REST is an expression of faith and total trust in God.

To live victoriously is to always overcome, always conquer, to always prevail, to triumph always, to win all the time. A life of perpetual victory is possible and expected for a Christian because of the finished work of Christ.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!”

When we go round mountains instead of speaking to them directly, when we are not specific about what we want, we seem like a young man who goes before his wealthy earthly father, showering him with encomiums.. “daddy, I know that you are very wealthy, you own company A BC, you own a fleet of …..cars, you are rich, generous and kind, blablabla”. I believe that at some point, this rich, generous and kind father will interrupt this young man with a ‘what do you want’?

Welcome!

This is the 11th and concluding part of this study. I encourage you to read up on the Helmet of Salvation in Part 3, the Breastplate of Righteousness in Parts 4 and 5, the Belt of Truth in Part 6, the Shoes of Peace in Part 7, the Shield of Faith in Part 8, the Sword of the Spirit in Part 9 and Praying in the Spirit in Part 10.

The study text ….. Ephesians 6: 13-18….

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints”
Ephesians 6:13‭-‬18 NKJV

Brethren, let us be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Let us stay conscious of the whole armor of God at all times and in this confidence stand firmly in the victory Christ already won for us.

Thank you so much for joining me on this study. It was quite revealing for me, I gained better clarity on this portion scripture than the first time I wrote on it on the blog few years ago. Thank You Lord!

For the remaining part of 2020, I will be starting a new study series; “3 Essential Elements for Victorious Christian Living (Love, Faith and Hope)”. We have over the past few months laid the foundation for these 3 elements on different study days on the blog. In this study therefore, we will be looking at how each of these elements help us live victoriously as Christians.

Also, in January 2021 I will be doing a study on “Wisdom for Influence“. ‘Wisdom for Influence’ is a topic the Lord dropped in my heart several months ago, long before I started on “The Whole Armor of God“. This is going to be a blessing.

I have written quite some notes on these 2 topics. So please join me every Friday as we study the Word together. We will be taught of the Lord!

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Love Always

Grace

Which is how even I (Grace) became light. I am light. And you too are light (having been born of God). A city set on a hill. That brings illumination to the world around. A light that cannot be hidden, put under a basket or extinguished by darkness (John 1:5, Luke 11:33). We bring hope to our environment and beyond. We are embodiment of knowledge, wisdom, counsel, might, and understanding. We have the Spirit of God, imputed and imparted in us by the life of light. 

Good Seed Sown on Good Soil is one article I will not forget in a hurry. Yes it is an anointed and edifying piece, but more importantly I encountered Jesus differently during it’s writing. All of a sudden, in the middle of my writing, I was seated right at the feet of Jesus as He taught on the Parable of the Sower. It was as though I was writing the blogpost as Jesus taught. How long this lasted, I do not know, my period of awareness was very brief, what I remember is jumping out of my seat and almost running out of my patio as soon as I realized what I just experienced.

I also remember my early days of blogging. One night, I’d written for such a long time, well past my bedtime. My entire household had gone to bed and yet I had so much more to write. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulders and I heard Jesus say; ‘Grace, go to sleep, there’s so much more for you to write‘.

Just like the Bible recorded that Mary kept her experiences with young Jesus to heart (Luke 2:19), I keep these experiences in my heart. I trust and follow The Lord to where He is leading me. One thing these encounters do for me though is they assure me that I am not alone. The Lord Is My Helper!!!

What has God called you to do? In your career, your community, your family, your school environment, or your ministry. Does it sometimes seem daunting or almost overwhelming? Do you sometimes wish you had more support than opposition from people? Never forget as a Child of God that you are not alone. The Lord is your Helper.

“Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice. [Acts 18:10.] Behold, all they who are enraged and inflamed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; they who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you but shall not find them; they who war against you shall be as nothing, as nothing at all. For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!”
Isaiah 41:10‭-‬13 AMPC

Hebrews 13:1-6 is a call for Christians to exhibit Godly conducts in their dealings by being hospitable, charitable and contented rather than being covetous or vainly. Verses 5 and 6 particularly zeros in on being content with what one has. Not a sense of contentment that is prideful, vainful or arrogant, but that which is confident of the Lord’s presence and help…

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
Hebrews 13:5‭-‬6 NKJV

Yeah, the Lord Himself has said; “I will never leave you nor forsake you“. I pray you read this over and over to yourself until you understand the weight of what is being said…. The Lord will Never leave nor forsake You, He is Your Helper!!! Be confident of this. Halleluyah!

Jesus never forgot who and whose He was while on earth, He always referenced the Father’s ability and influence at work in Him (John 14:10, John 10:25, John 8:38).

Jesus understood that no ordinary man can fulfil purpose and deliver on a given divine mandate on earth without a divine help and presence (John 5:19, John 5:30). Oh! that’s why after completing His own mission, He did not leave us alone, no, He took permanent residence in us; sending us the Holy Spirit; our Helper.

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever”
John 14:16 AMP

So you don’t need to see Jesus physically, it’s His prerogative how He manifests Himself to anyone. However, you can be sure of this; God is for you, God is with you and God is in you.

Oh! You are not alone. No, the Lord is Your Helper. Yes, you can boldly declare, shout and scream- …….what can man do to me? Nothing.

We are safe in the Father’s unconditional and everlasting love.

Halleluyah!!!

“Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently say, “The Lord is my Helper [in time of need], I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”
Hebrews 13:5‭-‬6 AMP

actually when we pray to the Father “in Jesus name”, we are saying ‘we come in Jesus’s name’, we are making our request on Jesus’s authority. We are saying ‘Jesus sent us’. We go in the name of Jesus.

In this season of Thanksgiving, let us remember the poor in our midst; in our workplaces, neighbourhoods, communities, etc..

“For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.”
Deuteronomy 15:11 NKJV

There Is A Lazarus At Your Gate was published midyear 2016. I trust that it will bless you.

…………….

A Good Nigerian felt empathy for a beggar she saw on her way to work each morning. She thought to herself that this guy is not exactly handicapped in anyway, he had complete and functional limbs. The only obvious limitation was that he limped on crutches on one leg….”He could at least operate a sewing a machine’, she thought.

So one day, she stopped by this beggar and offered to buy him a sewing machine as well as sponsor him to learn sewing at a Tailoring Outfit. But to her surprise, the guy turned down the offer, preferring his begging job to gaining tailoring skills!

That is not the beggar described in Luke 16: 19-21

“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table.” (The Maxwell Leadership Bible).

That portion of scripture does NOT also refer to the beggar I saw on my way to work one morning fully engrossed in straightening out and counting notes of money most likely accrued from the previous day’s ‘job’. Like a male lizard, he has defined his begging territory and all other beggars in the neighborhood knew the boundary! I could see no obvious limiting deformity on him to necessitate his chosen career.

It is a bad thing to be unable to provide for your basic needs and resort to begging, nobody wants to be in that state. But it is worse to be the beggar with generalized body sores that are obviously open and have become nesting spots for flies.

I can admire dogs from afar but please don’t give one to me as a gift! All attempts by my children to convince me to buy a puppy as pet have continuously failed. They have my blessings to build dog house(s) in their personal homes as adults and grow as many dogs as they like. Only thing is, nobody should expect me to come over for ‘Omugwo’ (babysitting) except all dogs are nicely chained out of sight! 🙂

So maybe you can appreciate my difficulty with understanding how one can be so poor, sick and disabled to the point that dogs licked his sores. If Lazarus had a phobia for dogs like I do, then he must have been further tortured with each lick…..

I have not seen a beggar in such deplorable state of health as Lazarus in my entire life. Oh! but I have certainly seen poor widows struggling with 2 kids without a husband around to help and they celebrate a $10 gift as though they won a lottery.

I have come across a young lady with 2 preteens and a toddler, who helps working mums with grocery shopping for a small fee, just to make ends meet because her husband has just suffered a temporary setback at work. Any additional money she receives just lightens her mood.

I have been in a group where a sick, homeless, and sexually abused teenage boy is picked off the streets and given hope, improved health and better outlook on life.

I have come across young women almost walking naked to Church either because they cannot afford or would not buy decent clothing to cover up properly and find that they can actually dress decently if someone provides decent clothing for them. I have met the brother whose wife is about to go in for a surgery and they have no money. He becomes more confident in his faith in God to provide when a surprising credit alert hits his bank account from a brethren.

I have met the woman whose baby died in-utero and as if that was not bad enough, the doctors tell her she needs to have a C-Section to deliver the fetus! Not only does she not have the money for the surgery, she is at the brink of becoming depressed just thinking about her ordeal. Her faith is encouraged when someone stands in the gap for her in prayer to expel the dead fetus without surgery and also help clear her hospital bill.

I have also met the father of 2 who is looking for assistance with his children’s fees, only for me to realize that the fees for the 2 kids is more than $20.

I have met some young men, fully dedicated to church activities and growing daily in their knowledge of God, but who sometimes have a little challenge paying their transport fares to church. They need to continue hearing God’s word to properly apply their faith for a more secured future!

There is a Lazarus at your gate!! Have you located him/her?

If every rich or ‘comfortable’ member of a Church can identify (by God’s spirit and leading) 5-10 ‘Lazarus” in their sphere or circle, the Church will make more impact. You don’t really have to write a letter to your leader or Pastor indicating your interest to support a family except it is absolutely necessary. Identify a family (or persons) to support and over time you build confidence in them that they can come to you for help or assistance.

Do you really need an addition to the fleet of car parked in your garage? Do you really need to buy another shade of yellow purse when the one you have can still pass?

A lady sent utter shock down my spine one day when she shamelessly mentioned in a salon that the weavon on her hair cost nothing less than $1000!! Only $5 from that money can turn someone’s life around for good.

The reason Lazarus was located at the rich man’s gate was because those that dropped him there knew the rich man had the required resources to help him.

You can help someone today and that someone is located at your gate (around you).

I have some very ‘uncommon’ friends in church. They are not in the very rich and affluent class. And no, they are not ‘the designer bags carrying crew’ neither are they ‘the SUV display group’. They are the people that are always excited to see me because last month or last 2 months, they received a heart warming gift from me and their gratitude have not expired.  I love to see this group always!!!     Infact, one time the devil missed his bus stop and stopped in my neigbourhood with some strange sickness. This group automatically became a prayer team for me. They called, they prayed and they prayed. Again I say, I love this group!!

Reminds me of the story of Dorcas in Acts 9:36-40.

“At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was FULL of good works and CHARITABLE deeds which she did. But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the WIDOWs stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed . And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise”. And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up”  (New King James Version).

Do you not want the fame and experience of Dorcas?

I love it.

May God help us all.

Except otherwise stated, all Bible quotations are from The Maxwell Leadership Bible. And N199 corresponds to $1 as at the time of publishing. 

The special anointing/power you require to function in the 5-fold ministry gifts is given by the Holy Spirit; This Special anointing with the Holy Spirit is what prepares us for every good work/service.
Jesus gave authority to His disciples to function on earth. So we have both power and authority to act..