Weekly Grace

Christians have access to advantages the world has no knowledge of. One of those advantages is God’s unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor. In these last days, it’s important to vigilantly guard against false doctrines that challenge the grace of God. We can hear all kinds of messages, but some of what we hear won’t line up with the New-Testament truth.

Not everything that’s preached is grace-based. Regardless of how good a sermon sounds when it’s preached from the pulpit, we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to tell us what’s behind that message. Watered-down versions of the Gospel of Grace will lead us astray. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul expressed surprise and astonishment that the church turned renegade and deserted Him who called them by the grace of Christ.

Despite his past, Paul received abundant grace and forgiveness from God. Although Paul endured severe persecution because of the message he brought, he remained laser-focused on preaching grace, and nothing else. Nothing in the natural realm moved him; his main motivation was to further the ministry he had received from Jesus, to testify of the gospel of God’s grace.

There’s no genuine gospel other than the Gospel of Grace, yet some people can disturb and bewilder us with a different kind of teaching. Not every spirit is from God. It’s imperative to test the spirits, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. We must watch out for those who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what we’ve been taught.

We mustn’t let ourselves be sidetracked from what we know is the truth. Spiritual discernment helps keep us from being tripped up by any philosophy that contradicts the message of grace. By being alert and mindful of spiritual danger, we can walk in the blessings Jesus made available to us.

Prayer:

Lord, Your favor makes amazing benefits available to us. There’s always a danger that false doctrines will hold us back from receiving blessings, which is why You warn us not to fall prey to these wrong teachings. Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to help us distinguish between worldly philosophy and Your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Galatians 1:6, 7, AMPC

Acts 20:24

1 John 4:1, NKJV

Romans 16:17, NLT

All of us, at some point, have made mistakes or fallen short of our goals and felt guilty because of it. Perhaps we’ve made repeated attempts to do something we felt we should do, failed, and condemned ourselves for our failures. Feelings of condemnation stem from a mindset based in the old, expired Law of Moses; thankfully, the covenant of grace that Jesus established releases us from this curse. God sent us His Son not to condemn us, but to save us.

The law as given—with not only the Ten Commandments, but also more than six hundred additional requirements—was impossible to keep. It pointed out man’s sin, and created guilty consciences in everyone. When Jesus came, however, He turned everything around. The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 

Grace offers unconditional love and acceptance without judging. When Jesus came to Jericho and Zacchaeus, a thief, climbed a tree to see Him, Zacchaeus received grace, not condemnation, from Jesus. The woman caught in adultery received the gift of no condemnation when she was brought to Jesus. Zacchaeus and the woman were among many whose lives were changed by God’s grace.

Condemnation has the potential to destroy our lives, but a relationship with Jesus renders this emotion powerless. If we’re accustomed to thinking of God in old-covenant terms, we no longer have to be afraid of Him under the new covenant. It’s not His nature to punish or condemn us. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Under the law, the people had no opportunity to be born again and receive a new nature; therefore, they were alienated from God.  By comparison, born-again believers have received the ministry of reconciliation that Jesus brought. We’re no longer separated from God, and He’s no longer our harsh judge. Instead, grace has revealed to us a loving heavenly Father. 

Prayer:

Lord, the covenant of grace Your Son established shows us a merciful, compassionate side of You that many people don’t know about. You’re not angry with us, and You welcome us with open arms. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

John 3:17

John 1:17

Luke 19:1-9

John 8:3-11

Romans 8:1, NIV

2 Corinthians 5:18

God gave us speech to use as we wish. However, we may not realize that we can speak powerful things into existence when we yield our tongues to Him. We all know our own language that we learned as babies, but God offers us the opportunity to speak directly to Him in a heavenly language that bypasses human understanding. Speaking and praying in tongues is a valid grace gift from the Holy Spirit; sadly, many don’t understand this gift and may actually be afraid of it.

During the first Pentecost, the people received the baptism of the Holy Ghost when cloven tongues of fire sat on them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak as He gave them utterance. There’s a reason why this supernatural manifestation was in the shape of tongues; God empowered the believers to speak as they’d never spoken before. This same power is still alive and well today.

Some doubt the authenticity of this gift; when others heard the believers speaking in tongues, they mocked them and said they were full of new wine. Tongues, however, is the prayer language God gives us; choosing to accept it gives us access to multiple benefits. It builds up our faith, draws out God’s power inside of us, and puts us in touch with the knowledge He planted in us. He who speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not to men, but to God.

The natural man lives by the five senses. Things of the Spirit—such as speaking in tongues—are things he neither understands nor accepts. They’re foolishness to him, because they’re spiritually discerned. Regardless of this, our heavenly Father wants to give us this gift when we ask for it, in the same way earthly fathers give gifts to their children.

There’s no need to fear anything our Father offers us. Speaking in tongues strengthens us, brings us new insights, and enhances our prayer lives. There’s simply no downside to it. 

Prayer:

Lord, one of the benefits of being Your people is the chance to speak in tongues. This is a gift from the Holy Spirit, who only speaks Your Word. Accepting it sets us apart from the world, allows us to speak directly to You, and builds us up. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Acts 2:3, 4, 13

1 Corinthians 14:2

1 Corinthians 2:14

Luke 11:11-13

Success is something everyone wants, but few people know how to find. Most people rely on their self-efforts to get ahead, with mixed results. Thankfully, believers have a much greater source of help. To be truly successful in life, we can live according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The new covenant is all about God’s grace; the Holy Spirit administers this new covenant. God sent the Holy Spirit, our helper and unseen partner, to teach us all things and remind us of what God has taught. After His resurrection, Jesus told the believers not to leave Jerusalem until the arrival of the Holy Spirit, whom the Father had promised. When others follow their own ideas but fail, waiting for direction from the Spirit enables us to succeed in everything God wants us to do.

God causes things to happen in our lives that we can’t take credit for. These supernatural manifestations force us to admit that it’s all because of His intervention. When good things that we don’t deserve show up, we confess that it’s the Lord’s doing, and it’s marvelous in our eyes.

The Holy Ghost isn’t just a religious concept. He’s a real person, given as a gift from God to minister to us and cement our relationship with Him. Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no shadow of turning. It’s the Spirit who opens doors for us that were firmly closed before, tells us things we didn’t know, and brings clarity and understanding to situations that were previously confusing to us.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, Himself. Learning to trust in Him instead of in our own works frees us from any lingering mindset from the Old Testament. When we’re directed by the Spirit, we’re not under obligation to the Law of Moses. With God at the helm, we can’t go wrong. 

Prayer:

Lord, You sent us the Holy Spirit to give us, Your children, the advantage in life that others don’t have. We’re guaranteed to succeed when we depend on Him. Thank You for this gift. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

John 14:26

Acts 1:4, 5

Psalm 118:23

James 1:17

Galatians 5:18, NLT

Righteousness is something the world doesn’t understand. Most people think of it in terms of working hard to achieve self-righteousness, but that completely misses the mark. Grace is also often misunderstood because it doesn’t fit in with what religion teaches us about self-effort. The truth is that we’re made righteous simply by believing in the finished works of Jesus Christ.

Religion traps us in the mistaken notion that we need to add something to what Jesus did on the cross. This results in guilt and self-condemnation when we fall short of what we think is necessary to earn right-standing with God. Thankfully, the requirements for salvation have gone from “doing” to “believing.” During Jesus’ ministry, when the people asked Him how to do the works of God, Jesus simply said to believe in the one whom God had sent.

Under the Law of Moses, no faith was required, just constant effort to follow all the rules. Under grace, our performance isn’t needed anymore, only our belief. We have the opportunity to be led by the Holy Spirit, who affirms our righteousness by faith. If we’re led by the Spirit, we’re not under the law. He helps us to walk uprightly and not live a lifestyle of sin.

Grace isn’t a license to sin; when we submit to the influence of the Holy Spirit, who administers the covenant of grace, we won’t want to sin anymore. Sin is a non-issue with God, and should be a non-issue with us as well. Christ was offered once for all as a sacrifice for everyone’s sins. He’ll be back, not to deal with our sins again, but to bring salvation to everyone waiting eagerly for Him.

We can never sin away our righteousness, because it’s based on what Jesus did, not on what we do. No matter how many mistakes we make, we can’t ever undo what He did on the cross. Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more. This is great news for everyone who believes it. 

Prayer:

God, the world doesn’t understand how we’re made righteous by our faith in Christ; most people think they have to do something extra to deserve Your favor. What Your Son did for us is enough, and nothing else is needed. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

John 6:28, 29

Galatians 5:18

Hebrews 9:28, NLT

Romans 5:20

Christians have been called to live on a higher plane. God has declared us righteous because of our trust in Jesus. This righteousness isn’t something we could ever earn; it’s a grace gift from Him that has nothing to do with our actions. We therefore don’t have to strive to achieve worthiness in God’s eyes, because we already are worthy.

Being in Christ makes us God’s children and members of His royal family; because of who we are, He appeals to us to walk in the divine identity He gave us. The Holy Spirit bears witness of this to our spirits that not only are we children, but joint heirs of God. Paul beseeched the Ephesians to walk worthy of their calling to be godly. This appeal for us to live godly lives on our Christian walk on earth is impossible to fulfill through self-effort; we can only succeed when we know our true identity.   

Children born into a royal family are taught to conduct themselves accordingly, because royalty is simply who they are; this is their status by birth. It’s the same way with born-again believers; we’re a royal priesthood and a holy nation. Believing this enables us to live the way God asks us to.

Paul’s appeal to the Romans to live godly didn’t focus on perfect behavior, but on believing that they were righteous even when their performance didn’t reflect that. God’s high calling isn’t based on what we do, so it’s impossible to lose what we inherited from Him because we missed the mark or fell short somewhere. God’s gifts and His calling are irrevocable. 

Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into a place of undeserved privileges. Receiving undeserved privileges is the very definition of royalty. God shows us grace even when our behavior disqualifies us from it. All we need to do is to receive it.

Prayer:

Lord, despite our imperfections, You see believers as perfect and righteous. Even when our behavior is unworthy, You call us worthy because of our faith in Christ. Thank You for the privilege of being able to be members of Your royal family. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Scriptures:

Romans 8:16, 17

Ephesians 4:1, NKJV

1 Peter 2:9

Romans 11:29, NKJV

Romans 5:2, NLT