Grace Abounds Ministries

  Fakeye Ayoola   By God’s grace, this is the first episode in a brand-new series: The Fruit of the Spirit. I believe as we reflect together on God’s word, the power in God’s word will transform us in such a way that we begin to manifest the Fruit of the Spirit in all that we do.  Our reference text for the series is taken from Galatians 5:22-23  Today, I will introduce the series: tagged “what you need to know about the Fruit of the Spirit.” I will firstly share about the fruit as a whole before we begin to look at each constituent which is listed in Galatians 5:22-23  From the reference text, the first word in verse 22 is ‘but.’ The word ‘but’ is so significant in a sentence; we use it to contrast two opposing things or statements. Therefore, to know what Paul was contrasting, it will be necessary to look briefly at the previous verses.  So, when we take a little step backward to vs. 19-21, Paul talks about the works of the flesh. (You can check love how ...

  Ayoola Fakeye   As I conclude this  subject series of Faith, it is fascinating for me to remind you of the Love of the savior: How Jesus has loved us with eternal love, came to the earth, carried the cross of agony, and bled all on that cross. Now He is risen again and occupied the throne of the universe. What a dear, wonderful Savior is ours! In the previous article, I presented the doctrine of the Lamb from St. Peter's epistle where we saw Jesus, the Lamb, as the center of all divine revelation. Through His work on the cross, His body became the magnet that brought the OT saints and the NT saints under the same family. Now I announce; Jesus is not just the center but the circumference of divine revelation, the entirety of the revelation of God to man. He is the unifying theme that makes all the books in the bible one consistent whole. Hallelujah! I can never be tired of speaking about the Lamb that was slain for my redemption. Will you? Apostle Peter continued His exp...

Ayoola Fakeye As we approach the conclusion of this great series; Faith Life of believers, it's a blessing to the heart to conclude with this eternal subject, namely; the centrality of the lamb. In the previous article , I shared Christ's redemptive work on the cross that brought the two dispensations (Old Testament saints and New Testament Saints) together under one family ( Hebrews 11:39-40 ). Christ's substitutionary sacrifice is the binding force that brings the OT saints and the NT saints together unto God.   John, the beloved (as popularly called) in John 1, tells us of the slain Lamb that takes away the worl d's  sins. Modern-day Pentecostals don't like the subject. However, it gladdens my heart to announce that the Lamb slain is the theme of the entire bible. The Bible is God's testimony to the Lamb. I discovered that when God wants to do something remarkable on the earth or in the life of a man, or when God intends to cut covenant with man, He refers a ...

  Ayoola Fakeye   Hebrews 11:39-40 There are two sides to God's order of events. The Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Testament, is where God made the promise as regards the redemption of man. And in the New Testament, the fulfillment of it is done.    The Bible refers to what we are experiencing as  “ something better ”  even though the bible does not use a comparative sense to describe God or what He possesses. For instance, you can't see in the scripture,  “ I am the best Shepherd ” “ I am the truest vine ”  or I am the best lover. ”  What you can only see is,  “ I am the good Shepherd ” “ I am the true vine ”  or  “ God is love. ”  That is because there is an absolute in who God is. Therefore, there is no space for comparison because it does not exist.   Now, why am I saying this?   The Bible says,  “ God has provided something better for us. ”  That implies t...

Ayoola Fakeye The true Heroes  All those mentioned in chapter 11 of Hebrews and those referred to are the true heroes. They are true heroes because of their faith in the promised Messiah  –  Jesus Christ. These men received the promise of the messiah strongly by faith. God Himself reported about them, and He placed them in the His arrangement because they look towards the promise. God fixed them in the sequence of order of His dealings with man because they kept their eyes focused on the promise. This promise was a bond that maintained the circle of God's event and order until the messiah showed up. Now he is the provision. I mean the propitiation (wrath-bearer) for our sins  ( 1 John 2:2 ) . Beloved, if the Old Testament saints received the promise strongly by Faith, and they rejoiced in the expectation of His coming, and they could cheerfully suffer for that sake ( Hebrews 11:  33-38), How much more, we, t...

Ayoola Fakeye   In the previous article , we’ve seen the two transformations that took place in Rahab's life as a result of her faith.   1. It makes her renounce her way of belief and align herself with God’s worldview.  2. Faith produces a transformation in her character.   Today, we shall consider the three other transformations in the life of Rahab as a result of her Faith.   3. Faith in Christ will aid us to do nothing against the gospel but for the gospel. Joshua 2:4 gives an account of how Rahab hid the spies. She turned her back on her people and defended the people of Israel. That was the result of the faith she have in the God of Israel, or else she might have exposed the spies. Beloved, your faith cannot be active in the Lord, and not be sold out for him. Fire will always be burning in your bone, ready to be an influence in your generation for the Lord. If that is not true about your life, then you need to check...

 By Ayoola Fakeye “ By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. ” Hebrews  11:31 ‬  “ Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? ”  James  2:25 ‬  Apostle James introduced the above sentence with  “ Likewise, ”  that is, in the same way. And preceding this statement was an account of Abraham ’ s faith ( James 2:24 ). Rahab, the harlot, was justified the same way Abraham was is what Apostle James meant. That is beautiful! She also received the same reward Abraham and his children received. She became part of Abraham's family because of her simple faith in the God of Israel and what He has done. In the Christian faith, there is no first-class or second-class citizen before God! Your Faith will produce great transformation when it looks up to Calvary, just as it did to Rahab. But when our faith is no...

  FAITH THAT TRANSFORMS By Ayoola Fakeye (PAF)   “ By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe when she had received the spies with peace. ”  Hebrews 11:31 ‬  Hebrew chapter 11 popularly refers to the faith Chapter, featuring decent and great men of God. Most of their names are what we bear today, such as Abel, Noah, Enoch, Abraham, and men who made their mark in Biblical History. And to my surprise, the last person, the apostle would call out is a harlot. Great! The Apostle chose to speak about this woman to show us that the faith of Christ is available to everyone, irrespective of the past life. So, you need not shy back again because of your background or past life; take the bold step of Faith this woman took. The faith of Christ is available for everyone. To enjoy it does not depend on your past. It depends solely on acknowledging and believing the Saviour, Christ. For Rahab, she was an alien to the commonwealth of Israel and then a ha...

FAITH THAT OVERCOMES OBSTACLES 2 By Ayoola Fakeye   “ By faith, the walls of Jericho fell after they were encircled for seven days. ”  Hebrews 11:30 ‬   “ Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua:  “ See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. ”  Joshua 6:1-2 ‬    God told the people of Israel that they had already inherited the land. It ’ s already a done deal. That also must be settled in our hearts that our victory is a done deal.   The instructions God gave to the Israelites ( Joshua 6:3-5 )   God told them that the ark should be ahead of them so that everyone followed it. This ark is very symbolic of the Old Testament era. It symbolizes the presence of God.   God also instructed them to round the city once for seven days. Then on the seven days, they should do it seven times. And in all their proceedings, the ...

  FAITH THAT OVERCOMES OBSTACLES “ By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. ”  Hebrews  11:30 ‬  The scripture records for us that, by Faith, the wall of Jericho fell after encircling the city for seven days. The Jericho wall is a picture of an obstacle to enjoying the inheritance Christ has made available for us on the cross. Jericho was the first city that was conquered by the children of Israel. I see Jericho as a type of system and structure the devil has strategically placed in this world to make us lose faith and courage to live as God's son. Obstacles are real! Some are not your fault. At times, we feel maybe we have not prayed well. That's not always true, though. For instance, I grew up to know myself as an asthmatic patient. I have not even known my left from right when I was battling with this life-threatening sickness. It's not always our fault to see challenges on our way. It is not always our fault that bad lead...

  The faith life of Christian believers is what we have been considering Today, we shall be looking at the two-dimensional experience of living by faith  “ By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.”  Hebrews 11: 29 The Israelites’ faith in the covenant Lord can be viewed in two dimensions: The first part is about how Moses and the Children of Israel passed through the Red Sea on dry land. They didn't stress themselves while passing through the Red Sea, but they walked through it comfortably. The second thing that happened was that their enemy, the Egyptians, was utterly consumed in the Red Sea. In both dimensions, they didn’t use their effort to achieve victory.   “ And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.” Exodus 14:19   In the previous article , we saw when God reproved Moses to ...