My prayer, my heart cry. My honest desire and hope. All of YOU in me, Jesus.

Every self erased. No hurt harboured, no bitterness, resentment, anger, pain, envy, jealousy. No place in me for the expression of self and carnality. All of YOU Jesus.

All of Your love. All of Your faith. All of your passion and commitment to the Father’s Business. All of Your grace.

All of Your peace. All of the healing You bought for me. All of Your manifest provision and abundance, to accomplish the job You have entrusted to my care. That Your people may know You Jesus. And that they may know the Father. That they may appreciate the dept of Your great love with which You loved them. That they may find hope, love and peace in You. All of You Jesus. Until my job is done.

Done, dusted and delivered fully. Nothing left undone. Done in good health and strength, because the number of my days have been set by You; nothing and no one can change it. I am kept safe in the Father through You Jesus. You renew my youth like the eagle’s. My Lord and Saviour.

Gold, gold, pure gold, that’s how I am coming out. Pure gold, refined by the Master Himself. Fit for purpose. Built to last. Unrestrained, unstoppable, undeterred, undaunted and yet meek and lowly.

All of YOU in me Jesus. All of YOU❤

You know, as I thought about the uneventful ‘disappearance’ of the poisonous serpents, I realized that actually that is how life problems ‘pass away’ as we move our focus away from life’s troubling issues and rightfully fix them on Jesus and His Word.

The Word of God does not change because of our situations, circumstances or experiences. But the Word of God can change our situations, circumstances and experiences.

Hello there,

Welcome to the 3rd and final part of this series. In Part 1 and Part 2, we teased out 4 forms of weights that can potentially stop us from making it to the finish line in our race of faith….

1. Bitterness resulting from unearned hostility.
2. Resentment resulting from chastening. 
3. Unbelief resulting from Godlessness
4. Strife resulting from unguided envy and jealousy. 

Ofcourse a lot more other things can be added to this list. We’ve mainly focused on Hebrews 12. 

In this concluding part, we consider how to lay these weights aside. 

Our reference scripture again is Hebrews 12, with emphasis on verses 1 and 2…

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 

You know, Hebrews 12:1-2 doesn’t just tell us to watch out for weights (lifestyles, choices, actions, etc) which can slow us down in our race of faith. Fully embedded in those 2 verses of scripture are also what we must do to finish our race of faith.

1. Strip off the weights
2. Take your eyes off the weights and all they represent
3. Look forward; fix your eyes on Jesus as you run towards the finish line
4. Run your race with endurance and active persistence
5. Win the race; win the crown. 

Let’s discuss these below; 

Strip off the Weights

Four easy steps to stripping off anything will include;

1. detach, disconnect or remove the thing
2. drop it
3. step away from it
4. move on. 

Many times we just read and quote “looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith”.  Well, Jesus is definitely the Author and Finisher of our faith, but I doubt that anyone can sustain the kind of gaze spoken of in Hebrews 12:2 with weights fully strapped on. And if we convince ourselves that we’ve dropped these weights but don’t direct our focus on the right thing, we might also end up moving in circles. 

So, drop the weights and look forward (unto Jesus). It is impossible to be looking forward and backward at the same time. 

Somebody says, ‘Grace, you say that like it’s easy’. Well, I believe that things/people/situations are only as important as we make them. Selah!  

Now there are 2 main players around the weights we’ve listed…. God and other people.  Godlessness and unbelief point to our relationship with God, while bitterness and strife point to our relationship with other people. So the obvious solutions would be; embrace God, embrace other people. 

Embrace God, Your Purpose & Calling 

The primary reason God created man was for fellowship. Fellowship with Him first and then fellowship (friendly association) with other people of similar interests. And of course, everyone is created to fulfill a specific purpose in this life. We find that purpose in the creator, ….in God. Embrace God, your purpose and calling. That is a key way to ‘look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of Our Faith‘.  

Common antonyms for unbelief are belief and faith. Faith comes through the Word of God…..

“‘So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” Romans 10:17 NKJV. 

Meaning that the more we expose ourselves to the Word of God, the more successful we are at pushing away unbelief and Godlessness. Prayer, worship and service in the house of the Lord are also ways we build our relationship with God. Thanksgiving is a big deal. It is a faith booster and builder. Let our mouths never be void of thanksgiving and testimonies. 

“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe” Hebrews 12:28 

If you’re still trying to answer the question; What Is My Purpose In Life? Stay with God, Your Maker, it will become clearer. But while you’re at it, stay busy with the Father’s Business. The “Father’s Business” is simply to help others Know the Father, Believe the Father and Follow the Father through faith in Jesus Christ.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Matthew 28:19‭-‬20 NKJV

Walk in Love

Agape love is the antidote to strife, hatred, envy, jealousy, and all forms of expressions of carnality towards another Believer or person. My latest article on agape love, coined from 1 Corinthians 13 is titled ‘How Do You Love?’ 

I am still being blessed by that blog post. So I encourage you to read it. 

“But I say, walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts]” Galatians 5:16 AMP 

A major hindrance to expressing agape is the spirit of unforgiveness.  One of my recent YouTube videos, discusses in very simple terms; 5 Secrets to Taming The Spirit of Unforgiveness

“Continually pursue peace with everyone, and the sanctification without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14.  AMP

“Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered him, “I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven” Matthew 18:21-22 AMP. 

Going by Matthew 18:21-22, forgiving people should be a lifestyle for every Christian. But I am also quickly reminded of Mark 9:43 and 1 Timothy 6:5..

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— “ Mark 9:43 NKJV

“..useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.” I Timothy 6:5. NKJV

So while we forgive and walk in agape, there are associations, people, places and things we must cut off and withdraw from. If there is anyone, anything or any place that continually remains a source of the weights we’ve discussed in this study, cut them off and/or withdraw from them. 

“Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.“
Proverbs 26:20 NKJV 

And if you are reading this and you think you’ve been operating as a source of weights to another Believer, you can stop today. Stop being a tool in the hand of the enemy. When the devil tries to sow the seed of discord and defilement among brethren through you, recognize immediately that his purpose still remains to steal, kill and destroy. 

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.
Mark 9:42 NKJV

Resist the devil and he’ll flee….

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7 NKJV

Grab Your Faith Enablers

People talk about faith extenders/enablers, well, here are my 3 critical support for our faith walk; hope, patience/endurance and active persistence. 

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”  Hebrews 11:1  NKJV

“Think about Jesus. He patiently endured the angry insults that sinful people were shouting at him. Think about him so that you won’t get discouraged and stop trying”  Hebrews 12:3 ERV 

You know, the picture in my head of active persistence is like pushing through a resistance. Pushing steadily, purposefully and with determination to win. To win, we need to be geared to do ‘active persistence’ everyday!  

Brethren, we are in a race. Our faith walk is a race. We are walking towards maturity and perfection, and towards our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, towards a crown. No beating the air, no distractions, no unnecessary weights, baggage or bandages. We are set in our tracks, we run purposefully and with determination and We Win!  We Have To Win. Halleluyah!!! 

Take a look below (Hebrews 12:22-24) at the crowd awaiting our arrival at the finish line….they are waiting to celebrate us…..

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels [in festive gathering], and to the general assembly and assembly of the firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to God, who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect [bringing them to their final glory], and to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant [uniting God and man], and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks [of mercy], a better and nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which cried out for vengeance].”
Hebrews 12:22‭-‬24 AMP 

Thank You Father for this Word. Thank You.

And thank you dear for staying with me through this study. I believe that it blessed you, just the way it blessed me. 

Stay Blessed, In The Word and In The Covenant. 

Love Always. 

I want to believe some persons have gone past the initial crippling and tormenting feeling of fear COVID-19 ushered in. Question now is; what next? What are we doing with all the faith we mustered?

I want to believe some persons have gone past the initial crippling and tormenting feeling of fear COVID-19 ushered in. Question now is; what next? What are we doing with all the faith we mustered?

we can wake up each morning and mourn over the things we’d like to be different or we can be like God our Father; create the world we desire by saying ‘Let There Be’. Find out how to do that effectively in this blog post.

we can wake up each morning and mourn over the things we’d like to be different or we can be like God our Father; create the world we desire by saying ‘Let There Be’. Find out how to do that effectively in this blog post.

The Bible describes Stephen as a man full of faith, the Holy Spirit and power (Acts 6:5,8). Looking at the event that earned Stephen a mention in the Acts of the Apostles, one can also safely say that Stephen was a man of integrity and he had a good reputation. Stephen was a trustworthy disciple. 

It is only a loving, compassionate and merciful Jesus that would put a dubious untrustworthy Judas Iscariot in charge of the purse. Most organisations (majority actually) will only trust their storehouse and strong room to people whose integrity have been proven beyond every reasonable doubt…like Stephen.  The Apostles applied a similar principle in deciding who took charge of the storehouse. 

Division of labor makes for efficiency and effectiveness. The Apostles understood that a Jack of all trade, ends up mastering none. Having identified their own trade; to minister the Word and to pray (Acts 6:2), it would be a total distraction to engage in serving tables. Serving tables would mean the Apostles distributing food from the storehouse to the teeming multitudes that embraced and followed the Word daily. The Apostles didn’t think it wise to take on that role,  that’s how Stephen (and the other 6) showed up (Acts 6: 1-7)

It is interesting how Stephen stood out from the larger pack and also from the smaller group of 7. Why Stephen?

According to Acts 6:8, Stephen didn’t merely hand out food and goods to people, he served full of faith, the Holy Spirit and power. The Bible records that Stephen performed signs and wonders among the people. He spoke the Word as he served. Some Jews who attempted to challenge Stephen’s confidence and conviction as he discharged his duties collapsed when they came head-on with the untold measure of wisdom which Stephen operated in (Acts 6:10).

Stephen was committed to the good work of the Kingdom; serving the people by the Word. And as a result of the commitment of the Apostles (and Stephen) in serving the Word, the number of disciples increased.

“The word of God was reaching more and more people. The group of followers in Jerusalem became larger and larger. Even a big group of Jewish priests believed and obeyed.“
Acts 6:7 ERV

Now, this is not exactly good news if you are in the opposition. If you are part of the kingdom that Stephen and the Apostles depleted their membership on a daily basis you are unlikely to be happy. The Opposition weren’t. Each passing day, they watched members of their fold drift into Stephen’s fold. Even their Jewish priests and leaders migrated as well, abandoning their traditional clinging to the teachings of Moses and their God. As far as they could see, it wasn’t really that this Stephen (and the Apostles) were powerful, they didn’t seem like powerful men. But somehow, people kept being drawn by what they said and the miracles that followed. Hundreds of people were persuaded and convinced by the words of the disciples of Jesus.

So they thought, ‘if they could stop this word from spreading further, this ugly and embarrassing situation  would be brought under control’. The opposition wasted no more time, they swung into action, falsely accusing and charging Stephen with blasphemy with the intention to kill him, get him off the scene, terrify the rest of the disciples and silence the Word. (Sounds to me like the same setup that got Jesus crucified). 

Oh! They succeeded in their plot against Stephen (Acts chapter 7). They stoned him to death.

Questions:

1. Where were the Apostles and the other Disciples at this time?
2. How did they feel about Stephen’s gruesome murder?
3. Where was Peter the rock? Couldn’t Peter raise Stephen back to life?
4. As a man of the Spirit and power, couldn’t Stephen resist being killed?
5. Oh! and where was Jesus when his faithful servant was being tortured and murdered in cold blood? Where was Jesus?. After all, it’s because of Jesus Stephen got killed. Maybe Stephen would still be alive if he chose to only quietly serve The Lord without being so outspoken and provocative to the Jews? 

Questions, questions and yet more questions…….

Just before Stephen was killed, he located Jesus; standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56).  In that instant, all the pains Stephen felt through his ordeal were gone. The Heavens were opened and Jesus has been watching over him, the whole of Heaven was with him, nothing else mattered. Romans 14:8 was true….

“For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” NKJV

As Jesus watched Stephen matyred, He knew what it was like to suffer this way for the purpose of the gospel. Heaven had reacted this way when He was crucified.

That day, there was quietness and calm in the disciples’ camp. People cried, wept and grieved for Stephen. There was fear, despair and maybe doubt. Stephen was deeply mourned and buried well (Acts 8:2). The Church at Jerusalem faced persecution after persecution and yes, all the multitudes (excluding the Apostles) were scattered throughout Judea & Samaria. Oh! but they didn’t abandon the Word, in fact the Word spread faster like wildfire. Everywhere the disciples were scattered to, they went with the Word and wouldn’t stop talking about it (Acts 8:4).

So, instead of destroying the Church, the persecutions further propagated the gospel. This reminds me of what Jesus said in John 12:24.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” NKJV

Brethren, what can separate us from the love of God? Persecutions? Hurts? Offence? I hope your response reads….NOTHING. The Word we have received should not stop with us, no, we should stay committed to propagating it everywhere. 

Heaven is open and Jesus Christ is standing at the right hand of the Father watching over us ?

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” 
Romans 8:35 NKJV

Persecution against our belief in Jesus Christ will come. Truth is that “..all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Persecutions ultimately aim to steal our steal our faith in the Word, cause us to stumble and to scatter. If we don’t even recognize and properly categorize them as persecutions, we’d cave. 

Earlier today, I had a very strong impression in my heart to prophesy over my family. The contents of the prophecy were very clear to me, I could clearly see everything I needed to prophesy about, the words to say were running through my mind, I felt a strong sense of confidence in every word.  Arnold my husband was right beside me trying to get some sleep, the urge to start speaking was getting stronger, but then something was missing….and I will tell you what that is in a bit.

Thirty minutes earlier, Arnold and I had agreed we needed to nap….Sunday siesta! 🙂 The sermon today was good; Arnold loves governance and politics so the preacher got his full attention, well almost fully. One time, the preacher gave a rhetoric command; ‘rise up and be the voice of reason’, Arnold jerked up from his head bent position, almost standing to his feet. Only wisdom stopped him from jumping up and screaming ‘yes preacher‘. His slowness in awakening from his short nap gave him sufficient time to look around and find that everyone else was seated.

We both needed to sleep, last night was a business night, we had some sleep deficit to catch up on. Additionally, we’d booked an appointment to listen to a younger chap share his passion about a business idea…this was due in an hour…

But I wasn’t sleeping, the words of the prophecy kept running through my mind as I partly thought, ‘well I can do it during our prayer time’, besides Arnold seemed asleep now. But then I heard in my spirit; ‘the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth, …the word of faith‘

Oh! I thought, ‘word, ….faith….prophecy…….

I quickly grabbed my Bible and located Romans 10:8.

“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:8‭-‬9 NKJV.

The first time I heard the concept of faith in Christianity explained was almost 2 decades ago, that would be from Hebrews 11. As you can imagine, there has been countless other times. Today, as I read Romans 10:8-9, my understanding of faith improved.

What do we have in Romans 10:8-9?

This scripture describes the steps for becoming a born-again Christian. But that’s not all. It provides the layout for a victorious Christian living founded on the kingdom principle of faith.

“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:8‭-‬9 NKJV

Becoming born again is simple; you listen to the good news and allow it create a picture in your mind, believe what you heard and believe the picture created in your heart, then confess (with your mouth) that what you have come to believe is so, and hey, you have it! You are born again, Praise God!!! 

Hearing the good news alone is not faith {It’s part of the process}

Conceiving the good news alone is not faith {It’s part of the process}

Speaking about the good news alone without fully believing it, is not faith {It’s just part of the process}.

Faith=Conceive it+ Believe it + Speak it + Receive it. 

This principle of faith is succinctly described in Romans 10: 15

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? NKJV

Let’s flip Romans 10:15 from bottom up;

Send a preacher out to preach so that people can hear the good news, believe it and then call on (confess) Him. 🙂

To say to a mountain ‘move‘ is not enough to make it move. There is a ……..’does not doubt in his heart‘,  a …..’believes what he says will happen‘,  before a ……’he will have what he says‘ (Mark 11: 23).

Faith=Conceive it+ Believe it + Speak it + Receive it. 

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
James 2:26 NKJV

Hebrews 11:1-3 says;

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God; so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
Hebrews 11:1‭-‬3 NKJV

A substance is tangible, an evidence is evident, so why does the Bible describe them in Hebrews 11 in future and passive terms? hoped for’….’not seen’….

Because the picture is fully created in a person’s mind, the person already believes it, the person has already confessed it and though not yet visible, the person already has it.

Look at Hebrews 11:1-3 again and this time, let’s see something different and interesting…

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God; so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
Hebrews 11:1‭-‬3 NKJV

‘.…for by it the elders obtained a good testimony‘ in the above scripture can mean: 1. The elders are remembered because of their faith or 2. The elders created a testimony for themselves by operating in faith or 3. Both.

I will choose both.

You can become a faith champion by consistently creating your own testimonies obtained and secured through conceiving a thing, believing it, speaking it {plus acting on it} and having it.

I hear people say ‘faith is the Christian currency‘….is that absolutely correct? …….

Right now, if you are thinking like me, the immediate question to be answered is” what can I buy right now with my faith? I mean now! If faith is really this simple, why waste anymore time?

Can we create anything by faith? I mean anything at all…… 

How did the elders do it?

Three scriptures;

“…but without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11: 6

“…By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” Hebrews 11:2

“….”How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? NKJV

The base, setting under, or substrate of faith is The Word of God.

Hearing the word, believing in the existence of God, knowing and believing the word of God are prerequisites to obtaining a good testimony through faith.

So any believing, conceiving, speaking, acting that is not founded on the Word of God is merely a wishful thinking or a positive thinking. It is not faith.

Faith is based on the Word of God.

Oh! but what happens when the object of your faith does not manifest instantly, what do you do?

That’s where the twin brother of faith comes in; HOPE

Faith says ‘it’s done and I receive it, Hope patiently awaits the physical manifestation of the faith object.

Hope, doesn’t let your faith focus slip. Even though it tarries, it shall surely show forth.

Halleluyah!!!

Now back to my story about that prophecy 

I can have those thoughts and words running through my mind all day (and even into another night), and with all the confidence i feel about them bustling in my heart, but until I open my mouth and actually begin to say them out, and say them based on the word of God, nothing is gonna happen. So the moment Arnold turned a bit in his sleep and I established that he was no longer asleep, he got a full release of the words for the season. 

I leave you with an interesting dialogue between Ezekiel and Jehovah…..

“The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then he caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley, and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, Son of man, can these bones live? So I answered , ‘O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live……..So I prophesied as I was commanded and as I prophesied there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them and the skin covered them over over; but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds , O breath and breathe on these slain that they may live. So I prophesies as He commanded me and breath came into them, and they lived and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.” Ezekiel 37: 1-10. NKJV.

The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth.

What are you waiting for? 🙂 ……..Start putting flesh on those bones…….

…………………..

If you’ve been blessed by this or any other publication on this site, your freewill gift can help with running and maintenance charges for this site. Give here.

To continue to be inspired by similar articles as this one from our blog, subscribe here.

You can order the kindle and paperback copies of Grace’s book on healing ‘When the Doctor Says No’ from your local Amazon stores, and a subsidized pdf copy here.

Blessings & Love Always.

Grace Obomanu