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.
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:
Galatians 5:6 KJV
“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.”
1 John 4:16 ERV
“So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love.”
Setting the stage:
The Christian life is meant to be a journey of faith, but many believers find themselves struggling to maintain consistent faith in their daily walk. While we understand the importance of faith, we often approach it from a performance-based mindset, trying to generate faith through our own efforts. I know, because I lived this way for years. This made “exercising my faith” a chore and it often led to frustration and inconsistent results. The Apostle Paul reveals a profound truth in Galatians 5:6 when he tells us that “faith works by love.” This isn’t about your love for God or others; it’s about being fully convinced of God’s love for you. When you truly understand and receive God’s unchanging love, your faith naturally becomes powerful and effective because you release the pressure from YOU, and you put all your confidence in God, His plans, His for you, and His dedication to doing what He called you to do. I have been walking with God in earnest for almost three decades now, and while my understanding of faith, grace, and love will (I am sure) continue to evolve, I am convinced (with my limited knowledge) that this is how we are called to live.
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Love Shifts Faith from Duty to Delight.
When you truly understand God’s love, it fundamentally changes how you approach faith. Instead of seeing faith as something you must muster up or a religious duty you must perform, it becomes a natural response to God’s overwhelming love for you. This shift transforms every aspect of your spiritual walk, making faith not just more effective, but also more enjoyable. You no longer serve God because you have to, but because you want to, all because you understand how much He loves you.
How this applies to you:
— When rooted in God’s love, faith becomes a joyful response, not a religious obligation. It naturally flows from your heart, and it is not something you have to muster up.
— Understanding God’s love makes believing His promises natural (to your spirit) and exciting because you live with an expectation of manifestation every day.
— Your faith grows stronger daily, without the pressure to perform, because it’s motivated by love, not fear. The emphasis is on God and His plans, not on you and what you want.
— Instead of pushing yourself to believe, let His love pull you into faith. Your calling is calling you. The more clearly you see and hear the call, the stronger the pull will be and the less self-effort you will exert.
— When you live this way, your faith becomes consistent because it’s fueled by God’s consistent love. God’s love never fails.
— Decision-making becomes clearer when filtered through God’s love. One reason why this is true is because perfected love casts out all fear. So you are not making decision rooted in the fear of failure. Your decisions are based in God’s love and dedication to you.
— Understanding this also helps you lead with a Godly mindset and attitude. Because you operate from the joy of being loved rather than the pressure of performing. If you show up to work every day with the pressure to perform, it will come out when you deal with those you lead.
2. Love Precedes Faith.
Many believers have this backward – they think their faith has to be strong to receive God’s love. However, God’s love always comes first. God loved you before you ever loved Him, before you ever operated in faith, before you were born, and even before the foundation of the world. Understanding this order changes everything. Your faith isn’t what convinces God to love you; His love is what enables you to believe. This revelation removes the pressure of trying to believe and instead allows you to simply receive what His love has already provided.
How this applies to you:
— God’s motivation to bless you is His love, not your faith.
— Your faith doesn’t convince God; His love convinces you.
— God made plans for you before you ever even attempted to exercise faith.
— When you’re convinced God loves you, receiving from Him becomes natural.
— Your faith works because God is good, not because you are.
— In leadership, know that God’s love qualifies you, not your perfection.
— Make decisions from a foundation of being loved, not trying to earn love.
— When leading teams or making major business decisions, operate from the security of being loved rather than the fear of failure.
3. Faith Through Grace, Not Performance.
The performance trap has ensnared countless believers who think their faith depends on their perfection. But faith that works by love operates on an entirely different principle. When you understand that God’s love for you is based on His character, not your performance, it liberates your faith to function as it should. His love for you hasn’t changed despite knowing every mistake you would ever make. This is the essence of grace-based faith.
How this applies to you:
— God knew every mistake you would make before He made His promises.
— Your imperfections don’t disqualify you from God’s promises.
— You receive by grace through faith, not by earning or deserving.
— God’s love is greater than your failures.
— In business or in your professional career, this mindset helps you to take Spirit-led risks, knowing God’s love doesn’t change with outcomes.
— Handle challenges from a position of being secure in God’s love.
— In business, take Spirit-led risks, knowing God’s love doesn’t change with outcomes. Even when things don’t work out the way you wanted them to, God still loves you, His plans for your life are still good, and He will lead you to recover and rebound.
— This mindset helps you handle challenges from a position of being secure in God’s love.
— Base your confidence on His character, not your consistency or performance.
4. Surrender-Based Faith.
True faith isn’t about getting God to say yes to your plans; it’s about you saying yes to His plans. This can be scary because it requires letting go of control, and most people struggle with that. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Luke 9:23-24). While these words can seem daunting, they become liberating when you’re convinced of God’s love for you. When you know – really know – that God loves you, surrender becomes natural because you trust His heart. You know that whatever He has planned for you is better than anything you could plan for yourself.
How this applies to you:
— Surrender is challenging until you’re convinced of God’s love.
— Your grip on control loosens when you trust in God’s heart for you.
— Faith flourishes when you stop trying to be the captain of your own ship, navigating your own course.
— God’s love gives you the confidence to let go of your plans.
— When you are convinced that God is not there to hurt you, you feel like your surrender is safe, and you open your heart to die to self. You will only do this when you believe the love God has for you.
— The more you trust God’s love, the easier it becomes to surrender.
— What feels like losing control is actually entering into God’s perfect plan.
— Letting go of control opens the door to God’s best for your life.
— Real faith means trusting God’s love enough to follow His lead.
— God planned your life before you were born, and His plans are better than yours.
— Your future is secure in God’s hands because His love never fails.
— Living in surrender means exchanging your limited vision for God’s perfect plan.
— What looks like sacrifice in surrender becomes privilege when you trust God’s love. You get to enjoy the privilege of becoming the man/woman God called you to be!
5. Love-Powered Faith Changes Everything.
When you are fully convinced that God loves you, you stop trying to believe, and you simply believe. Your faith is no longer based on your ability to believe, but on God’s ability to perform. Love-powered faith produces a peace that circumstances can’t shake and a confidence that challenges can’t diminish. It transforms how you handle every aspect of your life because you know God is ON you, IN you, WITH you, and FOR you!
How this applies to you:
— When you’re convinced of God’s love, your faith becomes unstoppable because it’s no longer about you.
— Operating from love eliminates the pressure to perform because you know it’s God working through you.
— God’s love gives you confidence even when facing uncertainty because His love never fails.
— Your faith finds its strength in God’s character and His dedication to you, not your capabilities.
— Love-based faith produces peace instead of pressure because you know God’s got you.
— You stop trying to earn what God’s love has already provided.
— Your breakthroughs come from believing in God’s love and His plans, not your efforts or desires.
— At work, you handle challenges from a position of being loved, not trying to prove yourself.
— You make decisions from a place of peace, knowing God will never leave you nor forsake you.
— Living this way, you experience supernatural results because it’s God’s grace working through you.
— What used to overwhelm you no longer has power over you because perfect love casts out all fear.
— Your faith becomes effortless because you’re no longer trying to believe; you simply believe what God believes about you.
— You live every day with an expectation of manifestation because you know God’s love ensures His best for your life.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me that faith truly works by love.
I declare that my faith flows naturally as I embrace Your overwhelming love for me, transforming it from duty to delight.
I surrender control of my life to You, knowing that Your love makes it safe to trust You with my everything.
I loosen my grip on my own plans and confidently embrace the life You planned for me before the world began.
Your perfect love casts out all fear, enabling me to face every challenge with supernatural peace and confidence.
I declare that my faith is unstoppable because it’s anchored in Your unchanging love, not my changing performance.
I live every day with an expectation of manifestation, knowing Your love ensures Your best for my life.
As I enter deeper into THE GRACE LIFE in 2025, I declare that GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and prosper!
