Walking in Grace

StevJethro O.E

Lord Jesus, I love you.

This effort is not exclusive on its own, but an addition to works by other authors targeted at encouraging tenacity and staying true to the end. The work is still in progress, it has being released for edification of the reader and possible criticism. Send your comments and criticism to stevjethro@gmail.com or stev2rjethro@yahoo.com my Phone numbers are +2348066007310, +2348077044454

CONTENT CHAPTER 1: CHAPTER 2: CHAPTER 3: CHAPTER 4: CHAPTER 5: SIN Grace Total Surrender Learn to be led by the Holy Spirit FALLING FROM GRACE

CHAPTER 1
SIN Sin is a transgression of Gods law. What a simple definition but the gravity of Sin has been greatly watered down by Satan, the World, and/or even by us. Sin is an act of rebellion against God. It questions his authourity and his supremacy; it throws a challenge to God, inviting him for a fight. No matter how small, Sin is an enemy, because it antagonizes God; it sets the creature against his Creator. Taking Adam and Eve for example, one would say, is it not just the fruit? Let them vomit it or is their punishment (and ours) not too much? But let us see the compelling statement the Serpent used to convince Eve. First, he said you will not surely die. This is a direct challenge to the word of God, opposing him; thereby making God a liar and a deceive; it renders God untrustworthy, unreliable and unfaithful; it suggests that God doesnt know what he is doing, that he is not all knowing neither is he Almighty. Thus challenging the very nature of God and saying he is not God after all. Second, he said, for God knows that when you eat of ityou will be like God. Yielding to which implied that Eve and Adam wanted to be like God, they bought the Devils idea, when they concluded that .The fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom they doubted Gods love and good will for them. And when you sin, these are exacting what you are saying (if not more); that is the position you are putting yourself, the position of challenging God for a fight; of wanting to be God. And so God cannot stand Sin, in fact, it is for mercy that Sin is not punished immediately. But be sure that judgment and condemnation awaits every unrepented sinner, and it is the full weight of it, without mercy. Some people say: God is not wicked to punish his creatures forever. But he can and he will. How can he condone a man who questions his authourity and challenges his nature? How can he be with men who will not submit to him, wanting to be like him for competition? If God has plans for a city of God, as he does, then its occupants must be people who are loyal to him, and not antagonists or coup plotters or backstabbers. Even for Gods children, he did not ignore Sin, but visited the weight of punishment for Sin on his only begotten son, he turned his face away from even Jesus because of sin, for us to be acceptable before him. So how will you now conclude that he will be more favourable to those who not only that they sinned, but also rated the suffering of the only begotten Son of God as useless and unnecessary? Heb. 10:2931. The enjoyment of Sin is false; it is an illusion, a perversion. It is a misrepresentation, orchestrated by the kingdom of darkness, which strive by ignorance. When Sin is in full bloom in a man, he tends towards being an animal: thoughtless and without common sense. It is my prayer that hatred for sin will issue from our hearts. Sin cannot be forced on a man against his will. The freedom of free will that God has given to man is so absolute that nothing can violate it or force himself on man against his will, not even God. Man must willingly consent. This is why no excuse is permissible for sin. The way sin came into the World in the time of Adam and Eve is still the way it comes even now, its method. Sin is a seed, it grows, it is like leprosy, it works corruption in its carriers and its corruption can be inherited. Its consequences and effect can be passed from one generation to another either consciously or unconsciously. Infact, an average man in this generation cannot fully picture the true nature in which Adam was created because of the corruption sin has

wrought over the years in mortal man and that is why men in the flesh cannot understand or fathom life in the Spirit, because life in the Spirit is a restoration of what Adam lost. That is life in continual, growing relationship and communion with God. Sin came into the World through:

1. CRAFTINESS Other words closely associated with craftiness are subtle, cunny, deceptive and the like. These are the ways of life in the flesh. Now, one of the things we dont know for sure about the Serpent is its physical structure, its appearance. We dont know whether it had two or four legs, we cant say for sure what it looked like before the curse, and one would have felt these descriptions should have been part of the introduction of Genesis 3. But as far as the fall of man and the entrance of Sin into the World is concerned, the characteristics that is important or relevant is the fact that the Serpent is wild and crafty. To be wild is to be reckless, out of control, not tamed or domesticated, violent, un-submissive, stormy or restless, hostile, uncultured. While the business of craftiness, is that of survival of the fittest, striving to outshine others, considering personal interest or gain before others. These are all characteristics of life in the flesh, in other words, it wild and crafty. Sin lurks around a man in the flesh; a man who is not in the Spirit; a man who has lost communion and relationship with God. The desires of the flesh are contrary to that of the Spirit and vice versa. These cannot go together. Life in the flesh is a perquisite for Sin; it may look gentle and religious today. It is still flesh. Now carefully consider the description accorded men that were alienated from the common wealth of Israel: Ishmael: A wild donkey of a man hostile toward Gen. 16:11-12; Esau: A cunning hunter, a man of the field (open country) Gen. 25:27. The wicked: restless Isa.48:22. All through scriptures Sin is almost always associated with life in the flesh or its characteristics which is lost of communication with God. It is not only a man who is in the flesh that is prone to Sin, but also the one who fellowships with him. 2. PROBING GODS INSTRUCTIONS Did God really say? The art of probing is that of investigation, thorough examination, scrutinizing, questioning the authenticity, the credibility, the reliability of Gods word. Nothing maybe wrong with asking questions, but when are you asking? Why are you asking? Who are you asking? And how are you asking? The Serpent was not asking God, he was not asking when God was walking in the Garden neither was he asking to know. The question was rather passing a vote of no confidence on Gods word doubting God; doubting Gods recommendations as if to say God was not wise enough, or as if God doesnt know nor mean the best for man. When a man begins to question Gods instructions, Sin is close by. When you begin to say, but what is really wrong with fornication since both parties agree? Or why shouldnt I out smart another person (i.e. stealing)? Must I do it this way? Is that not too much? and so many other questions. One tends to use reasoning or logic not knowing that reason logic and even general view have been adulterated by the Devil who is the god of this World and so it does not always convey Gods will or his mind. We must come to the stage where we can fully trust in Gods love and accept the fact that he knows the best for us; a time we can go to sleep with our eyes closed on an issue because God says so; a time we can trust God like a Child trust his father.

3.

BEING DRAGGED AWAY James 1:14-15 Says but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fullgrown, gives birth to death. Desire is a strong urge, longing, craving of somebody for something. It could be for something good or evil. It is stimulated or aroused by the senses; the sense of small, taste, sight, feeling and hearing. The senses could be real or imaginary; physically, psychologically or spiritually sourced; either from God or Satan. Desire is a thing of the heart, no matter how it was sourced; it is analyzed and coordinated in the heart. The decision to do a thing from the collected data is scrutinized by personal principles, standards and the presiding school of thoughts. The presiding school of thought has the capacity to alter our standards and principles momentarily or permanently. What a man sees with his eyes is not the sin, neither is it what you smell, taste, feel or hear that is sin. If your personal principles, standards and the presiding school of thought is correct; if it has been built and based on the standard of God i.e. the word of God, then these thing will come in, your system picks up what is good and useful and then eject the rest as an un-useful waste. It is only an awkward or bad or sick system that takes things that are not good. It now the things that have been retained that produces all kings of evil things, murder, sexual immorality, theft etc. which when executed is sin (Matt. 15: 16-20) So the problem may not be with the senses but with the heart. The presiding school of thought Eve had at that particular moment was that of distrust for God; as aroused by what she heard, saw and felt. It was that of wanting to be like God competitively, her desires dragged her away. So that when she saw the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom. She took some, ate and gave some to her husband. That was how sin came/comes into the World. Now, for somebody who commits sexual immorality, whether male or female, he/she sees the opposite sex, seeing is not the sin, but then if his/her presiding school of thought is that of selfish satisfaction, pleasure or money, then it is that desire that dragged him/her away. We must guard our heart. Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life. Prov. 4:20-27 Consequences of sin: 1. DEATH Concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God told Adam .For in the day that thou eatest, thou shalt surly die. Gen. 3:17 and so death is one of the consequences of sin. But Adam and Eve did not drop dead physically immediately they ate of the fruit from the tree. The fact is that they became dead spiritually which preceded their physical death, because they died eventually. The spiritual death is more grievous and terrible. The physical death is a faint description and a shadow of the spiritual death. And even the immediate spiritual death which Adam and Eve experienced was yet a picture of the final and eternal separation of the sinner from God, which is the final judgment and punishment for sin. It is indeed very terrible for the creature to be eternally separated from his creator. Consider a dead man, he is helpless, careless, irresponsible, useless, unproductive, insensitive he is deaf, dumb, blind, has no feeling, no sense of taste or smell he has lost control of himself and his environment; his growth stops, he is stagnant, his system stop working his respiratory, digestive and other systems his mind stops, his heart and brain stop

working, his nerves and central column become irresponsive and finally, he may look alright for sometime but he will surely begin to decay gradually until he starts to smell, becoming a nuisance to those who are still alive. Even those who love him will not be able to stand his stench at a point. Think through these descriptions again, it is a glimpse of the consequences of spiritual death. The man who is spiritually dead is helpless, careless, and vulnerable spiritually; he is not even disturbed by his state, he is irresponsive, irresponsible, useless and unproductive; everything he does is a spiritual nonsense and amounts to nothing, he can not bear good fruits that abide, he is insensitive to God and spiritual matters, he has lost control, he is a spiritual zombie, controlled/ordered around by anyone who knows his state. He doesnt have taste anything goes his life is in a circle no growth, he doesnt eat the word of God nor digest it, he does breath i.e. pray. And despite the fact that he can pretend, using spiritual languages, he cannot keep up with that for too long because he is decaying and will start smelling soon and cannot but be disposed from the living. By eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, man lost his part of the tree of life. Cherubim (guardians of Gods holiness) and a flaming sword guards the way to the tree of life. And for man to approach God there must be death; the shedding of blood as was typified in the Ark of the Covenant overlaid with the mercy seat, with Cherubim guiding it and the blood sprinkled on it. The way to the tree of life is replacement death which is what Jesus Christ did for mankind. Also as a consequence of sin, the eyes of Adam and Eve were opened. When God created man, was man blind? Of course, man could see, but his sight was just within the will and purpose of God for him; he did not know right and wrong; he did not know good and evil; he only knew the will of God, he knew what God wanted him to do, he knew who God wanted him to be; he was focused and no other thing mattered to him so long as it was outside Gods will for him, he was content to be in God, he was satisfied with what God had in stock for him; he was not thinking of the varieties in the World or in the Devil. He had a single eye Luke 11:34, 35 (KJV). And so one of the things, the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil did to man was to introduce the two sides of the coin, leaving him to choose. And with the perversion of sin and Satan, man could not, but chose evil. His inclination was only evil all the time Gen.6:5, 6. Even when man recognized that there was need for reverence for the Supreme Being, he fashioned his own way of reaching and reverencing this Supreme Being, he invented religion, which is mans ways of looking for God and this, he said, are in different ways which does not exclude worshipping Idols. But man cannot find God except he chooses to reveal himself to man. What can fig leaves do in covering mans nakedness and how long can it cover him? Man became diversified as a result of sin. Other consequences of sin as contained in the Scriptures are banishment from Eden, curses, pain and suffering, sin makes man hide from God etc.

CHAPTER 2 GRACE It is impossible for a project to fail in Gods hand. Man or any other creature of God does not have the capacity to thwart the plan of Gods big picture or wander away from it. God is not the author of confusion neither can he be confused. His knowledge, understanding and wisdom are unfathomable; his path is beyond tracing out. He determines and knows the end from the beginning. Sometimes we, mortals think we can frustrate God or frustrate his plan by choosing not obey or serve him, we think we can be wiser than God. But look at scriptures and time gone: men who wandered from the service of God did not frustrate or truncate Gods plan nor terminate his purposes, but only wandered away from the very good of their lives but still fits into Gods big picture as the scriptures says The Lord works out everything for his own ends even the wicked for a day of disaster.Prov.16:4(NIV); who were before of old ordained to this condemnation Jude 4; they went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us IJohn2:19. As clay in the hand of the potter are we in Gods hand. If like a pot in the making, we seem to be marred in his hands, he can form us into another vessel or shape as it seemed best to him (and not to us nor as we think) which may or may not be for our advantage, but his purpose of making a vessel is achieved. The only good we can do to ourselves is to willingly cooperate with him for our own good and eternal joy and fulfillment. God is not our mate; neither is he a rival of the Devil. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours as the heavens are higher than the Earth. In the fall of man, that was what happened. Man was not able to frustrate God or his plan. In his infinite mercy God started to unravel his plan for the redemption of man. Ephe.1:314. As time went on, his plans and purposes unfolded and it is still unfolding. In his unquestionable way of doing things, God decided that there should be two dispensations in his plan for the redemption of man. One of the law and the other is of grace. The first came to prepare man for the other, and the work of second wouldnt have been complete without the first. And so, the law was introduced to intimate man of Gods demand. It brought the knowledge of sin. Although, it gave man the opportunity to earn his redemption and acceptance before God by obeying everything contained in the law, man failed and indeed, God knew man would, because man in his flesh does not have the capacity to please God. most of time, we are tempted to preach or use the law or the dread of judgment or common sense or age as a possible way out of sin. But it has always failed. Through the years and as a matter of individual experience, we have come to discover that sin is a law breaker; it waters down the dread of judgment; it does not have common and it is not a respecter of age. It takes as

captives, the rich, the poor, the aged, the young, kings and servants alike. It does not respect colours or national boundaries, cultures, religious affiliation or sect. Some of these may seem to reduce it or render it inactive, but it is still there and will manifest at the slightest opportunity. Considering the things we have seen so far, one may be tempted to think I have got it I have gathered enough to keep me out of sin, but no, it is not sufficient because it will still lead you to struggling and strife. Sin is like mud and the miry clay. Once you get into it, which we already were, you cannot get out by yourself. The more you struggle to get out, the deeper you go, worsening your condition. You need someone who is not in the mud to help you; someone who is stronger than you and the force of the mud; someone who loves you enough to go the length for your sake; someone who knows your state, can help you and help prevent you from entering the cycle again. It was at this stage of mans helplessness and need that God introduced the second dispensation, the dispensation of grace. Sin is the fundamental problem and grace in Christ Jesus is the fundamental solution. And so grace came. It came in Jesus Christ: the God-man; it came in his death, resurrection and ascension. Jesus met all the criteria needed to redeem man. He didnt soil himself in the mud of sin, he was and is sinless; he was ready to go all to length for man and in his grace, man is sustained and preserved, preventing him from entering the cycle of sin once again. And yes, Jesus went all the way for man. In him sin was fully paid for. He hung on the cross and cried it is finished the death he died, he died for and when God, the judge, saw him on the cross, it was us, the sinful man he saw and the prophecy by the mouth of Caiaphas the high priest was fulfilled. It would be good if one man died for the people John 18:14. Assuming, Jesus just dealt the final blow to sin and remained in the grave, we would have been the most miserable of men. I Cor.15:17-23. But he resurrected and we, with him in the newness of life and not only that, he ascended Hallelujah But of him are we in Christ Jesus I Cor.1: 30. Our death with Christ makes the law powerless over us, because the law only has authourity over a man as long as he lives Rom. 7:1-6. It also makes us lose our Adamic (sinful) nature and everything associated with it, including the curse and decay brought about by sin. Our death with Christ makes us dead to the World, sin, self and they to us. So that we posses all the characteristics of a dead man as discussed earlier towards them; we are no longer sensitive to them, we are useless, careless and unproductive to them, we are a nuisance, a provoking smell of death to them and so they can not stand us, they look for a way to get rid of us. And it would have been terrible if our death was not with Christ. God did not abandon Jesus in the grave, but raised him and us with him, that we might live for him and re-present Christ in this World. Consequently, we can be counted among the living again In Christ, we gained more than we lost in Adam. Christ became our life, our connection and bridge back to our creator. He became our covering, our righteousness. Death is powerless over us, for death came as a result of sin, but in his death, sin is overcome and in his resurrection, we rose with a newness of life to live a righteousness of him and so we cannot die again I Cor.15:16-21; Rom.6:8-13; 8:1-2; John 11:25-26. Our Ascension with Christ takes us to the right hand of God, far above principalities and powers. Ephe.2:6-10. And now, we can come fearlessly right into Gods presence, assured of his glad welcome when we come with Christ and trust in him. Ephe.3:12 (LB); Heb. 4:14-16; 10:1925. This gives us the confidence that when we pray he hears and answers I John 5:14-15; John

14:12-14. Our Ascension with him gives us the hope of spending eternity with him. Also the gift of the Holy Spirit has been given as a result of our Ascension with him; who is our seal unto the day of redemption Ephe. 4:30; 1:13, 14. The Holy Spirit is also a guarantee that God will do what he has promised. II Cor.5:5; Ephe.1:19-23; Col.3:1-17 And so our Salvation, from top to bottom, is a work of grace. It is not what we can do or have done, but what Christ has done. It is complete and there is nothing we can add to it. Although, grace is not an excuse to sin, neither is it a way to dodge Gods requirement. Grace is God, having paid the price for mans sin, working in man to meet Gods demand to please him. Even though, in grace, the law is no longer our pivot and our lives or walk with God does not depend on obeying it, we find ourselves living above the law, doing more than the law requires and yet, not by our effort nor trying to earn approval before God through it, but by an indwelling power of a life giving Spirit. Rom.8:11; I Cor.15:45. Our internal and eternal hatred for sin is because we have been born of God and his seed remains in us. I John 3:4-10; Phil.2:13. Grace is entering Gods rest and his Sabbath which is our land of promise. God took Israel, which is a picture of the spiritual Church, from Egypt, the land of slavery, which symbolizes the land of sin and flesh. Now, before this time of deliverance, the Israelites saw a problem in Egypt: they saw that they were oppressed and in bondage; they saw that they had no promising hope inn Egypt; they also saw that they could not deliver/help themselves and so they cried to one who was greater than them; to the God of their fathers. God heard and delivered them by the hand of Moses who represents the law. For a Christian, this symbolizes bringing recognition to sin, its oppression, bondage, vanity and our hopelessness and a willingness to turn from sin and this is what the stage from crossing the red sea to Mount Sinai is for us. Leaving the land of sin, but that was not their entrance into the land of promise. They had to pass through the wilderness, where despite the great miracles they saw and received Gods demand of them (the law), they still complained; practiced some of the ways of the Egyptians; considered their life and death in the land of slavery a better option to their deliverance and threatened to go back to Egypt. They disbelieved God and a good number of them died in the wilderness without entering the Promised Land. Moses, although he saw the Promised Land from afar, also did not enter the Promised Land. This is the highest the law can take us, it sees the promised land and talks of it, but could not enter, neither does it takes anyone there. It was Joshua, a picture of Jesus Christ, who led them into the Promised Land. He led them through the Jordan which symbolizes repentance from dead works. Stones were taken from the Jordan for a monument at Gilgal which is how we ought to regard our repentance; they were circumcised at Gilgal which is the putting to death of the sinful nature. Col.2:11 and God said .Today, I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from.Josh.5:9. So it was there that God rolled away the reproach, the shamefulness of Egypt from them. They also celebrated the Passover in Gilgal and you know Jesus is our Passover Lamb. I Cor.5:7. Manna stopped being supplied in Gilgal so that they needed to learn to receive from God through faith. From them onward, so long as they were in God and depended on him, they won their battles. And giants were a common victim of their faith and their sword. They were entering their rest. Now, the land of promise is a land flowing with Milk and honey, a land with flourishing cities, you did not build; houses filled with all kind of good things you did not provide; wells, you did not dig; vineyards and olive groves you did not plant; a land with streams and pools of water; with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land where bread will not be scarce and

you will lack nothing; a land where rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. It is not like the land of Egypt where you plant your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. It is a land of mountains and valleys that drink rain from heaven, both the first and the later rain; it is a land God cares for, his eye watches it continually from the beginning of the year to the end. Deut.6:10-11; 8:7-9; 11:9-12, 14. This is a picture of what our journey with God is meant to be. It speaks of our enjoyment in Christ. In that, scriptures say For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters Gods rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no-one will fall by following their example of disobedience. Heb.5:8-11. Therefore, the land of Cannan (the whole description we have here) that Joshua led the Israelites into was not the real rest the scriptures was talking about but a pointer to the rest which Jesus Christ gives. For these things were written for our example upon whom the end of this age has come I Cor.10:11. BY FAITH Most often, this experience seem unrealizable in our daily lives. This is the place where faith is indispensable. The dealing of God with man is on the basis of faith. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Heb.11:6. Now, faith is something the carnal mind does not understand, for indeed a mind on the things of this World cannot fathom faith, It calls it baseless assumptions. Let us take Noah for example; God told Noah that he was going to destroy the world with flood waters. Humanly speaking, there was no statistical justification or events that predicts that kind of flood, because until that time in the history of mankind, there had not yet been that kind of flood that wiped out every living that move along the ground and so it seemingly had no foundation. But Noah knew, it had a foundation and that foundation is Gods word, because God said he will do it, he will and so Noah saved his family and some animals through his faith. It is only faith that can take us back to die on the cross with Jesus Christ, rise and ascend with him. It is even faith that makes us believe it actually happened as the scripture says. So faith is the basis; the mandatory pre-requisite for receiving grace. When it comes to issue of faith, we must be very careful, because this was where those who lived in the time of Moses missed it. Some of them failed to enter the land of promise because they did not believe and the word of God (his promise) was not mixed with faith in their hearts. And if we fail in this, neither shall we enter the promise of his rest. Faith does not walk by the parameters or physical indicators, it walks with God. Faith is taking God by his word, believing that God is who he says he is and he can/will do what he says he can/will do and acting in that direction. The Israelites we are seeing here were shaken by the physical, they considered the strength of the dwellers in the land of promise, the fortified cities, the giants and they treated the word of God with contempt, and they took the promise of God for granted. Never the less Caleb had a different spirit. He believed the word of God so that for him, the intimating physical parameters were opportunities for us to know beyond reasonable doubt, that it is God and nothing else that is at work. This is the perspective of men who see God in their circumstances and situations. Caleb followed God wholeheartedly and God took him to the Promised Land. Now, faith does not say there are no intimidating facts, faith might even communicates those facts to God but only

takes and act on the truth which is, what God is saying about the situation. For us also, the intimidating facts abound; the flesh, the Devil and the World try to make us doubt the authenticity and absoluteness of the promise of grace, you observe your heart still yearn for sin, you still see the flesh falling to temptation and you feel, it is like this thing is not real, or I have not gotten it yet. But no, this is where you start acting by faith. Speak the word of God to your heart and the flesh anytime sin stirs within you. Speak the word of God to the Devil; to the World, stand firmly resisting sin. Speak scriptures like: No-one who is born of God will continue to sin, because Gods seed remains in; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. I John 3:9 (NIV) and/or therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. II Cor.5:17 and/or For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace. Rom. 6:14 and/or For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World: and this is the victory that overcometh the World, even our faith. I John 5:4. Rom. 8:1, Titus2:11, 12 and so many other scriptures. Believe the word of God you speak and position yourself in the direction of Gods word as a conqueror and an overcomer. This is a part of the battle you can scarcely escape from, but victory is not only possible but sure, as you stand firmly on the word of God. Some of our brethren who have gone before us overcame by faith, for they did not count unfaithfulness with the God who has promised, because they were convinced that God can not fail and that he can not be wrong. They looked beyond the shores of this World to their real home. And so they refused to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, for a season. The joyous eternity in the presence of God is worth sacrificing our short-stay on Earth for, even if we have to fight all through our stay here (although, this cannot be said to be a bed of roses). The promises of God can be trusted.Heb.6:13-20. THE GALATIAN CHRISTIANS An example of a situation where the absoluteness of the work of grace was questioned was in the case of the Galatians church. Now, outside Christ; outside the salvation that comes by faith, they had nothing to do with the common wealth of Israel, they were alienated from God, but in the death of Jesus Christ, a way was opened for them to be grafted in. having heard the Gospel of grace, they believed and were growing until some Jewish brethren; the circumcision party came and made them feel/agree that grace was not sufficient to save them and the Galatians brethren were drifting fast in complying with that school of thought. The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul, in a letter to them, expressed his astonishment. He told them how he, in his zeal for the law, wanted to destroy the Church of Christ. Paul was a Pharisee, a sect that demanded the strictest of the law but now he discovered this could not save him. A light brighter than the sun shone on him from heaven, he fell from his height to the ground and Jesus spoke to him. He became blind and when he was prayed for, scales fell from his eyes, and all that were to his credit before now, he counted as loss and less than nothing for the sake of Christ. Phil.3:1-11. This is what the law and other ways beside Christ of gaining approval before God does to us. It gives us false heights and unrealistic hopes. But when the true light, which is Christ revealed in our hearts, we discover we have been blind all the while even as scales fall from our eyes. Paul then asked the Galatians Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human efforts? Gal.3:3. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision

nor un-circumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing it self through love. Gal.5:6. Grace is absolute, it is enough and sufficient to save. Combining any other thing with grace is saying the solution God has given is not enough; that the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ is not enough to save man and present him before God and in God. And yes the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Love is component of the fruit of the Spirit. Genuine love can only be manifested by a man who allows the Holy Spirit to bear fruit in him. It is a sign that we are walking in grace. It is not self centered; it is not lust or bribery; it does not follow rational thinking or reason; it is foolishness to the carnal man, or what can we do for Jesus Christ that he chose to die for us? What is the rationale behind a man praying for the very people killing him? It is only the love of God as manifested by the Holy Spirit. For the Christs love compels us .that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. II Cor.5:14, 15. It is only the living; those who have been made alive by Christ that can love. It shows that we have been born of God I John 3:11-24; 4:7-21. It is an act of faith. And so love flows from you to your creator and Redeemer; to your brethren, fellow Christians; to the unsaved; to your enemies and those who persecutes you.

Entering Grace Many who have come close to the saving knowledge of the Gospel or even some professed believers have given up the possibility of living the Christian life; the life of walking in grace as exemplified by Christ and those who have gone before them. They conclude that their World and circumstances are different from ours, as God was more favourably disposed to them or that his power or his promises were more trustworthy then, as is obvious in the signs, miracles, extra ordinary manifestations that accompanied their days. But this can not be true, because Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Heb.13:8. If there is a change, it is not with the promise but with those who try to draw near. One of our problems is that of choice. Men have the mentality that no good thing is free and so would prefer to pay for anything they consider good, either in cash or in kind. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden had the problem. There was a tree in the garden that was very costly; eating its fruit cost death; another of its cost is disobeying God and being banished from Eden and several other costs. But that was what they chose, they chose to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and we are still paying the cost. But there was another tree also in the middle of the Garden, close to this very costly tree, it was absolutely free, there were no instructions or advice prohibiting man from eating of it. Infact, it was given him for food and eating its fruits had the capacity to make man live forever. It was the tree of life. Now, life is a continuous process of spontaneous metamorphosis with little co-operation from its benefactor or victim. (The dictionary must be wrong then!). Let us consider the human life. Once there is a union between the male and female reproductive cell, a zygote is formed

and life begins. It is not the zygote that determines to have head, hands or any other part the human body or not to have but the life in it. So long as its mother is alive, the zygote grows without even knowing it to become a fetus and later born as a girl or a boy, all of which is beyond its choosing, as it is fed and cared for, the child grows and matures to become an adult, which process is outside its control or powers or efforts, all he has to do is cooperate with the Guardian. It is the life in him that manifests itself as it is given the opportunity to express itself. This is how life in grace is. Once that life of God is formed in you, which happens as a result of believing in Jesus Christ and surrendering all to him, it grows as you feed and care for it, cooperating with Guardian the Holy Spirit. Here, the spiritual life tells you when it is hungry and needs Gods word or when it needs to breath more prayers or when it wants/needs to associate with other like minded; it gives signs when it is starving, attacked, sick or dying and our cooperation with the Holy Spirit, restores normalcy. In Christ Jesus, we have a second chance of choosing the life Adam and Eve lost, although it is still free. This principle of life works any where, it cannot be thwarted by space or time, and it is obtainable as long as the offer lasts. Once you walk in it, you see it working in you life, ministry, business and every other thing that involves you in the will of God. This brings us to two cardinal points: Total Surrender Being led by the Holy Spirit We have need of spiritual knowledge and understanding. Spiritual in the sense, that, it is not gotten in/ by the flesh or head knowledge, but by the impartation of the Holy Spirit. This knowledge, when it comes, leads to heart felt prayers for the help of God in ones life. It should be sought with fervent prayers and diligent and prayerful study of the word of God. Once you know and understand the principles, your freedom becomes a choice, best of which is to totally surrender to and be led by the Spirit of God all through life. It is possible.

CHAPTER 3
TOTAL SURRENDER Grace does not nullify or abuse the free will God gave to man. If it does, the whole World would be Christians since it was the sin of the mankind Jesus Christ died for; there has not been any sin committed that has not been paid for, except of course, the sin against the Spirit of God. There is an open pardon for every man, yet pardon not accepted is not pardonable, so that the punishment is not just for the initial offence but even more for the refusal of pardon. How can God treat likely the act of not just sin, but refusing grace and counting the death of his son as unnecessary; allowing the priceless blood of Jesus Christ to waste? Grace is free and necessary, but not forced on any man. Jesus Christ did not force his earthly relations to believe him neither did he force the High Priest nor the Sanhedrin to accept or believe him nor has he started doing that of recent. He saves those who surrenders totally and willingly; those who mean their surrender. This surrender is very important, yet, it is beyond the once for all answering of an alter call or saying the sinners prayer which may not reflect on ones daily life. It is a daily, continuous handing over/submitting of the control of ones life to him. He knows and understands us; he sees our hearts and will only commit himself to those who are serious with their surrender and mean it. And until then, we are yet to be ready to experience grace in full measure; until we are ready to forsake sin, the World and ourselves in their entirety, no matter what it may cost us: the pleasure, enjoyment or gain and be ready to be found in the center of his perfect will. Our surrender must be total and gradual. Total, because God will not only accept the whole of our heart and nothing less. It is gradual because it is a daily affair. II Cor. 4:10, 11. Most often we dont understand or know all what our surrender entails or even our hearts. But as the Holy Spirit reveal them to us, we surrender. And as we continue in this act of daily total surrender, we grow in it. So that the struggle and time it takes to surrender, diminishes and the grace of God expresses the life of God in increasing measures in our lives. Those who count unfaithfulness with the promise of grace are those who fault in their surrender, for unfaithfulness can not be with the God who has entered his own rest. Heb.4:10. He who promised is faithful and he looks for lives in which to show the incomparable riches of his grace Ephe.2:6-10 and Matt.11:28-30. A proper understanding of total surrender includes, the following, but not limited to them: 1. IT IS A LIFE OF PRAYER A life of prayer is not limited to the few times a day affair, but it is a life of dependence on God 24/7, a life that is in tune with God per time, constantly dwelling in his presence; a life that always looks up to God. The life of Jesus Christ is an example, his prayer life is not limited to the early hours or his other private praying time, but his focus was continually fixed on the Father: he depended on him per time and he does only what he sees his Father (God) doing. He said my father is working and so am I. John5:15. This is the secret of his life and success. It is practically impossible for the blind not to see or for the paralytic not to walk or for the dumb not to speak when he ministers to them because he only does it as he sees his father doing. Neither will be possible in our case if we follow his example. The reason why we ought to fight

or do any other thing is not because enemies came or past victories or because we are strong or even because it is good or any other thing, but because we see him doing it. We do this with the eyes of our spirit; anything the life of God within you does not agree with, you should not do, no matter the necessity or pressure. Here is a quote from Evelyn Underhill to buttress this point. What then is a real man of prayer? He is one who deliberately wills and steadily desires that his intercourse with God and other souls shall be controlled and activated at every point by God himself. One who has so far developed and educated his spiritual sense, that his supernatural environment is more real and solid to him than his natural environment. A man of prayer is not necessarily a person who says a number of offices or abounds in detailed intercession; but he is a child of God, who is and knows himself to be in the deeps of his soul attached to God, and is wholly and entirely guided by the Creative Spirit in his prayer and his work. This is not merely a bit of pious language. It is a description, as real and concrete as I can make it, of the only really apostolic life. Every Christian starts with a chance of it; but only a few develop it. The laity distinguishes in a moment the Clergy who have it from the Clergy who have it not: There is nothing that you can do for God or for the souls of men, which exceeds in importance the achievement of that spiritual temper and attitude. 2. IT IS A LIFE OF SERVICE TO GOD It is robbery for anyone to use what belongs to another person for his purposes and in his own way without the owners permission. This is exactly, if not more than, what we are doing, if after we surrender our lives to Christ Jesus, we use it for whatever we like without even seeking his opinion. Here, it is not a matter of just seeking his opinion, but handing over our lives to him to use as he dims fit and for whatever purpose he wants. Who told you to do what you are doing now? Your Job/occupation, career, business, your ministry etc. it may sound fanatical, but when you surrender to Christ Jesus, even the continuation of your present Job should only be because he told you to continue. The ratio of how much you do by and for him, to how much you do for yourself or others is the measure of your surrender to him. Total surrender means all for him and nothing for myself. Even the work you say you are doing for him, who told you to do them? Sometimes what stands between us and our total surrender is our working for him. If you must be in the service of somebody, it must be the service he has asked you to do. Else you may do disservice to him or stand in his way in your attempt to serve him. Jobs friends wanted to prove to Job that he was a sinner thus, as they thought, doing God a service and a favour. But they only attracted wrath and God said I am angry with you because you have not spoken of me what is right Job 42:7. Your life must be laid at his feet so that he determines everything about you, whether you should be a Pastor, a missionary, a doctor, an engineer; what you should wear or eat, who you should marry, where you should settle; what you should do per time, else, it is not a total surrender yet. For Jesus Christ, the work of the father was a must, it was priority, it was all , it was his satisfaction, it was his food; it didnt matter what it cost him, it was his life John 4:31-34; 5:19; 9:4, 5; 17:4; Matt.26:42. We ought to live without expecting a thank you. Luke 17:7-10. When we are thus surrendered, our daily activities will bring glory to him and be avenues through which he reaches out to those around us.

3.

IT IS A LIFE OF UNCERTAINTY Most often we tell things about tomorrow or lay out plans for years without hearing from God; we speak with certainty as if we own ourselves or our tomorrow. A life that is surrendered to Jesus Christ should only say with assurance what he has heard he says about him, and even with this we ought to acknowledge that it is by grace. Besides surrendering Christ Jesus, no man knows tomorrow holds James 4:13-16; Prov.19:21; 20:24; Lam.3:37. Hence for surrendered lives, our lives must be filled with I dont know or if God permits or by his grace or depending on what my master says. So that, your trust and hope are in him, not in anyone or anything else. You must beware of making promises except your owner approves. Uncertainty here does not mean presumptions or assumption about your relationship with God; it does not mean uncertainty in hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit or in his leadership for your life. It is not uncertainty about eternal/final destination; it is rather a shifting of our confidence, assurance and certainty from ourselves to the able hand of the keeper of Israel, who tells the end from the beginning; the one who is a sure foundation; a strong tower and shelter of refuge and a God with whom there is no shadow due to change. James 1:17; Isa.28:16; 46:10; Prov.18:10

CHAPTER 4
LEARN TO BE LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT The importance of being led by the Holy Spirit in this life of grace cannot be overemphasize, because without the Holy Spirit, you can not walk in grace. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Rom.8:14. But if ye be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law. Gal.5:18. The Holy Spirit is the indicator, the mark, the seal of God upon a life. From the day of Pentecost, God gives him as a gift to those who belongs Jesus Christ, even to Christians who earnestly seek him. Matt.7:11 (KJV) Here are some things we need to know about the Holy Spirit and his leading. John 14:15-21; 16:5-16 The Holy Spirit is a person and he is holy. He is not an impersonal force. He does not contradict the word of God the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ. He does not glorify man, his way does not please the flesh, and neither can flesh understand him. His way and leading may not always follow human logic and calculations. His target is not maximal satisfaction of a man or an always me show for the person he is leading. The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus Christ. He speaks to/leads more frequently, listening/sensitive and obedient hearts who treat his word as important. He entertains questions for better understanding. The Holy Spirit is a gentle Spirit. He is never in haste, he is never late and his timing is always perfect. Some other being, maybe even Angels, may suffer hold ups/delay as it was in the days of Daniel (Dan.10) but not the Holy Spirit. His speaking is expressly to a sensitive heart, even though we sometimes do not pick the signals quick (may God improve our hearing capacity). I Tim.4:1. We must therefore, beware of pressure and haste; it is most predictably not the Spirit of God. Isa.5:18, 19; 28:16 b. This also means that we can not put the Spirit of God under pressure; we must follow his timing, we must learn to wait for him; we need to be patient; we need to calm down. He is not an unrealistic Joker or a talkative who talks for talking sake. He speaks when he has something to say with a purpose in mind. What he says always come true and come to pass if the necessary precautions are not taken. He doesnt need our help but want our cooperation. He doesnt need us worrying or anxious for him whether what he says will come to pass or not, he remains faithful for he cannot deny himself. He may choose to speak/lead through circumstances, but it is not always the case. It is not a mandatory way of leading. Infact, sometimes circumstances seem opposite to his leading/way for our lives. So we must not look up to circumstances but to God for leading. When the Holy Spirit speaks, he allows us to pray; to test; seek scriptural confirmation and/or other confirmation. However, in seeking other confirmation, we must be careful not to think we can be wiser than God. He knows our intentions, motives and understands us. It is often wise to ask the Lord to give us a sign by himself and perform it. Seeking confirmation is not a way of feeding our doubts and faithlessness or justifying our unbelief. It is not a question of can you do it? but Is that you? it is to ascertain the source of the voice/leading.

 With time, other voices/leadings fade away or become inconsistent/change but the voice/leading of the Holy Spirit becomes bolder as you pray and yield yourself to God. And so give them time. With these points clearly understood, we must know that there are no hard and fast rules or ways through which the Holy Spirit communicates with us. It is his sheep that hear him, lambs need to learn; train themselves to hear him. Hearing him is a result of an intimate relationship; a growing fellowship with him. Make your intentions to hear him and be led by him known to him; ask him to speak to you and create time to listen to him, especially, with the ears of your heart. Do not resist or refuse the Spirit of God when he speaks to you and you have confirmed that is/was him; yield to him; be quick to obey; cooperate with him because the Spirit of God will not continue to strife with man; to struggle or contend with him. God promises to lead us. Ps.32:8-10; 23:2; Isa.30:20, 21; John 16:13 Therefore allowing ourselves to be led by favourable weather conditions or controlled by bits and bridle is not Gods perfect will for us. It is the way of unbelievers, which may not always be beneficial or palatable at the end; to be used and dumped as a one use material. It is better to listen and follow than be pushed or forced by any other means. It is important to note that suffering, hardship, difficult conditions does not always mean God is not the one leading us or didnt lead us; his good plan for our lives does not exclude these things. But the end, either here on earth or eternity, will justify the situations he allowed our way or led us into. Know this, that even though the Holy Spirit can not be wrong or make mistakes, we can and we make mistakes, we might not have heard him rightly; we might have misunderstood or even be out rightly wrong. But these give us opportunities to learn more; we must not quite or give up on hearing the Holy Spirit or being led by him. Go back and ask questions on why or where you missed it or went wrong. Remember that God is watching you and rewards diligence, earnestness, persistence and faithfulness. The timing of the Holy Spirit is something we must be sensitive to. It is as important as the art of hearing itself, because a right or an accurate word executed at a wrong time may delay or muddle the whole process. Keep up, because the juice will be worth the squeeze; the work done will outweigh the effort. May God help us in Jesus name, Amen. The beginning point of walking in grace is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour; surrendering to him everything about you in totality. If this is your desire, then pray this prayer with all your heart. Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and cannot help myself, but I realize that you have paid the prize for my salvation. I accept your offer of salvation by grace and nothing else. Come into my heart, be my Lord and Saviour. Live your life through me. Help me to be solely dependent of you that I may enter your rest; May grace find expression freely through me. Thank you for dying for me, thank you for answering my prayers more than I have asked. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

CHAPTER 5
FALLING FROM GRACE looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled Heb.12:15. BE NOT WISE IN YOUR OWN EYES Isa.5:21; Prov.3:7; I Cor. 1:18-31. To be wise, is having or showing good judgment, it is a consideration of the choices you have at hand with the aim of choosing the most favourable; the one with the best consequences. Wisdom is a distinguishing trait amongst human being. A wise man suffers minimally, because he is careful in risk and plans for the worst. But when it comes to relating with God; when it comes to dealing with the All-wise Creator, we ought to be exceptionally foolish. Being wise in your own eyes towards God is a foolish suicide game. It only serves to destroy the player without hope. Now, what if the Bible is wrong? What if there is no God; no heaven; no hell? What if Jesus Christ did not die and the Christian faith is the false one after all? What if you die as a Christian and discover you have been deceived? (What a terrible thought). If this un-imaginable happens, the reactions of Christians will broadly be in two dimensions. There are Christians who can never recover from it. Eternity will only reveal their foolishness and stupidity, because they have put all their eggs in one basket; they have been totally wasted on God without reservation. But there are those Christians, who will almost not be able to bear it; they are as broken as the first group. But somehow they find themselves recovering; they find little courage to keep up; they begin to discover they have not been totally foolish after all; they were a little wise, even though it might have been only in their heart. This wisdom might be the distinguishing factor/trait between the Christians who endure to the finish line and those who do not. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. Provb.3:5-7. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight! Isa. 5:21. King Saul, the son of Kish, was wise in his own eyes. He was a man with an exceptional start: his father was a man of standing; Saul was impressive; he dwarfs everyone in Israel; he was humble and knew how to carry people along; he was zealous for God, the Spirit of God comes upon him and God moved through him in great work. But even with all these, he was a casualty. He had a way of covering up for God when he feels God was not up and doing, as if there were loop-holes in God. When the Philistines gathered to fight Israel and they had to make a sacrifice before going to fight and the Man of God was not coming as scheduled, obviously divinely orchestrated, Saul waited for sometimes and his wisdom manifested in covering up for the man of God by making the needed sacrifice. He told Samuel, who arrived short afterwards, when I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, I thought, now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lords favour. So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering. I Sam.13:11, 12. What wisdom! But listen to what Samuel told him. You acted foolishlyyour kingdom will not endure V. 13, 14 (NIV). Again

God sent him to totally destroy the Amalekites, which he went. But on getting there and seeing the spoil, the things to be destroyed, he once again tried to cover up for God as if God did not know the spoil will be that good before he sent for them to be destroyed or as if he was not wise enough. So Saul helped him again and brought the best of the Sheep and Cattle, the fat Calves and Lambs to sacrifice to the Lord, not for any personal gratification. And he protested, But I did obey the Lord. Then finally when God rejected him as king over his people, he still wanted to take the place of God and act as though all was well; He wanted to hide the broken state of his relationship with God and his rejection as king, he said, I have sinned. But please honour me before the elders of my people and before Israel I Sam.15:30 (NIV). Being wise in your own eyes is first a thing of the heart; a secret and may be unintentional. But even at the heart level, God still sees it and understands the ways of a man. People who are wise in their own eyes, especially towards God, often make plans and arrangement or alternatives, just in case God fails (as if he does!). They have a way of escape if the worse of worst happens in their walk with God. They will feel the impact if it happens, but some how they find themselves recovering from the shock faster than others. It is however, not coincidental as they had made the preparation and/or mind set. Judas Iscariot had his expectations of Jesus Christ. So that when Jesus was not meeting up to them, Judas felt he had to try his own alternatives by betraying Jesus Christ. This was not surprising because, apart from allowing Satan enter him, he had other ways of meeting his needs stealing from the Purse he was wise in his own eyes. His last wisdom showed up, when after he betrayed his Master, guilt struck him. Instead of turning to God in repentance, seeking forgiveness and mercy, he decided to put an end to it all by committing suicide. Being wise in your eyes is something that manifests or tries to manifests in our daily lives. What do you do when it seems God is not up-coming? Or when it seems his prescriptions are not working? Do you attempt to help God in your own intelligent ways? Hardship comes to test this. Disappointments; extreme situations; watered down faith; delayed or un-answered prayers; fruitlessness in ministry; Satan seeming to be in control; God seem no where close etc. The three Hebrew boys said the God we serve is able to saveand he will but even if he does notwe will not serve your gods or worship the image Dan.3:17-18 (NIV). They made it very clear that if God does not help them, they had no other alternatives other than to roast. They preferred to die; be humiliated if God does not show up, than live outside him. Through the years, this has been the mind set of Christian martyrs and it ought to be ours also, that even in little things, we will choose to remain un-helped if God chooses not to help us. Heb.11:15, 16, 35. Here is a description by Charles Spurgeon: "The dove found no rest for the sole of her foot." Genesis 8:9 Reader, can you find rest apart from the ark, Christ Jesus? Then be assured that your religion is vain. Are you satisfied with anything short of a conscious knowledge of your union and interest in Christ? Then woe unto you. If you profess to be a Christian, yet find full satisfaction in worldly pleasures and pursuits, your profession is false. If your soul can stretch herself at rest, and find the bed long enough, and the coverlet broad enough to cover her in the chambers of sin, then you are a hypocrite, and far enough from any right thoughts of Christ or perception of His preciousness. But if, on the other hand, you feel that if you could indulge in sin without punishment, yet it would be a punishment of itself; and that if you could have the whole world,

and abide in it for ever, it would be quite enough misery not to be parted from it; for your God-your God--is what your soul craves after; then be of good courage, thou art a child of God. With all thy sins and imperfections, take this to thy comfort: if thy soul has no rest in sin, thou are not as the sinner is! If thou art still crying after and craving after something better, Christ has not forgotten thee, for thou hast not quite forgotten Him. The believer cannot do without his Lord; words are inadequate to express his thoughts of Him Morning and Evening These wise people like to keep secret the dealings of God in their lives and happenings in their lives, so that they will be put to shame if things do not turn out as expected. Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11 wanted to be wise and yet known as exceptional givers, you know their end is not enviable. This is the time to examine your self; look inward, it is better to wept now in prayers before God than to miss out later: 1. Pray -That God should reveal your heart to you continuously -That God should remove every other wisdom from you and flood your heart with his wisdom. -Pray for God to give you grace and show you mercy. -Commit your needs and questions to God and leave them with him. -Reverence him, and hold him in high esteem. -Dont try to explain everything; acknowledge that you are limited; that you are but a human being. -Do not be wise in your own eyes.

2.

Fear God

This effort is not exclusive on its own, but an addition to the other works which are targeted at encouraging tenacity and staying true to the end. The work is still in progress, it has being released for edification of the reader and possible criticism. Send your comments and criticism to stevjethro@gmail.com or stev2rjethro@yahoo.com my Phone numbers are +2348066007310, +2348077044454