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. We have also been looking at the fruit of the Holy Spirit from Galatians 5:22,23. Let’s go back to those 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.
(Galatians 5:22,23 The Passion Translation)
But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions:
joy that overflows,
peace that subdues,
patience that endures,
kindness in action,
a life full of virtue,
faith that prevails,
gentleness of heart, and
strength of spirit.
Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.
Yesterday I dealt with the fact that God gave you faith, and He gave you everything you would ever need. When it comes to faith, God actually gave you the same faith He gave His own Son. You have the faith OF God to exercise faith IN God.
In my book, “Level up your Life” (available at https://rickpina.co/), I teach on the levels of faith. I did not want to leave this topic without addressing this. Here is a quick summary of the levels of faith (or types) I describe in the book.
1. Faith in the works (what you see). I would consider this to be the lowest form of faith. There are some people who will only believe God when they see something. Most of the time, for believers, God will require you to believe it before you see it. But for people who are filled with unbelief, God allows them to see what they need to see in order to believe. God does this as an act of His unmerited favor (or grace).
2. Faith in the Word (what you read). The Father expects you to read His Word with a believing heart. When you read what God said and believe it in your heart, you can exercise faith to experience it. This is faith in the Word.
3. Faith in a rhema Word (what you hear). Rhema is a Greek word that means an “utterance” or “a thing said.” When you read the Word of God, you get to believe what God said (past tense). But when you hear a Word from God through the Holy Spirit, you get to believe what He IS SAYING. Living by what God SAID (past tense) is great. But living by what He IS SAYING is greater.
4. Faith in God Himself (whom you believe). This is the highest expression of your faith. When you get to this point, you live a life of faith. You believe what you see God do, you believe what you read in His Word, and you believe what He says to you, but even when you don’t see, read or hear, you still live your life in faith, based upon the relationship you have with the Father. This is where your relationship with the Holy Spirit is key.
Even when you don’t know what God is going to do, you still have faith in the person of God. Your overall confidence in God, your relationship with the Holy Spirit, and your knowledge of God’s commitment towards you enable you to enter into God’s rest, even when the world believes you should be stressed. You are not moved by what you see. You are not moved by what the world is telling you. Because you know WHO you have placed your confidence in, and the Holy Spirit keeps reassuring you that God is faithful and He will perform what He promised! You have faith in God!
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. God loves you enough to meet you at your level of faith. He will not condemn you for having doubts or shun you because you have not developed your faith. God loves you so much that He will go out of His way to help you get to the point where you can believe on a greater level! That’s grace!
2. If you can’t believe without seeing it first, God loves you enough to perform the supernatural in front of you, so you can see it with your own eyes in order for you to believe. That’s love, and it is undeserved. God does this by grace. God does this because He is more committed to you than you are committed to yourself.
3. If you can believe God for the supernatural, He will perform the humanly impossible through you, so others who are not at your level can believe as well. When this happens, God is using you as a conduit of His light and power in this world. You become a living letter that is literally read of men (2 Cor 3:1-3). Your life becomes a witness of God’s goodness.
4. When God does the impossible through you, in one sense, it’s greater than you. While God is committed to you and He wants to bless you becuase He loves you, God is also focused on reaching the world through you. So stop thinking small. God wants to prove His existence and His power through YOUR LIFE. He wants to use your life as a display of His goodness! God will perform the supernatural through you, by His undeserved grace, so that people would know that there is a God, that He sent a Savior, and that His name is Jesus!
5. Living #TheGraceLife frees you to live God’s best life! In this series, I have been comparing and contrasting The Law that was given by Moses with the grace that came through Jesus Christ. I have already shared with you that I was raised to live by The Law. My focus was on a bunch of rules. When I lived this way, I was very religious. I had no concept of God’s grace. As a result, I never experienced the power of God manifest IN me or THROUGH me because I was not living by faith. I was living by works. I was focused on human performance instead of supernatural power. I trust this series is helping you move past the limits of your humanity. God wants to use you supernaturally for His glory. He has provided the grace. It’s up to you now to provide the faith!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for loving me enough to meet me where I am. There was a time when I did not believe without seeing it first. When I was at that level, You graciously allowed me to see things with my own eyes. What I saw helped me to believe You.
I then read Your Word. I grew to the point where I was able to believe what You SAID. I read Your Word with a believing heart, and I developed the faith to take You at Your Word. That was a blessing.
I then grew to the point where I could hear Your voice. As I began to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit, I got to the point where I am now, where I hear what You are saying to me daily. Living by what You ARE SAYING is better than just living by what YOU SAID!
Lastly, Father, I declare that I have faith in You, Your person, Your character, and Your commitment to me. Even when I do not see something, read something, or hear something, I still have faith in You. My faith in You is unwavering. I trust You, even when I do not know what You are doing! I trust Your wisdom, and I trust Your timing. I enter into You rest because I have that everything will work out for me at just the right time. I have faith in my God. This is how 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.
