Good day all and welcome to overcoming temptations, my name is Oyisi Okatahi today I will like to share with you on a topic titled GRACE part 2. Again just to remind that this program is not to judge or condemn anyone but to encourage you that it is possible to live a life free from sexual immorality by the power of Jesus Christ. If you noticed my messages are centered around only one thing.
We have previously established in part 1 that grace can be defined as unmerited favor from God or unmerited divine assistance given by reason of sanctification.
Many people are struggling with the sin of sexual immorality and even those who are Christians, someone once told me that even though he is a Christian once the desire for sex comes over him, it is like he is possessed, he will not be able to do anything until he fulfills that sexual desire either through fornication or masturbation. And immediately he finishes he regrets it and weeps. Now I know that this brother loves God and does his best to obey his commands, but for this sin of immorality he finds it very difficult to overcome. I told him what you need is grace, not power, but grace. Grace makes the impossible possible, it makes the complicated simple, it make the sour sweet, it makes the unachievable achievable. People who are able to live a life free of sexual immorality, do not do so by their own power, of course they play their own part, but ultimately it is the grace of God that keeps them.
In Genesis 20:1-6 the Bible says: reading from the new living translation- Abraham moved south to the Negev and lived for a while between Kadesh and Shur, and then he moved on to Gerar. While living there as a foreigner, Abraham introduced his wife, Sarah, by saying, “She is my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar sent for Sarah and had her brought to him at his palace.3But that night God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are a dead man, for that woman you have taken is already married!”4But Abimelech had not slept with her yet, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘Yes, he is my brother.’ I acted in complete innocence! My hands are clean.”6In the dream God responded, “Yes, I know you are innocent. That’s why I kept you from sinning against me, and why I did not let you touch her.
In this story the King Abimelech took Abrahams beautiful wife Sarah to marry her, because Abraham lied that she was his sister. Yet for some reason he did not sleep her, which was rather unusual, when a king takes a new wife or concubine the first thing he wants to do is to sleep with her. Even though it was Abraham’s fault and he did it innocently, God was ready to deal with him, but he quickly told God that he had not slept with her. Now mark God response, God said “It is I who kept you from sinning against me”, in other words it was not by his power he did not sleep with her, it was God that gave him grace, unmerited divine favor that made him not to sleep with her. This is the same grace you need to pray for today. You can say “Father the same grace you gave King Abimlech to overcome temptation, give me today in Jesus name”
I want to assure you that Gods grace will keep you from falling, just depend on him and you will see that His grace is all you need. Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and Forever more. Have a blessed day.
