 starts off with information about Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha being sick and the sisters sending for Jesus. Verse 4 tells us, “When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Yet Jesus stays 2 more days in the place he was (Vs 5 – 6 “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was”) and by vs 14, He tells His disciples that Lazarus is already dead “Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.”

One minute, Jesus is saying Lazarus won’t die and a few days later, He’s confirming he is dead. We know from the story that by the time Jesus got there, Lazarus had been in the tomb 4 days and Jesus was just 2 miles (3.2km) from where Lazarus was.

All of these seem like a paradox at this point and begs a few questions. So, indulge me for a moment. Try and forget you know how this story ends but you’re in Bethany hearing and experiencing all that is going on. At this point, some of the thoughts that might cross your mind could include the following:

  1. Jesus had lied when in verse 4 He said the sickness wasn’t unto death.
  2. Jesus’ love for Mary, Martha and Lazarus is questionable since He could surely have journeyed the 2 miles in less than 4 days to prevent Lazarus from dying in the first place and save them from 4 days of heartache. Besides, how do you intentionally wait 2 days because you love them (vs 5-6)?
  3. Jesus is not to be trusted and is bound to disappoint.

Fast forward to the later part of the chapter and we see Jesus weep in vs 35 after He saw Mary and all the Jews who were with her weeping. At this point, the people obviously figured He loved Lazarus but wondered why He didn’t get there on time to heal him before he died (vs 36-37). By vs 44, Lazarus is raised and Jesus commands to lose the clothes he was bound with and let him go. Subsequently, many people came to believe Jesus because of the raising of Lazarus from the dead (the son of man was glorified).

So, what do we do with all this information?

See, many of us are in the ‘tomb’ phase in one area of our lives or the other. God said something to you about a matter or a situation. There seemed to be a time where it looked plausible, but now that window has closed and you’re in that phase when everything ‘is’ dead. You analyze the situation and you can’t see how that word is going to be fulfilled. Yet, this story suggests that sometimes, because of God’s love for us, He allows things (hopes, dreams etc.) to ‘die’ around us and even mourns with us when we mourn those things. Doesn’t make much sense to the natural mind but isn’t that how it is with God? His ways are not our ways nor His thoughts our thoughts.

So, during the 4 days (yours could be hours, days, months or years) of ‘death’, what should we be doing? Job 14 vs 7-9 and Habakkuk 3 vs 17 – 18 gives us an idea “For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its tender shoots will not cease. Though its root may grow old in the earth, and its stump may die in the ground, yet at the scent of water it will bud and bring forth branches like a plant.” (Job 14:7-9) “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Hab 3: 17-18.

Therefore, HOPE in the Lord, hold on to His WORD which is what brings back life to that dead situation and REJOICE in the Lord not in your situation. These are not easy to do but as you ask the Holy Spirit for help to act in faith, may you experience the resurrection power of God in your situation and may your story draw men to God and bring Him all the glory in Jesus’ name.

Remain connected to the vine,

Bolaji Ajayi

What impact is your sight having on your life?

~ bohlajee123 ~ 3 Comments

In Numbers 13, God asked Moses to send one leader from each tribe of Israel to explore the land He had promised them. Moses did as he was commanded, selected the 12 men and gave them the assignment to “assess the goodness” of the land. His instructions were simple. Are the people weak or strong, few or many, is the land good or bad to dwell in, is the land rich or poor, bring back some fruit of the land (evidence) etc. (Numbers 13:17-20).


The 12 men left as they were instructed, explored the land and returned after 40 days. They confirmed that indeed the land was ‘flowing with milk and honey’ – in essence it was a very good land, and they showed the fruit which had to be carried on branches because of its size. They also gave a report about the land and the people as instructed stating how fortified the city was and how big, numerous and strong the people were. (Numbers 13: 27 – 29). In effect, they did a good job bring back a factual report of the land they explored. If only they had stopped there…but they didn’t.


Caleb, one of the twelve spies obviously got very excited about the good he saw in the land that he motioned that they go forward and take the land immediately. He was not one to delay enjoying God’s promise to him. Enough of the wilderness experience. It was fun while it lasted but now that he had seen the possibility that existed in what God had promised, he was ready to lay hold of it immediately. This is when the trouble begins.


The remaining ten (excluding Joshua), immediately changes the narrative and focus solely on the ‘seeming’ challenge to the point where the challenge was all they saw. All the good no longer mattered even though they still had the evidence of the fruit. They magnified the challenge and the fear that came with that did what it knows to do best … ‘engulf your mind and stop you dead in your track’ and fear sure got its way in their lives. There was no moving forward for these ten. These men seemed to totally forget the good they had seen which was what God wanted to help boost their faith. All they saw was their inability to overcome the challenge ahead based on their evaluation of their physical and mental abilities. They sunk so deep to the point where they even imagined and concluded about what the people of the land thought of them – “we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight”. The same people that initially gave a good report of the land, turned around and gave a bad report of the same land (Numbers 13:31–33). How ironic!


Many of us know how this story ends. Even though God had promised the land to them, in fact given it to them, destined it for them, and they had also seen it, they did not partake of that destiny. The lost out on the blessing God had in store for them in the land because of what they chose to focus on and allow drive their actions.


Fast forward to the book of Joshua chapters 1 – 6. The Israelites are back at the same point but this time, they obey God’s instructions like ‘clockwork’. As they obeyed each instruction, they got another, and another and another until in Chapter 5 v 13, we see a man appear to Joshua but he’s not just a man, He’s ‘Commander of the army of the Lord’. God was so impressed with their faith demonstrated through obedience to His instructions that He had to make an appearance with sword drawn to demonstrate that He’s with those who trust Him and the battle was His. (As a side note, this reminds me of Abraham when he was about to offer Isaac and at that point God stepped in and swore to Abraham. From that point, and till today, we are beneficiaries of the blessing of Abraham. One man’s obedience to God, regardless of how ridiculous, unpleasant, unfamiliar or undesirable it looked is still blessing us today). At this point, chapter 6 then opens with the instructions on how to take over the city. Hold on, is this not what the ten spies were concerned about in Numbers 13? Yet, by the time the Israelites focused on God and His promise, and promptly obeyed His every instruction, the solution to the challenge appears. All they had to do was walk and shout. It had nothing to do with their strength, the number of their army, how they looked, their abilities or capabilities … none of that. The people of the land had already been paralyzed by fear and the wall was going to ‘come down’. God already had a way out. This was His promise to them and He knew how He was going to get it to them. All He needed was for them to believe. All they had to do was have faith demonstrated not in words, wishful thinking or prayer, but in actions of obedience to His directions. Their obedience led not only to the inheritance of the promised land, but also to seeing the hand of God move on their behalf every step of the way. They experienced miracles, divine favours, divine interceptions … Rahab hiding, Jordan parting, Walls coming down.


You see, God knows that we are mortals and our physical senses, environment, past experiences etc., typically get in the way of our trusting and believing Him (especially since most of the time what God promises seem impossible to the natural mind and even when it seems plausible, there just seems to be no way to get there). So, what does He do with us sometimes? As an act of love and benevolence to help our unbelief, He gives us a glimpse in any way He chooses (visions, dreams, words, our imagination etc.), like Abraham looking to the sky and being asked to count the stars (Gen 15:4-5), Jacob dreaming of a new breeding method (Gen 31: 10-13), An angel of the Lord visiting Gideon (Judges 6: 11-40), Mary getting a visit from Angel Gabriel about divine conception and the purpose of the child (Luke 1: 26-38), and the list goes on. And for you and I, He still gives us those glimpses. In visions, in dreams, through His word, through a message, through a prophecy, through our thoughts etc., if only we can truly pause to stay in His presence so He can reveal His plans to us. He wants to show us the vision for our lives but can we take the first step of “watching and waiting” in His presence? “I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected. 2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.” Hab 2:1-3


Could it be that the challenge you see about what God is leading you to is only an obedience away from evaporating? Could that vision already be at the birthing stage and all that is left is that one final push of obedience to bring forth its delivery? Are you at the point of delivery and not even aware of it because just like the ten spies you are so focused on the challenges that you don’t see the miracle of the “new thing” that God is about to birth in and through your life?


God’s ways are surely not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts. So, if you’re waiting for things to make sense, trust me, you’re in for a long wait and risk missing out of God’s will for your life even though He destined it. Walking into it is by choice not by force and the vehicle to laying hold of it is faith, demonstrated through actions of obedience even when it does not make sense. One generation of the Israelites missed it. Do you want to repeat their mistake?


As we evaluate our lives, if there is anything that we know that God has shown us or any promise in His word that we are trusting him for a physical manifestation of, I pray first and foremost that the eyes of our understanding be enlightened that we will truly know what the will of God is for our lives; that in every area that doubt has blurred our vision, that Jesus will help our unbelief and intercede for a second chance on our behalf; that we repent of our unbelief and cry out to the Holy Spirit for courage and wisdom to take the necessary steps in obedience even when we don’t see the full picture of how it will work out; and as we do this, I pray that our lives shall be a living witness that God indeed is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him because we shall be true expressions of His grace and glory even as those promises come to pass in our lives in Jesus name.


Remain connected to the vine,
Bolaji Ajayi