Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.
As part of this series, I am teaching you how to pray from a position of God’s grace.
Key scriptures for this year:
2 Corinthians? ?9?:?8? ?TPT??
“Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do.”
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??Galatians? ?5?:?4? ?TPT??
“If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!”
Romans? ?6?:?14? ?ERV??
“Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God’s grace.”
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1 Corinthians? ?15?:?10? ?NIV??
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
Additional scriptures for today:
James 1:2-4 TPT
“My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up in you the power of endurance. And then as your endurance grows even stronger, it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV
“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.”
Romans 8:31 NKJV
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Setting the Stage:
In our journey through grace-based prayer, we’ve explored many aspects of approaching God with confidence based on Jesus’ finished work rather than our performance. Today, we address a reality every believer faces: opposition.
Let’s be clear—walking in God’s purpose doesn’t exempt you from challenges; it often attracts them. The greater your assignment from God, the greater the opposition you’ll likely face. But here’s the good news: grace doesn’t just save you; it sustains you through every battle.
Many believers mistakenly think that opposition means they’ve done something wrong or that God has abandoned them. Nothing could be further from the truth. Opposition is often confirmation that you’re on the right track, causing havoc on the enemy’s agenda, and as a result, you become a target. The question isn’t whether you’ll face opposition, but how you’ll respond to it through grace-based prayer.
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Understanding the Nature of Opposition.
Before we can pray effectively through opposition, we must understand its purpose and source. Not all opposition comes from the enemy, and not all smooth paths are from God.
How this applies to you:
— Opposition often confirms you’re heading in the right direction. When the enemy attacks, it’s because you’re making progress that threatens his agenda. Over the years, I have learned that satan only attacks those worth attacking. In other words, he does not waste resources attacking what is already ineffective. This means that if you are being attacked, it is because you are making an impact.
— While God may not be the cause of opposition, when you are praying for protection or when others are praying for your protection, God can certainly shield you from it. But even then, while God can prevent (due to prayers and petitions), God can also permit. God sometimes permits opposition if He knows it will help to develop the character, patience, and endurance you require to fulfill His purpose. In other words, what you’re going through may be building strength for what’s ahead.
— Going back to the point about you praying for protection or someone praying for you. If you don’t pray at all, and no one is praying for you, then it is not a matter of God preventing or permitting. At that point, you have not invoked God at all, so you are entirely susceptible to satan, and it is not God’s fault. This is why prayer is so important.
— Not all opposition is spiritual warfare. Sometimes it’s just the natural consequence of living in a fallen world. Other times, it comes as a result of poor decisions. Discernment helps you know what you are dealing with.
— Opposition has a size. The size of your opposition often reveals the size of your assignment. Large battles indicate large callings. What looks like a setback might actually be a setup for God’s greater purpose.
— Opposition has a timing. Attacks often intensify just before your breakthrough. The darkest hour comes just before dawn. When opposition seems most fierce, deliverance may be just around the corner.
— Opposition reveals what’s in your heart. Pressure doesn’t create character; it reveals it. How you respond to challenges shows what you truly believe about God’s purpose and grace for your life.
2. Praying from Grace, Not Desperation.
When facing opposition, our natural tendency is to pray from a place of desperation. Grace teaches us to pray from a position of victory, not victimhood.
How this applies to you:
— Desperate prayers focus on the problem; grace-based prayers focus on the promises and the Promise-Keeper. When the three Hebrew boys faced the fiery furnace, they didn’t beg for deliverance; they confidently declared God’s faithfulness regardless of the outcome. Even when the enemy cranked up the heat on them, they REFUSED TO BOW! You must do the same. Even if the enemy cranks up the heat on you, you must refuse to change your confession! And if you don’t BOW, you will not BURN!
— Desperate prayers are full of fear; grace-based prayers are full of faith. Fear says, “What if God doesn’t come through?” Faith says, “God is with me and He will see me through it. Even if the outcome isn’t what I wanted, God is still good, and in the end, it will all work together for my good.”
— Desperate prayers try to convince God to move; grace-based prayers rest in knowing God has already moved. What we are learning in this series is this: Your job isn’t to change God’s mind but to align with His will.
— Desperate prayers are driven by panic; grace-based prayers are powered by peace. Jesus slept through the storm, not because He didn’t care, but because He knew the Father would bless Him to get to the other side.
— Desperate prayers focus on your inadequacy (need); grace-based prayers focus on Christ’s sufficiency (supply).
— Desperate prayers beg God to show up; grace-based prayers thank Him for already being there. You’re not praying for God to come and help you; you’re acknowledging His constant presence and accessing His readily available help.
3. Grace Provides What You Need in Opposition.
God’s grace doesn’t just save you; it supplies everything you need to stand firm against any opposition. This understanding transforms how you pray during difficult seasons.
How this applies to you:
— Grace provides supernatural peace in the midst of turmoil, because you know God is with you, and His presence brings with it His peace and provision. Your peace is not based on the absence of trouble. It is based on the presence of God. When you pray, access the peace that surpasses understanding.
— Grace gives you wisdom beyond your natural understanding. James 1:5 promises that if you lack wisdom, you can ask God, who gives generously.
— Grace offers divine guidance when you’re confused or disoriented. The Holy Spirit becomes your personal navigator, directing your steps even when the path seems unclear.
— Grace supplies extraordinary strength when your strength is depleted. God’s power is perfected in our weakness, so when you feel like you can’t go on, grace gives you the power to do so.
— Grace provides patience to endure when instant deliverance doesn’t come. Sometimes God delivers us from the fire; other times, He delivers in it (like the Hebrew boys). The good news is that God will get down in the fire with us.
— Grace gives you resilience to bounce back from setbacks. It’s not about never falling; it’s about not staying down. Grace empowers you to get back up every time opposition knocks you down.
— Grace gives us staying power. Read this passage.
James 5:10,11 Message Bible
“Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end.”
Life becomes a gift when you tap into the grace to STAY THE COURSE!
4. Practical Grace-Based Prayers During Opposition.
Knowing how to pray specifically during times of opposition can make a tremendous difference in your life. Let’s talk about it.
How this applies to you:
— Pray for perspective, not just deliverance. Ask God to help you see the opposition through His eyes. Like Joseph, you’ll be able to say, “What the enemy meant for harm, God meant for good.”
— Pray for provision. During opposition, God often provides in unusual ways. The Israelites had manna in the desert. God has resources you haven’t discovered yet. God has millions of ways to get you millions of dollars to fund what He has called you to do.
— Pray for protection, not just from the battle but in it. David didn’t ask to avoid Goliath; he asked for victory over him. Sometimes the way around is through.
— Pray for perseverance when the journey seems long. Long-distance runners hit “the wall” before breaking through to their second or third wind. Many times, spiritual opposition works the same way. Sometimes the key to winning is simply refusing to quit.
— Pray with praise, recognizing God’s sovereignty over your situation. Paul and Silas sang praises in prison, and God turned their opposition into opportunity. Your praise in the midst of problems becomes powerful spiritual warfare. Praise will magnify God, and it will also cause you to shift your focus to God and what He can do.
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me that opposition often confirms I’m on the right path.
I reject desperate prayers based on fear and embrace grace-based prayers full of faith, without a doubt, and without wavering.
Your grace provides supernatural peace, wisdom, strength, guidance, patience, authority, and resilience for every battle I face.
I choose to see my challenges through Your eyes, recognizing that what the enemy means for evil, You can and You will turn around for my good.
I stand confidently in the sufficiency of Your grace, knowing that Your power is made perfect in my weakness.
I approach every opposition as an opportunity to experience more of Your grace and to grow stronger in my faith.
I am not a victim but a victor through Christ, fully equipped by Your grace to overcome any challenge.
I praise You in advance for the victory, knowing that the outcome is already settled in heaven.
I am living THE GRACE LIFE in 2025, confidently praying through opposition because GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and prosper!????????????????
