The Real Grace

MEMORISE:

"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." - (Romans 6:14)

READ: TITUS 2:11-12 (KJV)

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

MESSAGE:

There are many preachers today who say that once a person is saved, he or she is forever saved, so the fellow would go to heaven even if he or she keeps committing sin. That is a big lie. My own Bible says clearly in Romans 6:15: "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." 

Real grace enables you to live holy rather than permit you to commit sin. What the grace of God does is give you the ability to live above the dictates of your flesh. It is by grace that you are saved (Ephesians 2:4-5). After that, the grace of God that brought you salvation will then teach you to live holy. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world". This is the true work of grace that the Bible talks about.

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. - (2 Timothy 1:9)

Please ignore anyone who tells you that the grace of God allows you to commit sin. That is a message from the devil, carefully put together to send many people to hell. The devil knows that no sinner will enter into heaven, so he carefully crafted this message for Christians to ensure that they continue to sin even after responding to the altar call, but he will fail over you, in Jesus' name.

I have had big men of God argue with me over this subject and each time, I tell them, "Let us assume that you are correct, and once I have given my life to Christ before, heaven is sure even if I keep committing sin. That means if rapture takes place or we both die, we will both go to heaven. But if you are wrong, that means if rapture takes place now or we both die, I will go to heaven, and you will go to hell. Either way, I am still correct. I would rather choose the safe path". What about you?

KEY POINT:

Grace is the enablement to live above sin, not permission to commit it.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: MARK 8-9

AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE 

HYMNAL:  8 - I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR

1. I need Thee every hour,

Most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine

Can peace afford.

REFRAIN: 

I need Thee, Oh, I need Thee;

Ev'ry hour I need Thee!

Oh, bless me now, my Saviour,

I come to Thee! 

2. I need Thee every hour,

Stay Thou nearby;

Temptations lose their power

When Thou art nigh.

3. I need Thee every hour,

In joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide

Or life is vain.

4. I need Thee every hour,

Teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises

In me fulfill.

5. I need Thee every hour,

Most Holy one;

Oh, make me Thine indeed,

Thou blessed Son!

Culled from the Redeemed Christian Church of God Open heaven manual. 2023.

LOOK FOR PROBLEMS TO SOLVE

“A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.” Proverbs 18:16.

Promotion obtained is a product of solution proffered; likewise, money received is a reward for problem solved. God deliberately did not finish the work of creation; as a result, some challenges were left for man to face and some problems to solve. So, man is surrounded by problems, visible and invisible. These problems are daily calling for solution. God created all that surrounds man such that as man solves one problem, another one emerges.

In the process, his personality gets developed, he gets engaged, he earns money and ultimately, he makes this world better than he met it. Hence, his instruction in Genesis 2:18 “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…” If you are not proffering solution to anything, you cannot obtain promotion in anything, for promotion or wealth secured outside solving problem or rendering service is nothing but fraud.

For instance, Joseph brought solution to the strange dream of Pharaoh and that day, he was promoted from a prisoner to Prime Minister. Daniel experienced the same rise to stardom as he interpreted the strange writings on the wall addressed to King Belshazzar. No one discriminates against a problem solver. The truth of the matter is that people have problems and are desperately looking for who will help them solve them.

Problem solvers are God’s representatives and are co-creators with God. They are assets in any organization and even to the kingdom of God. Why not ask God today to baptize you with an excellent spirit and make you stand tall among your peers. It takes excellent spirit and innovative mind to solve problems. Develop the ability to think outside the box. Yearn for supernatural insights into the issues of life particularly as it concerns human beings. Develop the ability to observe things beyond what is seen on the surface.

Finally, ask God for wisdom in all things. He will surely give it to you. Today, supernatural lifting shall be your experience. Remain blessed!

Prophetic Prayers

I am an asset to my generation; I am not a liability.

Today, I am blessed with the gift and anointing that brings solution to life’s problem.

Fortify your glory in my life so it can shine for the world to see.

Forces of darkness and redundancy shall no longer have dominion over me in Jesus’ name.

Becoming a Man or a Woman after God's Own Heart

Becoming a Man or a Woman after God's Own Heart

by Charles R. Swindoll

When God scans the earth for potential leaders, He is not on a search for angels in the flesh. He is certainly not looking for perfect people, since there are none. He is searching for men and women like you and me, mere people made up of flesh. But He is also looking for people who share the same qualities He found in David. God is looking for men and women “after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).

What does it mean to be a person after God’s own heart? It means your life is in harmony with the Lord. What is important to Him is important to you. What burdens Him burdens you. When He says, “Go to the right,” you go to the right. When He says, “Stop that in your life,” you stop it. When He says, “This is wrong and I want you to change,” you come to terms with it because you have a heart for God. That’s bottom-line, biblical Christianity.

When you are a man or woman after God’s heart, you are deeply sensitive to spiritual things. Second Chronicles 16:9 explains it this way: “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (emphasis added).

What is God looking for? He is looking for men and women whose hearts are His—completely. That means there are no locked closets. Nothing’s been swept under the rugs. That means that when you do wrong, you admit it and come to terms with it. You long to please Him in your actions. You care deeply about the motivations behind your actions. God is not looking for magnificent specimens of humanity. He’s looking for deeply spiritual, genuinely humble, honest-to-the-core servants who have integrity.

Listen to some of the synonyms for this Hebrew word thamam, translated “integrity”: “complete, whole, innocent, having the simplicity of life, wholesome, sound, unimpaired.” It’s what you are when nobody’s looking. We live in a world that says, in many ways, “If you just make a good impression, that’s all that matters.” But you will never be a man or woman of God if that’s your philosophy. Never. You can’t fake it with the Almighty. He is not impressed with externals. He always focuses on the inward qualities, like the character of the heart . . . those things that take time and discipline to cultivate.

- See more at: http://www.insight.org/resources/articles/bible-characters/man-women-of-god.html#sthash.L2DLAcd6.dpuf