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.
For the past couple of weeks, we have been discussing “Entering Into God’s rest” from Hebrews 4:1-11. We worked our way through the entire passage. Yesterday I shared some general thoughts about resting in God and how critical this is for your overall success in life. Today I will continue what I started two days ago, but with a twist. I will make my points about the nation of Israel, from Numbers 13 and 14 (tied to Hebrews 4), but I will also bring up the woman with the issue of blood from Mark 5. While the story of Hebrews 4 is tied to people who DID NOT believe God, the story of Mark 5 is tied to a woman who did! We will discuss both today.
So what does this mean for you today? Let’s see.
1. Don’t dwell on the past.
It would have been very easy for the woman with the issue of blood to wallow in pity, but she kept looking for a way out of her situation. She tried the doctors, she tried her religion, and then she tried Jesus. And that’s the point; she kept on trying, she never gave up, and she kept moving forward! A “forward-ever, backward-never” mentality goes a long way! (see Mark 5:25-29).
To go directly to the point of the passage we have been studying (Hebrews 4), the writer of Hebrews is referencing the new-freed nation of Israel in Numbers 13 and 14. They are indicted for not believing God. 10 of the 12 spies put a “NO” where God put a “YES.” God said, “I am giving you this land. This is land I promised your forefathers to give you.” 10 of the spies said, “We cannot take this land. There are giants there. We look like grasshoppers compared to the giants.” Two of the spies (Joshua and Caleb) said, “We are well able to do this. God is with us!” Sadly, the crowd believed the 10 and not the 2, so millions died without receiving God’s promise. They failed to enter into God’s rest concerning what He said.
You could make the argument that these people did not believe God becuase of what they had just been through. They came from a long line of slaves. Abraham’s descendants had been slaves for 400 years. Some may say that they could not believe on the level that God was “preaching” to them because of the reality of their past. Sometimes, it’s hard to rest in the goodness of God when your past has not been good. But in order to walk in God’s best, you must believe in a God who wants to be good to you. God wants to overwhelm us with His goodness. Please don’t allow the pain of your past to keep you from receiving it!
2. Expand your capacity to believe God.
I have done lots of teaching on this, but we are only limited by our capacity to believe God.
Do you truly believe God? The woman in Mark 5 did. She believed God for a breakthrough, even though all human hope was gone. Her belief opened the door to her faith. You will never get to the faith stage if you can’t get past the belief stage! (see Mark 5:25-29).
That’s what happened to the Israelites in Numbers 13 and 14. They never got to the faith-stage (where they could attempt to overtake the giants), because they could not get past the belief stage. They simply did not believe they could do what God was telling them to do.
If you want to become the success God has called you to be, you must be more like the woman in Mark 5 and not the Israelites from Numbers 13. You must believe what God is saying to you and what He is leading you to do, even when it makes no sense and even when it seems impossible. The woman received her breakthrough instantaneously because she used her faith to access God’s grace. You can do the same. There is nothing God can’t do, and when He is leading you into the seemingly impossible, it is because He wants to do something the world will call “incredible” in your life. But you must believe! If you can’t believe it, you will never experience it. You will never get to the point where you experience faith if you can’t even get past belief.
The more you learn how to rest in God, the more you will expand your capacity to believe. All things are possible to him who believes (Mark 9:23).
3. Speak faith-filled words.
The language of faith speaks its desired outcome. That’s what the woman with the issue of blood did. Jesus was heading to Jairus’ house becuase HE SAID, “Master, my daughter is sick. She is laying at the point of death. But if you come to my house and lay hands on her, she shall recover, and she shall live!” Jesus could have healed Jairus’ daughter from the seashore, but that is NOT what he said. He said, “I need you to come to my house and lay hands on her.” So that is what Jesus did.
While he was going, the woman with the issue of blood kept saying, “If I can just touch His clothes, I shall be made whole!” She kept saying that. She kept repeating it over and over. She was preaching to herself. So when she touched Jesus, guess what happened? Exactly what she said!
The nation of Israel in Numbers 13 and 14 said, “We can’t do it. The land has giants in it. We look like grasshoppers in their sight.” So guess what? They received exactly what they said!
Don’t ever let this be you. Speak the language of faith. Speak the WORD only! And then rest in the words you spoke that are based on what God spoke over you. While you are resting, never allow what you SEE to cause you to change what you SAID!
4. Watch your mouth!
To rest in God’s best, you must watch your mouth! Do not underestimate the power of words. You release a message every time you open your mouth, and you should be cognizant of what messages you are releasing. Your words can either release faith or fear, and the enemy will turn up the heat on you every time you speak faith. His hope is that the heat will make you buckle under the pressure. But your God is bigger than the heat! Don’t allow what you see to change what you say!
Jairus received exactly what he said. Jesus had to go to his house, lay hands on his daughter, and THEN she was healed. Why? Because that is what he said. The woman with the issue of blood was healed when she touched Jesus. Why? Becuase that is what she said. The nation of Israel (an entire generation) died without receiving the Promised Land. Why? Because that is what they said. Joshua and Caleb got to enter the Promised Land 40 years later. Why? Because that is what they said!
Good or bad, YOU SHALL HAVE WHATSOEVER YOU SAY!
5. Choose your friends wisely.
When you are dealing with a difficult situation, you must surround yourself with people of ‘like-precious-faith.’ If you surround yourself with the wrong people, you will hear the wrong things. You need an ‘inner-circle;’ a small group of people you can rely on when the going gets rough. These are people who will be there for you and you for them.
The nation of Israel heard the wrong thing (from the 10 spies), they believed it, and it cost them dearly. You must be very careful who you hang around and who you allow to speak into your life. While you are resting in God’s promises, you cannot hang around people who don’t believe. And you should only share precious things with precious people. If you share your heart with people who can’t handle your promises, satan will attempt to use them to talk you OUT of your blessing.
So to truly REST in God’s promises, you must have some people in your circle who can encourage you when you feel like giving up. People of like-precious-faith will help you feed your faith and starve your doubts!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about grace-based success.
I will not settle for anything less than the manifestation of Your promises in my life. Once I receive a promise in my spirit, either from Your Word or Your voice, I resolve to operate in faith and patience until the promise is a reality in my life.
I say what You said until I see what You said. I speak the language of faith. I speak the WORD only!
I will not allow the enemy, or anyone else, to cause me to change my confession.
I will not allow what I see – even if it gets worse before it gets better – to change what I say.
The devil has no place in me, no power over me, and no unsettled claims against me. So he can’t stifle my faith with suggestions of condemnation.
I have been forgiven, I am in faith, I have patience, and I will HOLD ON until I see You best in my life!
I am RESTING while You WORKING for me, Father! GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
