"The Easiest Things we do" by Evangelist Esther Ogunbayeje

“Casting all your care upon him, for He cares for you” 1 peter 5:17

“Cast your burden on the LORD, and he shall sustain you: he shall never permit the righteous to be moved “Psalms 55: 22


The easiest things we do are the simplest and quickest thing we do when we are faced with situations that are overwhelming or challenging or when we feel little or powerless
The easiest things we do are the things we think can save us or get us out of trouble
The easiest things are the things we do when we are in a hurry or pressed.


The easiest things are the things we do to put a stop to our problem.
The easiest things are the things we do when our situations persist, and it seems as if God is late, quiet or silent.
The easiest things are the things we do to please men to get their attention or favour: sometimes to the detriment of our spiritual growth or relationship with God.
The easiest things are the things we do when we are wrongfully challenged, insulted or accused
The easiest things are the things we think are the best solutions or things that will give us ways of escape from being hurt or being found out
The easiest things are our natural way of responding to things and people that upset us.
Take note:
Some of these responses are carnal or natural responses. Sometimes they are what we think are the best for the moment and sometimes we regret of what we do later e.g Moses struck the rock Numbers 20:11


Sometimes some of these easiest things are not always godly, or they are the things we do on impulse and naturally without deep thought on the consequences. They sometimes have negative effect or make things to become complicated.
Sometimes they work or give us temporary solution therefore we think that God approves or will approve them, but it is not always the case e.g Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael Genesis 16:3-4, 17: 17-21

Sometimes they put us on the wrong side with the word of God e.g the ten spies that saw themselves as grasshoppers Numbers 13: 33
Sometimes they can get us into trouble with others e.g Absalom was annoyed with Amnon and planned to kill him for violating his sister 2 Samuel 13:8-28
Sometimes they can also lead to death e.g Ananias and Sapphira for telling lies about how much they sold their land, Acts 5: 4-10 and the lord on whose hand the king leaned in 2 Kings 7:2 for doubting Elisha's prophecy.
These easiest things do not always provide the best solution; the simplest things are not always the best just as all shortest route may not always lead to the desired destination Proverbs 16:25

The easiest things can lead to sorrow, can produce thorns and difficulties etc.
The easiest and the shorter route can lead to dead end Proverbs 14:12.
Really, it does not have to be difficult to be effective, godly, right or good but whenever the solutions and our reactions do not align with the word of God, then, we need to hold on and reflect on what we do to see  if God approves them.


Some of these easy things are:
• Lie e.g Ananias and Sapphira when Peter asked if they brought the right amount of money for the sale of their land Acts 5:1-3 and when Peter denied ever being a disciple of Jesus Luke 22;54-57

• Fight back or try to defend ourselves e.g. Peter when they came to arrest Jesus, he caught the ears of one of the people that came for Jesus John 18:10

• Become bitter or hold a grudge (grudges) e.g. Herodian who later asked the daughter to ask for the head of John because he was against her marriage to the king. Matthew 14:8

• Become anxious and fearful e.g Elisha's servant when they were surrounded by the army of Syria 2 Kings 6:14-16 and the sons of the prophets when the axe head fell into the river 2 Kings 6: 5

• Lose courage/give up e.g Martha when Lazarus died and was buried. She only believed to see him again at the resurrection of death and not in being raised up by Jesus because he was already dead four days John 11: 20-24

• Give in and compromise e.g Judas was tempted by the money the pharisees promised him for selling his master. Matthew 26:15-16

• Rebel e.g the prodigal son thought that life outside the house was the best and simplest with no rules from the father but wanted complete liberty to do whatever he wants by asking for his own portion of inheritance Luke 15:11-17

• Doubt e.g the lord on whose hand the king lean doubted when Elisha prophesied of surplus within few hours 2 Kings 7:2

• Become angry either at God or others e.g Moses was annoyed with the people and struck the rock. Also, Naaman became annoyed when he was asked to bath at Jordan, he thought that what he was asked to do was silly. 2 Kings 5: 10- 113.

• Shift blame e.g the man at the pool of Bethsaida was complaining to Jesus because he thought everyone has abandoned him and he could not receive help again John 5:5-7

• Moan or complain e.g the children of Israel at the Red sea because they could not see the way of escape from Pharaoh and they thought that he would over-run them Exodus 14:10-21

• Rely on our intelligence, skill power, position, connection, experience etc e.g Ahab who used his position to take Naboth's vineyard and killed him 1 Kings 21: 9-14.

• Become despair for of life, asking for death or asking questions on why we go through some difficulties e.g Elijah at the threat of Jezebel was tired of all and asked God to take his life 2 Kings 19:4

• Become mean and uncaring e.g. the priest and the Levite left the man attacked by the robber for death. Luke 10:30-37


Some disadvantages of the doing the easiest things
1. Doing the easiest thing can deprive us from seeing the best solution that God wants to bring e.g Abraham Sarah and Hagar. Genesis 16: 1-4.

2. Doing some easiest things can stop us from getting to the Promised Land e.g the ten spies that brought negative report and those that moaned.  Numbers 14:23-24

3. Doing the easiest thing can make God to be annoyed with us e.g When they moaned for meat, they had it, but God punished them Numbers 11: 4-33

4. Doing the easiest thing can reduce joy, leads to joyless life and despair. While a joyful heart is a great medicine, the broken spirit dries up the bone and takes joy out of life Proverbs 17:22

5. Doing the easiest thing can lead to rejection e.g Saul was removed as the king 1 Samuel 15:28

6. Doing the easiest thing can hurt others or put them at risk e.g.  Abel was killed by Cain Genesis 4:8, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers Genesis 37:27-36 and the man attacked by the armed robbers was left to die by the priest and the Levite Luke 10:30-37.


Instead of doing the easiest things that are outside God's will, we should:

• Replace fear and anxiety with faith in God- simply believing and trusting God because the just shall only live by faith and not by fear (Romans 1:17) they can also only please Him by faith and they will only enjoy Him by acting on their faith (Hebrews 10:38). Moreover, no one can add a single second to his/her life by being anxious Luke 12: 25

• Replace deception, lie and dishonesty with truthful because only those with pure heart can ascend to the presence of God and not those with deceitful heart Psalm 24:4

• Replace disobedient and rebellion with obedience to God which is the simple thing God wants from us because obedience is better than sacrifice 1 Samuel 15: 22

• Replace doubt with prayerfulness e.g Elijah in 1 Kings 18:43-44 prayed for rain and it rained.

• Replace cowardice with courage and boldness, standing firmly on God's promises e.g Elisha was bold to use Elijah's mantle rather than being fearful or scared of going back alone 2 Kings 2:14

• Replace moaning with thankfulness e.g Paul and Silas in Acts 16:25 praised and prayed to God right in the prison rather than being gloomy.

• Replace being mean with kindness and love e.g the good Samaritan in Luke 10:33-35 helped the man attacked by the armed robber even though that meant spending extra time and unbudgeted money on him.

• Replace negative attitude with positive confession. Just as it in Habakkuk 3: 17 that even though the fig tree may not blossom, but one can still have hope that God knows how to take charge of all situations

• Replace being impatient with patience. Knowing fully well that God owns the time and has the right time to answer our prayers. 2 Peter 3:9

Examples of those who refused to take the shortest route or do the easiest thing-
I.e.  those things that are contrary to God's word:

• Joseph- He refused to have an affair with Portia’s wife. He did not see it as a free gift that could lead to his promotion rather, he did the godly easiest thing by running away from the scene (Genesis 39: 8-14). He also refused to give up on his dream even when he was imprisoned unjustifiably. Genesis 40:14.

• Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to compromise their faith even at the threat of the king and the fiery furnace. They refused to be afraid but firmly and boldly took their stand on what God wanted them to do. Daniel 3: 14-21.

• Esther and Mordecai fasted and prayed instead of allowing Haman to have his evil desire on the children of Israel in Shushan. Esther 4: 15-17

• Moses acted in faith even when the vast sea was right in front of them and Pharaoh, together with his army, were pursuing them Exodus 14

• Job did not accuse God wrongly or lose heart.  If he had focussed on his sorrows and woes, he wouldn't have had any dint of hope, but he said he knew that his redeemer lives, and he refused to be bitter against God Job 19:25

• Daniel prayed and allowed God to fight for him even when he was put in the lion's den Daniel 6: 16—22.


Lessons from these people:
Did God deliver them? Yes, in His own way and at the right time. And why will God deliver and help those who trust Him and refuse to do the ungodly easiest things? He will help them because,
• He is a just God
• He is All powerful
• He is All loving and compassionate
• He is Omniscient
• He is faithful
• He is dependable etc.
And the benefits of doing the right things rather than the simplest or easiest things are:
• Having deliverance
• Pleasing God
• Having success
• Being restored
• Having joy and peace of mind etc

In conclusion, in all circumstances of life, we should lean on God, refuse to lean on our own understanding and do not depend on ourselves because whoever thinks he can stand by his own power has planned to fall and fail. More so, the race of life is not always for the swiftest, the cunning and the most powerful. Also, it is good to focus on God because our focus, what and who we focus on, to an extent determine our success or failure. „Looking unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”  Hebrews:  12:4. People fail when they focus on the wrong thing; they become depressed when they focus on their challenges or people. But there is always reason to believe and trust God to the end even when the fig tree does not blossom knowing fully well that we will never be disappointed, disgraced or defeated come what may.
Shalom.


Evangelist Esther Ogunbayeje
Christ Apostolic Church
United Kingdom
estherami18@gmail.com
gabbytoyin@gmail.com
+44-7478044454/+44-7988672933