Today we continue our new series entitled, “Press through it!”
Yesterday I introduced you to this passage. Let’s go back to it this morning. The Apostle Paul said:
“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
(2 Cor 12:2-10 NIV)
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God called you from the foundations of the world.
a) God revealed to Jeremiah that he was ordained to be a prophet before he was born (Jer 1:5). The same is true with you. God held an ordination ceremony in heaven before you were born. God ordained you to do what He assigned you to do. Once you are born you spend your entire life attempting to discover, develop in, and deploy into your purpose.
b) The Bible says, “God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” (Eph 2:10). Paul did terrible things before his conversion. He is not the only one. The major writers of scripture (Moses, David and Paul) were all murderers. But the text says that God makes us new people. Once we are new, we get to leave the past in the past and spend the rest of our lives doing the good things God ordained for us to do.
2. God has given you the grace to fulfill your assignment.
a) God called you by grace. This means that He did not call you based on your performance. Actually, He had to call you despite your performance. God did not call you because you measured up to the task. God called you even though you did not!
b) Just like God called you by grace, He has also already given you the grace to fulfill the call. Like Paul, you will face opposition. Like Paul, you may have to endure hardship. But also like Paul, you must open your heart to the reality that everything you need to be successful is either already IN YOU or already STORED UP for you!
3. God has already given you grace for what you are facing.
a) No matter what you are facing this morning, you would not be facing it if God did not trust you with it. The power to endure and overcome is ALREADY IN YOU! God is not GOING to give you the grace to face it. He ALREADY DID! You have the grace to press through it!
b) God’s grace on your life is His super upon your natural. God’s grace is an empowerment to do what you could never do without Him. Like Paul, the reason why God has not taken the challenge away — even though you have asked him multiple times to do so — is because He has already equipped, enabled and empowered you to overcome it!
4. Understanding God’s grace will keep you from giving up.
a) When you come to the realization that God has already given you sufficient grace to face and overcome whatever you are facing, you are able to resist every thought of giving up, and you find the strength (deep down inside) to keep going!
b) A major reason why you should not give up is because you are not facing it alone. God is ON you, IN you, WITH you and FOR you! He will never leave you. He will never turn His back on you!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, You thought of me before the world began. You made plans for me before my mother met my father. You carefully designed my purpose by grace. You ordained me for my assignment before I was born. You then sent me into the world, at just the right time, to bring it to pass. Satan is not going to idly sit by while You use me to change the world. He will attack me, in hopes of forcing me to give up before I complete what You assigned me to do. But like Paul, I have the grace to keep going. I have the grace to press through it! No matter what I face, no matter how hard it gets, and no matter how many obstacles are lined up in my path, I will never give up because You are always with me. By Your grace, I keep going and I will arrive at Your desired destination for my life. I will change the world. I will leave a mark in this world that will be felt for generations to come! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
