Today we continue our series entitled, “Pursuing Grace-Based Success!”
Here are our foundational scriptures:
(Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV)
8 I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God.
9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about.
10 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.
(1 Corinthians 1:30,31 NLT)
30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
(2 Timothy 1:9 NKJV)
Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
Yesterday I taught you about “Trusting in the Love of God for your success.” The main text I used was from 1 John 4. While I gave you several scriptures, the key one for me was verse 16, where the Apostle John said, “So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love.”
I have already taught you that true success and prosperity are not found in things but in finding, following, and finishing your divine purpose. Giving up what you were already working on in life before coming to Christ for the purpose God reveals to you is not easy for most. But it is easier when you know God loves you and you trust His love. When you truly trust the love of God, you will be more inclined to give up control, make God’s purpose your #1 priority in life, and find your true self by losing yourself in Him. This is a description of the #TheGraceLife we are supposed to live.
To enjoy the fullness of God’s grace, we must access His grace with our faith. The Apostle Paul said something very interesting in his letter to the church in Galatia. After teaching the church that we can only live lives that are pleasing in God’s sight by His grace and not by fulfilling the Law of Moses, the Apostle Paul said, “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love” (Gal 5:6). As New Testament believers our lives can no longer be focused on works (like circumcision). We must live our lives by faith, and Paul tells us that faith works by love. For our faith to be strong, we must know, believe and trust in the love of God.
So what does this mean for you today?
1. As New Testament, Born-Again, Spirit-filled believers, external ceremonial Laws or rules should no longer be our focus.
2. You cannot live a life pleasing in God’s sight by your works. God is looking for your faith, and your faith must be focused on God’s grace and rooted in His love.
3. Your life should be simple now. You are to be led by the Holy Spirit, to do and say what He tells you to do and say, by faith, and to trust in the Love of God.
4. Trusting in the love and grace of God is the fuel for your faith. If you think your faith will only work when you are perfect (when you do everything right), then you are living performance-based and not grace-based. If you live performance-based, your faith will suffer because you are not perfect, and you will make mistakes. But when you live grace-based, trusting in the love of God, you can keep believing even after you have made a mistake. This point is critical in your pursuit of success in life!
5. Receiving God’s love in your heart and trusting in that love will open the door to God’s grace in a way that performance-based religion never could. At this point, your faith will be strong, and you will experience the Godly success you desire (and God desires for you).
6. Your faith will be strong when you are convinced God loves you and that He wants to use you by His Grace, not because you are so good (because you are not that good!).
7. Religious people, who have a performance-based mindset, love emphasizing their works becuase it makes them feel good. They love judging themselves as good and others as bad. But the truth is, none of us would be anything without God. But since these people like to focus on their performance, they don’t have a problem putting a spotlight on their supposed goodness and their attempt to operate in love God’s way. They say, “I love God with all my heart, all my soul, all my might, and all my strength.” But the truth is, we could not even love God one iota if He did not first love us (1 John 4:19). So we could not even love God without God’s grace. God’s grace is so amazing that He even gives us the grace to love Him and walk in His love towards others. Without God’s grace, we could not operate in His love. So don’t try to act like you want to be judged by your performance. If God only gave us what we deserved, we would ALL be men and women most miserable. Thank God for His unconditional love and unearned grace. If you are going to become a success in life, it will be because of God’s grace and NOT your goodness.
8. When you are convinced God loves you and that He wants to bless you by grace (because of His everlasting love towards you), you will believe God without any hindrance becuase your confidence will be in Him and not you. This way, you know you don’t have to be perfect to receive God’s promises or to be a success. You just have to believe what God believes about you!
9. Faith is not what happens when you convince God to bless you because of your goodness. Faith is what happens when God convinces you that He wants to bless you because He is so good!
10. Love is who God is, and Grace is how He deals with you. When we settle the question of God’s unconditional love in your heart (that God loves you and that He wants to bless you by His grace and not your performance), you are finally in a position to fulfill your divine purpose and experience the success God sent you to this planet to experience. At that point, your life will NOT be about you or your selfish desires. Your life will be ALL ABOUT HIM and the plans He made for you before the world began! God gave you a purpose and the grace to fulfill the purpose. He gave you both IN Christ Jesus before the beginning of time (2 Tim 1:9). When you get this, you live #TheGraceLife.
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about grace-based success.
I am a New Testament, Born-Again, Spirit-filled believer.
My singular focus in life is to FIND, FOLLOW and FINISH the purpose You sent me to this planet to accomplish. I have no other aim or goal. My life is ALL ABOUT YOU!
Your Spirit leads me daily. He speaks to me and reveals Your will. As I hear, I say. As I see, I do. As You lead me, I go. I do all of this because I am convinced that You love me. You love me. You love me. You love me, and I know it!
You love me, and I trust Your love. Thank You, Father, for loving me despite my faults, flaws, and failures. You love me with unconditional and everlasting love.
I live by faith, but it is not based on my performance. I live by faith based on Your love. Your love emanating from my heart is what fuels my faith. Your love in my heart helps shield and protect me from the condemnation satan attempts to put me in when I make a mistake. Since I am able to resist condemnation, I am also able to maintain my confidence in You. And I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
