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.
(Read Daniel 2:1-16)
Yesterday’s last message covered Daniel 2:1-11. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and called in his wise men to interpret the dream. The wise men asked the king to tell them the dream so they could interpret it, but the king refused. The king’s point was that if they were truly wise, they should be able to come up with the dream and the interpretation.
King Nebuchadnezzar’s “wise men” used magic, sorcery, and witchcraft to perform their work. But they quickly realized their “dark power” was far too limited to complete the task. So the wise men said to Nebuchadnezzar, “The king is asking something that is too hard to do. Only the gods could tell the king his dream and what it means. But the gods don’t live with people.” Their response is interesting. They were basically saying, “Oh king, you are asking us to do something only gods can do. But since gods don’t dwell with people, it can’t get done.” King Nebuchadnezzar’s family of sorcerers did not know that our God, the only true and wise God, DOES live with mere humans, and He empowers humans to operate in ways that far exceed their humanity.
King Nebuchadnezzar ordered all the wise men to be killed. Somehow, Daniel and his friends were caught up in the fray. They were scheduled to be killed as well. When Daniel found out about it, he went to the king and asked for time to seek His God about it. He promised to come back with the answer the king was looking for. Daniel believed his God would tell him the dream and also tell him what the dream meant – not by Daniel’s effort or education, but by God’s grace and revelation.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Humans are limited and flawed; God is limitless and holy.
— Human ability has its limits. It does not matter how gifted, skilled, educated, disciplined, or seemingly prepared any one person is; there are limits to their humanity.
— Humans are finite. But God is infinite.
— Humans can gain knowledge over time through education and experience. But God knows all things at once.
— In addition to humans being finite, we are also flawed. No human is perfect. So let’s say that someone gained an education, developed discipline, grit, determination, and a tireless work ethic, and has even strived to build relationships and treat people right; this person will eventually do things wrong becuase mistakes are part of our humanity.
— When you come to grips with the limits of your humanity, and you also open your heart to the reality that God has no limits, you are then in a position to tap into His grace. God makes His limitless power available to you by His unearned grace.
— If you open your heart to God’s grace and lay hold of it by faith, you will live a life far exceeding your limits because, at that point, it will be God who is living through you!
2. There are countless impossibilities with man but no impossibilities with God.
— This series is about pursuing success in this world and doing it God’s way. The way you become a success in God is not a matter of more TRYING. It is a matter of more DYING!
— If you open your heart to God and His grace, the impossible becomes possible for you (Mark 9:23).
— What King Nebuchadnezzar was asking his “wise men” to do was humanly impossible. It was beyond the limits of anyone’s humanity. But when Daniel got involved, he said, “Mr. King, hold on, give me some time. I am going to talk to my God and my God will give me what you are asking for. I have no way of knowing what your dream was or what it means. But my God knows all things at all times. He will reveal to me what you are asking for.” In the end, God did, and Daniel received, by revelation, what he could have never attained through human education or intellect.
— There will be times when your education, experience, background, connections, associations, etc., are just not enough. God places you in situations where you are forced to rely on Him for your success. There are moments where you say, “Okay God, if You don’t show up, it can’t get done!” And God loves it when you are in these situations. Because when He shows up in these types of situations, He gets ALL the glory! God loves doing things that ONLY HE CAN DO. Because when He does, you can’t take His credit, and neither can anyone else. Everyone will know that there is a God because what they just witnessed was BEYOND HUMAN!
— God specializes in “flexing His muscles” this way, and He will do it through you, by grace, if you have the faith to believe the impossible! Do you?
3. When the world fails, God is looking for you to believe Him so you can step in and shine (by His grace)!
— When the power and systems of this world fail, it creates an open door of opportunity for God and His children.
— When King Nebuchadnezzar’s wise men failed and were killed, it opened the door for Daniel to believe God, for God to do what only He can do and for Daniel and his friends to get promoted!
— Where human ability ends, the grace of God begins!
— God empowers His children, by His grace, to operate far beyond the limits of humanity.
— Grace is all about humanity getting to the end of itself. If you are in the way, the grace of God won’t flow. But when you know you can’t and believe God can, then God’s grace will empower you to do what you could never do without Him!
— God wants to work through you to do what you can’t do without Him. God has limitless power. All he is looking for from you is faith and surrender.
— In this season, at the end of 2022, I believe God is raising up a generation who is tired of a powerless church. More and more, people are growing tired of going to church Sunday after Sunday without seeing anything supernatural. God never intended for us to live a completely human life, void of true power.
— I believe God is raising up a generation of leaders who will be so in tune with Him and His grace that the supernatural will be natural to them. I am part of that generation. Are you?
— If God could do the humanly impossible through Daniel, a young slave without the Holy Spirit, thousands of years before Jesus, then what is it that He cannot do through you?
*** Your job is to believe, submit, and allow God to flow through you to do what you could never do on your own! This is the type of life God is calling us to live in this season. Are you ready?
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about grace-based success.
You have taken up residence inside of me, and You freely give me access to supernatural power.
As a Born-Again, Spirit-filled believer, You expect the supernatural to become natural to me. Not by my power but by Your grace.
My part is to believe and attempt whatever You tell me to do in faith. Your part is to do what I cannot do. Together, we will make a supernatural difference and leave a mark in this world that will never be erased.
I am a believer, and supernatural signs will follow me. And when they do, it will not be because I did it. It will be because I died to myself to the point where Your power was able to flow through me freely.
I open my heart to the supernatural. I yield my life to You. I place all that I am and all that I am not in Your hands. Use me for Your glory, Father!
You and me, me and You, together, we shall change the world! Not because I am so good. But only because YOU ARE! Living this way, 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.
