Weekly Grace

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

Being a believer isn’t for the faint of heart. Christians are fighting spiritual warfare against Satan, who attacks our minds and our emotions. Thankfully, Jesus has already defeated him on our behalf. One of the most effective ways we maintain our victory is to depend on Him for everything.

Our battle strategy is twofold; we yield to Jesus while actively resisting the enemy. When we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, the devil will flee from us. We demonstrate true submission by putting God’s Word first in our lives, before all other influences; by contrast, refusing to listen and apply what He says to us is a sign of pride. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Yielding to God is a sign of humility because it requires that we set aside our own agenda and all our selfish wants, and be willing to go with His plans and agenda. Humbling ourselves under God’s mighty power allows Him to lift us up in honor at the right time. One of the ways we humble ourselves is by giving all our worries and cares—which the devil tries to use against us—to God, because He cares about us.

We have an enemy who wants to prey on us and destroy us. We must be sober and vigilant, because our adversary is as a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour. However, he can’t take just anyone down, only those who aren’t grounded in God’s Word.

Paul learned to depend on God. Paul received an abundance of revelations, and to keep him from becoming proud and exalting himself, he also received a thorn in the flesh. When he asked God to remove it, God answered that His grace was sufficient, and that His strength is made perfect in weakness. When the enemy attacks our weakest point, depending on God’s strength fortifies us.

God is on our side. He has already won the battle. We defeat the enemy by wholeheartedly believing this.

Prayer:

Lord, the enemy has already been beaten, but he still attacks us by making suggestions contrary to Your Word. We maintain our victorious stance by resisting him while submitting to You. Thank You for telling us how to stay in victory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures

James 4:6, 7

1 Peter 5:6, 7, NLT

1 Peter 5:8

2 Corinthians 12:7-9

The way we relate to others often depends on how we perceive them to be. The same is true about God. There’s a huge difference between the way mankind operates and the way God operates. He thinks and works on a much higher level than we’re capable of.

God’s mindset is far above our natural minds. His thoughts aren’t our thoughts; neither are His ways our ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than ours.

What was true before the cross may no longer be true after the cross. In the Old Testament, God was angry with man because of the sin that Adam brought; approaching Him without permission meant certain death. However, God is no longer angry; Jesus took upon Himself all the punishment meant for man when He went to the cross. We can now boldly approach the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace when we need it.

The problem is that most people still see God as He was before the cross. Under the law, He was a judge; under grace, He’s our loving Father who wants a relationship with us. His merciful, compassionate nature was perfectly reflected in Jesus, who forgave the woman caught in adultery, as well as Zacchaeus, a despised tax collector who stole until he met Jesus.

If we don’t know God’s nature under the New-Testament covenant of grace, we’ll be afraid of Him. If we fear Him, we’ll never have the kind of personal relationship He wants to have with us and never receive the good things He wants to give us. God is love, and perfect love casts out fear. Knowing His nature and character—as He is now—allows us to commune with Him, and lets Him perfect us in love.

Prayer:

God, the world doesn’t know You because it sees You as a God who condemns and punishes. However, You’re no longer like that under the covenant of grace. Thank You for letting us get to know You through Your Son. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Isaiah 55:8, 9

Exodus 19:12, 13

Hebrews 4:16

John 8:1-11

Luke 19:1-9

1 John 4:18

As human beings, happy relationships are critical to our emotional and mental health. We were created to be in relationship with each other, and as Christians, we must remember who we should be rooted in. If we don’t have a close friendship with Jesus Christ, first, nothing else in our lives will work. However, a relationship with Him is more than just working the mechanics of Christianity, but personally knowing the grace of God.

Without being attached to God, we’re just floating aimlessly through life. During His ministry, Jesus had to remind His disciples that He was the vine and they were the branches; without Him, they could do nothing. The world has a fuzzy, disconnected view of grace; grace isn’t just a concept, but a person—Jesus, full of grace and truth.   

Success on every level depends on totally immersing ourselves in a personal relationship with God. In Him, we live, and move, and have our being. Understanding the relationship Jesus has with God is critical; Jesus told the disciples that He and the Father were one. Therefore, accepting Jesus puts us on good terms with God.

We can’t do life on our own. The law was given to remind man of his need for God. In the Old Testament, the people were arrogant enough to declare that all that the Lord had spoken, they would do. They failed miserably because they depended on their self-efforts; now that we’re under grace, we need to rely on God even more.

A relationship with God puts us on solid footing; we can completely trust in His faithfulness. He will never, ever leave us helpless, forsake us, or let us down. No earthly relationship can guarantee that. Discovering the essence of Jesus through personally knowing Him enriches our lives like nothing or no one else can.

Prayer:

Lord, You concern Yourself with the relationships we make with others. Without a strong relationship with You, first, all other relationships will be shaky. Thank You for letting us get to know You through Your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

John 15:5

John 1:14

Acts 17:28

John 10:30

Exodus 19:8

Hebrews 13:5, AMPC

If you’ve ever struggled with an issue that threatened to be your undoing, you’re not alone. We all face bad situations at one time or another; how we handle them determines whether we defeat adversity, or whether adversity defeats us. The devil is an expert at organizing attacks aimed at our weakest points, designed to bring us down. Thankfully, what Jesus did on the cross gives us victory in spiritual warfare.

Before Christ established the covenant of grace, evil had the upper hand. Now, however, the balance has flipped. Jesus gave Christians the power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; even the spirits are subject to us. If we believe this, then nothing can hurt us.

After Jesus’ crucifixion, His resurrection signaled victory for all believers; He has now handed that victory to us. This means that when trouble shows up, we maintain the victory He already obtained. We do that by standing on our believer’s authority, which extends to every realm. Whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Trials and temptation don’t happen in a vacuum—Satan uses them to attack us and break down our faith. Although we walk in bodies made of flesh, we don’t war after the flesh. We’re not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, the rulers of darkness in this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. Jesus has disarmed those principalities and powers that were against us, made a public example of them, and triumphed over them on the cross.

In the daily spiritual warfare we’re in, evil has no power over us when we walk in God’s grace. The enemy’s weapons have been forever disabled. This is a permanent victory for which we can rejoice. 

Prayer:

God, we no longer have to be defeated by anything we face in life. Others struggle unsuccessfully with their issues, but Your Son gave us the authority to trample them underfoot. Thank You for what You did. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Luke 10:19, 20

Matthew 18:18

2 Corinthians 10:3

Ephesians 6:12

Colossians 2:15, AMPC