Weekly Grace

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

Have you ever struggled with something and not seen positive results? Most of us have, and it can be a real test of faith to keep moving forward. When we encounter adversity, the enemy wants us to cave in and quit. We become spiritually dry when we stop trusting God during these seasons.

To succeed, we must understand how faith works. God gave us a measure of faith, and we’ve all received the same amount; the outcome of a situation has nothing to do with “strong faith” or “little faith.” What makes the difference is how we work that faith. Jesus had to explain this to His disciples when they asked Him to increase their faith.

Faith and grace are equally important; faith is simply our positive response to what grace has made available. Trusting God involves stepping out in faith, which is what Peter did when he walked on water to get to Jesus. Peter sank only when he stopped working his faith and became distracted and frightened by the situation around him. When trouble hits, the correct response is faith, not fear.

The devil wants us to take our faith off the field when we don’t see immediate results. God tells us to trust Him, regardless of what we see or don’t see. During his dry season, Abraham persevered in his faith until he saw God’s promises manifested. Abraham’s faith was strong not because he had more of it than others, but because he continued walking in it.

When God makes a promise, everything He says will come to pass; His Word will never return void. By grace we’re saved through faith. In other words, we can confidently trust in God’s promise of deliverance from whatever situation we’re in. Our faith in His favor toward us helps us get through the painful times and reach the place where He wants us to be. 

Prayer:

God, faith in what You tell us gets us through difficult times. When we consistently trust You, regardless of the circumstances, You’ll always bring us through. We’re thankful for that. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Romans 12:3, NKJV

Luke 17:5, 6

Matthew 14:27-31

Romans 4:19, 20

Isaiah 55:11

Ephesians 2:8

When most people hear the word “communion,” they think of it in a religious sense. Communing with God, however, goes much deeper than that; communion is defined as the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings. This is exactly what the Holy Spirit wants in a personal, loving relationship with us. Letting Him guide us into a deeper relationship with the Father reveals dimensions to life we could never discover on our own.

God wants to talk with us all the time, not just once a week in church. Speaking in tongues helps us stay connected to Him. Tongues is a grace gift from the Holy Spirit; when we pray in tongues, we speak not to man, but directly to God. In the Spirit, we utter secret truths and hidden things not obvious to our understanding.

The Holy Spirit gives us the kind of peace that only comes from God. When we don’t have that peace, praying in tongues helps us find it again. This kind of prayer lets Christ’s peace rule in our hearts, deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in our minds. It opens us up to the kind of peace only Jesus—not the world—gives to us.    

Communing with the Spirit has other benefits, as well. Praying in the Holy Ghost builds us up in our most holy faith and allows Him to give us strength and wisdom when we need it. It also allows the Spirit to work in us to produce the spiritual fruits of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, against which there is no law. These are the kinds of things we need, and are exactly what God gives us through the fellowship of communion.   

Prayer:

God, You sent us Your Holy Spirit to enable us to enter into a personal relationship with You. The Spirit is the one who guides us through this relationship and helps us to walk in it. Thank You for all the blessings this brings. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

1 Corinthians 14:2, AMPC

Colossians 3:15, AMPC

John 14:27

Jude 1:20

Galatians 5:22, 23

Believers are on a journey through life. On this Christian walk, grace and faith are both critical in keeping us on the right path, and we need a proper balance of both. Going to the extreme with grace produces a passive Christian. By contrast, leaning too far toward faith results in a legalistic mindset that causes us to think that our actions will cause God to move.

God already moved more than two thousand years ago. Faith is our positive response to what He did through Jesus. Grace and faith always go together. We’re justified by faith, which gives us access into the grace in which we stand.

God certainly is sovereign, but the idea that He’s in complete control, independent of us, is also incorrect. We’ve been made free moral agents and given freedom of choice; it’s a mistake just to sit back and assume that what we do doesn’t matter. Jesus gave us power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; nothing can hurt us if we believe this. We even have authority over the devil and every evil spirit.

Jesus, who is grace personified, made available to us healing, prosperity, peace, joy, deliverance, and everything else good our old lives lacked before being born again. Our faith takes what grace made. By grace we’re saved through faith; this is a gift from God.

There will be times when we’re tempted to stray too far in the direction of either grace or faith; this is when we’re at our weakest. Wrong-thinking causes us to struggle; believing that God’s grace is sufficient strengthens us. When our own faith wavers, leaning on the faith of Jesus Christ reassures us we’re still the righteousness of God. We can be thankful that even when we miss the mark, His grace justifies us.   

Prayer:

Lord, faith and grace are both equally important, and Your Word teaches us how they go together.  Your favor gave us everything we’ll ever need in life, and we receive it through our trust in You. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Romans 5:2

Luke 10:19

Ephesians 2:8

2 Corinthians 12:9

Romans 3:22-24

Sickness and illness are real issues we deal with; when we face them, we have to fight the mindset that says we must simply resign ourselves to ill health. The world tries to instill in us the attitude that this is a part of life, and we must therefore accept it. However, this kind of thinking isn’t God’s will for believers. Under the old covenant, diseases were part of the curses that resulted from failing to keep all the law; however, things have changed since then.

God deals with man according to covenants. The old covenant was all about punishment and condemnation; that ended when Jesus made it obsolete, and established a new covenant that was all about faith in God’s grace. Jesus went to the cross to redeem us from the curse of the law. Believing in what He did brings us out from being under the curse and moves us under the blessing of Abraham that God offers to everyone.

Our trust in God positions us to receive all the blessings He wants to heap on us, but disbelief blocks those blessings. When Jesus went from town to town healing those who came to Him, their faith allowed them to receive miracles. When He came to His own country, He could do no mighty work, and He marveled at their unbelief.

Under the new covenant, our healing has already been made available; our trust in this is the key to receiving it. The centurion soldier believed so strongly in Jesus’ authority to heal that when the soldier simply took Jesus at His word, his servant was healed that very hour. When the woman who had suffered from a bleeding disorder for twelve years had enough faith in Jesus to push her way through the crowds to touch His robe, her faith made her whole. That same healing power is available to us today, on any level we need it. 

Prayer:

God, the world tries to complicate healing, but Your Word makes it very simple. Our acts of faith demonstrate our belief in Your undeserved, unearned favor that made healing a finished work. We’re grateful for that. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Deuteronomy 28:21-29

Hebrews 8:13, NKJV

Galatians 3:13, 14

Mark 6:1-6

Matthew 8:5-13

Mark 5:25-34

Luke 8:43-48

To experience God’s underserved favor on the deep level He wants us to, we need a solid understanding of how it works. We received grace when we got born again, and it will certainly be waiting for us in heaven, but there’s no reason why we can’t experience it right now. It’s available for us when we need it in our daily lives. It all starts with Jesus Christ.

Through Him, we have our introduction by faith into grace, which is the state of God’s favor, in which we firmly stand. What we believe—not what we do—ushers us into grace. To be privileged is to have an advantage over others; as believers, we receive privileges we don’t deserve.

Accepting Jesus lets Him add a whole new dimension to living. He teaches us things we need to know for our spiritual growth and success, walks us through difficult times, and makes us stronger and more resilient afterward. Paul experienced this firsthand. He wrote to the Corinthians that whatever He had become, it was all because God poured out His special favor on him, independent of his hard work; the results weren’t due to him, but to God working through him by His grace.

Paul had his weak moments, but found strength that wasn’t his. God’s grace was all he needed, because His power works best in weakness. This applies to us as well; we can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us. This gives us a tremendous advantage over people who live by relying on their own efforts.

Despite what we have, we must avoid becoming proud if we want God’s favor to show up when we need it. He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Unlike life under the law, we no longer have to work hard to receive from Him. This raises our ordinary lives to the supernatural realm.

Prayer:

God, the new covenant under which we now live transforms our lives into something extraordinary. We’ll never have to go through life alone, because You’re walking beside us every step of the way. Thank You for this. In Jesus’ name, amen.   

Scriptures:

Romans 5:2, AMPC

1 Corinthians 15:10, NLT 

2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT

Philippians 4:13, NKJV

James 4:6