Grace Aggrey-Fynn

“I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go. I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule which have no understanding, but must be controlled by bit and bridle, or they will not come to you.” Psalm 32 verse 8 to 9. The Lord God has spoken; he says he will show us the way we should go. However, we should not be as stubborn as a horse or mule that needs a bridle to control it, or it goes astray. People often say that ‘I heard the voice of God,’ or ‘God spoke to me.’ They heard a voice in their head and they believed that it was God speaking to them. Yet, how do you know that voice is of God? We often ‘hear’ the voice of God when we are waiting for a response from him, concerning something we prayed about. After hours or days of intensive prayers, we expect God to speak to us. Sometimes, he does. Yet other times, he may not be the one speaking to us. In Matthew chapter 4 verse 1 to 11, we learn of the temptation of our Lord Jesus Christ. It reads’ ‘Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.’ What do we see here? After Jesus had fasted and prayed for forty solid days and nights, he heard a voice. However, it was not the voice of God, but that of the devil. Satan had come to test him, to see if he was truly the son of the Almighty. If he was that trustworthy son that God was so proud of. Was he going to obey the teachings of his father, or was he was going to listen to the devil’s deception. From Matthew chapter 4 verse 3 to 11, we see how it all went down. How satan came at him many times with his arguments. If you are the son of God, if you are indeed powerful, do this, do that. Prove to me and prove to yourself that you are indeed the son of God. In all of this, the Lord Jesus was able to fence off the devil’s deception with the word of God. In Ephesians chapter 6 verse 10 to 17, we learn of the armour of God, and the last part of the armour is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. It’s this word of God that Jesus used in fencing off satan’s attacks. So from the story of Jesus’ temptation, we clearly see that at the end of a lengthy intensive prayer or fasting, it is not necessarily the voice of God we will be hearing. Satan knows that you are expecting an answer ASAP, thus, he will be more than willing to give you one. Now, how can you tell that, the voice you are hearing is of God? The first thing you do, in order to hear the voice of God, is to be self-controlled and clear-minded. It says in 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 7; ‘The end of all things is near’ therefore, be self-controlled and clear-minded so that you can pray.’ What does that mean? Be self-controlled and clear-minded, so that you can pray. To pray is to communicate with the Spirit of God, or the Holy Spirit. Prayer is a conversation with God; you talk, he listens, and then he talks. To be self-controlled means you need to leave everything to God. You need to trust him fully, let him handle the situation. Do not be agitated and make your own decisions in your mind. Proverbs chapter 3 verse 5 to 6 says; ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him so that it will be well with you.’ It says you should LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. When we lean on our own understanding, it means we have thought of the problem we are facing, and we have decided on a way out. Yet, that is not how God wants us to behave. We need to trust in him, let him be the one to lead the way out of that problem. We should not take our own steps like the horse or mule which goes astray unless you put in its mouth a bit and bridle. The second thing you ought to do in order to ‘hear’ the voice of God, is to be clear-minded. To be clear-minded, means that you should not have any set-up plans or solutions in your mind. It’s almost like being self-controlled. When you are self-controlled, you do not allow anything to stray you from waiting on the Lord. You are calm, waiting for God to make a move. You don’t do rash things. You just pray and wait for God to do his work. When you are clear-minded, it means your mind is clear. You are not thinking of anything except God. You do not have any plan set up in your mind. You are ‘free’ in your mind, free from making rash decision. Because you know that God is the best solution to your problem. These two traits outlined in 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 7 will save you a lot of trouble if you adhere to them. Do not assume that you can make a better decision than God. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways, your ways.” That is Isaiah 55 verse 8. God lets us know that his thoughts and ways are supreme. We cannot match the thoughts and ways of God. ‘There’s no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.’ That is Proverbs chapter 21 verse 30. When we pray, we should not have a pre-determined plan or decision in our minds. When we ask God about something, we should be self-controlled, and clear-minded. We should not make our own decisions in our minds, and then pray to God for him to confirm that our decisions are right. When we do that, it is not God who will be answering our prayers, but satan. Because he knows that we have already made a decision in our minds, he will give us the response that we are expecting. So no matter how many times you pray about the thing you have already decided on in your mind, you will forever get that response that you want to hear. And that will not be the voice of God, but of satan.

Titus chapter 2 verse 11-15: 'For the grace of God that brings salvation, has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, EAGER TO DO WHAT IS GOOD. These then are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.' In general, what is the meaning of grace? Grace means favour, or favoritism. When someone does something for you out of his love or preference for you. So, what does it mean to have the grace of God? That means God has chosen you above everyone else, to offer you salvation. To offer you a way out of your sins. That is the meaning of God's grace or favour upon your life. In John chapter 14 verse 6, Jesus says, "No one can come to the Father except through me." That means that if Jesus does not favour you above others, to call you towards himself, and his Father, you can never obtain salvation. You can never come out of your sins. Salvation means being saved from sin and its consequences. An excellent example of God's grace or favour can be found in the book of Acts chapter 9, where it talks about the story of Saul on the road to Damascus. When you start reading from verse 3, that is Acts chapter 9 verse 3, it says, 'As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And he fell on the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul who do you persecute me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." Jesus replied. From this short conversation, we learn that Saul was not aware of his sins. He did not know that what he had been doing, that is, attacking the Christians or followers of Christ, or believers of Christ, was a sin. Saul was brought up in Judaism. and to him, that was the only way to God. However, when Jesus encountered him, he let him know, or made him aware that what he had been doing was a sin! So, Jesus favoured Saul for salvation. He granted him his grace, in order that he would be free of sin. When the grace of Jesus, or the grace of God comes upon you, it makes you aware of your sin. And once you gain that awareness, once you realize how dirty you appear, once you realize the burden that you have been carrying around all your life, your next step would naturally be to accept Jesus as the one who can remove that burden of sin from you. You would want to be clean! You would want to be free! You would want to be born again! Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 says that, 'We are saved by grace - not good works.' That means, it is God who calls us out of our sins, not our own good deeds. We cannot obtain freedom from sin if we simply do good things. Good things such as donating food items or money, being respectful of people, especially those older than us. Even being a good wife or husband, cannot help you obtain salvation. In Romans chapter 3 verse 22, the Lord lets us know the kind of righteousness that can lead to salvation. It says, This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe. Therefore, the only way to be saved, is to be righteous in the way of God, by believing in Jesus Christ. Now, how do you believe in Jesus Christ? You cannot believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, unless he first calls you. It says that no one can come to the Father, except through Jesus. And you cannot come to Jesus, except he calls you. Remember that Saul could never have become a Christian if Jesus had not met him on the road to Damascus and called him out of his sins. Now, when Jesus calls you, he makes you aware that you are a sinner. Once you become aware of your sins, that is when you will want him to heal you of those sins. Jesus is a doctor! He is a great physician who can cure every kind of disease, that is sin. You cannot be made aware of your sins, your disease, and ask for Jesus to heal you, and then return to that disease again. lThe grace of God does not mean continue to sin, and God will have mercy on you. The grace of God means, God has chosen you for salvation, and once he has made you aware of your sins, you need to follow his path, alone. Romans chapter 6 verse 1 says, 'What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?' By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?' In Galatians chapter 2 verse 20, Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Romans chapter 10 verse 9 says, 'if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.' Most people believe that this is all it takes to obtain salvation, and a ticket to heaven. In James chapter 2 verse 19 the bible says, 'You believe that there's one God, good. Even the demons believe and shudder!' When you confess that Jesus is Lord, you admit that you are a sinner and that he is the one who can set you free from sin. Your journey to being redeemed starts with you confessing that you are indeed a sinner. If you have confessed your sins and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that God raised him from the dead, then the next step will be to follow Jesus by obeying his teachings in the bible. In Galatians chapter 5 verse 22, we learn about the fruits of the Spirit of God. That means the things that show that the Spirit of God is within us, after we have confessed and believed in Jesus. Self-control, Patience, Kindness, Faithfulness and Gentleness are some of them. The opposite of the spirit of God, is the spirit of the devil which produces things like Sexual Immorality, Fits of Rage, Drunkenness Discord, Witchcraft, and Orgies. The bible lets us know in Galatians chapter 6 verse 7, Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, whatever a man sows so shall he reap. Verse 8 says that, The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction. On the other hand, the one who sows to please the Spirit of God, will reap eternal life. In Romans chapter 12 verse 1 to 2, it says, "Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." In verse 2 it says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing, and perfect will." What does this mean? It means that you need to make a consciousness decision to change the way you think, in order to be able to truly accept the Lord Jesus Christ. You need to change how you think about sin. Don't say, it's okay if I dress this way because I have accepted Jesus in my heart. And the bible says that it is by grace that we are saved. So Jesus does not require me to change my way of life. In reading Romans chapter 12 verse 1 again, it says, Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy." If God has favoured you for salvation, then you need to abstain from sin. 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17 says, 'If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, and the new has come.' Therefore, you cannot claim to be saved and on your way to heaven, just be confessing with your tongue and believing that Jesus is Lord. You need to change your ways! Romans chapter 8 verse 14 says that, All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. If you are being led by the Spirit of God or the Lord Jesus, then you will naturally abstain from the desires of the flesh. Some of which are fornication, lies, swindling, evil thoughts, greed, envy and jealously. In conclusion, the grace of God calls you out of sin. It makes you aware of your sins and when you become aware of the filth or darkness that you are living in, you would naturally want to come into the light. You cannot come into the light of God, and then want to remain in sin. If God's grace makes you free to sin, then why does it says in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 9 to 11, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor the idol worshippers, adulterers, male prostitutes, or homosexual offenders will inherit the kingdom of God."