Powered By Grace

By Jadene B.    

Grace – we throw that term around a lot. It’s not uncommon to hear regularly how people impute certain occurrences in their lives to the grace of God and it is the most sensible explanation; but how many of us really understand what the grace of God is – and why it is has been extended to sinful mankind.

Grace means “unmerited favor, blessing, or kindness.” We can all extend grace to others; but when the word grace is used in connection with God, it takes on a more powerful meaning. Grace is God choosing to bless us rather than curse us as our sin deserves. It is His benevolence to the undeserving, which we all are.

The only way any of us can enter into a relationship with God is because of His grace toward us. Grace began in the Garden of Eden when God killed an animal to cover the sin of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21). He could have killed the first humans right there for their disobedience to Him. But rather than destroy them, He chose to make a way for them to be right with Him.

Grace is the love of God shown to the unlovely; the peace of God given to the restless; the unmerited favor of God.Grace is God reaching downward to people who are inconstant rebellion against Him. Grace is unconditional love towards a person who does not deserve it.

Grace is most needed and best understood in the midst of sin, suffering, and brokenness. We live in a world of earning, deserving, and merit – where everyone is trying to earn and gain recognition from others, most of the time we seek recognition from people who don’t even matter.Some of us may even be trying to earn favour from Godand work our way into right standing with Him, but that dear friends is unattainable when it comes to our Creator. You cannot earn His favour nor be His favourite for God shows no favouritism (Romans 2:11). Nothing you ever do will be good enough for God, regardless of how good of a person you think you are; the Scripture makes it clear that “our righteous works are as filthy rags” in the eyes of God (Isaiah 64:6).

This is why everyone desperately needs His grace – it’s not about us. It is fundamentally about God: His un-coerced initiative and pervasive, extravagant demonstrations of care and favor. In grace, God gives nothing less than Himself. Grace then, is not a third thing or substance mediating between God and sinners, but is Jesus Christ in redeeming action.

Grace is important because God offered us grace by sending Jesus. Sin separates us from God. We can never bridge the gulf between us and God that was created by our sin. Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.” When we sin, we deserve an eternal death — being separated from God forever. If God gave us what we deserve, we would never be able to bridge the gap between God and us. However, grace means that God sent Jesus to die in our place and rise again so that the gulf between us and God could be closed forever.

In essence, if Jesus wasn’t executed there would be no celebration. This is why we owe our very existence to Him.Grace is a constant theme in the Bible, and it culminates in the New Testament with the coming of Jesus (John 1:17).

God shows both mercy and grace, but they are not the same. Mercy withholds a punishment we deserve; grace gives a blessing we don't deserve. We don’t deserve His grace but we need His grace. We need it first of all for salvation. Without the grace of God, we cannot have eternal life. However, we also need the grace of God for our daily walk with God. We are weak and prone to stray. Jesus told us that we can do nothing without Him (John 15:5). But God provides daily strength through His grace working in us. We should seek this grace for living for Him. Then, we should believe that He will provide what He has promised and walk with assurance that His grace is working in us.

The Virtue of Gratitude

By Jadene B.  

Hearing footsteps in the corridor he knew might be those of the guards taking him away to his execution. His only bed was the hard, cold stone floor of the muggy, cramped prison cell. Not an hour passed when he was free from the constant irritation of the chains and the pain of the iron manacles cutting into his wrists and legs.

Separated from friends & fellowship, unjustly accused, brutally treated—if ever a person had a right to complain, it was this man, languishing and almost forgotten in a harsh Roman prison cell. But instead of complaints, his lips rang with words of praise and thanksgiving!
The man was the Apostle Paul—a man who had learned the meaning of true thanksgiving, even in the midst of great adversity. While he had been imprisoned in Rome, Paul wrote, “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything" (Ephesians 5:19).
Think of it: Always giving thanks for everything—no matter the circumstances! Thanksgiving for the Apostle Paul was not a once-a-year celebration, but a daily reality that changed his life and made him a joyful person in every situation. Gratitude for Apostle Paul was not just a gesture, it was a lifestyle and in turn he went on to write 14 of the 27 books included in the New Testament, all inspired by the Spirit of God. Apostle Paul wrote that we should not let our minds dwell on negative thoughts. Instead, we should dwell on those things that are pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). 
Nothing turns us into bitter, selfish, dissatisfied people more quickly than an ungrateful heart. And nothing will do more to restore contentment and the joy of our salvation than a true spirit of thankfulness. 
Today, ingratitude and thanklessness are far too common. Children forget to thank their parents for all that they do. Common courtesy is scorned. We take for granted the ways that others help us. Above all, we fail to thank God for His blessings.
One of the Bible’s indictments against rebellious humanity is that “although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him” (Romans 1:21). An ungrateful heart is a heart that is cold toward God and indifferent to His mercy and love. It is a heart that has forgotten how dependent we are on God for everything. 
Why should we be thankful? Because God has blessed us, and we should be thankful for each blessing.
Thanking God glorifies and magnifies Him and also benefits us. The Lord doesn’t need our thanks, but we need to give it so we can become what He wants us to be: unselfish, encouraged, and confident. 
To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives’ events – the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections - that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only truly grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for.

Let’s not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God; for the trials we face regardless of how bad they are prove our undying faith for Him – “In this [we] greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7)

Tested faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weakness if you had not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God’s strength if you had not been supported in the flood. Faith increases in quality, assurance, and intensity the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious too therefore give thanks.Thank God for grace in all circumstances. We should be thankful everyday, not just when we attend a church service or observe a special day of thanks. This is because there is always something to be grateful forremembering that someone out there is praying for the kind of life you have.

THE GODLY MAN

By Jadene B.            

Let me first start by stating fervently that there are still good men out there, more specifically Godly men, who will pray with and for their woman, rather than prey on them. 

This notion might sound cliché but what isn’t these days? Talk about a good man and women roll their eyes and shrug their shoulders, as though you’ve offended them in the worst way. 

Ladies, not all men are dogs.... in fact there is the unique man who is overlooked and undervalued – the Godly man. It bothers me when I hear women bashing Godly men saying that they are no different than those they usually come across. Let’s just eliminate that accusation by saying that just because a manloosely calls himself a Christian, does not mean he is one. You will know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:16), and their sole purpose is to honour God – and this shows in his actions & character. He is satisfied with his identity in Christ and finds no satisfaction in worldly endeavours.

A worldly guy would have no problem trying to sleep with you before marriage, he desires to please himself more than anyone else. He wants the relationship between just you two. He wants little if any accountability and little or no interaction with family members. The man after God's heart works at keeping you both pure because he honors you and God – why? Simply because he’s a man of the Word and rejects the rules of society to follow the principles of God. He desires to please God above everyone else.

He places his relationship with God above you so that he is able to love you with the same love imparted unto him by Love Himself. He leads with authority, displays the love of Christ towards you and each day commits himself little by little to dying to selfishness. His ways are not of this world as he adheres to the standards of his Father’s Kingdom.

We live in a society that is burdened by compromise but the man of God is not moved by what other men are doing.

While the unsaved man cringes at the idea of marriage and the classic ‘ball and chain’ theory, Godly men know the purpose of marriage. Marriage is the depiction of Christ and His church. 

Now onto the question of their existence... you might ask where they can be found. Well, that’s not your problem... the bible tells us that “HE who FINDS a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from the Lord (Proverbs 18:22)”. Pursual is not your job. You are the one who is to be found. The woman was God’s gift to man, NOT the other way around.

Worldly men are attracted to carnal things. They are attracted to your physical appearance, body, your morals (or lack thereof), personality, your body, education, your body, and oh yeah your body! Their focus is more temporal than eternal. Now I'm not going to say that Godly men don't care about looks and body because they do. Men are very visual, but he cares more about your spiritual than the physical. 

A Godly man knows that Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain(Proverbs 31:30)  and is attracted to a woman's love for Christ,biblical way of dealing with development and growth, chastity and purity, your humility and submission, your devotion to God, your modesty, meekness, biblical womanhood and femininity, and self control. Her spirituality is preeminent because He knows that you won't look the same way in 30 years. He also knows that this will be the mother of his kids, and it's important that she has certain attributes to raise Godly children.

The Godly man has given up his own desires and submitted himself to the will of God. He is more concerned with bringing glory to God through your relationship. It's not about perfection, it's about direction. Godly men are not perfect, but their heart is set on pleasing God. They are all a work in progress and have to grow & mature as we all do. We have to stop acting as if there is no difference between Godly men vs worldly men because there is.

But first we have to examine ourselves, does a Godly man even have a reason to approach us? God will lead a man to you but the only way that will happen is when you yourself are aligned to His will, rooted in His word. God will not place this valued man into the hands of a foolish woman. If you are to be his gift, make sure you are neatly packaged.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like Christ

By Jadene B.            

After watching the movie ‘Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man’ a few years ago, I examined the principles these females thought were necessary to apply to their relationships in hopes of keeping the men who pursued them. Not only did I marvel at the naivety of the amount of women who were keen on attempting the “90 day rule” or whatever other advice that was being offered, but I found it odd that most of the ladies actually believed that following a list of rules would get a man to be committed to them.The Word of God instructs that we shall "Let this mind be in (us) which is also in Christ" (Philippians 2:5).

I stopped to remind myself of the reality of this generation and the volumes of women who find themselves taking desperate measures to secure the man of their dreams.

A lot of young women have no idea what “acting like a lady” means. Society tells them that being a “Barbie” is the new beauty and being a bad b**** is the new woman’s international anthem.

However, society neglects to tell these “Barbies” that boys soon grow into men and they stop playing with toys. Clearly we can see throughout this generation that how we define what being a woman is will always be shaped by some kind of outside influence. 

Unfortunately, I can’t blame most of the young girls who idolize Nicki Minaj and Beyonce and see them as the standard of what a woman is. Frankly, we just do not have enough Christian women role models who are equipped totrain up this generation of young women like Titus 2:3-5 tells us to.

Thinking like Christ sounds boring compared to thinking like a man. I really can’t blame young women for this perception either because how can you think like anyone that you do not know. It is far easier to assume you know what guys want and how they think, rather than committing yourself to a life style of learning about Christ.

Let’s begin with an examination question. Where do you stand with your relationship with Christ? More than likely there are only two ways to answer this question. Either: 

1) You have a relationship with God; or

2) You do not have a relationship with God

Some of you reading this article may ask… “Well what about those in between?” I love God….BUT I just can’t give up my secret sin!  I’ll answer and say to you that it is impossible to be sitting on the fence. Scriptures tell us in Matthew 6:24 that “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

What Steve Harvey forgot to mention in his delightfulmovie is that most men can read your fears, insecurities, and life aspirations before you even open your mouth. 

How you carry yourself as woman. How you dress andhow you do your hair says a lot, including what you idolize. Are you consumed with getting attention from men? Are you hiding behind your career? Do you think you are unattractive? Do you think that you are very attractive and every man wants you? Or do you cherish God? Do you care about your brothers in Christ? Do you have a heart to serve others?

Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of the world but let God transform you and renew your mind so that you will know His will for you which is perfect, good and sufficientfor you!

In every situation, good or bad, always act like a lady first!By asking God to renew your mind so that you can BE like Him, THINK like Him and walk in His likeness and allowing Him to teach you His standards.
You are what you idolize so draw close to Christ daily sothat you can be all that HE is instead of constantly trying to adjusting to a superfluous image society entices you to become.

Trial by Fire

By Jadene B.          By Getty Images

Most of us have been through the trials of life. From heartbreaks to disappointments, neglect, financial hardships, worry, fear, abuse and even death. Sometimes the age old question is asked... “God, why me?”.

Why would a loving God allow us to go through these things? After all, doesn’t loving us mean he wants our lives to be easyand comfortable? 

The answer to that is simply no. Easy and comfortable does not enable growth in your life. God allows trials to befall us because quite honestly, we need them and most often than not, they hurt, but the tribulations He allows in our lives eventually find their purpose and may work in your favour. For a believer, all trials and tribulations have a divine purpose. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3-4).

With that said,  I think the more fitting question is “Why not you?”

Would you be who you are today if you had not endured the trials? Would you be as wise, as strong, as driven?

Trials and tribulations also come with a reward. They strengthen and refine us, develop godly character and, as in all things, God’s ultimate purpose for us is for us to grow more and more into the image of His Son. Trials are designed for us to reach that goal. At some point in our lives we reach the point where we realize wholeheartedly that we are unable to fully heal from our painful past experiences unless we place the pieces of our broken hearts into the hands of the One who created It. 

For some of us that may be the place where we’ve stopped trying to control the reigns of our lives ourselves and hand them over to Him.

This will never be in vain. In Malachi 3:3, Scripture tells us that “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver”.

The process of purifying silver involves the silversmith sitting in front of the furnace with his eyes steadily fixed on the fire, because if the time necessary for refining is exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be ruined. A refiner’s fire refines. It purifies. It melts the bar of silver, separates out the impurities that ruin its value and leaves the silver intact. God’s fire is a refiner’s fire.

God sees it needful to put His children into a furnace and His eyes are steadily fixed on the work of purifying, His wisdom and love both present.

The only way the Silversmith will know when process of purifying and refining is complete is when He sees His own image reflected in the silver.

The Proverbs 31 Woman

By Jadene B.             By Getty Images

And God said: It was not good for man to be alone so He created YOU!

Women today no longer walk in the confidence of Ultimate Artistic Design but search for confidence in the clothes she wears, the job she has or in the guy she’s dating. Standards formed by society compelling her to use media and magazines as her bible. 

But you are not her. And she is not you.

We know our differences are not a reason to be jealous, but we’re all God’s fingerprint. We are content with not looking like anybody else.

We are women of a difference status, Proverbs 31 to be exact.

Being a Proverbs 31 woman is not about being perfect, it’s about living with purpose, diligence, integrity and forgiveness. Proverbs 31 gives hope and a challenge to any modern daywoman. 

Whether it’s shoes, home décor or men, the Proverbs 31 woman chooses to surround herself with quality. She chooses a man respected and favored in his community. He is the type of man that will cherish her, value her and love her the way Godintended for her to be loved. The proverb begins by stating that an excellent wife is hard to find, but when she is found she is far more precious than jewels – all the money in the world can’t buy loyalty. She spends her days doing good unto others, starting with her husband. She is a woman of character who can be trusted (unrelated to the imagery that exists in society today characterizing females as dishonest and disloyal).

Far from the modern day caricature that modern feminism paints, she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty, she’s a friend of the economy & keeps a tight schedule. She invests wisely and is far from spend-thrift. She’s a strong woman who “opens her mouth with wisdom (v26)” and kindness; everything she does is governed by kindness, constantly putting others first. Her husband and children praise her.

Many women spend their days trying to preserve their beauty which only fades, however, Proverbs 31 concludes by pointing to this woman’s source of beauty – she feared God. She honoured Him and rejoiced in Him – He is her source of strength.

The Proverbs 31 woman strives for excellence in her Creator and does not accept mediocrity in her relationship with God.

Women, it’s time we set a new standard of beauty. GODfidence.

The gift of Singleness

By Jadene B.  

Some ladies do not understand the benefits of being single. I'm not referring to the redundant lifestyle of partying, “turning up” and becoming every man's spectacle, I'm talking about self preservation. In reality, while you are not married, you really ought to be involved with God. When you get married, you direct all that training you had when you were unmarried towards your spouse.

Single women sometimes forget the advantages they have – you can worship the Lord whenever and however you please because “the unmarried woman cares for the things of the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:34)”.

How often we hear unmarried women complain about their want for a husband, but rarely does a single woman boast about the kind of relationship she has with the Lord.

Before you ask God for another man, take care of Him first. When you become faithful in your singleness, you will be better prepared to be faithful with a husband. Rather than desperately looking for a man, desperately seek the face of God and enrich you relationship with Your Father; He yearns for you to get to know Him. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be married, simply take care of the Lord while you are waiting.

While some married women are dependent on their husbands, single women should be dependent on God. He has no limitations.

Again, there is nothing wrong with wanting physical companionship, God ordained that need, but while you are waiting, be careful how you treat Him. It is God who made you into a beautiful woman and He has been taking care of you even when you didn't notice His provision.

When God picks a wife for His royal sons, He will pick her from those who are faithful and holy unto Him. Begin to sanctify yourself. Bring your body before God. Bring your nature before God. Focus on God.

- Jadene B