KEY SCRIPTURE :1 Samuel 16:6 KJV. And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him.

An assumption is anything that is accepted to be true, or as certain to happen without proof. An assumption has got nothing to do with faith, since faith is based on what God has said, whiles an assumption is only based on one’s persuasion without any proof. Our key scripture shows us that when prophet Samuel saw the huge figure of Eliab, he assumed that was the next king. He was indeed very wrong. The Spirit of the Lord said he had rejected him.

IT is always wrong to take important decisions based on an assumption. Some Marriages have crumbled because one party or even both parties are assuming the other party is cheating on him or her. Can you imagine what would have happened if God had not corrected Samuel?. He would have chosen the wrong man as king over Israel. This would have derailed the future of the whole nation. We are called to live by faith and not by assumption

MEN can act wrongly because of what they assume. Just consider the next verse of scripture. Gen 20:11 KJV “And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake” .In this instant, he assumed the fear of God was not in the place and therefore the people could easily attack him, kill him and take away his pretty wife. He agreed with his wife to say to the people that he is her brother. What lies are you saying because of your assumption to say so?

God does not motivate any assumption. He only motivates faith. Reject any prompting to act on an assumption.

CONFESSION

I do not live by assumptions. The word of God is definite and precise on all matters of faith and conduct. I live by the word of God which gives me sure grounds to tread on in this life. My way is made brighter and brighter in Jesus name.

FURTHER STUDIES

2 Kings 5:11 KJV. “But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper”.

Esther 6:6 KJV “So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, what shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 27:5 KJV “Open rebuke is better than secret love”.

Proverbs 27:6, says the following”  Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful “.The man who  tells you the truth, is the friend who loves you, whiles he who fails to tell you the truth about yourself is an enemy. Men PLEASERS who do not tell the truth, fearing the rejection and possible severing of relationship are the real enemies of these people. These issues must be made clear to all and sundry so everyone would be opened up, either to speak truth to his neighbour, or ready to receive the truth whenever it is given.

 The truth must always be told in love to each other. Eph 4:15 KJV “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”: He says if the truth is shared in love, we would grow up to be like Jesus in all things. This reveals also that the truth could be told with an evil motive.

One Biblical example of speaking the truth with an evil conscience is in John 8:2-11. A woman was accused of committing adultery. They demanded that she be stoned according to the law of Moses. These people said the truth alright, but with an attitude to condemn the woman. Luke 6:37 tells us not to judge or condemn one another. At that moment the Lord Jesus spoke the truth in love to both her accusers and the woman as well. To the people he said,” let the man without sin cast the first stone”. To the woman he said “neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.

HE succeeded in preventing the people from committing murder and saved the woman from guilt as well as the power of Fornication. We should not be men PLEASERS, yet we must speak the truth not to condemn people, but to liberate them from Satan’s manipulation.

PRAYER

Father I pray that all children of God come to terms with this truth. May the truth never be used to destroy, but to liberate men and women from satanic advantage.

FURTHER STUDIES

Luke 6:37 KJV “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven”:

Romans 14:13 KJV ” Let us not therefore judge one another anymore: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way”.

KEY SCRIPTURE:1 Samuel 15:24 KJV “And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice”.

King Saul had the honor to do the will or word of God and establish his throne in Israel, yet he sadly disappointed himself. He rather pleased or feared men than God. Fear always has an element of reverence and worship. Everything you fear would control your actions. The one and only person to fear is our heavenly Father.

Isaiah 8:13 KJV” Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread “. To sanctify is to set apart from every other person, thing or situation. We are accountable to God and relate to others on our terms with Him.

Fearing and pleasing men has driven many well-meaning people into all kinds of wrong and abominable actions. There are certain men of God who started as very genuine servants of God, yet because they wanted to be known as men of influence and affluence, they have compromised their stands. Some have bowed to the devil to give them, the riches of this world. Others use all kinds of deception to extort money to be rich. There are others who would not preach the truth of God’s word because, someone in their congregation would be displeased. Instead of correcting errors they would rather keep quiet about it.

There are also certain workers in various categories who play eyeservice. In the presence of their superiors, or Pastors, they act in a way to show how humble or hard working they are. All these are ways to please men. Colossians 3:22 KJV” Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as men pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God”:

Dear one we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, when our motives would be revealed. Some people would lose everything because their works would be burnt up. 1 Corinthians 3:13 KJV” Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is”. The man or woman you are seeking to please would not be your judge. Why do you give such regard to man and spite God who will be our ultimate judge?

PRAYER

Dear father I pray that I will be alert to know when my actions would please men, instead of you. May I always have the courage to act truthfully at all times to honor you alone.

FURTHER STUDIES

2Corinth 5:10 KJV” For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad”.

Ephesians 6:6 KJV” Not with eyeservice, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 14:9 KJV. And the king was sorry: nevertheless, for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.

King Herod made a very outrageous promise to the daughter of Herodias. He promised with an oath that he would give her whatever she would ask. How could he have made such a ridiculous promise? Who can do whatever a man may ask? Only God can do such a thing. This is a clear example of seeking to please men at the expense of the glory of God. Secondly when Herodias daughter asked for the head of John the Bible remarked of two reasons why he agreed to kill John. Firstly, because of the oath and secondly because of the fear or the honor he wanted from the people who were with him.

What caused Herod to act so callously? The root cause of seeking men’s praise come from an inner hidden pride. The above example is not limited only to the unregenerate men, like king Herod, but even to Christians, if not checked.  Apostle Paul states he who pleases men is not a servant of God. Gal 1:10 KJV “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ”. One could unconsciously become a men pleaser focusing on himself rather than Christ.

HOW do we prevent this from overtaking us? We must take time to examine ourselves and our motives in particular. We must consciously acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus and keep prompting ourselves that, life is about pleasing the Lord Jesus and not ourselves. The man who seeks the praise of men is not a servant of Christ. This person can even miss his eternal home with the Lord if he does not repent. In Rev 21:8 the Lord talked about the fearful people who would have their place in the lake of fire. The fearful among other things are basically men PLEASERS.

PRAYER

Thank you, heavenly Father, for the grace to yield to the voice of the Holy Spirit and to always place the glory and praise of Christ paramount. I receive the ability never to fear the faces of men, but to only honor Christ and His word in my life.

FURTHER STUDIES

Revelation 21:8 KJV. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Galatians 2:12 KJV “For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Galatians 1:4 KJV ” Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father”:

In our last study we saw that to be free from some of the troubles of this life, one must doggedly take a stand with the word of God. Sicknesses and diseases are a big threat to human comfort and existence. Our world has been totally altered today, because of diseases. The grace of God gives us answers, even for sicknesses that science and human effort could not solve. The principle is the same. We are saved or healed by grace through faith. The work of grace is what God did for us through His Son Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus through His stripes have borne our sicknesses and diseases (Isaiah 53:4&5)

OUR healing from God’s point of view is a concluded matter. When Apostle Peter made reference to this, he said, by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Pet 2:24.) How do you appropriate this great act of grace?   1.Believe that what the word of God has revealed is true.

2.Declare what God has said or done for us. (Proverb 15:4)

Stick to what God says. Don’t accept any other contrary evidence. Thank God for healing you.  Please you are not saying it, to be healed, no, that is not an act of faith. You say so because Jesus has already taken away our sicknesses according to the scriptures. He is not yet to do it. It has already been done.

THIS is the grace of God answering the trouble of diseases. Get the picture of grace well. The Lord Jesus conquered diseases for us. He is presently our true identity. As He is, so are we in this world. (1st John 4:17) If he conquered diseases, we have likewise conquered diseases too. Let the word of God be fully settled in your heart. Focus on that finished work. By his stripes you were healed. Say what God says, and keep at it. Proverbs 18:21 KJV” Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof”. Let your tongue create life for you by saying what God has done for you.

CONFESSION

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for taking away my sicknesses and diseases. By faith, I do not bear them anymore. By your stripes I was healed. Thank you, Lord.

FURTHER STUDIES

Matthew 8:16 & 17 KJV” When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses”.

Proverbs 15:4 KJV” A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Galatians 1:4 KJV” Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:”

JOB, the servant of God, expressed his experience by writing that, man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. (Job 14:1). Trouble has become the daily experience of men. God shows us His answer in His word. Trouble seem to drawn mankind and even some Christians because most of them treat the Bible as an ordinary book. Your first step to lead a life of victory over troubles is to accept the Bible as inspired by the Spirit of God. Whatever it says is truth and God’s breathe and life is in His word. Approach it as a child would jump from a height into its Father’s hands.

God through Christ has given us answers to these many troubles. Our key scripture says our Lord Jesus gave himself that He might deliver us from this evil world. This is the grace of God answering man’s troubles. The Lord Jesus was judged in our place. Because of Him, God does not count the sins of any sinner against him. (2nd Corinth 5:19) When a sinner accepts that his sins has been washed away, and confesses that Jesus is Lord of his life he is instantly saved. The way out of trouble by grace is to believe and CONFESS in sincerity that what Jesus did is true and therefore yours.

IF a Christian finds himself in an uncontrollable sinful lifestyle, he must not agree with what the enemy may be doing by saying, ‘Satan has bound me’. He must keep declaring, “I’m the righteousness of GOD”.  When you agree with what the adversary is doing through your words, it would be established.

You say in agreement with God’s word that you are the righteousness of God.

 2 Corinth 5:21 KJV” For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. You are presently the righteousness of God. It is not tomorrow, not when Christ comes, or when you die to go to heaven.  If you admit you are a sinner, then you are not acknowledging the provision of grace. If you fall a hundred times, say you are the righteousness of God hundred times and believe it. The power of the enemy would be broken. Faith is taking a stand with what God says. Faith is calling those things which be not as though they were. (Rom 4:17) Faith is that which overcomes the world (1 John 5:4). By faith you use the provision of grace to answer the questions of wrong habits and sinful ways.

 CONFESSION

Thanks be to God who has given me His Son as an exchange for my sinfulness. I am indeed the righteousness of God, no matter what comes my way, it can’t change that. I am what Jesus sacrifice brought to me.

FURTHER STUDIES

2 Corinth 5:19 KJV “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation”.

Isaiah 53:8 KJV “He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken”.

KEY SCRIPTURE :1 Corinth 4:1 KJV” Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God”.

Everyone with a special grace, is a minister or servant of God.

He is a steward of the mysteries of God. He could also be described as a dispenser of the mysteries of God. According to 2 Corinth 4:2 one major requirement of the minister of grace of God is faithfulness.

1Corinth 4:2 KJV” Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful”. Anyone with a special grace, must be faithful to God, faithful to the people of God and faithful to himself.

You must be faithful in your devotion to God, that is in giving more attention to HIM. Mark 3:14 KJV “And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,” Being with the Lord is the prime duty of every one appointed with a special grace. You can’t perform, until you have received from Him. Many ministers of God, get preoccupied either with lots of activities or with the people. It is what one does based on God’s instructions that matters. It is in being with Him that makes you hear from Him. Your prayer life becomes a measure of your spiritual life.  You must also be faithful to study God’s Word and be obedient to what the word teaches. Meditating on the word increases your spiritual momentum greatly

 You’ve also got to be faithful to the people God has called you to serve. (Read 1 Pet 5:1–4) You must be faithful to intercede for them., and in ministering that special grace to them.  Act 20:20 KJV “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house”, The apostle meant, I was ever available and gave my best to all.

 Lastly, you must be faithful to yourself. This is in serving the Lord with a sincere conscience. The best gift you can give yourself is a good conscience. It leaves you with no hidden fears before God or man. Act 23:1 KJV” And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day”.

PRAYER

I pray for every minister of God to be faithful in every aspect of their lives.

FURTHER STUDIES

1 Peter 5:1-4 KJV. The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 1:5 KJV” Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations”.

All that we have discussed about grace can be described as general grace. This is the kind of grace that our Father God expresses to every child of His. There is another kind of grace, known as a special grace. This is a special calling with unique giftings and abilities pertaining to that particular calling or office. We find such people throughout the Bible. No one calls himself or herself into a special grace. The scriptures describe it this way:” So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” Rom 9:16

As Romans 9:16 puts it, this is God’s own prerogative and no one must boast about it or be envious of one who have certain unique gifts and abilities. This grace is deposited in an individual to serve mankind. No one must act bossy over others because he or she has been adorned with unique gifts. 1Corinth 12:7 KJV” But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal”. Gifts are divine packages not mainly for the bearer but others. You are a faithful bearer of that grace if you bless lives with it. If everyone would have to bow to you, then there is a problem.

On the flip side, people who you have been sent to, must honor that grace upon your life. They must accept the man or woman as God’s gift sent to them to play a special role in their lives. If they fail to honour that grace, they would not be blessed with that gift.(In honoring the grace the man must be honored) The people in Jesus’ hometown were not blessed by His powerful ministry, because they did not honor the special grace he carried (Mark 6:5). The relationship is reciprocity. The servant of God must humble himself towards God, and be ready to serve the people, with that special grace. In the vice versa, the people must honor the grace or anointing upon him or her. In this way all parties would definitely be blessed.

PRAYER

Father, I pray for all servants of God with special callings or graces. I pray that they would be very effective in their work. I pray that they would fulfill their ministry to your glory.

FURTHER STUDIES

Mark 6:4, 5KJV” But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

1 Corinth 15:10 KJV “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me”.

KEY SCRIPTURE:1John 4:10 KJV” Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins”.

In this series on the grace of God, we see the principle on which grace and law function. The law functions on the principle that God demands for right actions from man to appease Him although He provides no abilities to meet them. Grace functions on the principle that God gives divine abilities as an investment in us to produce whatever He expects of us. Under the law God demands that man loves him with all his heart soul and strength. Under grace God demonstrates love to us as a seed to generate in us a response. 1John 4:11 KJV “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another”. We likewise respond with our all.

The above truths, teaches us a very important lesson. It shows us how to avoid living by the terms of the law although we claim we are under the dispensation of the grace of God. We see that, we cannot do any good thing for our Father, without first receiving from Him. The Lord said it clearly in John 15:4 KJV “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me”. Don’t focus your efforts on how to love the master, but rather focus on receiving His love, so you would naturally love him.

In Luke 10:40-42, Martha came to Jesus complaining about her sister who had left all the kitchen chores for her, to listen to Jesus. The Lord responded by telling her that, there was only one thing that was necessary, which the sister had chosen that GOOD part, and it shall never be taken from her. That good part was receiving from the master. You can’t give acceptably to God until you have first received from him. This is grace indeed.

 We can’t love God much, until we have known and received of His love for us.    1 John 4:16, says we have known and believed in the love God has for us. How much have you meditated on the great love God has shown to us? Always talk much about how much He loved us. In Luke 7:47, the woman loved much because she saw how much she was forgiven.

CONFESSION

God showed His greater love for me by sending His son to die for me. He bore every judgment, that I might not be judged. I give Him all my love, for all He’s done for me.

FURTHER STUDIES

Luke 7:47 KJV “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little”.

1 John 4:16 KJV” 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”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Philip 3:3 KJV” For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh”.

 Confidence in the flesh nullifies the supply of divine potential for a victorious life.  It frustrates the grace of God. What is confidence in the flesh? This is a reliance on the abilities of our flesh, as well as what we do to our flesh to make us feel justified before the father. One of this is circumcision. Circumcision is nothing to the man who places no confidence in it. It hinders the workings of God’s grace when one feels justified because of it. Galatians 5:4 KJV” Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace”

Another very subtle way most men, express confidence in the flesh is when they relate to the opposite sex in some “odd moments.” (or same sex in some few cases) Now note: Biblical instruction is God’s way of supplying divine ability when the scripture is honored.  The Bible’s instruction, is flee youthful lust. (2 Tim 2:22). Some men have believed in themselves and not obeyed this scripture. They ended up committing certain   shameful acts which became a reproach to the name of Christ. All these could have been avoided, if they had just obeyed the instruction of the word.

An example is a pastor who counseled a lady who kept weeping. This man decides to get closer to her, put his arms around her to comfort her. All these was going on in the Pastor’s locked up office. After some moments they found themselves in a very ‘compromised’ action right in the Pastor’s office. What brought all these? He had confidence in his flesh.

 No man’s flesh is born again. ‘The strong man is he who knows his weakness and prevents it from controlling him’. Don’t watch porn, and claim you can handle it. The flesh is a servant, it submits to what you give it.   If you keep giving it the word it would function in line with the word. If you give it carnal things, it would respond carnally. DO NOT HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH.

CONFESSION

I do not have confidence in my flesh. My confidence is in the Lord Jesus and His finished work. I therefore do not allow the flesh to lead me against what the word says. I prevent every appearance of sin and give no occasion for the flesh to dictate my affairs. My life reveals the glory of Christ.

FURTHER STUDIES

Galatians 5:13 KJV “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another”.

Romans 6:16 KJV” Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”