This is a special message: Since children are starting their school year (some are starting today, some have already started, and some will start soon), I will give you a message from this series, and I will also give you a message about our children and their education. Today you get two messages in one!
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.
(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.
In this series, you have learned about God’s unmerited favor (His grace) and your requirement to live by faith to access it. You have learned about God’s sovereignty and our responsibility. You have learned about God’s His timing and our patience. You have learned about the importance of developing the proper self-image/identity because if you can ever see yourself “As Jesus is, in this world,” then your opinion of you, will line up with God’s opinion of you. Powerful things happen when there is a human alignment with a divine assignment.
This all leads me to the series we are in now. We are now learning that we don’t have to strive to make things happen. Our role is to discern what God has already done and to simply release our faith to see, in the earth, what God revealed, in our hearts. With that, I want to get into a few scriptures. But since today is a double message, I will simply share a few thoughts with you today and come back to the scriptures tomorrow.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Once you know who you are in Christ, your next step is to seek to DO what you were born to do. You are not DOING to get God to move. You are DOING because God already moved. You are because He is. You DO because He did. Your actions are predicated upon your knowledge of God’s destiny for your life.
2. When you are praying for the salvation of someone who is lost or the healing of someone who is sick, I trust you know by now that you are not praying for God to do anything. God provided eternal life for the whole world through Jesus 2,000 years ago. Likewise, Jesus took on our infirmities and diseases 2,000 years ago, and they were all nailed to the cross. So what we do today is pray for people to believe in God’s finished work and to receive, by faith, what God has already provided. When someone does (whether they get Born-Again or healed), it is not because God did anything in heaven. He did what He needed to do thousands of years ago. What happens today is that people believe and receive what God has already provided. If you can understand that, then you can understand how to receive from God when He reveals His will to you. Once you know His will, you also know what He has already provided. Your part is to launch out and DO, in faith, what you believe God has already done!
3. If you come to God from the position of lack, like you need something and you are asking God to DO something for you, then you are acknowledging the fact that you DON’T BELIEVE it’s already done. And if you believe this way, your faith will be OFF. Because you are asking God to DO something He already did.
Let me put it this way: let’s say I buy a dozen donuts and place them on the kitchen counter. I then call my kids to the kitchen and say, “Hey, I bought these donuts for you. They are here if you want them.” And then, later, one of my children comes up to me and says, “Dad, can you go buy us some donuts? I would really like a donut right now.” I would be disappointed because my child did not acknowledge the fact that I had already provided what they were asking for. Their job was to simply LAY HOLD of what I already provided. The same holds true today, for us, in so many ways.
4. Sometimes, Christians believe there is something else that needs to take place. They are waiting on God to do this or that. But God has already destined you. Waiting on God’s timing is one thing. But waiting on God’s performance is something else. If you believe God needs to DO something before you can move, you will be waiting a long time. It’s already done.
5. You must get to the point where you realize you lack nothing. All you need has already been provided. It’s already done. Your job is to discern what God has destined you to do, to believe it in your heart, and then walk it out by faith, so you can lay hold of it. In this way, your faith taps into God’s grace.
6. Jesus is not coming back until the Judgment. He did all He needed to do while He was here. It’s now your turn. You are supposed to do what He did. You are supposed to live like He lived. The ball is in your court. The onus is on you. What are you doing to do with the grace God has already provided?
I will give you a declaration of faith for this part of the message and then transition to Part 2.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your unearned and empowering grace and my requirement to live by faith. The more I learn about Your grace and my faith, the more effective I am in walking out my destiny before I die.
By Your Spirit, You reveal to me what You have already provided. You show me what You have already done. I believe and receive it.
I don’t have to strive to get You to move. You have already moved. Your part is already done. Your grace is there. Now my faith will be there as well.
I walk and live by faith. By faith, I access what You have already provided. By faith, I LAY HOLD of the life I was born to live! By faith, I will become the man/woman I am destined to be, and I will leave a mark in this world that is not easily erased.
GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Part 2: A message about our children and the school year:
Here are a few scriptures you can meditate on and discuss with your children. And I will then share two short declarations: one for students and one for parents. I will also provide you a prayer at the end. Let’s get to it. Carefully and prayerfully read these scriptures. When the time is right, discuss them with your children.
(Col 3:20 ERV)
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
(Psalm 25:1-2 ERV)
Lord, I put my life in your hands. I trust in you, my God, and I will not be disappointed. My enemies will not laugh at me.
(Prov 22:6 MSG)
Point your kids in the right direction—when they’re old they won’t be lost.
(Prov 10:7 NKJV)
The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot.
(John 14:26 ERV)
The Helper will teach you everything and cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name.
(Isa 30:21 ERV)
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
(1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV)
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
(Psalm 34:19 NIV)
The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.
(Psalm 91:7-11 ERV)
A thousand people may fall dead at your side or ten thousand right beside you, but nothing bad will happen to you! All you will have to do is watch, and you will see that the wicked are punished. You trust in the Lord for protection. You have made God Most High your place of safety. So nothing bad will happen to you. No diseases will come near your home. He will command his angels to protect you wherever you go.
(1 Tim 4:12 ERV)
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
(1 Thes 5:19-22 MSG)
Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.
(Deut 31:6 ERV)
Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid of people because the Lord your God is with you. He will not fail you or leave you.
Declaration of Faith for Students to Declare as they go to School:
Father, my life is in Your hands. I trust in you, and I will not be disappointed. I know who I am and whose I am. As Jesus is, so am I in this world. No one can influence me the wrong way. I refuse to allow myself to be corrupted by bad company. I surround myself with the right people, and I am influenced the right way.
I enter this day and this school year knowing I am intelligent, loved, and protected from all harm. I respect my parents and teachers. I honor my elders and those in positions of authority. I am kind, nice, polite, courteous, respectful, and gracious. I have friends because I show myself friendly. I am the righteousness of God by faith.
I know the memory of the righteous is blessed. Therefore, the Holy Spirit helps me remember everything I need to remember for class, and I have supernatural recall during quizzes, exams, and standardized tests. Every day I declare that my mind is alert, my body is awake, and I am ready to make the most of the day You set before me.
I excel academically, I am a Kingdom example socially, and I am healthy physically. I look in the mirror, and I love what I see. I love and like myself. I am confident, bold, and fearless. I am Your child, Father, and I act like it everywhere I go. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Declaration of Faith for Parents to Declare as their Children go to School:
Father, I place my children in your hands. As they go to school, I trust in You, and I will not be disappointed. You give, and I give, angels charge over them, to keep them in all their ways! No evil shall come upon them. In their pathway is life and no destruction.
My children resist negative influences, they are shielded from all harm, they are resistant to physical illness, and they are divinely capable of excelling at everything they put their hands to do.
I love them, and You love them. More importantly, my children know they are loved. They love and like themselves. They believe what You believe about them. They are bold, confident, and fearless. They are respectful and kind. They are courteous and polite.
My children are sharp and focused. They understand, comprehend, process, and digest everything that relates to their education. They excel academically, socially, and spiritually! This year is their best year because You are with them everywhere they go! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Prayer for children for the school year:
Father, we pray for children all over the world as they go to school this year. We stifle the hands and mouths of bullies. We come up against danger, violence, fighting, attacks, and school shootings. We command angels to shield and protect our children, their teachers, and their school grounds this year.
May Your love fill every facility. May teachers have the patience required to adequately teach their students. May the students be respectful, well-mannered, and focused on their education. May the children excel academically and socially. May this year be the best year of their lives.
As parents, may we also develop patience with our children. May we all be involved in our children’s education and their lives. May our children grow up to be the men/women You have called them to be for such a time as this! May our children know that You are ON them, IN them, WITH them, and FOR them! We pray this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
