It’s All About Grace

Niti Krishnakumar
 It’s All About Grace

It’s All About Grace Copyright © 2018 by Niti Krishnakumar.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including
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 Introduction

Dear readers, I take great delight in presenting this book as a testimony of God’s wonderful grace in
my life. The Lord wants us all – His children – to know the truth about His grace that has been
lavished upon us. This book aims to make known the very heart of God towards His children. In this
book I attempt to present to you the Father’s desire for His children to live out of the fullness of His
grace. This is the key to making us powerful in Him. Those of you who feel weak and discouraged,
need to know that God’s grace is available to you as a free gift from the heavenly Father. We have
power and authority and the manifestation is up to us. We are the new generation for God – the God
generation and we can make a huge difference if we set our hearts to it.

This new approach of living under grace is as great a calling as the calling to be like God
Himself! Yes, my dear friends, this is the Father’s Heart bared out before you! This life is a journey of
becoming like Him. And you may ask “What do we get from being like He is?” He is all powerful, He
knows all, He is faithful, love manifested, embodiment of all good things. Most of all, godliness is a
great pursuit that enables you to spend eternity in His lap. Because this life is not all there is!

Why would God create us just to live an earthly life and then die and have nothing to do with us
after that?! Of course not, God wants to spend eternity with His creation and this life is just a test,
and training to godliness. This is the main purpose of grace. Grace is the tool that God put in place to
make us like Him in everything. Knowing about grace empowers us to be gracious recipients who
give glory to God! This book is meant to do just that – it is meant to put you in a position of receiving
all the endless promises that God has given us in His Word. So I pray you will take this journey with
me and go with me where the Lord is taking us. This is sure to benefit you.
To think that the God of Heaven would want to make us all like Him is a humongous idea! But
He is who He is and He does as He has promised. So let us be diligent to seek out the precious
promises. In this book, we will be looking at how we can trust in His grace to transform us and make
us fruitful influencers and mighty witnesses for God. We are powerful because His grace abounds
mightily and we have no lack because through this book you will able to harness what you have
been given and is already yours in Christ! Amen.
 A water turbine uses the power of falling water to generate power. How much more powerful
we are than merely falling water. We have great power to achieve much if we only set our hearts to
the task. No task is too small. Each task must be handled carefully and with utmost attention as if
being done to God Himself because if it wasn’t worth doing, we needn’t have been doing it. The very
fact that we are doing the task indicates that it meets a certain end that is meaningful and useful to
us. So every task must be assigned the importance that it deserves.

God made His creation with great love. When He spread the expanse of the heavens and when
He separated the waters, He was totally immersed in His task. When He created man with His hands,
I am sure that He used every bit of His imagination to make the best of him. I couldn’t think of a
better way to be formed except with the hands that God has given me, which can handle a myriad
functions with ease – and the many other organs made so thoughtfully to meet my every need! It is a
marvel how functional we are and all the glory for our bodies belongs to Him, our Creator and then
what to say about the mind and the spirit He endowed each human – they are truly beyond
comprehension! So relax and read this book like you would a letter from someone so dear…He
watches over us and His Presence fills us.
 Chapter 1
What Grace Means

he cross of Jesus Christ was the full manifestation of God’s abundant grace towards all those

T who believe in His Name. The fact that God the father went through so much pain to give even
His own son to a dying humanity speaks volumes about His abundant grace towards us. The
work of the cross culminated in all grace abounding towards all who believe in His Son. We
read in the last line of the book of Revelation 22:21 “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people.
Amen.” The last line in the Bible tells us the importance of the role of grace in our lives. The people of
God must always remember and work from the grace that was achieved for them on the cross.

We are so privileged that the cross makes us grand recipients of all Kingdom benefits, the most
amazing being the grace of God. It is from grace that all blessings become real. From the fullness of His
grace we have received one blessing after another (John 1:16), speaks about God’s grace operating to bring
about all blessings. Often we tend to be misguided regarding the right order in which God set His
salvation plan in place.

Step 1: It all started with Him.

We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19) with such great love.
1 John 4:9-10 - This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we
might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning
sacrifice for our sins.
God is repeating the same point in verses 9 and 10. It is a very important message that He wants
to convey and confirm. He gave His Son as an atoning sacrifice as a mark of His great love with the
sole intent of redeeming His lost children back to Him. He accomplished His purpose through His
Son dying on the cross for us all. Surely all mankind will live because of His Son.
John 1:14 - The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one
and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus was full of grace and truth. He lived in grace and died and rose again in grace. His death and
resurrection opened the way for grace to operate in our lives as well. This is the first step in the
salvation plan.

The grace of God was on Jesus because the Father delighted in His Son.
Mat 12:18 - “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on
him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations…..

We know from John 1:14 that Jesus was full of grace and truth and we read from Mat 12:18 that
God put His Spirit on him. Does that mean that grace only comes to those in whom the Father
delights? Is this true? Yes, that’s what the scripture above is saying. God delighted in His Son and
put His Spirit of grace on Him.

So does that mean we need to delight the Father’s heart so that His grace can reach us too? Yes, but
the truth is we could not and cannot by any means delight the Father’s heart. The Old testament is
full of all genres of people, from all walks of life, trying to delight the Father’s heart, desperately
trying to fulfill all the commandments and getting nowhere because they failed so miserably in
meeting God’s high standards. Nobody could meet God’s high standards!

So then what can we do to make the Father to delight in us?

John 1:12-13 - Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become
children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of
God.

Believe in Jesus!

All that needs to be done is to believe in his Name! Jesus was the sinless Lamb of God. There was no
sin in Him. He was perfect but we are imperfect without Jesus. Our imperfections are covered by the
blood of Jesus. His sacrifice was the ultimate payment for all that mankind was unable to do because
of the fall. So my dear friends, you are totally justified now and God delights in you too just as He
does in His Son because His blood was shed for you and me and we were made delightful to the
Father. This is the reason that we are now endowed fully with grace from above. Amen. Glory to
Jesus!

John 16:27 - The Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from
God.

2 Cor 5:17-19 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All
this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has
committed to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Cor 5:21 - God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of
God.

John 16:8-9 - When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and
judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me.

Mat 21:22 - If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

John 12:46 - I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

Mat 12:21 - In his name the nations will put their hope.”

God says that the nations would put their hope in His Son. The Father wanted that all nations be
made complete in the grace that was coming to them through His Son. The cross was meant to make
all live through His son (1 John 4:9). So the fact is that His Son dying on the cross brings all that
was dead back to supernatural life.

But God needed Step 2 to bring His salvation plan to completion and that involves each one of us
who believe in the Son. The Son died and God offered grace as a free gift to all who believe but many
have not heard of the Son who died for them. They need to be told this too-good-to-be-true news
that they have grace now to receive all the blessings of God. Amen. All must be made alive in Christ
because Christ died for each and every one – ALL. So what is Step 2 of His salvation plan?

Step 2: He calls us, supplies us with His power and

causes us to bear fruit and bring forth good deeds.

We read in 1 Thessalonians 1: 11-12: We constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his
calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed
prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him,
according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is clear from the above scripture that it is God’s grace working in you that:
1. Makes you worthy of his calling
2. Gives you the power to bring forth fruit.

Even your desires and your deeds are the result of His grace operating in your life as the word
“grace” used in verse 12 reveals. Fruit is achieved through His desire for goodness in you and His
faith prompting you to good deeds - all these being the work of God’s grace in our lives. This is the
second step.

Those of us who understand the first step that God first loved us and provided all grace through
the loving sacrifice of His son can easily understand that it is out of the first step, that we arrive at
the second step. There is no step 2 or calling or power or good desire or good deeds or faith or grace
without the cross of the sacrificial Lamb. In fact, if you don’t believe in what Jesus accomplished for
you on the cross, you are still a sinner without any hope of salvation. As we have seen before, “From
the fullness of His grace we have received one blessing after another.” (John 1:16) and Jesus is the source of all
grace as in John 1:14.

Acts 20:32 - “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an
inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
The grace of God builds you up to serve the Lord and make His Kingdom come on earth. The
blessing is to be a blessing. The beautiful fragrance of the children of God will draw many to the
Lord Jesus Christ. People enamored by the lovely presence will be drawn to you. Praise be to God for
His glorious work in our lives, that makes us acceptable and pleasing in His sight.
 Chapter 2
The God of ALL Grace

Mat 12:18-21 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,

the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on
him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations….. 21In
his name the nations will put their hope.”

n the previous chapter, we saw that the grace of God was on Jesus because the Father delighted

I in His Son. This same grace has been provided freely to all of us through the Son who died for
us. God was fully satisfied and we are fully justified by the cross.

Now let us understand the many ways the grace of God helps us.

No confidence in the flesh

The word disgrace appears 80 times in the Old Testament.
We read in John 1:17 that the law was given through Moses and grace and truth came through
Jesus Christ. What does the grace of God accomplish that the law could not accomplish?
The law made sin increase as scripture indicates:
Romans 5:20-21 - The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased,
grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through
righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:14 - For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
There is no place for works or performance under grace. Otherwise, grace would not be grace,
as scripture indicates:
 Romans 11:6 - And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

Romans 3:23-24 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all
are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ
Jesus.
The only reason we are justified is because Jesus died for us. We can now use the grace of God to
help us stop sinning because his grace is available to us and we do not have to depend on our own
strength to live right before God! What freedom to not have to be in control of my spiritual life. Amen.

Phil 2:12-13 - Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to
will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

This simply means we only have to be led by the ministry of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the
perfect will of God in our lives. The Spirit leads us as we rely on His grace and obey His voice inside
us. God works in us and He puts His desire in our hearts and we just need to follow suit. This also
means that you don’t have to do anything outside of the Spirit’s leading.
Before you do anything, ask God if this is right for you and peace is often a sign that God wants
you to go ahead. If you thus obey, you will succeed in everything you do. If God is not leading you to
do something and you feel compelled in your flesh to do it, you are depending on your own strength
and will power to accomplish it. This is a sure shot recipe to failure. The strength is always from
God, so if we rely on ourselves to perform even good works without God’s strength to lead us, we
will not be able to lead a submitted life and the grace of God cannot operate in our lives. God will
have to wait for you to expend your strength before He can get your attention and dependence back
on Him.
The grace of God worked many wonders and miracles among the apostles (because they had
learnt to operate from grace):
Acts 4:33-35 - And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons
among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales
and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
Acts 6:8 - Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the
people.
Acts 13:43 - Paul and Barnabas, talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
Acts 14:3 - Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed
the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.

Clearly, we see that the grace of God was performing signs and wonders, which mean all their
needs of provision, healing, deliverance, word of knowledge, wisdom, understanding and so on were
met– all that we could possibly ask for was freely provided. The apostles had grasped the
knowledge of God’s ways. He does not depend on human strength to accomplish anything. All he
needs is a surrendered heart that is totally dependent of His wisdom from the Bible, to change
everything in that person’s life.
 Chapter 3
Grace the Power of God unto Salvation
Acts 15:11 - We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are
saved, just as they are.

am extremely thankful to Br Andrew Wommack for an article on Grace which I had read many

I years ago. It had set me thinking in the right direction and prepared me to write this book. He
explains that Grace is the source of our power to perform. It is the ULTIMATE power of God
towards mankind to bring about His salvation plan. Andrew uses the Word of God to explain
grace. Let’s read:

Grace: The Power Of The Gospel

By Andrew Wommack
The Gospel is the most basic, foundational message of the New Testament, yet it’s the most misunderstood.
Today’s religious system is not preaching the same Gospel that Paul did. They mix it with the Law, and that isn’t
the Gospel at all.

The book of Romans was written to explain the Gospel so that anybody could understand it. Paul, the
writer, made it so simple that you’d have to have somebody help you to misunderstand it. And, unfortunately,
we’ve had a lot of help!

Paul started off with this statement in Romans 1:16:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth;
to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

That is a radical statement. This word “gospel” in the original Greek is a word that was seldom used at the
time this was written. Nobody talked this way, because the word literally means nearly-too-good-to-be-true news.
It referred to news that was so awesome, nothing really justified using it. Nothing was nearly too good to be true.
 But Paul said he was not ashamed of the Gospel. Why? “For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” The Gospel is the power of God, and that’s talking about grace.
Acts 20:24 and Galatians 1:6 both use the terms “gospel” and “grace” interchangeably.

It’s saying that when you understand the Gospel, or the grace of God, it’ll release the power of God into
your life. That’s huge!

The next verse in Romans 1 says,

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Notice that righteousness is not revealed from Law to Law, from good deed to good deed—it’s revealed from
faith to faith. Here’s a good piece of information to consider: Sin won’t stop the power of God for salvation in
your life but trusting in your own good works will. That’s what “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith
to faith” means. You receive the righteousness of God by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8)! God won’t withdraw His
power because of sin in your life. That’s why it’s nearly-too-good-to-be-true news.

When you talk like this, people with a religious mindset immediately say, “Well, what about sin? This sounds
like you’re just giving people a license to sin.” Not so! Last I checked, people were sinning without a license! I’m
not advocating sin. But, see, this is the immediate reaction when you start talking about righteousness by faith.
They think you need to make people aware of their sin and the wrath of God.

But that’s why Paul said in the next verses,

For the wrath of God is [already] revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who
hold the truth in unrighteousness; [19] Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath
shewed it unto them.
Romans 1:18-19, brackets mine
Notice it says it’s manifest in them, not to them, for God has shown it unto them. God has put in every single
person who has ever breathed an intuitive knowledge that they are a sinner and that they deserve
rejection instead of acceptance. You don’t need to tell people this; they already know it.

We aren’t called to convict people of their sin but to convince them that the only way they can obtain
righteousness, or right standing, with God is through putting faith in what Jesus did for them, not through
something they’ve done. That’s why I spend so much of my time on this, and it’s what many of my teaching
materials are devoted to.

Let’s look at Luke 18:9-14 to verify this:

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised
others: [10] Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. [11] The Pharisee
stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
or even as this publican. [12] I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. [13] And the publican, standing
afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a
sinner. [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth
himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

This is a powerful parable. Let me ask you: Are you like the Pharisee or the publican? I’m not talking about
your actions but your trust. Do you trust in what you do for the Lord or what He has done for you? If a person is
putting faith in all of their religious acts—all of their holiness—then that will actually block them from
righteousness and relationship with God. But the person who maybe hasn’t been as good, yet they’ve
humbled themselves and cried out to God, this is the one who enters into right standing with God.
 That’s what it says in Romans 9:30-32:
What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to
righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. [31] But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness,
hath not attained to the law of righteousness. [32]Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by
the works of the law.

This says there are two types of righteousness: a faith righteousness and a righteousness that comes
by the Law. Righteousness by the Law is a righteousness based on performance. Another way to say it is “self-
righteousness.” The truth is, nobody can perform well enough to get Law righteousness, because the Bible says in
Isaiah 64:6 that “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” And James 2:10 says that if you keep the Law and yet
offend in one point, you are guilty of breaking the entire thing. In other words, if you did ninety-nine out of a
hundred things right and one thing wrong, according to the Law of righteousness, you would be unrighteous. BUT!
If you put your faith in Jesus, you would receive His righteousness—faith righteousness—even though you did
ninety-nine out of a hundred things wrong! What a deal!

There are many people today who wouldn’t consider themselves to be seeking after Law
righteousness, but they really are. Their only hope of entering into heaven instead of hell is that they go to
church, they try to be good, they live up to some standard of morality. That’s what this is talking about when
it says the Jews weren’t seeking righteousness by faith but by the Law. They were trying to earn what God had
given as a gift.

The rest of Romans 9:32 says,

For they stumbled at that stumblingstone.
It is offensive to people, particularly if they have a lot of holy actions to their names, when you tell
them that all their good deeds don’t make them righteous before God. Then when you tell them sinners who
only put faith in God are more righteous than they are (Matt. 21:28-32), that really puts them over the top!

They say, “You mean I’m not any better than the person who’s been out living in sin?”
That’s exactly what I’m saying. That’s exactly what Paul and Jesus said.
“Well, what have I been doing all this for?”
Good deeds will help you, to a degree, in your relationships with people, but they won’t give you any
clout with God. You could have more holy acts than anyone you know, but who wants to be the best sinner who
ever went to hell? All have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).

We need a Savior! The only thing we have to offer is faith. We just believe the nearly-too-good-to-be-
true news that Jesus died for us and paid a debt we couldn’t pay and gave us a righteousness we couldn’t
earn. It’s faith righteousness!

“Well, I believe in Jesus, but I believe I also have to live holy to be accepted by God.”

That’s saying Jesus’ payment for sin wasn’t enough—that you have to add to what Jesus has done—and I
believe that is the greatest sin of all! Jesus either paid for it all, or He paid for nothing at all! It’s not
Jesus plus you; it’s Jesus or you! It’s not you doing the best you can and then Jesus making up the difference with
grace and mercy. If you try to mix the two, you have totally polluted what Jesus has done. It’s either faith
righteousness or your righteousness, but not a combination of the two (Rom. 11:6).

It takes a supernatural revelation by the Holy Spirit to be able to understand this. But once you do, it’ll
transform the way that you view God, the way that you relate to God, and the way that you receive from
God. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. I encourage you to just humble yourself and ask God for a
supernatural revelation of this truth. It’s tremendous.

When you truly get a hold of the grace of God, I guarantee you, it sets you free from sin, not
free to sin. You’ll wind up living holier accidentally than you ever have on purpose. You’ll serve God out of love
stricter and stronger than you ever would have out of legalism.

Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32). It’s not truth that sets you
free; it’s the truth you know that sets you free. But before you can know it, you’ve got to hear it. Faith comes by
hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17).
 Chapter 4
Being a Graceful Recipient of All Grace

often have a vision where there are many babies in a room and each one is crying – some

I bawling, some just wailing, some whimpering, some looking sad and teary-eyed. There are other
babies too, smiling and playing, laughing and feeling happy. While all babies are being taken care
of, the babies that smiled and laughed got the attention of the Father. There were many babies
who were very demanding, and each was very different from the other.
Then God spoke, “You see, many of my children are bawling. It’s not because they are not being
taken care of. They are all mine and I do take good care of them but each one responds differently.
While some are satisfied, many are not. The smallest difficulties make them bawl and they are
always demanding more. They never seem to be happy and often make others cry with them too.
They make a lot of noise and create confusion much like many people do. But the ones I really value
are those who are able to keep their peace and joy and not get upset easily. They make my heart
glad. They seem to enjoy everything that happens around them – even the noise and the chaos. They
are so dear to Me because they are a peaceful lot and it’s hard to make them cry. The reason why I
cherish such ones is because they give Me glory. They make my Name known and Me proud as they
represent Me.”

“Wow, how awesome,” I observed.

The Lord started teaching me about His grace. He used the example of a mother-child to explain the
intricacies of grace. But He needed to teach me something about how He made us before He could
tell me about grace.

How did God make us?

 Psalms 139: 13–14: For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you
because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your
works are wonderful, I know that full well.
God created us in the fear of the Lord and He made us wonderful in every way. Not just our
body and its functions but also our mind and its faculties. The spirit He endowed us with was His
own Spirit.
Adam and Eve knew no lack when they had the Spirit of glory in them. When they ate of the
forbidden fruit, the Spirit departed and they ceased being spiritual beings. They were reduced to
mere natural beings with a human spirit.

1 Cor 15:45 - “The first Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
1 Cor 15:46 - The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.
1 Cor 15:47-49 - The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly
man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as
we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

This Spirit life was restored through Christ. We have been made righteous through Christ Jesus.
He is the last Adam. He came to restore all things to their original state. What satan destroyed, Jesus
redeemed. Thus, you are truly “blessed”. You have been blessed beyond measure through the loving
sacrifice of Jesus. Live in an abundance mentality. God said in His word "as in heaven so on earth..."
There is no poverty in heaven. There is no disease or sickness in heaven. There is no sorrow in
heaven. The work of the Cross was to mitigate and eliminate from your life all of these things, that
you might serve Him without distraction and in fullness of joy. Accept this as your most basic
understanding of what being a part of His family is all about and purpose in your heart to adopt a
"life and life more abundantly" expectation in your life.

Psalms 139: 15–16: My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in
the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your
eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your
book before one of them came to be.

In a mother-child relationship, the mother knows the child because of the interactions they
have. The Father, on the other hand, knows us perfectly before we were even created. I mean His
knowledge of us is perfect. A mother in that sense may not be as good an example as our Father who
created us in our mother’s womb. Let’s suppose that the mother knows her child to a good extent
and therefore, she knows what (s)he is capable of. For example – if (s)he is able to complete some of
the tasks provided to him or her, she would encourage him or her to do better and expand the arena
of his or her exposure. This means that the parent needs to constantly assess how to expand a
child’s abilities so that (s)he is better equipped for life. Our loving Father does the same with us.
 Each one of us is made with a set of traits that help us meet God’s purposes in this life. Our
Father knows us completely, inside out. You cannot hide anything from Him. He knows what He put
in you. If He speaks to you about something that you need to do, He also provides you the strength
and the grace to do it. It should be easy for you to execute what He says. That means you don’t have
to strain to obey. It should come naturally from being intertwined with Him, from observing how
He does such excellent things for us. Such closeness is only possible as we maintain close proximity
with Him through regular prayer, reading His Word and thanking Him in praise and worship.

That way, He becomes a great example in everything He asks us to do. All He asks is to observe
and do the same that He has already shown us to do. So it becomes really easy as you have the grace
to follow through the instructions that He has for you. If you turn away from the instruction and
refuse to obey, you are refusing His best in your life. If you were to obey what He is saying with the
level of grace He has supplied you, you will be successful in your efforts and you can move higher up
with God.

This is just like raising a child. When the child obeys, he or she gets a pat on the back. They feel
good that they have met their parent’s expectations. This is how we feel when we are able to
overcome some bad habits in our life. Things that used to unsettle us stop having any effect
whatsoever – it is simply grace combined with a tenacious desire to please Him through obedience
that will do the job for you. He only asks what we are able to perform. So grace works in line with
obedience: As you obey, more grace is given to you to manifest greater and greater promises until
you become a great witness of the faith. Faith grows as you experience God’s presence intimately –
He always loves, He always cares, He always pursues us…He is a great rewarder as well (Heb 11:6).
So faith helps us to make the connection, grace is what gets us ‘There’.

Using grace to appropriate obedience is the way forward. Grace alone without a holy pursuit is
pointless. This tests the Spirit of the Lord and quenches the Spirit’s action in your life. You may end
up like Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). Similarly, a holy pursuit without grace is meaningless
(Acts 21:4 - Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. And Romans 1:13 - I planned many times
to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you,
just as I have had among the other Gentiles.). Because grace and the proper use of it alone is the way and
means to a pure and fruitful life in Christ. (Exodus 15:13 - In your strength you will guide them to your holy
dwelling.)

We need to start with grace and use it to obey. They work hand in hand. If grace is present but
no obedience, God will keep on repeating the same instruction until we obey. We need God’s
strength to obey God.
 Chapter 5
God Leads Us by His Spirit

1 John 4:15-16 - If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives
in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

he grace of God supplies us with the strength to attain all His blessings. It enables us to excel in

T everything we do and represent Him on this earth.

1 John 4:17-18 - This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the
day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. Perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with
punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

All these verses mean that we must be strong in the love of God. The blood shed for me gives me
the power to be good just like Jesus is. Everything that detracts from this fundamental truth is a
creation of the devil and lacks any spiritual substance. Rely on God’s grace for the power to do good
works as otherwise you would be relying on your own strength instead of relying on God’s powerful
love to lead you to a character and a life that resembles Jesus in everything. This knowledge is vital.

Let me ask you a question: Why did God give His Spirit to each one of us? This would not have
been necessary if each one were to do what the Word says devoid of the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The reason the Lord gave us His Spirit and His Word is because He needs both of them to execute
His Will in our lives. This means that we must fine-tune our hearing from God to hear clearly what
He wants from the Word and then, do it. This is the vital difference between works and grace.
This approach alone fulfills us because it is His Spirit that is doing all the leading and all the
guiding and we are just being submitted in everything that He is doing through us. Amen. It is in His
perfect wisdom that you are operating, so you will be successful in everything you do and He will
prosper you in every way. Amen.
 The Lord always gives us something to do and then says, “I will prosper you” because He
demands submission, obedience, reliance on Him instead of self-reliance.

Deu 30:9-10 - Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in
the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in
you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, if you obey the LORD your God and keep his
commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart
and with all your soul.

Jehovah said to Jacob in Genesis 32:9 - “Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you
prosper.”
Jacob relied on the Word of the Lord and it became his strength when he heard that Esau, his
elder brother, was coming to attack him with 400 men.
Gen 32:11-12 - Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me,
and also the mothers with their children. But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your
descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’ ”

God’s leading is important because each child is different and God alone like a loving parent can
make the best of us. Without proper guidance, we are likely to fail because the child could be very
confused and incapacitated trying to do what his elder brother is doing or what his younger sister is
doing. Each set of instructions is meant to build the child in a unique way that only a loving parent
or Father knows how to. So it is extremely important to be Spirit led in our walk with God. Each
child needs a different type of leading to achieve his or her set goals. You can only be fulfilled if you
do what God puts in your heart to do. This is what it means to give wings to your passions and legs
to your desires. I mean to say that without God’s powerful guidance and strength, much of our
efforts would be unfruitful.
So it is very important to keep our strength as it is a faculty that God has given us to help meet
all our needs.
You may ask, “Is strength all that we need? Don’t we need money, knowledge, wisdom, support,
cooperation and so on to meet our needs?” Yes, we do but these are all derivatives of OUR strength.
For example, we need strength to make money and gain knowledge. Wisdom aids us in our pursuits
but these are also gifts from God (James 1:7).
We can get all the support or cooperation we need from others if others see that God’s grace is
operating in our lives, enabling us to be strong and achieve our goals. They might even feel they are
redundant, because we are capable of doing much of what we are doing, with God’s help. So they
want to assist us in our goal because we are so endowed with God’s favour and each step leads us to
victory because our strength in God helps us achieve the things that God is leading us into.

But how do we come to the place where others can see our strength and focus and believe in us
for what we believe in? The answer to this question is given below:
God is the source of our strength (as we have seen before), so we must be aligned with God to
be filled with His power to attain our goals. This is where most of us miss it. We feel we can have
strength to do whatever we want but the fact is we can only do those things successfully that God
has enabled us to do.
 The LORD is my strength and my defense.
But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength
If you serve, you should do so with the strength God provides.
It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.

Motivation is the result of being able to tap into God’s limitless power. If you feel motivated,
understand that it is God Himself who is causing you to have the strength you need to achieve the
task. However, when you feel weak and helpless, the problem could be two-pronged. The problem
could lie with the task that you are doing or because the enemy is opposing you in the execution of
the task.
You are not motivated is an indication that you are not able to find the strength to do the task.
This could be because the devil is misleading you with his lies and sapping your strength and
energy. This means that the task is right for you but you are weakened through fighting the enemy.
This is what makes us weary and tired.
Often we face opposition when we do things for God. When Nehemiah decided to build the wall,
he had to face a lot of opposition. The devil fought him tooth and nail but he persisted. He would not
give up. As a child of God, you also need to persevere to see the work of God done in you and
through you.

Isaiah 40:29 - He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
In the other situation where the task is not right for you, pray to God for guidance that He may
lead you to the task you are meant to do. Each of us is ordained with different strengths and
capabilities. Each is made for a certain task. These things God set in each one according to His great
plan and purpose even before the foundation of the world.

Romans 12:6-8:
6We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy
in accordance with your faith; 7if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8if it is to encourage, then
give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, I do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it
cheerfully.

So we need to find out what God wants us to do with the talents and gifts He has placed in us so
that He will always supply all the strength and most importantly, all the provision that we need to
fulfill the task.

In each situation, the Lord promises His strength. He will equip us for we serve a God of great
strength. The more strength we have, the greater are our achievements. Great people have great
strength, not only physical strength but also mental and emotional strength.

3But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
11 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
10You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me.
27Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.
 In everything, we need to be careful not to put out the Spirit’s fire in us which is the primary
way God leads us. When we disobey or even delay obedience, the Holy fire in us is grieved and put
out. Disobedience makes us weak in God and we need to repent and ask for God’s forgiveness so
that His strength and confidence can return.
Ephesians 4:30 - And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption.
1 Thess 5:19 - Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.
1 John 1:7-10 – But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is
not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
 Chapter 7
Understanding Grace Through Elijah’s Life

would like to bring your attention to another article by Br Andrew Wommack. He explains grace

I through the story of Elijah the prophet. I am including the main points here:
Elijah was just like us in that the Bible says, “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are”(James
5:17). At one time, God used him mightily - he called fire down from heaven three times; he was the first
person to raise someone from the dead; he caused the greatest revival in history up to that point; his word started
and ended a three-year drought; he multiplied food miraculously; and he is one of only two men who never died—
he was caught up alive into heaven.
Yet at another time, Elijah became so despondent that he asked God to kill him (1 Kin. 19:4).
Elijah wasn’t perfect; neither his pedigree nor education could bring him into influence or power. But Elijah
got a word of knowledge from the Lord that put him into a position of leadership.

Likewise, anyone who is born again, or baptized in the Holy Spirit, or has a good relationship with the Lord,
has a revelation from God too. Just as Elijah’s revelation from God put him into a position of influence, anyone who
has a revelation of God has the potential to influence others also. The only difference is that Elijah knew what he
had and was bold enough to speak.

Many of us have been intimidated by the ungodly. We aren’t boldly speaking the truth we have from the Lord.
What if Elijah hadn’t spoken that prophecy to King Ahab? The drought may have occurred anyway, but Elijah
wouldn’t have been able to use it to affect the nation. The people would have dismissed the drought as a natural
occurrence.

Elijah was bold enough to speak before there was any proof that what he was saying would come to pass.
That took faith and great courage.

When the drought came as promised, Elijah became the most sought after man in the nation:
“As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when
they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not” (1 Kin. 18:10).

If we would speak forth the truths God has shown us, just like Elijah, the truths we speak would ultimately
prevail.
 Elijah didn’t have all the answers or know what would happen next when he spoke the prophecy to King Ahab
(1 Kin. 17:1). Ahab had forbidden worship of the true God, instituting Baal worship. He killed the prophets of the
Lord, and Elijah was putting himself in harm’s way by obeying the Lord.

It wasn’t until after Elijah delivered the word of the Lord, that God spoke to him about how He would protect
and sustain him.

1 Kings 17:2-4 says,

“And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by
the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the
ravens to feed thee there.”

One of the great lessons we can learn here is that God doesn’t reveal His complete plan immediately. He
reveals His will to us one step at a time. After we obey the first step, He shows us the next. Why should the Lord
show us step two or ten if we haven’t obeyed step one? That would just make us more accountable. So, don’t try
to figure out the next step until you have acted on what you know to do now. That’s a powerful truth.

The Lord told Elijah to go to the Brook Cherith. He had already commanded the ravens to bring Elijah bread
and meat “THERE” every morning and evening. This was miraculous! What a provision during a terrible time!

But notice this: The Lord didn’t send Elijah’s provision to where he was. A quarterback doesn’t throw the
football to where the receiver is, but where the receiver is going. Elijah’s miracle wasn’t where he was but
where the Lord was sending him. That’s awesome!

Each of us has a place called “THERE,” where the blessings of the Lord are waiting. The Lord never fails
to provide, but people often fail to receive because they aren’t all “THERE.” If Elijah had not gone to his place called
“THERE,” his disobedience would not have stopped God’s faithfulness; however, he would not have received the
provision; it was over “THERE,” by the Brook Cherith.

This is exactly what is happening to many of us. The Lord has placed something on our hearts to say or do.
But, if we haven’t obeyed, we aren’t in our place of “THERE.” We aren’t seeing God’s provision, because we
aren’t in that place of obedience.
I’ve heard many people say the Lord told them to attend Charis Bible College. But they just can’t see how it
could happen. They want to see the Lord’s provision before they go “THERE.” That’s not how it works.
Some of you are not seeing God’s provision because you aren’t doing what He has told you to do. This doesn’t
mean the Lord is punishing you. If Elijah hadn’t gone “THERE,” he would have lost his provision. The Lord has
provision for you too, but it’s “THERE.”

This place called “THERE” changes. God changed the place and method of Elijah’s provision:
“And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and
dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee” (1 Kin. 17:8-9).
You can’t just seek the Lord once, hear His voice, step out in faith, and then stop listening. The Lord brings us
into His perfect will step by step. Elijah moved when the Lord told him to move.
This led Elijah to the city of Zarephath where he asked a widow to give him the last of her food. It looked like
he was taking from this woman, but he was actually giving to her. Instead of this being her last meal before dying,
the Lord multiplied this woman’s supplies, which kept her, her son, and Elijah alive for about three years (1 Kin.
17:15-16). What a great miracle!
 That wasn’t all the widow received. Her faithfulness in giving caused her son to be raised from the dead (1
Kin. 17:17-23). She had been operating in faith every day. She would use the last bit of oil and meal for Elijah and
then find that there was always enough to make a cake for herself and her son. This was a great faith builder,
which I’m sure figured into the miracle of her son.

Elijah went on to call fire down from heaven and consume a sacrifice in the sight of all of the people of Israel
(1 Kin. 18:36-38). The people who saw it cried out, “The Lord, He is the God. The Lord, He is the God.” They killed
all the prophets of Baal, and the whole nation turned to the Lord.
That same day, Elijah prayed and ended the drought by a great rain storm (1 Kin. 18:41-45). He was so
pumped, he outran Ahab’s chariot in a twenty-mile race after Ahab had a head start. Elijah was excited!

Here is a very important lesson: After great victories come great temptations. This is primarily because we
lose our sense of humility and dependence upon God (1 Kin. 19:4). Elijah had successfully defied the king, his
armies, his prophets, and all the people in the nation. But the next day, a note from a woman caused him to run in
terror (1 Kin. 19:2-3).
The Lord appeared to Elijah and asked, “What are you doing HERE, Elijah?” (1 Kin. 19:9). Elijah wasn’t
“THERE” anymore. His place called “THERE” was back in Samaria. People were now worshiping the true God, but
Elijah had run away in fear, leaving the people without a leader.

This resulted in the Lord replacing Elijah with Elisha. Elijah’s ministry fell short of what it could have been.
The Lord actually spoke to Elijah in an audible voice. He told him to do three things, one of which was to anoint
Elisha to replace him (1 Kin. 19:15-16). Elijah anointed Elisha (1 Kin. 19:19), but didn’t do the other two things.
That means Elijah failed in two-thirds of the things the Lord told him to do. That’s amazing.
You might think this meant Elijah was washed up and was never used of God again. That’s not the case. Elijah
went on to prophesy (1 Kin. 21:17-24), and he called the fire of God down two more times (2 Kin. 1:9-12). And
most impressive of all, Elijah never died; he was caught up into heaven by a whirlwind (2 Kin. 2:11).

This man, who failed miserably, still walked so closely with God that he never died. This speaks volumes to
us. The Lord has never had anyone working for Him yet who was qualified. He uses us in spite of what we do,
and not because of what we do. If we will just trust in His grace, we can still experience wonderful things from the
Lord even after failing BIG TIME. What powerful truths.
 Chapter 8
Ways to Increase Our Strength
God gives us strength for a purpose. The purpose is to keep on increasing in strength until we
appear before God.
Psalms 84: 5–7 - Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 6As they
pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 7They
go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
So how do we increase our strength? Several ways are provided for us to
increase our strength:
1. But may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength. – Judges 5:31

Jeremiah 9: 23–24 - “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches, 24but let those who boast boast about this: that they understand and
know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these
I delight,”
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with your entire mind and
with all your strength. The best way to have strength is to love God deeply. Our strength is in God. So
we must rely on Him to strengthen us.
It is all about how well we can receive. To receive well means to keep ourselves in His boundless,
limitless love. It means to keep ourselves away from doubting His love. The enemy of doubt and lies
needs to be sent away regularly, for temptations appear each day falsifying the true God. Those who
believe the lies choose despair and sorrow over joy and fulfillment because God will not rest till all
His creation is restored to Him. He continues to flow out in boundless love to each one till each and
every one of His creation is fully satisfied in Him.

Psalms 33:17-18 - A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot
save. 18But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing
love.

Knowing this fills our hearts with joy. We feel privileged to know Him and be satisfied in Him. It
keeps us stable to know that He is with us through all of life’s trials and every trial has a purpose.

2. Psalm 119:28 - My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.
God reveals Himself to us through His Word. It is through the Word that we receive the knowledge
of God. The logos becomes rhema and saturates your soul with revelation into who God is. Embrace
the revelation of who God is and what He is doing by giving yourself over to His word. As you gain
unfiltered insight into who God is on the inside of you, your desires will be spontaneously fulfilled
under the mandate of yoke easy and burden light. Pursue the knowledge of His word and you will
get to know not just His acts but also His ways. When you metabolize this knowledge of God in your
human spirit, you activate the blessings and all good things that pertain to life and godliness will be
added to your life!

God’s Word is His Power working in your life. This is because the knowledge imparted through the
Word and the inworking of the Spirit constitutes the conduit through which God’s power comes
online in your life. Weakness and impotence are resolved through the knowledge of His word and
the revelation of His Spirit. It is His purpose to afford you everything necessary for life and life more
abundantly through the knowledge resident in His word. Receive it. Give yourself over to it and His
word will put you over in life. In fact - nothing else will.

1 Cor 14:3 - But those who prophesy speak to people for their strengthening, encouragement
and comfort.
Micah 5:4 - He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the
name of the LORD his God.

God has appointed several people in our lives to strengthen us and build us up where we are unable
to do so ourselves. These good Samaritans can throw light into our lives and show us where we are
failing. The Holy Spirit is our great teacher and guide. He does reveal our weaknesses but we can
miss Him sometimes if we are not sensitive to His ways. The angels that God has appointed to take
care of all our spiritual and earthly needs are well-equipped to do so. We need to take help of human
agents who may have experienced similar problems in their lives and struggled much to gain the
wisdom they have now. So it may be worth the while to listen to such who are able to guide us with
a sincere and pure love. These brothers and sisters are able to strengthen because of the strength
they have received from a loving God who strengthened them to in turn strengthen the others who
are weak.
We need to help such angels too who are appointed by God to strengthen us.

3. The water of the Holy Spirit

Judges 15:18-20 - Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the LORD, “You have given your servant
this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19Then God opened
up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he
revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi. 20Samson led Israel for twenty
years in the days of the Philistines.
The anointing on your life makes the corn, the wine and the oil abundant in your life. You
just need to ensure that you make yourself available to hear His words and then receive the
promises renewed to you. Be prepared to say, "blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord..." The Spirit raises up the standard as it provides leadership along with mantles freshly
fallen from heaven. It is filled with power to shake loose and remove those things that can be
 shaken in order to establish His promises and bring all His words that have been spoken to
come to pass in your life.
As we receive the anointed ones sent to us in times of need, they encourage us in the faith.
They help us make the necessary changes that the Spirit is leading us into. Through the work of
the Spirit alone can you see true transformation and the manifestation of God’s promises in
your life.

4. Overcoming hardships and trials

Job 6: 11-12 - 11 “What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be
patient? 12Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze?
Luke 22:31-32 - “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you,
Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.
Sometimes we need trials to strengthen us and take us into greater strength. This is just like a
caterpillar which forces itself through the cocoon with all its strength to turn into a beautiful
butterfly. This miracle of nature doesn’t happen on its own. God blessed the caterpillar with the
instinct to turn into a beautiful butterfly. Similarly, we have been given the God nature to sustain
us when we are weak. This God nature that we have in us makes us turn to God for the strength we
need to face our trials. And we continue to come to Him and continue to seek Him in our prayers and
depend on Him totally till the trial is over and we have new strength at this stage. Thus He continues
to help us grow our strength as we stay strong in Him. This loving relationship builds us up and
gives us staying power for greater challenges in life.
The greater challenge could be helping a weak brother - a brother who has lost good faith by
doubting God’s love and hence be trapped in sin. Such a brother needs to be gently led back into the
boundless love of God and set back into strength so that he can lead a peaceful life filled with all
good blessings.

Once decisions are made, we need to adhere to them. If you have decided that you will be
peaceful come what may, you need to follow through. When testing times arrive and you blow it,
don’t feel disheartened. Rome was not built in a day. As long as we live, we will have chances to
improve. So this is not going to be the last time. So encourage yourself when you fail and don’t brood
over your failure as if something were lost. Time may be a factor but it is important to have a
positive frame of mind so that you can move on. It is not easy but it is the only way forward.
Determine to make progress and don’t believe that you can never do it. Just be positive and try to
remember that it is not easy to make progress. It takes time to change old ways. But it is not
desirable to feel disheartened and lose one’s initiative and drive. Then all our efforts will come to
naught. We want to protect our future and enhance it. So the goal must always be before us. One
setback does not have to set you back for good. It is necessary to build endurance and stability on
this path and so it takes several attempts to win the first prize, but keep practicing till you perfect
the art.

5. Entering God’s rest

Isaiah 30:15 - “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength
Deu 11:10-12 - The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have
come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. 11But the land you are
 crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven.
12It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the
beginning of the year to its end.
Heb 4:11 - Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following
their example of disobedience.
Being restful and confident in Lord releases God to work in your situation. As long as we
are holding on to our worries and interests, God waits for us. The greatest area of our blessing
is that which we have released unto the Lord. The areas which we worry over and are
concerned about are the ones which suffer the most and do not see the blessing upon them. So
learn to relax and let go. Constantly worrying about something is seen as a lack of faith in God’s
power to keep your interests intact and safeguard them. What better guarantee than that from
God Himself. Taking things into your hands and trying to find empty solutions will deter the
long standing help that you could have received had you trusted it to God to start with. Leaving
things to God does not mean that we relinquish all activities and just sit and relax. It means to
rest inwardly. Not to be worn out trying to figure how God will solve this problem. Instead
invest in your now and trust God to do what He alone can do. This is the best way to have great
strength to accomplish all that God has for you. Let God be in control and you be willing to let
Him take the control from you.

6. Being thankful and joyful in the Lord

Col 2: 6-7 - 6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7rooted
and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankful- ness.
Luke 22:43 - An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.

When we feel we are alone, we often grieve. But the Lord does not want us to grieve. He wants
us to be strong and happy even when things don’t look good. If you have lost a loved one and feel
your life is hopeless, don’t give up hope yet. God wants us to be happy in the place we are in. There
are so many people who may need us. If we would only turn around and look at the people in our
neighborhood itself, we would be surprised how many people could benefit if we were to share in
their lives. We could be the angel that helps someone through a dull day. We could give our
knowledge to someone who does not understand. We could give ourselves to help someone
selflessly. These things can add meaning and joy to your life. So when you need someone, they might
just remember you like you remembered them. They will be around to make your days shine and to
help out when you need their help.

7. Being peaceful
Acts 9:31 - Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was
strengthened.

Being peaceful is a sign of strength. It takes a brave person to not be disquieted by life’s storms.
We all go through hard times but our response must always be peaceful as far as possible. Try to
stay calm when people misunderstand you. Don’t get ruffled when people accuse you. There is great
value in being peaceful. You are setting a very good example to your observers when you don’t give
in to their ways. You just cherish what you want for yourself and keep focusing on doing good. It
gets better when there is opposition because having opposition usually means that you are making
progress. So pay no attention to people who are keener to disturb you than convey anything of
virtue or purpose.

Be responsible for your actions though and don’t evade your duties. This is not healthy as then
people will have a genuine reason to complain against you. So keep on doing good and blessing
everybody for peace opens up the way for the blessing.
We need to feel responsible for the people around us. We need to help them lead peaceful quiet
lives. Share your knowledge with those who are willing to learn. Help them to see the value in being
peaceful. It saves us a lot of energy which would otherwise be wasted in strife. Strife is the pathway
of the enemy. The enemy thrives on strife and a lack of peace. If our homes are not peaceful, they are
an inroad for the enemy. So we must value peace in all our interactions with everybody. We need to
guard our peace for it is easily lost as we move for one thing to another. There are plenty of duties
we are constantly involved in and when there are common interests, there will be contrasting
opinions. Different people think differently. If the other person cannot see your point of view, agree
to disagree until time teaches us the best way to do things. We need to be patient as patience is a
sign of strength. Only patient people can achieve great results because patience is an outcome of
wisdom and maturity.

8. Developing deep conviction in Christ

Phil 4:13 - I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Rom 4:20-21 - Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was
strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he
had promised.

We are responsible for the strength we have. Most often we become weak when we hear bad
news. This is because our mind perceives fear of loss and the alarm sets off, the organs get into
turmoil and lot of energy is generated which makes us feel tired. So to stop this chaotic approach to
fear, we are required to be bold and courageous even in the face of trouble. It may look like
everything is over but there is always a silver lining to every cloud. The dark clouds of despair do
not need to drench us in despair. We can still see the light of the situation if we turn to the guiding
light within. This requires great maturity on our part. Being weak and feeble and worried is a
natural state of mind. It takes courage to step out in faith and overlook the hardships that one is
facing. Because the reward is great peace of mind, rest and stability. It is indeed worth surrendering
our cares to God who watches over us at all times. Material loss can unsettle us. We may feel that we
have come to the end but God is still able to turn every situation around if only we put our faith in
Him. Do not fear that God will not hear your prayers because you are a great sinner. No one has ever
taken God by surprise. He knows that you are His child and no father will reject His own child at a
time of need. So when we are needy, we must go to our loving Father and ask of Him and He will
surely make a way where there is no way.
 Chapter 9
Five Insights That Make You Strong
Having strength to face each day brings us into the first powerful insight. I call this insight
because it is not easily seen unless one experience it oneself.

Insight No. 1 - Do Not Delay to Obey

God wants to bring forth a new system, a new life in us. Those of us who know God and hear
Him speak can trust the leading of God’s Spirit within us.
If you do not know God, say this prayer with me, “Lord Jesus, powerful and awesome as you are,
I believe you came into this earth and lived a sacrificial life from your very birth. You suffered
ultimately on the cross that I may enter eternal life. You shed your blood and let your flesh be
mutilated so that I could enjoy my life. I have free access to God and all His blessings through your
blood. I acknowledge your loving sacrifice. Thankyou for dying for me. Please cleanse me that I may
partake of your Kingdom. I believe you are the Son of God and that you died and rose again. I receive
you into my heart. I thankyou for coming into my heart and You live in me now. I praise you and lift
you up. Your Name is truly glorious; the Name that’s above every other name. May your Kingdom
come and your Will be done. Amen.”
Once you become a child of God, you have the Spirit of God living inside you. The Spirit guides
us into all truth. We can access the treasures of wisdom and knowledge within us because He lives
in us. Let’s take an example: Suppose you have a very qualified and hardworking employee. You can
get a lot of work done. He is responsible and smart. He sees things ahead of time and warns you. He
knows the business very well and can help you outsmart your competitors.
The Holy Spirit within us does much more than an elite employee can do. Not only can you trust
Him to do everything in a very responsible manner but also give you an edge that bends you over
the curve to irrational success! How wonderful! The Holy Spirit inside you is the wonder working
power of Jesus inside you. You have healing, you have the gifts of the Spirit, you have divine
knowing, you have wisdom, you have joy, peace, self-control and so on. You just need to exercise it.
Believe it is there and it will manifest when you need it. Healing comes when you believe that you
were healed. You are rich beyond your dreams because you are born into the Kingdom of the God of
eternity, who knows no lack. So you are well on the road to progress and there’s much wisdom in
serving Jesus.
 The Holy Spirit can lead us to great success in life because He knows much more than us.
Leaning on our wisdom isn’t wise at all. This is because human knowledge and wisdom is so limited
compared to the incomparable knowledge and wisdom of God. So when you hear His voice within,
be quick to listen and obey. This is the first and foremost insight we have from God. He sent His
Spirit to all of us who believe in His Son that we might have everything we need for life and
godliness. We are equipped to do the best as He is within us, always leading and guiding us in all
wisdom. Praise be to this God who always knows what we need and provides it. Do not let minor
setbacks set you back for good. Always trust the Holy Spirit even when you can’t understand. When
everything looks bleak, follow the meek one, the humble one, the enlightened one.

Being God-minded is the first sign of maturity in Christ. Those of us who walk with God
constantly can fully understand what I mean by being God-minded. It means you focus on God all
the time. He helps you to understand His heart, His loving desires for you, His calling on your life,
the many gifts He has given you, the great resources that He has provided, basically everything you
need for life and godliness is already given to you through the glorious death and resurrection of
our precious Lord Jesus Christ. He became the sacrificial lamb, so all may receive FREELY from Him.
There is no cost to receiving from Him because it is truly FREE. If you are not able to be God-minded,
there may be some hindrances to that. This brings us to the second insight…

Insight No. 2 - Stay on Guard

Thoughts are always present and they are seeds of future action. Even when you don’t
recognize it, your mind is hooked to some thought or the other. So it may be worthwhile to observe
your thoughts. When you wake up, what do you think about? Just observe your thoughts and you
will be surprised – your thoughts are where your treasure is. The things that you care most about
are what become your thoughts. Your inner longings, your desires become your thoughts. So we
need to be God-minded on the inside to have Godly thoughts. This begins with the new creation.
When we are created anew, God fashions us newly to recognize ungodly thoughts. We are no more
helpless to think what we want to. We have new strength from God to identify and overcome pitfalls
and weaknesses in our thought life.

God has armed us with new insight to identify and reject malicious, erroneous thoughts. These
thoughts if allowed to stay can unsettle you and make you feel weak. Instead, He has assured us
hope and an expected end. This means we can trust that being God-minded will lead us to that
perfect place of peace and joy and serenity. This can happen only if we consciously reject the futile
lies of the enemy and act on the Word of God.

The key to our happiness lies in our thought life. How often have we felt disturbed by fearful
thoughts? They needn’t have been there. The Bible repeats “Do not fear” ---times. We have no need
to fear because perfect love casts out fear. Have we ever felt fearful when we were children - about
being fed and about being taken care of? So then we should rest in our loving Father who is much
more concerned about us than the birds that He feeds amply but we are always on our nerves
worrying and fretting endlessly. Rest in God, leave yourself behind you. Let God take over your
thought life. Let it be safe in God.

But thoughts are always coming. So when your mind starts wandering, bring it back to the
original thoughts. Just say “Jesus” or “Hallelujah” and the troublesome thoughts cease to have any
power over you. The Name of Jesus changes the spiritual atmosphere around you. It makes the devil
flee because he is a defeated foe. The devil has power only if you let him have it. So dismiss the evil
thought at its root. Don’t let it make room in your thoughts because they will fester and become
putrid, making you obnoxious. Instead, take the help of Jesus. Use His Name to your advantage.
Clinging to worrisome thoughts will not change your situation. Jesus said, “You cannot make even
one hair black by worrying.” It is a useless activity to indulge in. Instead, determine to set your
mind on the Word of God and keep it set. When the devil throws his ugly, unbecoming thoughts at
you - lies about God, lies about your future, your spouse, your work, your children and every other
area that he chooses to attack - stay unmoved, stay calm and stay rooted in His Word. This is the
second powerful insight we have from God.

We have a real enemy. The Bible acknowledges it by reminding us to resist the enemy. But how
should we do it? By first submitting to God. Submitting to God doesn’t mean we have to lead
perfectly holy lives and be absolutely lined up with God. It just means to believe in His Son and the
works accomplished for each of us – sinners and all alike – on the cross. The Bible says we are all
sinners but God says we can submit. So it is obvious that as believers, we can submit by just trusting
in Jesus! Very simple, isn’t it? This is truly the greatest victory and we must be triumphant in Jesus
because the devil can have no power over us. Let us therefore submit to God by believing in His Son
and then resist the devil and he will surely flee.

Then when your mind is empty fill it with powerful, wholesome, loving, affectionate thoughts of
praise. Bring on the thoughts that build you up, reiterate to yourself that you are the apple of His eye
and He will not leave you nor forsake you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made and everything
about you is perfect in Christ. Such thoughts will bring in great peace and joy and build your
confidence to overcome even the hardest trials. So keep pressing in and surely, the results will be
there for everybody to see.

Give your weaknesses to the Lord, let Him take over you. Don’t hesitate to share your heart with
Him in intimate heartfelt prayer. Prayer is communion with an awesome, all-powerful God who
knows us deeply and cares very much for us. He wants the best for us. This means letting Him mold
you and shape you into what He thinks is best for you. You should not say, “Lord I am fine the way I
am. I really don’t want to change much. This is where I have wanted to be. I don’t want to wait any
longer. Do with me what takes the least time and effort and then we can always work further after
the first miracle. But I just need you to respond in my time and calendar”…but that is not God. I
always thank God that He never listens to me in my weak moments.

How I have wished all the above and yet, the Lord always said, “My grace…my grace is all that
you need.” It was so incomprehensible, I even was too hurt to pray for sometime, because He would
not answer my prayer and keep me waiting for years on end. If He had not supplied the grace and
the strength to abide, I would have fallen like a tree without strong roots at the first strong wind. It’s
all for our good, not just for this physical world we live in but also for eternity.

There are so many promises that God has made to us regarding eternity. He has promised a
great reward to those who suffer for His Name, a white stone and a new name to those who
overcome along with the right to sit next to Him on the throne!…the list is endless. It all boils down
to understanding God’s system and His diligent desire that none should perish but all should enter
into the fullness of His work on the cross. This purpose of God, my dear sister and brother, is most
precious to God. He wants to invest in our eternity. Even to the apostles who said had left everything
for the sake of the Gospel, He promised a thousand fold of what they had left behind. This is our God,
this is His way. He delights in blessing us but it is always on His terms. He is the author and the
finisher of our faith, not us. So we should in all our wisdom, just abide (Proverbs 4: 7 - Wisdom is
supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding). He is the
potter, we are the clay. If we were to stay in His hands, He could shape us into a glorious vessel that
He could use and we would be totally satisfied, each and everyday of our lives. So don’t let worldly
thoughts stop you from entering into the divine plan and purpose of God. This brings us to the third
insight…

Insight No. 3 - Encourage Yourself

Life has a way of bogging us down. Some days we feel good naturally and there are other days
we feel down or low for no reason. The weariness is tangible, you don’t feel motivated and you wish
the world would stop so you could catch up with it later. But that’s hardly possible. Work has to get
done and we need to get into a mind frame wherein we can perform.

These are times when we need to motivate ourselves. The enemy discourages us with his lies.
This is often the underlying reason. We feel hopeless only because the thief has stolen our hope…so
I have experienced that we need to fill our minds with the word of God and encourage ourselves in
the Word. The Word has power to destroy the eggs that are hatching and becoming hatchlings. The
enemy had planted them in our mind and the power to destroy them is in the Word of God. If not
destroyed, the hatchings will grow into snakes and overpower our destinies. We may be plundered
by the enemy. So it is important to notice one’s thoughts and take preventive action. This keeps us
well in the track of progress.

Determine to get on God’s side. You know how much God loves you. So what if the promises
have not come to fruition, keep on pressing on. Nobody had it all in a day. God’s promises are Yes
and Amen but they need for us to grow and attain the nature of Christ to be manifested. It is only
mature sons who receive the crowns and seats of honour. So if something is amiss, inculcate it. The
Spirit of God helps us to imbibe the nature of Christ.

For example, if you lose your temper frequently, this may be a sign for you to control your
temper. Ask God for grace to be humble. Meek and humble people rarely lose their temper. It is
when we exalt ourselves over others that we blow our temper. Don’t misuse the freedom you have
in Christ to manifest your unrenewed nature. You delay the manifestation of the promises of God by
taking on your natural nature versus your supernatural nature. It helps to always remember that
God is always preparing us for the better things and we have a role to play as well. We always ought
to be working out our salvation with fear and trembling. It is not automatic.
The only automatic part is the born again experience when your spirit in made new by the Holy
Spirit. The mind is still unrenewed and needs a lot of modifications to be usable by God. That simply
means that the means is more important than the end. The means is what matters the most. If your
means are right, the results will surely follow. I mean that if you have the character of Christ, all
your problems will be solved automatically. In fact, new problems will be aborted and they won’t
have the power to come up and take root in your life. Your Christ nature guards your life and forms
a protective hedge around your life. It keeps the enemy away and your mind can perceive any work
of the enemy instantly and you can take action against the enemy. The enemy is always lurking, so it
is important to guard against the devil.

So when you have to bear a difficult cross, don’t feel that the entire burden is on you. The Lord
also said, “Cast your burden on me”. So you can well learn to relax inspiteof all the burden on you.
He said, “Come to me and learn from Me”. We just need to follow suit. Go to Him in prayer and ask
for supernatural strength to bear your cross. The cross has a purpose. Just like a pupa must break
out of the cocoon, you too must break out of your old nature to attain the glorious beautiful
supernatural personality of Christ. Those who have drunk the old wine could never want the new
because the old wine has worked its way into our nature and we are far more powerful in our new
nature in Christ. So hardly would anyone want to revert to the unrenewed nature where they were
being controlled and manipulated by the devil (Luke 5:39). It means greater freedom, greater peace,
greater joy, greater self-control and guard the good deposit in your soul. Amen.

What additional benefits does God-mindedness ensue? It means freedom from anger, lust,
meanness, jealousy, hatred, unforgiveness ofcourse, but it also equips you to shine in this life. The
apostles were not rich, but they had enough to meet all their needs. Their calling was to preach the
Gospel. They needed money to go from town to town and meet all their earthly needs. The Lord
provided for them through well-meaning people who gave generously to their work. The Lord is
always faithful and provides to all those who work sincerely and committedly for His cause. Those
of us who need financial blessings can take a tip or two on how finance flows through the spirit. The
fourth insight talks about how to prosper financially.

Insight No. 4 - God Gives Us the Power to Get Wealth

The fourth insight is that God has blessed us with skills and abilities to make money. We might
think we are the ugly duckling, the fit-for-nothing but God has made each one special. He has
blessed each one of us. It is only that we often don’t know ourselves or what we are good or talented
at. This should not be the case. We must have researched ourselves to a degree where we recognize
our strengths and weaknesses. We live with ourselves the whole of our life, so we need to be aware
of what inspires us and motivates us and sends the adrenaline rushing. Your passions and desires
are meant to communicate something to you. They are supposed to help you understand what God
put in you when He shaped you in your mother’s womb and brought you into this world. He has
reason and purpose to putting you here. He has a task cut out for you, which you alone can do.

So it becomes imperative to discover the true potential within us that God has placed within us.
Sometimes, the blackened silver vessel may need polishing to bring forth its lost shine. If you seem
to have lost connection with yourself, it is time to get back to basics. God can restore the shine in
you. You should be reading scriptures that bring back your identity in Christ. You may need Holy
Spirit revelation to understand that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. This means you are
made to fear the Lord and to do wonderful works in Him. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom, but it does not have to stay that way.

You can have a godly fear that keeps you from sinning but not be so fearful as the wicked
servant who kept back all the good he was given because he did not trust his master was a good man
(Luke 19:21). He has invested in you. You can find it all in Psalms 139 and many other scriptures
that speak about God’s loving purposes towards you. So be confident that the God who created you
made you fit for something very grand and purposeful.

1 Chronicles 29-12: Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your
hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.

Do not believe the lies of the enemy who often deceives us into believing that we are not
specially talented and incapable of achieving great results. You may need to spend time with the
Creator to help you find out more about yourself. Some people are musically oriented. They must
develop their talents and glorify God through their work. Artists, sculptors, writers, media persons,
the list is endless. There are so many ways to serving God, even making artifacts or things useful to
people can be a godly cause. Identify your passion, discover yourself. Meditate upon God’s truths
and obey His Word and God will reveal who you are in a greater measure.

We hear of people who hit upon an idea, work it out, feel equipped at some stage, take the
plunge and are successful as a result. Just one aspect is important – Is it a God given idea? Cheating
and stealing for example is not God’s way. The key to success is that the idea must be godly and the
means of achieving the end must be right. When God reveals your strengths to you, take a step in
that direction. When you face opposition, don’t be discouraged. Keep on at it. Don’t think that you
will fail, instead plan for success. Only the enemy wants us to fail. So he may put stumbling blocks
along the way. But God has better plans than to let us fail. He sends many people to encourage us. He
speaks to us through people we may not even know – a newspaper article, an advertisement
billboard, a magazine story, even a dialogue you hear on your favorite soap opera can get us back on
track. God can use any means to get His message across. We just have to sense God’s leading in the
task we do. It gives Him glory when we obey and we may not always feel like doing what He says but
we need to trust and obey. The pathway becomes clearer as we keep moving and surely,
progressing in a God given task makes us enter His rest, His favor, His provision – because you
obeyed! This is the beauty of our God. He inspires us, He takes us through and He provides for all
our efforts every step of the way.

This will then become your ultimate self-realization. Working towards perfecting your gift will
make you blissful and joyful. Using your God given abilities to make the world a better place to live
in blesses God. So start by serving God in the place He has called you to be. As you grow in the ways
and knowledge of God, He will promote you to the place called “There”. You may not know how. God
will reveal that to you. I know may people who started out in secular jobs and were discontent. They
weren’t using their abilities in a fruitful way because clinging to what was comfortable was
depleting their soul. Once they identified that, they were able to take some risks and align
themselves in godliness. This is often difficult. The how is the hardest part. There may be several
unanswered questions but what is constant is faith. Faith takes you through all the ups and downs
of life. Being bewildered and scared doesn’t serve any purpose.

You need to be responsible for your own life. You need to pray about what will be helpful to live
a life that you want to. When the going is tough, the tough get going. So it may not be easy but surely,
it will be worth it. It may look like you are stuck in a cocoon but when you have broken out of it, you
will look beautiful and grand and everybody will admire you. God makes us beautiful in His time and
we must wait patiently for Him. It is important to set our hearts on God so that He can lead us to a
place of freedom and happiness in Him.
Griping about your troubles and telling yourself that there is no way out of it is not liberating.
True liberty is only found in discovering Christ ourselves. It takes commitment to enter true lasting
freedom just as it takes a while for the crops to ripen and become food. But the plants don’t become
weary and tired. They get their strength from the sun and the water and the wind. You too can
derive your strength from the God of light, from the water of His Word and the wind of His Spirit.
You are bountifully blessed beyond your dreams. Leave yourself behind and get into the boat, set
sailing out with Him - you will not be disappointed, instead you will be fulfilled each and every day
of your life.

There are unlimited blessings in the empty cross of our Lord. I haven’t discovered them all but I
am sure this is the path that can lead us there: Constant discipleship, abiding in Him, revering the
Lord of Glory and seeking Him in everything. This, my friends, is a sure shot recipe for lasting
success. You may not see it all in the immediate future but there is a glorious future for all those who
have given their lives to Jesus. But before we can come away with God, we need a revelation of who
He is. I kept this for the end so that it will stay with you. We need, my dear friends, a very clear
image of Him before our eyes. He is the God of eternity, who knows no beginning or end, the very
Alpha and Omega of the universe, the author and the finisher of everything! God we lift you up, you
are truly glorious and beyond finding out. Our pursuit of Him never ends; it all starts with the most
important question:
 Insight No. 5 - Who Do You Say I AM?
This last insight is closely related to our experience of who Christ is for us. Some said He was
John the Baptist, others thought He was Elijah, the prophet and yet others had other ideas of Him.
But Jesus is looking pointedly at each one of us and asking us, “Who do you say that I AM?” What a
brilliant question! And no dodging the answers: Jesus is the foundation rock of our lives – the very
corner stone, the capstone, the living God. He died and rose again and lives in our hearts. He is alive
and well and He wants to know if you are alive and well. Are you alive and well? Then surely God
lives in you.

If you are not alive and well, God wants to inspire you to turn to Him and find wellness and life
in Him. All who look to Him are radiant. Looking at Jesus and His earthly life, which He modeled,
gives us strength in every situation. Are we living in His light? You can only honor someone who is
honorable. If you honor God, He will honor you too. But is he honorable to you or has life made Him
something else to you? Have you dishonored your God and turned to your own ways? Wake up
sweet one and awaken yourself to this great God who died for you! Do you believe that? Do you
understand the depth, width, height, width – the vastness of His love? It is to be experienced while
you live. Take one step towards God and He will rush 99 steps towards you. Draw close to Him and
He will draw closer to you. Do not be shy, do not despair, do not be ashamed or guilty, He loves you
so much! He cares deeply for you and has given you everything already. The works He did for you
have been completed 2000 years ago. So you can be assured of good things in Him. Set all doubts
and questions aside and trust in His Words. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Just
knowing that He died for you says it all. How can you doubt so great a love? How can you not know
it?

Out of this mighty revelation springs forth our new life in Christ. The knowledge that He took
away all our sins on the cross brings us near to our endearing God. We have been made holy,
imputed His righteousness, made clean and blameless because the spotless one was sacrificed for
us. We have His life in us and we have been given the knowledge of Him, which is eternal life. We
have His companionship for the rest of our lives, earthly and otherwise, and we have been bestowed
with every fruit of the Spirit. We have every blessing on account of Christ’s sacrifice. It is all present
and can be manifested when required, because it has already been given in full measure.

We may not see it or experience it instantly but these are all available to us who believe and
work out our salvation with fear and trembling. It is to our advantage and great privilege that Christ
died. He who was sinless died for all sinners. We have been made complete in Christ. He is our
wisdom, He is our justification, He is our righteousness and peace and He is the one who leads us in
triumphant victory. Our life would be meaningless without Christ’s sacrifice. We would be unable to
fight life’s trials on our own without our loving Creator to go before us and prepare the way. He
walks hand in hand and even carries you in the worst and most painful moments of your life. This is
because He is love and He does not function outside of love. All that He has set in motion is the
result of His love. And yet if you are facing difficult times, you may find it hard to believe in this
loving God but the fact remains – He always loves. The reason why we fail and don’t see good times
is because sin is present. Jesus overcame sin on the cross. So you can overcome the sin in your life
by believing in His sacrifice and receiving His righteousness freely through faith. This is the secret.
Repent of your sin, ask God for forgiveness, and receive the free gift of righteousness.
You have everything you need because Jesus died for you. His sacrifice paves the way for every
good blessing. It is not how good you are but how great your God is. This is the deal breaker. If you
have Christ, you are blessed even when you may not look blessed. It is only about working it out into
your life through consistent faith and right confession. Confess daily over yourself that you are a
child of God and this will embolden you in your prayer life.

You can only ask someone you believe you are in relationship with. If you don’t feel connected
to God, it is unlikely that you would pray or come before him with any of your problems or needs. If
you knew how much Jesus wants to help you with each and every one of your problems, you would
be amazed. His love is so intense; it is only our understanding that is way behind reality. Reality is
that He is faithful even when we are faithless. Reality is that He loves even when we are unloving.
Reality is He understands even when we feel misunderstood. There is always God with whom you
can feel safe and loved, even if everybody else rejects you. He is the only one who is true and loving
in everything. A loving father may look angry at times, but the chastisement is always to lead His
children to better things. If the things you do are for your detriment, He may step in and change the
course or the order to restore order. This is His privilege in dealing with us.

When Job started questioning God, God had to step in and correct His misbeliefs. We may be
harboring several wrong beliefs to our detriment. We need to be informed about the right method
and this will help bring about a new change and a new order. In the end, God always wins; He
always gets what He wants. We are wiser doing His will than our own because we will ultimately fail
if we go our own way. Not submitting to a loving and wise God is not wise. It is profoundly insightful
and liberating to do His will and please Him in everything because He has power over His entire
creation. He has power to raise the dead, He has power to cast wicked ones into hell but your end
will be good if you observe godliness when you still have time to function and you are still alive. So
praise God that He is in control even when your mind may be misleading you and trying to impress
the lie that there is no God and God cannot do anything. You are only deceiving yourself dear and it
may cost you much in the end.
 Chapter 10
When Results Evade You, Use
Hope to Strengthen You
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is
love. – 1 Cor 13:13.
Often we set out in our godly pursuits filled with strength and courage and we
feel bold to do great things. As time goes by and you fail to see any results, as it
obviously takes time for God’s blessings to take shape and form in your li fe as
character tr ansformation takes time, you may need a long term vision to get the
job done. This is what hope does.

Faith is the source of hope. Hope is that light in our soul that gives sustained
energy and focus to our actions or simply put endurance . Strength is a d aily
necessity. But hope is the cause of strength - strength being the effect. If hope is
lost, strength will be too. Hoping for a better tomorrow gives us strength to face
today’s trials. We need hope as a conduit to the strength that God gives us.
Without hope, we can have all the energy and the strength we want to but we
would not be able to put it to good use.

It’s like the turning of a tap. There’s a lot of water stored up but it cannot be
accessed unless you turn the tap on. Hope is very much like th at. Unless you set
your heart to believe in a God who gives you hope and a future, you will find that
your strength is of no use to you.

A horse may be manned to achieve the purpose of going somewhere. Without

manning the horse, the horse may end up in th e same place it started because with
all its strength, it is not equipped to direct itself to the place it was meant to go.
You often need to employ your hope as a guiding tool to direct you into the plan
that God has for you.
 20A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory.
21 In his name the nations will put their hope.” Mat 12: 20 – 21
18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been
said to him, “So shall your offspring be. Rom 4:18
2And we boast in the hope of the glory of God…. Rom 5: 2

You cannot rely on your thoughts alone because your thoughts are merely your
memories and your des ires that you have acquainted yourself with. If you want
something new, you have to let go of those things you know and step into the
unknown a nd the unseen re alm of God’s power, wisdom and guidance that are
always available to those who believe. Having ho pe enables us to wait patiently.
God can then prepare our he arts and abilities to enter into His plan and destiny
for our lives. Thus having hope helps us in our weaknesses.

25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
A man with hope can achieve more than a merely strong man. A hopeful or positive person can
devise ways and means to achieve his goals rather than be overcome by circumstances. For
example, God reliant men control their affairs with a certain precision that is not evident with
merely strong men. If things go well, the strong have success but one who is hopeful and strong is
better equipped. We need to use our strength with great hope of a bright and successful future.
 Chapter 11
Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven, we pray for wisdom to understand your ways. We ask Lord that you will reveal your
words to your children as they read them, that you will open the eyes of their heart and enlighten them to the hope
to which you have called them. Help them understand that you have great riches stored up for them in heaven,
that the glorious inheritance belongs to your people, along with your incomparably great power toward those who
believe. This power is the same as the mighty strength you exerted when you raised Christ from the dead and
seated him at your right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and
every name that can be invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

We pray that out of your glorious riches you may strengthen us, with power through your Spirit in our inner
beings, so that Christ may dwell richly in our hearts through faith. We ask you to fill us with the knowledge of your
will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that we may live a life worthy of you and
please you in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened
with all power according to your glorious might so that we may have great endurance and patience, and give joyful
thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of your people in the kingdom of light.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal
encouragement and good hope, encourage our hearts and strengthen us in every good deed and word.
May the Lord make our love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as yours does for
us. May you strengthen our hearts so that we will be blameless and holy in the presence of you, our God and
Father, when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
We thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given us strength, that he considered us trustworthy, appointing us
to his service. Even though we were once sinners, we were shown mercy and grace was poured out abundantly
along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Thankyou for hearing our prayers, you alone are worthy. All glory and honor belongs to you King Jesus! May
your Kingdom come soon Lord. In Jesus’s precious Name we pray, amen!