Day Five:
To spiritually know grace is be one with its power. To spiritually know
grace faith must grow. For faith to grow I must trust in His power to
stand strong IN me more than my lack of ability to stand strong. He has
taken whatever battle rages to the grave, and has given me grace instead
of the grave.
For strong faith to be real in a my life, the
seed of His Word must first be planted, then nourished through study and
prayer. Then as knowledge of His grace grows through greater faith, I
am able to put down deep-seated roots that will anchor me. I must always
remember that Christ didn't save in my perfection. He saved me in my
brokenness. I must sacrifice my will and desires and seek His. As I grow
in His grace, the power of that grace increases. When I yield my
brokenness, my weakness, and myself to Him daily, I discover that in Him
all things are possible.
We
will always face temptation, but it is what we do with that temptation
which reveals if we have died to self-will. It is what we do that
reveals our allegiance. If we succumb to sin from which we have been
saved, then we will not grow in grace and faith. Our growth will have
become stagnant. We will have broken the allegiance that gives us power
to stand strong.
Knowledge of the Word of God sets me free
(John 8:32). Maybe we haven’t experienced that freedom, because
mind-over-matter doesn’t work. Only spiritual knowledge and the grace
of God has the ability to release us. Spiritual knowledge imparts
wisdom. James says about wisdom, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you
should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and
it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not
doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and
tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything
from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they
do” (James 1:5-8). His wisdom is necessary for spiritual growth. As we
seek to know the Word, we identify with the Word, and experience this
wisdom. Faith increases, and temptation loses its grasp. But we must not
doubt! We must believe that that His ability is greater than what we
can't accomplish.
I want to be stable in all my ways. I want to
be rock-solid and continually consistent. I want to be strong with
something suddenly happens which makes me upset, angry, hurt, tempted,
bitter, jealous, or unforgiving. I want to be controlled by His power,
and not controlled by my lack of control.
Whether we are new or
old believers with something that plagues our lives, there is promise
of new life. Be open to the grace and faith of Jesus revealed in His
Word. The power to set us free is there. It is real, and it waits.
Day Five:
To spiritually know grace is be one with its power. To spiritually know grace faith must grow. For faith to grow I must trust in His power to stand strong IN me more than my lack of ability to stand strong. He has taken whatever battle rages to the grave, and has given me grace instead of the grave.
For strong faith to be real in a my life, the seed of His Word must first be planted, then nourished through study and prayer. Then as knowledge of His grace grows through greater faith, I am able to put down deep-seated roots that will anchor me. I must always remember that Christ didn't save in my perfection. He saved me in my brokenness. I must sacrifice my will and desires and seek His. As I grow in His grace, the power of that grace increases. When I yield my brokenness, my weakness, and myself to Him daily, I discover that in Him all things are possible.
We will always face temptation, but it is what we do with that temptation which reveals if we have died to self-will. It is what we do that reveals our allegiance. If we succumb to sin from which we have been saved, then we will not grow in grace and faith. Our growth will have become stagnant. We will have broken the allegiance that gives us power to stand strong.
Knowledge of the Word of God sets me free (John 8:32). Maybe we haven’t experienced that freedom, because mind-over-matter doesn’t work. Only spiritual knowledge and the grace of God has the ability to release us. Spiritual knowledge imparts wisdom. James says about wisdom, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do” (James 1:5-8). His wisdom is necessary for spiritual growth. As we seek to know the Word, we identify with the Word, and experience this wisdom. Faith increases, and temptation loses its grasp. But we must not doubt! We must believe that that His ability is greater than what we can't accomplish.
I want to be stable in all my ways. I want to be rock-solid and continually consistent. I want to be strong with something suddenly happens which makes me upset, angry, hurt, tempted, bitter, jealous, or unforgiving. I want to be controlled by His power, and not controlled by my lack of control.
Whether we are new or old believers with something that plagues our lives, there is promise of new life. Be open to the grace and faith of Jesus revealed in His Word. The power to set us free is there. It is real, and it waits.
To spiritually know grace is be one with its power. To spiritually know grace faith must grow. For faith to grow I must trust in His power to stand strong IN me more than my lack of ability to stand strong. He has taken whatever battle rages to the grave, and has given me grace instead of the grave.
For strong faith to be real in a my life, the seed of His Word must first be planted, then nourished through study and prayer. Then as knowledge of His grace grows through greater faith, I am able to put down deep-seated roots that will anchor me. I must always remember that Christ didn't save in my perfection. He saved me in my brokenness. I must sacrifice my will and desires and seek His. As I grow in His grace, the power of that grace increases. When I yield my brokenness, my weakness, and myself to Him daily, I discover that in Him all things are possible.
We will always face temptation, but it is what we do with that temptation which reveals if we have died to self-will. It is what we do that reveals our allegiance. If we succumb to sin from which we have been saved, then we will not grow in grace and faith. Our growth will have become stagnant. We will have broken the allegiance that gives us power to stand strong.
Knowledge of the Word of God sets me free (John 8:32). Maybe we haven’t experienced that freedom, because mind-over-matter doesn’t work. Only spiritual knowledge and the grace of God has the ability to release us. Spiritual knowledge imparts wisdom. James says about wisdom, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do” (James 1:5-8). His wisdom is necessary for spiritual growth. As we seek to know the Word, we identify with the Word, and experience this wisdom. Faith increases, and temptation loses its grasp. But we must not doubt! We must believe that that His ability is greater than what we can't accomplish.
I want to be stable in all my ways. I want to be rock-solid and continually consistent. I want to be strong with something suddenly happens which makes me upset, angry, hurt, tempted, bitter, jealous, or unforgiving. I want to be controlled by His power, and not controlled by my lack of control.
Whether we are new or old believers with something that plagues our lives, there is promise of new life. Be open to the grace and faith of Jesus revealed in His Word. The power to set us free is there. It is real, and it waits.
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