God’s Grace Is All We Need

 

I was asked to pray for a couple that had just received some difficult news about their sick daughter. She’s 21 and has been wheelchair bound from a debilitating disease for most of her life. Their daughter has been in the hospital for the last two weeks, and her condition hasn’t improved. They’ve called their family together because they need to decide whether to keep her on life support.

Life is constantly proving that in the blink of an eye, all can change. An unexpected situation can happen so quickly that it can literally take your breath away. These situations can leave us confused and devastated beyond anything we could have imagined. In the thick of it, we might be tempted to think that our sorrows and tribulations are unfixable. We can’t see a resolution, and our options are so bleak that we feel trapped.

The Apostle Paul understood this more than most. He had once led a life of privilege, and arrogance blinded him from the truth of God’s Word. He couldn’t see the glorious light of Christ, and because of this, he did terrible things to God’s people. He had them jailed, tortured, and executed. One day, when he was on the road to Damascus to do more damage to the people of God, he had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. Acts 9:4-5(NLT) states, “4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” 5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!”

Paul was converted on that trip to Damascus, and it changed his life completely. He began to teach the Gospel to God’s people, but because of his past, the going wasn’t always easy. He faced obstacles from those that loved Christ, and he also faced persecution from those who hated Christ, but he wasn’t deterred. The Spirit worked mightily with Paul and because of this, the believers came around; they couldn’t deny that he was sent by God. But he still had lots of challenges, some that vexed him terribly. Paul said in 2Corinthians 12:8-9(NLT), “8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

Paul was having a difficult time, and after he begged the Lord once, things didn’t let up. God was faithful to give him a Word, but in the beginning, Paul had trouble understanding it. Paul understood that God is our Rescue and He cannot fail, so he went back a second time. The Lord said, “My grace is all you need.” This allows us to see that the responsibility to believe, trust, and walk in God’s grace rested with Paul, just as it rests with each of us. Paul needed a greater revelation of God’s grace, and he went back to Heavenly Father a third time, begging God to take away his affliction. Finally, Paul received the revelation of what God conveyed, and it is a strategy to overcome that all of us must use.

We don’t always understand the things that happen in life, why bad things happen to good people. These things are very troubling and difficult, but we can never allow anything in life to alter our trust in God. His grace is His kindness shown toward us even though we don’t deserve it. We can’t beat God’s giving no matter how hard we try. We could not in any way have done anything to deserve all that He’s done for us through Jesus Christ. Although life has incredible challenges, this must never overshadow God amazing grace.

Immersing ourselves in God’s overwhelming grace is the strategy that causes a shift in our own hearts and minds, and then in our circumstances. It’s our privilege and duty to spend every moment of our lives thanking God for His grace and His many blessings. Only He can build us up, strengthen us in our times of trouble, and forgive us for all the things we get wrong in life. Even when it feels as though we’re cornered and don’t know what decision to make or what to do, He is able to save the day! We simply must trust God and deliver our situations into His all-powerful hands. He will help us in our time of need. His strength works best during our weakest times, and we can be assured with absolute certainty that His grace is all we need. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“God’s Grace Is All We Need”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Never Underestimate the Power of Your Words

 

Proverbs 13:3(NLT)
"Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything."

One of the worst arguments I’ve ever had was with my ex-husband while we were still married. He and I had been on non-speaking terms for almost three days. It was sucking the life out of me just to see his face. I was never the kind of person to go a whole day without speaking to my man, but the situation with him emotionally drained me. After several months of being married and living together under one roof, you begin to see the true nature of a person. I was very hurt and disappointed to witness that if my ex-husband felt I had wronged or disrespected him in some way, it wouldn’t bother him one bit to go days without mumbling a word to me.

One day he came home from work, and I couldn’t take the silence anymore. I said, “How much longer will we go not speaking to one another?” With absolutely no emotion or hesitation, he said, “As long as it takes.” I lost it emotionally. I used my mouth as a sword to emasculate him, and oh how I regretted it.

The wrong words can destroy a marriage. They can cause irreparable damage to a relationship. To think before we speak is perhaps the most common and beneficial of all human wisdom, but so many of us fail to heed it. God tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6 to trust in Him with all our hearts, and we should not lean on our own understanding. In all our ways, He commands us to seek Him, and He will then show us the path to take. This is God’s Word and wisdom, and there is no greater or wiser practice in all eternity than to do what He says.

God’s Word doesn’t fail, and He means that we should use it, especially in those times when we are trapped and set up by the enemy for a fall. Heavenly Father warns in 1Peter 5:8-9(NLT), “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.” God has informed us that the devil is our great enemy, and he prowls around in our everyday environment, looking for an opening to steal, kill, and destroy. This isn’t something anyone should take lightly.

There are areas in each of our lives where we haven’t fully put on the love of God. We’re still indulging negative habit patterns that we’ve developed over the years from wrong believing. Things like insecurities, jealousy, fear, and the pettiness of looking down on others and taking cheap shots at people. We are arrogant in some ways and will not humble ourselves to do what God says instead of always going to what we’ve always done. Refusing to change our thoughts and behaviors is one of the ways that we create an opening for the devil to wreak havoc on our lives and relationships. The way to prevent this is to do as God commands in 1Peter 5:9 and be strong in our faith in God.

God commands us in Ephesians 4:23 to be renewed in the attitudes, thoughts, and feelings of our minds. To renew is to make brand new. It’s to put off those former ways of behaving and put on the nature of Christ in every situation. This is what God has commanded us to do. He commands us to change the way we think so that His love becomes the motivation behind our actions. God’s Word is perfect and true, and the reason that many people don’t renew their minds and change their actions is because they don’t believe God’s way works. They don’t believe that His way will always yield results that are beneficial for everyone. To have a successful relationship of any kind, this has to change.We must believe and trust that God will always tell us what is right and beneficial for our lives.

I’ve had to learn some things the hard way. Now, I start my day by asking the Holy Spirit to help me control my tongue. In the past, I said things that unintentionally hurt people I cared most about. When I was angry or upset, hurtful words came so easily. Before I could catch myself, I said something that I couldn’t take back. To stop the enemy from continuing to steal the joy and unity from my relationships, I renewed my mind to passages like Ephesians 4:29-32(NLT). It states:
29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

We must have faith in God. He tells us to get rid of behaviors like bitterness, rage, anger, and harsh words because these can cause a lot of trouble in your life if you don’t let go of them. Our Heavenly Father is our Creator, and we’re to do the things He’s told us to do so that our lives are covered under His goodness, protection, and care. He has informed us that it’s critical that we not give evil behaviors any room in our lives. 

We should never underestimate the power of our words. They can do great good, but they can also do great harm. We should avoid the latter at all cost. We must train ourselves to think before we speak. Romans 5:4-5(NLT) says, “And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” God’s love is in our hearts through His precious Holy Spirit. The Spirit will help us to change our thoughts and attitudes so that love is our go-to, not anger. We must believe that Christ has made this possible for us, and that we can live through his love and make the choice to show it to others through our actions and words.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Never Underestimate the Power of Your Words”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Don't Make God’s Love Disappear

 

1John 3:16-17(The Message)
“This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.”

Looking at the condition of our world right now, you might ask, “Why have we strayed so far away from God’s love?”  Why do problems from racial tension, division, and greed throughout the world persist? What’s the cause of all this chaos and suffering? Even in our own personal lives there are dilemmas stemming from insecurities, emotional and relationship issues, and financial challenges. It can seem as though drama and darkness are coming at us from all fronts. This may be causing many of God’s people to doubt His love, and because of this doubt, they are walking around in sadness, darkness, and fear. God doesn’t want this for any of us, and He has provided a way of escape through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In God’s Word, He tells us that the times will be perilous and that satan will blind the minds of many people. This is why chaos and suffering continue. Many people are rejecting the light of God’s love, and they are being blinded by evil and used by satan. God did not keep this a secret from us. He tells us about the future so we will not be tossed about, doubtful, or confused when His prophecy comes to pass. In Ephesians 6:10-11(NLT), He commands, “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.”

A person can’t rise above what they don’t know. In other words, we can’t walk in knowledge that we don’t have. God commands us to read and study His Word so that we learn about Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. When we know His love through Christ, we can then walk in that love. We can put it on in our minds and hearts, and God’s love will then become a part of us.

As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must know and trust God’s great love for us. 1John 4:9-10(NKJV) tells us, “9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” God invites us to come and live inside His love where His blessings and goodness abound. His way of relating to and working with us is always about the greater good, and when we accept His Word and love by faith, we come into agreement with Him to perform the extraordinary in our lives.

1John 2:9(NLT) teaches, “If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness.” Our relationship with God through Christ is a partnership. He has empowered us through His indwelling Holy Spirit, and this power has no limit. Holy Spirit power is activated in us through God’s love, and therefore, we must be active in His love to live through His power. Living through God’s love and power is our privilege and responsibility, and this means we can’t sit idly not knowing what to do. Our call is to love people with the love of God, and to be a blessing to others as we are led by God’s Spirit.

Many people are searching for love. They want a partner to walk with them through life. They want a significant person that will have their backs, and their intention is to reciprocate this devotion, loyalty, and support. This significant partnership of cycling love and support is very meaningful to having a fulfilling life. So, we love marital partnership and many of us want it. Not having this significant person in our lives makes some individuals feel lonely and sad. They’ve been single far longer than they’d like. And because they don’t know God’s Word, some think this is because God is punishing them, or they think He doesn’t want to bless them with a significant other. This simply isn’t true.

God doesn’t withhold blessings. He desires us to be blessed and happy infinitely more than we desire it for ourselves. Psalm 84:11(NLT) declares, “For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” God wants to bless us, and this is why we must live in His love, because that is where His blessings and goodness abide.

Many of us, particularly single individuals, make a common mistake. It’s the error of underestimating God’s allegiance to seeing us grow in His brand of love. Our Heavenly Father is overwhelmingly committed to our growth in His love. He is committed to seeing evidence that we have a solid foundation of knowledge about the example of Christ and that we’re actually loving people through the love of Christ. This must be present and anchored in our lives way before romantic love comes into play. To switch this up can lead to heartbreaking consequences. Jesus Christ is our blueprint. God has commanded us to live love through Christ, and His commitment to this never waivers.

We have made the mistake of thinking that romantic love checks off all the boxes and we’re good to go once we find a person we can love in that way. This is an error that must be corrected. Romantic love is yummy, but it isn’t enough to express the love of God in faith. This is why so many relationships fall apart. God’s love is real love. It’s the glue, and if we miss this, we’ll miss a whole lot.

Romantic love disappears and can do so with such a speed that it leaves many people with devastating heartache, but God’s love should never disappear from our hearts. It’s our responsibility to make sure it doesn’t. If more of us took the responsibility to walk in God’s love as seriously as we should, the world would be a very different place. There must be evidence in our lives that we are loving God’s way, regardless of whether we’re attracted to someone physically. Romantic love will always be further down in the scope of importance. God’s love must be primary, and when it is, the things that are important will fall into place, and God will keep us in His peace and blessings continually.■

Scripture quotations marked (MSG) are taken from The Message. Copyright ©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Don’t Make God's Love Disappear”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.