OVERFLOWING GRACE, MERCY & PEACE

What is the meaning of overflow? Overflow means in essence "running over" (Ps.23:5). Every born again christian is supposed to enjoy a "running over" abundance of God's grace, mercy and peace. Let me expatiate on what grace, mercy and peace are supposed to confer on the born again child of God.

GRACE: is the gift of God by which he extends MERCY, LOVING KINDNESS, and SALVATION to people, most especially to His church, the BODY OF CHRIST.

God’s grace enables him to confront human indifference and rebellion with his unlimited capacity to forgive and to bless. God is gracious in action to his church. In summary, GRACE is unmerited favour that every born again child of God enjoys in abundance.

The bible makes us to understand in 2Cor.12:9 that “God’s grace is sufficient for us”. God’s grace bestows on us, undeserved benefits that enrich our lives and unite us together in the church, the body of Christ.

GRACE as exemplified in the bible refers to the nature of God’s character to exercise goodwill towards his creatures. This nature finds its supreme expression in Jesus Christ.

WHAT IS THE CONDITION NECESSARY FOR RECEIVING GOD’S GRACE? 
The condition is HUMILITY (James 4:6, 1Pet.5:5) Such humility before God enables believers to practice humility with other people and thus extend to them God’s grace also.

Jesus Christ represents the fulfillment, the embodiment, and the dispenser of divine grace.

The early Christians, freely referred to God’s grace as “ the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” This grace was combined with the traditional greeting of “shalom” (Peace) and is the reason for the basic greeting formula found in almost every book of the new testament, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all” (2Thess.3:18)

LET US KNOW LOOK AT THE MERCY AND PEACE COMPONENTS OF GRACE.

MERCY is a divine quality in which unworthy people receive Grace. The dimension of God’s mercy is boundless, that so many synonyms are used to express it. These include: “kindness”, “loving kindness”, “goodness”, “grace”, “favour”, “pity”, “compassion”, and “steadfast love”.

Central in the concept of Mercy, is God’s quality of Compassion or Love. God forgives offenders or enemies; helps and spares them in their sorry plight. The bible makes us to understand that were it not for the Mercies of God, we would have been consumed. One bible character that enjoyed an overflowing grace mercy and peace of God was King David. (Ps.89:28)

Mercy is part of the unmerited favour and grace that believers enjoy. In Exodus 34:6, God describes himself as “the merciful and gracious God” showing us that His grace and mercy go hand in hand.

In Rom.9:15&16 God makes us to understand that he will show mercy to whom He wills. It is not of works lest any man should boast. God is “the father of mercies” (2Cor.1:3) and he freely bestows it on those who believe in his son Jesus Christ.

Just as God has freely extended his mercy to us believers despite our unworthiness or unfaithfulness, he expects us to show mercy to our fellowmen, even though they may not deserve it or seek for it.   The bible enjoins us to show mercy to the poor, the needy, widows, and orphans. (Prov.14:31, 19:17, Micah 6:8, Zech.7:9-10, Col.3:12)

PEACE is the total well being, prosperity, and security associated with Gods presence amongst his people, the church. The coming of Jesus Christ to the world and his ministry was “expected to guide our feet into the way of PEACE”. (Luk.1:67-70).

This peace is not an end to tension or the absence of warfare. It is not domestic tranquility nor anything like the worldly estimation of peace. (Luk.12:51-53). The peace we are talking about passes all understanding. (Phil.4:7)

The early church understood “peace” to be the final end-time salvation of God, given already through Jesus Christ. (Phil.4:7-9) Jesus is described as “peace” itself (Eph.2:14) while God, too because of his act of reconciliation through Christ is known as a “God of peace” (Phil.4:9, Col.3:15)

This gift of peace or reconciliation with God, made available through Christ, places an ethical demand on the Christian; it calls for the exercises of “peace” (as reconciliation between persons) within the church. Paul enjoins us that as much as possible we should live at peace with all men.

Peace, as a fruit of the spirit (Gal.5:22) is to be the goal of every Christian in his or her dealings with others (Heb.12:14)

What are the things you must do to enjoy the overflowing Grace, Mercy and Peace of God?

(1)You must daily seek the face of God in:-

- Praises: when you praise and worship God, you bring down His presence; which is full of grace, mercy and peace.

- Prayer: this is the master key to successful earthly walk with God.

- Meditation: meditation on the word of God continually draws his blessings. The psalmist says, “thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”.

(2)You must be Humble in all your ways. God gives grace to the humble but resists the proud.

(3)Try to be at Peace with God and with all men. The word of God says, “when the ways of a man please God, he makes his enemies to live at peace with him”.

In conclusion, I leave you with Is.26:3, which says “Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee”.

SOME HELPFUL PRAYER POINTS:

(1)O God, inject into my life now your grace, mercy and peace that befits today in the name of Jesus.

(2)O God, as I go out, equip me with the peculiar mercy, grace and peace of yours that is more than enough to handle the peculiar challenges of today in the name of Jesus.

(3)Ancient of days, as I go out today load my destiny with your mercy, grace and peace that befits today in Jesus name.

(4)Heavenly father, as I enter into every new week, let the mercy, grace and peace that befits the week accompany me throughout and beyond in Jesus name.

(5)Jehovah God, bless my life with the right kind of mercy, grace and peace that every year requires in Jesus name.

(6)O Lord, appoint unto my life the accurate mercy, grace and peace that matches every situation and circumstance in Jesus name.

(7)O God appoint on to my life the required mercy, grace and peace that every challenge submits to in Jesus name.

Ola Suyee

DIVINE PROVISION : ITS MYSTERY

What is Mystery: Mystery is something that is not common, unbelievable and is hidden. In Christian doctrine, mystery is regarded as a belief or truth that is considered to be beyond human understanding and can be made known only by divine revelation. The book of Philippians 4:19 reads thus: my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. For God to supply all your needs according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus you need to be alert, vigilant, studious and obedient unto Gods word and instructions.  You must read Gods word (The Holy Bible) every day and put it into practice.This is supported by Philippians 3:10.( That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death) Keys that unlock the mystery of Divine Provision: For anyone that wants to experience the Mystery of divine provision, he or she must put into practice these keys and make them part and parcel of his or her every day living habit. (1)  Stop relying on your strength: The holy bible makes us to understand that by strength shall no man prevail (1Samuel 2:9), while proverbs 10:22 makes us to understand that the blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and He adds no sorrow with it. Also in Zechariah 4:6 the Lord makes us to understand, that it is not by might, nor by power, but by His spirit. Therefore every born-again child of God must learn to let go completely for God. This however, is not a license for laziness. You must work hard, but when you have done your bit, hand over the rest unto the Almighty God, who knows the end from the beginning. (2)  You must learn to obey God completely: Implicit obedience to Gods injunction is necessary if you must enjoy Divine Provision. In the book of Isaiah 1:19 God says if you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. (3)  Develop your spiritual ears to hear Him when He speaks to you: It is important to always have a quiet time with God. This should not be mixed with the family alter, but should be a time set aside for you alone to read the word, pray and wait for an answer quietly. (4)  You must learn to fear God: This kind of fear is not morbid fear but the kind of fear that shows the awesomeness of the Almighty God. It is the fear of His greatness. He can kill and he can make alive. Our fear should be a form of reverence of Him. The book of proverbs 15:33 says: The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom. We need Divine Wisdom to access Divine Provisions. In fearing the Almighty God, we must avoid sin in all its ramification. The word of God says that righteousness exults a nation but sin is a reproach, unto a people. (5)  You must be willing to Sacrifice: You must learn to give (sacrifice) at all times; when it is convenient and when it is not convenient. It is not only money that you can sacrifice; you can sacrifice your time, your belongings and so many other things to serve the Almighty God. King Solomon sacrificed one thousand burnt offerings and he had a Divine visitation. Thus he became one of the greatest Kings that ever ruled on earth. (6)  Learn to Praise God Always: Praising God always brings His glory down and when this happens to an individual that person’s situation must change for the better. The bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people.(psalm 22:3) (7)  You need to be Tutored by someone higher than you: This is so in spiritual things as well as in physical and material things. It is a universal law. Author: Ola Suyee

HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY A TRUE BELIEVER THROUGH THE SCRIPTURE?

A true believer can be identified through the scriptures by his or her possessing the signs and character traits of a believer as stated in the Bible.

A true believer should have one or two or all of the followings signs (stated in Mark 16:17 & 18) manifesting in his or her life.

(Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18: They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.)

Every true believer is expected to receive the Holy Ghost baptism and speak in new tongues. ( Acts 11:16  Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.) 
Holy Ghost baptism and speaking in tongues is one of the identities of a true believer.

Others include:-

Praying always:

(1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.)

Showing Faith.

(Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.)

Exhibiting Love at all times.

(Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

39: And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.)

(1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, love (charity), these three; but the greatest of these is love (charity.)

Possessing the fruits of the spirit

(Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,)

Crucifying the flesh

(Galatians 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.)

Living and walking in the Spirit.

(Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.)

Author: Ola Suyee

IS THE HOLY SPIRIT AN INFLUENCE OR A PERSON?

The Holy Spirit of the living God is, God in action within us, upon us, and around us. (1Cor.3:16)  God’s Spirit (Holy Spirit) is God at work, making things happen in the world. We cannot see the Spirit, but we can see the results of its power and influence. The Spirit of God was present when the world was created. God sent his Spirit to do powerful things among his people, Israel. Later, God sent his Spirit when Jesus lived on earth, and the Spirit has been present with Christians ever since.  The Holy Spirit is often referred to as the third person of the Trinity (Matt.28:11) possessing every attribute of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is both an influence (as seen in the Old Testament) and a Person (as seen in the New Testament)

In the Old Testament we see the Holy Spirit coming upon certain individuals and making them do what ordinarily seems impossible; and when the act is completed the Holy Spirit departs. Various examples occur in the Old Testament. For example, in Judges Chapter 3, God’s spirit filled a man named Othniel. He became a judge and was able to win a war and keep the peace in Israel for forty years. God’s spirit also filled other judges such as Gideon and Jephthah. Because of the Spirit of God, (Holy Spirit) they were able to overcome their enemies.

The prophets in the Old Testament had the job of giving messages from the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) to the people. It was important for the people to know the difference between a false prophet and a true prophet of God. The term "Holy Spirit" is used in the Psalms and in Isaiah to set apart the Spirit of God from any other spirit, whether human or from God (Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 63:10-11).

A false prophet would not have the Holy Spirit. A prophet that had a message from the Holy Spirit would have the character of a person who was obedient to God. The people could recognize a false prophet by evaluating the prophet’s character as well as the message he preaches to the people.

We cannot fully comprehend the New Testament’s teaching on the Holy Spirit without reading and understanding the use of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. John speaks of the Spirit as a "wind" (John 3:8), and Paul writes of it as "breath" (2 Thessalonians 2:8). In Revelation 11:11 the Spirit is described as a "breath of life." These same descriptions of the Holy Spirit are found in the Old Testament. Also, the New Testament writers agreed with the prophets of the Old Testament; that the Holy Spirit inspired Scripture (see Mark 12:36; Acts 28:25; Hebrews 3:7; 2 Peter 1:21). It is to be noted that the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) that the Old Testament writers looked forward to, was realized in the New Testament.

Just as Isaiah had prophesied, the Holy Spirit came again during the time of Jesus. This "new age" was one in which the Spirit was once again present on earth. Jesus was the anointed or the specially chosen one, who came to give salvation. Jesus came and gave his Spirit (Holy Spirit) to those who believed in him. This was the beginning of the Christian faith.

The Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) was with Jesus as he lived among men. Because so many people were still looking to the coming of the Spirit in the "end times," the writers of the Gospels (the first four books of the Bible) emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit in the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:18; John 3:34), in his baptism (Mark 1:9-10), and in his ministry (Luke 4:1, 14; Luke 10:21). They wanted to show people that the Spirit was with them, that they were already living in the "end times," and that Jesus’ life was proof of that.

The apostle Paul understood the presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life to be a certain sign that that person had been saved from his sins. The believer could be assured that God had granted him eternal life in heaven (2 Corinthians 1:22). Paul taught that it was necessary for a believer to have the Holy Spirit in order to enter God’s kingdom (Romans 8:15-17). The Holy Spirit changes believers’ lives to become more like Jesus. Becoming more like Jesus is a lifelong process, because every believer is caught in the daily conflict between living in the Spirit or according to sinful desires. The process does not end until the person is brought completely under the Holy Spirit’s power or influence. (Romans 8:11, 23).

Paul emphasizes in his letters that believing in Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit go hand in hand. When a person receives the Holy Spirit, he or she begins the Christian life (Galatians 3:2-3). When one is baptized in the Holy Spirit, that person becomes a member of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). The person belongs to Christ and is a child of God by adoption; upon receiving the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9-11, 14-17).

The Holy Spirit is the life-giver. When a person believes in Christ, he or she becomes a new creation (John 20:22). The Holy Spirit is the power of God that brings about this new birth in believers. Christians experience new life because of the Holy Spirit living in them.

Paul wrote about spiritual gifts such as inspired speech (1 Corinthians 12:8-10), miracles and healings (Galatians 3:5), acts of service, counseling, administrating, helping others, and showing mercy (Romans 12:7-8). These are all gifts from the Holy Spirit.

In conclusion, the Holy Spirit has both attributes, influencing the life of many in the Old Testament and showing Himself as a person by permanently dwelling in believers who have given their life to Jesus Christ, this is the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus that upon His ascension the Holy Spirit will come to dwell with every believer who has been baptized by Immersion (Matt.28:11); teaching them ALL things as the spirit of truth. (John 16:7-15)

Author: Ola Suyee

WHEN GOD SPEAKS - PROVOKING PROPHESY

WHAT IS PROPHESY: -

Prophesy is the revelation of what GOD is going to do, or revealing the will of God
about the future or a future event or events.

A typical example of prophesy is when God spoke to Abraham directly about what He intended to do in his life and the steps he needed to take to position himself in circumstances that will allow God to fulfill His promises/prophecies in his life.  Gen.12^1-3

Many a times God speaks through a prophet to a group of people, to let them know His will about certain situations or circumstances.
Sometimes God may tell a prophet or an individual something and say it is for his or her ears only, it is not for public consumption, for example Daniels visions in chapters 7 and 8  - Daniel 8²⁶

These are all examples of Gods prophesy that can occur in the life of any individual who is a believer of the Christian faith and has chosen to walk with God.

WHAT PURPOSE DOES PROPHESY SERVE?

The relevance of prophesy in our modern technological age is mainly for guidance and warning against danger. For most devout Christians, God( The Holy Spirit) tells them most times about things to come and tells them which way to go or what to do and not to do; but a lot of times we choose to ignore such guidance or warning because of our flesh or personality that is always in conflict with the Holy Spirit (God). It is to be noted that spiritual things, such as communication (prophesy) with the Almighty God, the creator of the ends of the Universe cannot be subjected to our scientific interpretations or measurements, for spiritual things are spiritually discerned. (1 Cor.2¹⁴ ) Prophesy amongst believers of the Christian faith helps them to grow in the Lord, encouraging and giving them comfort. (1 Cor.14³ )

CHANNELS OF PROPHESY:  

The mode of communication for receiving Gods instructions (prophesy) concerning His will; may vary from individual to individual. These various modes are regarded as spiritual gifts which manifests in various degrees of clarity and effectiveness in each individual. Rarely an individual may exhibit all the modes; these are:-

• Through Dreams: God speaks in dreams, in visions of the night when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in bed. Most individuals experience this mode of communication with  God (Holy Spirit), although many a times they fail to remember their dreams or do not take them seriously when they do (Job 33¹⁵)
• Open Vision: At times events yet to happen are shown to some individuals ‘in the twinkling of an eye’ as they fall into what can be described as a semi sleep or trance state very briefly (seconds). An example is Peter’s vision in the book of Acts 10^9-16 .
• Audible Voice – This is when God speaks and you hear Him distinctly. This does happen to believers who have developed a very personal walk with the Almighty God, through living a righteous, holy life of prayer and fasting, supported by good works. An example of this is seen when God called on innocent Samuel as he took up apprentice priesthood duties with Eli the priest, in 1 Samuel 3^2-14 .

HOW DO WE KNOW TRUE PROPHESY:

Prophesy can come from the following sources:-
(1) God

(2) Devil

(3) The Spirit of Man

The most outstanding feature of a true Prophesy from God is that, it usually sounds difficult to believe because invariably it does not tally with our human understanding. As a believer, you need to have FAITH in God to BELIEVE or ACCEPT it because none of our scientific laws can explain it. As previously stated, this is basically a spiritual thing and can only be understood from a spiritual point of view. Many examples abound in the Bible, one of which is Elisha’s prophesy during the great famine in Samaria and also Ezekiel’s vision and experience in the valley of dry bones. (2 Kings 7^1-2 , Ezekiel 37^1-10 )

WHAT IS PROVOKING?

To provoke, is to cause someone to do what he doesn’t plan to do. We desire to provoke The Almighty God to prophesy on our behalf because we know when He does, we are bound to benefit and our situation can never remain the same.

HOW DO WE PROVOKE GOD TO SPEAK/PROPHESY?

In the Bible, certain actions done by some individuals did provoke God to speak or prophesy on their behalf. Some examples are:-

•  When Noah offered a sweet smelling sacrifice unto God, God spoke (Genesis 8^20-22)
• When Abraham tried to offer Isaac as sacrifice unto God in obedience to His instruction, God spoke (Genesis 22^1-18)
• After King Solomon’s burnt offerings unto God, God spoke. (2 Chronicles 1^6-12) 

From the forgoing we can conclude that we can provoke God to prophesy on our behalf, if we can give a quality sacrificial offering, an offering that is unusual, not necessarily money, could be serious fasting and prayer, etc. Also rededicating our lives to serve the Almighty God through our Lord Jesus Christ and giving God Intense Praises can also elicit Gods prophesy. All these are corroborated in the Holy book, the Bible. (1 Kings 18^30-41, 2 Kings 3^15-16)

WHAT DO I DO WHEN I HEAR; THUS SAYS THE LORD:

It is the DUTY of every believer to PRAY into manifestation any prophesy of God given on his or her behalf. Accepting the prophesy and not linking yourself to it through prayer and possibly fasting; the prophesy may become a mirage and unfulfilled because of opposing forces of negativity from the environment and even at times from yourself, from your unbelief and doubts. Prayer and fasting helps you to overcome theses negativities and reinforces the positive manifestation of Gods purpose in your life through the prophesy. Your modus operandi should be PUSH which is: Pray Until Something Happens.

Author: Ola Suyee

Divine Encounter – When God Shows Himself and Proves Himself.

TEXT: Luke 7 (12 -15)

The story in the text is, I am sure, very familiar to all of us. Here was a widow with an only son, dead and just about to be buried. She was in deep sorrow and just when she had lost all hope and was wondering why this should be her lot in life, she met the Lord and her situation immediately changed. (Today your situation will change for the better). AMEN. 

The Bible tells us that our Lord Jesus Christ when he saw the woman, He had compassion on her (v.13) and comforted her saying weep not. Here we see one of the attributes of God (COMPASSION).

Even though the woman did not personally come to Jesus to ask that her dead son be brought to life, yet our Lord could feel the grieving soul of this woman who to top it all, was also a widow, and our Lord Jesus Christ had COMPASSION on the woman, comforted her and then gave her a DIVINE MIRACLE, by bringing back to life her dead son. (Today every good thing that has died in your life and that has been causing you grief and sorrow will receive DIVINE RESURRECTION from our Lord Jesus Christ). AMEN. 

You will have a DIVINE ENCOUNTER today.

Brethren it is a great thing to have a Divine Encounter with the Lord, because whenever we do, our lives must really change for the better.

Let us look at a few examples of those who had Divine Encounter with the Lord and see what happened in each case or situation:

Gen: 32 (24-32) - Jacob wrestled with the LORD and had his name changed to Israel which means he struggles with God (v.28).

Luke 8 (43-48) - The woman with the issue of blood, received instant healing by virtue of her faith and belief.

Acts 9 (3-13) - Saul changed to Paul, by this encounter, he went on to become one of the Lords trusted Disciple who wrote over 75% of the New Testament.

Having looked at these few examples. We see that each one had a Divine Encounter with the Lord and their lives never remained the same again.

MAY YOU HAVE A DIVINE ENCOUNTER TODAY AND MAY YOUR LIFE NEVER REMAIN THE SAME.

Let us conclude by singing the song (which is never sang kneeling down) - ‘Pass me not O gentle saviour, hear my humble cry, and while on others thou hath calling do not pass me by’.

Author: Sun Ade