The Word – My Grace Untold

Thank Goodness For A Sound Mind

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.”

2 Timothy 1:7

The closer I walk with the Lord, the deeper the Spirit calls me. The deeper I go, the stranger I feel. Yet, I thank God for a sound mind.

I am arriving at the last leg of my stay in New York before my relocation to yet another place that the Lord has called me to. One week left to be exact.

And amidst the many transitions around and within, I feel a longing like no other for clarity. I seek God for clarity above all things. Amidst the shifting of realms inwardly and outwardly, I pray desperately for clarity. I pray to see what the Lord has set before me with the eyes of the Spirit and the eyes of the Spirit only.

I realize that what I’m truly yearning for is the ability to maintain a sound mind.

Friend, do you know that the enemy lurks, waiting for the opportunity to grab hold of your mind? Even if it’s for a quick minute?

From thoughts of doubts and desperation, to thoughts of confusion and calamity, the state of your mind is a target for the evil one.

A sound mind in God is not the same as a ‘sound’ mind of this world.

Take inventory. What exactly is the state of your mind?

Is your mind on the things of God? Is your mind set to seek the Most High God in ALL things? Do you have a disciplined mind? Is your mind quick to discard thoughts that do not align with The Word of God? Is your mind save enough for God to deposit His Holy Will?

Friend, how often do you lose your sound mind? How often does your focus shift from God’s will and drift to your own self-motivated and unwise desires?

Have you been so caught up in your goals and your ambitions lately that you have forgotten about that Amazing grace? Have you failed to remember that all that you are and all that you have is not by your might but by the grace of the Most High God?

I ask once again, how sound is your mind?

The enemy would like us to forget. That devil would rather we throw our hands up and become of the world rather than just in it. The deceitful one would rather you lose your sound mind and conform to the things of this world. But that devil is a liar!

Please be reminded today that you and I have been set apart by the Almighty God. You and I are a chosen generation who are to be the light of the world. We have been given the Spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind.

And by the grace of God, we will use that sound mind along with all else that we have been given to carry out the perfect Will of our Perfect God in Jesus name. Amen.

“Who Told You That You Were Naked”? (END)

“And he said Who told you that thou wast naked?…”

Genesis 3:11

It is all a battle of identity.

We merely call it self-esteem in the naked human eye, but the realm of glory proclaims that is a battle of identity. When the enemy turns you against yourself, you don’t need the help of others to misuse, maltreat, and manipulate who you are. But the devil is a liar!

The Lord your God says in Isaiah 43 vs 1, “I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”

If you were unsure before now, in the name of Jesus, may your soul receive the word of God today and may you know who and whose you are!

We know that the enemy comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.

Any word that steals, kills, or destroys something in you is not of God, for He is merciful and oh how He loves you friend.

I urge you today to remember who you belong to. It is my hope that you are renewed today with God’s word and restored with what God and only God can tell you.

So when God says, “you are fearfully and wonderfully made,” and He will, “turn your mourning into dancing,” believe it.

When God says, “you are more than a conqueror,” embrace it.

When God says, “He put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head,” cherish it. Because these are truths. God is truth.

Friend, don’t you know that you are cherished in the eyes of your almighty Father?

He made you and knew you while you were in your mother’s womb. So, how can anyone else ever convince you or name you what God has not?

What does God tell you in his own word?

These are the messages you and I ought to cling to with assurance because the Lord’s way is perfect. God did not make a mistake when He created you. God is intentional towards you and He has promised that all things are working for your good and His glory.

I know we may have endured some bruises during this battle of identity, but the Great healer says to seek Him and we shall find healing.

Friend, if you are not sure about anything else, receive this – the Lord your God is forever faithful. He is yours and you are His.

No sin, circumstance, or person, both alive and dead, will ever take that away from you in Jesus name. Amen

God Is Harmony

“Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Ephesians 4:3

Something about the way the sun unites with the color of the sky, and then reflects upon the waters when it goes down is truly magical. I have always wondered why the scenery of sunset or sunrise bring a distinct calmness. There is harmony in the way the great works of God come together because God is harmony.

And even when God pull things apart, it is to make way for something else to come together.

Unity. Togetherness. Peace. These are all ideals emphasized by our Lord through Christ. These were the songs of the gospel through Him who came to save us.

First, we ought to endeavor to keep something – the unity of the Spirit. Lord knows it takes work to keep anything because what God has given to us, the enemy seeks to try to take away or keep us from. But the beauty here is that we have what it is we are to keep. We don’t have to work to get the Spirit because Christ did all the work!

Second, the bond of peace is what we must keep unity with. God tells us that nothing else, but the BOND of peace will keep the unity of the spirit.

Where is the division in your life coming from? Are the bonds of peace in your friendships or family relations secured enough to keep the unity of God’s spirit?

Friend, we have to make peace with it. with them. But we must do it through God and nothing else.

Could it be that there is still disharmony in your spirit about a person or situation because the bonds of peace are loose or broken?

God is harmony. When there is disharmony in a place or matter that is in God’s name, it is a sign that we must work to keep the harmony. (Yes, God has to be in it first for us to see if harmony belongs there too.)

So have you truly endeavored to keep the unity of the Spirit through the guidance of God? Or have you conveniently done it your way? Have you tapered the unity of the spirit for your sense of freedom? Perhaps you tell yourself, ‘if I don’t think about it, I’ll get over it.’ Maybe it’s time to think about it but with God leading you.

Like you, I too ask God to open the eyes of my heart so I can see Him. But often times, we have closed our hearts on many matters because we simply did not or could not endeavor to keep the unity of spirit in peace. God wants his children in togetherness and unity.

Friend, we are one in God’s body. You, me, and all of God’s children, those that know him and the ones that only know of him. We are all parts of the body. And if the parts are not in harmony, the body cannot work as it should.

I urge you today, believe me, I know how hard it can be to make peace with what has hurt or discomfort you, but it’s time to work it out for the unity of the Spirit. We both know it is ALL for His glory.

May God fill us up with the strength and compassion to endeavor for the unity of the Spirit in Jesus name. Amen.

The Flames We Fan

“Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth.”

James 3:5

I recently completed my reading of Patricia Haley’s Blind Faith. The main character of the novel, Courtney, journeys through sustaining faith as she looks to God on purpose and fulfillment on matters of the heart. When she finds her soulmate who is a God-fearing character and feels God’s anointing on their relationship, ethnic differences stare up waves of opposition in both individual’s families.

Amidst the chaos, Courtney comes to grip with her beliefs and the personal role she has in upholding racial and cultural separation. She then chides herself on the flames she has helped to fan overtime.

So there is was, “the flames we fan.”

All through scripture we read about how God used fire to show himself to his people as well as to show his magnitude to enemies of his children.

For our God is a consuming fire,” says Hebrew 12:29.

So I ask you today friend, what flames have you been fanning with your thoughts, deeds, and words? Are you fanning the flames of God’s fire for you and in you? Or the flames that kindle his fire against sin?

Because the very same fire that gave Isreal light in darkness, consumed thousands of them along the way when they rebelled against God in forgetfulness and disobedience.

Listening to someone vent negatively about an offense of another, without using God’s wisdom to put out the anger in them, is fanning a flame of that anger.

Partaking in the killing of someone’s character is fanning a flame of malice and gossip. (check out ARE YOU A KILLER? series)

Giving and accepting reasons why unjust matters like racial separation and practices of hate are valid, is fanning the very flame that ignites hate.

In the same token, using your tongue to bless rather than pray against people, is fanning a flame of forgiveness.

Showing compassion and generosity to others, is fanning a flame of love.

Seeking God diligently through his word and communing with the spirit, is fanning a flame for God’s wisdom.

Friend, I am telling you what the enemy knows to be true – the flames we fan each day will either be for God’s glory toward us, or his glory against sin. So we must be careful in the flames we fan. We ought not to fan the flames of God’s fire in weakness or recklessness because it is indeed almighty and powerful.

My prayer for us today that God’s mercy finds us with forgiveness for the flames we have fanned in disobedience, both knowingly and unknowingly. May God stir in us the fire to not only get to know him better, but to also proclaim his great works all over the earth 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.