“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Gal. 2:20.
Welcome to a new month, it definitely promises to be refreshing and filled with divinely inspired opportunities waiting for you to take advantage of. In Eph. 4:31, Paul lists things we must remove from our lives if we are to grow in the grace of Christ. He said “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.” We dare not skip over these issues on Pauls list. The apostle says we absolutely must face these things if we are to grow in grace, if we are to become high flyers. If you ignore these heart issues Paul listed here, you will grieve the Holy Spirit. Your growth will be stunted, and you’ll end up as a spiritual junkyard where all manner of thrash is discarded.
The first three items on Paul’s list bitterness, wrath and anger are self-explanatory. Bitterness is a refusal to let go of an old wound or forgive a past wrong. Wrath is a stronghold of resentment coupled with a hope to gain revenge. Anger is exasperation either a quick explosive outburst or a slow burn of indignation toward someone. Evil speaking are words that tear down. it is the opposite of edifying someone or speaking words of edification; evil speaking is malicious, hurtful. Clamour is a sudden outburst over nothing, an unnecessary hubbub, a loud noise made for no purpose. We cause a clamour when we make a big issue out of something insignificant, or cause a scene rather than trying to help or heal. The believer must as a matter of urgency deal with all such evil.
The final item on Paul’s list is malice. Malice is the desire to see someone else suffer. For many Christians malice means hoping God will punish someone who wounded them. It’s a devilish spirit, and its usually hidden deep within the heart. When Paul says Put away all these evils from you, He’s not talking about a quick fix. He’s describing a process, a matter of growth that takes time. At times, we may fail at ridding ourselves of these evils. But if we will quickly repent, and commit to making things right with the person, over time these issues will fade away. God never said you will never be offended as a believer, God ask you to learn the beauty of forgiveness. Welcome to your beautiful season in Jesus name, amen.
FURTHER READING:
“Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.” Col. 3:19.
“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.
DECLARATION:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for a new day and a new month. I declare today, that my sun will never set again, and my moon will wane no more; the Lord will be my everlasting light, and my days of sorrow will end. The least person in my family will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. God daily loads me with benefits. I prosper in health and wealth. I decree that my gift opens doors unto me and brings me before Kings and noblemen in this new month in Jesus name. Amen.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Dan. 1:1-21. Dan. 2:1-49. Dan. 3:1-30. Dan. 4:1-37.
QUOTE FOR THE DAY:
“God Never Said That The Journey Will Be Easy, But He Did Say That The Arrival Will Be Worthwhile.”
The Fortress Int’l Church, 2 Floor 10 Coker Road, Opposite Chicken Republic Ilupeju Lagos, Nigeria. http://www.thefortresschurch.com. email:info@thefortresschurch.com.
