Grace Abounds Ministries

 In the previous article , we started looking at the mentality of victors. I deduced from Ephesians 6:10-20 three important awarenesses we need to wear correctly if we will stay victorious: 1. Your source of power and the kind of power at work in you. 2. The kind of enemy that is trying to oppose you. 3. The armor to put on when the opposition comes. Today, we will start with the first part:1. Your source of power and the kind of power that is at work in you. Paul was talking about an heir who owns possessions in Galatians 4:1-2 , but because he is a child and has not come to the awareness of what he possesses, he could not enjoy it by himself. Also, we must be aware of the kind of power that works in us so we can always leverage it—not just knowing the kind of power, but also the source. This is the first thing we must put on if we will stay a victor. The Christian fight is not a fight to begin to do something extra, but to stay and remain in the freedom that Christ has ...

Today, we will start looking at the introduction to Victor's mentality . Our main reference scripture as we consider this will be Ephesians 6 . I trust God that He will enable us to glean from that chapter and that at the end of the series, we will be equipped with the victor's mentality, in Jesus' name. Amen. So, please endeavor not to miss any part of the series. We are indeed victorious, and nothing can be more true than that—God in Christ has won us the victory. "And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church" Ephesians 1:22 (NIV). And truly we are victorious! Yet, I want you to understand that the defeated enemy does not want you to know about your victory in Christ . He does not want you to be conscious of it. He aims to prevent us from enjoying the victorious life we have in Christ. There is an enemy out there that wants to deceive us so that the effect of God's life will not manifest in us and throu...

Last week, we started a new series: The victor's mentality. Before we go into the mindset of a victor, the Holy Spirit prompted us to reflect on our victory as believers. I shared humanity's primary issue—sin—and how it was eradicated for us. It is this sin that the devil was leveraging to inflict pain on us. But I am glad to tell you that it is over. The debt of sin has been paid. Glory to Jesus! We began to recognize our two-fold victory over sin, which are: 1. Victory over the guilt of sin 2. Victory over the power of sin We must understand this distinction! Many people only understand the first part and not the second part or vice versa. Embracing victory over the guilt of sin while neglecting victory over the power of sin will hinder your ability to walk free from sin’s control. Such a person would consistently live a life of spiritual defeat. These are a set of people the devil has lied to that they cannot be free from particular habits. The devil tells them, "Well, ...

Before I go fully into this topic, I want to let as many who have placed their faith in Jesus know that they are truly victorious. You need to know that you are a Victor before you can begin to wear the victor's mentality. For instance, you cannot just wear a king's attire when you have not been crowned a king. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (NIV): "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I want you to know that because of what Jesus has done on the cross, He has given us victory over the enemies of our soul, which include sin, death, and the devil, who holds power over death. The root of man's suffering, including poverty and disease, is sin. That is what the devil was leveraging to torment us and afflict us. Glory to Jesus, for Christ fully atoned for our sins. He destroyed the influence of the devil over us an...

How to Walk in Joy- Part 4 In recent articles, I have shared how we can live joyfully and walk in the victory that God has given us—Joy! The first point I emphasized is the need to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit. Since He is the one who produces joy in the heart of a believer, we must allow Him to do what only He can do. I also discussed how to cultivate the presence of the Holy Spirit, highlighting three key elements: determination, focus, and passion. In this article, I will share the fourth and final element: energy. "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." – Psalm 16:11 (NKJV) From this scripture, we understand that there is a path that leads to joy in God's presence—a path that God has revealed to us through His Spirit, the path of life. As those who have received the life of Christ, we have unlimited access to God's presence, and we can choose to remain in it forever. If we are no...

How to Walk in Joy - Part 3 In the past two articles, I began discussing how to walk in joy, focusing on being intentional about receiving joy from the Holy Spirit so that we are aware of it and can fully enjoy it. Four elements help position us to walk in joy:  Determination, Passion, Focus, and Energy. In the last article, I covered the first element, determination. Today, I will discuss Focus and Passion . Focus is the ability to concentrate one's thoughts, emotions, and actions on seeking Christ—seeking to know His will and purpose for our lives. When our hearts are fixed on receiving wisdom from above, it fosters a deep and undistracted connection with God. Paul speaks about setting our minds on Christ:  " If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. " Colossians 3:1-3 (NKJ...

How to Walk in Joy - Part 2 In today's article, I will continue sharing how to walk in joy. In the previous article, I began by discussing how to embrace joy by opening our hearts to the Holy Spirit. To do this, we need to learn how to cultivate the presence of God. The second point I want to share in this article is: Cultivating the Presence of God. What does it mean to cultivate God's presence?   It means being aware of God's presence with us and being sensitive to it as it is manifested through the Holy Spirit. Cultivating God's presence involves yearning for nothing but God. It's a state where we don't want to see, hear, or experience anything apart from what comes from the Lord. And what comes from Him includes joy . Understand this: the Lord is always with us, but we are not always aware of it. However, a person who knows how to cultivate God's presence is constantly aware of it.   Let's explore some scripture to see how important it is to cultivat...

How to Walk in Joy The moment we believe the Gospel and receive the life of Christ, we receive joy. However, having received God's joy as Christians, we don't automatically walk in it. That's why I will be sharing in this article how to walk in joy—how to stay joyful. "Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit." Psalms 51:11-12. To walk in divine joy, we need to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit. In the verse above, David was expressing his guilt over the taking of Bathsheba and the whole scenario that came with it when Nathan the prophet came to tell him his wrongs. He was humbled and was praying like an Old Testament saint because he had not yet received the reality of the New Covenant. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit often comes upon the believer for a specific assignment and at a particular time. So, David asking God not to take away Hi...

 Origin of Joy "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness," Galatians 5:22 (NKJV) In today's article, we will be looking at the origin of joy. From Galatians 5:22, we see that joy is what the Holy Spirit supplies. However, I want to show the first expression of joy in the New Testament and what caused it, as described in Luke 2:8-11 (NKJV): "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'" The above scripture reveals the conversation between the angel and shepherds when Jesus was born. The angel told...

 The Fruit of the Spirit Joy - Definition Continued But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:23 In this article, we will continue our discussion on joy. In the last article, I debunked the idea that joy is just a feeling, emphasizing that it is tangible. Therefore, I define joy as the rejoicing of the heart because of the grace we have received from God. To review the last article, kindly click on the link . In today's article, I will provide another perspective on biblical joy. Although it is similar to the previous definition, it offers a different expression. Joy responds to external circumstances with inner contentment and satisfaction in Christ. The key highlight in this definition is choice. Joy is a choice! It is a life you choose to walk in. Even though, as believers, you have joy inside of you, you might choose to neglect it. You might decide to deny...

  The Fruit of the Spirit (Introduction to  Joy) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness," Galatians 5:22 (NKJV) For some weeks, I have shared about love from a biblical perspective. Starting with this article, I will be sharing about joy from a biblical perspective. The first thing I want us to know is that joy is an essential component of the Christian life. It is so important that it appears over 100 times in the Old Testament and over 50 times in the New Testament. I am sharing this background because I have discovered that many believers don't experience joy. We talk about love, patience, and faith, but joy is equally important. Galatians 5:22 shows us that joy is one of the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, the second on the list. This highlights its significance. Unfortunately, the reason we have not been walking in this dimension of the Spirit is that we have reduced joy to just a feeling. Joy is ...

  The Fruit of the Spirit (Love Never Fails) "Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away." I Corinthians 13:8 (NKJV) In today's article, I will be sharing on "Love never fails." What does that even mean? It speaks of the eternality of the Father's love for us. When we have experienced such love, it should compel us to walk in this Agape love above all else. Apostle Paul emphasized the importance of love, placing it at the top of the chain in any path or way of life we must live. With the help of the Holy Spirit, he used various words and illustrations to show and tell us how crucial it is to understand and walk the path of love. I encourage you to check the previous articles on love on this blog site to follow the discussion from its beginning. Beloved, we need to start receiving God's love. We need to begin understanding and gaining deep ...

 For the past few weeks, I have been sharing on the subject; fruit of the Spirit, and currently talking about love from 1 Corinthians 13:7. Moving into today's article, I will share "Love endures all things." I must first say that the way God's love manifests in us is that it causes us to endure all things. So what does it mean to endure all things? We'll be delving into it shortly. In previous articles, we talked about how love bears all things. When we look at that attribute of love, it may seem the same as love endures all things. No, it isn't. Here is the difference: The person you are bearing with may not be doing something to harm you directly or doing something against you directly. For instance, we bear with some people's attitudes and ways of doing things. But when it comes to enduring things, it means you endure with someone who personally attacks or persecutes you. To endure all things means to bear up under persecution, that you can sustain to ...

 THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT  Love hopes all things “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” I Corinthians 13:7 NKJV In today's article, I will discuss another dimension of Agape: "Love hopes all things." What does it mean? It means that Love doesn't give up on a person. Even though the person may not be living as he is supposed to live or acting as he ought to, love will hope that such a person would change. Agape hoping all things means that you don't write people off. Hope, by definition, is the confident expectation of what God has done in Christ to manifest in our lives, someone else's life, or a particular situation. Love will see people in Christ and will hope that Christ will encounter an individual who is not walking in God's path. Our perfect example, the Lord Jesus, exhibited this dimension of love when He was physically present on the earth. Despite all the misbehavior of His disciples, particularly Peter, He s...

  LOVES BELIEVES ALL THINGS 2 “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” I Corinthians 13:7 NKJV In today's article, I shall continue from where I stopped in the previous article - Love believes all things. Love believes all things means love is free from suspicion. The way of love is always right. She does not walk about with an ill-preconceived mentality in her heart. She is just walking with freedom and always sees people the way Christ will see them. This issue of suspicion is very prevalent. Most times, it's because of what we had conceived in our minds, not necessarily because we had inspiration or saw anything regarding what we had imagined. For instance, some people cannot go to their village, not because God told them not to, but because they are always suspecting people are witches or not. Another example is when some people see a spider and immediately trace it back to their village people. I aim to show you Jesus and His love for...

Fruit of the Spirit 25 (Love believes all things) - 1 Corinthians 13:7  By Peter Ayoola Fakeye In today's article, I will be sharing how Love believes in all things. When you examine that statement, you then wonder, does it mean just to be gullible even when we have seen something that is false? No! That is not what it means. Therefore, let me delve into what it means. Love "believes all things." That doesn't imply blind gullibility, where you accept everything as truth. Instead, it means that love is free from suspicion. Love is not suspicious! Many people are just living their lives in suspicion. They are not free. For instance, if someone looks at them too much, they will say maybe she is a witch. They always read negative meanings into things. Their minds are always inclined toward the negative. That is not love. Love is free! It doesn't carry a preconceived opinion about people. For instance, some men would say, “All ladies are the same.” So, they always susp...

Fruit of the Spirit (Love bears all things 3)  By Peter Ayoola Fakeye (PAF) In this article, I will conclude the discussion, 'Love bears all things.’ To check our other article on this topic, kindly click  link 1  and  link  2 and be blessed. "Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:7 NKJV)  I had said what it means to bear all things (you can check the previous article). I shared that to bear all things, we must have a great room large enough to store up the Love of Christ in our hearts. Such that whatever injury or prejudice or insult and assault that our heart encounters, the Love of Christ will repel them without us losing faith or going to Adam's way. Adam's way is the way of self, fighting for oneself, thinking selfishly, and being the judge and Lord of oneself. You need to know that God created you, and He is the one who knows what will fit you- His Love. Ephesians 3:17-19 tells us about the gen...

 In the preceding article, we delved into the dimension of love encapsulated by the phrase "Love bears all things." Continuing on this trajectory in today's article, we explore how this enduring love is a testament to the magnitude of God's love within our hearts. We began by examining the process of enlarging our hearts to accommodate the infinite magnitude of God's love, enabling us to bear with all men and all things. A question was posed to me: "Is it possible to bear with all things?" My response was a confident "YES." Emphasizing that if it were not possible, the Bible would not have documented it. It's essential to recognize that whatever is true about Christ is true about us. This truth extends beyond what Jesus possesses; it also encompasses what Jesus can do. Jesus, indeed, bears with all things, including our failures, mistakes, and nonchalance. When acknowledging that what is true about Christ is also true about us, it's not...

Today, we'll look at this aspect of love, "Love bears all things." TPT translates it as "Love being a place of shelter," while another version  translates it as "Love protects." In simpler terms, love accommodates insults, injuries, prejudice, and differences without acting ill-mannerly or in disgust, or with annoyance. Another way to see it is that love puts up with everything and remains unchanged in the process. It is not embittered or corrupted in these processes. So, love bearing with everything is a testament to the magnitude to which our hearts have received God's love. We would be corrupted, defiled, and would even sin and err if injury, insult, prejudice, and the like do not encounter love in our hearts. So, of course, we are not talking about the love the world preaches or any natural form of it. We are talking about love that is only divine. Ephesians 3:17-19 Let me first say this: God is love! His love is the origin of His counsel and d...

  Someone who has experienced the love of Yeshua rejoices in the truth ( 1 Corinthians 13:6 ) In the previous article , I shared that Love does not rejoice in iniquity, in people's downfall, and the like. I also mentioned that the reason we often lack joy and excitement in our hearts is that we tend to look for others' downfall, condemn, castigate, and crucify them. Operating in joy becomes challenging under such circumstances.  However, through revelation and the experience of the Holy Spirit's work, I've come to understand that if you don't receive and extend the love of the Lord, other characteristics of the Holy Spirit, like JOY, cannot manifest. The default aura of a believer walking in God's love is Joy. I'm not just referring to emotional joy (although it includes that) but heartfelt joy that transcends circumstances and situations. That is the beauty of it. Therefore, when someone knows the truth, specifically the gospel of Christ, they rejoice. That...