Merry Christmas!
I pray that the good news shall fill your surroundings. The joy of the Lord shall dwell in your household.
Peace!
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
In my last post, I emphasized that Prayer is not just about the usual talking to God or asking that we all do. I am talking about pleading or begging for a cause, not for a short time but a continual or consistent, intentional act that draws the grace of God to move in a given direction.
David was known as a man after God’s heart. He loved God, and obviously, God loved him too.
David obeyed all the commandments of God, and he didn’t turn away from following God.
However, David still errs. David had sexual relations with another man’s wife. He went ahead to kill the husband of the woman after a futile effort to clear all traces.
I have often thought that if David, a man after God’s heart, can fall, most likely anyone can.
Nevertheless, David searched for God’s help again and again. He pleaded for mercy. Even the prophet, Nathan, prayed for him. He was very remorseful and acknowledged that he missed it.
David understood the importance of falling and the desperate need for grace. He sought it and found it. This type of action wasn’t an ordinary prayer. It is the pleading and crying to God I talked about earlier.
David would go-ahead to write a whole chapter of Psalms 51 dedicated to this encounter with God.
We need this today– to seek God desperately whether it’s convenient or not. As believers, we must seek God in the darkest moment of our lives. Christians must cry out to Him. Sin must not be allowed to create an unnecessary barrier. It must break! David didn’t wait till he feels right or feels good or until his senses say, ” now, you can approach God”
No, he went immediately after God. Demonstration of action like this is how to avert falling from grace. Never wait a second. Begin to seek God immediately you are down and plead your case for restoration.
If David can have it, so can you.
We will not miss it by God’s grace.
In my last post, I emphasized that Prayer is not just about the usual talking to God or asking that we all do. I am talking about pleading or begging for a cause, not for a short time but a continual or consistent, intentional act that draws the grace of God to move in a given direction.
The reason for this type is because it is a plea to save the Christian not from sin but from falling into dismay.
Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat,
Remember, Satan is only doing what he knows best, and that is to “steal, kill and destroy.” Satan intended to destroy Peter (also known as Simon).
God has a better plan; a great purpose for us than we can think of–to save us from the wicked hands.
I believe Peter would have fallen and failed if Jesus had not intervened and prayed for Peter.
It is this type of pleading that delivers from falling from Grace. We must quest for this with passion, or someone must pray on our behalf to save us from losing it all in life.
Although Peter denied Jesus three times, Peter experienced deliverance from spiritual depression and death. It is the Grace that Peter enjoyed but that Judas Iscariot could not.
The thin line between missing it and gaining is the Grace of God that comes from passionate intercession and God’s Mercy that comes with it.
I pray that we will not miss it in our lives and that we will enjoy God’s Grace and Mercy that keeps one above and flying high.
Recently, I have been studying some notable names in the bible that made mistakes or missteps in their actions but were ultimately saved by grace through the ministry of intercession.
Two people stand-out of the many that are worthy of discussion. I’m talking about Peter and David, both of whom, if not for the grace of intercession that they enjoyed, could have fallen, and their end would have been catastrophic. They made huge errors but rose again through intercessory prayers.
I found the secret to averting falling from grace, and it is Prayer, and I am not talking about the usual talking to God or asking that we all do. I am talking about pleading or begging for a cause, not for a short time but a continual or consistent, intentional act that draws the grace of God to move in a given direction.
Prayers and continual intercession could save anyone from falling regardless of the level of fall.
For the next blogs, I will devote time to talk about Peter and David.
Peter enjoyed the grace of Jesus’ prayers in the dark moments of his life, and as a result, he gained strength that was invaluable in times of need.
David fell after a careless busy-body exhibition, but Nathan, the prophet, interceded on his behalf. He also cried out his soul to God.
Join me as we delve deeper into the two personalities in my next post.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Ponder on the good things that happened this year than the bad things that happened, and be thankful to God for His goodness.
It is good to praise the Lord. It is good to gaze upon His majesty, to proclaim His love in the morning, and His faithfulness at night.
Oh, it is good to worship and praise the Lord.
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT
Praise the Lord ! Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Psalms 106:1 NLT
Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
Psalms 107:1-2 NLT
Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Psalms 118:1 NLT
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
Colossians 3:15 NLT
The following are the critical signs that you are drifting away.
— when you develop indifferent attitude to the things you love passionately before.
— when you reduce the amount of time you spend on the things you love to do.
— when other people, like your mentor, warns you but you refuse to listen.
— when there are clear signs that you have abandoned the right lane, yet you insist on your desire.
— when suddenly you fall in love with things that you hate or dislike before.
— when you deliberately choose to do the despicable despite your conscience saying no to such acts.
— when you disobey your devoted calling.
–when you don’t share your secrets with your loved ones as you used to because your thoughts are stained with unpleasant dirt.
–when you won’t let go of pride and you are full of yourself.
— when you suddenly begin to say “it doesn’t matter” to things that usually matter before.
— when you don’t seek counsel.
— when you seek counsel but don’t follow it.
— when you seek counsel and follow it but don’t ask for direction when confused.
— when you say you have lost your interest and you have no passion anymore.
Like a gazelle, run and cry for help before your life falls apart like a pack of cards…or like “things fall apart”.
Move on! It is the statement God told Moses to tell the Israel people. Another version said, go forward.
Exodus 14:14-15 NIV
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” [15] Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.
The Israel nation was faced with either return to Egypt or face the red sea.
Standing in front of the red sea and hearing someone telling you to go forward is the most daunting words you can take.
We don’t hear such bold words nowadays, but no doubt, God still speaks only in different ways.
A little trust in God and confidence in ourselves is all we need to face our red sea and move to the other side instead of dwelling in the past.
The past is useful for lessons, but its moment is gone. Today is all we have, and there’s an opportunity to advance to the next level if we move on.
This morning, I went through the verse I had read before, and I found a renewed inspiration.
So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech.
Ruth 2:3 NLT
There’s a lot in this verse, but I will break it into one piece in prayers.
May we find ourselves in the right place and at the right time. We shall not miss our rightful place in Jesus’ name.
We shall enjoy God’s grace and favor. God’s mercy shall meet us at the feet of Jesus. We will not miss our blessings by a split of a second.
In the morning, favor meets us. At noon, God’s graciousness won’t leave us, and in the night, His help will remain at our sides. We will not labor in vain.
God’s favor and mercy will bring us closer to our destiny, and we shall fulfill destiny in the name of Jesus.
You will be positioned to your glory and destiny at the right place at the right time.
But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord ; their vindication will come from me. I, the Lord , have spoken!
Isaiah 54:17 NLT
Exodus 14:15-16 NIV
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. [16] Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
It suggests that God doesn’t want us to return to Egypt or the past.
It also means that if God is telling us to move forward, He will likely give directions on what to do.
Psalm 46:10-11 NIV
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” [11] The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
The grace of God is constantly working in us to perfect God’s purpose in us for His glory.
For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.
Colossians 1:27
God’s grace will work to bring us closer to where we belong– our rightful place.
