WISDOM FOR THE DAY DEVOTIONAL
BY BISHOP MIKE OKONKWO
WEDNESDAY JULY 1st 2026
TOPIC: GRACE SAVES THROUGH FAITH
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” – Ephesians 2:8 KJV
For by grace are you saved. Grace saved you! But grace alone cannot save you. Grace saves through faith. It is like sodium chloride for those who know chemistry. Sodium alone could be poisonous, and chloride alone could also be poisonous. But when you mix the two of them, it becomes salt and useful to you.
Some of us believers hear some funny things, and we run with them without verifying them from the Scriptures. I heard some people even go to the extent of saying things like, “Since we are under grace, there is no need to fast.” What a dumb statement! We could as well have said there is no need for prayers and praises, or that there is no need to go to church, because everything has already been given to us by God.
It is true that before man was created, God had put everything there for man. That is God’s method. Ever before any need ever existed, He had already provided the supply. Fasting will not make God do anything, He has already done it. When you are fasting with understanding, it helps to boost your faith to receive what grace has supplied.
The reason for fasting is for you to hear God. It is for you to be sensitive and see what has been provided. When you are sensitive, your spiritual ears and antenna are up. Therefore, you can receive because you are connected.
God’s love puts you in a position that enables you to receive what grace has supplied, and that position is called faith. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
But is everyone saved? Of course not! Why are they not saved? They have not believed. Titus 2:11 says, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” (KJV). But not all men are saved because salvation is by grace through faith.
Further Reading: Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 2:11-15.