Today we will continue our series entitled “God’s Grace & Our Faith.” We are looking at The Law given under Moses vs. the Grace provided by Jesus. Our primary scriptures are John 1:14 & 17. Yesterday we also looked at 2 Peter 1:1-4. We will look at these again today.
(John 1:14 New International Version)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:17 New International Version)
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
(2 Peter 1:1-4)
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
I believe I have the release from God to move on from this passage. This may be the last message from it. Let’s get into it.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things I still want to deal with here.
1. Vision is both incremental and progressive.
— Your purpose is fixed and established. It was established by God before you were born. Vision, however, is both incremental and progressive. This is when God reveals your purpose to you in “chunks” that you can progress and walk out.
— Your knowledge of self grows as you get incremental and progressive knowledge of God. The more you grow in your knowledge of Him, the more He will reveal His knowledge of you (meaning your divine purpose).
— Divine vision is incremental and progressive. It is incremental because the Lord will only give you enough vision to see what you need to see based on where you are in your journey. This means that while God can see it all, He knows you can’t handle it all, so He releases His vision in increments (chunks) that you can digest, process, understand, and walk out. God may give you glimpses of what is far down the road, but you won’t have the clarity to walk in those realms until the time is right. For now, the Father gives you clear vision to walk in the season you are in, so that you can maximize your current season and prepare for the next.
— Vision is also progressive because the more you walk with the Father and learn His ways, the more He is able to reveal to you. You should be able to handle more vision today than you could 10 years ago. By giving you incremental and progressive vision, the Father equips you to pursue your purpose. Life with God is a journey. Every season, stage and level are purposeful. As you grow in your knowledge of Him, grace and peace are multiplied to you, and you (little by little) become the man/woman you are destined to be!
2. God’s vision will not come to pass in your life if you are not willing to die to self and change into the man/woman you are destined to be.
— 2 Corinthians 3:18 talks about us beholding the glory of the Lord and then being CHANGED into that very same image so you can be like Him. This is what Peter was talking about. As you walk with God and you get a greater revelation of who He is, you also get a greater revelation of who you are. And that point, when you see the image of who God is calling you to be, you can be changed into the very same image by the grace of God.
— As you walk with God, the Holy Spirit will show you area after area where your life is not lining up with God’s best. The Holy Spirit does not highlight these things to shame or hurt you. He does so to help you. But it won’t help if you are not willing to CHANGE!
— Life does not get better by chance. Life gets better by change. God destined you for a purpose. Once God reveals that purpose to you, you must make a conscious decision to align with it.
— To become like God and develop into the man/woman you are destined to be, you must be willing to DIE to the person you become on your own.
— Jesus said, “If any of you want to be my follower, you must stop thinking about yourself and what you want” (Mat 16:24, Mark 8:34). Once you are Born-Again, your life can no longer be about you or your selfish desires. Just like Jesus had to sacrifice and carry His cross, you will as well. Jesus went on to say, “You must be willing to carry the cross that is given to you for following me.” We all have a personal cross. We must all be willing to make personal sacrifices. Sacrifice requires change. If we refuse to change, we will miss out on the life God destined us to have. Jesus continued and said, “Any of you who try to save the life you have will lose it. But you who give up your life for me will find true life.” In other words, if you refuse to change, you will maintain the life you have, and you will miss out on the life I destined for you to have. But if you are willing to change, and you allow yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit, you will be changed into the man/woman God called you to be from the foundations of the world. You will look like God on this planet. You will be heaven’s reflection on the earth. When people come in contact with you, they will come in contact with Him. But none of this will happen if you are not WILLING to change!
3. Dying to self does not mean dying to all that makes you unique.
— God will use your personality. He wants to use it because He made you that way!
— Peter was rough and boisterous. God did not completely change him. God used Peter’s personality for His glory.
— Paul was polished and savvy. God did not completely change him. God used Paul’s personality for His glory.
— God has done the same with me. When I preach, my personality comes through, and I believe God loves it. I am called to die to sin and selfishness, but not to the uniqueness of who I am. I embrace. You have the grace to be YOU! No one else has your fingerprint, voiceprint, eye signature, or divine assignment. No one else can be you, nor can you be anyone else. Since you can only be YOU, then you might as well be the best YOU that you can be.
— When you come to God, He is not looking to completely strip you of yourself. I am witness. I love my personality, and I am thankful that God did not make me change it when I came to Him. God uses me, ALL OF ME, my Brooklynisms and all, for His glory, and He will do the same with you. God can share His power through your personality for His glory. Let Him do it!
4. God is not looking for perfection, but He is looking for authenticity.
— Peter never tried to be anyone but himself. He was far from perfect, he made a myriad of mistakes, but God was able to anoint his authenticity. God’s anointing only flows through the authentic. God does not validate inauthentic behavior with His blessing. So stop trying to be someone you are not. Believe what God believes about you. When you do, you will love yourself enough to BE a blessing in this world.
— Remember, God is looking for you to believe what He already planned for your life. He wants you to accept what is already done. And part of what is already done is WHO YOU ARE! God does not want you to live as anyone but YOU!
— Paul said, “When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new!” God made all things new for you the day you accepted His Son, Jesus, as Lord. Now it’s up to you to walk in the newness of the life Christ Jesus died to give you.
— The more you grow in the knowledge of HIM, the more you will grow in the knowledge of SELF, and you must be okay with that revelation. You must come to grips with “your lot in life.” You must be settled in being the man/woman God called you to be. Getting to this point, to this settled state, will do several things for you: a) you will be delivered from the curse of competitive jealousy, b) you will be able to tap into the grace of God that has been allocated to you for your divine assignment, and c) you will have unshakable peace because you are finally aware of who you are and you are comfortable being your authentic self.
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith.
I walk and live by faith because my faith taps into Your amazing grace.
You flood my eyes with light. You give me my divine vision. I am able to see myself the way You see me. I believe what You believe about me.
I am settled in my heart concerning who I am. I know who I am becuase I know who You are, and I also know I don’t have the grace to be anyone else. Therefore, I am free from competitive jealousy and from every desire that does not line up with Your purpose for me.
I walk in the authenticity of my assignment, I tap into the grace to do it, and as a result, You live through me freely! I will change the world becuase it won’t be me doing it. It is You, Father, who lives in me. You give me the words! You perform the work! GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
