Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotation are taken from the King James Version of the Bible Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplied Bible and MSG as the Message Bible Copyright (c) 2021 Seed of Greatness Ministries through Herald The Faith Publications Reproduction of text in whole or in part without the consent of the author is not permitted and is unlawful Nigeria: +2348066837603 Email: akinkuotuboluwatife@gmail.com Facebook: Seed of Greatness Ministries Twitter: Bolu_Akins Table of Contents ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) Dedication ............................................ ................................ iii Appreciation ......................................... .................................. iv Introduction ........................................... ................................. 05 Module One ........................................... ............................... 07 Module Two ............................................ ............................... 44 ii Dedication ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) This edition been my first sole publication is dedicated to my beloved mother Akinkuotu Funmilayo Ololade for her support over the years, for her words, prayers and sacrifice that has enabled us to carry out he work of the ministry easily, she is God's gift to me as a person and to Seed of Greatness Ministries as a family. God will not forget her labour of love I pray she is able to do much more to add more value to us In Jesus Name Amen iii Appreciation My heart felt gratitude goes my Almighty Father who have raised me, chosen me and equipped me for His divine will, i certainly would be nothing without Him, all the good things we have has been given by Him, sincerely no Father like Him. I would also love to appreciate my beloved wife Olabisi for her support and our Editorial team for their seless labour for this work to be edited. Thank You Sincerely Grateful ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) iv ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) Boluwatife Akinkuotu 05 Introduction This book metamorphosed from one of our online meetings, I saw the need to deliberate more on this teaching, and to pour out my heart on the subject matter. There were many things the Lord told me to emphasize. I would also be directly lifting those instructions and its implication to our Christian life, because the subject matter directly inuences spiritual growth which in turn affects the quality of our Christian life. It is expedient for us to look into these areas with keen interest and watch what the Lord will say to us so that we can make decisions that will affect our growth positively. One of the instructions the Lord gave was to emphasize on the subject of consistency in spiritual exercise in piety towards God. To walk with God is beyond few minutes, days or year; it’s a daily thing. Many of us have once in our life time had honeymoon with God. By that I mean an expensive or protracted time with the Lord, let say forty days prayer and fasting or at certain time in our lives we gave ourselves to the ministry of the Word. While that is good, God is looking for a daily enraptured time with him, where you can know Him and hear from Him daily. Many of us are only running our spiritual life on the fuel, light or re we got some years back. Now the re is gone and we are left with ashes to prove that we were once on re, not knowing that the ashes can neither withstand rain, re or wind. What we think we know has quietly slipped out of our minds as smoke out of a long quenched re. The reason is that we failed to walk with the Lord daily and only trust in encounters in years gone by, however God requires that we are consistent and faithful disciples and sons of Him. Many of us had seen God but now we are not seeing Him. We have known His ways and heart but now we do not look like it just because we slide back to make our life look worthy without Him. Even though we have earthly possession of some sort, until we see ourselves only in Him and nothing without Him, we would have other options than to walk with Him. You see, some already trust in bows, spears and sword so there is no space to trust in the Lord. This is what they don’t know- machines, bodyguards, Boluwatife Akinkuotu 06 armoured vehicles only stops death to an extent, Satan in his cunningness is creating more weapons of mass destructions that don’t look like agent of death to us. In ministry, Satan is devising more spiritual methods to kill. Few years back it was popularized that it’s either Gold, Girls or Glory kills one, so, one is to watch out for them fervently. While this is true, do you also know that a lot of ministers of God die because of stress from unrest, nancial pressure and all sort of pressure, lack of been taken care of by the church and competitive spirit, hatred from deacons, members and other pastors? You see that there are many ways to be eliminated and you will be if you don’t walk with God consistently. Many have only learned to trust the arm of esh which will fail in due time but you must relegate your other options in your heart. If you can listen and trust in business forecast why then do you need to pray to take decision? If you can see with your physical eyes only, then why pray instead of pitching tent near Sodom and Gomorrah? Why pray concerning a life partner? As you erase all your natural options you will begin to see the need for a daily walk with God and the price of consistency. In such, you will understand that walking with God is not just something that’s supposed to be on your wishlist only but something you must exercise yourself daily to. In the next few pages I would be discussing the principles and practices that we need to exercise daily or as a routine to help us keep spiritually t in order to exercise ourselves constantly unto godliness. In fact, the practice of these things is the exercising of ourselves unto godliness. I also encourage you to read between the lines. Your brother in Christ Bolu Akin ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) Boluwatife Akinkuotu 07 Module One BIBLICAL CONCEPT Boluwatife Akinkuotu 08 As there are activities in the physical for the maintenance of the body and our immediate environment, even much more benecial activities are there for spiritual growth and enforcement of God's will in the spiritual that governs the totality of our lives. Do you know a lot of physical and chemical activities are going on around you but you are not aware, same as spiritual too. In fact I believe it’s the wisdom of God to conceal some things if not we may not even want to relate with natural things at all. Also I want us to do away with spiritism and over spirituality. Part of over spirituality is neglecting totally the physical and focusing only on the spiritual, not to touch, eat, sleep, wash, be clean, look good etc. Neglect of the natural will kill you quick because the physical or natural body houses the spiritual. When the natural gets tired of inconsistency towards it, it will give way for your spirit to come out before you can nish your assignment. 1 Timothy 4:7-8 But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness [8] For bodily exercise proteth little: but godliness is protable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This does not suggest that you don't do exercise at all. In fact, it acknowledges its little prot in the sense that it is natural, the result are physical, temporary and not eternal. He rather points you to a spiritual exercise. Apostle Paul frequently borrowed metaphors from the athletics track - see 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Galatians 5:7; Philippians 2:16. The picture here is the Greek gymnasium, with grounds for exercise, running, wrestling etc. It was a place for bodily exercise and competition. Now see what Paul says to Timothy -“You, as a Christian, must exercise your soul as carefully, regularly and rigorously as the worldly Greeks exercise their bodies. Those that exercise their bodies do it rigorously that they sweat, they pay attention to it. I once saw an athlete dragging a caterpillar vehicle ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) tyre tied with rope to his waist while on a journey in a commercial bus in Lagos State Nigeria. I initially thought he was under punishment until I saw others with their ‘cross’. Some carried little weight, some were just jogging. It’s not easy to be an athlete, to build muscle or lift weight. It takes consistency, commitment and devotion to sustain tness , same as spiritual too. If they do this thing for temporary things, how much more we can exercise ourselves to godliness and spiritually fruitful activities. Theirs is a physical exercise only while yours is a spiritual exercise. Theirs makes the body well and develops it, your objective must be to keep your soul t and to develop it unto godliness, in order that you may become a godly person, growing in spiritual maturity and Christ-likeness. You must develop spiritual stamina and strength. You must be thick, you must be spiritually built in order to carry out divine assignment. See, in the world of today, a believer who wants to stand in the evil day must feed his soul well. The issue is, to gain spiritual weight you must shed physical weight, One must go for one at certain point and the other an alternative forgone for that season. There must be a trade-off between natural things and spiritual things. If you want to be a man of the spirit or spiritually matured, you must be prepared to let go of natural things and ideologies for spiritual things that can permit you to grow and you must prepare your heart to be consistent and diligent at them. They must be consistent activities to avoid reversal or pseudo kind of growth. An example is the church in Galatia which had been established in the doctrine of grace through Christ our Lord. As long as they fed on the right diet consistently through the Apostle Paul, they grew but immediately their diet changed to another kind of gospel or rather, faith in the mosaic law that has been done away with, they began to draw back. Galatians 3:1- O foolish Galatians, who did bewitch you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth crucied? Let me ask you; have you see a man who used to train his body few years ago that gave it up? I have seen brethren. ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) Boluwatife Akinkuotu 09 All their six packs, muscles and big chest have vanished. They now have a pot belly. Those chests have become breasts. They used to be hard on themselves in self discipline to train their body but they gave it up. This is exactly what is wrong with some Christians. At the beginning of their Christian life they read the Bible, prayed, fasted, attended meetings, healed the sick and the likes but after a while they let go of the discipline of doing these things especially reading and meditating on the scriptures, then what they used to conquer now conquers them . When you stop doing spiritual exercise you have stopped watching. Watching is not with the senses or physical eyes, its spiritual. That's why Jesus said watch and pray. A spiritually dull person can’t watch and would always swim in the pool of temptations. In fact, he or she may have gone so far that it would take days or months to show the person that you have sinned. The more spiritually dull an individual is, the more time it would take you to try to bring such persons out of the deceitfulness of the pleasures of sin. There are certain people, immediately they stumble - it may not even be what we count as offence, maybe they didn’t walk in love-, they would say like David, ‘Oh I have sinned’. But you would see some person caught in the very act of smoking, fornication, adultery or drinking. ‘Brother, this character is unlike a new creature’. Then you will hear brother show me the scriptures that says don’t smoke and drink. Even when you show them they have been separated and made holy and those things by implication and biblical examples do not glorify God, they still need exegesis to repent. To others sexual sins such as fornication, lesbianism, gayism have been redened to be accepted by their own version of the scriptures and because they gave their bodies and their mind to be besieged by lust and spiritual dullness, they are carried by the wind of strong delusion and deception, morally they begin to stink that even unbelievers begin to correct their moral judgement of good and bad. You are not trying to grow your spirit man, your spirit is perfect. It’s already joined with God's spirit, but your mind, heart or soul must develop ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) Boluwatife Akinkuotu 10 to catch up with spiritual realities and the body must be subjected with all gravity. 1Corinthians 6:17- He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit, but your body must be retrained and set on display as instrument of righteousness. You must grow in grace and in the knowledge of God. As a matter of fact, your spirit knows all things. If Jesus appears to him without Him introducing himself he would know. If it’s a fake Jesus He would know. Your spirit has come to the awareness of spiritual understanding of God’s nature and love, but your mind and body have to grow into that reality. Your spirit cannot be joined with the precious Holy Spirit and it remains unchanged or in darkness. The Holy Spirit is the light of your spirit - co-joined and sealed in there as a guarantee of the quality of Christ nished work from the cross to the throne. No darkness of any sought in there but the mind can be darkened by several philosophy, thoughts, external inuence and words. In fact, the rst time light would have ooded your heart was when the Word of Truth - The gospel was preached to you. Colossians 2:8 – “Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ’’. Then you receive the light, believed and began to see that you are saved by grace through faith under the light of God’s word. As you have received the light of the gospel through his word, you must begin to see every area of your life under the light of God’s word in the face of Christ. Spiritual growth for a new man in Christ does not only come by learning how Israel moved from Egypt to Canaan land or good biblical examples, because all these knowledge were available to the Jews. Jesus never discouraged nor spoke ill of those teaching. He even cited them Luke 4:26(1King 17:9), 4:18 (Isi 61:1), same as Apostles Acts 2:25(Psalms 16:8), 1Peter 2:24(Isi 53:4,11) but He explained concerning himself from the scriptures because that knowledge is the bedrock of their salvation. Luke 24:25 Then he said unto them, "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: " 26 "Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? " 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) Boluwatife Akinkuotu 11 expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself. 44 And he said unto them, "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fullled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. " Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: " 47 "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” I believe Isaiah and Psalm are the most quoted scriptures in the Old Testament and they are the most messianic (this in no way suggests the inferiority of other teachings apart from salvation, it only instructs that since there is a strong emphasis all through the scriptures then it must be the rst teaching in the ladder of priority as Jesus also conrms it by putting the salvation of souls rst and then other teachings followed and not the other way round. I put you to remembrance how Christ said, “What shall it prot a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” Salvation is the point of entrance to everything God provided in Christ Jesus. To miss salvation is to miss God. Furthermore, a lot of spiritual realities were brought to light concerning Christ and His church. For example, in rst Corinthians, sixteenth verse of the third chapter, it says ye are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwell in you , so are you still looking for God’s house, you are now! Same way the temple was, now the physical temple is God’s property bought by the church with money provided by God, but you are God’s own property bought, washed and cleansed by Christ’s precious blood that far outweighs perishable things. So, God bought you to reside in you, glory! You are looking for God’s House, look, here we are! Hallelujah. It’s more than information; it is a fact and revelation. But when are we going to simply believe this? There are some sects of people struggling to believe this but as soon as they nally believe this, the devil through religious people quickly tells them that the Holy Spirit has not come to reside permanently or fully, they quickly quote how ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) Boluwatife Akinkuotu 12 David said take not thy spirit from me. Wake up brothers and sisters. Did David have an advocate just freshly slain for his sake? - A new way and access to God! The Holy Spirit has come to stay; exactly why he washed, cleansed, puried and justied us (Titus 3:4-7 1Corin 6:11, Eph 1:13, 4:30, Heb 10:1-22) 1Cor 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God , and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ? 2Cor 6:16 - And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them ; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. It is as we grow in true spiritual knowledge concerning Christ that we can say we have grown. You may grow in wisdom by reading proverbs but that doesn’t mean you have grown spiritually. It only means you have grown in certain wisdom for living or been instilled with the fear of God, because any unbeliever can accept certain wisdom of God that helps good conduct and general faith but spiritual wisdom is beyond that . Right living that stems out from right believing is the true sign of spiritual growth. The highest form of spiritual growth is concerning Christ, the new creation and the reality that follows (that you see God in Christ, and you see yourself in Him, can you truly say myself and God are one in my spirit! That’s not a joke; that is what God made possible in Christ) , the argument is not ‘can we neglect other wisdom for living in the Bible?’ If you neglect it, you would pay dearly for it because these things were written for an example of things to follow and avoid. 1Cor 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) Boluwatife Akinkuotu 13 Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples , to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Every canonized writings of the Bible- not just the books of the law- qualies to be God’s breathe or inspiration because they all agree to a central theme of Jesus either in prophecy, types and shadows or plain speeches. 2Tim 3:16- All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is protable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. This example tupos greek teaching in form of analogy to us , but there are certain knowledge we ought to live in as children of God. The Christian life is beyond leaving or following things, it’s a Life, a life that Christ shared and the result that follows. Now your exposure to that life determines how you have grown in the knowledge of Christ. There is growth in natural wisdom and there is growth in spiritual wisdom. 1Cor 2:1- And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucied . 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) Boluwatife Akinkuotu 14 and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 6 We speak wisdom, however, among them that are full- grown: yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nought: 7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, even the wisdom that hath been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory: 8 which none of the rulers of this world hath known: for had they known it, they would not have crucied the Lord of glory: Jesus is The Wisdom of God Glory! The Wisdom Hidden as a mystery. A mystery is not something mysterious even though it is astonishing. A mystery is a hidden secret. I Corinthians 1:24- But unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 1Pet 1:18- Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 1Pet 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. When we say spiritual wisdom we are not just talking about good advice, we are talking of wisdom not revealed to the world, hidden from the foundation of the world until Christ was revealed. It was a hidden mystery to the prophets as God spoke through them but to us it’s a light, a shadow to them, a reality as bright light to us - light of life. It’s a knowledge hidden from the most scholastic doctors, nobles and professors in the esh ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) Boluwatife Akinkuotu 15 today but rightly understood by a humble believing illiterate. The highest form of spiritual knowledge, that of a truth Christ died, was buried and raised back to life, as Christ is the wisdom and power of God so is the preaching of the good news of Christ the wisdom of God unto salvation. 1Cor 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew rst, and also to the Greek. Where else could we have found out that He Jesus was the Son of God and that the Son of God came that He might bring many Sons to Glory and that we are sons of God? Where else could we have seen that we have eternal redemption which is eternal forgiveness of sins through Christ blood? Where else could we have seen that we could pray in the spirit and live a life of the spirit? Where else could we see the demonstration of power in Christ’s name? Where else could we have seen the order in and power invested on the Church? Where else could we have seen the message of salvation and substitutionary works of Christ explained from Calvary to God’s heavenly throne? Where else could we see where it is said to plainly and boldly call God our Father? It’s a spiritual knowledge. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18 If you don't grow you would never have spiritual boldness to command authority even though all authority to effect changes in heaven ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) Boluwatife Akinkuotu 16 and earth has been passed on to you in Christ Jesus. In fact, for you to know you have one authority in Christ somewhere means you've received a form of knowledge - that is you have grown to an extent because when you were in the world you didn't know that. You couldn't even use it because you never even had authority in Christ because you were not in Christ. The body of a man is not the man as 1Thess 5:23 gives the spiritual order of the faculties or constituent of man; it is only the house in which the man lives. Spiritual exercise, however, prots and benets the soul and expression of the spirit man, the inward man who lives in the body (2Corin 4:6, Rom 7:22). Thus, Hendriksen renders 1 Timothy 4:7, “Train yourself for godly living”; and J.B. Phillips makes it read, “Take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually t”. 1. It is a Personal Decision The apostle says, “Train yourself.”This is something we must do for ourselves - Just as how Paul points Timothy to personal practice that would benet him and others in the work of the ministry. 1Tim 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. There are lot of Christians who love to push responsibilities to others. Some may even say I cannot form a good habit without the support of others. While God has envisaged this and provided the local church and ministry gift for this purpose, it is clear that we have a responsibility to full. We must be personally driven and embrace a heart and attitude of self-directed learner who has taken a journey of learning a course with zero external motivation. Spiritual growth is not a point only we desire to reach, it is a lifelong journey so also is the spiritual exercise. You see, the demands ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) Boluwatife Akinkuotu 17 will keep going high daily as we progress this journey. Following the Lord is your cross to carry. While Jesus has borne all our sins, it’s our responsibility to pay the price of knowing him which of course can never match up to the price He paid to grant us direct access to the Father. For example, He has inspired this written word several years ago but it’s your responsibility to study, meditate and rightly divide the word of truth. You see, because the word of God is in literature form does not mean only logical studies will do, thus giving us another responsibility to pray of revelation knowledge, deep and concise insight to the things we read as Paul prayed in Eph 1:15- Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that lleth all in all. A lot of people read scriptures and it is still bit by bit in their mind. It’s like a scattered letter or puzzle and they still cannot grasp it or know what to do with it, thus the fruit of the scriptures is not evident in them or through them. They have known many things in the scriptures except for the riches and spiritual wealth, the sacrice of Jesus confers on them. Col 2:1- For I would that ye knew what great conict I have for you, ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) Boluwatife Akinkuotu 18 and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the esh; 2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge., they read it but they are not ooded with its light, they still nd other insight worth looking into other than Christ and the more they read or commit to memory the less they know, this was the problem of the Pharisees and doctors of the law. John 5:39asv- Ye search the scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of me. John 5:40- and ye will not come to me, that ye may have life They were searching the scriptures but miss the testimony of Jesus. They read the witness of the prophet but could not come to terms with it. They saw the works of Jesus and his message but rather went cold and carnal about it. How many of us are like this today trying so hard to misunderstand the gospel of grace and eternal redemption? We are unable to come to terms that we have obtained eternal redemption which is forgiveness of sins or reconciliation of debt. We have refused to advance in spiritual knowledge, claiming that the blood of bulls and goats that can cover sins for one year is far better than the life of Jesus taken to give life to everyone who believes. We bring up lame carnal examples to disapprove of the spiritual wealth that Jesus paid dearly for with his life and rather than to submit to God’s word, we pick schools of thought and divide the church of God into sects as the Pharisees and Sadducee did to the temple. ‘We cannot help God’ gives the excuse that if we preach, these people will be licensed to commit sin. Do people ever need our permission to sin? Did God not think of that when he inspired the text or when He sent Jesus to die so that through his name, there would be forgiveness of sins? Of course, he might have, but the Lord’s portals of remoulding the believer’s thought are ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) ...Spiritual Exercise... (Volume One) Boluwatife Akinkuotu 19