KEY SCRIPTURE: John 1:17 KJV “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ”

 The law is God’s righteous demands from men with no divine provision for its fulfillment. The Law was given to reveal man’s failure and shortcomings. Rom 3:19 KJV “Now we know that what things so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God”. It is very unfortunate for any man who claims he is a Christian, to say, he is living under the law. The grace of God is not a demand but a divine provision that perfects the righteous demands of the law in us. The grace of God is a person, Jesus the Christ. In grace there is an exchange. Our human failure, defeat and weakness is exchanged for the fulness of Christ. (John 1:16)

By grace we become the very righteousness of God. This righteousness of God is Jesus Himself.

2Corinth 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”. It is very unfortunate when any Christian carries a consciousness of weakness and defeat. It is a frustration and neglect of the grace of God. By grace we have become masters over Satan, sin, disease and death. God’s eternal purpose was to raise a people who have no sin consciousness and are fearless about whatever Satan and His cohorts can do. The church is not an ordinary organization or helpless society. We are the physical representation of the body of Christ.

 The Lord Jesus builds Himself into His body to the degree that the truth about God’s grace is known and applied. Eph 4:13 KJV” Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”: Are you like Jesus? I know many would claim, ‘they are not”. Well this is the problem of the church. He says we are complete in Him. (Col 2:10) To be complete m Him means to be full of God in every way. It is your acknowledgement of this, that makes you a winner. Now you can stand before any works of Satan in absolute confidence, instructing him to give way and he would obey. You do this by the power of Christ working through you. Grace makes us victorious.

CONFESSION

By the grace of God, I am one with Jesus my Lord. He is alive and active through me, working out His purposes and conquering the enemy in every way through me. Every disease, devil or challenge is overcome in His name.

FURTHER STUDIES

1 John 4:4 KJV “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

1 Corinth 1:30, 31. KJV “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Romans 6:2 KJV “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”

Now grace is defined as an unmerited favor. In our key scripture we are described as dead to sin and therefore we are not supposed to live any longer in sin. How did we die to sin? This is an act of God’s grace when the Lord Jesus was crucified for us. The scripture said he became sin for us. He had no sin nature by virtue of the fact that he had no human father. That sin nature he took on was our nature. When He was killed, it was our sin nature that was judged. The Bible said He condemned sin in the flesh. (Rom 8:3). All these were done for us. This is why it is unmerited favor

We played no part carrying away all those sins, rather it was men who tormented and killed Him. All He went through and did has been credited to our account. We have become the righteousness of God. We have all died to sin. It is up to every child of God to acknowledge that he or she is indeed dead to sin. Rom 6:7 reads, for he that is dead is freed from sin. By the grace of God, you are dead to sin. You are also freed from every sin. Accept it by faith, confess that you are free from every sin. God’s power is always released when his children acknowledge by faith what he has made available for them.

The scriptures say further that the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us who believe in what Jesus did for us. (Rom 8:4) By God’s grace the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us. You are not going to struggle to do what the word says but rather, you have become the very manifestation of the righteousness of the law. In 2 Corinth 3:2, we are described as epistles or letters known and read of all men. This specifically referred to the brethren in Corinth, yet it is applicable to all of us. All these are just a minute aspect of God’s grace. Change that wrong view you have held about yourself all these years and accept what the grace of God has made you.

CONFESSION

I thank God for His amazing grace. By grace I am dead to sins, the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in me. I am even a living letter of the good life, read by all men. Thank you, Lord, for your grace.

FURTHER STUDIES

Rom 5:8 KJV “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”.

Romans 5:17 KJV “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Romans 6:14 KJV ” For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace”.

Grace is God’s supernatural or divine provision made available to the child of God, to excel. The grace of God can only be received by faith. It is given to help us achieve more than the natural human strength can do. Grace comes to make us perfect. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of the grace of God. John 1:16 KJV “And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace”. The following is an illustration of grace and works. For example, if one is asked to make a journey of ten thousand kilometers on foot or to use an airplane. Traveling by an airplane is what grace is all about. It has no effort. All you need is to board the plane and you would be there in a matter of a short moment.

Making this journey by foot would be almost impossible. Please consider the following. How could you be traveling by the jet and have any difficulty? How can you be living by grace and still live in sin? It is simply impossible. The man who lives in sin is just like the man making that long journey by foot, he has forsaken to use the plane. Note:  A man must put grace aside before he or she can sin. How do we access the grace of God? Rom 5:2 KJV “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God”.  This ‘airplane’ called grace is accessed by faith, and it carries you with no effort on your part. Your part is to believe, and yield your body, and you can do anything.

Our Lord Jesus is grace personified. The law was fulfilled and perfected in Him (Rom 10:4). When you believe in Him and trust Him to express His life through you, the perfection of the law is expressed through you, like the plane carrying you. A man would walk in sin if he does not acknowledge The Lord’s presence and power functioning through him. You were crucified with Him, and the life you now live is purely an expression of His Spirit working and functioning through you. If this is so, how can anything enslave you, and make you live in sin? When you believe in your heart that He is presently alive and functioning through you, you have entered into His grace. This is the reason Romans 6:14 says, sin cannot have dominion over you when you are living in, or under the grace of God. The idea that the grace of God gives license for sin is incompatible with the truth of divine grace.

CONFESSION

I have received the grace of God. There is a supernatural ability working in and through me. I am very superior to any challenge that rises against me. The greater one lives in me. Nothing overcomes me. I know who I am as a result of the one in me.

FURTHER STUDIES

Romans 6:1, 2 ” What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Rom 8:3, 4 ” For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh”: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Timothy 3:2 KJV” A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

The minister must be blameless. There should be no immoral accusations against the minister of the gospel. In our last study I put forth a number of questions that one has to consider in the light of the influence he may be receiving. The questions are as follows

1. Who do you associate with? The Bible says Iron sharpens Iron (Prov 27:17). A bad nut would destroy other good ones. If your close friends are the kind who see nothing wrong with having a girlfriend, and doing all that God’s word forbid unmarried people to do, then you would practice them. Stay away from men of God with unscriptural lifestyle. The title man of God does not make a person one, it is only God who knows those who are His servants.

2. What do you watch often? The eye is a very powerful gate to your inner being. If you watch pornographic films then you have seriously corrupted yourself. On YouTube, there are great anointed men of God, who have made eternal impact on humanity. How on earth can you leave such materials to watch the game of devils. Stop that from this moment.

3. What do you read? There are certain materials that come from motivational speakers who are deeply imbedded in the occult. These people are not Christians but from the new age persuasions. Reading their materials allow wicked evil spirits to possess you without knowing you have been possessed. Any man of God who is mainly controlled by common sense has lost the influence of the Spirit.

4.What do you think or meditate on?  The ultimate influence of a man’s actions is what he thinks or meditates about. Your actions are simply an outward manifestation of the things that occupy your mind. Decide to think and meditate about that which honors God. Note: Your thoughts are influenced by what enters the mind. What enters the mind are also from your associations, what you watch and what you read. Put these things right and your actions would be influenced positively.

If you check these things you would not be cast away after you have preached to others.

PRAYER

Father in the name of Jesus I pray that I would be alert to always choose right friends and associates, as well as reading and watching that which honors you. May I be counted worthy of entering your kingdom.

FURTHER STUDIES

Philippians 4:8 KJV” Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”.

Proverbs 27:17 KJV “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinth 9:27 WEB” but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected”

Another area that has been a waterloo for most ministers causing their downfall is illicit relationship between the opposite sex. There have been some cases of same sex acts. This one is abnormal and an abomination. This issue of the opposite sex sins is very unfortunate yet goes on among many. There are some who claim that the patriarchs and people of the old testament married more than one and had concubines. We in the new testament era are in a different and better times. The scripture clearly said a minister or shepherd must be a man of one wife. 1Timothy 3:2 WEB “The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching;”

 The shepherd or pastor cannot marry more than one wife, neither can he have any concubine. It is a sin to do so. Some pastors have their wives at home and they go about with another lady who is not necessarily a minister in any form. Why do some ministers behave this way? Some have misunderstood the message of God’s grace, and so instead of walking in the Spirit by the grace of God, they walk in the flesh by works, claiming it is grace. You cannot walk in grace and not live in the spirit (Rom 6:14). Anyone living in the flesh(sin) is not living in grace.

 There are some Pastors who ‘fall’ into the sin of Fornication and others who ‘jump’ into it. Well, whether you fall or jump into it, it is sin anyway. To jump into it, is to willingly and meditatively commit it. The challenge with such a one is that he is enslaved by the sin, whiles the man who falls into it is not enslaved and can easily stop it.

The truth is that no minister or better still pastor must fall or jump into the sin of Fornication. The provisions of divine grace and the demand of that office does not give any grounds for fornication. Consider the following questions very seriously. Who do you associate with? What do you watch? What do you read? Finally, what do you meditate or think about? If you rightly answered these questions then you are free from fornication.

PRAYER

Father, I pray for any pastor struggling with the sin of Fornication and other immoral activities. Open his eyes to the truth so he may be free.

FURTHER STUDIES

Philippians 3:18, 19ISV” For I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of the Messiah Their destiny is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on worldly things”.

Romans 12:1, 2 ISV. I therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but continuously be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God’s will is—what is proper, pleasing, and perfect.

KEY SCRIPTURE :1 Corinth 9:27 NET” Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be disqualified.”

We look at some of the sins that can befall servants of God, so he can put them away, in order not to be cast away. The first  one to consider is the sin of pride. Pride can easily set in when a man is not truly yielded to the Spirit of God. It can take over the heart of a man when he is making a great impact and attracting so much attention. Pride can also set in even if he is not making that much impact. The basic denominator is whether that individual has truly submitted to the Lordship of Jesus.

God resists the proud but gives more grace to the humble (James 4:6). Pride can be put under check by observing your motives as well as instructing yourself to always place the glory of God first. Tell yourself whatever I do or become is for His glory and not mine.

 The next error among ministers, is the lustful desire for money or wealth. Having wealth is not evil, if it is seen as a means of expanding the work of God and helping the needy. When the man of God seeks for wealth as a means of having significance on the earth, then he is falling out of God’s way. The Bible says many have pierced themselves with many sorrows because of the crave for wealth or money. 1st Timothy 6:10. The man of God must not seek for money but seek to honour God and bless many lives. In this way   his needs would be taken care of by the Lord through the very people he has been blessing.

A number of ministers have been hurt by many close associates or brethren. Many ministers are therefore very bitter about certain individuals. This is rather unfortunate. Please dear child of God, it is God who called you and gave you his terms of reference. He has not been unfaithful to you. Forget about the unfaithfulness of men, for they did not call you, or are they going to reward or judge you. If you do not throw away bitterness you would be rejected at the final hour, when you stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

PRAYER

Father touch the heart of every minister of the word to be focused on you and not on themselves so they may live to please you only and not themselves.

FURTHER STUDIES

1Timothy 6:10 WEB “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows”.

James 4:6 WEB “But he gives more grace. Therefore, it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Corinth 9:27 NET “Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be disqualified”

Sand paper is a special paper with a film of sand glued on its surface. It is used to smoothen or polish various surfaces of certain materials, after which it loses it abrasive properties and so it is thrown away. Apostle Paul also shows that, he puts his body under subjection or discipline so that he is not cast away like a sand paper after preaching to others. . Most of us who go about preaching to others must take a clue from Paul’s example. The flesh has appetites and desires. It longs for the natural carnal things. It may love the praise of men. There is the crave for money. Lust for sex and other things keep knocking on it. All these must be silenced and put in check.

 God is not a respecter of persons. If you go about preaching, then you are polishing other people. When your life is ruled and dominated by the flesh, then your service would be unacceptable. Rom 8:13 NET (for if you live according to the flesh, you will die), but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. “The Bible states that he that strives for masteries must strive lawfully (2 Timothy 2:5). This means you must serve the Lord according to His terms. When you serve handling the word of God deceptively, you are heading for God’s disapproval.

The flesh should not be allowed to lead in any way. Its influence must be put to death.

Col 3:5 NET “So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: …… “. Be diligent to make your calling and election sure. 2 Peter 1:10. You kill the wrong passions by refusing to feed your mind with wrong thoughts. The thoughts are products of what you watch, listen and the associations you keep. Cut off every appearance of evil. Make sure your body is fully subjected to you. Never do anything that the word forbids, even if another so called ‘ great’ man of God does it. A man is great in God’s sight if he diligently does what He says.

CONFESSION

I am in charge of my body. I subject my body from wrong appetites.  My flesh goes in line with the word, because I have trained it to do so. My thoughts are occupied with holy and upright things.

FURTHER STUDIES

Colossians 3:5 NET “So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry.

2 Peter 1:10& 11 NET” Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to be sure of your calling and election. For by doing this you will never stumble into sin. For thus an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be richly provided for you.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Eph 2:10 KJV” For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”.

NO dog struggles to bark. We as Christians have been designed or endued with the ability for good works. It is in our nature to do good. We are made of the same substance of our Lord. John 15:1, reveals that we are the branches and the Lord is the vine. The branch is made of the same substance as the vine. The spirit of Christ is a sweet Spirit. The first thing to do to manifest a sweet spirit as a child of God, is to accept that you have a sweet spirit. Your past experiences might have been very painful or created certain bad attitudes in you. If you have made Jesus Lord of your life, then the past is no more. Refuse to accept you are a bitter person or you have a bad character. Your spirit is the Spirit of Christ and that is the real you.

Secondly tell yourself always that you have a sweet spirit. One strong way to train your spirit is to speak in line with what you want your actions to be. Your attitude and actions towards people are directly related to the words you talk about them. Decide never to use your tongue to speak evil about others. Never comment on issues of others that you have no knowledge about. Col 4:6 KJV” Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man”. Don’t compromise with wrong, but always speak the truth in love. Tell people the truth, not with a motive to condemn them, but to see a transformation in their actions.

 WORDS are not just sounds with an intention but, they are real substances. They have the ability to create, heal, lift up, cast down, defame or destroy. Always make your words heal, unite, lift up, encourage and bless as well.

Build a sound relationship with the Lord. One’s ability to be genuinely selfless comes from his knowledge of God and a subsequent surrender of his will to Him. David could not be bitter against king Saul’s evil pursuit of his life because he knew the Lord and had surrendered his life unto Him. Please consider your role in people’s life as God’s assignment and do it diligently

CONFESSION

I proceed from God. I am recreated in Christ Jesus unto good works. It is my nature to do good to God’s glory. My words lift up, heal, and bless the depressed. I am taking the Lord place in this life.

FURTHER STUDIES

1 Peter 2:22 & 23 KJV “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:”

James 3:17 & 18 KJV. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 9:27 KJV” But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus”.

Joses demonstrated so much good deeds, to the point that he was surnamed ‘Barnabas’ which means ‘son of consolation’ This word consolation also means, comfort, a REFRESHMENT. The name Barnabas was   given to him because of his sweet spirit.

At the early days of the church, the Bible said he sold his land and brought it to be shared among the less privileged brethren. He gave out something so dear. To the kind hearted nothing is too dear to be given to God.  Ananias and his wife Saphira attempted to DO the same. They sold their land, but brought only part of the money, claiming that was the whole sum (Acts 5:1–5)

When Apostle Paul started preaching Christ after his conversion, no brother or sister was ready to accept him. Everyone was suspicious of his claims, considering how ardent he was, in persecuting the church. Barnabas accepted him and led him to the apostles. Indeed, perfect love cast out fear (1st John 4:18). A man with a sweet spirit is a great encourager. He does not focus on the negatives, but majors on the positives. Paul had a great ministry, yet he needed someone to spur him on. Others shunned him, yet Barnabas carried him around.

When Apostle Paul started preaching, he was saved from the Jews, who were lying in wait to kill him. He later went back to Tarsus apparently to go into his tent business. Barnabas, as a man of love went to Tarsus, to get him back into ministry. Act 11:25 KJV” Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul”: Barnabas was indeed a friend that stuck closer than a brother. Are you putting people down or helping them in every way to reach their destinies?

At a point in their ministry Barnabas wanted to give John Mark an opportunity to proof his faithfulness. Paul was a no-nonsense man and would not take any weakness from John Mark. This difference of opinions is what led to their separation. (Acts 15:37–39) You can be a man of consolation.

PRAYER

Father I pray you touch the hearts of every child of God, stirring up a spirit of consolation to urge up God’s work to advance greatly.

FURTHER STUDIES

Acts 11:22 KJV “Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch”.

Acts 12:25 KJV “And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: James 3:17 KJV. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

We continue with the traits of the man with a sweet spirit. In our first discussion we said the man with the sweet spirit is a man of purity, secondly, he is a person of peace. Our third point as stated in our key scripture is that, he is gentle. Some of the synonyms for gentle are, mild, fair, suitable, appropriate, moderate and patient. Such a one is moderate or better still he is self-controlled. Respect for others is the motivation for gentleness towards them. The gentle man is very thoughtful of others. He is not a man pleaser but seeks to give each person the best that is due him or her.

The next trait of the man with a sweet spirit is that he is easy to be in treated, that is, he has an understanding ear. He does not just hold to his stance. He critically analyzes the views of other parties against his own, and when he realizes the other party’s view is right, he accepts it.  A man of a sweet spirit is a man of peace. We must always fight for the common good of all that we may be dealing with, and not seek our own advantage. Easy to be intreated also means easily obeying.

Our opening scripture adds that the man with a sweet spirit is full of mercy. Mercy is the ability to pardon or overlook a wrong action or a mistake especially when the person requests for it. Micah 6:8 says that, what the Lord requires of us and that which is good, is to do justly and to love mercy. People who are very critical and judgmental normally, do not have mercy and so do not obtain mercy. (Matt 5:7). King Saul was so judgmental and was ready to kill his own son Jonathan for eating some honey, not knowing his father had made a rule that no one should eat. (1st Samuel 14:1-44) There was no mercy on him when he was disobedient. Have mercy on others.

CONFESSION

I have a sweet spirit.

I act selflessly always. I am gentle or very moderate with all persons. I am also easy to be intreated. I get along very well with most people.

FURTHER STUDIES

Colossians 3:12 KJV” Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering”;

Colossians 3:14 KJV” And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”