Grace for everyday life

"..for it is by grace that you are saved, not of works, lest any man should boast.." Ephesians

If you want anything from God, then this is how to get it. It cannot be earnt.. it cannot be got any other way than above..

"By grace (unmerited favour and enabling ability) are you saved (healed, delivered, blessed) through faith (believing).."

You only get anything from God by believing and freely receiving it from Him..
"as many as received Him, them He gave the right to become the sons of God"
"..and He said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit"
Why?
Because it gives Him great joy to give it to you!
"Fear not little flock, it is your Fathers good pleasure (great joy) to give you the kingdom"
"For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son.."
"and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit"

Grace for everyday life
Every day, we have to contend with a world that is basically hostile towards us.
"Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof"
"The whole world lies under the influence of the evil one"
We are in the world but (thank God) no longer of it.

We can either struggle through.. or we can receive grace to help us "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in good time" Here's another translation: "Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because He was tempted in every way as we are but He did not sin. So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness and we will find help"

Because of what Jesus has done for us, we are invited to come boldly before the throne of grace.. (Why? "that we may obtain mercy" (What for?)that we may find grace to help.." Struggling with something? Go to the throne of grace and get help! Not to man.. not to anybody but to the throne of grace.. We are invited to come!

Got an addiction? Got a problem with lust? What's the difficulty? ~ Nothing "grace" won't fix! " God resists the proud but gives 'grace' to the humble" What do you need grace for here? To resist the devil with! Resist him in thought, word and deed.. but you will have trouble in your own strength.

A long time friend of mine and minister of God's grace, Stephen Fisher had a problem. His car engine had blown up and he needed to replace it. The problem was, he didn't want to do it! Darwin is in the Tropics and is usually very hot and very humid and the last thing you really want to do is change a car engine! Steve said he got down on his knees and asked the Lord for grace to help him change the engine.. The next time I heard from him, he said the engine came out easily, the new one went in easily, his friend came around and helped.. and what's all the fuss about!! What happened? Stephen received something from the Lord.. "What?" GRACE to help. You can too!

You come boldly to the throne of grace with praise and thanksgiving in Jesus name "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name " ~ You ask Him to have mercy on you and ask for grace to help.. You believe you have received it (" When you pray, believe you have received it and you shall have it" and give thanks.

Grace verses Works There is a very subtly line between these sometimes.. but the difference in results is massive! Works is always based upon our ability.. on what "I" can do. Grace is always based on what the Lord has done and can do through us.

I can remember a time many years ago when I had the strangest of feelings. I "felt" like I was under the Law! This was strange as I am a gentile and had no concept of what it must have been like but that's how I felt. A friend of mine came around and prayed with me and then suddenly I realised what had happened.. There was a situation I was facing and in my heart (listen to this!) I said "I know what I will do! I will do so and so.." and that put me into "works" Notice the "I" It was about what "I" could do, my ability to solve something.. not about what the Lord could do. I should have said this.. "Lord, I thank you for what You have done and I came boldly to the throne of grace to get help. I ask you to have mercy on me and grant me grace to help in this situation and I thank you for it.. I believe I have received it and I thank you for it in Jesus name"

That has acknowledged my weakness and sought His strength and wisdom to overcome what was troubling me. I repented of that thought and the feeling instantly left me!

Grace is a LOT more than just "favour" It also means 'enabling ability' The apostle Paul said."I thank God Who has enabled me.." What did God enabled him with? Grace!

Grace for your marriage: Marriage is a challenge! Even to the point where the apostle Paul said "I would that all men were like me" He was single. Well, if the church had taken his advice, we would have died out long ago! "He that is married shall have trouble in the flesh" God knew that there would be friction, when he joined 2 people together. So what did He do about it?

"He that finds a wife, finds a good thing and obtains favour (grace) from the Lord" What do you need grace in marriage for? For when you don't feel like being married anymore! When you just want everybody to go away and leave you alone! When it all gets too hard. When your partner annoys you.. and so on! That's what the "grace" is for! "Lord, I thank you for your grace upon our marriage (man or woman can pray this) I thank you for my Husband (or wife) ~ (The Bible says to give thanks, not complain) and I ask you to have mercy upon us in this difficult time and I thank you for the grace you have prepared for us when you joined us together. I freely receive it and thank you for it in Jesus name.. Praise you Jesus.. praise you for your grace.." etc.. Things will start to change!

Grace to get into the Word of God
One of the problems with our flesh is that it is easily distracted from the things of God. Jesus knew this when He said "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" We know we should be studying the Word of God but it's easier to watch the TV! If you really don't believe me, then try reading the Bible whilst the TV is on and see how far you get!!

This is an age old problem that all God's Pastors have faced. They minister the Word of God on a Sunday morning but ask the people on Thursday what he said and few would be able to tell you.. To get people to study the Word for themselves is a big problem. Stephen and I were talking about this one evening and he said that this was a problem with his church in Darwin. Getting excited about the Word of God on a Sunday morning is one thing.. actually studying the Word and doing it, is another! So what is the answer to this age old problem? Why, Grace of course. When the apostle Paul wrote to the churches, he just about always opened his letters with "Grace to you.." and closed with "and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" This wasn't an olden times 'Hi guys, bless you!' It was a ""Grace.. favour and enabling ability from God our Father and the lord Jesus Christ to you.." This was his hearts desire to the churches.. that they would receive grace from God for everyday life and the things that are Jesus Christ's.. So if you lack the drive or motivation to study the Word of God, then this is what I would do.. everyday..

"Lord, I ask you for grace to know you better and walk in your ways. Enable me Lord to study your Word and fellowship with you. it's not about what "I" can do Lord but about You have already dome for me. I thank you for your grace now in Jesus name.. amen" This is a principle, not a prayer.. put it in your own words. Now, give thanks, act your faith and pick up your Bible..

Many years ago, Stephen received this from the Lord "Praying in the Spirit and Intercession is the catalyst for the Motivation of the Spirit" As you pray in tongues, the motivation will come!!

No wonder the apostle Paul said "I thank my God I speak in tongues more than you all!" and again he said "I would that you ALL spoke in tongues" When we are filled with the Spirit of God, He brings His language with Him.. (Acts2-4.. 8 .. 19:2.. I Cor14) It may sound strange to us but "God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise" All we have to do is co-operate with Him.. in His language.. and help will start to flow.. Help with life, help in understanding the Word of God, help in prayer.. help with anything.. Just believe! Jesus said "I will send you another helper"

Jesus said "God is Spirit" He primarily communicates to our spirits by the Holy Spirit. The things of God are revealed to the heart of man by the Holy Spirit.. Jesus said "When He is come, He will take of Mine and reveal it to you"

"For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God"

Here it is saying that only the Spirit of God knows and understands the things of God

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; (Why?) that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" and how is this going to happen? "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual" So we are going to 'speak' and be taught the things of God, not in our natural language but in His language.. " Deep calls unto deep" or Spirit to spirit.

"But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" The natural man cannot understand the things of God, they can only be revealed.. and that by the Spirit of God.. in His language

"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory" How do you speak something in a mystery? "He that speaks in an unknown tongue does not speak to men but speaks to God, for in the Spirit he speaks mysteries" The word 'mysteries' means 'deep or hidden things'. Read 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and chapter 14..

If you will simply believe the Scriptures and act upon them by co-operating with the Holy Spirit by speaking in tongues.. things would start to get a lot easier and the deep things of God would start to open up to your heart! Remember " God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" How does He reward us? With more and more knowledge about His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and saviour. This knowledge is revealed to our hearts by the Holy Spirit and causes us to triumph more and more in the affairs of this life.

God Bless

John

www.johnreynoldsministries.org