As Believers, we are instructed to
live our daily lives with true goals, aims, and divine purpose. We cannot
achieve this unless we walk in God's grace.
What
is the key to experiencing God's grace? Embracing our weakness!
God is not
looking for strong people to help Him accomplish His work. The truth is that
the Lord is looking for people who are weak enough to be used. We must remember
that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). The
key to experiencing supernatural, liberating strength is personal weakness.
Understand
that personal weakness does not mean weak character or faulty Biblical
knowledge. On the contrary, God is looking for a people who have come to the
place where they have lost confidence in their fleshly power to accomplish the
work of the Spirit. Only when we embrace the weakness of ourselves apart from
Christ can we become strong and "graced" to accomplish things for the
true advancing of God's glorious Kingdom.
This truth is
clearly displayed in the story found in Psalm 107:23-28, which describes the
strong, seaworthy sailors who made their living upon the high seas. One day,
however, the Lord raised a stormy wind that blew away every last ounce of their
self-confidence. They found themselves at their wits' end and cried out for the
Lord's grace and help. Although they were skilled and experienced, the winds
and waves of the sea convinced them of their dependence upon God.
Have
you encountered the winds of change in your life? If not, you can be confident
they are on their way!
Christ Jesus
declares: "Without
Me you can accomplish nothing!" (John
15:5).
This word "nothing" means completely, totally nothing. It
truly means less than nothing. Ours is a life
of unspeakable joy when we come to the place where we understand that only the
work of the Spirit can advance the Kingdom of God.
The
Deposit of Grace
In other
words, absolutely nothing you have ever done in the past and nothing you could
ever accomplish in the future will match the unparalleled joy of letting Jesus
live His life through you! God has exactly fitted for each of us a unique walk
of grace. As we yield our wills and ways to the Holy Spirit's control, we begin
to experience this walk of grace. Through yielding and embracing our
personal weakness, we experience the abundant grace that enables us to
accomplish all that God has assigned for us to do (see Philippians 4:13).
This deposit
of grace is what makes the fire of passion burn so brightly in new Believers.
They are overwhelmed with all that God is doing in their lives. Their happiness
and excitement is contagious. Their entire life is ablaze with God's love.
As pastor, I
was able to teach a new converts class, and my heart was always blessed by the
joy of those who have only recently experienced the amazing grace of God. It is
this same amazing grace that causes the light of contentment to dance in the
eyes of mature Believers who have also learned to abide in God's glorious
grace. Our life should testify to the ability of God's
awesome grace to use us to accomplish great and mighty things for God's glory.
In short, we
were saved by grace and must continue to live by grace: We cannot separate our
daily responsibilities and activities from a grace-filled life. We are saved by
grace and we are kept by God's magnificent grace!
The Body of
Christ seems to understand much concerning the grace of God touching an
unbeliever's life: It is only by God's grace that anyone comes to the place of
repentance and salvation. However, we lack true understanding concerning God's
ability of grace to operate in Believers' daily lives, thereby bringing them
into a daily faith walk of radical effectiveness and extreme fruitfulness.
Grace does not just change our mind, but learning to embrace our weakness and
function through His strength alone has a profound, all-pervasive, transforming
effect upon our lives. Grace is a powerful motivator, provoking us to reach
higher and accomplish more for Christ and His Kingdom.
Essential
Ingredients for Grace
The Apostle
Paul stated in 1
Corinthians 15:10, "But
by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain;
but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God
which was with me." Paul declared that the grace of God
was not wasted upon his life, but he labored more because of the active grace
in his life.
Although we
are radically dependent on God's grace in all that we are and all that we do,
we are still called to labor abundantly to advance God's Kingdom. This is one
of the great paradoxes of the Christian life. It is only by and through grace
that we accomplish anything, yet God expects us to labor diligently in His
service. Charles Spurgeon once said: "Faith goes up the stairs that love
has built and looks out the window which hope has opened."
Just as
diligent labor is required to extract all of the grace that God has given us,
humility is required to obtain grace. "All
of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God
opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble'" (1
Peter 5:5).
Grace is
promised to the humble. A great saint of years bygone, made this observation:
"The moment humility announces herself she is already on her way out the
door." If we would be truly humble, and careful not to usurp God's glory,
always giving Him praise for what He is doing, I am sure we would receive more
grace.
The Lord
warned me once that the highest form of treason was to take the gifts and
graces He has given leadership to win and woo the Bride to Himself, and use
these gifts and graces to win the Bride to ourselves.
May each
heart embrace the promise given in Psalm
84:11: "For
the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory." In this passage we see the true key
to advancing God's Kingdom. It is by God's gift of grace that we are able to
behold the glory.
Any good
thing ever accomplished by mankind is the direct result of the anointing and
impartation of God's grace. May we walk a grace-filled life in order to see the
glory of God fill the earth!
Grace is an
open door, which bids us to draw nearer to God. InProverbs
8:17, 21,
God declares, "I
love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently will find Me... That I
may cause those who love Me to inherit wealth, that I may fill their treasuries." This is an awesome promise and
powerful incentive. We are called to find God. And when we find Him, He indeed
blesses us with overflowing treasures.
We must never
forget that God has great plans for His people. Hear His promise stated in Jeremiah
29:11: "'For
I know the thoughts that I think toward you,' saith the Lord, 'thoughts of
peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.'" It is time to open our hearts wide to
God's grace and experience the good plans He has for each of us.
Waiting
Upon God
The Lord
desires to change us. He seeks to bring us up into His purpose. He waits for us
to reach out to Him and knock on the door of His heart. Just as Esther had to
approach her husband's throne, we too must prepare ourselves to approach God's
throne. He, too, has extended His scepter. Now is the time grace has provided
an open door in Heaven. Now it is time to approach the throne of God's
grace to find favor and help during these days (see 2 Corinthians 6:2).
In Psalm
46:10 we are instructed to be still and know that God is God. Spending quiet
time in the Lord's presence is necessary and carries great importance. It is as
we wait upon Him that we are renewed in power and strength (Isaiah 40:28-31).
Each of us
must find a special quiet place where we can shut out the cares of this world
and get alone with God. Each day, we should come to our "set apart
place" to worship, acknowledge His goodness and grace concerning us, and
thank the Lord for His guidance and blessing upon our lives.
Great grace
is released when we truly enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts
with praise. Make the time to praise the Lord and to bless His Holy Name!
As we take
time to behold Him with an unveiled face, we are changed into ever-increasing
glory (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). In this place of quiet worship and prayerful
reading of His Holy Word, there is a release of His grace, which produces
"Spirit and Life." His Holy Spirit flows into our being to
build our faith and provide the "enabling grace" for obedience. It is
essential that we set apart time each day to be in His presence.
Attending
local church services is vital and not to be neglected, but this is no
substitute for our devotional times alone with the Lord of Glory.
Being
One with the Lord
Have you
noticed in Luke 3:2 that the Word of God came to John the Baptist while he was
alone in the wilderness? The programs of the "church" of that day
were in full operation, yet John was called apart to be with the Lord alone.
So also
today, there are those who are spiritually hungry and
seeking something more, who likewise are being called apart to be alone with
the Lord for a time of preparation. As a result of his being
alone with the Lord, John came into a oneness with the Lord that could not have
been accomplished in any other way.
When John was
asked who he was, his response testifies to this experience. He said: "I
am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of
the Lord," as the prophet Isaiah said'" (John
1:23).
Each one of
us should come to the place where we also could make this statement, "I am
the voice of one." There is an urgent need for this "voice" to
cry out in the midst of the frustrations and perils of our present day (see
Isaiah 40:3-5). We live in a world that must have the grace and peace of God.
The need
today is not new-fangled methodology, but rather a turning aside to stand in
the manifest presence of the Lord, to be prepared as "the voice of one
crying in the wilderness" of our day.
May it be
stated of us, as it was of the disciples of old, that it is apparent that we
have been with Jesus. This and only this will make the changes that must occur
if we are to reach this hurting world with the message of God's redemptive,
transforming grace. We must be radical reflectors of His life.
I heard about
the testimony of a preacher who, toward the end of his life, was asked what he
would do if he had his life to live over again. He said he had spent seven
years in preparation for 45 years of ministry. Instead, he would spend 45 years
in preparation for seven years of ministry. It is very important how we begin, but it is far
more important how we end.
The Lord is
seeking to bring us to the end of our abilities so we can tap into His ability.
This requires that we recognize His presence and turn aside to stand before
Him. Only then will we be enabled to become the expression of His voice – a
voice crying in the wilderness of our day. The most noble quest of our day is
to seek HIS presence. The presence of the Lord will make all the difference!
Prepare for His presence!
Bobby Conner: This "Gentle Giant" is
uniquely anointed with refreshing humor and razor-sharp prophetic accuracy
which has been documented around the world. Bobby's dynamic capacity to release
outstanding demonstrations of the miraculous – healings, signs and wonders – reveals
the very heart of the Father toward us! Surviving a dramatic abortion attempt
by his mother, being rescued again by the hand of God from drug dealing and
suicide, the story of Bobby Conner is a display of a man who now walks in his
God-ordained destiny to set others free! Highly esteemed as an internationally
acclaimed conference speaker, Bobby has ministered effectively to over 45
foreign countries as well as here in the States for many years.
