In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1)
One of the extraordinary ways the Lord manifests Himself is in and through the Word. The Word of God created the universe. The Word of God is life. The Word of God is power. The Word of God is light. The Word of God is truth. The Word of God is God. Where the Word of God is, God is!
The Word of God isn’t like the word of a man. Centring your mind on the Word is centring your mind on God. The Bible says He keeps in perfect peace—peace of prosperity—the one whose mind is stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3). The way to stay your mind on Him is meditating on the Word.
The Holy Spirit never does anything without the Word. For example, in Genesis chapter one, we read that in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. But the earth was without form and was empty and covered with darkness. Then the Spirit of God moved over the face of the waters, but nothing changed. The earth was still a chaotic mass until God said, “Let there be light” and light became. The Spirit of God caused the light to manifest. He acted on the Word. Until the Word is given, the Spirit does nothing.
Don’t ignore the Word; some Christians ignore the Word, and that’s so unwise. What you need for your next level or that miracle and promotion you so desire; what you need to prevail in any crisis and live victoriously every day, is the Word.
When you face challenges, when things get tough and rough, keep your confidence in the Word. Refuse to compromise. Get radical with your faith-affirmation and confession of the Word. As you speak, the Spirit will cause things to happen in accordance with your words, because the Word of God in your mouth is God talking! It’ll always prevail. Glory to God!
Once, I was talking to someone who said to me, “I think I’m weak inside.” The reason he thought so was that he realised that in many things in life, he lacked convictions. He didn’t seem to have the will or courage to stand for anything. When he didn’t like something, he couldn’t resist it, because he had inner fears. But when you know the Holy Spirit, things are different; you’re tough on the inside.
Paul prayed for the Church at Ephesus. He prayed that they’d be strengthened with might by the Holy Spirit in their innermost being; He wanted them to have inner strength, because not many are strengthened from within. The same prayer is a great blessing for us today, since it’s the will of God. God wants you to be strengthened with might by the Holy Spirit in your inner man.
You don’t have to pray again that He should strengthen you, or complain about a lack of strength; rather, respond to His Word by declaring that you’re strengthened from within! If you’ve been unable to make serious decisions in life because of fear and timidity, this is what you need. Stand in front of the mirror, point to the image on the other side and say, “You’re tough inside! You’re courageous, bold and sound! You’re invigorated with miracle-working ability in your inner man.”
Refuse to allow anyone describe you as weak or feeble. Your strength isn’t of this world; it’s from the Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, you’re up to any task; you’re bold and strong inside, because the greater One lives in you.
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves (James 1:22). The Word of God is for us to live by; it’s for doing; it’s for us to live out. But some Christians are trying to “obey” the Word, and that’s where their problem is because the Word isn’t for us to obey.
In the Old Testament, God gave the children of Israel laws, commandments to obey, but they failed. So, He changed the order. He said, “…I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). As a result, in the New Testament, you’re not called to obey the Word, because you’re born of the Word; you’re one with the Word. The Word of God is your reflection, a mirror that shows you who you are so that you can know and act accordingly. We hear, study, understand, and meditate on the Word, to act accordingly. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image….” When you look into the Word, you see yourself.
The Word mirrors you. For example, the Word says, “For he hath made him be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). That’s not for you to “obey”; it’s simply showing you who you are: the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. It, therefore, makes no difference that your senses tell you otherwise; God already showed you who you are; act accordingly. That’s doing the Word: accepting, and endorsing God’s image of you, and walking in that light. When you look in the mirror of God, which is the Word, you see the glory of God, and that’s you! The more you look into the Word, the more you become what you see in the Word; a transformation takes place in your life, from glory to glory.
Eternal security is found in Christ, not apart from Christ. Our confidence is not in a doctrine detached from a Person; it is in the living Christ, who is able to keep, preserve, and perfect all who abide in Him. "He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him" (Hebrews 7:25). "He is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory" (Jude 24).
However, sonship does not abolish human responsibility. Becoming a child of God does not mean you cease to be a free moral agent. God does not save you by destroying your will. Love cannot be coerced, and covenant cannot exist without response. You still possess the capacity to obey or rebel, to remain or to depart, to persevere or to forsake.
This is precisely why Jesus repeatedly commands, "Abide in Me" (John 15). Such an exhortation would be unnecessary if abiding were automatic. He warns that branches that refuse to remain in the Vine wither and are cut off (John 15:6).
Paul echoes the same truth: "Continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off" (Romans 11:22). The writer of Hebrews warns believers against "departing from the living God" (Hebrews 3:12) and repeatedly calls them to hold fast their confidence to the very end.
The believer's security is therefore the security of abiding union, not independent immunity. Christ has never failed to keep anyone who remains in Him, and He never will. His grip is unbreakable, but Scripture never encourages us to let go of Him.
The New Testament holds two glorious truths together without contradiction: God is mighty to keep, and believers are commanded to continue. We must never magnify one truth by silencing the other.
Eternal security is not a licence to drift from Christ; it is the triumphant assurance that everyone who abides in Christ is eternally secure because Christ Himself is their Keeper.If your goal is to provoke theological reflection, this version strikes a firmer, more compelling tone while staying closely aligned with the biblical exhortations to persevere.
One of the simplest ways to understand Romans 9–11 is this:
Grace and mercy do not exist because humanity deserved them. They exist because God decided to be gracious and merciful.
Paul spends three chapters explaining that the story of salvation is bigger than human effort, human religion, human heritage, or even human failure. The ultimate explanation for why God saves is found in God Himself. Salvation is not primarily the result of man's pursuit of God; it is the result of God's purpose in Christ.
This is what election means.
Election means God decided to have a people for Himself.
Grace is how He brings them in.
Mercy is how He deals with their failures.
Faith is how they respond.
Christ is the One through whom it all becomes possible.
The point Paul is making is not that people are robots or that faith does not matter. His point is that behind everything stands a God who had a purpose long before any of us arrived on the scene.
Think about it.
You did not create grace.
You did not invent mercy.
You did not persuade God to become kind.
You discovered a kindness that was already in His heart.
You stepped into a purpose that was already in His mind.
You responded to an invitation that was already being extended through Christ.
This is why Paul ends Romans 9–11 in worship. After discussing Israel, the Gentiles, faith, grace, mercy, and God's purpose, he realises that salvation history is ultimately the story of God's wisdom, not man's cleverness.
The Gospel is therefore not simply, "Look what I did to find God."
The Gospel is, "Look what God did in Christ to bring people to Himself."
Behind grace is God's decision to be gracious.
Behind mercy is God's decision to be merciful.
Behind salvation is God's purpose to have a people.
And behind it all stands a God whose wisdom is far greater than anything we can fully comprehend.
There is a story in history that sounds almost unbelievable.
After World War II officially ended in 1945, there were Japanese soldiers scattered across remote islands and jungles in Asia who refused to surrender. They became known as the “Japanese holdouts.”
These men had been trained with one overriding conviction: Never surrender. Never believe enemy propaganda. Keep fighting until your commanding officer returns.
So when leaflets were dropped from airplanes announcing: “The war is over.” Many of them believed it was a trick.
One of the most famous of these soldiers was a man named Hiroo Onoda.
Onoda was an intelligence officer in the Imperial Japanese Army stationed on Lubang Island in the Philippines in 1944. Before leaving for the island, his superior officer reportedly gave him strict instructions: “You are absolutely forbidden to die by your own hand. It may take three years. It may take five. But whatever happens, we’ll come back for you.”
Those words became law in his mind.
Then the war ended.
Japan surrendered. The emperor announced the end of the war. Cities rebuilt. Governments changed. An entirely new world emerged.
But deep inside the jungle, Onoda did not believe it.
For years, planes dropped newspapers. Letters from family members were sent. Photographs were shown. Messages were broadcast through loudspeakers.
Still, he refused to believe.
Why?
Because his mindset had been locked into war. His reality had been shaped by conflict for so long that peace sounded suspicious.
While the world moved on, he remained hidden in the jungle. Armed. Alert. Suspicious. Fighting a war that had already ended.
For nearly 29 years.
Think about that.
Twenty nine years after peace had already been declared.
He survived on bananas, coconuts, stolen rice, and cattle from nearby villages. He slept in hiding places, carried his rifle everywhere, and constantly watched for enemies that no longer existed.
Several of the men with him eventually died. One surrendered. Another was killed.
But Onoda continued.
The tragedy was not merely that he was in the jungle. The tragedy was that he was sincerely committed to a finished war.
Finally, in 1974, a young Japanese traveller named Norio Suzuki went searching for him. Suzuki somehow found Onoda deep in the jungle and told him: “The war ended long ago. Japan has changed. Everyone has gone home.”
But Onoda still refused to surrender.
He said he would only obey direct orders from his commanding officer.
So something astonishing happened.
The Japanese government located his former commander, now an elderly man working in a bookstore, flew him to the Philippines, and brought him into the jungle.
There, standing before a weary soldier who had spent almost three decades hiding in fear and combat, the old commander finally gave the order:
“The war is over. You may stand down.”
Only then did Onoda lower his weapon.
Imagine the emotion of that moment.
A man giving up a battle he should never have been fighting for nearly thirty years.
A man waking up to discover that history had already moved on without him.
A man realising he had spent decades surviving under conditions that were no longer necessary.
And honestly, this story is bigger than history.
It is a picture of many people in life.
Many are still fighting wars that already ended. Still hiding from enemies already defeated. Still living in fear after victory has already been declared. Still trapped in survival mode while peace has already been announced.
Some people are emotionally fighting. Some are spiritually fighting. Some are mentally fighting. Some are fighting . Old guilt. Old condemnation. Old battles.
Like Onoda, they have received announcement but Peace sounds too good to be true. Rest feels suspicious. Victory feels illegal.
So they remain in the jungle of fear, religion, condemnation, and endless warfare.
But history teaches us something powerful: A war can end without a person knowing it.
Are you that man?
There is no dichotomy between power and sound doctrine.
The apostles never separated what this generation keeps trying to divide.
One of the most interesting reactions from our recent meetings in Kaduna and Lagos was this:
“Sir… we knew you as a sound teacher. We did not expect this level of raw power manifestation.”
And honestly, that response exposed something deeply wrong in modern Christianity.
How did we arrive at a point where people are shocked that a man can teach accurately and still move in raw power?
Why do many assume that doctrinal depth must automatically lead to powerless Christianity?
And why do others think manifestation must exist without theological precision?
The apostles carried both.
Paul did not choose between revelation and manifestation. He embodied both.
The same man who taught justification by faith… union with Christ… grace… righteousness… adoption… inheritance… and the new creation realities…
was the same man through whom God wrought special miracles.
Paul said: “My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.”
He also said: “I have fully preached the gospel… through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God.”
Meaning the full preaching of the gospel was not mere explanation.
It was explanation with manifestation.
Not motivational speaking. Not intellectual performance. Not emotional manipulation.
Raw power.
Real impact.
Authentic manifestation.
The living Christ unveiled.
The apostles continued steadfastly in doctrine… and with great power gave witness to the resurrection.
Doctrine and power. Depth and demonstration. Light and fire.
Together.
The gospel is not mere intellectualism.
The gospel is the power of God.
And there is no need to create a false divide between “Word people” and “Power people” when Scripture clearly reveals that the full expression of apostolic ministry carried both sound doctrine and undeniable manifestation.
She is already spoken for...
Before a word of correction is written…
Before any commendation or warning is issued…
Before any instruction is received or resisted…
This must be established.
When you open Book of Revelation chapter one, you are not introduced to problems. You are not ushered into complaints, trends, or cultural frustrations.
You are confronted with a Person.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
This is the foundation. This is the schooling. This is the qualification.
If you are to speak to the churches, Revelation chapter one is not optional reading. It is your training ground.
Because until you have been schooled there, your tone will betray you, your language will expose you, and your conclusions will misrepresent Him.
For the One who speaks first reveals Himself.
The Alpha and the Omega.
The One who was, who is, and who is to come.
This is the basis of the voice addressing the churches.
He is not reacting to history.
He is not overwhelmed by present conditions.
He is not uncertain about outcomes.
He defines beginnings.
He governs the present.
He secures the future.
So let us confront this with clarity.
Will the One introduced as Alpha and Omega…
with eyes like fire that search all things…
with a voice like many waters that carries authority across ages…
be reduced to a figure “weeping” because a few local churches have gone astray?
Think again.
Will the Lord of the Church speak as though His eternal purpose is collapsing?
Think again.
Statements like “the Church has failed God” or “the Lord is weeping for the Church” do not arise from this revelation.
They arise from sentiment, not Scripture.
They arise from frustration, not from the throne.
And this must be corrected.
Because at the end of it all, it is not about what we feel.
It is about what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
Not what our disappointments are saying.
Not what our experiences are saying.
Not what our frustrations are shouting.
What is the Spirit saying?
That is the only authorised voice.
And this is why it must be said without hesitation:
You are not authorised to speak to the Church if you have not first seen Christ rightly.
Because the Christ you see determines the Church you describe.
If you have not seen Him, you will misread her.
If you have not stood before Him, you will speak about her carelessly.
John did not begin with failures.
He began with a vision so overwhelming that he fell as one dead.
Eyes like fire.
Voice like many waters.
Countenance like the sun.
And in that same unveiling, what was revealed?
Seven stars in His right hand.
Seven golden lampstands before Him.
The stars are the messengers.
The lampstands are the churches.
Pause.
Flawed churches. Imperfect leaders. Yet in Christ’s own unveiling, they are still called stars and still called golden.
Not conditionally. Not historically.
Presently.
Nothing that follows cancels that.
Not loss of first love.
Not dead reputation.
Not lukewarmness.
Before correction came identity.
Stars.
Golden lampstands.
This is divine perspective.
And this is where many have erred.
They claim to speak for the Church, yet they have not stood before the Christ who holds the Church.
So they do not see stars.
They see failures.
They do not see lampstands.
They see irrelevance.
They do not see gold.
They see dirt.
And so they speak from irritation, not revelation.
But consider Paul the Apostle in First Epistle to the Corinthians.
A church filled with carnality, division, immorality, and confusion.
Yet he writes:
“Unto the church of God… sanctified in Christ Jesus… called to be saints.”
He does not begin with their failures.
He begins with their position in Christ.
That is apostolic vision.
That is covenant intelligence.
That is how Christ Himself speaks.
Correction without identity produces condemnation.
Identity before correction produces transformation.
So let this be understood clearly.
Ministering With The Spirit
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also (1 Corinthians 14:15).
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever (John 14:16).
The Holy Spirit is an extraordinary gift to us, God’s children (Acts 2:38). He, in the parlance of computer science, is like the “downloader.” It takes the Holy Spirit to “download” heavenly files and bring heavenly materiality into the human system.
He alone, for example, can help you accept the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, His sacrificial death, triumphant resurrection, and His glorious ascension into heaven. Only the Holy Spirit can convince you that the blood of Jesus Christ was adequate for the salvation of humanity. So when you find that you can understand and accept these spiritual realities, it means the Holy Spirit has unveiled them to you; He’s working in your life.
When Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say I am?” only Peter spoke rightly, and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). The Master’s response to Peter was, “…Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). Peter wasn’t guessing; he certainly didn’t know this in his head; the knowledge of who Jesus is was imparted to him by the Holy Spirit. There are no human parameters that can help you comprehend spiritual realities.
Even in preaching and ministering salvation to others, you must understand that the Gospel that we’ve been given and charged to take to the nations of the world is a Gospel that can’t be humanly explained and accepted. Consequently, we need the Holy Spirit to minister through us and to help bring the understanding of the message to those to whom we minister. His help is inevitable in everything we do.
Never find yourself doing anything or building anything by your own natural strength or human wisdom; It will fail. Psalm 127:1 says, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it….”
Perhaps you’re a minister of the Gospel, don’t try to build the Church by your own strength; don’t rely on your natural abilities, for that alone won’t work. Depend on the Holy Spirit. Take advantage of His glorious ministry in your life. He’s in you to help you live the triumphant Christian life and be successful in all that you do, to the glory of the Father. He’s your indispensable Helper!
God is a Spirit, and to relate with Him, you’ve got to do so from your spirit.
The Bible says that those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).
You know, sometimes, we tell people, “relate to God from your spirit,” and they don’t know what to do. They wonder, “Do I raise my hands?” “Do I leap?” “Do I just stay still?” Paul said, “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful” (1 Corinthians 14:14). So when you pray in tongues, it’s your spirit that’s praying; you’re communing or relating with the Lord, as it were, from your spirit.
Praying from your spirit or with your spirit lights up and opens up your spirit to hear and receive from God. Notice what we read in our opening scripture: “What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also.” He didn’t say “I will pray with the understanding, and I will pray with the spirit also.”
Praying with the spirit takes the preeminence. One reason a lot of God’s people aren’t growing spiritually as they should is that they pray more with their understanding – from their natural minds – than they pray with the spirit. You can’t grow effectively as a Christian that way.
The Bible says, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost” (Jude 1:20). Praying with the spirit, or praying by the power of the Holy Spirit, is more important than all the most intelligent words you could ever utter to God in your understanding. That’s why it’s so important that you learn to pray lavishly and fervently with the spirit, in other tongues.
This is the kind of praying that improves you; it causes you to be built up from within like an edifice and gets you charged with divine firepower. Paul said, “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all” (1 Corinthians 14:18). That lets you know the premium he placed on praying with the spirit. Little wonder, therefore, that he recorded such phenomenal successes and victories both in his personal life and ministry to others.
Sometimes, there are those who wonder what the Spirit meant when He said through the Apostle Paul, “Praying always WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION in the Spirit.” But it’s very clear.
Another translation says, “…With every kind of prayer.” He’s saying to you, “I want you to pray with the spirit in every kind of prayer.” In other words, there’re different kinds of prayer. Now, whether it’s a prayer of faith, a prayer of thanksgiving, a prayer of intercession, a prayer of agreement, the prayer of dedication or consecration or prophetic prayer, you’re to add to it, praying in the spirit.
Praying in the spirit is one kind of prayer, but he’s telling us that with all the different kinds of prayer, we should pray in the spirit. Don’t say, “I’m not praying in the spirit today, because I’m praying a prayer of intercession.” We can’t leave out the spirit when it comes to prayers; we must pray in other tongues. That’s what praying in the spirit is; it means that the prayer is coming from the inspiration of your spirit, uttered in other tongues.
For instance, when you want to pray the prayer of faith, you may start by speaking in tongues before going ahead to release those declarations of faith. It’s like saying to you, “With every food, take water, meaning whether you’re eating a protein meal or vegetables, irrespective of the type of food, drink water along with it.
The Apostle Paul, while communicating this truth to the Corinthian Church, said, “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (1 Corinthians 14:14-15).
Take this seriously. Pray always in the spirit, and your life will be so upgraded to enjoy ever-increasing glory. You’ll be vibrant and exuberant with praise at all times; more effective in your Christian walk, and circumstances will be under your feet. Hallelujah!
When we speak in tongues, we do so by faith. We open our mouths, and the Holy Spirit gives us utterance. Here, your spirit is praying in tongues. The Bible says, “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful” (1 Corinthians 14:14). So, it’s your spirit that prays in tongues, even though the utterance is granted to your spirit by the Holy Spirit. But there’s another one that’s a higher level of prayer.
That’s what is written for us in Romans 8:26, which we read as our opening scripture. The underlined phrase “… the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities…” tells us how the Spirit helps and takes hold together with us in our weakness. He props you up and helps you pray in line with the perfect will of God, especially when you face dire situations and are at your wits’ end. He takes over and helps you pray correctly.
The AMPC puts it beautifully. It says, “So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.” At this higher level of prayer, the Holy Spirit Himself has taken over, making intercessions with groanings and deep sighs according to the will of God.
You may find yourself crying uncontrollably, but not out of pain; keep at it and don’t be troubled. It’s the Holy Spirit praying through you. This is the most effective kind of prayer, and it’s the Spirit’s joy to make it happen for you.
So, each time you pray, yield yourself to the Holy Spirit to pray through you, and you’ll be amazed at the impact and the tremendous results in your life and circumstances.
-GSW-
Now it is becoming clearer. Manifesting the gifts of the Spirit is not the same as spiritual maturity.
Gifts are gifts. They are given, not grown. But maturity is formed.
Let us flesh this out properly from the very scriptures you are pointing to, because Paul did not leave this ambiguous.
1. “You came behind in no gift…” Yet they were immature
From 1 Corinthians 1:7
Paul, writing to the Corinthian church, makes a startling statement:
“So that ye come behind in no gift…”
This church was fully loaded with spiritual gifts. Prophecy, tongues, knowledge, manifestations. There was no deficiency in expression.
Yet, this same church becomes Paul’s primary case study of immaturity in the New Testament.
2. “I could not speak unto you as spiritual…”
From 1 Corinthians 3:1
“I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.”
This is the contradiction that exposes a major error in the body today.
How can a people
Not lack any gift
Yet be called carnal
Yet be addressed as babes
Paul is dismantling the assumption that power equals growth.
They had gifts, but they also had
Strife
Division
Envy
Party spirit. “I am of Paul, I am of Apollos…”
So Paul says clearly
You are gifted, but you are not spiritual.
That is heavy.
3. “I do not want you to be ignorant…”
From 1 Corinthians 12:1
“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.”
Notice this carefully.
Ignorance is possible even in the midst of manifestations.
You can be
Speaking in tongues
Prophesying
Operating in word of knowledge
and still be ignorant of what is actually happening, why it is happening, and how it should be governed.
That is why the same Corinthian church
Misused tongues
Interrupted gatherings
Turned spiritual expression into chaos
So Paul introduces doctrine to regulate power.
4. The Core Apostolic Argument
Paul’s message across these chapters is consistent.
Gifts are not proof of maturity.
They are proof of grace at work.
But maturity is seen in
Doctrine
Love
Order
Discernment
Character formation
That is why in between chapter 12 and chapter 14, Paul inserts 1 Corinthians 13 love.
Because without maturity
Gifts become noise
Power becomes pride
Expression becomes confusion
5. The Final Blow
This is where many miss it.
A man can
Prophesy accurately
Heal the sick
Demonstrate power
and still be
Carnal
Immature
Doctrinally unstable
Because gifts flow from the Spirit, but maturity is formed in the soul through the Word.
6. The Apostolic Balance
Paul is not against gifts. He actually says
“Covet earnestly the best gifts…” ��� 1 Corinthians 12:31
But he is correcting the metric.
Do not use gifts to measure growth.
Use doctrine and formation.
Final Charge
Stop being impressed by manifestations without formation.
Stop equating activity with maturity.
The Corinthian church had power, but Paul called them babies.
Growth is not what you display.
Growth is what you have become.
John 1:12–13 has already settled it. Completely. Final.
“To as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become the sons of God…
Who were born, not of blood… but of God.”
Not of blood.
Not of lineage.
Not of ancestry.
Not of some invisible generational pipeline.
NOT. OF. BLOOD.
So what exactly are we still debating?
You cannot claim to be born of God and still be explaining your life by bloodline.
That is a contradiction of identity at the highest level.
The new birth did not improve your bloodline.
It ended it.
You did not carry your lineage into Christ.
You lost it in Him.
Let me be very clear and very loud:
Bloodline as a governing spiritual factor for the believer is dead on arrival.
Because the very scripture that defines your birth in Christ explicitly denies blood as a source.
So when a doctrine rises that tries to reintroduce blood as an explanatory system for your life, it is not deep.
It is a regression.
And it gets worse.
It is not just error.
It is an insult to the blood of Jesus.
Hebrews says:
“How much more shall the blood of Jesus…”
HOW MUCH MORE.
Meaning whatever you think blood can do biologically or ancestrally,
the blood of Jesus has already outperformed, outclassed, and outdone it completely.
So how do we now turn around and say:
“Yes, we have the blood of Jesus… but your bloodline is still speaking.”
What exactly is that?
That is not doctrine.
That is confusion dressed in spirituality.
You are not a product of bloodlines.
You are a product of the blood.
Not many bloods.
Not ancestral streams.
THE blood.
And that blood did not negotiate with your past.
It wiped it out.
And let us correct the warfare narrative while we are here.
The scripture says clearly:
“We wrestle not against flesh and blood…”
So why are you building an entire warfare system around bloodlines?
You are fighting what the scripture already told you is not your warfare.
That is not spiritual intelligence.
That is doctrinal misalignment.
Let me land this with force:
If your explanation for your life after Christ still traces back to blood,
then you have not understood your birth.
Because the day you were born again:
You did not become a better version of your ancestry.
You became a new creation in Christ.
A new origin.
A new source.
A new identity.
So enough of this language that sounds deep but empties the gospel of its power.
Enough of this narrative that gives more voice to ancestry than to Christ.
Enough.
The blood of Jesus is not in competition with your bloodline.
It ended it.
Walk in the reality of your birth.
It is my birthday and I stand in profound recognition of the intentional workings of God’s grace and mercy in my life, not merely received but consciously utilised and maximally optimised for divine purpose.
This grace is not contained, it is expansive and distributive, continually diffusing through many, multiplying impact and producing a widening stream of transformed lives.
Thank God and rejoice with me, for thanksgiving does not remain personal, it abounds, escalates and overflows to the glory of God.
Your humility, selfless service, and simplicity have won my admiration for you and your ministry.
You are a generational blessing.
Happy birthday sir
@deleosunmakinde@DavidAzeez_
Your humility, selfless service, and simplicity have won my admiration for you and your ministry.
You are a generational blessing.
Happy birthday sir
@deleosunmakinde@DavidAzeez_
Your humility, selfless service, and simplicity have won my admiration for you and your ministry.
You are a generational blessing.
Happy birthday sir @deleosunmakinde@DavidAzeez_
Your humility, selfless service, and simplicity have won my admiration for you and your ministry.
You are a generational blessing.
Happy birthday sir @deleosunmakinde@DavidAzeez_
One of the most pressing questions in the mind of many...I was asked again last week
“Sir, can a Christian be bewitched?”—referring to Paul’s sharp rebuke in Galatians 3:1.
Before answering, I told them this:
You cannot isolate Galatians 3:1 and build a mystical doctrine on it.
You must read it in the context of the whole epistle.
The book of Galatians is not a fragmented letter—it is a full, robust defence of the gospel of grace against the infiltration of legalism and false doctrine.
Then I read the verse out loud:
“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?” — Galatians 3:1 (KJV)
Let’s be clear:
The bewitching here is NOT altars, NOT ancestral cycles, NOT village spirits, NOT covens, and NOT demonic sieges.
Paul is not talking about a shrine in your village—he’s talking about your theology!
This is not a mystical attack—it is a doctrinal drift.
The bewitching is in NOT OBEYING THE TRUTH.
It is in abandoning the gospel of grace for the works of the law.
It is in turning away from Christ crucified to embrace human effort.
Paul says the gospel—the cross—was publicly and powerfully preached. It was evident, clear, and vivid.
But the Galatians walked away.
That is the real bewitchment.
Not demonic candles.
Not ancestral thrones.
But rejecting the revelation of Christ.
Every time you disobey the truth of the gospel, you step under a spell—not a shrine spell, but a spell of self-righteousness and religious performance.
That is why Paul shouts, “O FOOLISH GALATIANS!”
You don’t need a demon to fall—just a false teacher with a nice voice.
This is warfare in your theology.
Not a night battle, but a belief battle.
The worst spell you can fall under is a gospel that has no cross.
BUT WAIT—THERE'S MORE.
We must also be balanced. Because Scripture does not stop there.
Witchcraft is not only theological—it is also behavioural.
Paul lists witchcraft (Greek: pharmakeia) as one of the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:20.
That means there is a practical, flesh-based witchcraft—manifested in control, manipulation, domination, intimidation, and emotional coercion.
You don’t need a spell book to operate in witchcraft.
You just need to start using fear, guilt, or false submission to control others.
When spiritual leaders manipulate followers, when spouses control each other with fear, when people hijack your choices by emotional bondage—that is witchcraft in operation.
It's not mystical—but it is fleshly and destructive.
AND YES—IN SOME CONTEXTS, THERE IS PRACTICAL WITCHCRAFT.
Let’s not be naïve.
In some cultural and spiritual environments, actual witchcraft—through spells, incantations, rituals, sacrifices, and altars—is real.
It exists, and Scripture doesn’t ignore it.
But we must not elevate it above Christ.
We must not make it the centrepiece of our gospel.
We must not reduce every issue to a shrine or a generational curse.
Jesus is greater.
The blood speaks louder.
The cross is final.
No Christian should live in fear of witchcraft.
So here is the full picture:
Theological witchcraft—rejecting the truth of the cross.
Behavioural witchcraft—manipulation, control, and soulish influence.
Practical witchcraft—real but defeated, never greater than the finished work of Christ.
So, can a Christian be bewitched?
Yes—but not in the way many think.
You are bewitched when:
You replace the cross with effort.
You abandon grace for law.
You manipulate people instead of walking in love.
You fear darkness more than you trust light.
You allow the works of the flesh to dominate your relationships.
The greatest spell is not cast in darkness—it is cast when truth is abandoned.
The person who asked me replied: “Thank you sir, I now understand.”
And I said: “God bless you!”