GROW INTO YOUR SALVATION (PT 1)

1 PETER 2:2 (AMP)

^“Like newborn babies [you should] long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may be nurtured and grow in respect to salvation [its ultimate fulfillment],”

            This week our discussion is about Growing Into Your Salvation and the Apostle Peter likens it to newborn babies desiring milk. What an interesting and thought provoking analogy! Everyone associated with a newborn baby, especially mothers knows that the first and only type of food given to a newborn is milk. No solids or heavy foods like porridge, however nutritious, are given to the newborn until the stomach, and lungs are developed and the baby understands how to move the inner parts of the mouth to send food from the lips to the throat and stomach. To do otherwise would either suffocate or cause damage to the baby’s trachea canal, and possibly create long-term health issues.

            Most newborn babies spend a lot of time sleeping, but they’ll wake up every few hours to feed during the day and night, possibly every 2-3 hours. Doctors use milestones to tell if a baby is developing as expected. There is a wide range of what is considered normal, so some babies may gain skills earlier or later than others.

            The apostle Peter is saying that likewise should the newborn in Christ desire and be fed the sincere milk of the Word of God for nourishment in the things of God. Having received salvation, it is important to live on the word of God daily and as often as possible. This is not the time to be feeding on other inspirational books, however beneficial they may be. As solid food, however appetizing and nutritious, the baby cannot and should not partake of it, likewise the newborn believer.

            To grow in our salvation we need to feed on the mind of God and the inspiration of God and not that of man, however inspirational they are. We need to constantly feed on the actual unadulterated Word of God so that we are instructed in the right way; so that we are corrected from all of our misguided beliefs and misunderstanding of what a believer’s life should be, who God is and His expectation of us as recipients of His Salvation and work of the Cross.

            As a newborn baby becomes malnourished and loses its ability to develop as it should, due to lack of nourishing milk from its mother’s breast, likewise the believer’s development would be impeded by watered down and diluted teachings outside of the Word of God. There are many types and kinds of milk out there, but none guarantees positive development in a baby like the mother’s milk, whether it is a human baby or an animal’s. Likewise, there are many good spiritual books out there but none can feed and develop and newborn in Christ like the Holy Bible.

            The sincere milk of the word of God ensures development and growth in your salvation which eventually leads you to maturity. The apostle Paul was faced with this problem in the church at Corinth where he said, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able” (1 Corinthian 3:1-2 KJV). Even as they believed and he fed them with the word of God they had not developed enough to be renewed in their minds of the things of God. He said they were still carnal fighting over who Paul was as if it was he who gave them salvation, who died on the Cross for them. There was still engaged in envying, strife, and divisions among them.

            Like a newborn baby, they need time to assimilate and digest the milk they are fed for development and maturity to take place and manifest. So very often we see newborn babies in Christ are thrown into offices of service that they have not matured and mentored into, and they do things that hurt believers and the body of Christ. Paul told the church that he fed them with milk not with meat, which meant he gave them the right food but they had not yet matured and therefore were not able to receive more. The baby must be given time to develop, be evaluated and assessed in the stages of progress.

            The author of Hebrews, who in times like these I tend to believe is the Apostle Paul, arguably so, says strongly, “Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For everyone that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

            My sentiments exactly. He orated it beautifully. The milk stage of the new believer is essential and once in this stage of development, is not ready to teach others. All babies do not develop at the same pace and time. Therefore, we do not put a time frame on a new believer’s development and maturity, but we work with them at their pace. The author is saying that because of slow development, someone who is teaching may need more teaching themselves. A teacher is one who has developed and graduated to strong meat because they understand the rudiments of a life in Jesus Christ. They understand what salvation is all about and are walking in their salvation and growing from grace to grace and strength to strength. They can now turn around and teach others the journey of salvation. They understand and are able to discern both good and evil with no blurred lines.

            Once we are saved, it is vitally important that we pursue growth in our salvation by sitting down and developing a desire for the Word of God so that we grow and mature in the things of God. Let us pursue the word of God for it is the sincere milk and develop a love and hunger for it so that we may grow in our salvation and become mature in the things that pertain to righteousness.

                              The question at hand is really of great importance not to some but to all. It is a personal question that we must all ponder with all honesty. In this Part 2 series, the resounding question is, why do we still walk in the flesh given all the benefits we inherit as being saved? We know that being saved we must walk in the Spirit of God, but why do we deviate and walk in the flesh which is contrary to our Savior Jesus Christ?

                              In his sermon on this topic, pastor Exzabia pointed out that not knowing the benefits inherent in our salvation could be the cause for believers in Jesus Christ not walking in their purpose as saved individuals. When we each get saved, when we each surrender our hearts and lives to Jesus Christ, we become recipients of the work of the Cross of Jesus which is charged with a plethora of benefits.

                              To better understand these benefits of being saved, we must first understand what we are saved from, and as he very rightly said, the answers are all in the sixty-six books of the bible. There is no need to consult an encyclopedia, commentary, or Google because all the answers are in the Word of God given to us for our total benefit as outlined to us by the Apostle Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16 (AMP). He said, “All scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately, behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage].”

The Bible is our living manual as to how God has designed our walk of faith and righteousness. Benefits of Salvation

1. What Are We Saved From?

• “…we should be saved from our enemies(the works of Satan), and from the hand of all that hate us” (Luke 17:1; Psalm 18:3; Psalm 44:7).
• “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Romans 5:8-9)
• “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)
• “That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:15)
• “And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:28).
• “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The list of what we are saved from goes on and on, but clearly from these few passages, we can see that we are saved from perishing. For there will be a perishing, a weeping, and gnashing of teeth in the end for those who reject Jesus Christ. We are promised eternal life as opposed to eternal damnation and separation from God the Father.

                        John the Baptist sounds as if he was angry or disappointed that the sinful crowd was flocking to be baptized when he angrily asked those who believed, “Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Luke 3:7). They were so wicked that even though he was preaching Jesus, the irony of it all is that he really didn’t want them to believe and escape the wrath that is to come. That’s how much he believed in it.

                        So, we are saved from the wrath to come unto eternal life with Jesus Christ and the Father.  Ever so often as believers, we tend to forget that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us who believe so that wherever He is we will be there also (John 14: 2-3). “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

                        Isn’t this beautiful? Isn’t this enough reason for us to live right before God daily? Saved to inherit eternal life with Christ and saved from the wrath of God in hell? Especially “as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27 KJV).

2. We are saved from condemnation. Romans 8:1 tells us clearly, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”

We have been delivered from the power of sin. We have been given abundant life. We have been given the power of the Holy Spirit to dwell within us to enrich our walk with and in Christ.

The benefits are too many to mention here, but to answer if we are really saved, “if we are risen with Christ we must seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set our affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For we are dead, and our life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3).

                    Believers let us strive daily to walk in the Spirit as truly saved believers. We measure our walk with the Scriptures and not each other. Following Jesus Christ ensures our walk in the light of God and our salvation.

Blessings

      This week, the profound question under discussion is, “Are You Really Saved?” It’s a question everyone should ask themselves at one point or another, but more so now. It’s a question that should underscore all others because it determines our status in eternity at the end of our lives. As important as being successful and accomplished in life is, it means nothing if one cannot answer this question in the affirmative.

Over the past few weeks, we have been discussing the works that follow Salvation, but today, in his message, pastor Exabia Dukes took a historical and creative look at the work that developed as a result of sin and what it will take to obtain salvation. I encourage everyone to revisit the sermon of 03/02/25 for this extraordinary sermon.

      I was particularly intrigued when he said, “The only way back to our Spiritual work, we must divorce the 1^st Adam and remarry the 2^nd Adam (Jesus) to obtain Salvation.” This reminds us of our once sinful state that was caused by the first Adam, who brought sin into the world. We are born in sin and shaped in iniquity because of the first Adam, and it will take a rebirthing or born-again experience for us to be saved. The Apostle Paul tells us, “The first man Adam was made a living soul; and the last Adam was made a quickening spirit,” 1 Corinthians 15:45 KJV.

      The first Adam’s birth was human, whereas the second was spiritual. After the fall of man, the first Adam could not live holy and righteous in his natural and human state. He fell all the time. But when God added the holy spirit to the human man, humans can now live in the spirit and conquer the forces of the flesh.

However, to be able to live holy unto the Lord as He asks us to in 1 Peter 1:16, “Be ye holy as I am holy”, one must divorce oneself from the first Adam, which is the works of the flesh. There has to be a divorce, which is a painful separation. There must be a complete divide between the first and the last Adam, which is Jesus. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:1 (KJV), “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.” Here again is that great divide between the flesh and the spirit, the first Adam and the second Adam.

      How, therefore, is your walk? Is it in the flesh or the spirit? Are you led by the spirit or by the flesh? In other words, Are You Really Saved? This is where the word ‘divorce’ becomes a positive verb in everyone’s spiritual walk. When speaking of divorce, legally dissolve, separate, end, disunion of a marriage by a court or other competent body, comes to mind.

Salvation is a spiritual encounter that severs, ends, dissolves, disunion a prior relationship with the flesh, our sinful nature and connects us or binds us into a new relationship with Christ by the competent body of the Kingdom of God. There has to be that divorce of the first Adam which is our sinful nature, and a connection to the second Adam, who is Jesus Christ, the lamb of God who paid the price as the sacrificial lamb to remove our sinful nature and impute His spirit in us, the Spirit of Christ.

       If we are truly saved, without knowing how, we find ourselves with a new mindset. There is an internal transformation that takes place where you find yourself no longer wanting to pursue the pleasures of the flesh. What once brought you joy and pleasure now brings you shame and disdain. Your place of interest changes, your personality changes, and your behavior as a whole changes without any effort of yours. You simply finds yourself not wanting to do the things you once did, particularly if they caused you trouble. There is a shift in your impulses.

      The Apostle Paul explains it beautifully when he said, “therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corin. 5:17 KJV). To the Roman believers, he said, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9 KJV). It is the Spirit of Christ in us that creates the changes in us and makes us new individuals.

EXERCISE

      Every individual should and must be able to answer the question of the week, ‘Are You Really Saved?’ No one, not your spouse, your parent, or close friend should have to answer for you, even though they would have a ready answer because our lives are the living fruit or testimony of our salvation.

Go ahead and do a self-check.

1. Lifestyle: What am I still doing that I used to do? Do I feel the Holy Spirit within me convicting me?
2. State of Mind: Has my thought life really changed? Can I make it an open book?
3. Places of visitation: Am I comfortable with the Spirit of Christ within me wherever I go?
4. My Presentation: Do I present myself differently since I began my new walk in the Spirit? Etc.

      There are so many other self-checks we can use to determine if we are truly saved and we must engage in this practice for ourselves as often as possible, that we be not judged by others, for the Apostle Peter tells us clearly, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17 KJV).

      This is very important because we must protect our Salvation; it is not a case of once we become saved we are saved for life. We must continuously and vigilantly work to stay saved, otherwise, we will not only lose our souls but bring Christ to open shame by the things we resort to and crucify Him afresh (Hebrews 6:6 KJV).

      The ultimate work of the Cross was that Jesus not only reconciles us to God the Father now, but at the end of our days. Salvation at the end of our days is what will finally reconcile us to the Father and secure a place for us in the place Christ has gone to prepare for us so that we can be with Him. Salvation is not for this life only but for the life to come. Jesus said, “because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But, he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved, (Matthew 24:12-13 KJV). This is coming from Jesus Christ Himself, the giver of Salvation. We have to care for our salvation to the end and not allow ourselves to lose it along the way.

      It is our responsibility to take the power, wisdom, and anointing Christ has given to us and imputed in us to stay saved in our corrupt world.

Again, Are You Really Saved?

Blessings!

¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2: 10 ESV).

     This week we are discussing the second good work that every believer must do even as they work to keep and protect their salvation. The text tells us that we are created for good works. What a revelation. Salvation emancipates the believer from the power and control of sin to a life of righteousness and truth which elevates us into a life of good works.

      So, what are the good works of the believer? There are several that comes to mind. The fruit of the Spirit is the new way of living you walk into when you abandon the living of the fruit of the flesh. This new living of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV),” is the testimony that salvation is evident. It is the evidence that in receiving salvation you have “crucified the flesh (and its works which are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy,  drunkenness, orgies, and things like these Gal. 5:19-21 ESV), to a life of good works.

      Have you noticed that it all requires work, regardless of which side we are on? Believing in Jesus and accepting His Salvation changes the trajectory of one's work life. It is changed from evil works to good works. The Apostle Paul says the believer has become the workmanship of Jesus Christ. In other words, specifically designed and fashioned to be like Him. Jesus went about sharing the gospel He brought to the world, calling men and women to follow Him and when He departed He commissioned every believer to go out into the world and teach men everywhere about Him of what they have seen and heard (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV). He actually said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

      So, as a believer working to keep and maintain our Salvation, we are commissioned to go tell others of our Salvation and bring them into the fold of Jesus Christ. What we are understanding here is that this commission is not an assignment only for the spiritual leaders, like the pastors, bishops, etc., but rather for every believer of Jesus Christ. Every believer of Jesus Christ must go and make disciples of all nations and people. So when Paul speaks of ‘Workmanship,’ he is saying that when someone puts their faith in Jesus Christ and believes and accepts Him as their savior, He saves them and rebirths them into disciples and ambassadors of Him.

      This second work is that of Kingdom Ambassadorship, representing Christ in the world and speaking on His behalf. Discipling for Jesus Christ. If we so believe and enjoy the life in Christ, it behooves us to share it with others so that they too may enter in and enjoy that very life and the rewards of such a life. In this second work the believer is a disciple making disciples. The disciple is teaching others how to walk away from the works of the flesh and into a works of the Spirit of God. Having worked the works to keep their salvation, they are now equipped to teach others how to so walk. This is the second work of the believer.

A True Story

      Someone was sharing how she had known this young lady all her life since she was a little girl and what a sweet young lady she was. However, she died suddenly and in sharing of the loss of this special friend or acquaintance, she said it suddenly dawned on her that she didn’t know if the young lady knew Jesus Christ, or if she had salvation. Tearfully she shared how she failed her friend for knowing her and being in her life for such a long time and never once shared her faith in Jesus Christ to make sure that she too got to know Him. She was sorrowful that although her friend was a good person she probably died not knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Time For Reflection

      As believers of Jesus Christ, we are His disciples commissioned to make disciples in our world and we do not have to go far to find candidates. We do not have to travel to another state or nation but right around us are potential disciples. Start your discipleship from right where you are sitting, standing, or lying. It is your family member, friend, coworker, business partner, fiancé, spouse, child, and the list goes on. Potential disciples of Jesus Christ are everywhere, but we must be so minded or vigilant that we don’t see them only in the capacity of our acquaintance but also as potential disciples of Jesus Christ.

Deterrents To The Work of Discipleship

There are a few factors that can deter a disciple from his or her work and they are:

• Afraid to let others know of their commitment to Jesus Christ
• Not wanting to offend anyone
• Ashamed of their faith (possibly because they are not living the first works of Salvation)
• Lack of self-confidence, etc.

      But these are issues that can be overcome. Be bold about your faith and love for Jesus Christ. There is nothing about our salvation to be ashamed and timid of. Salvation has transformed our lives for the better in this life in preparation to meet our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when we die. The Bible tells us that it is appointed unto man once to die…”  We all must and will die and that alone should be the impetus to motivate and push us into the work of discipleship, that no one in our proximity dies without knowing Christ and is ready to meet Him. Crying after their death cannot change their status of death. They must be saved before death. Believe in Jesus, believe in your faith in Him and what He has done for you in your life and how He has transformed it. That is what you teach them, your first-hand personal experience with Jesus.

As living examples of Jesus the Christ, let us work the works of Him who has commissioned us while it is yet day, for the night cometh when no man can work (John 9:4).”

Blessings!

As we continue to ponder and meditate on the fact that as a believer in Jesus Christ, having received the gift of Salvation, I must work to keep my salvation, I am reminded of the instructions of the Apostle Paul to the church at Philippi where he said in no uncertain terms, to “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12b). The text speaks volume, especially in that one word ‘own.’ Clearly, our Salvation is a personal experience we must each cherish and care for to retain. The Apostle Paul was advising the believers to work out their own salvation while he was away from them. He intimated to them that he recognized how they walked circumspectly in his presence, but it was just as important that they so walk in his absence.

            The responsibility is on the recipient of salvation to own it and keep it not only under the supervision of their spiritual leader but also in their absence. Our pastor reiterated the Apostle when he said, “We must protect our salvation… which requires work.” I like the word, protect,’ for it speaks of guarding, shielding, embracing, and cherishing. They all speak of work and of putting forth effort on our behalf.

            In his reference to Ephesians 2:8-9, which tells us, “for by grace are we saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast,” we see three works at play. The first is the work of Jesus Christ to give us salvation. Salvation is a gift from God through the work of the Cross by Jesus Christ and He completed His work on the Cross when He said “It is finished” (John 19:30).

However, for us to receive and take hold of that gift of Salvation, we must exercise our belief in Him. Having taken hold of salvation, our work or effort is not over because we have an enemy, an adversary, the devil, whose purpose is to snatch it from us the minute we receive it. We must now work daily to keep it. We must protect it from the cunning and crafty attacks of Satan. If we recall who we were before we received Salvation, we will understand why we must work to protect and keep our salvation. Satan wants us back and so he comes “To steal, to kill, and to destroy’ (John 10:10a) everything that Salvation brings to us as believers in Christ Jesus (10b).

In that very text of Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul reminds us, “ That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.” We were slaves to Satan and now that Jesus not only defeated him at the Cross, but now that work of the Cross caused him us when we turn from him to Christ, it became an open war that he is not and will not let up on until Christ returns and bring an end to this struggle and war.

We are in a spiritual warfare where Satan is unrelentingly fighting to regain us under his control and rip us from the shelter and protection of Jesus. Jesus has already done the work for us to be saved, we must desire to stay saved so badly that we are willing to use every resource given to us by Jesus to combat the enemy and stay on the victory side. His Grace is sufficient.

Soldiers in combat stay vigilant at all times. They train in the protocol of engaging with any enemy on any level. They are always in ready mode not wanting to be caught unawares. They stay vigilant with their weapons within range of access, within range of their fellow soldiers, and in close contact with their superiors for help in any area they may need assistance. So should we be as soldiers of the Cross, soldiers of our faith. We have to be ever vigilant watching out for our souls, our peace, our joy, our purity, our righteousness, and our inheritance in Christ Jesus.

The ultimate goal of Jesus is to present us all (the recipients of Salvation) to His Heavenly Father as Paul explains in Ephesians 2:7 when he says, “that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” It is irresponsible and utter laziness for us to say and believe that ‘once saved always saved.’ We must work at all times, not sometimes to stay saved (Ezekiel 3:20-21). We are told to ‘be holy, be strong in the Lord, be kind one toward another, follow peace with all men, stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and the list goes on and on. Doing requires work and deliberate and purposeful effort on our part as believers. Clearly, we must work to keep our salvation and walk in favor with God.

Believers of Jesus Christ we have a responsibility to not only receive our Salvation but to protect it and keep it. When we lose it, we not only grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), but we bring Christ to open shame (Hebrews 6:6) for all the work and pain He endured to make it available to us to and upon the Cross.

Blessings

Listening to this sermon, I couldn’t help but think about the absence of such critical teaching that is absent in the body of Christ today. So very often new believers in Christ would ask that burning question after extending their faith to Jesus Christ and receiving Him into their hearts, ‘I am saved, now what?’ Believe it or not, there is rarely a concise answer for that baby in Christ. This is what makes the transition to a walk of faith in Christ so much of a struggle for the new believer.

The more I listened to the sermon about how faith without works is dead and that it is not only important, or the journey of belief doesn’t end at believing, but there must be a work to showcase the faith in what you believe. After believing in John 3: 16 of how “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life,” the believer must now embark on living a life commensurate to their belief system.

This is where the work comes in. The scriptures tell us that any man in Christ is a new creature, so now the things you once did are washed away and you are no longer motivated or propelled by the desires or impulses of your flesh or natural appetites but you are led by the spirit of God. It’s a new walk that will always require work and studying of the Word of God which is the guide to a walk of Salvation. It tells us that it was given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God (the believer) may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

As I listened to the word being taught this Sunday, my mind went way back to when churches held a ‘New Believer’s’ class mostly on Sunday mornings during the Sunday School hour or in the evening before the evangelistic service. The new believer was taught what it meant to receive the Salvation of the Lord and 95% of them stayed in their new faith and grew and matured into disciples of Jesus Christ. To some mature Christians, this message would seem simplistic and irrelevant for a Sunday morning worship service, but I found it so refreshing and pleasantly welcoming to the body of Christ.

Putting in the work that salvation requires is a necessary teaching today where we witness the blatant disregard for righteousness and holiness. A few years ago, I shared with one of my fellow ministers of the gospel, who was a fellow teacher of the Kingdom Academy at our church, that I was thinking of starting a young girls' group to teach them how to walk holy and chaste before God and her response was, ‘nobody wants to hear that.’ As difficult as it may seem to believe, many believers do not understand that they have to work at staying saved after they receive the gift of Salvation. With this misunderstanding, they believe that they are saved but continue to live the life of their past in a more dignified and sophisticated manner. It has really bothered me for a very long time and I’ve seen the disregard for holiness in the body of Christ and it is simply because our new believers are not taught the works of righteousness and righteous living.

Romans 10: 9-10 (KJV) tells us clearly “that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus (faith) and shall believe in thine heart (faith) that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Therefore, if there is no work, our salvation is dead. The Disciple James dealt extensively with this when he said in the second book of James, “…faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone (vs 17), but wilt thou know O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (vs 20), and for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also (vs 26).” Our salvation requires work not to attain or acquire it, but to keep it and walk a life that is pleasing to the one who has called us into His righteousness.

Jesus Himself said, “Not everyone that saith unto me Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven,” which tells us clearly that God is not so much impressed with our words as he is with our hearts and what comes out of it in words and deeds. Such teaching delivered this Sunday morning is desperately needed in the body of Christ. It is important that all believers know that having received salvation from the Lord, they must now work the works of righteousness to be found pleasing and acceptable to Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

I encourage every believer to revisit this message and hold fast to its truth and walk in faith bearing the fruits of righteousness. It takes work to evolve from a natural being to a spiritual being. As believers, we are no more carnal but spiritual and we must work the works of the spirit and not sit idly in the fruits of the flesh. Salvation truly requires work.

Blessings!

When I think about the Grace of Empowerment, Gideon (Judges 6 & 7) comes to mind. Here is a young man in his own words, “Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house” (6:15).  This young man counted himself the least among his family who were facing extremely grave attacks from large enemies. But the Lord appeared to Gideon one day and addressed him how He saw him.

Great forces came against the Israelites, the Amalekites, the Midianites, and the children of the East and we don’t know how many they were but they all came to destroy the children of Israel. It was a formidable situation, and this young man Gideon did not think in any way possible he could be of any help to his leaders in this situation. Yet God chose him. God saw who he was even though he himself didn’t think much of himself. The surrounding enemy nations had destroyed all of their crops and left them impoverished, and there he was all by himself practically hiding threshing wheat to hide it from the enemies..

          When the forces of darkness come against us what do we do? We call upon the Lord, the God of Heaven and this is what the Israelites did. They cried unto God and He raised up the least from among them, Gideon. Gideon was doing the least he thought he could do and that was to thresh the wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites who kept destroying it, instead of destroying the enemies. That did not even enter his mind that he could possibly eliminate the enemy, the threat altogether. Sometimes we have to stop and ask ourselves if we are simply doing things within our own strength to hide from the enemy or keep the threat at bay instead of pulling on the strength and power of God to go beyond our natural abilities and eliminate the enemy completely. When we just try to hide ourselves or try to keep the threat at bay, the fight is always there, but when we eliminate that threat that battle is over and we can move on in victory to greater things in our lives.

God had greater plans for Gideon. God addressed him through his angel “thou mighty man of valor.” Gideon’s response was, “Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites” (6:13). How many times have we looked around at our circumstances and wondered if God is for us why then is everything against us. If my Heavenly Father loves me and everything belongs to Him, why don’t I look like the child of a King? Our present situation causes us to forget all the many great things He has done for us so far.

So God instructed him to look within himself for the answers. The Lord said to him, “Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? Within him was the strength and might he needed to defeat this humongous enemy before his family, the House of Israel. What humongous battle are you confronted with at this moment? What enemy is threatening your peace at this time of your life? Within us is the grace of empowerment, the might, the strength, the know-how, and the strategy to conquer our enemies and threats.

As we read about Gideon’s encounter with the angel of God that day, we are able to see he not only changed his opinion of himself, but he received the divine help he needed to conquer his enemies. God will equip us with the divine help we need to not only fight our battles of life but to also win them. With the grace of empowerment through the Holy Spirit we are able to do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens us. Jesus promises us that nothing shall be impossible with Him because according to John 1:16 (AMP) ^“For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift].”

We have been doubly empowered through the Holy Spirit to be victorious in the world but we must stay connected to the source of the grace of empowerment. Once disconnected we are no longer able to find the help and strength within us to do what we are called to do and have to do. As the people of God, we do need that power from God to be victorious and conquer the forces that come against us every day of our lives. Of our own strength, we will look like grasshoppers in our own eyes, we will see ourselves as inadequate and insufficient, but we must see ourselves through the eyes of Christ. He sees us as mighty warriors, royal priests, and peculiar people (not ordinary), and it behooves us to stay connected to the source of our strength, our anointing, our unction and we will be able to do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Blessings

2025 THE SEASON OF GRACE

A SEASON OF DOUBLE GRACE

(GRACE UPON GRACE) IN 2025

“For out of His fullness (superabundance) we have all

received [all had a share of and we were all supplied with ]

one grace after another [grace] and spiritual blessing upon

 spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped]

upon gift.” 1 John 1:16 (AMP)

It is 2025 and those of us who have been graced to enter this new year, those of us who remain can safely say GLORY HALLELUJAH, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, I AM ALIVE. HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE MERCY OF GOD I WOULD HAVE BEEN CONSUMED ALREADY. So many didn’t make it. Right up to the very last day and minute of 2024, many exited and didn’t see this year. I feel privileged. So should you. We have been given another great opportunity to clean up our lives, correct those things and areas that need correcting, and complete the unfinished tasks we are encumbered with.

            So the question we should all ask ourselves even as we rejoice and thank God for sparing our lives, is “Why Me?” When I ask myself that question all I can fathom is that God is not finished with me yet and He is gracing me to complete the assignments He has entrusted to me. Are you thinking the same thing? Is this your answer to your question? This is a great time to reflect, ponder and meditate on our lives going forward.

            This new year of 2025 is where we must each live a purpose driven life, that is designed and orchestrated by Jesus Christ Himself. We are not a people who have no hope but are led by the Holy Spirit of God who guides, instructs and leads us in the way we should go.

The Lord has given the shepherd of the house, Family of Faith Ministries, Pastor Exzabia Dukes, the mandate for 2025:

STRIVE 2 THRIVE

This mandate is founded and established on John 1:16 (AMP) as cited above. When I heard that word I just knew everything was going to be alright in 2025 because the God we service has reminded us that He has equipped and empowered us to THRIVE in 2025. This is a purpose-driven effort. So we pursue this new year with purpose, confidence, boldness, and the assurance that we are ready and able to complete the unfinished tasks of 2024 while embarking on new ventures of 2025.

            The text tells us that Jesus out of His fulness [superabundance] has imputed in us a share of His fulness, grace after another grace which speaks of multiple graces of Christ to do, to accomplish, and dominate in our lives. Then we are endowed with spiritual blessings upon spiritual blessings, the favor of God and man doubly, and most of all gifts heaped upon gifts. Do you realize that we are multifaceted, multi-gifted, multi-talented?

            Everyone needs to read that text over and over again and assimilate it into their hearts, minds, and spirits. So often we are inspired by the Holy Spirit to do so many things but we question our intuitions, we listen to others question our multiple gifts, but here it is, Jesus Christ has given us gifts heaped upon gifts which explains our passion for so many different things. Many times we allow loved ones, friends, and well-meaning people in our lives to restrict us and confine us to a box of one thing (stay in your lane, when you may have many lanes), for God has given us gifts heaped upon gifts to enrich our lives and shine for His Glory. God has endowed us well.

            This is why Jesus said, “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” John 10:10 KJV). Better said, “… I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows” AMP. It is the will, wish, and plan of God for us to live full accomplished lives. To STRIVE to accomplish and succeed. Even for those of us who have passed our prime years, God has a word for us when He said:

¹² The righteous will flourish like the date palm [long-lived, upright and useful];
They will grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic and stable].
¹³ Planted in the house of the Lord,
They will flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴ [Growing in grace] they will still thrive and bear fruit and prosper in old age;
They will flourish and be ^[a]vital and fresh [rich in trust and love and contentment]; (Psalm 92 AMP).

            Surely, we are not a people who do not know what to do or where to go in 2025. Abba our Father has spoken and the house of Family of Faith Ministries is guided by this Word which is our mandate into all of this new year. Let us rejoice for Jesus Christ our Helper is here, and we can do all things through his superabundant grace.

            You may have slipped, fallen, or even slept in 2024, but we are reminded to

¹⁸ Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

¹⁹ Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43 KJV).

let us STRIVE 2 THRIVE IN 2025 for the table has already been set before us.

Blessings!

Philippians 4:19

Having an encounter with God through Jesus Christ will transform our lives. Whatever the basis for the encounter, whether it be salvation, healing, deliverance, confusion, or a breakthrough, it will be transformative. It is a personal experience with God that completely alters our situation or condition joyfully or painfully.

These personal experiences of encounter occur in numerous forms, such as:

• A sudden vision: Saul who was later renamed Paul had a sudden encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus bent on imprisoning, killing, and terrorizing the believers of Jesus Christ (Acts 9:3). He was a very religious man who held fast to the laws of Moses and the forefathers, and although the Old Testament prophesied about the coming of the Messiah, he did not understand it and therefore didn’t seem to have received the memo that the Massiah had actually come. He was sincerely wrong in his belief, but he had an encounter with Jesus and he was transformed.

Transformed from a hater of the name of Jesus, a threat to the body of Christ, a cruel and vicious man to a man who not only came to love Jesus Christ but all those who love Christ, so much so that he spent his entire life teaching about the love and mystery of Jesus Christ. He was so transformed that his name had to be changed from Saul to Paul. The Hebrew name Saul means “desired” and its Greek meaning for the word Saulos means “prancing.” Prancing has an arrogant, egotistical, self-opinionated tone to it. Likewise desired, signaling confidence and self-importance.  The name Paul, which is Roman means “little.” In assuming the name Paul, he humbled himself to present Jesus as greater, seeing himself as smaller. It could also be that recognizing his inner transformation with this divine encounter with his Lord, he didn’t want to be associated with the ugliness the name Saul represented. The church which once feared him, now revered him.

• A Quiet Moment of Connection: The woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:2534) had been suffering for twelve years when in her extremities where she had spent all that she had and just didn’t know where to turn came upon a gathering with Jesus. Like so many of us I can imagine her saying to herself, ‘What do I have to lose? I have already lost everything. So she said to herself, “If I would but touch the hem of His garment, I will be made whole.” She then pressed through the crowd until she touched Him and she was healed immediately. Jesus recognized that touch amidst all the other touches he was getting from the crowd that was trying to be as close to Him as possible. He recognized that intentional and purposeful touch that demanded something from Him. It was a touch of need for healing that only He could give and she received it and was made whole in a quiet moment of connection.

• During Ordinary Moments: During ordinary moments like doing the dishes or jogging. I can recall one of those ordinary moments one evening while sweeping when suddenly the Lord told me to call one of my sons and tell him to “stop doing what he was about to do.” So I leaned the broom against the wall and I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed him and I told him what the Lord had told me. I didn’t tell him that the Lord had told me, but I gave him the instruction to stop doing whatever he was into and about to do. He responded with a burst of loud laughter and asked me if I was psychic. I told him no I am not psychic but the Holy Spirit had just told me to tell him to stop. Years later he told me that he did cancel what he was about to do but wouldn’t tell me what it was and I didn’t ask. LOL.

Encounters with Jesus can lead to repentance and conversion, deliverance as in the many cases of demon-possessed persons being delivered in the bible; boldness and a desire to share God’s love; joy and happiness from a life of sadness and depression; secure and confidence in the place of once being insecure and self-incriminating; filled with empathy and humane whereas you were once brash and cruel.

Tanika Marie writes, that having an encounter with God is much deeper than a tangible feeling or emotion. To encounter God is to have your inner Spirit refined and redirected in such a way that completely changes your life. To encounter God is to be welcomed into His all-consuming presence. To encounter God is to discover who you were made to be and who He has always seen you as. Your identity begins to mirror that of Jesus and all He provides for you through His sacrifice, resurrection, and love. Hence one’s encounter with Jesus Christ can be both tangible and/or intangible depending on the purpose of the visitation from God in the moment.

Tamika shares 7 Things That Can Happen After An Encounter With God.

1. Encountering God repositions you on the straight path. The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you” Psalm 32:8 NLT.
2. Encountering God heals the inner parts of your heart. Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28 NLT.
3. Encountering God changes the trajectory of your family and those close to you. “But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” Joshua 24:15 NLT.
4. Encountering God makes you to be a great Ambassador for Christ. “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the scriptures say, how beautiful and the feet of messengers who bring good news” Romans 16:14-15 NLT.
5. Encountering God strengthens and affirms the power in you to no longer struggle with sin. “Anyone who continues to live in Him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know Him or understand who He is. Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this; when people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous” 1 John 3:6-7.
6. Encountering God ushers in a great desire to build the Kingdom of God. “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the frit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, and acceptable sacrifice, will pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:17-19.
7. Encountering God establishes a deep hunger for His presence and glory to exist, in every area of your life. “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you” Psalms 63:1

As we exit 2024 and welcome 2025 let us seek to have encounters with Jesus that will enrich our lives and make us more of who and what God wants us to be. It is all in the process of perfecting His creation that God seeks to visit our lives in such tangible and intangible ways. Let us become seekers of God. May we find ourselves in such pursuit of God that our transformation will not only please God but those with whom we come into contact with and associate with. Remember, an encounter with God will change us and our situations forever. Blessings!

“For God is not the author of confusion,

but of peace, as in all churches of the

saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33).

Christian unity is designed to be a state of love, harmony, and oneness among Christians that is based on shared beliefs, values, and purpose. Christian Unity evolves from the only foundation Jesus Christ. It is a deep spiritual connection that reflects the relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And so, with this understanding, every believer of the Christian faith, irrespective of denomination (which was never created by God), must be able to see the oneness in and among us.

Let us take a short journey through the writings of the Apostle Paul who actually grasped this concept of Christian Unity and went to much pains to explain it to the church. We must understand that the Apostle Paul, unlike the other disciples, was not present during the three years Jesus was in ministry, but he found it necessary to get to know Jesus in a very personal way. His pursuit of the mystery of Jesus Christ coined the new faith He brought to the world giving us an understanding of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. For here we see a spiritual growth unmatched as he sets out on a spiritual journey to enlighten everyone who believes, that we are all one and must therefore live in Unity.

It would appear that the church at Corinth struggled with walking in unity among the diversity of believers who were beginning to follow Christ, for we see he dealt extensively with this in Corinthians more than any other church. Here are some of Paul’s writings: “We being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread 1 Corinthians 10:17KJV, (that bread being Jesus who tells us that He is the Bread of Life (John 6:33, 35 AMP). For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ 1 Corinthians 12:12. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit (vs. 13). [For] God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him (vs. 18). That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another (vs. 25). There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of our calling Ephesians 4:4. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful Colossians 3:15. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and everyone, members one of another Romans 12:4-5. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

As believers, we are encouraged to be mindful that we are one and there is only one overarching commission that propels us all and it is found in Matthew 28:19-20 which tells us all, not a sector, not the Jews, not the Gentiles but openly to all believers, ¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

The Importance of Christian Unity

Christian Unity is much deeper than simply getting along and matters immensely so that the world will see and know that we are all followers of Christ, one Lord and Redeemer. It is important because it glorifies God, it shows what God is like and it participates in God’s divine life as three-in-one, and it will require believers to be humble, gentle, patient, forbearing, walking in the fruits of the Spirit of God. The apostle Paul commands us in Philippians 2:2 to “be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord.”

Looking into John Chapter 17, we can see the depth of Jesus’ care for there to be unity among us. Jesus demonstrated His deep passion and desire for His followers to be one that is even more powerful than the church being at unity as a witness to the world. Jesus wants us to get along with each other, but to a greater measure that we get along in God. Isn’t that something? He wants us to get along in truth. So the lies and misconceptions that separate us have to go.

This Powerful Prayer of Jesus For Unity among God and The Church:

²¹ That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

²² And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

²³ I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

As the body of Christ, we have been adopted into the family, united to Christ, and therefore united to God the Father. Why then is it so difficult for the believers in Christ to walk in unity? Why is it so difficult for us to rise above our denominations, culture, race, and ideology in the body of Christ? Clearly, any schism in the body of Christ does not bring glory to God. According to Jon Bloom in Why Is Christian Unity So Hard?, “this lack of unity is often derived from countless factors such as “heavy spiritual assault (Ephesians 6:12), infiltrated by wolves in sheep’s clothing (Acts 20:29), plagued by rivalries, dissensions, divisions” stirred up by unbelievers who think they’re Christians (Galatians 5:19–21), trying to tempt immature believers to engage in partisan quarrels (1 Corinthians 3:1–4),”  and very often the lack of commitment to the body, etc.

It is only as the believer; the church intentionally pursues spiritual unity that they begin to grow and vice versa. It is in their Spiritual Growth that they are able to lay all encumbrances aside, the fleshly demands, and are able to embrace and enjoy Spiritual Unity.

Jon Bloom claims that achieving Christian Unity is hard and hasn’t been promised to be easy in the Bible. In his point of view, he sees that since the New Testament records so many Christians struggling and failing to be unified, it should signal to us that unity is anything but easy. To justify his position, he cited a few incidents from Paul’s writings where he,

• He reproves the Corinthians for their “quarreling” and “divisions” (1 Corinthians 1:10–11).
• He warns the Galatians against the dangers of “rivalries, dissensions, divisions” (Galatians 5:20).
• He entreats “Euodia and . . . Syntyche [in Philippi] to agree in the Lord” and pleads with others to intervene (Philippians 4:2).
• He instructs the Colossians, “Forgive each other as the Lord has forgiven you” (Colossians 3:13).
• And he exhorts the Ephesians not to indulge in “corrupting talk” so as to “not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,” and to put away “all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander . . . along with all malice” (Ephesians 4:29–31).

It is difficult and will be an ongoing pursuit as the church matures in its oneness of Christ and understands the connectivity between Christ and the Church. Understand that the church is one wherever it is, accountable to one Jesus, and that Unity among us is His will Jesus the Christ, who is its Head. In all of our distinctiveness as members of the body of Christ, we must reflect and portray something of the oneness in the nature of God among each other and in the world.

Blessings.

There is hardly anyone who has never heard or read Psalms 23. It is the Psalm we continuously run to or pull on when we are in fear, lack, confusion, or illness. It is that Psalm that stands like an arch over our lives. It is the first Psalm we teach our babies when they start to speak. What is it about this Psalm that compels us to call upon it in that time of trouble? What is so compelling about this Psalm is that we not only want to read it but to also know it by heart. It is the first Psalm that we learn by head and heart. This is a powerful Psalm that reveals to us the true relationship between us the believer and our Savior, the church comprising the Head (Jesus Christ) and His Body (the believers).

It is so important that as we remember the birth of Jesus Christ and we go through life in our preparation for this season we set aside time to celebrate His birth, that we remember that Jesus is our Shepherd. He is our protector, our shelter, our guide, and our provider. He will cover us and shelter us through whatever storm we may encounter. Even as we remember and celebrate His birth let us remember foremost that this was the birth of our Shepherd and even though He has ascended into His Heavenly place and glory, He remains our Shepherd at the right hand of the Father. He is interceding for us, defending us before the Father, and strengthening us when we feel spent in what we do. He is lifting up our heads when we feel cast down, being our bright and morning star, putting that light in our eyes, spring in our steps, and comforting us along the way that everything is going to be all right, as sore as it is, because He remains our Shepherd and is right alongside us carrying us through it all.

We encourage you during this season to hold fast to your Sheperd for He will help you to grow in those areas of your life where you are weak and challenged. whether it's with your job or business, home and marriage, finances, your personality, and the way you respond to adverse situations and attacks. Whatever and wherever you are in Christ right now, Jesus the Good Shepherd can and will help you to grow spiritually so that you can be like Him. When He asked us to be holy as He is holy, it was because He knew we couldn’t do it and be it, all by ourselves.  He has assigned Himself that job to teach and nurture us into that holy walk and wants us to rely on Him, look to Him for the know-how and the wisdom in how to walk and live holy. Some say we cannot be holy in this corrupted world, but I beg to disagree. You see the holiness Christ our Shepherd expects of us is not His holiness because He is God and none can be holy as God, but there is a level and standard of holiness he expects of us frail humanity, and which He offers to impute in us because we can be holy only through Him. We cannot wash ourselves clean enough to be holy as He desires of us. This means that we have to hold fast to our Shepherd as the sheep does.

We cannot grow spiritually outside of Christ because we were all born in sin and shaped in iniquity but through our salvation, we have become new persons in Christ our Shepherd, and He has now become the Shepherd to guide us in this newness of life. He who is holy and righteous knows the ins and outs of being faithful and true to the Heavenly Father because He was faithful and true in doing the will of the Father when  He left the splendor of heaven and came and died being that ultimate sacrifice for us. He will not leave us in the struggle to be right before our Heavenly Father. When we are going through pain and suffering that we do not want to go through but have to, He the Good Shepherd will be there to take us through it because He knows firsthand what it feels like.

Jesus was preparing to go to the cross, He knew the depth of the suffering He must go through and so he went aside to talk to the Father about it and He said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death:”… and on his face, he prayed “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” This Shepherd knows what it feels like to go through devastating agony but stayed focused on the big picture, focused on the call on His life and He is qualified to guide us through every pain and challenge we may be facing right now that we don’t want to be a part of. We can grow spiritually only as we cling to Jesus our Shepherd.

We must know who He is so that we may follow Him blindly, effortlessly and uncompromisingly as a sheep does. They do not engage their own ideas and sense of importance without the counsel and guidance of the Shepherd. If the shepherd raises his staff and points in a direction, the sheep never stops and questions, ‘Are you sure?’ or ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ They sheepishly run in the direction given to them trustingly knowing that He knows what he is doing and he is looking out for their good.

I’m reminded of the apostle Peter, a fisherman by profession, after toiling all night and catching no fish, was washing his net when Jesus came along and told him to cast his net into the deep. He was probably discouraged at the moment with no catch to take to market, but he obediently responded, “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word, I will let down the net” (Luke 5:4-7). That NEVERTHELESS did the work. That nevertheless, he threw out all his experience and knowledge of fishing and replaced them with the directive from Jesus. The sheep are confident in their shepherd’s ability to provide for them, and protect them from the wolves and bears, even when they aimlessly fall into a pit, they are confident that he will search and find them and get them out of their predicament. This is the confidence we as believers and the flock of Jesus Christ must have in our Good Shepherd.

In this season I encourage us to be greater followers of Jesus, our Shepherd. Let us seek a deeper walk with Him even as we celebrate with family and friends. Let those around us see what the true meaning of Christmas is. It is about the celebration of the birth of our Shepherd, their Shepherd who is with us and in us.

Blessings!

            As we continue to delve into the teachings of Growing in 2024, it is important that as the body of Christ, we grow spiritually in the things of Jesus Christ even as we grow naturally. The Apostle Paul in the book of Ephesians chapter 4 gives us a detailed outlook on what Growing spiritually entails. As we look into this epistle, we see that he emphasized two important areas of growth. First, that the believers live a lifestyle of Jesus Christ both physically and spiritually. This is so critical to our identification with Christ as many believers can be seen and heard in a lifestyle that does not line up with the fruits of the spirit of Christ. Spiritually they would be deeply engaged in worship and speaking the word of God but have little control if provoked or displeased. The Apostle Paul beseeches us to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love (vs. 1-2). As a believer, we must grow both inwardly and outwardly. In other words our inward growth must be reflected on our outward living. It is our outward living that becomes an open book to our world as the light and salt of the world.

            Secondly, he focused on the relationship among believers. He says we must endeavor “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (vs.3).” Why? Because as believers we belong to “one body, and one Spirit, even as we are called in one hope of our calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism.  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all (vs 4-6).” Paul is making clear to us that as believers of Jesus Christ, we are members of one body. We are a family with one Father, one Spirit with one hope. We all make up the body of Jesus Christ where He is the Head. How can we then be at war with each other? We hesitate in the natural to take our sibling to the court of law because we are of one family, likewise, he tells us to keep the unity among us. Jesus Himself tells us, “Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespasses against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him (Luke 17: 3-4).” When the apostles heard this teaching from Jesus, immediately they said, “increase our faith (vs.5).”

            They understood the depth of the call to unity among them despite their differences. They understood the call to grow out of their natural selves and grow spiritually so that their natural man would be diminished to live the life Jesus was calling them to live. In Galatians 5:24 (AMP), this very apostle Paul tells the believers in Galatia, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites.” King James version reports, “They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. This is what it takes to walk in the Spirit and grow spiritually.

The apostle Paul was merely reiterating the principles of Jesus Christ. According to my pastor Exzabia who was teaching on the theme Growing in 2024, his direction for the flock, gave a great takeaway when he said, “when we are out of place and position, then we are trying to undo what Jesus has already completed. To stay in unity of the Spirit with each other we must cease being easily offended especially when correction comes from and through the word of God. There will and must be correction for growth to occur. The Word was inspired for doctrine, correction, reproof, and instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). As our older champions of the faith would often say, the Word of God is the single measuring rod or mirror that keeps us all together and in the one mind of Christ. It’s the one and only instruction manual for all believers everywhere, far and wide.

            The Apostle Paul gives us a clear picture when he said, “Christ has put each part of the church in its right place. Each part helps other parts. This is what is needed to keep the whole body together (NLV), So, when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love (GNT).” It is in the togetherness where each believer recognizes that they are an integral member of the body and lends itself to the oneness of the body that we each grow into the one hope of Jesus Christ. This brings us into another of his takeaways, “The Church (Body or Local Church) cannot function to its maximum potential until each member has reached their full capacity.” This in itself should fuel our Faith because we all have a part in the ineffectiveness of our brothers and sisters not functioning up to their full potential. The unity of the body of Christ is of such that when one errs or falls it affects every one of the body. When one is jubilant or excels likewise it affects us all. We are one body in Christ Jesus and as we walk close to Him we will emanate His essence and character in our walk with each other in strength and in unity.

Blessings!

            As 2024 comes to an end, and we reflect on our growth process throughout the year, we must recognize how connected our growth in Christ is to His gifts to the Church. The gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers were given to the Church for the growth of the Church, and our growth process never ends. Even as the year comes to an end, we cannot ignore or stop our growth, we cannot become so occupied and distracted that we no longer take care in the things of God.

            As we were taught this week, as we each become a part of the Body of Christ, there is a mandate upon our lives to grow in the things of Christ. There is a necessity to grow in the things of God. These five gifts to the Church also called the Five Fold Ministry of the Church are sadly neglected and omitted from so many houses of the Lord. This is why there are so many misguided and ill-informed members of the Body. There is no one to teach and instruct in the truth and mystery of Jesus Christ. There is no one to teach them and they become prey to all manner of false doctrines even within the Body of Christ.

            This is a grave problem in the Body of Christ. The absence of these gifts to the Church, does not mean that these gifts are not present within each house of God. It is simply that they are not understood and accepted if the pastor struggles with the functioning of these offices, thereby denying the Body the full gifts of the Lord Jesus Christ.

            Very often only the office of the pastor is utilized and amplified. Research shows that there are more pastors than all the other offices, so much so that it is easier to appoint or ordain an assistant pastor when in fact that person may very well be an apostle or an evangelist. So we have pastors, assistant pastors, and associate pastors, but no prophet, no teacher (who is often classified as a pastor), no evangelist, and no apostle. This is one of the main reasons that the church functions in error and the Body are not learned. The members of the Body do not understand who or whose they are and why and what is their purpose.

            Jesus gave these five gifts to the Church because the pastor is not supposed to be burdened with all the functions of the five offices. When each of these gifts is in place, they each share the assignment of edifying and building up the Body. This is division of labor in its purest form as Christ visualized it. We fall short in the Body when we are denied the functioning of these offices.

WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS OF THESE GIFTS?

1. 1. The Apostle: Establishes new churches, lays the foundation, and provides leadership with authority.
   2. The Prophet: Shares revelatory insights from God, interprets God’s will, and provides guidance to the church.
   3. The Evangelist: Reaches the lost, shares the Gospel message with those who haven’t heard it, and initiates new believers into the faith of Jesus Christ.
   4. The Pastor: Cares for the spiritual needs of the congregation, providing nurture and protection, and leading the church community.
   5. The Teacher: Explains and interprets scripture, equipping believers with biblical knowledge, and developing spiritual maturity.

In as much as these gifts are laid out singularly, it does not mean that each gift is distributed singularly. When we look at the life of Paul, he was more than just an apostle who established churches everywhere he went. Acts 13:1 tells us that at the church of Antioch, there were certain “prophets and teachers, as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch and Saul (who was later renamed Paul). So Paul was one of those prophets and teachers in that early church. In that chapter, we can observe the apostle Paul as an evangelist (vs 7), a prophet (vs7-12), a teacher (vs 15-41), and many other places in the New Testament, as well as Peter. If someone discovers that they have more than one of these gifts, they must therefore pray to the one who gives the gifts, Jesus Christ, for clarity and understanding of how and when to function in each so that there is no confusion in their delivery, for God is not the author of confusion. Neither should you be afraid and neglect a gift in preference for another.

            These gifts being present and operative in the body of Christ not only develops and grows the Body, but as part of that growth, identifies and nurtures those gifts in the Body for the longevity of the Body. It is and must be an ongoing process so that the Church will continue to grow in the things of God and the mysteries of Jesus Christ. For as one generation of gifts steps away, another generation of gifts must be already trained and built up in their office for an easy transition.

            The gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher are given to the Church by Jesus Christ the Head of the Church and it is our responsibility to ensure that we receive them, grow in them, and use them to build the church and grow until we all come into the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

BLESSINGS!

            Gift is an attractive noun and verb that has become the focal point of the season we are presently in. There is much giving and receiving of gifts. We give gifts to the ones we love and appreciate and receive from those who love us. Some gifts can leave the recipient either happy or sad and may even result in a return or that gift being put away in a far corner where it is never seen or used. We are in the season of giving, but as we give out our gifts and receive at the same time, let us think about the greatest Gift that was given to the entire world.

            One Gift was given to the world with love and unlike the gifts that we give only to those who love us and were kind to us throughout the year, this Gift was given to each and every one of us on earth by someone we didn’t know and didn’t care to know. The scriptures tell us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16 KJV). What is much more striking is that this love for us, the world, was not motivated by our love and appreciation for God. The Bible tells us “God commended His love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners (haters of God, did not want to retain God in our thoughts) Christ died for us (the ungodly) (KJV).

            We received this precious gift that we did not qualify for, that transforms our lives for eternity and not for a season. Jesus Christ is the Gift in totality and not in partiality. We may receive a gift that fits into only one part of our lives, like a shoe to walk in, a purse for whenever we go out, or a pant or toy that will either fade or be destroyed in time. However, this Gift Jesus Christ is everlasting to everlasting and never fades or wanes.

            Many years ago, I recall my mom had bought me a lovely white flat shoe. I so loved that shoe that it didn’t matter what attire I had on, I wore that shoe. But I wore it down until it lost its beauty and started to disintegrate with cracks, but I still wore that shoe. One day I went into the city to visit my sister and when she looked at my feet, the first thing she said, was “Jacque what is the matter with your shoe?” I replied, “I know, it has to go but I so love this shoe.” I eventually had to stop wearing it to go out and began wearing it around the house until it ended up in the garbage. My love for that shoe could not keep it from wear and tear.

            Jesus our Gift will never suffer from wear and tear however long we embrace Him and call upon Him in our lives. He will not dissolve into nothingness the more we love Him but He becomes more real, He reciprocates our love for Him, and a relationship is actually developed between us the more we respond to His love for us and call on Him.

            How long have you received this Gift, Christ Jesus? How long have you been loving Him and He you? Has He become useless, irrelevant, or worthless to you over time, or has the fire of love and desire for Him burned greater and deeper in your heart and life? Has He become the only gift that you can and are willing to share with others and not feel deprived, abandoned, or overlooked?  For me, the answer is no, never and never will.

            Our wish for you in this season of receiving and giving of gifts is that you receive Jesus Christ the greatest Gift to the world and that you hold fast to Him for all eternity. He meets not only one area of our lives but every area of our life. He is the gift that causes us to triumph and overcome. The Gift that comforts, provides, helps, and is right there with us when we are alone. It is this Gift that although we may be alone, we do not feel lonely. I wanted my shoe to last me a very long time but it didn’t irrespective of how often I cleaned it and took care of it, Jesus our Gift promises to never leave us or forsake us but to be with us always. In this season we offer you Jesus the Best Gift of the world. Would you receive Him and cherish Him today?

Even as our Heavenly Father gave the Gift of Jesus Christ to the world, Jesus the Gift turned around and not only gave Himself to the world, He has given gifts to the Church, which is His Body. The Gifts keep Giving. The Apostle Paul tells us explicitly in Ephesians 4: 11-16 of the gifts Jesus has given to the church and the reason behind the gifts. He says,

¹¹ And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; ¹² For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: ¹³ Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: ¹⁴ That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: ¹⁶ From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Clearly, Jesus thought it through and through of the needs of His Body, the Church, to mature in Him and survive in this world. Yes, these gifts of Jesus to the Church is for the Church who have received Him as their Gift of life and must now be taught and fed in the ways of God through the gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These few gifts have the full responsibility to build up the Church, correct it, edify it, and help it grow in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the season more than ever that we receive the Gift of God to not only save us from our sins but to fill us with joy unspeakable and a peace that passes all understanding. It is the time for much rejoicing.

BLESSINGS!

“Find out who you are and be that person.

That’s what your soul was put on this earth to be.

Find the truth, live that truth, and everything else will come.”

—Ellen DeGeneres

Discovering our purpose and becoming our real selves is such an important topic that researchers everywhere have investigated its significance to our lives.  Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher, scientist, and polymath, one of the greatest intellectual figures of Western history said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” We cannot help but recognize the importance of knowing ourselves, knowing who we really are, and discovering our authentic selves.

As I listened to Pastor Exavier Duke teach on this topic, he said “The person you are is based on the purpose of you being here.” This is such a profound statement, for it reveals how important discovering our purpose is. Discovering our purpose is therefore one of the most important elements of a happy and fulfilling life that reveals the real you. The heart of discovering our purpose is about helping us live an authentic life for in so doing we are figuring out what unique contribution we can bring to our world.

In his book The Path of Purpose, Professor William Damon, concluded in his long-raging study, that “The most pervasive problem of the day is a sense of emptiness that has ensnared many young people in long periods of drift during a time in their lives when they should be defining their aspiration and making progress toward their fulfillment.” He describes a majority of our youth as “adrift…they are motivated but directionless.” This has become equivalent to a pandemic because it transcends into adulthood or until later in their lives where much time is lost to them. He has found that only one in five young people expressed a clear vision of where they wanted to go, what they wanted to accomplish in life, and why.

The absence of a purpose-driven life has become such a high priority in our society that many researchers and scholars have written books, lectures, and seminars about it. The focus is geared toward motivating our young adults who are plagued with dominant moods of apathy and anxiety, disengagement, or even cynicism to become naturally hopeful with their lives. They are filled with ambitions but no clear way of achieving them. If we find our purpose, we find ourselves, and having found ourselves, we are able to fulfill our lives which ultimately brings us happiness. A recent study by J.L. Buchanan discovered that depression is the most common health problem for college students and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that levels of suicide for youth aged 15-34 years old. This is how important it is for us as God’s creation to discover our purpose and find our true selves from an early age..

When we find our purpose, we find ourselves and our joy. Finding our purpose is not only spiritually beneficial to the human being, but it is also physically, mentally, and emotionally so because it creates a complete balance in the individual. God is a God of purpose, and He has created us with purpose so that having found it we become a balanced happy people. When youth identify their purpose, they make better life choices and avoid many of life’s challenges such as depression, crushing anxiety, substance abuse, and suicide.

Those who have found their purpose in life whether it is working for racial justice, teaching children with special needs, raising awareness of certain incurable diseases, or volunteering in disaster regions in devastating crisis, have found ways to blend their passion, talents, and care for the world in a way that infuses their lives with meaning. Finding your purpose is tied to better health, longevity, and economic success. It really feels good to have a sense of purpose, knowing that you are using your skills to help others in a way that matters to you because God gave you purpose not only for yourself but to serve others.

He told the prophet Jeremiah, that he was created to be a prophet to the nations not to himself, Peter to be fishers of men not to himself, and the apostle Paul to use his acumen of delivery to stand before kings and the Gentiles, which ended up with him giving of himself to nations and eventually the world at large. It is never about us and our importance but of service. Our purpose is for service.

How to Find Your Purpose In Life

Hardship experienced in racism can prompt one to become a civil rights advocate, domestic violence to be an advocate for domestic violence or severe illness, to pursue medicine. But what do you do when your purpose is not easily obvious to you? Thankfully Kendall Bronk in her research in Greater Good’s Purpose Challenge, developed Seven Ways to Find Your Purpose in Life. She posits:

1. Identify the Things You Care About: High school seniors were asked to think about the world around them—their homes, communities, and the world at large—and visualize what they would do if they had the ability to change anything they wanted to change (and why). Afterward, they could use that reflection to consider more concrete steps they might take to contribute toward moving the world a little closer to that ideal. Seniors were asked - What are you good at? What have you done that gave you a skill that can be used for a cause? And What do you care about in your community?

By reflecting on these questions, the older adults can brainstorm ideas for repurposing skills and pursuing interests developed over a lifetime toward helping the world.

2. Reflect on What Matters Most: Sometimes it can be hard to single out one or two things that matter most to you because your circle of care and concern is far-ranging. Understanding what you value most may help you narrow down your purpose in life to something manageable that also truly resonates with you.

3. Recognize Your Strengths and Talents: We all have strengths and skills that we’ve developed over our lifetimes, which help make up our unique personalities. If in doubt it may be helpful to ask those who know us well and if their feedback confirms what we already know you can run with it, otherwise discard it.

4. Try Volunteering: Finding purpose involves more than just self-reflection. According to Bronk, it’s also about trying out new things and seeing how those activities enable you to use your skills to make a meaningful difference in the world. Volunteering in a community organization focused on something of interest to you could provide you with some experience and do good at the same time.

5. Imagine Your Best Possible Self: Imagine yourself at 40 years of age if everything had gone as well as it could have in your life. Then, answer questions, like:

• What are you doing?
• What is important to you?
• What do you really care about, and why?

The why part is particularly important because purposes usually emerge from our reasons for caring.

6. Cultivate Positive Emotions Like Gratitude and Awe: To find purpose, it helps to foster positive emotions, like awe and gratitude. That’s because each of these emotions is tied to well-being, caring about others, and finding meaning in life, which all help us focus on how we can contribute to the world.

7. Look To the People You Admire: Sometimes the people we admire most in life give us a clue to how we might want to contribute to a better world ourselves. Reading about the work of civil rights leaders or climate activists can give us a moral uplift that can serve as motivation for working toward the greater good.

It is however important to note that in finding our purpose in life, we don’t need fame but rather to look to our inner compass and start taking small steps in the direction that means the most to us. Every so often I am reminded of John 1: 9 which tells us clearly that the True Light, which is Jesus Christ lights every man that comes into the world. Each of us has that inner Light that will guide and lead us to our purpose if we seek it and pursue it.

References:

1. https://www.discoveringmypurpose.org/support-us/why-purpose
2. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/seven_ways_to_find_your_purpose_in_life

“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”

—Dolly Parton

Having a fulfilled life entails taking the time to discover your purpose in being here on earth. In the book of Proverbs 16:4, we are told “The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for the day of disaster” (NLT). God has created us with a purpose in mind. We understand that God is intentional and was intentional when He created us for His purpose. It therefore behooves us to find out what that purpose is. We need to discover why we are here so that we may find ourselves useful in the world. The responsibility is ours to know our purpose for being alive, and I say alive because it is but for the grace of God that we who are alive are not consumed already.

But it all starts with knowing why God created us. He says in Isaiah 43:21, “This people have I formed for myself: they shall shew forth my praise” (KJV). We must each ask ourselves ‘What can I do to show forth the praise of God?’ ‘How can my life bring pleasure to God our Creator?’ Very often this will require us taking a step back and looking at ourselves, examining what our passions are, what motivates us excessively, and what fills our minds and spirits that even if we want to set it aside we can’t help but return to it. What is it that gives us that joy to get up in the mornings and run to it?

For some discovering their purpose may come naturally from a very early age. This is how we have twenty-five-year-old farmers, doctors, researchers, teachers, counselors, etc. Then there are cases where you just stumble into something that clutches your heart and you find yourself developing a love and affinity for it. The next thing you know, that is what you want to do. As you talk to God in your times of quiet times, He will make it very real to you with prompting to pursue it. However you discover your purpose in life, it is important that you pursue it to make your life purposeful and meaningful.

God has designed us to be fruitful and have dominion not only for ourselves but for our world. But then the question becomes, ‘How do world affairs affect my life? What impact would changes in world dynamics have on my purpose?’ These and many more questions are valid, but we must be a people who know their God because as Daniel 11:32b tells us we will be strong and do exploits. This means that irrespective of the economic circumstances or the political landscape, with the guidance and wisdom of God we will do exploits in the thing He has impregnated us to do.

We find a very good point of reference in the book of Jeremiah. The children in Judea and Jerusalem had been disobedient and God had caused them to be taken into captivity into Babylon under the governance of King Nebuchadnezzar who was not only ruthless but evil. Although they were no longer in their native land, the land that God had promised them for an inheritance, God saw their dismay and concern for their lives and the interruption this exodus from their norm would bring about. So God dictated a letter to the prophet Jeremiah which he sent to King Nebuchadnezzar saying,

 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters, that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And see the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace” (Jeremiah 29:4-7).

            Here God is telling His people that although the circumstances were not what they were accustomed to in a strange land, they were to focus on being fruitful and productive in their lives. They were not to allow the external climate to detach them from their purpose as the people of God. Yes, they were in judgment, and yes, they were not in the environment they knew and were accustomed to, but God was promising to make their purpose come to fruition irrespective of where they were, and how uncomfortable they were. God was telling them to pursue and live their lives so that they are not diminished. Isn’t God good, to be both love and justice at the same time?

            God was letting them know that he judged them to humble them, but he still loved them and would prosper and be with them in their captivity. God who created everything for His purpose is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is King over governments and kingdoms and as we remain faithful and obedient to Him, we can be assured that He will not abandon us under any circumstances. We must never abandon our purpose but rather hold on to the peace of God no matter what.

            It is this peace that we have with God that will give us the confidence to remain steadfast in our purpose whether our job changes, our location changes, or our government changes. God never changes, and neither does our purpose. This should strengthen our resolve in today’s world where so many are disillusioned by our political and economic conditions. We must be encouraged that although there are changes that may be unpleasant to us, our God has not changed. He is still God, King of all kings, President of all presidents, and Lord of all lords, and will be faithful to us in all aspects of our lives. We must discover our purpose in life that will bring praise to Him for in doing so we not only please God, but we bring joy and fulfilment to ourselves. Discovering our purpose leads to a full and peaceful life within.

          When we think of being pregnant, we think of being entrusted with the birth of a child, an idea, a gift, hope, and or a promise. It can be tangible or intangible and today let’s talk about an intangible pregnancy that can only be imparted by the Holy Spirit in us. A pregnancy that must be pursued into fruition only if we acknowledge it. It’s a pregnancy with a divine purpose that requires being searched out and developed for the glory of God.

King David tells us in the book of Proverbs 16:4, “The Lord hath made all things for Himself,…”  In other words, all things that we can or cannot touch were made by God. The apostle John reiterated David’s declaration when he said in St. John 1:3, “All things were made by Him (Jesus), and without Him was not anything made that was made.” We must therefore look beyond the tangible that we can literally touch and wait for, in the natural birthing of a baby from our womb.

          There are the pregnancies of ideas, skills, and dreams that have been planted in us, and like the natural baby, they come with a purpose. We must first believe that we were created for a purpose and with a purpose in the mind of God. What did God Himself say, “For I know the thoughts I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11 KJV). The Apostle Paul explains it clearly when he says, our own completeness is only realized in Christ, who is the authority over all authorities, and the supreme power over all powers (Phillips). We come completely packaged by God for a purpose. We are not empty and we are not diminished, we are complete in God. This is why we do not compare ourselves with others because we all come complete in God for our assigned purpose and not someone else’s.

          Each and every one of us has been created with a purpose and for a purpose and until it is realized and birthed through us we become tormented and restless from within. As we allow God to develop our purpose we must look for expression of that purpose. We must realize it, discover it and seek to develop it for delivery. Our purpose is never chosen or selected by us for us, it is bestowed upon us by the Holy Spirit and as God positions or plants us in His garden, there is where we must express it.

          After a while, it becomes difficult to not do what we were called to do. For our own inner peace we must pursue the purpose we have been impregnated with whether we like it, approve of it or not. A vivid example is seen in the testimony of the Prophet Jeremiah whom God had told that even before he was conceived in his mother’s womb he was ordained to be a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5). This purpose for Jeremiah being born did not always sit well with him because it brought conflict and tension with the people to whom he must speak on behalf of God.

          God did not ask Jeremiah if he would like to be a prophet if he would like to speak to nations on His behalf, it was bestowed upon him, it was assigned to him and it was his responsibility to understand what it entailed and run with it. And he did, but we find as in many instances, there is a particular situation where he was not enjoying his assignment. This assignment was causing him much pain and he decided to talk to God about it. God had sent him to speak to the kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem because of their wickedness, how they had “turned the valley into a place of shame and wickedness (Jeremiah 19:4a). Jeremiah was told to tell them that God said, He “will bring terrible evil upon the place, so terrible that the ears of those who hear it will prickle (19:3).

          Who wants to deliver such a message, however justifiable it is? But Jeremiah had no choice in the matter, this was what he was impregnated with, to speak to the nations on God’s behalf, being the mouthpiece for God and not to be afraid of their faces (Jeremiah 1:8). So here he must execute his assignment against his inner peace because this is what he is called to do and he did. But he didn’t hesitate to let God know how painful it was for him, for after he delivered God’s no-nonsense message to the people, and was imprisoned for it, he turned to the Lord and said,

“O Lord, you deceived me when you promised me your help. I have to give them your messages because you are stronger than I am (meaning I do not have the power to stand against you and say no) but now I am the laughingstock of the city, mocked by all. You have never once let me speak a word of kindness to them, always it is disaster and horror and destruction. No wonder they scoff and mock and make my name a household joke” (Jeremiah 20:6-8 TLB).

Yes, our assignment can be painful, it can be hard and cause us much discomfort and unease, but we have to stick with it because to vacate it brings inner turmoil that far outweighs the discomfort of doing what we are called to do. Jeremiah further says,

“I can’t quit! For if I say I’ll never again mention the Lord – never more speak in his name, then his word in my heart is like fire that burns in my bones, and I can’t hold it in any longer” (Jeremiah 20:9 TLB).

This is what being pregnant is all about. Pregnant on assignment. Jeremiah couldn’t quit because of the inner turmoil or unrest it brought to his inner peace. Earlier when God had informed him of his calling, he reported what God had said to him,

“The Lord said unto me, say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee” (Jeremiah 1:7-8 KJV).

          This brings me to the realization that when we have been impregnated with purpose by God, we do not have the choice of saying no. It is for us to discover what is our purpose, how we must execute it even if and when we do not have the fanfare of the world or we do not feel good about it. What we do not have the privilege of, is to just sit idly by doing nothing. As God’s creation, God’s people, we must take the necessary responsibility to enquire of God what our purpose is by staying connected to Him and then actually begin to do that thing however small or insignificant it may seem.

            God must be able to trust us with the little things before He will entrust us with more and much more. It is so important for us to take the responsibility to discover our purpose and having discovered it, develop in it to the excellence God seeks. Very often it is not even about us but God will choose and assign us to others or for the benefit of others. God said of the Apostle Paul at the time of his conversion, “… he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel: for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Acts 9:15-16).

          We all know what things Paul suffered but not once did he vacate his offices. He endured rejection, imprisonment, beatings, and threats to his life, and he kept doing the will of the Father until at the end he was able to boldly declare, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4: 7-8 KJV). He says the crown of righteousness to be received in our faithfulness is not only for him but for everyone who would be faithful to their assignment as he was at the coming of the Lord.

            Living in our purpose is a sacrifice of ourselves to and for others. Remember we are created for a purpose and with a purpose and it behooves us to discover it and do it to the honor and glory of God. For as Paul indicated there will be a day of reckoning when we would either be crowned or not for what we have done or have not done with the purpose of God. This is the time to get moving and do something.

Blessings upon Blessings.

Let’s talk about being pregnant, and not pregnant in the flesh which pertains to all females, but rather to the pregnancy with purpose through the Spirit of God. In Genesis 1:26 we read where God said: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature; So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself,  and every animal that moves on the face of Earth” (MSG). Here we see God wasted no time in assigning responsibilities to both male and female after their creation. Clearly, it was never God’s intention that mankind sit idly by doing absolutely nothing of importance or significance. In the King James Version, God used the word “dominion,” which implies we were to take leading positions in whatever our assignment.

Again in Jeremiah 29:11, God says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end (Jeremiah 29:11). Then King David testified of God’s thoughts, when he said, “O Lord, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep (Psalms 92:5). Therefore, when God said we were to have dominion over every living, creeping, crawling, flying, and swimming thing on and in the earth, He was having deep and far-reaching thoughts in mind for us and built us up to do so. We can do all that God has put in our hearts and minds to do. It may require hard work, research, or much study, but we can and must do what God has called us or impregnated us to do in this lifetime.

Very often as a people, we fall into the trap of thinking or actually believing we are an authority unto ourselves or we are our own bosses, when in fact the Proverbs tells us, “The Lord hath made all things for himself…” (Proverbs 16:4). It will be good for us to note that God made us all for himself which speaks of accountability. We are placed here to do something(s) and it is each and everyone’s responsibility to find out what we were created to do. We all have an assignment(s)even before we were born, and irrespective of whether or not our birth was planned, we were not a surprise to God. Because God, who is Omniscient, knew us before we were even conceived in our mothers’ wombs. Do you recall what He said to Jeremiah?

Jeremiah was a prophet at a time when much was going on, to have someone question their purpose for even being alive.  This was during the time of Zedekiah when the Jews from Jerusalem were being carried into captivity and I can just imagine this prophet asking himself, ‘What do I say to our people? Why is this happening to us or me? What is my purpose for being here at a time like this? What is my purpose as a prophet in this captive situation? But then God saw his thoughts and the questions and struggles of his mind. Jeremiah was probably questioning his ability to do anything, his usefulness or relevance. God understood his distress and stepped in and answered him. God has a way of knowing our thoughts even before we utter them vocally. Jeremiah said, the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out to the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).

I can visualize Jeremiah’s perplexity and joy at knowing that God had organized his life from its inception. God had an assignment for him long before his embryo came along. Look at Adam and Eve, the scriptures says that the Lord had not caused it to rain upon the earth because there was no man to till the ground. The work was already there but man was not yet there to take care of it. But then God created Adam and Eve and assigned them to it. God already had work for each and every one of us whom He has created. It is for each of us to find out what it is and we do that by going to Him and asking for revelation. Some of us will readily discover our purpose for being here on earth by our passions. More often than not our passion is our destiny.

When I think of the word “Pregnant,” it speaks of “rich in significance or implication; having possibilities of development or consequence; involving important issues; abounding in resourcefulness; inventive; fertile, rich, great importance, potential; momentous (Merriam-webster.com), and the list can go on and on. It speaks of a mind pregnant with ideas. How often have you found your mind pregnant with ideas? Where are those ideas? Have you discarded them? Have you written them down but abandoned them into oblivion?

HOW DO WE DISCOVER OUR PURPOSE?

• We must reconnect with our manufacturer, God, who created us. Since He created us with a purpose in mind, it is only natural that we go to Him and enquire of Him. We must develop a relationship with God where He shares His secrets with us. Psalm 25:14 tells us, “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will shew them His covenant.”
• We must get involved and do something. Whether it's in the church, the marketplace, at home, or in our community, wherever you find yourself, the Holy Spirit will show you what to do. Luke 12:48b tells us “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” The more you become exposed, you will develop a love and passion to take something or some aspect of what you are learning or have learned to create and build on. We have to get involved, we must become engaged in something out of which passions evolve. As we begin to do something and become engaged, we will develop a love for it until it becomes a part of us.

Let us remember that in His creative work, God has a master plan for all mankind to give their contribution to the world naturally and spiritually. The Apostle Paul tells us that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). What good works are you walking in today? Where are you demonstrating His workmanship? Where are you involved? Wherever you find yourself at this point in your life, there is something you can do to add your contribution. Believe it, you are pregnant with purpose not only for yourself but for others. And like Jeremiah and so many of us, the situation may never be perfect for you to jump right in, but let God build your confidence in assuring you of what you are destined to do and He will strengthen you in the call and for the call.

Let us get moving, there is so much work to be done everywhere you turn, or as Jesus declared, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37).

Blessings!

I don’t know where you are or how you are as you are reading this blog, but I am trusting that God has brought you to this write-up to bless you in so many ways. We had gathered for worship last Sunday and I sat with a very big heart as my pastor expounded on one of my very favorite passages of scripture. It was taken from 1 Chronicle 1:9-10, where the young man by the name of Jabez was not in a good place at this particular time, and was definitely not feeling good about himself. You see his mother brought him forth out of pain and named him Jabez which meant ‘Sorrow, regret, disappointment, and pain” in his Hebrew language.

How many of us have felt the pain of a name given to us by our parents for whatever reason? If I may make my own confession, I named my second son Tyson after seeing the name Tyson in a magazine when I was pregnant. I often wondered why as a Christian and God-loving mother, I didn’t turn to the bible for a name, possibly Joseph or Paul like his dad, but I named him Tyson. Unfortunately for him, by the time he was seven years old and ready to go off to primary school, Mike Tyson the boxer became very famous in my country.

In the second week of his new school, I went to pick him up and he was sitting in the principal’s office. In her office, she explained to me that he was in a big fight that day with another boy and she pointed to the other boy sitting across the room scowling. As I looked at him I was shocked to see how huge he was. He was taller and bigger than my small framed baby. I looked at the principal and asked what caused the fight and before she could answer, Tyson angrily explained that they were in the grounds playing when the boy (I have forgotten his name) came up to him and said, “so you are Tyson, well I am Bone Crusher” and I’m going to beat you up. I don’t know if you remember the boxer “Bonecrusher,” but he was the boxer who held the WBA heavyweight title from 1986-1987, then came Mike Tyson and defeated him and took away his title. This little boy who was burly as I guess his favorite boxer was, saw my Tyson as a way of getting back at the real Tyson for beating up his idol. Tyson could not get away from that kid and was engaged in a fight every day for the remainder of that week and the next until I had to eventually remove him from that school since the teachers had no control of the situation.

As a grown young man, he informed me that he had to fight his way throughout his school years until high school. That is how a wrong name can negatively impact an individual. For some reason, he kept it from me and his dad all those years, until in New York his dad was called to the school at least once every week. I had caused him so much trauma in his school life.

There is no record of what Jabez’s childhood and teenage years looked like, or what he may have endured, but at this point in Jabez’s life, he seemed to be burdened with the significance of his name of sorrow, regret, disappointment, and pain that caused him to cry out to God for help. Under the influence of his name, he didn’t feel blessed even though the bible states that he was more honorable than his brethren. His honorable status did not alleviate the pain of his life, so he cried out to God that God would bless him and enlarge his territory, his coast, and lay his hands on him. He wanted God to lay his holy hand on him and lift the burden of sorrow, pain, and suffering from him. He asked, “And that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me” (vs. 10b).

Jabez understood what the power of the hand of God upon him would do for him. He understood that it would break the yoke of sorrow, lack, and pain from his life and remove all the evil that came with that name. He was tired of the grief in his life that came with his name and he wanted no more of it and the verse ended with, “And God granted him that which he requested.”

Today what is it that you would like God to put his hand on your life and remove? God can do for you what he did for Jabez. In particular, God wants to enlarge your territory, not only to reverse the weight of a name, sadness, sorrow, pain, and lack in your life but also to enlarge you in very critical areas of your life to make you and me better individuals. God wants to enlarge us in the areas of:

1. Our love walk – A love that is not superficial but where we have the capacity to love our enemies. A love that is not based on how we feel, that has no stipulations. We must understand that because God himself is love and gave love, He looks at love with honor and requires us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, and we do know how to love ourselves, we do know how we would like to be treated and appreciated. Yes, God has placed His love in us and He looks at love with honor. The Apostle Paul admonishes us to, “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another” (Romans 12:9-10).
2. Our forgiveness walk – We often struggle in this area of our lives when someone hurts us, but God wants to enlarge our capacity to forgive each other and live in love and a free spirit with each other. When the disciple asked Jesus how often he must forgive his brother, Jesus said seventy times seven. This number of four hundred and ninety times is so large that I am very sure you have not been able to encounter anyone who has been able to hurt you that much in a lifetime, much more in a day. In other words, we must walk in a forgiving mode of life daily.
3. Our patience walk – How is your patience walk today? So many of us don’t have the patience to wait on God, or anyone for that matter. We rush to take over and be in control and very often make things worse, but the Psalmist sets a great example for us when he cried out to God, “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress, have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer” (Psalm 4:1). King David knew that only God could give him an answer that will work on his situation. It was in his distress that he called upon God and so must we.

Today God wants to enlarge the areas of our lives where we fall short. He wants to enlarge our capacity in those areas where we are weak so that we can become strong in his strength and wisdom. My prayer is that we all call on him in our distress, failings, or weaknesses in full surrender to His will and purpose.

Blessings