Partakers Of His Grace by Agunbiade Glory Oluwatosin

  Grace hun! Is not just something that happens coincidentally. God indeed blesses men and endows them with His grace.
   I see the place of God's love in all of this and I am amazed at how He loves me and gave Himself for me. Isn't it great? The One who created me came as a man still, to save me, He truly loves me and that is my conclusion.
   My life is indeed full of God's grace cause I had it very rough at the beginning. I think I might want to share a thing or two with you. Do you mind? In the beginning when God created men, He created us in His image and likeness and breathed into us. He gave us Himself and so we are to dominate the earth at His Command. I grew up in a christian family and of cause, my parents are devoted children of God. If I am not sure about anything, that truth is one I am very sure of. They taught my siblings and I the truth about the Bible. We grew to know God. Personally, I loved church too and I loved God.
   There was something I realized along the way. I asked myself regularly, what am I doing? Why am I a christian? Who exactly am I following? I kept asking these questions in my heart sincerely seeking for answers. Who knows, I could get my perfect answer someday. I realised that believing in God is more than just going to church cause it was compulsory or studying the Bible cause it was necessary in my home. I wanted to know God for myself. I wanted to encounter His Person myself. I wanted to give evident examples when witnessing. I wanted more. I kept seeking until this glorious Christmas in 2014.
   Beyond the glamorous Christmas celebrations here and there, I was craving for God. I was seeking to know Him by myself. I stumbled on John 3:16 again. You are also shocked right? Come on, don't be shocked just follow me please. It might look funny but I found my part that night. It downed on me that Christ came to die for the world which includes pagans, sinners, other religions, diabolic people, Christians and even me. That night, I had to repent cause I had a discriminatory feeling against those that are not believers. That night, God really spoke to me like He did with Peter, "Kill and Eat". I realised that while I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me so I do not have the right to judge cause I was saved by GRACE. That night was the beginning of a new part for me as a believer and a child of God.
   I felt like I knew God a little bit more. I felt like He was another inch closer to me and I wanted that feeling to continue. Grace is no joke and we did not deserve it but God still saved us by His grace. The Bible became a revelational guide to me and it amazes me still how you can read the same verse of the scriptures over and over and you keep getting revelational insights each time. Our God has endless possibilities and it will be a good one if we can all walk in them. I mean, all power in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus so, walking in these possibilities are our natural state. With Christ all things are possible.
   It took a little while before I gained admission into the university and I was kind of unhappy cause I felt like I was late. My friends were already in school and I felt embarrassed that I was still at home doing a 8am-4pm job trying to help my parents and put one or two together. It was a trying period for me but still, I trusted God and His endless possibilities. As God will have it around 2017, my dad's friend introduced us to a distant learning school under Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife, Osun state, Nigeria. I went there still trusting God for survival. Did I remember to tell you? I am from a average family and we can only afford basic things. It was always a struggle financially to pay for things but, God was always there.
   As the first child of the family, I had to pave a good way for my siblings. I had to be serious especially academically cause they were looking up to me. I kept praying to God daily for help cause my fees then was enough to get a half plot of land in Ibadan. God did it for me and I found a Bible believing church where the raw word of God was been taught. Oh! Grace once again. I made new friends from church and on campus. I was quite the popular one cause I mimicked my lecturers often and one day I was caught. You don't want to know what happened next? Well, here am I today sharing my grace story. At the end of 11 months, the course was over and I was expecting my results so I could get admitted into Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). I love my school. Great Ife.
   God did and I passed even beyond the number of points I needed. I needed 10 and I had 11 points. I was admitted and was studying Economics. You can call me Glory the Economist. The word of God is the best thing that ever happened to me. Oh! The Word Works. One thing I kept telling myself was that, "God never failed and I cannot fail". It worked cause in 2019 I was a real university student. Don't mind my choice of the word "real" na only me understand abeg.
   I joined a great fellowship on campus named CACSA OAU ( Christ Apostolic Church Student Association). It was another great experience all over. God really blesses men with His people. I am blessed I must say. Our tenure theme then was "The Purposeful Men". We were taught about purpose and I realized there was more to my existence. Pastor Adedeji Feranmi was my pastor then and sincerely, I am grateful for the gift of that man every day and night. He also taught about Understanding times and seasons and I must say grace is never an understatement. God is Grace.
   We kept praying and watching closely to find our place in God and then, one faithful Sunday, my word came. I found my purpose and God has been helping by His grace. I became a pastor in my fellowship and God taught me great lessons on leadership, self control, perseverance and love. God is ever ready to help you and He will only if you are also ready to walk with Him and obey Him. You know that it is so sweet to have the assurance that you carry the one who created the heavens and the earth and you and you in Him. It is such a great discovery as a child of God. That shows that, we are opened to all the realities in Christ Jesus. God be praised.
   Gradually, few years passed and I graduated from the university. There is nothing to hard for my God to do cause despite the challenges I faced in life, He came through for me and I am a product of His dimension GRACE. I always had this thing wherever I go and God has been faithful. He told me to follow closely despite my circumstance and although sometimes, my faith tends to shake but He holds my hands through it all.
   I was going through a tough time sometimes ago and I wrote this song. Kindly permit me to share with you.
 "When we call your name, you answer us. Hold our hands and walk us through the storm. When we are weak Jesus you strengthen us. In your name we overcome the world. When everything falls apart, I see you in the storm. When there seems to be no way, you show up in the storm".  
   Faithful is He who has called us. Christ has really been my hope and reliance in faith. I truly can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. He corrects me in love when I am wrong and He guides me in love too. I served in NYSC at Cross River State, Calabar to be precised. God chose me to be an executive in Nigeria Christian Corpers' Fellowship (NCCF) as the State Financial Secretary. God helped me and I also handed over with grace and great joy cause with Christ by my side, "I DID NOT FAIL". There is a divine nature of God called GRACE. All believers have the access to this nature but not all knows that it is our reality as believers.
   The place of knowing whom you are and whose you are is very important. Christ has a grace filled personality and so are you cause you are created in His image and likeness. Come on, you are made for more and the supernatural is your own natural cause you carry Grace. You are seated in heavenly places with Christ isn't just a verse to read and enjoy,  it is a verse of assurance for you to know your place in Christ. God cannot leave nor fail you. Oh! Read Psalms 121 over and over again. You are not just anybody, you are an embodiment of grace cause Christ is in you. Therefore, let no man look down on your youth. Let no man talk you out of God's dealings for your life. It might be hard, yes! it might be full of pain but know, surely know, that there is light at the end of the tunnel and the Father has made grace available to help you through it all. Grace worked for me who is a nobody and it is still working for me and will continue to work. Grace works on your level of trust, faith and believe in the Father. God has plans for you, God has said things about you, I am saying wait. The Father will bring them to pass cause He is not a man that He should lie.

Remember men in the Bible that grace worked for. Let me start from Abraham, down to Isaac and Jacob(Israel), let us move to Rehab, Ruth and David, and then to Lazarus, Batholomew, and the woman with the pool of blood. Also, don't forger Paul whom "Jesus Happened To" and found grace on his way to Damascus. Grace has found you. Accept this great nature of the Father and live in Him forever. 

Finally, let me leave you with this verse of the scripture. 2Peter 1:4 "By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust".
Brethren, there is sustaining grace and there is a grace that keeps. You can find all these graces and more in the person of Jesus Christ the Father of all grace.
AGUNBIADE GLORY OLUWATOSIN
(GBA).

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