MEMORISE:
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 2 Peter 1:2
READ: Genesis 6:5-8
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
MESSAGE
When you understand the intensity of attacks the Church is under in these end times, you will appreciate the prayer for the multiplication of grace and peace in today’s memory verse. The story of Noah illustrates the essence of grace in a man’s life. Grace located Noah at a time when God saw man’s wickedness and decided to wipe them off the face of the earth. Through grace, Noah lived above the corruption of his generation and was spared the outpouring of God’s wrath. Also, through the grace of God, he received this excellent report in Genesis 6:9:
“These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
Beloved, considering the prophesies on the perilous nature of the last days, it takes abundant grace to live righteously in this present world. Evil ideas that seek to normalize abhorrent things like greed, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, racism, ethnic cleansing and so on are characteristics of these end times. Such evil ideas have made living a godly life difficult in our times. An end-time prophecy declared by the Holy Spirit in 1 Timothy 4:1-2 says:
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;”
One of my children told a story of a personal encounter that shows this prophecy being fulfilled. He went to a part of the world to minister God’s word, and there he met two other guest ministers who were busy chatting while the praise and worship session was going on in the sanctuary. When it was time to preach, these guest ministers were called from the office of the host-pastor, and one of them said to the other, “let us go and tell them what they love to hear!” They were obviously speaking lie in hypocrisy to the people, and although they had a form of godliness, they were living a life that denied the power to live holy (2 timothy 3:5). We are admonished to turn away from such ministers. It takes abundant grace to escape the charm of their motivational prowess. While Noah found grace to survive the flood, we need abundant grace to escape the lake of fire. This grace is found in Jesus Christ. I therefore encourage you to seek grace to escape the coming outpouring of God’s wrath on earth. The purpose of this grace is not to live a lawless life; rather, it grants us the ability to live righteously, even in this perverse generation. Reach out to God and ask for that grace today, and you will discover that you will begin to do with ease those good things you were not able to do before.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please bless me with abundant grace to live for You in holiness.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 1-8
Amos 8
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 17: HOLD THE FORTH
1. Ho, my comrades, see the signal, waving in the sky!
Reinforcements now appearing, victory is nigh.
o Refrain:
“Hold the fort, for I am coming,” Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to Heaven, “By Thy grace we will.”
2. See the mighty host advancing, Satan leading on;
Mighty ones around us falling, courage almost gone!
3. See the glorious banner waving! Hear the trumpet blow!
In our Leader’s Name we triumph over every foe.
4. Fierce and long the battle rages, but our help is near;
Onward comes our great Commander, cheer, my comrades, cheer!
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