UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF GRACE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MARCH 11, 2021.

SUBJECT:  UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF GRACE!

Memory verse:  "So He answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4 vs 6.) 

READ:  Ezra 4 vs 1 - 5:

4:1: "Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel, 

4:2: they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the fathers' houses and said to them, Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here. 

4:3: But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.”

4:4: Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, 

4:5: and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

INTIMATION:

The passage we read today clearly brings to the fore the import of the power of grace. Correlating them with some other passages in the Bible will give us a clear understanding of the grace of God—the power of God. The adversaries of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin were people who had been relocated in the northern kingdom when Assyria conquered Israel. These were mixed group of foreigners whose ancestors had been conquered by the Assyrians, and were forced to resettle in the northern kingdom of Israel after Israel was defeated and her people taken captive. 

The Israelite captives from the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin who returned to Jerusalem after the proclamation of freedom to the twelve tribes of Israel, started rebuilding the temple of God. In an attempt to infiltrate and disrupt the project these adversaries offered to help in the rebuilding project. Their real motive was to disrupt the temple project because they don't want Jerusalem to be strong again on their return from exile.  Although, it is true they were worshipping the God of Israel, but they also worshipped many other gods. To these foreigners God was just another 'idol' to be added to their collection. In God's eyes, this was not worship—it was sin and rebellion. True worship involves devotion to God alone. The Jews however, knew this—they saw through their ploy and refused their assistance.

Since the Israelites (Jews) were well aware of this fact, they told the people—their adversaries—that they had no part in building a temple to the LORD. When they heard this, it made them so angry that they began to do everything in their power to harass and cause trouble for the Israelites, to frustrate their purpose and plans.

Now, what should be the reaction of the godly to that kind of opposition and persecution? I believe the answer to that question is a key to enjoying the life of grace that God wills for his people. Let us look at passage in Zechariah 4 vs 1 - 3: "Now the angel who talked with me came back and awakened me, as a man who is awakened out of his sleep. And said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with its bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.”

Zechariah had a vision in which an angel spoke to him. In this vision he saw a lampstand made of gold with seven lamps upon it. There were seven pipes to the lamps and two olive trees, one on either side, to feed the lamps continuously with oil. Students of the Word of God know that oil represents the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is the power of Almighty God. We have earlier learnt that the grace of God is the power of the Holy Spirit to meet our needs and solve our problems, although, the Scripture doesn't say it in so many words.

The seven lamps on the lampstand can only give light and glow if they have oil supplied to it. The pipes connect the lamps to the bowl containing the oil. The bowl is then connected to the olive trees that are constantly supplying the bowl with oil for the lamps to give light continually.

Now, let's look at what the Word of God says in Zechariah 4 vs 4 - 6; "So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts." Here the Lord is speaking to the same people who were trying to build the temple with Zerubbabel. He is telling them how they should react to their frustrating situation. He is saying to them that their response to trouble should be to depend not upon their own abilities or efforts, but upon the limitless power of the Holy Spirit to meet the issues and resolve the crises they face. 

The vision given to Zechariah, shows the limitless power of God's grace in meeting our needs being made manifest. Remember, it is not by your power or might but by the Spirit (the grace) of God that we overcome all our lives' challenges. Many people believe that to survive in this world a person must be tough, strong, unbending and harsh. But God says, "Not by our might nor by our power, but by His Spirit—the power of God." It is only through God's Spirit (God's grace) that anything of lasting value is accomplished by us.

Prayer: Abba Father, outside of You I can do nothing! Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit my Helper and His power available to me to always meet my needs and solve my problems, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

RECEIVING THE GRACE OF GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY MARCH 10, 2021.

SUBJECT:  RECEIVING THE GRACE OF GOD!

Memory verse:  "For the Lord God is a sun and shield: The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly..” (Psalm 84 vs 11.) 

READ:  Acts 4 vs 33; Ephesians 6 vs 24:

Acts 4:33: And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

Ephesians 6:24: Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. 

INTIMATION:

God's grace is a gift, and is receivable as a gift of God. It cannot be received on account of works. If you engage in spiritual exercises, that is, you spend time reading the Bible, praying, meditating, making positive confession etc, in an effort to get something from the Lord, it is works. Your fellowship with Him becomes work if your motive is to be considered worthy of receiving anything from Him by those acts which are your works, rather than by the grace of God. It cannot be received by reading and memorizing or confessing Scriptures. It cannot even be received by faith, but rather through faith in Christ Jesus. 

The grace of God is only received in our fellowship with the Lord, and our motive in fellowship with the Lord must be right to enable us receive His grace. You are to worship Him for who He is, and what He does, and can do, love Him, and witness for Him effectively, and desire to be in his presence as an upright believer. Anytime we get to thinking, by our evaluation, that we deserve something because we are doing something for God (whatever it may be, even spending time with Him) we are following a method rather than the Spirit. Though we might receive our petition, it is all by His grace. 

Wrong motives in fellowship is the major reason for many unanswered prayers amongst Christians. We must be careful about our motives. And even when we operate by all right methods, and our motives are pure, let us not fall into the trap of thinking that we deserve anything good from the Lord by our works. It is all by His grace. 

According to the Bible, we don't deserve anything except to die and spend eternity in everlasting punishment. Why? Because in the Lord's eyes, all of our righteousness, every good thing that we could ever do, is like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64 vs 6.) To fully understand and appreciate this fact, we need to look upon our righteousness as compared with the righteousness of Almighty God. If we will do that, instead of comparing our righteousness with the unrighteousness of others, then we will see ourselves as we really are. However, instead of feeling bad about ourselves, and looking at our own works or efforts, we should rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the Holy One of Israel for what He wrought for us in Christ Jesus, and His finished work for us on the Cross. 

In the parable of the sower in Mark's Gospel, Jesus likens the Kingdom of God to a farmer who sows his seed in his field and then goes to sleep, and rises night and day and the seed springs forth and grows up, ....he knows not how (Mark 4 vs 26 - 29). You see, we don't understand what happens once the seed is placed in the ground. Yes we are to plant our seed; prayer is a seed, Bible study is a seed, preparation for spiritual exercise is a seed, meditation is a seed, a good confession is a seed, an offering is a seed, Church attendance is a seed, witnessing for Christ is a seed, good work is a seed, time spent with Lord is a seed. Sow the seed, and allow God to do the work. He does the work not us, therefore, we can only receive God's favor by His works—His grace (power of the Holy Spirit) through faith in Him.

We must get beyond ourselves and our works and efforts and keep our eyes focused on God and His grace toward us. All these spiritual exercises enumerated above, and even the ones not mentioned are all channels through which we can receive the grace, when our motives of fellowship is right, and gets us plugged into the power source—receiving the grace of God (the unmerited favor—the power of the Holy Spirit) that enables us meet our needs. The most important of all is renewing our minds with God's Word and spending time with the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Abba Father, all things are Yours, and Your mercy and compassion are at Your pleasure. May I ever find favor before You, to receive Your grace in all things in my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

SPEAK YOUR FAITH, NOT FEAR!

 Speak Your Faith, Not Fear! 

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalms 27:1 (KJV)

The Psalmist spoke the words in the opening scripture when fear wanted to have its way in him. Apparently, his enemies wanted to put fear in him so that they could defeat him, but he refused to fear and put his confidence in the LORD. Dear beloved, refuse to fear by speaking words of faith from the Holy Scriptures just as the Psalmist did. Fear comes by hearing or watching the wrong things, but faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Therefore, if you hear anything that tries to create fear in you, it is the wrong message; replace it by hearing the Word of God to create faith in you. Don’t stop speaking faith; in fact, speak words of faith every day—speak them into your life, family, business, and career and see your faith work for you. When David voiced his faith, God honored his words, and Goliath was defeated just as David said (1 Samuel 17:45–50). Beloved, the Word of God always works, so keep speaking it boldly in faith and you will win. Hallelujah! You are an overcomer!

Prayer Point: My faithful Father, thank You for inspiring me today by Your Word. Henceforth, I cease from hearing or watching fear-inducing messages or things, and I focus on hearing your Word, thereby creating faith in me. I will keep speaking words of faith every day to see my life, family, business, etc. flourish in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Were you blessed by today's message? Kindly go to the comment section and share your comments, and testimonies. Let's also know your challenges so that we can pray for you.

HOW TO HAVE UNFAILING STRENGTH!

 How to Have Unfailing Strength! 

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

There is a natural strength and a spiritual strength. Natural strength has a limitation and can fail you when you need it the most. The opening Scripture is laying emphasis on spiritual strength. Beloved, do you want to run and not grow tired or walk and not faint? If your answer is yes, then you need to wait upon God. Waiting is a period when you separate yourself from anything that will disrupt your attention from God. Waiting involves devotion to the Word, speaking in tongues, fasting, and worshipping God in psalms (Acts 2:1–4, Acts 13:2). You do this to get specific answers to your situation. As you continue in it, God gives you the answers and fills you with His anointing to soar like the eagles. Beloved, remember that Jesus Christ waited on God for forty days and forty nights, praying and fasting before starting His ministry (Matthew 4:1–11). It was during this period that He was given the opportunity to be tempted by the devil, and He overcame all His temptation. Waiting has many benefits, and we can see them in the account of Jesus Christ’s ministry (Matthew 4:23–25). Beloved, wait on God and it will amaze you, the exploits that God will do through you. Praise the Lord! Be an overcomer!

Prayer Point: My gracious Father, I’m elated by Your Word about waiting. Please lead me to set a period of time aside to wait on You so that I can soar like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Were you blessed by today's message? Kindly go to the comment section and share your comments, and testimonies. Let's also know your challenges so that we can pray for you.

THE THIN LINE BETWEEN GRACE AND FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MARCH 09, 2021.

SUBJECT:  THE THIN LINE BETWEEN GRACE AND FAITH!

Memory verse:  "Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11 vs 40.) 

READ:  Mark 9 verse 23 - 29:

9:23: Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.

9:24: Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!”

9:25: When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of Him and enter Him no more!”

9:26: Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.”

9:27:But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

9:28: And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?

9:29: So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” 

INTIMATION:

There is a very thin line between grace and faith that is often missed by us. Because these two work together, the line between them is difficult for many to discern. And if we do miss it, our lives become confused. Many trust their faith to meet their needs. When their needs are not met, then they tried to have more faith because they are unable to discern the very fine line between faith and grace. They are not seeing beyond their faith to seek the grace of God (the power of God) to meet their needs.

Most people seemed to base all achievements on their faith, when, in reality, every victory or achievement is based on God's faithfulness bestowed on us by His grace—the power of God. If we frustrate the grace of God, we are going to feel frustrated. This explains why, by the grace of God, we receive our petition even when our faith is near zero.

In our memory verse, Jesus told Mary that it was only her faith (her believe) that would make her see the glory of a God (the power of God) raise the brother Lazarus from the dead. And this was the reason why Jesus said in Matthew 17 vs 21, "...if you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there," and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." It is not the tiny faith (as tiny as the tiniest seed on earth) that will move the mountain, but the mighty power of God (the grace of God) which came through your tiny faith to bring about the answer to the petition.

For instance, Jesus had faith (great faith I supposed) all the time He was suffering. He had faith while in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had faith before the high priest and Pilate. He had faith when He was being ridiculed, abused and mistreated. He had faith on the way to Golgotha. He had faith while hanging on the cross. He even had faith while His body lay in the tomb; He had absolute faith that God would not leave Him there but would raise Him up, as He had promised. 

At the point of completing His task, when God separated from Jesus, His faith was shaken hence His question, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" That is "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27 vs 46). That was an indication of His shaken faith. Consequently, Jesus called the Father 'My God,” instead of 'My Father' He had all through called Him before then. For all of Jesus’ faith, nothing happened until the power of God came forth to bring about the resurrection. His faith only kept Him stable until the Father's appointed time for His deliverance. We can have all the faith in the world, but it will avail us nothing until it is 'plugged into' the source of power, which is the grace of God. 

In order to get our needs met, in order to receive anything from the Lord, we must have both faith and grace. It is by grace through faith that we are saved. And it is by grace through faith that all our prayers are answered and all of our needs are met. Keep your eyes on God to deliver you, not your faith. In Second Timothy 2 vs 13, the Bible says, "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself." The Bible is teaching us here to get our eyes off our ability to believe (as the ultimate), but rather on God's willingness to meet our needs even though we do not have perfect faith. 

In the passage we read today, the man asked Jesus for healing of his son. Jesus told him that all things are possible to those who believe. The man replied, "Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief" or "Help my weakness of faith!" The man knew his faith was lacking, but he was honest about it, and Jesus healed his son. God's grace (power) came on the scene and gave the man what he did not deserve considering his faith—his believe. Jesus made it clear to His disciples that it’s not the faith or believe, but the power or grace of God, which can only be activated to deliver to us by prayer, or by prayer and fasting, in some cases. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are ever faithful, even in my unfaithfulness, and Your steadfastness never seizes. Endue me with spirit of complete obedience and trust in You, casting all my cares upon You, knowing that there is nothing difficult nor beyond your power, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

VICTORY IS IN OUR CONFESSION OF FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MARCH 08, 2021.

SUBJECT: VICTORY IS IN OUR CONFESSION OF FAITH!

Memory verse: "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." (Revelation 12 vs 11.)

READ: First Timothy 6 vs 12 - 14:

6:12: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

6:13: I urge you in the sight of God who gives life in all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate,

6:14: That you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing,

INTIMATION:

In confessing the good confession of faith lies the victory of the believer. Your confession becomes your possession. It is obvious that the lack of faithful confessions by believers is a major problem for many. The good fight of faith lies in the sincere confession the believer makes. The victory of the believer is rooted in his faints confession. The apostle Paul, in the passage we read today, counsels believers thus; "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (vs 12.)

The good fight of faith is a battle that has been won a long time ago, in which you do nothing but acknowledge the defeat of your enemy and your own victory in Christ. The fight of faith is not a struggle on your part. It is a recognition and a confession of the victory Christ won over the adversary on our behalf in that great substitutionary battle that took place before He arose from the dead.

The apostle Paul was comparing Timothy's own confession of faith with that of Jesus before Pilate. Looking at the Master Jesus, we can see that the secret of His victory lay in His continual confession. For instance, He held fast to His confession, even at the point of death: “Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a King then?” Jesus answered, You say rightly that I am a King. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (John 18 vs 36 - 37.)

Now as conquerors, our memory verse reminds us that we are overcomers, and our victory is hinged on the blood of the Lamb, and the words of our testimony.  The critical blow to Satan came when the Lamb, Jesus Christ, shed His blood for our sins. The victory is won by sacrifice—Christ's death in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. The believers victory is established once he holds on to the good confession of faith in Christ Jesus and His works in redemption for us. We are in the realm of victory in Christ Jesus, as we have moved out of the realm of weakness, and you can say, "I am more than a conqueror, for I am complete in Him who is the head of all principality and powers (Colossians 2 vs 10.) 

As a believer, you were identified as haven been crucified with Christ. You were buried with Him. You were raised with Him. You conquered the enemy with Him. Now with faith planted solidly upon this foundation, you face your enemy without fear. You dare to say "I am the righteousness of God in Christ." Just as Jesus dared to say, "I am the vine, and you are the branches"; "I am the light of the world"; you say, "I am what He says I am." More than even that you can say, "I can do what He says I can do." 

We are reminded of who we are in First John 4 vs 4, "You are of God, my little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." That settles it. You are of God, child of God, created in Christ Jesus. You are now a master because the Master is in you. You are becoming God-inside conscious. You are learning to let Him have His place in you.lYou are united with Him. He is the Vine and you are a branch. You grew out of Him. You were created in Him. Don't forget your perfect union with Him. 

Our oneness with Christ is the source of our ultimate strength. We are recreated in Him, and have a perfect union with Him: "For if we have been untied together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." (Romans 6 vs 5 - 6.)

As a believer and conqueror, you should be conscious of your legal right to what Jesus Christ  wrought for you in redemption which is wrapped up in His wonderful Name (John 14 vs 13 - 14). The use of His Name is making a demand. That is demanding the forces of darkness to be broken over the lives of men. You are acting in the place of the Master now. The use of Name unsheathes the sword of the spirit, the living Word, and in your lips that Living Word becomes a dominating force as it was in the lips of the Master.

Prayer: Abba Father, greater is Christ that is in me than the ruler of this world. I am one with Christ, and I can do all things through You that strengthens me. Give me the grace for constant confession of faith in You and the power in Your Word to overcome my adversaries, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

ARE YOU ALWAYS CONFIDENT?

 Are You Always Confident? 

“Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)” 2 Corinthians 5:6-7 (KJV)

Apostle Paul is a good example for us to emulate. Despite the challenges he faced in the course of doing the Master’s business, he was not discouraged. He suffered shipwreck and was beaten three times with a rod, stoned to unconsciousness, imprisoned, etc. But he was unshakable for the Lord (2 Corinthians 11:23–33). He was always confident in the Lord Jesus because he had often seen demonstrations of the power of the Holy Spirit. He urged believers to be always confident in Christ. Dear beloved, make your faith work so that your confidence in the Lord will not fade away. Draw inspiration from the Patriarchs, the Apostles, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith works with patience, so while you believe and trust the Word of God for what you have prayed for, patiently wait for the results. God will never disappoint you because you are His child and He wants the best for you (2 Timothy 2:13). Beloved, we can always be confident when we continually exercise our faith and begin to enjoy the fruits or rewards therein. Never say that nothing is working; keep practicing the Word in faith and it will work for you. Praise the Lord! You are an overcomer!

Prayer Point: My faithful Father, thank You for stirring up confidence in me through Your Word. Surely, I will remain resolute in using Your Word because it is powerful and works anytime it is applied. Let miracles continually follow Your Word to continually boost Your confidence in me in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Were you blessed by today's message? Kindly go to the comment section and share your comments, and testimonies. Let's also know your challenges so that we can pray for you.