WISDOM FOR THE DAY DEVOTIONAL
By Bishop Mike Okonkwo
THURSDAY 30th APRIL 2026
TOPIC: IT IS BY GRACE, NOT BY WORKS
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV
The book of Zechariah 4:6 says: “……not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” It went on in verse 7 to state that the temple shall be completed with a capstone with shouts of grace.
Recognize that it is grace, not works. God has called you to just rest in what He has done and enjoy yourself. You do more by resting in what Christ has done than trying to reinvent the wheel. The chastisement of your well-being was upon Him. He suffered on your behalf.
So, it will be an insult, disrespect, and arrogance not to accept why He did it.
The book of Hebrews 8:12 reminds us that God has wiped away all your sins and iniquity, and He will remember them no more. Your sins can never, never, by any means be remembered. So, when you are telling God about your sin. He will be asking which one? Because He doesn’t see you in sin!
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. It is like putting something into a bigger container, and you cannot see the thing anymore. Beloved, you disappeared in Christ when you became a believer. So, whenever God looks at you, all He sees is Christ.
So, God wants you to function as Christ because you are in Christ. When you lay hands and proclaim a blessing, it has to happen because you are in Christ. Whether you are selling in the market, you are still in Christ. You don’t go in and out of Christ. Your sin does not take you out of Christ.
Everyone in the bible who accepted this position, they went bananas for Jesus. Everyone who accepted Christ and the identity they have in Christ never went back to sin. So, stop being afraid that this will make people go and sin. It is a lie.
Further reading: Ephesians 2:1-10, Titus 3:3-7.
Daily Bible Reading: Morning – 1 Kings 8-9, Evening – Luke 21:1-19