11/12/2023
🔥 *Morning Grace* 🔥
===================
2023
DIVINE PROTECTION
AND MORE
- Ps. 121:3-8; Mt.7:7-8
===================
*Series no. 18 on Growing in grace*
(Growing by faith and belief)
*Reflect and pray with this text:*
Text: Eph. 2:8-9-NKJV
"For by grace you have been saved through *faith,* and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast…”
*Points to reflect on:*
1. Faith part of Grace.
2. Growth through belief and
faith.
3. Follower without faith.
*Points to note:*
*Faith and belief* are two words but they work together to achieve the same goal in our decision to follow Christ. Our salvation starts our faith and must continue in faith. "For by grace you have been saved through *faith,* and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…” Scripture says: “Now *faith* is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” (Heb 11:1-BSB). Your faith is at work when you have assurance of what you hope to see and make strong statements in our hearts, mind and heart about what we are yet to see happen. You can't come to God without faith and you can't be saved without it. *Being in Church is not the same as having faith.* Faith acknowledges that God exists although we can't see Him physically. We sing, pray and have fellowship with Him completely based on our faith. Followers of Christ are required to live by it and not by what they see around. (2Cor.5:7). Because (Heb.11:6-ERV) says: *“Without faith no one can please God.* Whoever comes to God must *believe that he is real* and that he rewards those who sincerely try to find him.” This is where *belief* can be explained. It is what *we have come to accept as the truth and believes in about life and in this case about God.* You first believe that God exists before you start having faith in Him and trust that He is able to do what He promises. *So belief established the basis of your faith.* These two must be available and seriously play their roles in your desire to grow in Grace. But these two can't be in place without the Word of God. It's the raw material from which we get our finished product of belief and faith. “So then *Faith Comes By Hearing, and Hearing By The Word Of God.”* (Rom.10:17-NKJV). So you see, it is impossible to follow Jesus Christ and grow in His Grace without *believing* in Him and *trusting* in His Word which is *faith.* Do you want to grow in Grace? Yes, you can! You can start by hearing and reading and trusting the Word of God. *The point to note is that:* Believing in what you read and applying it by faith in the circumstances of your life *will determine the pace of your growth in grace and in the spirit.* You need to work at it daily with diligence and consistency with the aim of achieving your targeted growth! Some church folks think following Jesus Christ is all about coming to church to sing, dance and give an offering and nothing more than that *BUT NO,* it's actually more than that. It involves believing that God exists, walking with Him in faith, serving Him in faith, loving Him in faith and taking steps of faith in challenging times for victorious living. Faith requires that, the lyrics of the songs you sing and the words you speak agree with your belief and faith that is based on Scripture without which you make yourself a double tongued person. *Talking faith yet acting faithlessly at the same time.* Jesus overcame by saying what Scripture says. He didn't state the obvious *(being hungry at the time)* but the truth of God's Word. Remember *without having a strong belief system and unwavering faith backed by the infallible Word of God, there is no growth in sight for you. Rather you have become a “white elephant”* (a possession that its *owner cannot dispose of, and whose cost,* particularly that of *maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness) in the church.* Note that: This is not the reason God saved us and brought us from under the powers of darkness unto His Church and Kingdom. *Don't just be counted among the number in the church!* Live by faith if you believe!
*May your reflection be accepted in the sight of God in the name of Jesus Christ. More grace to you. Have a blessed day!*
✝️Altar Call✝️
If you have *not* yet invited Jesus Christ into your heart, please pray this short prayer *aloud* to let him in:
“Father, I have sinned against you and I thank you for giving your Son Jesus Christ to die in my place on the Cross for my sins to be forgiven. Lord Jesus, come into my heart and be the Lord and Saviour of my life in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Please, *share* this on other platforms you are on to be a blessing to them.
Morning Grace by: *Rev. Winfred Ahado*
* *
