Five areas to grow in Grace!

ü  Grace to overcome sin: God’s grace should enable you and empower you to live above sin and not being in bondage to sin. He that commits sin is of the devil and has not known God. Knowing God imparts grace to live above secret and open sins. Romans 6:14,15; Romans 8:2, Titus 2:11-14.

ü  Grace to have your needs met and abundance:  God wants to meet your needs everyday of your life and also use you to meet other people’s needs. You may be small today but God’s grace will bring about increase to your life. Psalm 84:11, Psalm 23:1, 2 Corinthians 8:9, 2 Corinthians 9:8.

ü  Success in whatsoever you do: If you are doing a legitimate work  whether you are selling, buying or you are a career person, the plan of God is that your light will shine brighter with each passing day. God wants you to be the head and not the tail. Daniel 1:3-4, 17-20, Deuteronomy 28:13

ü  Spiritual relevance/exploits: You are God’s ambassador on earth. You are His representative but it takes God’s sufficient grace to walk and live in the reality of who you are in Christ. You are expected to be a deliverer and not being in bondage. God ordained you to be a victor and not a victim. Grow in this grace. Acts 4:33, Mark 16:16-20

ü  Good works: It is God’s desire that you grow in good works. One way to show that you are not poor is that you remain committed to help and give to the poor no matter how small it is. Help orphans, help widows, give to sick people, visit prisoners and help the poor. Proverbs 11:24-25; Proverbs 28:27, Philippians 4:19

GROW IN GRACE

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.”- 2 Peter 3:18

God is gracious God. He is full of grace and He desires that all His children grow in grace. There is little we can achieve without the grace of God but we can depend on God’s sufficient grace to accomplish his purpose on earth and fulfill any assignment he gives to us.

In Psalm 84:11 the Bible says “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” God will give grace and glory to everyone that walks uprightly. Your glory in life is connected to God’s grace upon your life. Grace removes shame. Grace puts an end to reproach. Grace qualifies you. Grace brings about promotion and beauty. Grace lifts you out of the pit and makes you sit among princes. All that we need in life to be different and make lasting impact is God’s grace.

Apostle Paul said  “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”- 1 Corinthians 15:10. He became great by God’s grace. However, he did not abuse God’s grace. He labored, he was committed to his call and assignment, he was hardworking. He trusted in God to bless every of his effort.

Just like Paul you must desire and appropriate God’s grace upon your life. Grace is not license to live a careless live, it is not a permit to continue to live in sin, grace should not be seen as a cover up for a lazy lifestyle. If you must enjoy God’s grace you must believe in him and trust in him for every aspect of your life.

Grace is supernatural enablement to do what you normally will not be able to do. To have God’s grace means to have God’s backing. It is to have God’s hand upon your life. Grace is God’s unmerited favour. The desire of God is that your life today will be better and greater that what it was yesterday. God wants you to be in charge having dominion over sin, satan and all forces of darkness.

If you must experience a change or a forward movement in every area of your life then you must grow in grace and in the knowledge of God.

Next week, I will share with you fives areas of life where everyone ought to grow in grace. GROW IN GRACE.

20 WAYS TO INFLUENCE THE WORLD AS A CHRISTIAN

I mentioned these 20 ways to influence the world as a Christian in my book "ALIVE FOR A PURPOSE" and I am glad to share them with you.

1. Be genuinely born again
2. Develop a consistent fellowship and communion with God (quiet time)
3. Seek to be baptized in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
4. Build up your faith by meditating on the word of God and by speaking in tongues.
5. Serve God in a unit or department in your local Church where you can use your spiritual gifts and talents.
6. Be committed to a life of witnessing and soul winning.
7. Pray and fast regularly.
8. Pray for other nations apart from your country.
9. Pray for countries where the gospel has not been preached.
10. Pray with maps of the world.
11. Pray with the world globe.
12. Adopt a mission field and a missionary and pray for such at your prayer altar.
13. Join a group and go on a short-term mission’s trip to a mission field in your country or outside your country.
14. When you are sick, trust in God and pray for your healing.
15. Consciously pray for the sick and allow God to work through you.
16. Set apart a percentage of your income and send to the mission field regularly
17. Visit the missionary you support on the field to encourage him and also do short-term work on the field.
18. Give sacrificially to the work of God and especially to missions work. Missionaries are working mostly in places where tithes and offerings are insignificant. Many labour on indigenes so as to have indigenous churches. Send money to help the great task.
19. Talk to friends and colleagues about your adopted missionary and mission field.
20. Accept God’s calling if he wants to use you to minister to the poor and live among them.
If you do all these and more as the Holy Spirit inspires you, you will be more fulfilled as a Christian and your joy will be full.( Luke 15:7,10, Luke 10:17, Acts 8:8).

You can add to this list by posting a comment below. THANKS FOR READING.

Seek God Now!

“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near”- Isaiah 55:6

“If my people, on whom my name is named, make themselves low and come to me in prayer, searching for me and turning from their evil ways; then I will give ear from heaven, overlooking their sin, and will give life again to their land.”- 2 Chronicles 7:14

It is an eternal attribute of God to seek man while it is in the nature of man to run from God as a result of the fallen nature he inherited from Adam.

To seek God means to look for God. It means to chase God. It means to pant after God. To have an unquenchable desire to know God and to serve him. To seek God means to mourn over your sinful life, to be unhappy when you fall into sin as a believer. Seeking God means forsaking ones sinful ways and cleaving unto righteousness. It means continually thirst and hunger for the presence of God. Securing His presence means securing His glory and His blessings.

To qualify for the day of the lord you must be a continual God chaser, an addicted God chaser. You must keep turning to God and turning away from sin to make heaven.

Benefits of seeking God (2 Chronicles 26)

ü  Verse 5- Supernatural Prosperity: When you seek God things will go well with you. Uzziah sought the lord and God made him to prosper.

ü  Verse 7-Supernatural help from God: God helped Uzziah against the philistines and the enemies of his Kingdom. When you seek God He will help you. He will deliver you from evil and even make your enemies to be at peace with you.

ü  Verse 8 – Supernatural Provision: The needs of Uzziah were met and God made him to be exceedingly great. When you make seeking God your priority He will meet your needs. Psalm 34:10 says “The young lions are in need and have no food; but those who are looking to the Lord will have every good thing.” God can take you from the pit and make you to sit with the princes.

ü  Verse 10 – Supernatural empowerment for exploits: Uzziah was enabled to build tower and many wells in the desert. Have you been to a desert? How easy it is to make wells in a desert let alone building towers. But with God all things are possible. When you seek God He will enable you to do exploit even in areas where others have failed. Communion with God brings about creativity and excellence. The nature of God rubs on you.

ü  Supernatural Protection: The Good News Version of Psalm 63:8 says “I cling to you and your hands keep me safe” If you cultivate the habit of seeking God then you are safe in His hand. He is our strong tower. He is our refuge. He is the strength of our lives. God delivers His own from evil. He will deliver you.

ü  Supernatural Lifting: God is a specialist in promoting people. When you seek God He lifts you up physically and spiritually. He renews your strength and lifts you up by His everlasting arms. “Lifting the poor out of the dust, and him who is in need out of the lowest place, to give them their place among rulers, and for their heritage the seat of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's and he has made them the base of the world.” – 1 Samuel 2:8

ü  Supernatural peace: All round peace. True peace comes from having relationship with God and cultivating the relationship by active fellowship with the living God. “And all Judah was glad because of the oath, for they had taken it with all their heart, turning to the Lord with all their desire; and he was with them and gave them rest on every side” – 2 Chronicles 15:15

Dangers of not seeking God

Ø  Regret at old age: Regret is waiting for any young person who refuses to seek God in his youthful days. Imagine a young girl who sits in front of a mirror for 30 minutes every day but never spends 10 minutes with her Bible. She is being deceived by her beauty. She has forgotten that she won’t remain young forever. May be her grandmother did the same thing many years back. She should pay a visit to her grandmother now. A young man who rejects God when young might end up reading the Bible with hand lens and fasting twice a week at the age of 60. Spend and be spent for God when you are young.  Ecclesiastes 12:1-14.

Ø  If you don’t seek God, you will need Him one day and He will deny you. “Then he whose seat is in the heavens will be laughing: the Lord will make sport of them.”- Psalm 2:4. A time will come when you will need God and He will laugh at you. I entered the University saved in the year 1999 but due to peer influence and desire for approval I began taking alcohol and attending night parties. I was in a backslidden state. At the end of my first year in the University my grade point average was very low. I came back to my senses and recognized that I couldn't go on without Christ. I rededicated my life to Christ, broke up with unhealthy relationships, chose new friends, became serious and of course He had mercy on me and I graduated in Christ with a good grade. Thank God I took that decision. Some of my friends that time never graduated from the university and some lost their lives.

Ø  Lack and insufficiency: When you don’t seek God you open up yourself to lack of peace, joy and fulfillment. You just discover day by day that something is missing in your life. Until you give your life to Christ and continue to seek Him, you leave a vacuum in your life that only God can fill. Also you lack the creative nature of God and other vital things needed to live a successful life.

Ø  Eternal damnation: “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever.- 1 Chronicles 28:9. If you live your life anyhow on earth without Christ then God will be just to cast you off forever in hell. It is your choice on earth that will determine your eternal destiny.

How to seek God!

You can’t know God by working for Him you will know Him by walking with Him. You will know God by spending time with God on daily basis. Make it a priority to READ, STUDY, MEMORISE, AND MEDITATE on God’s word. Be hungry for God and be thirsty of His presence in your life.

Talk to God again and again. Spend time in PRAYING. You don’t talk to your physical parent just once or twice a day. Talk to God on the job, talk to him in the bus, talk to him in the laboratory, talk to him in the toilet, and let the love in your heart for God flow out freely anywhere and anytime. He is your father. Tell him about your weaknesses. Open up to Him and He will make you. Spend quality time praying in the Spirit.

As a child of God you don’t live in sin habitually but if you mistakenly fall into sin, confess the sin, ask for forgiveness and forsake the sin. Don’t dwell in your vomit, get up, clean up with the blood of Jesus and continue to chase God. Continue to desire to be perfect and holy like Him and His grace will see you through. Jesus Christ is our advocate.

Prayers:

Lord, increase my thirst and hunger for you, your righteousness and your kingdom.

Father, unite my heart with your heart and make it impossible for me to deny you.

Amended version of the Sermon preached at the Youth Fellowship Annual Convention of Christ Life Church, Alakia- Isegun on December 29^th 2008.

HOW TO BE DELIVERED FROM MASTURBATION AND SEXUAL SINS

I remember one day that I fasted and prayed that I should be delivered from masturbation, that same day, I gave in to the flesh and devil and still committed the sin again. I want to share with you how God delivered me and if you follow the same way wholeheartedly you will be delivered from masturbation, any other sexual sin and destructive habits. You can share this write-up with someone who needs it or as a guide to counsel someone if you are not addicted in any way to sexual sin.

Take time to prayerfully read what I am about to share with you. I am praying for you and I know you have the victory already. Sit down with this message alongside with your Bible and make sure you read every Bible passage. YOUR DELIVERANCE WILL COME BY FAITH IN THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST AND NOT BY DETERMINATION.

1. Know that God is not happy with Masturbation. It is a secret sin known only to you, devil and God.

“For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was anything kept secret, but that it should come abroad.”- Mark 4:22.

It is a sin and it is the manifestation of lust in your heart.  “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery .But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”- Matt 5:22-28.

2. Believe that it is possible to be delivered no matter how many years you have been in bondage to the sin of masturbation. Matthew 19:26, Mark 9:23,Mark 10:27,Job 42:2,Luke 18:27.What you don’t believe you can never become.
3. For you to be delivered you must be born-again.

There is need for you to be genuinely born-again. I know from experience that it is possible to be born-again and still be addicted to masturbation and other sins but for your deliverance to be possible you must be saved. When you become saved, you don’t want to commit the sin again and each time you do it you are unhappy and you have guilt in your heart. You must be unhappy with your sinful state as a child of God for you to be delivered. When you become born- again all that you need to live a holy and pure life is already in you. When you do sinful things it is not the real you that is committing the sin. You must live out the real you in Christ by faith. 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 1:12, Ephesians 2:1-8.

4. At the point of Salvation or now you must confess the sin of masturbation in particular to God, ask for His mercy and ask him to deliver you. The confession must be from your heart to God your father who is able to save you.

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”- Prov 28:13

“He who keeps his sins secret will not do well; but one who is open about them, and gives them up, will get mercy. “-Prov 28:13(BBE).

5. Abide in God:  “Thy words have I hid in mine heart,  that I might not sin against thee.”- Psalm 119:11

Psalm 37:31, John 15: 3, 5, John 17:17. The word of God has power to sanctify your heart and make you holy. After you have been saved you must as a matter of necessity abide in God. This means you take your time of fellowship and personal communion with God more important than any church service or any work you are doing for God in the church. You must walk with God consistently before working for God. It is possible for you to be known in the Church or your school fellowship for a lot of things yet living with secret sins. As a matter of importance set a specific time to worship God, read your bible and pray every morning preferably before 5.30am. Spend minimum of 30 minutes. Get a quiet time book where you record the daily lessons, your prayer points, memory verses and any instruction God may give to you. If you don’t spend time with God you can’t live above sin. Sin will keep you away from the Bible but the Bible will keep you away from sins. You can set apart a particular day every week to fast and wait on God. Make fasting part of your life.

6. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. After you become born-again and you confess all your sins and the sins of masturbation in particular, you now have to overcome the sin by FAITH IN CHRIST. It will take your faith to overcome. What do I mean? Seeing yourself the way the Bible sees you, confessing the word of God instead of giving in to depression, you must believe the Bible. According to Romans 6:1-14, when you become born-again and you are baptized in water (WATER BAPTISM IS VERY IMPORTANT, GO AND DO IT IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE IT). You are dead with Christ, dead to sin, alive unto Christ and alive unto resurrection. As a result of your salvation and water baptism, sin no longer has dominion over you because you are no longer living under law but under grace. THIS IS HOW I WAS DELIVERED. WHEN I COMMITTED THE SIN UNWILLINGLY, INSTEAD OF BURYING MY HEAD IN GUILT, I ASKED FOR GOD’S FORGIVENESS AND I STARTED CONFESSING THE WORD OF GOD AS CONTAINED IN ROMANS CHAPTER 6. I TOLD THE DEVIL; THIS IS NOT WHO I AM, I AM GOD’S RIGTEOUSNESS IN CHRIST JESUS, SIN SHALL NOT HAVE DOMINION OVER ME FOR I AM NOT UNDER LAW BUT UNDER GRACE. MASTURBATION I OVER COME YOU IN JESUS NAME. I AM DEAD TO SIN AND ALIVE UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS. I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST THAT STRENGTHENS ME. I KEPT CONFESSING THE WORD INSTEAD OF FEELING GUILTY. ANYTIME I WAS TEMPTED TO DO IT. I REBUKEDTHE DEVIL AND QUOTED THE WORD. I TELL MY FLESH AND THE DEVIL; I AM DEAD TO SIN, I AM DEAD TO MASTURBATON, I DIED WITH CHRIST AND I RESURRECTED WITH HIM UNTO RIGTHEOUSNESS. I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST THAT STRENGHTENS ME. IF YOU FALL INTO THE SIN AGAIN ASK FOR MERCY AND KEEP CONFESSING THE WORD BY FAITH. IF YOU DO THIS FAITHFULLY YOU WILL SEE THE REALITY OF GOD’S WORD IN YOUR LIFE. Read Romans chapters 5, 6 &7 using different versions prayerfully and confess who you really are in Christ every day. Romans 6 gave me the victory. It is not by struggle, it is not by determination, it is not by principle, and it is not by resolution. IT IS BY FAITH IN CHRIST AND WHAT HE HAD ALREADY DONE FOR YOU ON THE CROSS. JUST BELIEVE IT, CONFESS IT EVEN IF WHAT YOU ARE EXPERIENCING AT FIRST IS CONTRARY VERY SOON YOU WILL BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE YOUR TRUE IDENTITY IN CHRIST.( Romans 8:2, Gal 5:18,Rom 12:1-2, Col 3:5,James 4:1, 1Peter 2:24,1 Peter 4:2, Psalm 119:133, 2 Timothy 2:11).
7. CONFIDE IN YOUR SPIRITUAL LEADER: THE POWER OF SECRET SIN IS DESTROYED WHEN IT IS CONFESSEDTO A TRUSTED PERSON OR IN THE PUBLIC. This is another thing that helped me to overcome masturbation. I opened up to my spiritual father. He was my pastor then but more than a pastor. He is a father. Look for somebody that you see regularly who is a father and that you can confide in. The person should be spiritually matured and you should have great respect for that person. The person might not necessary be your pastor. He could be a leader in your church or another church. He might be your colleague but more spiritual than you are.  James 5:16, John 9:31, Proverbs 15:29. The person will be able to pray for you and ask you from time to time how you are doing.
8. WATCH WHAT YOU READ, WATCH, HEAR AND WHERE YOU GO: Destroy the photos of all your past girlfriends, burn CDs that makes you desire sex, stop watching movies that promotes immorality, stop listening to music that makes you feel excited. These are what the bible means when the scriptures says that you should forsake your sins. Break relationship with all sin partners. Watch careful what enters your ear, what you watch with your eyes (internet inclusive, books you read inclusive) and where you go. WHEN YOU ARE ALONE IN YOUR ROOM LEAVE THE DOORS WIDE OPEN, WHEN YOU GO TO THE BATHROOM, DON’T LOCK THE DOOR BUT CLOSE IT. WHEN YOU ARE AT HOME ALONE KEEP YOURSELF BUSY WITH THE WORD OF GOD, PRAYERS OR WATCHING CHRISTIAN MOVIES. WHEN YOU GO TO THE INTERNET USE THE COMPUTER WHERE EVERYONE THAT ENTERS CAN SEE WHAT YOU ARE DOING.RENEW YOUR MIND WITH THE WORD OF GOD. PROVERS 4:20-27.
9. CONTINUE TO SERVE GOD: Don’t allow the devil to stop you from serving God. Continue to put your personal relationship with God as first priority, and then serve God in your church. Seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Speak in tongues everyday for some minutes 15 min, 30min, 1hour or more. As you serve God with commitment He will continue to sanctify you and make you acceptable unto Him. John 15:5-6,Luke 13:7-9
10. NEVER GIVE UP ON GOD, NEVER GIVE UP ON YOURSELF, AND KEEP THANKING GOD FOR YOUR DELIVERANCE, PRACTICE ALL THAT I SHARE WITH YOU. SET YOUR EYES ON HEAVEN AND THE REWARD OF HEAVEN ON DAILY BASIS. YOU ARE DELIVERED IN JESUS NAME. I PROCLAIM YOUR DELIVERANCE IN JESUS NAME. I COMMAND THE DEVIL TO LOOSE HIS GRIP OVER YOUR LIFE AND DESTINY. ENTER INTO YOUR INHERITANCE OF FREEDOM, JOY, PEACE AND PROGRESS IN GOD. COLOSIANS 3: 1-25

 THE DEVIL IS ALWAYS HUNTING A PRECIOUS SOUL. YOU WILL MAKE IT. YOU ARE SO PRECIOUS TO GOD HE CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE YOU TO THE DEVIL. HAVE FAITH IN GOD.

To share your testimonies with me, for further counselling and prayers please write to:

Kunle Adenipekun

B.P 386 BUJUMBURA, BURUNDI

E-mail: adekunleade@yahoo.com

+25771304402

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/kunle.adenipekun

Twitter:@lastingcrown12

MY MISSIONARY CALL

I was at a meeting on April 7, 2001 where I made a decision to release myself for missionary work after listening to an anointed message titled “Salt of the earth”. I got a definite call to serve God as a missionary on February 13, 2007. It was the day I had my first job interview after the one year mandatory service to the country (NYSC). I was planning for the future when God spoke to my heart that he has called me to be a missionary.

I struggled with this inspiration for a while until I had a dream. I saw myself going for an occasion with some people. On approaching the venue I saw a lot of invitees gorgeously dressed so I was eager to get my clothes and look good as well and join the gathering. By the time I got my clothes they were not my size, I just couldn’t put them on to join the party. They were undersized. While ruminating on the dream, the Holy Spirit told me that if I follow my personal desires and plans I will not be fulfilled at the end of my life but if I yield to Him He will lead me to a place of rest and fulfillment. From the day I had the dream; I concurred to the call of God upon my life and started praying for His grace and direction.

On August 15, 2007 during an all night meeting, Burundi was laid in my heart as the place to start the missionary work. I began to research about the country. I resigned from my teaching job and went for missions training from September 2008 till August 2009. 

In the year 2011, I was in Burundi for one month for missionary work and survey. My newly wedded wife and I left for Burundi on September 17, 2012. We thank God for what God is doing and how the missionary work is progressing.

Kunle Adenipekun

Missionary (Fullstature Missions International).

Country of Work: Burundi.

Serving God!

When you know God genuinely you will naturally desire to serve Him. Your service to God becomes more acceptable as you grow in the knowledge of God. God also enlarges your capacity as you make yourself available for his service. There’s nobody who is not serving something. It is either you are serving your flesh/self, serving the devil or serving God.

Are you born-again? What exactly are you doing in God’s kingdom? How are you serving God? If you have been serving God, how consistent have you been? It pays to serve God continually. In the book of Daniel 6:16-23, Daniel was thrown into a lions’ den for his commitment to God but the king recognized his service to a living God and he told him that the God whom he served continually will deliver him and God did exactly. He sent his angels to shut the mouth of the lions. Serving God will deliver you from the den of affliction and the harassment of the devil.

In Acts 27, Paul and other prisoners in a voyage were involved in a ship wreck but it took God to send an angel to deliver them just because of one man that belonged to Him and was serving Him. Paul said “For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve”- verse 23. Are you serving God? Your commitment to God is being noted in heaven and you can draw from that account when needed even if it takes God sending an angel to heal you, get you a job, and deliver you from accident. I remember March, 2010 how God delivered me from an accident that could have claimed my two legs or even my life. I escaped by whiskers and the only explanation I can give was that it was angelic intervention. I turned back unconsciously and in a twinkling of an eye an accident occurred on the spot where I was before. How would I have been able to go to the mission field without the two legs? How will I be able to do other things for God?

I encourage you to take a stock of your commitment to God and strive to do better. Do better at work, in your local Church or anywhere you find yourself. In summary below are some benefits of serving God continually;

1.     It take sickness away from you Exodus 23:25

2.     It brings about promotion Psalm 75:6-7

3.     Serving God will deliver you in the day of trouble Exodus 15:26

4.     Serving God makes you to prosper Job 36:11, Proverbs 22:29

5.     Angels work for you when you serve God Heb 1:14, Daniel 6:22

It pays to serve God. Stop running away from spiritual responsibility. Ability to take responsibility is a sign that you are growing spiritually. Serve God and do it with all your heart, energy, intellect and resources. You are blessed.