On New Year’s Eve my Pastor, Tony Brazelton, preached a powerful message about God’s Amazing Grace. This morning, as I have been meditating about last year and what God wants to do this year, I fell led to share a few nuggets from his message and I will add a few of my own thoughts as we go through them.
1. 2013 was a year of preparation. 2014 shall be a year of POWER!
— In 2013 we learned about God’s Grace, we learned to put the spotlight and emphasis on Him, and we learned the importance of dying to self.
— Now we are in position to decrease and allow God to increase in our lives. As we do, we will experience God’s power like never before.
2. Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. After overcoming the tests, Jesus came out in the Power of the Spirit.
— Many of us experienced significant challenges in 2013. My family faced some of the toughest times we have ever experienced last year. However, like Jesus, we came out on the other side of the tests with a greater level of power!
3. Grace is the presence of God, empowering you to do and to be what you were created to be and do.
— We are only able to fulfill our divine purpose by God’s amazing Grace. We could never fulfill it with our own power.
— Grace also makes it possible for us to fulfill God’s Word. We can’t do what the Word commands us to do without God’s Grace.
— We cannot even love without Grace. We get to love because God first loved us.
4. (2 Cor 6:1 NIV) As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.
— God, by His Grace, allows us to work in the earth as His co-workers. Another translation calls us God’s partners.
— We get to partner with God, to accomplish His will in the earth, and this privilege certainly does NOT come because we deserve it; it comes by God’s undeserved Grace.
— Like the text teaches, we should not take this Grace in vain. Don’t waste the Grace God has put on you and in you to accomplish the supernatural in the earth.
5. God gives us a new heart and a new spirit by Grace.
— God will give you a new heart, by His Grace, and you will be able to love those you could not love before.
— The Grace of God will change your heart to the point where you can’t even get mad at things you know would have made you furious before.
6. (Romans 5:17 KJV) For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
— In Christ Jesus we receive an Abundance of Grace.
— Jesus redeemed us from everything Adam got us into and He provides us MUCH MORE.
— We get to reign in life as we receive an abundance of Grace & the gift of righteousness.
— No matter the size of the problem, God has given you MORE THAN ENOUGH GRACE to overcome every situation.
*** Jesus lived a life 100% aware that God was with Him every second of every day. This is the way we are supposed to LIVE… by Grace.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your amazing, immeasurable and inexhaustible Grace. You love me with an everlasting love and You pour out an abundance of Grace upon me. Your Grace is always enough. It never runs out and it never comes up short. There is nothing I cannot accomplish when I am doing what I have been called and Graced to do. In 2013 I faced my share of challenges. There were times when the pressure was on me to give up, cave in and quit. But Your Grace kept me going. It was not my power, but Yours. It was not my goodness, but Your Grace. It was not my ability, but Your supernatural power flowing through me through the abundance of Grace You have provided me in Christ Jesus my Lord. 2013 was a year of preparation. 2014 shall be a year of POWER! Like Jesus, I was led of the Spirit to go through some challenging times. And like Jesus, I shall come out on the other side of the challenges in the POWER OF THE SPIRIT. I enter 2014 knowing that I do not have to face any challenge on my own. In my power, I am limited. In Your power, I am limitless. In my ability, there are many things I cannot do. But in Your ability, flowing through me by Your Grace, I can do all things. I die to self daily, I get out of the way, and I allow Your power to flow through me by Your Grace. As I do, I shall experience the best year of my life, and You will be glorified through me like never before! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
