Don’t let the enemy steal your faith. Just like a soldier’s shield, position/keep the Word of God always before you.
Alternatives to faith will deny you the opportunity to experience the supernatural and rob you of a full joy.
Take that faith leap, endure the temporary pain or discomfort, alternatives will only keep delaying your miracle.
This new week, wait on the Lord. Trust Him. Trust Him, in your job, career, studies, business, relationships, etc. And may that trust breed faith in you, fully anchored on hope and expectancy, to take God-inspired actions, that are sustained by patience, endurance and active persistence. Victory is inevitable!
First Timothy chapter 6 is an admonition from Apostle Paul to shun ungodliness which is often expressed as strife, disputes, contentions, evil desires and pride. To rather pursue and embrace righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
Godliness with Contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6).
Servants are to honor and respect their masters; whether believing or unbelieving. Teachers are to teach wholesome doctrines that are in accordance with godliness.
Verse 12 of 1 Timothy 12 is not just an admonition; it is a command. A command to fight the good fight of faith, laying hold on eternal life.
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
I Timothy 6:12 NKJV
My interest is on ‘lay hold on eternal life’.
To ‘lay hold of’ means to clench, cling to, clutch, catch, grasp, seize, to take and hold something, to understand something.
Eternal life means everlasting life, never ending life, never perishing, life more abundantly, continuous life, endless life.
If you have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, you have eternal life (John 3:15-16). And the purpose of this life is to keep you in the covenant, in constant uninterrupted fellowship with God (1 John 1:1-3, John 6:54-58), to keep you safe from the Destroyer (John 10:28); safe to live and enjoy all that pertains to life and godliness available to you through Christ Jesus (2 Peter 1:3).
Ungodliness and evil desires are evil, and they emanate from the evil One whose sole agenda is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).
It is unlikely to be clinging, clenching, holding fast, grasping or holding firmly to eternal life (in fellowship and total surrender to God) and to still be drowned in strife, disputes, contentions, perdition, quarrels and all forms of ungodliness.
And because this life is endless and continuous, those who have it and remain fully plugged into it, can live perpetually in godliness and contentment, away from all expressions of evil.
It also is very unlikely that you’ll die before you are ready if you keep confessing and muttering “I have life and life more abundantly, God’s life, Zoe life, ….. the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the grave is in me and continually pumps life to every part of my body”.
“We have to fight to keep our faith. Try as hard as you can to win that fight. Take hold of eternal life. It is the life you were chosen to have when you confessed your faith in Jesus—that wonderful truth that you spoke so openly and that so many people heard.“
1 Timothy 6:12 ERV
Happy Monday…
Have a most blessed week
Love Always ❤
A Vessel of Honor and Grace is a person embodying a particular quality, attribute, trait, gift or talent for the service of God and the benefit of mankind, who receives and communicates only the wisdom and counsel of God derived from the Word and the Spirit. Any disciple of Jesus Christ can become this vessel
Our Monthly Newsletter is a rich repository of refreshing and inspirational publications on the blog from the immediate past month, praise reports and a preview of upcoming events for the coming months.
I have never seen a man more audacious and unconventional than Jesus Christ. With almost every encounter with the leaders and ‘teachers’ of His time, he appeared to intentionally pull down highly revered and enshrined traditions of his people. Little wonder the people stopped at nothing to eliminate him. His claim of being the Messiah didn’t even help matters. He neither looked nor acted like anything their imagination of a Messiah should be.
Jesus’s problem wasn’t with the people as much as it was with their disrespect for the law of God. He loved the people but not their acts. The people had become quite skilled in twisting and turning every part of the law to drive their personal ambitions. Worst still, they lived nothing like the law they so easily reeled out for others to follow and obey.
Truth was, Jesus didn’t come to earth to gain cheap popularity. He had a mission to accomplish. Upsetting existing man-made systems and traditions wasn’t a big deal for Him. He knew the people, probably more than they knew themselves. Explaining why he so easily thwarted every trick and stunts they tried to pull on Him.
Jesus was settled in His identity, mission and purpose. He knew that seeking a consensus or validation would ultimately deter Him from doing the unpopular things required to deliver on His mandate. Did the people think Jesus was arrogant and not humble? Your guess is as good as mine.
Do you want to accomplish your God-given purpose in God’s way? Stop seeking cheap popularity. And definitely, stop looking for validation from wrong quarters.
Be settled in your purpose, walk closely with the Holy Spirit, be full of faith, patience and endurance. And be vigilant to identify your God-sent helpers as well as agents on a contrary and opposing mission ❤
Be of good cheer, Jesus is in you
Prayer is conversation, communication and fellowship with God borne out of love and with a consciousness of what God has already done in the sacrifice of His son Jesus.
It is important we understand that the effectiveness or efficacy of prayer doesn’t have much to do with it’s length, how often we pray, or the intensity of our shout but rather it is our faith in God and His word that matters (Hebrews 11:6). Importantly effective prayers must be in line with God’s will, plan and purpose for us.
Talking about length of Prayer, Jesus was a bit disappointed that Peter, and the other 2 disciples couldn’t pray with Him for at least an hour(Matthew 26:40). While this doesn’t in anyway mean that God doesn’t have ears for shorter prayers, it might guide minimum time spent in prayer.
And ofcourse we remember Jesus’ story of the widow who wearied a king with repeated request for same thing (Luke 18:5). So praying about one thing over and over may not guarantee it will receive the expected response, but praying without ceasing is an admonition from scripture we don’t want to forget in a hurry (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Below are five guides for effective prayer.
“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 6:18 NKJV
Summarily, we have a Father who is willing and able to meet all our requests. This is our confidence.
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
I John 5:14 NKJV
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Thank you so much Ada for your article. Indeed, prayer is a life saving skill every Christian should learn. As you rightly pointed out effective prayers are those prayed in the Spirit and according to the Word offered with thanksgiving and in the name of Jesus.
God bless you Ada.
Friends, a few years ago, someone wrote us on Talk With Grace Obomanu, my online Christian Counseling platform on Facebook asking why God hasn’t answered his prayers. Our response to him is shared here …….Why Hasn’t God Answered Me? Be blessed.
Remember you can now publish on Grace Obomanu Blog (under the Christian Life Saving Skills Category). Simply email your articles to graceobomanu@gmail.com. Together we are making known the Beauty and Benefits of our Belief, thereby giving others the opportunity to believe too. That is what the Father’s Business is all about.
Love Always
Grace Obomanu.
There is always a temptation to hurriedly get to the top, become the recognized owner of a building or an enterprise, to establish a presence, make a name, become known. Nothing wrong with that really, if we are moving at God’s speed and if we have a solid foundation (in God).
Going forward, please expect to read highlights of all published articles for the previous month, praise reports and a preview of upcoming events for the next month from this site.
