By Funmi Komolafe

Brethren, in our last edition we considered the Grace of God and its importance in our lives.

We realized that there isn’t much we can do without the Grace of God.

Some have defined Grace as unmerited favour.   

I doubt if there is anyone who would not like to benefit from unmerited favour.

Unmerited favour propels you to a position far above your contemporaries.

It places you in a position that others would envy you yet it is not of man but of God.   Though God may use a human being to actualize this.

In essence, when the Grace of God begins to manifest in your life, some people may envy you but are they prepared to battle challenges the way you have done?  In most cases, the answer is No.

Sometimes, we benefit from the Grace of God not because we have done anything special but God in his mercy just wants to favour us.   

Some clergy men have  defined Grace  thus”  Grace is an essential part of God’s character.   Grace is closely related to God’s benevolence, love, and mercy.

Grace can be defined as ” God’s favour toward the unworthy” or God’s benevolence on the undeserving”.

May you and I benefit from the Grace of the Lord this season in Jesus name.

Ephesians 2 vs. 8 ( KJV) tells us : ” For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God”.

This may sound strange but do you know that one person who benefitted from unmerited favour  was Hagar.

Why, how?   Remember she was the maid of Sarah.

The story is told in Genesis 16 vs. 2 -4 ( NLT) : ” So Sarai said to Abram, ” The LORD has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her”.  And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal.  So, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian  servant and gave Abram as wife. ( This happened  ten  years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan).

So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant.”.

Hagar benefitted from the grace of God but she misused it and paid a huge price for it.

Sarai  that misled her husband turned round to blame him and the man told her to do whatever she wanted.  Consequently, Hagar and Ishmael had to flee to an unknown destination,

Even in the wilderness, despite Hagar’s misuse of the Grace of God that made her a mother, God still showed her mercy when she and her son would have died of thirst.

You  need to position yourself  to receive the Grace of God and unlike Hagar are you  prepared to flaunt  His Grace to show the goodness of God in your life.

Why do I ask?  If suddenly,  a woman who has been barren for years, confirms she is pregnant and begins to use that as an excuse for not going to church regularly, she has started towing the path of Hagar.   That would not be your story in Jesus name.

What is not in doubt is that we need  the grace of God for all that we desire in life.

Brothers and Sisters, the story of Hagar is not the way to go.   The way she ended  is not what we would wish for ourselves.   Brother, do not allow family members to push you the way of Hagar.   The end of it could be unpleasant.

Since the Grace of God is a gift of God, it is only God that determines when you receive.

Dear Sister, perhaps people have come to identify you with barrenness,  do not pay attention to those names that you are being called.

Focus on the Lord. His mercy and grace are like twins. They flow together.

Grace is a gift of God, so is a child.

The Holy Bibles tells us about Grace in Ephesians 2 vs. 5  ( NLT) : ” That even though we were dead because of our sins, he give us life when he raised Christ from the  dead”. 

Beloved sister, that womb that is dead will receive the power of God and life will enter into  it in Jesus name.

This however may not be if we do nothing or our faith  is shaky.

It should not matter what your age is or how your body feels, just   continue to pray and pray earnestly.

One person who prayed earnestly was Elijah.

James 5 vs. 17 &18  (NKJV) : ” Elias was  a man  subject to like passion as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain:  and it rained not  on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit”.

For us the lesson is that when we pray earnestly, God will grant our request.

Brethren, the journey to motherhood is not an easy one especially for anyone who has  been on the waiting queue for long.

You need to look  beyond medical report and demonstrate absolute faith in God  by praying tirelessly.

Pray and Praise the Lord at all times even as you ask for his mercy.

Either the challenge is man made or the handwork of the forces of darkness, you will overcome when you receive the grace of God.

By the grace of God,  as you  begin to pray earnestly, your body will bring forth fruits in Jesus name.

Last week,   a television station in Lagos  reported the story of a woman that gave birth to a set quintuplet  i.e. five babies at once after nine years of waiting.

Do you now see that God can embarrass you  with blessings because He is the All Sufficient God.

 What she didn’t have for nine years, God gave her at once. It could have taken her 10 years to have five children. Isn’t our God wonderful?.

No wonder the Psalmist said in Psalm 126 vs. 1-3 ( KJV): ” When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion,  we were like them that dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing:  then said they among the heathen, The  LORD hath done great things for  us; whereof we are glad.”.

Brethren, perhaps some forces have been working against your promotion at work.

Pretend you are not aware of their activities, turn  to God.  Whatever is your complaint about any issue in life, turn to God and  the LORD will definitely respond to your request  at his own time.

It doesn’t matter what doctors say about your condition,  be confident that God can turn around any situation for your benefit.

Have  you spent so much on medical  treatment like the woman with the issue of blood yet  you have not conceived, my message to you is Fear Not.

Plunge yourself into the Lord’s pool of mercy with prayers and it will surprise you  what the Lord  would do for you.

Your babies may not come in  multiples  but they may come in quick succession that you would begin to tell God you have had enough.

Relax your mind but pray earnestly. Pray at all times. Use every opportunity you have to  ask for the Grace of God on that situation that you want to change.

The grace of God is Power.

This season, the power of God would manifest in your life and give you your heart’s desire in Jesus name.

Always bear in mind, the word of God in Ephesians 2 vs. 4 & 5( KJV) : ” But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us.

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, ( by grace ye are saved;)”.

You are saved from challenges in Jesus name.