SELF--EFFORTS AND GOD'S GRACE IS NEEDED TO GET DESIROUS RESULTS!
Rev. Christian Mawuko
Preacher, Revivalist, Theologian, Writer, Adult Literacy Expert, Church Planter
SELF--EFFORTS AND GOD'S GRACE IS NEEDED TO GET DESIROUS RESULTS!
Romans 9:16"So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy".
Ecclesiastes 5:3"For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words".
"We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort"--Jesse Owens
Acts 19:11-20 tells us how the seven sons of Sceva tried to cast a demon out of a man with their own strength and ability and verse 16 says,"Then the man in whom the evil spirits was leaped on them,overpowered them,and prevailed against them,so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded ".
This guy's were religious and were thinking casting demons out of people is by only self-effort.They lacked the grace of God and had no relationship with God, they were not believers in Jesus Christ, and they did not possess the power or the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Last night, I had one of those exciting dreams that we have occasionally where you're so excited about something only to realize that you were dreaming. In the dream l was having a Whatsapp conversation with a friend in the US and he wrote, " Chris, how much do you need in dollar terms to take care of your family and ministry needs". I was trying to do some calculations and type an amount when I woke up from my dream. I was sad it was a dream.
How l wished it was a reality. The message God was trying to convey in that dream was that my constant worries about our needs and my self-efforts alone can never solve all my problems and that I needed to always depend upon Him for our needs to be met each day. God was telling me to live one day at a time and not to be worried so much about tomorrow. He is a God who lives in the present, past and in the future. He lives in our future before we arrive there. He always knows how to take care of our future before we arrive there!
Work hard but remember it's not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?
You can put in a lot of self-effort and work so hard throughout this year but all that minus the grace and the blessings of God will only produce frustration and disappointment.
We are all facing difficult times. But it is only the grace of God that gives strength to endure and overcome.
My favorite preacher and long distance mentor Max Lucado observed that, " God answers the mess of life with one word:" grace".
In order to survive in this uncertain world you don't only need self-effort. We need the grace of God and faith in Jesus Christ!
And faith is simply your response to the message of God's love and grace!
The Apostle Paul in Philipians 3:3 says,"rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh ".
The greatest temptation we Christians currently face on this earth is not sin but to walk in self-effort!
Let us pray with Psalm 90:17" Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands ;Yes, confirm the work of our hands". Amen!
Have a blessed new month and may the Lord bless you with strategic strength and grace throughout 2022! Amen!
Pastor Christian Mawuko, Golden Gospel Church. Accra, Ghana.
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