Grace Abounds Ministries

In today’s article, we take a step further as we begin to round up the first part of this series: the source and kind of strength we have. Let’s revisit our anchor scripture: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” — Ephesians 6:10 (NKJV) 1. To Be Strong in the Lord Means Recognising That Jesus Is Lord. This is crucial. Many people see Christ in different ways—some as a healer, deliverer, provider, or even as Saviour. While all these are true, recognising Him as Lord is key to gathering strength for our journey. Our anchor verse specifically says, “Be strong in the LORD.” One reason Christianity today seems to lack the power it had in the early Church is that many want to use Jesus—for wealth, healing, deliverance, or fame—but are unwilling to submit to His Lordship. Let’s consider Peter’s sermon: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” — Acts 2:36 (NKJV). In the ...

We’ve been discussing The Victor’s Mentality, and this is the sixth episode. In this article, we will take it a step further from where we stopped last article . Previously, we discussed our source of strength and established the truth that God is the source of our strength—He is the One who equips us for every task. Kindly refer to the link below to get a full glimpse of what we shared in the last article . In previous articles, I highlighted three important aspects to be aware of if you want to stay victorious. The first one, which we are currently discussing, is the source of your power/strength and the kind of power/strength you possess. In this article, I will share with you what I call The Force of Strength—or if you prefer, The Pool of Strength. Let’s go back to our reference scripture: “Now, my beloved ones, I have saved these most important truths for last: Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force of H...

In the last article , I began discussing the first part of the mentality we need to have: Our source of power/strength and the kind of strength we possess. I established that God is the source of our physical strength, mental fortitude, and spiritual power. We need to understand that God is interested in our entire well-being, not just our spiritual life. Yes! You can draw strength from the Lord for your daily tasks. God desires to supply you with strength in your mind , which serves as fortitude to keep you steadfast. When we examine Adam , we see that he named millions of species of animals without stress, He displayed remarkable emotional intelligence . Yet, we often become easily exhausted after accomplishing little, give up quickly, and struggle under tedious circumstances. Sometimes, our minds become cluttered, which leads to headaches and heartaches. But let me tell you this: God supplies strength to endure daily challenges while remaining emotionally and mentally balanced. He...

 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...