God wants us to function affectively in every area of our lives. God wants us all to be winners in life. No one wants to be a loser. No one wants to associate themselves with losers. Our children don’t play games intending to be the loser. We are hard wired by God to desire success. God never rebuked the disciples for their desire to be great. He showed them the correct way to be great. The grace of God affords us the opportunity to be successful in our lives. God has a plan and purpose for us to win. His heart burns for us.
The definition of grace is abundant kindness. Grace is God graciously demonstrating His great kindness. We don’t have to accept anything in our lives. There is abundant kindness stored up by God for us. Faith is persuasion. It is a divinely inspired connection and reliance on God that produces results in our daily lives. Faith produces results and it always will. The end result of faith is manifestation. Faith is much more than belief (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is seen when we are settled concerning the issue in the deepest part of our hearts. Paul says to be renewed in your mind.
How does grace and faith work? God has made the requirements as simple as possible. Faith is the currency of heaven. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. It is what releases God to work in the earth realm.
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:4-8
In order to cooperate with the grace of God, we have to extend our faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Grace occurs when faith produces knowledge and when that mustard seed breaks forth.
There are three areas that are relevant to us today.
– Finances
Jesus exchanged His riches for our poverty on the cross (2 Corinthians 8:9). We have the promise of financial riches not only now but in the age to come (Luke 18:29-30, Isaiah 61:1,5). God has a plan for our lives.
“The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” Proverbs 10:22
-Health
God has given us an abundance of grace in the area of our health. God is Jehovah Rapha, the healer. The power of God is available to break every sickness and every disease (Exodus 15:26, 1 John 3:8). We need to heed to the voice of the Lord.
1 Peter 2:24
-Our Pursuit of Holiness
God has given us grace to live holy. We need to live holy, distinct and separate. God is different and we are also called to be different. There is power to live a holy life (Psalms 24:4, 25:3-6).
Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:11-14
If God can’t keep us then nothing can (Ezekiel 14:14). We can be set free and walk with power in our spirit (Romans 5:20). We must shift our focus from the sins of our nation to the power of God. The power of God can change any situation (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). We have to see ourselves as God sees us and not as the devil or others see us.
