" Ask, and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you ". Matthew 7:7

But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, JOY PEACE, FORBEARANCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS and SELF-CONTROL. Against such things there is no law ."- Galatians 5:23

PRAYER INTENTIONS

1. Pray for your own PERSONAL INTENTIONS.

2. Pray for FELLOWSHIP and communion with the Holy Spirit- that you may grow in your walk with the Holy Spirit.

3. Pray for any 'FRUIT (s) of the HOLY SPIRIT* that you lack in your life. Please be specific if you realize you need JOY , GOODNESS and PEACE for instance, pray for that.

ADVANTAGES OF FELLOWSHIP WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT-2

• PATIENCE- are you patient? So you just called me for help, I told you am in a meeting and that I will get back to you-then just after 20 minutes you are calling me again- zero patience- “ then you are saying oh Fr. Cyril, it is me again ooh- I hope you are not bored ”- why shouldn’t I be bored at your impatience-

You know, the age of internet has even made it worse- we want everything here and now- without due regard to the LAW OF PROCESS- that's why we will continue to make serious mistakes, die young, get our blood pressures up, lose sleep, loose appetite and remain depressed until we learn to be patient enough and follow due process.

Listen ooh, everything under this earth must go through the law of process- that’s why you were in your mother’s womb for 9months - LAW of PROCESS - AND no offence, but who do you think you are, how old are you? You just appeared in a universe that has been running this laws before you came in and you want a short cut, No-No - No, it doesn't work that way– that's why we are paying for our lack of patience and lack of respect for due process.

People don’t want to go through the process, they want everything hic et nunc. People visit the mechanic, the Doctor, teacher, the bank, no patience for this professionals to render their services. Can you please fix it quickly for me and let me go… we come to Church, even in the church people are impatient- service is prolonging why? What is the preacher-man talking about? Impatience all over the place.

People come to see you with a problem that took 20 years to develop and they want instant- solutions. As you grow to physical, emotional, and spiritual maturity, there are several ways to cooperate with God in the process. Believe God is working in your life even when you don't feel it. Spiritual, emotional, and physical growth is sometimes tedious work, one small step at a time. Expect gradual improvement. The Bible says, " Everything on earth has its own time and its season. ” There are seasons in your physical, emotional, and spiritual life, too. Sometimes you will have a short, intense burst of growth followed by a period of stabilization and testing.

What about those problems, habits, and hurts you would like miraculously removed? It's fine to pray for a miracle, but don't be disappointed if the answer comes through a gradual change and process. Over time, a slow, steady stream of water will erode the hardest rock and turn giant boulders into pebbles. One of life's frustrations is that God's timetable is rarely the same as ours. We are often in a hurry when God isn't. You may feel frustrated with the seemingly slow progress you're making in life. Remember that God is never in a hurry, but he is always on time. He will use your entire lifetime to prepare you for your role in eternity.

The Bible is filled with examples of how God uses a LONG PROCESS to develop character, especially in leaders. He took eighty years to prepare Moses, including forty in the wilderness. For 14,600 days Moses kept waiting and wondering, " Is it time yet ? " But God kept saying,” Not YET, BE Patient."

Listen when I tell you, there are no Easy Steps to Maturity or Secrets of Instant Sainthood, When God wants to make a mushroom, he does it overnight, but when he wants to make a giant oak, he takes a hundred years. This is the irony but beauty of creation.

Great souls and great plans are grown through struggles and storms and seasons of suffering. Be patient with the process. James advised, “ Don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed ." James 1:4

So don't get discouraged. When Habakkuk became depressed because he didn't think God was acting quickly enough, God had this to say, be Patient: " These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day !" Habakkuk 2:3.

A delay is not a denial from God. Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be.

So ma guy, ma lady, easy, take it easy, pray for PATIENCE- Even the snail reached Noah's ark by patience and perseverance! Follow a due process and you will be glad you did. One of the reasons why there is a lot of sin and crime in the world today is because people don’t want to go through the process - people desire the success of other people - but they don’t want to submit themselves to the process to get this success. They always get it the wrong way; they kill, cheat, and steal to get success in life instead of going through the process. There is a godly way to get to the pinnacle of success and that is by going through the process. You do not have to compromise.

And fellowship with the Holy Spirit will give you, Patience and patience will help you to go through the law of process.

• GOODNESS/ BENEVOLENCE- the ease with which- you release things to bless others. Most of us are quick to receive but slow to give out- I know you can’t make a big sacrifice like Jesus- but you should be able to make a difference in your corner- learn to release- open your hands and you will never be poor- that attitude that some of us have🙄- once it is not about us -to hell with everyone…

Only fellowship with the Holy spirit can help you to be good and benevolent.

• FAITH/FAITHFULNESS (consistency and stability)- - Hebrews 11:1ff “ Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for ”

Faith is the assurance that God is greater than the problems. Faith is found in our actions and attitudes. Faithfulness requires us to submit our ways to God. Faith is not something just to be confessed with the mouth, when it is not in the heart.

To cause your faith to produce or to increase your faith, you must remain in the WORD and PRAY in the Holy Spirit. Give the word of God time to build you up daily, even as you pray in the Holy Spirit – Jude 1. The word of God will not produce except it descends into the heart. It is in the heart that the word is synthesized into a force. The word must also spring from your heart, not from your head or sense knowledge.

For it to produce fruits, it must have been in your heart, you must have believed in your heart first. For your faith to produce, actions must follow what you claim to believe.

It takes faith to please God. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are pleased by faith. Faith pleased God in both the Old and New Testaments

I will encourage you to learn how to walk by faith. God not only tells how to get faith, He tells us how faith works. ...Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith - (Mark 11:22-23)

Jesus was saying here in Mark 11 that there will be times in your life when nothing natural will move the mountain you are facing. It will take the supernatural to move that mountain. It will take the faith of God to open the door to the supernatural and release the power of God.

The God-kind of faith is an absolute necessity in this life; it is not an accessory or an option. This kind of faith works by believing in your heart and saying with your mouth. FELLOWSHIP with the Holy Spirit will increase your FAITH.

• Fellowship with the Holy Spirit will also PRODUCES THE CAPACITY TO LEARN, TO SUBMIT ONESELF TO KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING- what we call MEEKNESS OR HUMILITY- REMEMBER Lord resists the proud and raises the humble.

Teach-ability- take Nicodemus for instance in the gospel according to John , He was no ordinary person- he passes for the idea of a who a successful person is in our world today- He was religious- like most of us; He was a member of the church council-; He was very educated, influential and an earnest man. Yet something was missing- so he the search for Jesus began. He was humble. This man came to Jesus at night- the night which represents darkness, evil, negativity- he went through it in a bid to meet Jesus the light- Nicodemus came to seek the light and the truth- be humble- Do not assume- Ask, search, seek and you will discover

No one is a complete reservoir of knowledge- even if one is a professor in a field, you can’t claim to know every single thing about that field- knowledge is dynamic and progressive- learning must therefore be ongoing- it must be a daily affair- like Nicodemus do not assume you know it all, if something is not clear to you, or you are in doubt look for experts and update your knowledge, and most importantly have a fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

TO BE CONTINUED

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