This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. Last night my Pastor, Tony Brazelton, told a story of a time when a man fired a shotgun right at him, at point-blank range, and God protected him. He was not hit at all. The rounds went around him. His point was that satan cannot stop a man who is pursuing his divine purpose. This made me think about my own life. I have many testimonies of situations where God protected me for my purpose.
When I was 3yrs. old I was hit by a car. It was a 1975 Lincoln Continental; a car built like a tank. I had blood coming out of my ears, nose and mouth, and I was unconscious. My mother had recently divorced my father. She was in a foreign country (the U.S.), she had just lost her husband, and she was about to lose her only son (so she thought). She jumped into a cab with me and the cabbie rushed off the hospital. In the cab my mother looked me, seemingly lifeless and bleeding all over her, and all she could do was pray. She told the Lord, right there in the cab, that if He spared my life and she would dedicate me to Him and that I would be His. At that moment I woke up. When we arrived at the hospital the doctors ran a battery of tests and they were dumbfounded. They could see the blood on my clothes and on my mother’s clothes, but they could not find anything wrong with me. I had no broken bones, no internal bleeding, no cuts, no bruises, and no sign of trauma whatsoever. The doctors kept me for three days and all I can remember is all the ice cream I ate. I am 42 years old today and those three days I spent in the hospital during this event are the ONLY days I have ever spent in a hospital. I have never even received an I.V.
When I was 11 years old I had a .357 magnum placed to my head for my sneakers. By the age of 17 I had been shot at several times (once with a sawed-off shotgun at close range), I had multiple knives placed at my throat, and I had endured countless extremely dangerous situations. After I was Born-Again at the age of 23, the Lord sat me down one day and showed me, almost like a movie, all the times He protected me for my purpose. He did all of this completely by His unearned grace. I was not even Born-Again. I was not praying. I was not living for God. I was not honoring Him. But God kept me for my purpose.
This has birthed a confidence in me that cannot be shaken. In 2005, during one of my multiple trips to Iraq, my job required me to visit sites all over the country. By then I had been on countless helicopters during my career and I had developed a practice of taking a nap during helicopter rides. So as we flew from place to place I peacefully slept. The other Soldiers with me were amazed that I could sleep like a baby while flying over Baghdad, Mosul, Tikrit and other hotspots. I told them rather ‘matter of factly’ that I could not die. God had already revealed to me what I need to do in life and there are many things I have yet to do. So, I am going to be on this earth until I get them done, for His glory, by His grace. Don’t take this arrogance. This is actually humility. I have surrendered to God’s assignment and I am living out His purpose. I just have confidence IN HIM. I know satan cannot stop God.
So what does this mean to you today? I will give you a few quick points on this today and continue to flow in this vein tomorrow.
1. God is so good and His grace is so amazing, that He protects people for their purpose, even before the ever acknowledge Him as Lord.
2. A man (or woman) who is pursuing their divine purpose cannot be stopped because they have the backing of heaven.
3. The greater your assignment from God, the greater the attack will be from satan.
4. The enemy’s poison cannot stop your purpose.
5. Being called of God does not mean you will not be attacked — you may actually experience MORE attacks — it just means that the attacks will not stop you, because stopping you means stopping God, and God cannot be stopped!
6. When you understand grace your confidence is firm, because it is rooted and grounded in God and in His commitment to the purpose He established for you before the world began.
7. When you live in alignment with God and His purpose for your life, You will experience supernatural protection, provision, power and peace.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and how You made plans for me before the world began. I open my heart to hear from You. The more You reveal Your purpose for my life to me, the more confidence I have for success in life, because my confidence is NOT in me. My confidence is rooted and grounded IN YOU and in Your commitment to me and to the plans You made for me before the world began. I no longer live my life on my own. I no longer pursue success by my terms. I am no longer the captain of my own ship. I have been crucified with Christ, I die to self, I pick up my cross daily and I humbly follow You. Your plans for me are far greater than anything I could have ever come up with. Your plans are impossible — that’s why they require faith. I say YES to Your plans. I say YES to Your will. I say YES to Your purpose. I say YES to Your assignment. I receive it by Your grace and I pursue it with my faith. As I live this way, I know heaven has my back. Heaven is my source to resource Your purpose. Heaven provides me supernatural protection. Heaven gives me access to supernatural peace. I know I will be attacked, because Your purpose for my life is worth attacking. But I am not moved by what I see. I am only moved by what You say. I will WIN in life because You will do the WINNING through me. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
