The Grace Of Conviction

Apostle Grace Lubega

Acts 2:37-38 (KJV); Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

When Peter preached to the Jews, the Bible says they were pricked in their heart and asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

What a question!

Imagine preaching a sermon that causes people to ask what they ought to do.

This is the grace of conviction that God has given to every believer. The message on your lips has been greatly anointed by God, it cuts asunder, pricks the heart and draws people to repentance.

Paul said, his gospel came not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction (1Thessalonians 1:5 NIV).

The authority you have in the fields as a labourer of Christ creates a readiness in the hearts of men to yield to what you teach.

Go forth to win souls in the understanding that your word convicts. Preach with the boldness of one whose message cuts the hearts of men and provokes in them the desire for the God you minister.

Praise God!

FURTHER STUDY: 1 Thessalonians 1:5, Hebrews 4:12

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Go forth to win souls in the understanding that your word convicts. Preach with the boldness of one whose message cuts the hearts of men and provokes in them the desire for the God you minister.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this knowledge. You have poured your Spirit upon my message; when I speak, my words convict the hearts of men. They go out in power and draw people to you. I have results in my preaching of the gospel. I win souls to the glory of your name. Amen.

Amazing Grace

Apostle Grace Lubega

Matthew 16:18 (KJV); And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Peter had an interesting track record in his relationship with the Christ. It was Peter whom the Lord vehemently rebuked and told, “Get thee behind me Satan” (Matthew 16:23).

Peter denied the Lord, not once but thrice (John 18:15-27).

Peter went back fishing after the Lord’s death, regardless of the promise by the Christ to make him a fisher of men (John 21:3).

He seemed to demonstrate a weakness in character at every point of his journey.

But it was on Peter that the Church would be built; not on James or John of whom no particular weaknesses are recorded in the scriptures.

Regardless of all his faults, Christ did not take back his declaration that Peter was the rock upon which Christ would build His church.

And that is how the Grace of God functions. It looks past your weakness to what God has declared you to be.

Grace disregards your faults in the flesh and believes in you continuously. God knew that it was only a matter of time, Peter would stand out as the rock he was meant to be.

Eventually, he became a pillar in the early church. It is Peter who preaches boldly to the Jews on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-42); it is Peter who opens the gospel to the Gentiles through Cornelius (Acts 10); it is Peter who defends the grace message as preached by Paul (Acts 15).

Beloved saint, your weakness in the flesh is the very reason God will use you, for in that weakness, His strength is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9).

You are not disqualified by reason of your flaws.
This day, look to God, the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). What He has called you to be must show forth. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: Romans 4:17, Philemon 1:6

GOLDEN NUGGET:
You are not disqualified by reason of your flaws. Look to God, the author and finisher of your faith. What He has called you to be must show forth.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this great truth! I stand in the perfect assurance that I am qualified by you. When I am weak, then I know that I am strong. You labour through me Lord, to do that which exceeds my ability. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Doeg Spirit

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Samuel 22:18-19 (NKJV); And the king said to Doeg, “You turn and kill the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep—with the edge of the sword.

“Doeg was Saul’s chief herdsman (1 Samuel 21:7). It was Doeg who reported to Saul that Ahimelech the priest had offered some help to David (1 Samuel 22:9-10).

Interestingly, the Hebrew name “Doeg” is translated to mean “fearing”.

This man was the typical representation of how far the spirit of fear can go. This is the fear of men and not the fear of God.

When King Saul first commanded his men to murder the priests of the Most High God (1Samuel 22:17), his servants disobeyed the king’s order for they could not dare to lay their hands on the Lord’s anointed.

However, only Doeg dared to do it. He single-handedly killed eighty five priests because of the fear of a man.

Outwardly, what he did might have appeared as a brave act but Doeg did that which no man dared.

Fear can cause a man to tread in places even angels cannot tread.

In fact, the scriptures warn us about how the fear of men ensnares (Proverbs 29:25).

The fear of God PRESERVES but the fear of men enslaves.

You have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear (Romans 8:15). Make the choice never to be afraid of what a man can do to you because your fear is of God and not of men.

Fill your spirit with the Word of God which is the Sword of the Spirit that cuts out the spirit of fear! Learn to meditate on how much God loves you because His perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

FURTHER STUDY: Romans 8:15, 2 Timothy 1:7

GOLDEN NUGGET:

The fear of God PRESERVES but the fear of men enslaves.

PRAYER: Loving Father, I thank you because you have not given me a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind. I refuse to be anxious for anything! I am not afraid of any man! My fear and reverence is of you God! I am bold in all that I say and do because I know the God before whom I stand. In Jesus name. Amen.

The Deliberate Choice

Apostle Grace Lubega

Joshua 24:15(NLT); But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

It is notable that Joshua’s caution to the people came at a time when they had reached the promised land; they possessed their inheritance and had tasted all the wonders the Lord had done by the hand of his servant Moses when he parted the red sea and when manna fell in the desert.

It is to these people that the Lord handed possession of the city of Jericho, its king and its mighty men of war.

Having seen the faithfulness of God, it did not seem possible that the question of whom they were to serve would ever arise but sadly, it did.

In this, I have come to learn that being Born Again does not necessarily mean that one serves the living God. There are those in the ‘Promised Land’ but they are constantly bowing their heads to idols.

This choice of whom to serve is presented to us every day. To us, it may never be the choice to serve the gods of the Amorites or the Perizzites but it is whether we shall serve the many idols that have captured our attention and consumed our valuable time and resources. These idols now stand in the place of God.

For example, you may spend four hours on television and yet you cannot sustain an hour of communion with God. That’s idolatry.

All these things in themselves are idols because they take our time and attention off God; they make Him only an option among many other things we do.

Child of God, examine your desires and wants against the torch of God’s purpose for your life; make the deliberate choice to serve God by giving Him your time and attention.

FURTHER STUDY: Luke 16:13, Luke 19:17

GOLDEN NUGGET:
Examine your desires and wants against the torch of God’s purpose for your life; make the deliberate choice to serve God by giving Him your time and attention.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for your Word that has taught me how to serve. Today I choose to do so with my finances, my time and all that I am. I subject my wants and desires to yours. My house and I will always serve you! In all things and in every place, you are my deliberate choice. In Jesus name! Amen.

Patterns Of Service -imitations

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV); And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

Imitation (of spiritual authorities) is a pattern of service to God and His ministers revealed to us by the scriptures.

However, imitation is not copying what a minister of God does without understanding the Spirit behind what he or she does.

When you understand the Spirit behind the actions, you will not only chase after the results of a great man but the labours of that man because behind every labour is the Spirit.

Therefore, the patterns of service in the New Testament are a result of submitting ourselves to the Spirit of Christ at work in any of His ministers, thereby imitating them as they imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

This is how the mantle was passed on from the Christ to the twelve disciples; to Apostle Paul, to us and the same we do to our children.

It’s wisdom to mature and grow in service and in the things of the Spirit by IMITATIONS but only to the degree of your submission to the Spirit of God working in His ministers.

Never be too proud to learn from what a man or woman of God does and how he or she does it; be attentive to the details of their lives because for any student in ministry, therein (in these details) lies the instructions by which you will grow in the things of God.

FURTHER STUDY: 1 Corinthians 11:1 (AMP), 1 Corinthians 4:15-17

GOLDEN NUGGET:
It is wisdom to mature and grow in the things of the Spirit by IMITATIONS but only to the degree of your submission to the Spirit of God working in His ministers.

PRAYER: Loving Father, I thank you for the men and women whom you have set before and above me in the Gospel. Thank you for the wisdom to imitate them as they imitate you Lord. I refuse to be deluded by excitement at results but rather I pattern my life after your mighty work in their hearts. I behold the labours and not just the fruit. In this, my destiny is secure. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Patterns Of Service-feel After

 Apostle Grace Lubega

Numbers 11:16-17 (KJV); And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which [is] upon thee, and will put [it] upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear [it] not thyself alone.

Every minister of God can only multiply himself in men and women that carry “a genuine feel after” of his spirit. And, every time a minister multiplies himself in men, he lightens his own burden.

This feeling after is the ability to feel like he (the minister) feels about the things of God.

It is deceptive for people to always assume that because they serve in ministry or are close to the man of God, therefore they feel after his spirit.

In our theme scripture, we are not told how long Moses had felt the heavy burden alone before he finally asked God for relief.

It is possible that during that time, some men worked very close to Moses, served him every day and assumed they were carrying his burden.

If there were men that truly felt after Moses’ heart, he should have felt relieved without asking God to relieve him. They would have sensed what the man of God felt, wisdom would have prompted them to relieve Moses even before he prayed to God.

How then do you feel after the heart of the man or woman of God you serve?

Acts 17:27 in explaining this principle of “feeling after” says, “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us.”

When you feel after God, you will feel after the hearts of His ministers.
When you understand the responsibility and mandate of the gospel like God does, you will walk in the true patterns of service in ministry.

Ask God to examine and weigh your “feel-after-Him”, for it is only when you learn to truly FEEL AFTER GOD, that you can feel-after His servants whom He has set before you, to lighten their burden in the Gospel.

FURTHER STUDY: Galatians 6:2, Philippians 2:5-8

GOLDEN NUGGET:

It’s only when you learn to truly FEEL AFTER GOD, that you can feel-after His servants whom He has set before you to lighten their burden in the Gospel.

PRAYER: Abba, I thank you for this great wisdom that aligns my spirit to the patterns of feeling after you even as I serve your ministers. It can only start with you Lord. Like the Macedonian church that first gave themselves to you before they gave themselves to your servant Paul, I feel after you that I may lighten the burden of your ministers. I am built up daily in this understanding. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

True Humility

Apostle Grace Lubega

Hebrews 3:5 (AMP); And Moses certainly was faithful in the administration of all God’s house [but it was only] as a ministering servant. [In his entire ministry he was but] a testimony to the things which were to be spoken [the revelations to be given afterward in Christ].

Humility comes before honour because God honours humble spirits.

Moses is spoken of as the meekest man on the earth (Numbers 12:3). But what exactly was this meekness in Moses’ spirit and how exactly did God honour him?

Our theme scripture explains that Moses’ entire ministry was a testimony of the things which were to be spoken as the revelations in Christ. Moses never sought his own glory. That is humility!

For this, God greatly honoured him. The Bible says that when the Christ sought to explain and reveal who He was, He expounded the scriptures beginning from Moses (Luke 24:27).

He deliberately did not start with Abraham, Isaac or any of the great men of God even though their lives on the earth pointed to the coming Christ.

Instead Christ started from Moses because His ministry could only be best explained starting from the life of the meekest man on the earth.

True humility is living a life that reveals Christ in every aspect of one’s life.

For the new creature, this humility is a fruit of the Spirit and not a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:23).

Allow God to break you to the deepest places of humility, that you will live a life that fully reveals the Christ.

FURTHER STUDY: James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:6

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Humility comes before honour because God honours humble spirits. Allow God to break you to the deepest places of humility, that you will live a life that fully reveals the Christ.

PRAYER: Loving father, I thank you for this Word. I am instructed in this pattern of access to deeper realms in you. My spirit is yielded to your great working as you demonstrate Christ through me. I reveal Christ in all that I do and say, to the glory of your name. Amen!

The Pangs Of A Minister

Apostle Grace Lubega

Galatians 4:19 (KJV); My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.

Paul, in our theme scripture speaks of his travail as a woman in birth for Christ to be formed in men.

He understood that it is one thing for you to receive Christ as your Lord and saviour at the point when you got Born Again, but it is another for Christ to manifest through you.

God appoints ministers over you to mature you into that manifestation.

Yet for the minister to take men through this process, he or she is likened to a woman having birth pangs!

This is another level of ministry!

It is not for those ministering merely because they have been invited to preach or because they have the opportunity to serve in a ministry. This is for those who carry the genuine burden of the gospel.
These are men and women who can die for people who will neither appreciate nor understand the things they did in this gospel.

They are not on the lookout for cameras and microphones to amplify their voices and be seen by other men. Such ministers will never seek any honour, because they feel obligated to serve and not to be served!

Such men laboured alongside Paul. He speaks of his brother and fellow worker in Christ, Epaphroditus and says “because for the work of Christ, he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me” (Philippians 2:30).

Another example is of Priscila and Aquila. The Bible speaks of the time when Apollos began to speak boldly in the synagogue; Aquila and Priscilla heard him, took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately (Acts 18:26).

Aquila and Priscilla were not ‘famous’ ministers of the gospel, but on perceiving that Apollos’ knowledge was imperfect, they laboured to instruct him in the fullness of the truth of the Gospel.

As a result, when Apollos arrived in Achaia, the Bible reveals that “he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 18:27-‬28).

This story is proof of Christ being formed in a man after another man’s labours in the Gospel. Through the labours of Priscila and Aquila, Apollos was perfected in knowledge and became a greater minister of the Word.

God is calling upon you as a minister to seek after the testimony of labours that form the very substance of the resurrected Christ in other men.

Don’t simply preach the gospel, MINISTER; don’t simply work for a ministry, SERVE; don’t simply pray for people, TRAVAIL for souls; don’t simply reach out to the brethren, BE PART OF THEIR LIVES. Praise Him!

FURTHER STUDY: 1 Corinthians 4:15, 3 John 1:4

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Don’t simply preach the gospel, MINISTER; don’t simply work for a ministry, SERVE; don’t simply pray for people, TRAVAIL for souls; don’t simply reach out to the brethren, BE PART OF THEIR LIVES.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for the Gospel and the power of salvation in me. I thank you for they that begat me into this Gospel, and labour tirelessly that Christ may be formed in me. With such people in my life, I cannot live an ordinary life, nor have ordinary impact in my generation because I carry a clear understanding of the way of God and the ways of His ministers. I walk in the very testimony of the resurrected Christ; infusing life in everything in my proximity. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

Love Is The Standard

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Corinthians 13:2-3 (KJV); And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I AM NOTHING. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Love is the ultimate standard against which we are weighed in the spirit.

Our theme scripture reveals that prophecy or the gifts of the Spirit are not the ultimate standard; understanding all divine mysteries and having all knowledge is not the ultimate standard; even faith that moves mountains is not the standard, LOVE is.

A Christian may be weighed against the standard of knowledge and found to be wanting (in that very knowledge). However, when a man is weighed against the standard of love and he is found not to have love, the Bible says he is NOTHING.

What a state!

How perfected we are in the love of God gives us weight in the things of the Spirit.

This is the God-kind of love, not the human sentiment that may cause a man to give all his goods to the poor or give up his body to be burned up.

Without the God-kind of love in you, nothing you do profits.

What brought Christ on earth was His love for mankind. Christ is described as He in whom dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) because He was the true example of the love of God. In other words, He was weighty because of this very love.

Our master, Jesus told His followers, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34‭-‬35).
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By love, the world knows that we are of God.

Beloved of God, the answer to your generation is the love of God in you.

The scriptures emphasize that the goal of all believers is to be of one mind, have compassion with one another and love as brethren(1 Peter 3:8).

Because this love has been shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5.5), walk in that consciousness every day.

Think love, talk love and act love.

FURTHER STUDY: 1 John 4:8, 1 Corinthians 13:1-8

GOLDEN NUGGET:
The answer to your generation is the love of God in you; for without it, nothing profits.

PRAYER: Father God, I thank you for this great knowledge. By it I choose to walk in love with all men; I pray in love, I fast in love, I serve in love, I give in love and I do all things in love. And since it does not fail, I cannot fail to take my generation for Jesus! For I can do all things through Christ the anointing which strengthens me. It is not by my power, nor my strength, but by the Spirit of God at work in me. In Jesus’ name! Amen.

In One Accord

Apostle Grace Lubega

Acts 1:13‭-‬14 (KJV); And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

Our theme scripture reveals that the disciples who tarried in the upper room were in ONE ACCORD; united in passionate prayer and intercession.

The Greek word for “accord” is “homothumadon”. It is derived from two root words, “homou” translated to mean “the same” and “thumos” translated to mean “passion.”

It describes people with a similar passion and desire which produces a godly unity between them.

They have the same mind, which mind reflects the LORD’s very thoughts because each of them functions by the true Spirit of the revelation of His Word.

There is a ONENESS in the faith that brings people together, their individual spirits are hemmed into one spirit. ‬‬

This was the kind of fellowship in the early Church and because of it, God did mighty wonders by them and the fear of the church was upon all people.
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God is calling the Church in our day to this oneness again.

We ought to gather in prayer with this unity. When we pray for revival, it should be for the Christendom and not just for the growth of numbers in our own churches. When we pray for the nation, it should be so the entire body of Christ benefits and not to gain political favour towards us as individuals.

Beloved saint, this unity ought to be a reality in any gathering with fellow brethren because he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit with the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:17). With such singleness of spirit, you can never offer discordant prayers and it is an eternal truth, that when you get together in a symphony of prayer pertaining anything at all, your heavenly Father will do it for you. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: John 17:21, Matthew 18:19

GOLDEN NUGGET:
We ought to gather in prayer with unity. When we pray for revival, it should be for the Christendom and not just for the growth of numbers in our own churches. When we pray for the nation, it should be so the entire body of Christ benefits and not to gain political favour towards us as individuals.

PRAYER: Loving Father, I thank you for this wisdom. I acknowledge my oneness in spirit with you. This oneness is effective in my prayer life and my fellowship with the brethren. Every day, as I mature in this oneness, I witness tangible results in my life and those in my world. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

Locusts In Divine Winds: The South Wind

Apostle Grace Lubega

Luke 12:55-56 (KJV); And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this 

There are a number of winds in the Spirit: East wind, North wind, West wind and South wind.

The south wind, as referred to in our theme scripture, is the WIND OF DIVINE PURPOSE.

As a wind of the Spirit, it has a spiritual time tagged to it.

This means that if you must fly by this wind (or any spiritual wind) timing of the wind is critical.

There are those that jump into the South wind before time simply because they learnt to fly; this is the Christian who will start a church of his own just because he performed a miracle; this is the worshiper who starts a ministry simply because she was praised for the beauty of her voice.

There are those who also fly contrary to the South wind, yet they should fly in the direction of the wind itself. These are children of God who think they are executing divine purpose yet they are working against the mind and the will of God; for example those who fight revival and persecute fellow Christians while in their minds they think they are serving God.

This should not to be your story. You should accurately time the South wind and fly in its direction.

How so?

Firstly, understand that for every timing of the winds of the Spirit, there are spiritual signs.

When you learn to read the signs, you will accurately time the winds.

So, be sensitive to these spiritual signs because it is from the accurate reading of these signs that you will be in a position to fly with the South wind.

Choose to be deliberate in asking God what He is up to in this day.

Learn from the men and women He has set apart for your sake in these times.

I assure you that when you do, divine laws will work in your favour because you are aligned to divine purpose and time.

FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 16:3, 1 Chronicles 12:32

GOLDEN NUGGET:
For every timing of the winds of the Spirit, there are spiritual signs. When you learn to read the signs, you will accurately time the winds. So, be sensitive to these spiritual signs because it is from the accurate reading of these signs that you will be in a position to fly with the South wind, which is the wind of divine purpose.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this Word. My spirit is alive and sensitive to your great work in this day! I know the signs and the times and can never misapprehend what you are up to in this day. I am positioned and aligned to your perfect will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Locusts In Divine Winds: One With The Wind

Apostle Grace Lubega

John 3:8 (AMP); The wind blows (breathes) where it wills; and though you hear its sound, yet you neither know where it comes from nor where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.

When the Lord told us to occupy until He comes (Luke 19:13), He meant that we have the mandate to consume every inch of this world by the power of God.

This ability to consume is comparable to how a swarm of locusts function; they will leave nothing untouched.
However in their massive movement, locusts depend on the wind.

When this is related to the life of a Christian, understand that this is no ordinary wind; it is the Holy Spirit.

Our ability to impact every place we go depends on how much we are yielded to the Spirit of God. For it is not by might nor by power but by His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6).

The beauty of this is that as we continue to yield to God, we take on the attributes of the very wind by which we move.

Our theme scripture explains the characteristics of this wind thus; it blows where it wills; you hear its sounds but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going.

People will feel your impact but they will not be able to predict you! They will see your effect yet not be able to contemplate your next move because you are not just a locust in the wind but are one with the wind.

So, child of God, cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit, purpose to constantly be in consonance with Him.

FURTHER STUDY: Zechariah 4:6, Luke 19:13

GOLDEN NUGGET:
Our ability to impact every place we go depends on how much we are yielded to the Spirit of God. For it is not by might nor by power but by His Spirit.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this knowledge. I walk in divine purpose every day and I am conscious of what you are up to in these times. My spirit is yielded to the Holy Spirit and He leads me to unfathomable heights. I am impacting my world and everything around me by His ability. To the glory of your name. Amen.