My Grace Untold – Page 16 – My story His Glory

The Sacred F-Word (II)

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness.”

Acts 26:18

So many hearts remain lost, cold, and unaware of God’s love and fullness simply because they will not forgive.

However, we often forget the guilty hearts overwhelmed with sorrow and shame because they are yet be forgiven by those they wronged.

Repentance is for all and none, no one is beyond redemption. Please remember that.

Could it be that the enemy took heed of God’s clear instruction even more than we did? Could it be that the enemy wages war against us in this most simple yet consequential manner because it keeps us from receiving our much-needed forgiveness from our Father?

The Word not only tells us we can forgive, it mandates us to forgive. I mean it says it right there that our sins are forgiven as we forgive those who have wronged us. No compromises.

It’s no coincidence that forgiveness is such a battle for most of us. It is no ordinary thing that forgiving hurts even more than what we are trying to forgive in the first place. Only God knows why we feel such strong forces within our hearts as we walk towards forgiveness.

Until recently when God delivered a personal miracle to me in the form of forgiveness, I could never speak on that sacred F-Word because I know we all have our own ways of coping with pain, hurt, and discomfort that we hold others responsible for.

I know now that those forces we inwardly feel, are chains of the enemy breaking loose as we move even closer to the freedom of glorifying God because of our own forgiveness.

The enemy may think he has succeeded in convincing many of God’s children that they cannot and should not forgive. But remember dear friend that the devil is a liar!

To each his own. That’s why forgiveness is usually a long road we must walk alone. You have to understand the full gravity of forgiveness and why it resonated through the life of Christ our Lord. Jesus was our forgiveness. So, forgiveness is no small feat. It is a great deal for us as followers of Christ.

Child of God, it is time to forgive and be forgiven.

Glory be to God for the spiritual discernment to see that not forgiving others is no more than another form of disobedience to our merciful God.

My prayer today, is that God almighty grants us the boldness to trample the lies of the enemy and cling on to forgiveness of our sins as we forgive those who have wronged us. May the fullness of God’s grace and mercy be evident in your life as you walk towards forgiveness today in Jesus name. Amen.

The Sacred F-Word (I)

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive your trespasses. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Matthew 6:14-15

Forgiveness.

There it is, clear and as direct as can be. Yet, forgiveness is one of the hardest and longest journeys of the mortal man.

If you take a few moments right now, much like me recently, I am sure you can come up with more than a few people or things that you are yet to forgive. Ask yourself why not and try to align it with the voice of God in you.

I know. It is impossible. Because forgiveness is indeed all that God is.

We often convince ourselves that we have forgiven or have tried our best to forgive or sometimes tell ourselves that we have ‘forgiven’ but we are not allowed to forget out of practicality. You know the sayings,

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.” Or “If someone shows you who they are the first time, believe them (meaning that in the context of people messing up with us of course).” Lets not forget, “I don’t give people too many chances.” Or “You only get to play me once.”

The list could go on with these mantras that is against genuine, compassionate forgiveness.

And no, “letting people go,” (as in kicking them out of your life out of un-forgiveness) is not the same as forgiving them out of love, then separating yourself from them according to the voice of God’s spirit in you.

Malice is not forgiveness. Passive aggression is not forgiveness. Never bringing up the matter is not forgiveness. Reminding yourself or the person their past wrongs towards you is not forgiveness.

Lord help us. CONTINUE READING HERE.

Are You A Killer Of God’s Children? – Chapter 1

“A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.”

Proverbs 6:17

So a mean-looking officer of the Law knocks on your door bright and early at exactly 9am on a Sunday morning. You were (hopefully) on your way to church, and was caught off guard by the the thought of anyone being bold enough to come looking for you on a Sunday morning. But of course, you keep your ‘holy’ thoughts to yourself when you see the stern face of the officer with his badge, guns, and other law-enforcing tools.

The officer says good morning in the most polite way he can and proceeds to telling you the importance of the case at hand and why questioning could not wait till after church or even Monday. You have to answer all his questions. Agitated, and a little disturbed, you ask the officer what this was all about.

He says, “Sir/maam, you are wanted for the killing of victim A on so-and-so date at so-and-so time.”

Your face drops in horror at the mention of your alleged crime, then again at the name of who the victim was. While you gather your thoughts for a response, the officer continues reading from his official sheet of facts.

You are also wanted in the attempted killing of victims B, C, and D on so-and-so date at so-and-so time.

“This must be a big mistake, No. This is definitely a big mistake. I have never ever….I would never ever even consider killing anyone! I am a child of God! I could not kill another human being! I don’t know if this is a joke but I am no killer. Nor have I attempted to kill anyone!” says a frantic you.

Then the officer mandates that the matter is addressed inside your house in private. He would rather alert the neighbors with your screams of denial. And when you begin to take a second too long to consider his suggestion, he gives you a more terrifying thought, you can go with him to the station for questioning or go inside the comforts of your home to answer his questions.

So, you let him in.

The Spirit Says “No Means No!”

“The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.”

Proverbs 20:27

Something about the new year makes people want to do things new, try new things, date new people, see things in a new way, have a new style, make new friends. It seems all is right as long as it is something new.

But what about that good ol’ Spirit? Will you apply newness to the use of the spirit of God in you this time around? How often do you, 1) acknowledge the spirit? 2) listen to the spirit? 3) OBEY the spirit?

When it comes to the immoral (and demonic, I might add) act of rape, isn’t it ironic how passionately we (believers and nonbelievers) proclaim that “no means no?!”

Yet when it comes to the voice of the spirit and the resounding instruction of ‘NO,’ we fail to adhere to the spirit and proceed with our own desire anyway. What word can we use to describe our own forceful and defiant way with the spirit of God?

Indeed, I am referring to the many acts of intimacy we allow inside and near our spirit that ignorantly defiles the purity and sacred realm that God is!

And yes, this is a message to my sisters AND my brothers in Christ!

Although intimacy is more commonly stated in reference to sexual intercourse, the acts of intimacy we indulge in daily often goes beyond just sexual intercourse. Intimacy can also refer to the togetherness, attachment, or even just close familiarity we have to the people and things we interact with absent-mindedly.

In other words, who or what have you been sleeping on rather than with?!

Is your spirit in the midst of gossip and hate? Is your spirit in a place that encourage violence and malice? Is your spirit a silent partner in perversion? Is your spirit a bed for deceit and dishonesty? Is your spirit entwined with the body of a stranger? Is your spirit a filter for chaos and disruption? And most importantly, have your spirit been telling you “No!” this whole time?!

Granted, I am not simply proclaiming abstinence or celibacy (not in this post at least), but I am reaching out to you as a fellow brethren who knows the ills and weaknesses of the flesh.

Friend, the spirit says, “No means no!”

The spirit serves a purpose. As the scripture above proclaims, the spirit is light inside of you. How is light to shine as bright, when it is abused, malnourished, and ignored? How is the light to guide your path in this world when you shun and defile it with disobedience and impurity?

See, we often fail to realize that the enemy does not have to do us bodily harm to feel as though he is in control. Our pain do not have to be physical for something to feel broken inside. The enemy tries to pollute your spirit in every way he can. Your environment, your personal tastes and desires, your friendships, your intimate relationships, and everything that exist around you become open to the enemy’s attack the moment you stopped feeding the spirit. Even the slightest crack is too big of an opening for the enemy to come in.

But the devil is indeed a liar!

Read IS YOUR SPIRIT MALNOURISHED? to learn more about feeding the spirit.

And the loving grace of Almighty God continue to grant us victory!

My prayer for us today is that God in his goodness will look upon the depths of our hearts rather than our deeds and conform all that we are into his own masterpiece. May the grace of spiritual transition and growth fall upon us today in Jesus name. Amen.

Obey God First.

“Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

2 Corinthians 10:5

Today, I ran into a friend of mine, a young lady who is a believer like myself. She is also in her very early 20s like me so we relate on many things. In the brief encounter that we had, we began talking about her relationship to her boyfriend and potential life partner whom she had met in her early teenage years.

“Seven years,” she said vulnerably. “But I remember the prophesy given to me that the man I will marry will walk with God, but he (her boyfriend) doesn’t really care.”

I truly felt her vulnerability. But I could not disobey the spirit and speak against what we both know is inevitable – the will of God on your life is the only thing that is unshaken. She further confessed to me that she was in the middle of a fasting period where she is looking to God for guidance. Is it time to walk away from a seven-year relationship?

I then re-assured her that we serve an intentional God whose instructions are very clear. That’s right. Like another good friend of mine would say, “God is not a God of confusion.”

Perhaps we are the ones who get tangled in our web of disobedience and uncertainty because we are living by sight and not by faith like we ought to. Surely, I feel my girlfriend’s pain. The thought alone is like an hammer in the middle of one’s chest.

But I asked her if she would rather live with disobeying God’s word and doing what she thinks her heart agrees with or obey the maker of all things and trust that His way is indeed perfect. Sometimes, our feelings hinder our faith in God. Thus, some (very important) decisions, like saying yes to be married to a man because of your love for him, or saying yes to obey God because of His Great love for us, CANNOT be based just on how we feel. We all know feelings are flimsy because so many factors (many that are out of our control) often affect how we feel.

This is when we must succumb to our spirit. Let your spirit decide. Because that spirit works with God. “God the father, the son, and the holy spirit,” is not just a mantra to reiterate during a prayer. It is what we know to be true. God purposefully placed His powerful and anointed spirit in you because of his unconditional love and affection for you. The spirit in you is an indication of God’s favor on your life. He wants to lead and guide you from the inside out so you surely will not tremble or stumble ‘through the valleys of the shadow of death.’

As I said to my friend before I hugged her goodbye, prayer is key. Let God show you. He ordained your path even before you were born so only He knows the way you must go to remain in alignment with Him. And it is Him who said, “all things work together for the good of those who love Me.”

So what is God possibly telling you to walk away from today friend? Is it a love relationship? A toxic friendship? A negative job environment? An addiction? Open your ears and receive instruction so you can obey. The reward of obedience is beyond bountiful as the Word testifies.

In Psalms, we learn that when you obey God, not only will you walk in the light of His countenance, your seeds shall also be mighty upon the earth and even your children’s children shall be blessed. So why are we still so hesitant about obeying the clear directions of the Most High God?

My prayer for you today is that the Lord of Hosts in his infinite wisdom and mercy renews your spiritual sight to show you what step is next in your faithful journey. May He also give you the serenity to turn away from the noise that hinders your hearing of his Word in Jesus Name. Amen.

Is Your Spirit Malnourished?

“Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.”

Mark 14:38

You are a living spirit of the most high God. Did you know that?!!!

When God created man in his own image out of the dust, man did not come alive until God himself breathe into man’s nostrils. You are a walking spirit of the one who gave you life.

But is your spirit malnourished? What have you been feeding your spirit my friend?

Have you been resting in the company of those that know God or want to know Him? Or have you been ‘living life’ without purpose and letting anything or anyone sip into your God-given spirit?

True enough, this world is not our own nor is it our home, but while we are still in it, God’s kingdom in us lives in this world. So why then should we not feed the kingdom within us with prayer and wisdom?

You spend time with your friends or significant other to grow and nourish the relationship. You devote uninterrupted time to the company you have grown devoted to as friends and family to strengthen the bonds that you have developed with them. But have you devoted time to nurturing the spirit in you? Have you devoted time and effort to feeding God’s kingdom in you? Have you been praying, watching, communing with the spirit? Have you been talking to the spirit? Have you been listening to the spirit as you should?

The spirit is calling out to you today my sister, my brother. The spirit wants to be communed with. The spirit wants you to nourish it with goodness and love and prayer. It is time to feed the spirit while we still can.

It is my prayer for you that the Lord of Hosts who breathe life into you will grant you the strength, knowledge, and wisdom to feed His spirit inside of you. Amen.

Healing Comes From God

I remember a time not too long ago when the pieces of my shattered heart and spirit felt like it could never be put together again for any use. Loneliness, misery, and depression were my closest friends. See the thing about getting your heart broken by loved ones is that the pain cannot be willed away.

Rather, it forcefully becomes anger and frustration, or a numbness that overwhelms your whole being until you are someone or something you no longer recognize.

Despite the healing methods prescribed by many others in this world, the liquor, sex, bad company, and new habits or exercises don’t heal. They may repress and distract you from the pain inside, but it remains and will remain until you step out of the way and receive true healing from the Greatest healer of all.

Let God do what only He can do best – heal, revive, and even renew.

Though it is often said and believed, that time is what heals, I have learned by grace that healing comes from God. Nothing or no one can heal you like our God in heaven can. The touch of his loving and powerful hand is what we can always count on to heal us through and through.

He sent his Son to come down to save us, to heal us, to redeem us. God would not redeem us to have us in pain. He wants to heal you, he wants his children to come nearer to him in faith and receive the healing they need. The blood of Christ that was shed on Calvary began the healing. When Christ rose again in victory, the healing became permanent.

Our father in heaven says,

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.”

So what pain have you been trying to heal on your own today? Will you please bring it to God my friend? Won’t you ask the Great healer and redeemer to heal you today?

Bring it to Him who will give you back beauty for your ashes. Watch Him heal you like you never thought possible.

Don’t Ask If. Ask Your Maker Why He Chose You

“For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.”

Psalm 107:9

What are you hungry for? What is your soul yearning for? Do you even know that you are hungry?

These are questions that often propel me to dig deeper as a servant of the most High, to search my spirit, and ask it to please remind me that He chose me. Because I know I never chose him, but mercy chose me. Mercy chose you too. You are not here by chance.

There is nothing ordinary about you. Nothing is simple about the make of you as a child of God. Our God is intentional in all that He does in His own perfect will. The maker of heaven and earth, the world, and all that dwells in it, created you in HIS own image for a reason.

It’s time to ask the spirit, “what is the reason for my being?”

Nothing or no one else can give the true answer to that but the Lord your God who “formed you in your mother’s womb.”

We spend a lot of time trying to figure out who we really are, what we are to do with our lives. We get into cliques and organizations all through different stages of our lives, identifying with this thing, and that, and the other. But I was sent to tell you, that you are chosen. And it is time to ask the Holy One who chose you, what exactly you have been chosen for.

The Lord your God has chosen you to be the one in whom His glory shines through. It is now time for you to seek him and ask him to show you your purpose.

Take a second and think of the other paths your life could have taken. How did you find this platform? what led you here? What moments of life have you particularly acknowledged along your journey in this world so far? why have they stood out to you? Have you been ignoring His voice this whole time? Or have you simply not been able to hear it? What has been pulling at your soul that you keep repressing?

You. You are chosen.

So the question is not whether or not he chose you, but rather why he chose you. Ask Him for your assignment.

Nothing, absolutely nothing is a coincidence. Absolutely nothing is a mistake because the creator of the universe, the Lord of Hosts still sits and reigns on his glorious throne and he has chosen you to be his child, his servant, his vessel, his friend, his messenger. You. God chose you. Your life is purposeful for the glory of your all-knowing maker.

Ask Him.

Your Newness In God

Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall be no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean…Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down…”

Isaiah 52 vs 1-2

Happy New Year!!!

God has led you here with purpose in his All-knowing power. As you set foot in this new year, know that your newness in God has already been set before you by The One who made you in your mother’s womb. This moment has long awaited you and it is important that you know it.

As you begin this new year, your walk with God has been made new by Him who loves you more than you will ever know. It is now time for you to walk fully into the new horizon that God has set before you in 2016. Nothing, absolutely nothing in your life has been a mistake or a mis-step. The enemy may have convinced you in the past that you have made one too many wrong turns to be redeemed or made new. But your Father in heaven who is the creator of all things says you are forgiven and are made new because his Only Son, died for you and carried your filth and uncleanness with Him on the Cross. But because He that was sacrificed, rose again, you gained the redemption you never have to pay for. You are God’s child and you have been made new to walk in light and glory this coming year. Glory to God for our newness in him begins today!