Grace of God mission ISU Ebonyi state Nigeria

27/08/2026

DAILY GRACE, THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2026.

FAITH

TEXT: HEBREWS 11:1 -11

VERSE OF THE DAY:
_"BUT WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE HIM: FOR HE THAT COMETH TO GOD MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS, AND THAT HE IS A REWARDER OF THEM THAT DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM"- HEBREWS 11:6._

Faith is an unwavering belief in God. However, the author of Hebrews gives us a very specific definition of faith: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 KJV). Faith is trust that allows rest in God. Faith puts the cares and concerns into God’s hands. Faith does not demand evidence, for faith believes before it sees and trusts that God is faithful to answer in His time and according to His purposes. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, for whoever draws near to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

It was by faith that Noah, being warned by God 120 years before the coming flood, constructed an ark to save his household. By faith Abraham obeyed and went, not knowing where he was going, to a foreign land of promise. By faith, Sarah received power to conceive in her old age. By faith, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing instead to follow God and reject the fleeting wealth and pleasures of sin. By faith, Moses led God’s people through the Red Sea on dry land, and God saved them from the pursuing Egyptians. By faith, the Israelites obeyed God and for seven days marched around Jericho, which had walls approximately 5 to 7 feet thick, 12 to 17 feet high, with a defensive tower that stood 28 feet high. On the seventh day, they marched again, and with a great shout, the walls fell down. By faith, when the angel announced to Mary that she would carry the Son of God, she responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38 NIV).

Many other men and women responded to God in faith and in obedience because they saw themselves as servants of God. They believed in His Word and in His promises. Faith in God is trust in Him. Genuine biblical faith expresses itself in everyday life. Faith works through love to produce tangible evidence of its existence in a person’s life (Gal 5:6). The obedience that pleases God comes from faith (Rom 1:5; 16:26). Faith is so important because it is the means by which we have a relationship with God. Having faith is having trust. You have to trust with your entire being that God has your back, that he will help you and take care of you. He knows what is best, but to truly embrace what He has planned for you, you have to fully trust in Him.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for being both faithful and good, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

BIBLE IN 365 DAYS:
Job 4
Psalm103
Ephesians 5

ACTION POINT:
GENUINE BIBLICAL FAITH EXPRESSES ITSELF IN EVERYDAY LIFE.

24/08/2026

DAILY GRACE, MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2026.

TRUST IN GOD, NOT MAN.

TEXT: ISAIAH 2:22

VERSE OF THE DAY: _"TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL OUR HEARTS"- PROVERBS 3:5._

Stop trusting in mere humans, who have breath only in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem? Why look to man when we have the privilege to look unto God? The Bible says in Psalm 103:14, “For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”

This world worships and praises those of high influence and status, but in the end, our frames are weak because they are dust. It is good for you and I to remember that we are just mere humans. We are not God, and we should not view ourselves, pride ourselves, or conceit ourselves as though we are God.

The strongest, wealthiest men are only for a moment. Without breath in our nostrils, we cease to exist. So whatever talents, skills, riches, knowledge, strength, and health we only exist while there is breath in our nostrils. Once that breath is gone, so are all the things we hold so dear. You will do well to think deeply about the day you will pass from this life into eternity. It is healthy to feel our mortality, to realise that we will not live forever. David said in Psalm 39:4, “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!”

What a great question, Isaiah asked: Why look to man? Why hold mere humans who only have breath in their nostrils in esteem? King David would have agreed with Isaiah’s question. He wrote in Psalm 146:3, “Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.” He says in Psalm 121:1-2, “ I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” Do you see the incredible contrast? David says his help comes from the Lord, “The maker of heaven and earth.” What a difference between trusting in the Creator versus mere humans who are limited to the frailty of breath in their nostrils!

Jeremiah 17:5 warns us, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD.’”

God expects our trust to be in Him and not in mankind. He goes on to say that the consequence for trusting in mankind is that our hearts will turn away from Him. What a sad and devastating place to be! Has your heart turned from the Lord? In other words, have you stopped praying because you did not think God was listening? Have you stopped relying on faith and trusting in the Lord because you felt it was a waste of time? Rather than blaming God, you should consider Jeremiah 17:5. Perhaps your heart has turned from the Lord because you made flesh your strength.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me to keep my focus on You alone, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

BIBLE IN 365 DAYS:
Esther 9–10
Ephesians 2

ACTION POINT:
VAIN IS THE HELP OF MAN.

22/08/2026

DAILY GRACE, SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2026.

PATH TO PRACTICAL WISDOM

TEXT: JOB 12:12

VERSE OF THE DAY:
_"FOR THE LORD GIVETH WISDOM: OUT OF HIS MOUTH COMETH KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING"- PROVERBS 2:6._

Practical wisdom is ultimately gained by real-life experiences and situations through which we learn and gain expertise. Experience cements in our minds the important lessons we learn when we fail and when we succeed. Applying that knowledge, we become more useful and successful.

Many older people can be very good sources of knowledge and understanding; they have lived longer and experienced more. You might call experience “hard-earned wisdom,” gained by trial-and-error and by going through life’s problems and difficulties. And there is no substitute for it. Ask God to give you opportunities to gain the experience you need to succeed in life, and then take them when they come.

Wisdom teaches us diligence to not give up in our search for success or for an answer. We rarely succeed the first time, rarely find an answer all at once, and sometimes, it takes persistence to find it. The most successful people are those who diligently pursue their goals without giving up.

Wisdom instructs us not to rely exclusively on one or two sources of information. We need to access a broader array of sources to avoid becoming entrenched in our thinking. The more sources we inquire into, the more likely we will come to a reasonable conclusion. With complex or difficult problems, we especially should not accept advice only from one small group of friends, however well-intentioned their advice. Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. (Proverbs 15:22).

Wisdom exhorts us to be patient and slow to form a judgment. We need to be able to defer judgment to the future, especially with important issues. And this requires time.

We should never insist that we have the answer we want right now. That is because we may not have all the needed information, and it may take time to obtain it. We may never obtain it, and we should always be humble enough to admit that possibility. The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. (Proverbs 21:5).

In everything we read, listen to, or consume, we should be able to prioritise important ideas and exclude those of little value. Obviously, we should accept and affirm the good and true but reject the false. However, we need to realise that a statement, concept, book, or any source may contain both truth and falsehood, and we need to apply wisdom to separate them.

PRAYER. Dear Lord, let the practical wisdom I have gained in real life benefit others, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

ACTION POINT
SEARCH FOR WISDOM.

20/08/2026

DAILY GRACE, THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026.

PATH TO GOD'S WISDOM (1)

TEXT: JAMES 1:5

VERSE OF THE DAY: _"WISDOM IS THE PRINCIPAL THING; THEREFORE GET WISDOM: AND WITH ALL THY GETTING GET UNDERSTANDING"- PROVERBS 4:7._

Wisdom is taking knowledge and applying it to real life. Knowledge becomes wisdom when it is effectively applied and utilised in our lives. It does not just stay in our minds; it affects the way we live, what we value, and how we spend our time. Wisdom expresses itself as understanding, insight, discernment, common sense, and good judgment.

Wisdom is especially important in relationships: how we relate to family, neighbours, our enemies, and to God. Wisdom is what leads us to see the importance of spending time with family and friends, to love and value others, to take the right path in life, to reject evil, or to serve God.

Wisdom is much more valuable than knowledge, and Scripture declares that we should stop at nothing to obtain it. King Solomon wrote: Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it costs all you have, get understanding. (Proverbs 4:7).

Wisdom does not necessarily guarantee continual and endless happiness, but it brings blessing and gives a great return: For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. (Proverbs 9:11). We often don’t need more information, and we usually don’t need more intelligence. We just need to use the intelligence God has given us to acquire wisdom. It takes time and effort, but God has provided paths to wisdom, and we can find it if we follow these paths.

The Scripture gives us a solid path that leads to wisdom. The first is fear of God. Proverbs 9:10. Fear here means a healthy respect for and devotion to God, who is the source of all wisdom. Fear of the Lord is the main part of wisdom, and it provides a good framework for understanding and good judgment in all areas of life. By submitting to God, you will learn his wisdom concerning true purpose and meaning, and what is really important in life. This will open up a whole new world of knowledge that you never knew existed, including a relationship with your Creator. And when we fear God, we will then fear other people and their opinions of us less. But this is only the beginning of wisdom. There’s much more still.

If you have never submitted yourself to the Lord and his authority, do that first before you embark on a search for answers to your problems. This alone will provide you with what you need most: real purpose in life.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, give me wisdom to discern your ways, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

BIBLE IN 365 DAYS:
Esther 7
Psalm 101
Galatians 6

ACTION POINT:
WISDOM IS MORE VALUABLE THAN KNOWLEDGE.

19/08/2026

DAILY GRACE, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2026.

MISGUIDED EXPECTATION IN PRAYER

TEXT: 1 JOHN 5:14-15

VERSE OF THE DAY:
_"AND THIS IS THE CONFIDENCE THAT WE HAVE IN HIM, THAT, IF WE ASK ANY THING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, HE HEARETH US"- 1JOHN 5:14._

One of the most common mistakes we make in prayer is assuming we already know God’s will. We are sure God wants us to have the job we applied for. Or we are sure God wants us to marry a person we are in love with. We are sure God wants us to have some specific material blessings, such as a certain house or car. So, we pray, assuming that God agrees with us. It is very safe to pray for things that God has promised in Scripture. But it is a gamble to believe God for specific things he has not promised. He has promised to provide for our basic needs, but we should not demand specific material blessings from him. We can always ask for something specific, but we should never assume it to be his will. This will set us up for disillusionment, 1 John 5:14-15.

Jesus promised that if we ask anything in his name, he will grant John 14:14. But some people put the phrase “in Jesus’ name” at the end of their prayers, believing it is a sure way of receiving what they ask. What Jesus’ promise really means is that our faith in him is the basis of our relationship with God, and we should come with our requests before the Father through him. But saying “in the name of Jesus” does not automatically make our request God’s will.

In many cases, people pray about things for which the answer has already been given. Should I steal from someone if I need money? No, we already have the answer to that in the Bible. Should a Christian marry a non-believer? No, this is second-guessing God because his answer is already provided in Scripture. Should I pray for God’s protection just before doing something dangerous and foolish? No, this is called tempting God. (Galatians 6:7) So, let us not deceive ourselves; there are many cases when God has already provided the answer. It is self-deceiving to pray for things that are expressly forbidden in Scripture.

The underlying truth behind God’s promise to answer prayer is that he is good. His ways are best, and we can trust him to give us what is good for us, just as Jesus taught in Matthew 7:11. God answers prayer in his time and in his way, and he gives us what we need and not just what we want. We know we can expect great things from God, but they might not always be packaged and delivered to us in ways we want or expect. So, take Jesus at his word, and pray with confidence, but pray also with humility and according to his will. In the midst of such uncertainty and chaos in the world, we can trust God to give us good gifts and provide for our needs, because he cares for us.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for answering our prayers daily, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

BIBLE IN 365 DAYS:
Esther 6
Psalm 100
Galatians 5

ACTION POINT:
THE UNDERLYING TRUTH BEHIND GOD’S PROMISE TO ANSWER PRAYER IS THAT HE IS GOOD.

18/08/2026

DAILY GRACE, MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2026.

BEWARE OF THE SOCIAL GOSPEL

TEXT: ACTS 17:18

VERSE OF THE DAY:
_"BEWARE LEST ANY MAN SPOIL YOU THROUGH PHILOSOPHY AND VAIN DECEIT, AFTER THE TRADITION OF MEN, AFTER THE RUDIMENTS OF THE WORLD, AND NOT AFTER CHRIST"- COLOSSIANS 2:8._

As Christians, we should fight injustice when it rears its head, and we must reach into the social ills of society and seek to help people break the spiritual chains of circumstances and behaviour that are binding them. Nothing is wrong with seeking to influence society and working within society for the better. But there is a clear weakness inherent in the Social Gospel.

The danger is that one can become so involved in the social gospel and forget the Biblical Gospel of the atonement and the salvific work of Christ on the cross. Too often, those involved in such movements, with good intentions, are not seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness found in the transforming power of the cross. The goal of the Social Gospel, at best, is a kingdom of man with God to serve it, rather than a kingdom of God, with man to serve it. The power of God’s Kingdom is not simply the hope of bringing about reform in man, but bringing about redemption and righteousness.

The goal of the Gospel of Christ is not merely improvement, but divine transformation. You cannot bring about change without the cross at the centre. The Social Gospel is keen about establishing a kingdom which glorifies human ideals, but seeks not a Kingdom that glorifies the atoning cross of Christ and that it is through regeneration that men are changed ethically/morally and socially. True change in humanity and society is only possible, not by presenting only lofty ideals, but it is the power of the cross, which enables moral change and can guarantee social change in society. The cross is the pure spring from which flows the “goodness” (righteousness) which makes possible a better social state or order. Jesus called it “Being born from above” (John 3).

Only when the cross is at the centre of our “good works” can one find reconciliation to both God and man. Christ is more than an ideal and more than a historical person. Christianity is more than a system; found in the Christ of the Cross is atonement for man’s sins, the cross being the centre of a holy and moral universe. It is the cross which testifies of God’s holiness and that sin must be dealt with, sin being the root cause of man’s misery. The atoning cross must not be replaced with simple human dignity and lofty ideals that seek to bring about social justice without changing the human heart, from which flow the problems in the first place.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, may I not be deceived by the philosophy of men, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

BIBLE IN 365 DAYS:
Esther 3
Psalm 99
Galatians 3

ACTION POINT:
THE IDEAS OF MEN CANNOT CHANGE MAN'S HEART, BUT CHRIST.

16/08/2026

16/08/2026

Sunday 16th August 2026

15/08/2026

DAILY GRACE, SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2026.

GOD'S FAITHFULNESS IN HIS LOVE

TEXT: 1 JOHN 3:1

VERSE OF THE DAY:
_"AND WE HAVE KNOWN AND BELIEVED THE LOVE THAT GOD HATH TO US. GOD IS LOVE, AND HE THAT DWELLETH IN LOVE DWELLETH IN GOD, AND GOD IN HIM"- 1 JOHN 4:16._

God is faithful in His love toward humanity. One may reject His love, scoff at His love, but He will continue to be faithful in His love. One may hide oneself from the sun, but one cannot keep the sun from shining. In Christ, God has expressed a love that shouts He will never cease to love us, for even if we refuse him and find ourselves in hell, His love will never cease. Such love boggles the mind. One may reject the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, but His holy love still emanates from His faithful character, continually urging all to embrace the Saviour before it is too late.

The faithfulness of God’s love as found in the Christ of the cross towers over time, bidding us to come unto Him and therein find the confidence of redemption and hope.

Our Lord is faithful even if events or circumstances are difficult and don’t always appear to work out as we think they should. God’s faithfulness means He will never violate His character, but He will bring to pass in our lives that which will work together for His glory and our good (Romans 8:28). Whether we understand it or not, we can be assured that our Lord is completely reliable, trustworthy and faithful. God is faithful…always, all the time.

When we talk about the love of God, we are talking about the giving of Himself for the benefit of others. God's nature is to give Himself away to others; to bring about blessing and goodness to them. God's very nature is love. It is His essence, even before the creation of the world. You can look any person in the eye and say with conviction and confidence, "God loves you." And there is an abundance of evidence that God loves them. Even those who curse and hate Him are given breath in their lungs, laughter and full bellies, marriages and families. All these are gifts from the Lord; All these common graces are evidence of His love.

God is love, but our culture today misunderstands the love of God. In fact, many Christians today misunderstand it too. The way that many talk about the love of God is as if we are recipients of this love because we are so special and good. In this way, the cultural understanding of the love of God leaves us the same as we are. It affirms us in our sins. "God loves us" has become synonymous with "God approves of my behaviour", even when God has said in His word that He abhors that behaviour. Instead, a biblical understanding of the love of God transforms and changes us.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for your abundant love, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

ACTION POINT:
GOD IS LOVE.

14/08/2026

DAILY GRACE, FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2026.

GOD IS FAITHFUL IN KEEPING PROMISES

TEXT: LAMENTATION 3:22-23

VERSE OF THE DAY:
_"KNOW THEREFORE THAT THE LORD YOUR GOD IS GOD; HE IS THE FAITHFUL GOD, KEEPING HIS COVENANT OF LOVE TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS”- DEUTERONOMY 7:9._

God is ever faithful. If He makes a promise, He keeps His end of the bargain. He is a covenant-keeping God. All of us will experience the pain of broken promises at some point in our lives. Whether it is disappointment and hurt when a trusted friend betrays our confidence or the devastation of adultery in a marriage, we know what it is like to have promises broken. In fact, much of our lives is characterised by broken promises, from the empty words of politicians to the lies we often read and hear in the media. These days, being true to one’s word is a rare quality.

In the midst of this myriad of broken promises we face in this sinful world, God is the only One who truly and perfectly keeps his promises, all the time. Because he is infinitely good, he is faithful and true to all his promises. God’s promises are true because he is faithful. God does not lie. Thus, he is always true to his word. God is not only faithful and true in an abstract sense, but he is faithful and true to us as his own people. God expresses his faithfulness to us through the covenant that he makes with his people.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is about Jesus Christ and his gospel, Luke 24:44-47. It is this that lies at the heart of the covenants in Scripture: who our God is, and how he has saved a people for himself in Christ. Though Adam broke the first covenant, a Covenant of Works, that God made with him in the Garden of Eden, God did not forsake his people. God was faithful to the promise he made in Genesis 3:15, where he established a second covenant, a Covenant of Grace, to send a seed, a descendant of Eve, to crush the head of the serpent, break the curse, and destroy the power of sin. God gradually fulfils this promise through his subsequent covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. Each point increasingly points to this promised champion, the Messiah, a divine king who would come and bring the promise to fulfilment.

In the fullness of time, God’s promise is fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man, the promised seed of the woman. By his perfectly righteous life and atoning death on the cross, he crushed the serpent, Satan, undoing the curse and breaking the power of sin. Though Adam broke the covenant, Christ, the last Adam, perfectly obeyed the covenant. In this new covenant, the fulfilment of the Covenant of Grace, God, through his Son Jesus Christ, rescues us from slavery to sin, delivering us from the judgment that we deserved, forgiving us our sins and raising us into everlasting life with him.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you because you are faithful to save, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

BIBLE IN 365 DAYS:
Proverbs 20:16–30
Galatians 2

ACTION POINT:
GOD HONOURS HIS COVENANT WITH US. HIS WORD DOES NOT FAIL. SO, WE MUST LEARN TO TRUST IN HIM.