Be Transparent Before God If You Want to Change
God has purified our spirits by the blood of Christ, and he has given us a new heart. But we must keep our hearts clear before the Lord. Not to be accepted, but to stay sensitive to His Lordship and leadership in our lives. Walk with us through Psalm 19 and discover the power of honesty before the Lord. He's on your side but we must be submitted to His precepts in our hearts. Discover the power of allowing God to test your heart.
“When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.”
God will test you to keep your heart pure before Him. But the tools of His tests are His Word and His Spirit. God is not crafting external tragedies to purify you, but He is speaking to your heart and presenting opportunities to increase your faith in Him.
In the passage above, Jesus “already knew” what He was going to do, He knew He would multiply the food and feed the people, but He invited His disciples into the process with a test, a question. Do you see it? The test Jesus gave was asking a question to see where they were in their hearts.
Your heart is the key. God is trying to stretch you to BELIEVE. Because when you believe, all things are possible. So God is not making your life hard to purify you. He’s inviting you into greater faith by presenting opportunities to believe.
If your heart is receptive, you’ll step into the opportunity, and He will manifest wonderful things through you. But if your heart isn’t ready, He continues to be God and looks for the next opportunity to help you grow.
Do you want to grow? Do you want to be ready when God presents the next opportunity? Here’s how.
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?
Don’t examine yourself to find sin, examine yourself to find faith. Examine yourself to see if you’re honest with yourself. Examine yourself to sell if you're allowing God to search your heart. Look into your heart and put the work in to be ready for the next time God presents you with an opportunity.
Labor to Rest
Walk through Psalm 19 and discover the power of honesty before the Lord. He's on your side, but you must be submitted to His precepts in your heart. Discover the power of allowing God to test your heart and invite you into greater faith.
Psalm 19 NASB
7 The Law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much pure gold; Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, Your servant is warned by them; In keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.
13 Also keep Your servant back from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be innocent, And I will be blameless of great wrongdoing.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.
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Be Honest with God and Yourself If You Want to Change
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in an everlasting way.
You must be honest with yourself if you want to consistently hear and follow God. God speaks the language of truth. His leading will always be rooted in truth. If there is any self-deception in your heart, you will miss God and blame Him for the troubles you brought on yourself. If we're not honest with ourselves we will not be submissive to God's truth when it arises in our hearts. We'll hold on to our justifications and excuses and reinforce the death in our lives. In this sermon we will journey together through allowing God to search our hearts and reveal to us areas where we are hindering his grace in our lives.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in an everlasting way.”
King David was a deeply flawed man. He went against God’s instructions and authorized a census that led to a deadly plague. He lusted after Bathsheba, another man’s wife. And he arranged to have Bathsheba’s husband killed so he could have her. Yet God called David “a man after his own heart.”
Why?
Because David knew a secret, he knew that God desired mercy over sacrifice. He knew that God was good with mercy that endured forever. He knew the true character of God which caused him to relate to God based on his true nature rather than through his own sinful nature.
David knew that he was sinful before God, but he knew that God would have mercy on him. This created freedom within David before the Lord. David was able to bear his heart to God and ask for things that seemed to be illegal under the Law at the time. David should have been rebuked and killed for what he did, but he had a heart connection with God that transcended judgment.
This understanding within David led him to pray great and wonderful things. He asked God to create within him a clean heart. It’s as if David knew God’s intentions to give us a new heart through the work of the Messiah.
David knew a secret. He knew that God was good and merciful. This allowed him to be open and honest with God, without fear and with the expectation that God would cleanse him and forgive him.
We can learn this lesson from David. We have peace with God. Our relationship is whole with God. He has exhausted his anger toward our sin in the atoning work of Jesus. We are now free before the Lord. Free to be open and honest for the purpose of experiencing his transformative power.
If we are afraid of God, we will not go to him for help. But if we know he loves us and will help us without judgment, we will open our hearts to him, be honest and allow him to go into the dark places in our hearts to help us.
Be Honest
You must be honest with God and yourself if you want to consistently hear and follow God. God speaks the language of truth. His leading will always be rooted in truth. If there is any self-deception in your heart, you will miss God and blame Him for the troubles you brought on yourself. If you're not honest with yourself, you will not be submissive to God's truth when it arises in your heart.
You'll hold on to justifications and excuses. You’ll hold on to pride and fear. You’ll continue in sin and minimize its effects in your life. You carry bad attitudes and judgments toward people when you’re not honest with yourself. But you can walk away from those issues and experience God in your inner man.
It is possible to allow God to search your heart and reveal areas where you are hindering his grace in your life. The areas you hide from God and lie to yourself about are the areas where you have the most pain. The areas where you’re willing to remain deceived are the areas in which you’re still struggling.
But you can be free. You can bear your heart to God and allow him to do a deep work of healing within you. As he heals you and supplies grace to transform, step into the power that arises and make the changes. Each step you take becomes easier. As you confess your sins and admit your failures, you open yourself to God’s power in your areas of weakness.
He already knows. You’re not hiding anything from God. You just don’t know how to trust him in those areas. King David’s lessons can help you. He’s been through it. Read through the following Psalm and bear your heart to God. Read from the perspective of a beloved, righteous child of God, but be honest with yourself in the areas you know need to experience change.
Psalm 51 NASB
A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon.
For the music director. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone into Bathsheba.
1 Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithfulness; According to the greatness of Your compassion, wipe out my wrongdoings.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my wrongdoings, and my sin is constantly before me.
4 Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in guilt, and in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in secret You will make wisdom known to me.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; Cleanse me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness, let the bones You have broken rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins and wipe out all my guilty deeds.
10 Create in me a clean heart, God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach wrongdoers Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You.
14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, the God of my salvation; then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
15 Lord, [k]open my lips, so that my mouth may declare Your praise.
16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise.
18 By Your favor do good to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You will delight in [m]righteous sacrifices, in burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then bulls will be offered on Your altar.
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The Secret to Living by Faith
The just shall live by faith, but you must know that you are justified to approach God for grace confidently. When you believe you are justified, you'll live by faith. When you live by faith, you'll access grace. When you access to grace, you will live by his spirit and obey him from the heart. You must be convinced that you are justified through the blood of Christ so you will remain confident before God and not disqualify yourself from receiving from him.
Ephesians 3:12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
Our faith is not in our faith, it’s in him. Living by faith is not living by the strength of my ability to believe. Living by faith is living persuaded of all that Jesus has accomplished on my behalf. If I am facing something in life that Jesus affected on the cross, I have the right to believe that what Jesus paid for should be the reality in my life rather than the temporary circumstance I may be facing.
“As you believe the truth, you will access the grace to walk in the truth”
We can’t obey God in our own strength. We can’t please God in our own faith. In fact, like Jesus, we can do nothing of ourselves regarding spiritual fruit. Thankfully God gives us grace to live the abundant life. God’s grace teaches us to live holy. And grace strengthens us to rise above sin and failure. When properly accessed, God’s grace becomes everything we need to live a godly and fruitful life.
We must use faith to access grace. Keep in mind that faith is a response to what God has done in Christ. Faith is not your own capacity or strength to believe. Faith does not convince God to give you grace, grace is always available. Faith acknowledges that we are weak, and He is strong in us.
Faith says yes, Jesus, you already paid the price and have already given it to me by your spirit. Now I’ll renew my mind and remind my heart that Jesus is enough. We can then expect grace to come alive in us when we live by faith.
Another key component to living by faith is knowing that you are already justified. If you approach God like the prodigal son, feeling worthless and unqualified, your heart will not be receptive to the good things God has for you that you can receive by faith.
The Just Shall Live By Faith
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoiced in hope of the glory of God.
The just shall live by faith, but you must know that you are justified to approach God for grace confidently. When you believe you are justified, you'll live by faith. When you live by faith, you'll access grace. When you access to grace, you will live by his spirit and obey him from the heart. You must be convinced that you are justified through the blood of Christ so you will remain confident before God and not disqualify yourself from receiving from him.
Ephesians 3:12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
Our faith is not in our faith, it’s in him. Living by faith is not living by the strength of my ability to believe. Living by faith is living persuaded of all that Jesus has accomplished on my behalf. If I am facing something in life that Jesus affected on the cross, I have the right to believe that what Jesus paid for should be the reality in my life rather than the temporary circumstance I may be facing.
As we stand in grace, by faith in Jesus, God’s logos will manifest in our lives and change things. The nature of spirit will change this physical world. This world was designed to be influenced by God’s spirit. God has now placed his spirit in you, so you have the power to influence the world for the Word’s sake. No matter what you see, keep believing that God’s spirit is at work and manifestation is in progress. Like a tree in the winter that will eventually grow leaves and bear fruit, so will the heart that lives persuaded of the finished work of Jesus.
Galatians 3:11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
But again, a key to living by faith in Christ to access grace hinges upon your confidence that you are justified. It’s vital that you know the Gospel and continually persuade your heart of it, so your heart will be receptive to the influence of God’s spirit.
Romans 3:21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets. 22 And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
YOU WILL LIVE BY FAITH WHEN YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE JUSTIFIED AND RIGHTEOUS
YOU WILL ACCESS GRACE WHEN YOU LIVE BY FAITH
YOU WILL LIVE THE ABUNDANT LIFE IN EVERY AREA THAT YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS
BELIEVING THAT YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS BY FAITH IN HIM, AND THAT YOU ARE JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD, SHOULD RESULT IN A HEART THAT THINKS SPIRITUALLY AND CONTINUES TO LIVE PERSUADED OF THAT FINISHED WORK, WHICH RESULTS IN WALKING IN GOD’S INFLUENCE IN YOUR LIFE.
Jesus Lived By Faith
Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
How do you live on the Word’s that come out of God’s mouth? How do we live under the influence of this unseen spirit that is active in our lives?
Knowing the written is paramount. The living Word of God is in you, but it will verify the written Word. Jesus went to the written Word, and it became strength for him. You can do the same thing.
You can go to God’s Word and feed on it, and it will become strength to you. Think of the situations you need God to move in your life and then discover what Word you need to live by. Not just in practice but for strength. Do you trust that planting his Word in your heart and mind will be strength and life for you?
It takes faith to believe and experience the fruit of God’s word in your life. But your faith doesn’t make it work, it simply aligns your heart to experience what is already seeking to grow into your life from God. So faith is more about assuring your heart in the promises of God, it’s not about trying to get God to move for you. Faith is assurance that God keeps his promises and Jesus already qualified you for them.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see. 2 This is why the ancients were commended. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see!!!!
Meditate in His Word until His promises and what He says is possible is more real than what you’re facing. Use it as a lamp to light your way. Feed on it to think spiritually, so you'll stay in faith and live by every word that God gives to your heart, which ultimately is his grace working in you. Then you will be led and taught by God.
We Live By The Faith of Jesus
Allow me to add one more layer of nuance to faith. When we are born again, we place our faith in Him to be saved. From then on, we have the capacity to be empowered by His faith. Faith is a gift (grace) from God that works just like wisdom or a word of knowledge. The gift of faith will arise from your heart when you take the time to persuade your heart of the character and trustworthiness of God.
When the gift of faith comes alive in your heart, you can do what Jesus did. You can follow and obey God as Jesus did. When you allow yourself to be empowered by the faith OF Christ, you are truly living by faith
Galatians 2:19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith OF the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
DON’T NEGLECT GRACE GO TO HIS WORD TO RENEW YOUR MIND AND BECOME EMPOWERED AS IT BECOMES ALIVE IN YOU.
When faith access grace, it becomes power for us.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Believing that you are righteous by faith in Christ and that you are justified by His blood will result in a heart that thinks spiritually and continues to live in Christ’s finished work. You can not live the abundant life Jesus came to give you in your own strength, you need His grace.
When you live persuaded of your righteousness in Him, your heart will apply His Word, and you will follow Him and obey Him. Do everything you can to stay in faith toward God and expect His grace to be alive within you; when you are weak as well as for everyday living. Trust in Him for everything. Know His Word and apply it to your life’s circumstances. When you live this way, you will see God’s blessings and promises overtake your life beyond your wildest imagination.
I pray you watch the full sermon above. As always, this article is a snapshot of a much bigger picture in the sermon. I pray it’s a blessing to you.
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Be Bold and Confident When You Approach God
God wants to help you when you are weak, but you must be bold enough to go to Him when you need help. Don’t allow the guilt and shame of failure to keep you from going to God. He already knows what you’re going through, and He already punished Jesus for your mistake.
You know we can go to Him for mercy after we sin, but do you know you can go to Him for grace before you fail? There’s even better news; you don’t just go to God for help in failure, continually asking for forgiveness; you can walk away changed. There is mercy to forgive and grace to help strengthen you, so you don’t repeat the same sin habits. That is the power of grace.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoiced in hope of the glory of God.”
God wants to help you when you are weak, but you must be bold enough to go to Him when you need help. Don’t allow the guilt and shame of failure to keep you from going to God. He already knows what you’re going through, and He already punished Jesus for your mistake.
You know we can go to Him for mercy after we sin, but do you know you can go to Him for grace before you fail? There’s even better news; you don’t just go to God for help in failure, continually asking for forgiveness; you can walk away changed. There is mercy to forgive and grace to help strengthen you, so you don’t repeat the same sin habits. That is the power of grace.
How To Get Grace To Work
There is a pattern and process to accessing grace by faith. The Word of God tells us how to use faith, and we can trust that grace will come alive in our hearts when our faith is focused properly.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoiced in hope of the glory of God.
Ephesians 3:12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Placed by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Here’s the pattern. Our faith is in Christ and the work He has done for us. Our faith is in the fact that He has given us righteousness as a free gift. Because of this gift, we have access to God for mercy and grace to help. His grace helps us by making us strong in our inner man.
We can conclude that our inner man is continually before God’s throne, receiving mercy and grace. Stand in that faith, so grace moves from your inner man to your outer man.
Be Bold and Confident
We “enter” that place with boldness and confidence because our confidence is in Christ and what He accomplished. And again, He accomplished making you righteous before God and qualified you to be a partaker of the saints' inheritance in light.
You belong there. You belong with God, you belong before God, and you are qualified to receive help from Him.
There is an element of repentance involved in going into God’s throne room for mercy and grace. We do confess our sins to God in this process, but confess means “to say the same thing.”
TRY THIS: Envision yourself before God saying, “God, you set me free from the flesh, you set me free from the Law, I am righteous, I am not a sinner, the sin that’s killing is not my master, you are my master. I want to glorify you with my life. Thank you that you placed all your wrath for my sin on Jesus. I open my heart to receive grace to strengthen me. Thank you for forgiving me, and thank you for helping me.”
It’s important to clear your conscience before God, but also expect to walk away with the power to change. Don’t hold on to your guilt and shame and call it humility. Feeling bad for your sin doesn’t cause God to forgive you. The blood of Jesus does. Acting contrite as if you’re sorry for your sin and seeing yourself as dirty before God is still self-righteous. You’re still trying to relate to God based on your behavior.
Don’t stand before God conscious of your behavior, stand before God conscious of your identity in Christ, and watch grace radically empower you beyond all you can ask or imagine.
Confess your identity before God and receive the power to change!!
Living Under Grace series
I pray you join us at Forward Church in person or online. Join us live on YouTube or Facebook Sundays at 10 am EST. Watch this series on YouTube.
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What the Recent Killing of 8 People in Atlanta Area Spas Tells Us About Sin and Guilt
I’m heartbroken over these killings. The young man that murdered 8 people said he did it because he had a sex addiction and he was trying to eliminate the source of temptation.
This is an extreme example of the fruit of guilt and shame related to sin. If you do not process your guilt and get help from God, you will in some way destroy your life. Christ dealt with our guilt for our sin before God, but we must receive grace to help in time of need for us to process it.
I want you to know you don’t have to continually struggle with the guilt of sin. You can not only be forgiven but you can overcome those life-controlling issues that make you feel ashamed.
Regarding the recent killings in Atlanta area spas.
Police say Robert Aaron Long (21) who went on a rampage at three spas in Georgia has been charged with eight counts of murder in connection with the attacks. He is charged with the murder of eight Asian Women in the Atlanta area.
I pray for the victim’s families and I pray for the young man’s family, and for him as well.
I’m heartbroken over these killings. The young man that murdered 8 people said he did it because he had a sex addiction and he was trying to eliminate the source of temptation.
This is an extreme example of the fruit of guilt and shame related to sin. If you do not process your guilt and get help from God, you will in some way destroy your life. Christ dealt with our guilt for our sin before God, but we must receive grace to help in time of need for us to process it.
I want you to know you don’t have to continually struggle with the guilt of sin. You can not only be forgiven but you can overcome those life-controlling issues that make you feel ashamed.
God wants to help you. He judged and punished your sin already in Christ, not so you can continue is sin, but to clear the relationship between you and Him, making it possible for Him to help you in spite of your failures.
God is not going to condemn you for your sin, but you might.
You might become so ashamed that you do something that ruins your life forever.
You might have your sin under better control than this man, but it’s still destroying your life and probably causing you to have a low level of guilt and shame, always nagging at your heels.
Jesus in you is stronger than the desire to give in, and His spirit in you is trying to help you have new desires so you can be totally free.
Go to Him, ask for help, He’s waiting, He loves you and will help you. He will not reject you, He will love you and give you strength.
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How to have Spiritual Strength
I think it’s safe to say that you want God’s will accomplished in your life. Am I right?
To live the way He would lead you to live and see His will accomplished in your life, you must follow him when He leads. The problem is; we don’t always yield to His leading. You want to in your mind, but your heart sometimes desires another way. Not because your heart is evil, but because your heart may be more persuaded of your own understanding in any given area.
I have more good news, you follow God better than you realize. I’m positive that you follow God regularly without even being aware of it. As a new creature in Christ, you are hard-wired to follow God from the heart without intellectualizing the process. Seeing, hearing, and obeying God from the heart is natural for you as a child of God.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoiced in hope of the glory of God.”
God wants to help you. He wants to give you strength to live in the abundant life Jesus inherited and shares with you. God helps you by giving spiritual strength to your inner being. Do you know how to yield to that strength and be empowered by it?
You already do it, you just aren’t always aware intellectually when you do. The good news is, you don’t have to earn it. You can’t do anything to convince God to give strength to you, you can only yield to it and receive it freely by faith.
Grace Is God’s Power Working Through You
The active spiritual force of God’s spirit living through you is GRACE. Grace is God’s divine influence in your heart to give you capacities and abilities. The easiest way to receive grace and live under God’s power in your heart is to cease from the efforts of your own flesh. You don’t have the kind of strength it takes to change your desires and bear the fruit of God’s spirit in you. But He’ll give it to you.
When it comes to bearing the fruits of the spirit, or operating in a gift that God inspires in you, or living in the power of His righteousness; the more you stop trying to do those things in the strength of your flesh and depend on His Spirit to strengthen you with His grace, the more you will live under the power of grace.
Paul gives us a functional description of grace working from the hear in Ephesians 3.
Ephesians 3:16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
This sounds a lot like Romans 5 where Paul says we access grace by faith. Faith doesn’t convince God to give you grace, it responds to and receives the spiritual influence God is already extending to you, in your heart.
Keep in mind, faith works by love. For you to access grace by faith, you must first be aware of God’s love for you and be willing to respond with love toward him. This is the cycle of love and faith, which will access the strength God is trying to give you.
You could say it this way, if you can humble yourself and allow God to love you into wholeness, you will be in the best heart posture to receive the grace that comes with His love.
Paul prays that you would experience God’s love in your inner being or your heart. His love makes you whole, to the point that you are filled to the fullness of God. He actually gives you strength to experience His love so you will be whole and complete in Him. That strength is GRACE.
The Love Faith Grace Loop
God loves you and gives you GRACE to experience the spiritual, transformative power of His love for you. It’s like a love loop that begins with His love for you, to which you respond by loving Him, to which He responds by giving you power, to which you trust Him to give you power, to which He responds by giving you wisdom in how to follow Him, to which you respond by obeying Him from the heart.
How To Practically Live In Grace
I think it’s safe to say that you want God’s will accomplished in your life. Am I right?
To live the way He would lead you to live and see His will accomplished in your life, you must follow him when He leads. The problem is; we don’t always yield to His leading. You want to in your mind, but your heart sometimes desires another way. Not because your heart is evil, but because your heart may be more persuaded of your own understanding in any given area.
I have more good news, you follow God better than you realize. I’m positive that you follow God regularly without even being aware of it. As a new creature in Christ, you are hard-wired to follow God from the heart without intellectualizing the process. Seeing, hearing, and obeying God from the heart is natural for you as a child of God. (see God Removed Your Sin Nature)
There is one nuance I must mention, you effortlessly obey and follow God from the heart in the areas your heart is established in His Word and your new creation identity in Him, which makes the primary goal; having your heart established in the Word of God.
When I say “Word of God,” I do mean the Bible, but I specifically mean that you’re influenced in that given area by God’s ways, His logic, and His truth. To have your heart established in His Word, truth, and grace is to not only know what the Bible says but it is also to be fully persuaded that His way is THE way in that area. Whether it be behavior, sexuality, relationships, emotions, finances, etc.…
Establishing Your Heart In Grace
You have victory in the areas where the Word of God is established in your heart. If you're struggling with a particular area of life, you simply need to get the Word established in your heart in that area, pretty simple.
How do you get the Word established in your heart?
There are many ways, may I suggest meditating on the Word. Meditate in His Word in the areas you want to persuade your heart of His perspective and His truth.
There’s a process to your heart being persuaded through meditation. This is not a formula, these are just key elements in getting the logic and ways of God beyond your conscious mind and rooted in your heart. Keep in mind, meditation is simply thinking about something until it becomes true to you. We do this all the time with fear, worry, and doubt. Now it’s time to do it with God’s logos.
The Process of Meditation:
You have the correct information (scripture)
You decide that God’s logic and perspective are true
You become willing to believe His logic more than your own understanding
Now that you agree with His Word mentally, you think about it until it changes your emotions
As you are holding His truth in your mind and heart, you send away thoughts and emotions that are contrary to what His logic (Word) says
You repeat this process as many times as it takes until your natural responses are in alignment with His logic
Homework
Create a confession plan, There is power in your words. There is great power in hearing yourself speak God’s Words. Your homework assignment is to create a list of scriptures and statements in the area you’d like to establish your heart in God’s grace and speak it out loud at least twice a day. Speak out the Word until your feel the emotions of the truth behind what you’re saying. If you just speak it without feeling it, you’re sending a subtle message to your heart that you don’t believe it.
You’re not just trying to create an emotional experience, you are actually programming your whole being to believe God’s Word. You are programming yourself to believe it and live from the truth of it.
Here’s an example. Let’s look at the example of peace. Let’s say you struggle with fear, worry, anxiety, or maybe even anger.
Use a Bible study resource to look up those words and know what the Word says about them.
Fear: https://www.openbible.info/topics/fear
Worry: https://www.openbible.info/topics/worry
Anxiety: https://www.openbible.info/topics/anxiety
Then look up what you want operating in your life. Let’s go with peace, joy, and confidence.
Peace: https://www.openbible.info/topics/peace
Joy: https://www.openbible.info/topics/joy
Confidence: https://www.openbible.info/topics/confidence
Copy and paste the ones that speak to you and print them out, or write them down. Keep that list with you and speak them out.
Also, make the passages FIRST-PERSON STATEMENTS.
For example:
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Say it this way:
God has not given me a spirit of fear, God has given me a spirit of power, God has given me a spirit of love, and God has given me a peaceful and sound mind. I have a peaceful mind that God Himself gave me. I can think from this peaceful mind anytime I choose, If I feel fear or anxiety in my mind or body, I can choose to think from the peaceful mind God gave me. Fear and anxiety are not from God. Love, power, and peace are from God. God is giving me love, power, and peace in this very moment, I choose to yield to what God is giving me. I have a loving, powerful, and peaceful mind.
I pray this is helpful your you, try this and let me know how it goes.
Living Under Grace series
I will continue in this series throughout March. I pray you join us at Forward Church in person or online. Join us live on YouTube or Facebook Sundays at 10 am EST. Watch this series on YouTube.
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Grace Is Greater Than Mercy
We were under the Law, but now we are under grace. We used to be under a system where we had to live up to a certain standard to qualify for God's blessings. Now we are in a relationship with God in which He has made us His children and has given us His kingdom. He has given us everything He has, through Christ.
The issue is that what He has given us is primarily spiritual. Everything that Jesus paid for in our atonement is in us right now, in spiritual seed form. As we exercise faith in Christ, we make room in our hearts and lives for our inheritance to manifest from spiritual seed form to something tangible or substantive in our lives.
Faith doesn't make God move or cause Him to give us things, faith hosts God's presence within our inner man and allows God's spiritual power of grace to build His character and promises into our lives.
God is not withholding anything from us, but what He has given us must be received by grace through faith.
So how do we access grace by faith and experience the power of grace in our lives?
“For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”
When you emphasize living under grace rather than Law, some people think you're preaching a dangerous message. Why? Because of the confusion about mercy and grace. Because of this misunderstanding, some people hear permissiveness rather than empowerment. Let’s define mercy and grace.
MERCY is when God treats you better than you deserve. God is being merciful when he forgives you, even when you don't deserve it. Mercy is when God doesn't punish you for your sin, even though you deserve it. God is merciful when He blesses you despite your failures. We can look at King David and see God's great mercy in the life of someone who made so many mistakes. God can legally extend mercy to you because your sin was dealt with in Jesus.
GRACE is a supernatural power that works in your heart that gives you capacities and abilities. It's a divine influence in your inner man to strengthen you. God gives you grace through unmerited favor, but grace is more than just favor, it's strength. Grace is available before you sin, but thankfully mercy is available if you do commit a sin.
Mercy is undeserved forgiveness, while grace is a spiritual strength from God that brings about transformation.
You are under grace, not Law. That means you are under a power that strengthens you to live above the power of your flesh. Under the Law you must live for God out of your own strength, but under grace, God gives you His strength to live. God knows you can not live up to His standards in your own strength, so He gives you the ability to live the kind of life He wants you to live.
Even if you fall short of living in His power, He still loves you, forgives you, and counts you as righteous because of the work of Jesus.
What does it mean to live under grace?
We were under the Law, but now we are under grace. We used to be under a system where we had to live up to a certain standard to qualify for God's blessings. Now we are in a relationship with God in which He has made us His children and has given us His kingdom. He has given us everything He has, through Christ.
The issue is that what He has given us is primarily spiritual. Everything that Jesus paid for in our atonement is in us right now, in spiritual seed form. As we exercise faith in Christ, we make room in our hearts and lives for our inheritance to manifest from spiritual seed form to something tangible or substantive in our lives.
Faith doesn't make God move or cause Him to give us things, faith hosts God's presence within our inner man and allows God's spiritual power of grace to build His character and promises into our lives.
God is not withholding anything from us, but what He has given us must be received by grace through faith.
So how do we access grace by faith and experience the power of grace in our lives?
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoiced in the hope of the glory of God.
It's important to know that Christ HAS justified you, and because of that, you are at peace with God, you are in right standing with God. Your relationship is whole. And because of that, you can live in grace. You keep your faith in Christ, and it accesses grace. But faith is not a power you use to move God.
Faith simply means "to be persuaded of." Great faith is fully persuaded of the character and power of God. Little faith is not entirely sure that God will be who He says He is.
You access grace by being confident in who God is and who you are in Him.
Romans 5:20 The Law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now that we are under grace rather than Law, we can experience life and not death. The Law never produced life for us, it only condemned us and revealed our sin. But grace strengthens us to live in righteousness, which has been given to us in Christ.
Romans 6:1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Believe it or not, I hear this question often, in various forms. If you preach grace properly, the legalist or mixed covenant believer will always misinterpret what you say. They will think that you minimize sin and advocate lawlessness, which couldn't be further from the truth.
The Apostle Paul encountered that mindset often. He continually explained the mystery of our new birth and pointed people back to the righteousness that's available by faith and not Law. He also continually gave an invitation to live in the power of grace. The invitation to live in the power of grace remains today.
Romans 6:11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master because you are not under the Law but grace.
How do you access grace by faith? You count yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. This is a mind-renewal exercise. You died, and the life you now live is Christ alive in you. It takes faith to believe and understand that. It takes faith to say that sin has no power over you when you keep struggling with sin. But it's true, you are dead to sin and alive to the power of God available because you're in Christ. As you believe the truth about who God is in you, your heart will allow you to receive power.
Grace gives us rest from our works. Grace fills the void that our weakness creates. Grace is available at every turn.
Do you know how to access grace with faith?
Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
The doctrine of grace is easy to understand, but living in the power of grace can be difficult. It's not something you can make happen. It's not something you can earn or activate with your understanding. It's something you enjoy by faith.
The truth is, no one can tell you how to enter into grace by faith other than the Holy Spirit. He is your teacher. But we do have insights into how it works. Paul already gave us one…
Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. Romans 6:13
Apply this Tool for Transformation
How do you offer yourself to God as an instrument of righteousness?
The answer is different for everyone. Some folks stop and pray and receive grace easily and move on. Some people have a few boundaries in place to remind them to slow down and depend on God. Some people have different habits and tools that keep their hearts sensitive to God.
Many people have no real plan to offer themselves to God and receive grace in their time of need. I encourage you to make a plan and work the plan. Ask God to help you. He will not control you or make it happen without you getting your heart involved, but he will help you.
Take some time to use your imagination. What does it look like to face temptation yet walk away without giving in? What does it feel like? What does it look like to make a healthy financial decision? What does it feel like to be out of debt? What does it look like for you to be empowered by God's grace and not allow your emotions to shipwreck your day?
It's between you and the Holy Spirit to work out a way of living where you can turn your heart to Him at any moment and receive power from Him. You don't have to discern a message from Him, you don't have to work a miracle, you don't have to have a vision, you simply turn the eyes of your heart to Him ever so slightly and make room for His grace to strengthen you.
Expect His grace to be there. Lean into it. Remind yourself of a few truths about your new creation identity. Be willing to change, and watch His grace work wonders in you.
I will continue in this series throughout March. I pray you join us at Forward Church in person or online. Join us live on YouTube or Facebook Sundays at 10 am EST.
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Don't Let COVID Steal Your Dreams
How much power have we given to COVID to keep us from doing the things we know God has called us to do? I don’t want to beat you up, I want to encourage you to consider moving forward. Don’t neglect your gift, use it to serve, and find a way to use it now.
“Use whatever gift you have received to serve.” This reminds me of Moses. God called him, and Moses tried to disqualify himself multiple times. When he started to become open to following God, he asked God how he was supposed to accomplish what God was asking him to do. God said, let’s start with what’s in your hands.
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
How much power have we given to COVID to keep us from doing the things we know God has called us to do? I don’t want to beat you up, I want to encourage you to consider moving forward. Don’t neglect your gift, use it to serve, and find a way to use it now.
“Use whatever gift you have received to serve.” This reminds me of Moses. God called him, and Moses tried to disqualify himself multiple times. When he started to become open to following God, he asked God how he was supposed to accomplish what God was asking him to do. God said, let’s start with what’s in your hands.
As you know, Moses had a shepherd’s staff in his hands, and God glorified himself through it. He wants to do the same through whatever is in your hands.
Many of you have passions, callings, and dreams that are on hold because of COVID-19. I have spoken with many people who seem to be waiting on following God until COVID blows over. I always ask them why they’re waiting on COVID. The answer usually has something to do with not knowing what is acceptable. Most people want to be respectful of others, but our response has rendered us ineffective for the Kingdom.
I understand not wanting to cross other people’s boundaries, but you can’t allow the way the world responds to this virus to keep you from following God’s calling on your life. Life goes on, your call remains, it may be time to consider how you can move forward. Don’t let COVID steal your dreams. Quit waiting to do those things you know God has called you to do.
I encourage you to watch the video above and follow along as I read through this passage from 1 Peter.
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
What a powerful and holy assignment we carry, we speak for God, and we do so in His power. God will give you the strength to do those things you want to do but don’t know how to do. That strength is His grace in your inner man. This weekend I begin a new series on God’s grace. I want to focus on how you can lean into His grace and increase the capacity of your heart to experience His supernatural strength in every aspect of your life.
Join me on Facebook or YouTube, Sunday mornings at 10 am EST.
Please consider becoming a supporter of Forward Ministries.
God Wants to Save People, Not Reject Them.
God wants to save people, He is not looking for a reason to reject people. He is not looking for a reason to reject you. He did everything He could to remove the things He had against you in the sacrifice of Christ, to make life with Him secure by faith rather than works.
BUT
He does seem to give us a warning in Hebrews. I’ll cut to the chase, the warning is; don’t reject Jesus and go back to Old Covenant sacrifices. Yes, that’s the “willful sin” the author of Hebrews warns about, rejecting Jesus and trusting in the blood of goats and bulls rather than Christ.
Now, you don’t have a temple to take your goat to, but you do have your dead works that you think make you clean again with God (more on this in the sermon). Jesus’ lifeblood cleanses you, and God’s circumcision of your old nature makes you new. That alone is your righteousness and your removal of sin.
God wants to save people, He is not looking for a reason to reject people. He is not looking for a reason to reject you. He did everything He could to remove the things He had against you in the sacrifice of Christ, to make life with Him secure by faith rather than works.
BUT
He does seem to give us a warning in Hebrews. I’ll cut to the chase, the warning is; don’t reject Jesus and go back to Old Covenant sacrifices. Yes, that’s the “willful sin” the author of Hebrews warns about, rejecting Jesus and trusting in the blood of goats and bulls rather than Christ.
Now, you don’t have a temple to take your goat to, but you do have your dead works that you think make you clean again with God (more on this in the sermon). Jesus’ lifeblood cleanses you, and God’s circumcision of your old nature makes you new. That alone is your righteousness and your removal of sin.
Can You Lose Your Salvation?
I recommend watching the sermon above for a much more detailed explanation, but the short answer is this; you didn’t earn your salvation through works, you can’t lose it through works. And it’s not your works that keep you saved. The lifeblood of Jesus and His finished work on the cross save you and keep you saved. Period, end of story.
But some passages need to be addressed, such as Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.
What do we do with this passage? We put it in the proper context.
Apostasy was indicated by a single word; these added clauses describe the depth of the fall, whilst they explain the futility of all effort towards recovering the fallen. Both the writer and his readers knew well what was involved in "falling away" in such a case as this. To go back to Judaism implied an acceptance of all that Jews had said and done against the Son of God, a return to the bitter hate cherished by the falling nation against the Crucified, a repetition in spirit of all that Pharisees had done, and without the palliation of ignorance; for the highest evidence for Christianity--that of true and deep Christian experience--had been given to them. Again, the words used clearly describe a continuing state. Not the punishment for a past act, but the hopelessness of an existing state, is brought before us here. It is therefore of those who, with a distinct conviction of the divine mission of Jesus, have deliberately joined His foes, unite in denouncing Him as a "deceiver" (Matthew 27:63), rejoice in His shame, and thus "for themselves crucify a second time the Son of God," that the writer says, "It is impossible to renew them again unto repentance."
from Ellicott’s Commentary
The author of Hebrews is speaking to a persecuted church. Some of them were wary of the persecution and questioned the true identity of Jesus. Many of them chose to reject Jesus and resume animal sacrifice for the atoning of their sin. Imagine that you go to God will a dead goat and say, “this is my righteousness. I reject the blood of Jesus and choose to bring you the blood of this goat as my righteousness.” Doing that is like unjustly crucifying the Lord again.
That’s the warning in Hebrews 6 and 10. Continue trusting in Jesus rather than rejecting him and going back to Old Covenant sacrifices. It’s actually straightforward to understand, but some preachers love to scare people out of sin, so they misinterpret what’s being said.
Please watch the full sermon for much more on this topic.
We Are More Than Forgiven, We Are Co-Heirs with Christ.
Have you ever received an inheritance? Have you taken the time to draft a will for your children? The process requires great detail. You have to list every asset and decide who it goes to. You can place age stipulations or other guidelines if you so choose. Or you can simply pass down all that you have without restriction. God did this. Through inheritance, he gave you everything.
God handcrafted a will for you that is full of great and precious promises. In Christ, God predetermined what He would leave you in His last will and testament. His inheritance makes for a glorious afterlife, but it has benefits now too.
“Romans 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
The New Covenant is not a new set of rules to follow, it’s the last will and testament of God. It’s what He predetermined to leave His heirs upon death. Notice the inheritance language in this passage.
Hebrews 9:15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.
God’s Last Will and Testament
Have you ever received an inheritance? Have you taken the time to draft a will for your children? The process requires great detail. You have to list every asset and decide who it goes to. You can place age stipulations or other guidelines if you so choose. Or you can simply pass down all that you have without restriction. God did this. Through inheritance, he gave you everything.
God handcrafted a will for you that is full of great and precious promises. In Christ, God predetermined what He would leave you in His last will and testament. His inheritance makes for a glorious afterlife, but it has benefits now too.
Physical Healing
The simple answer is this, you inherited everything Christ inherited, as a co-heir. I have covered what we have in the New Covenant (God’s last will and testament) in my last 5 articles, so I won’t take the time to list all that Jesus accomplished for you again. This week I want to focus on two specific aspects of your inheritance.
1 Peter 2:24 and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed.
You are more than forgiven, you have received great and precious promises from God, which includes healing.
Some say Peter is referring to spiritual or emotional healing, but Jesus paid for your sins in His physical body, not just in his spirit or emotions. He endured physical disease so you could have health. He endured the effects of sin in his body, so you could be free from the death of disease.
Jesus secured that promise for you and God gave it to you in his will. No if’s, and’s or but’s about it, God left you physical healing in His will.
Financial Prosperity
2 Corinthians 8: 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
God left you all of His wealth. It is His good pleasure to give you His kingdom. That has been His plan from the beginning, as evidenced in His promise to Abraham. God told Abraham that He would bless him and make him great. He promised that He would bless his offspring so they would be a blessing to all nations. Part of this blessing is incredible wealth.
God has blessed you with great wealth, he made sure of it in his will to you, which Jesus secured in His death. You can choose to believe that God wants you rich in spirit, or rich in your relationships, as some people claim this passage is teaching. But God wants you financially rich too. Your father wants you to be so extravagantly blessed so you can be a blessing to all nations, thus fulfilling his original promise to Abraham.
I won’t take the time to cover why you haven’t received the health or financial blessing God left you in Christ, I’ll simply end by saying it’s yours now. Repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus. Change your mind and trust that there is nothing but GOOD NEWS for those who are citizens of Heaven and children of God through Christ.
