Weekly Grace

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

The only thing constant in life is change. How we handle what will inevitably come our way determines our level of resiliency. Change can be stressful and uncertain because it involves the unknown; successfully navigating it requires that we trust God as our source while we’re going through it. We can be confident that His favor toward us makes available to us everything we need to successfully move forward.

Resisting change just adds to the stress level. God often uses change to grow and mature us; letting Him direct our steps during this process when we can’t lean on our own understanding demonstrates our faith in Him. The nature of grace demands that we depend on God; our faith is our dependence on Him. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace.

Change is a part of life, in the same way a caterpillar changes into a butterfly during its metamorphosis. The caterpillar doesn’t fear change; neither should we. God wants us to depend on Him during these times; He promises to take care of us. He’ll supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Anything that isn’t changing is stagnating; we therefore must embrace change so that we can continue to develop spiritually. Thankfully, we won’t have to go through it alone. God, Himself, has emphatically said that He’ll not in any way fail us, nor give us up, nor leave us without support. He’s committed to this.

With all the changes taking place, God is the one unchangeable Rock we can cling to. When it becomes too much to process all at once, He’s our rock in whom we can take refuge. He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. Relying on Him gives us strength and courage to face whatever comes.

Prayer:

God, change is inevitable and can sometimes be unsettling. However, You use it as a tool to grow and mature us. Thank You for never leaving us in the middle of it. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Proverbs 3:5, 6

Romans 4:16

Philippians 4:19

Hebrews 13:5, AMPC

Psalm 18:2, NIV

Hebrews 13:8

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