⏱ 15 min read

Today I planned to share a particular "new post" with you, but I felt strongly led to share this with you instead (will most likely share the other one during Christmas; so look out for that lol). But I know you will be blessed greatly by this. Thank you for celebrating with me and all of us at AWG also. Please do share and also do support Project Grace 2.0. Enjoy a blessed read!

About five (5) years ago, three (3) wonderful people – Lady Min Akua, Ms Sarah Laryea and Lady Min Bimps, all of Gracefields Chapel; great church family – took me out for a pancake treat at the Boadi Junction Shell in Kumasi, Ghana (if you care to know, the pancake was amazing).

Anyways, I had to leave them to have a Girls’ Night, so I decided to take a peripatetic walk back to my room at Gaza [Truth is I was actually not getting any vehicle so yeah, Johnny Walker (me) took my lexus (my two legs) and hit the road].

Now it was on my way, as I walked along the very busy Accra-Kumasi highway that the Holy Spirit drew my attention to what I’m about sharing with you:

“If you think the safety rules are painful or painstaking, try crashing or having an accident…”

Please read it again:

“If you think the safety rules are painful or painstaking, try crashing or having an accident…”

Perhaps it’s still a bit unclear in your mind; I trust God will give you great understanding by the end of your read.

Let’s take driving to illustrate: If you believe wearing your seatbelt, or wearing a helmet (for motor drivers), or not texting as you drive is painful, tedium and very uncomfortable, try crashing, let’s see which one is actually painful and uncomfortable.

What was the Holy Spirit driving at: the simple or seemingly cliched ‘rules’/practices are actually much fun compared to the pain of crashing, injury to body, debt for reparations, trauma, etc.

“If you think the safety rules are painful, try crashing…”

What the Holy Spirit alluded to me was that many of us find the safety rules to be monotonous and banal; we think it’s boring and one-way to “Read your Bible, pray everyday, if you want to grow.”

That statement has become a platitude amongst the Christian family. So we neglect this, and head out in our Christian journey, only to crash at a point and left in immense pain.

Interestingly, it is often after we crash that we want to go back to the simple safety rules.

But do tell me, of what use is a seatbelt after the crash; and how does wearing the helmet help you after the accident has already happened?

Some of us are headed on a financial prosperity journey; God gives a simple safety sign: “Do not rob me of My tithes and offerings… I’m going to protect all that concerns you and bless you greatly if you’re faithful in this.”

But then again, we ignore it and head out on our journey, moving at top speed towards our goal until there is painful crash.

A health crash, for instance, can call for all the money you’ve amassed for yourself; an accident, a failed business, etc., and at that moment we are now looking for a seatbelt or helmet; you’re now looking to go and give a huge offering or tithe, hoping that will deliver you from the accident. What are we even doing; are we trying to mock God?

If I told you an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and you said:

“Oh great, I would love to keep the doctor away, but I can’t discipline myself to take an apple everyday, so I’m going to wait till the month ends and then get 30 apples and eat them that day or two days, to make up for it.”

I tell you the truth, that might actually take you to the doctor than keep him away.

And what if you ignored the ‘apple a day’ advice totally; as in you know it but just chose not to follow it (just drove without the seatbelt), and the next forty years you are plaqued by an ailment (a crash).

How silly would it be to decide to want all the apples uneaten to be calculated and given to you that day. Forty years of apples to be calculated for you to eat? We can almost predict your death on that day isn’t it?

But if it’s the same quantity of Apple you would have used if you’d eaten one each day, why doesn’t it solve the problem too?

The effectiveness of the safety advice, is in the daily application; it is potent when the discipline to do it everyday is employed.

The potency of the blessing in giving is not in a huge offering when you’re in need, or donating to orphans for a breakthrough; its in your faithfulness to tithes and offerings.

The ability of the Word to keep you from temptation, is from a daily study of it. So that in the event of a plausible crash, the Holy Spirit will remind you of that Word and direct you from it.

Don’t wait till an unfortunate event befalls you and then decide to go sleep in the temple courts or Church, and cry out to God. And for sure, grace and mercy works!! I call on it on the daily and you should in such a situation; but you see, grace also teaches (Read Titus 2:11-14).

And we all being students before can understand that you cannot be taught to gain understanding of an entire syllabus in a day.

The syllabus is available, the teacher might be the best there is, but effective teaching doesn’t happen in that one day.

So don’t ignore the Holy Spirit’s leading to spend a daily quality time in prayer; daily quality time in Bible study; longing to be in the temple courts each time the people of God gather; these days online.

Make it a consistent priority, lest the Christianity you profess will not have any effect on your life.

Some of us, especially we the brothers, can spend 3 hours watching porn and masturbating every day; and then you’re surprised that you can’t seem to lay these weights down even though you’re a Christian.

Tell me, since you got to know Christ, have you ever tried having a 3-hour Bible reading and prayer?

And some of us will go to church, (you’ll go late o), and during the service you start looking at the time, “Pastor is keeping long, when will they close?” “They should hurry up and finish so I can go.”

Oh sister, you’re in a hurry to leave God’s presence and go back to your series/movie?

Or you want to go back to your deceptive and chronic lying life?

Or you’re going back to that boy’s room for him to continue lying to you and shifting your womb?

Truth is, the word and the message and the Christianity will not have any effect on you that way.

It will try to have an effect, but the birds will steal it; the troubles of life will choke it; and you’ll continue the same way as before, no change.

“And if you think the safety rules are painful, try crashing…”

Someone once (like 7 years ago) asked me to shorten the devotionals. “It’s too long and no one wants to read long things. Make it into points; like 5 short points.”

But you can read a post that has a sex story or a funny joke or something else for a long period; and then share it to all your friends.

Let’s be serious!!

We are not shortening our messages for people who don’t actually love God and just want shortcuts: shortcut prayers and shortcut Bible study and shortcut quick services, shortcut devotionals, etc., so they can say:

“Oh I went to service today, Pastor did well, he was quick paah and the service was short; I like this pastor, I’ll go again next week.”

But the time you use for the after church photoshoot alone and how eager you are to post a picture of your nice clothes to show you went to Church is …hmm…

“Oh I read today’s 5 points, I’ve done my quiet time; I even posted it on my status.”

• What quality time did you really spend with God with the 5 points?
• How exactly can the Christianity have an effect on your life; on your lying, on your stealing, on the pornography, on the anger, on the fornication, on the unforgiveness; on your relationships; on your work; on your academics; your finances, etc??
• How can it change you? How can your path be made brighter and brighter unto a perfect day? (Proverbs 4:18).

And we wait till everything has crashed and you’re in a deep hole or crisis before we start to take all the apples in a day: you want to suddenly be able to pray all-night like Elijah about that issue and have it all go away; or do some magic wave with your hand to wish it all away.

For some people, that is even when you will realise that you do not even know how to pray or pray for long hours; but the pastor has taught on prayer o, just that you went late, and then sat at the back chatting on your phone, and you were in a hurry to leave the service.

“Dear friend, if you think the safety rules are painful or painstaking, try having a crash or an accident…”

Now before you quote that Jesus, when faced with death on the cross, went to the garden to pray till He sweated blood, may I help you understand that withdrawing to pray was a quotidian practice for Jesus.

“Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” ~ Mark 1:35 (Also read Luke 22:39, Matt 14:23).

The same with being in Church to fellowship, he was there all the time (Luke 4:16); since 12 years of age (Luke 2:46-47) and at a point, everyday (Luke 22:53).

That particular period in the garden was a very special time that needed top-up of extra power and strength; and that was at least 3 hours of prayer, according to the Bible.

But Jesus’ success in life and ministry was tied to His quotidian practice of a relationship with God and being in the temple courts daily.

“Dear friend, if you think the safety rules are painful or painstaking, try having a crash or an accident.”

May Grace teach us to develop a daily relationship with the Father; may Grace teach us to be faithful with the seemingly ‘banal’ instructions.

“You are my friends if you do what I command.” ~ (John 15:14).

Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” This is how we show that we love God, but being obedient to the ‘little apple-a-day’ instructions He has given us.

My Personal Prayer (feel free to adapt also):

Oh Heavenly Father help me! Help me be faithful in my daily walk with you. Help me show that I really love you by spending quality time with you. Help me Jesus! Help me endure the pain of daily discipline so that I do not end up with the pain of regret. Grace Lord, I need your grace more than I thought I ever would. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

If you are not born again or you want to re-dedicate your life to God, I want you to know that decision is the best thing that can ever happen to you. All you need to do is to believe in your heart and pray this prayer with me in faith:

“Jesus, You died upon the cross and rose again to save the lost. Forgive me now of all my sins. Come be my Savior, my Lord, and my Friend. Change my life and make it new and help me, Lord, to live for You. Today, I choose to respond to your great love; thank you for loving me. Please give me your Spirit, that I may live a life that pleases you, Amen!”

Congratulations!! There is great rejoicing in heaven because of you. You are a new creation and you have your ticket to everlasting life because of this choice!

If you prayed this prayer for the first time, or you just re-dedicated your life to Christ, we would like to know you and help you on this new journey… Just click here and get in touch.

Stay blessed and kindly share with friends and family. Oh and congratulations for making it to the end of our longest read; much love!

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Also, Happy birthday to me! Do share a word of prayer for more grace for this work. And we have a Project Grace 2.0 from now till end of year that we’d be grateful for your support on.

Recently, we’ve been working on some songs the Lord gave us [Two (2) songs are almost completed; actually just need to be recorded] and we want to be serious about them and get a music setup where our composers can create and work on the new music, 🎶 many more drafted, and even many more to come.

We’ve already had great support from you, our friends and family, and through that we were able to complete the writers and editors workspace (~GHS 3,000) [Last image on page]. What we’re seeking support for now, is the equipment needed for the music composer workspace (~GHS 9,000; breakdown below). We are asking that you join in and support this in any way you can and we know the Lord will bless you greatly.

We are hoping to recreate the first image below (credits to Samuel @calledoutmusic on Twitter).

Music composer setup:
- A piano (eg. midi-controller) (GHS 4,900) 
https://www.arturia.com/store/hybrid-synths/keylab-essential-88

- Midi-interface + microphone (GHS 2,032)
https://virtualsoundlab.com/product/focusrite-scarlett-2i2-studio-3rd-gen-recording-bundle/

- Storage device for all music, raw files, plugins and softwares (GHS 400)

- Piano stand (GHS 439)
DOUBLE TIER X-KEYBOARD STAND KS210B


- Piano bench or seat (GHS 514)
https://virtualsoundlab.com/product/keyboard-bench-kb200b/

We’re hoping as Black Friday approaches, we can get them at some good discounts. [Also, if you already own some of these and you want to donate them, that will be a great blessing]. Super grateful for your support and we pray God blesses any heart touched to give with an overflowing purse  You can give via:

MTN MoMo: 055 938 3068 (kindly use reference: Project grace)

Vodafone Cash: 050 137 5689, (kindly use reference: Project grace)

Guaranty Trust (GT) Bank account: 
Account no: 304 101 149 1590
Branch: KNUST Branch
Swift Code: GTBIGHAC
Bank Address: 25A, Castle Road, Ambassadorial Area, Ridge

Name on accounts is: Eric [Ebenezer A.] Boham