Sunday, August 21 | Grace: More Amazing Than You Think

Hello everyone,At the August Habitation service I shared a message titled, “Grace: More Amazing Than You Think.” (Watch the service.) I have come to realize that it is only through the gift of God’s grace that we can live the abundant Christian life. But what exactly is grace, and how does it work in our lives? What Is Grace? Before salvation, grace is typically defined as “unmerited favor.” It is the unmerited favor and grace of God that allows us to come to salvation, even when we don’t deserve it. Unmerited favor is an important part of grace, especially before salvation, but in the New Testament, we mostly see what grace does rather than what grace is. What Does Grace Do? In the New Testament, grace is frequently demonstrated as the power and ability to do God’s will. For example, 2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV) says, “My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” In Hebrews 4:16, it says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Grace helps us during our time of need, empowering us to do God’s will. What Leaders Say About Grace “Grace: Everything you need to do God’s will.” Jimmy Evans“Grace comes with an inbuilt ability to obey what was commanded.” Bill Johnson“God’s grace is His divine favor toward us, and it gives us the desire and power to do His will.” Bill Gothard“Grace is God’s power given to us to enable us to do with ease what we could never do with any amount of struggle or effort.” Joyce Meyer“Grace is God’s unmerited favor that does for us what the law cannot: it cleanses our conscience so we can hear, believe and obey His voice.” Robert MorrisHow Do We Get Grace? Grace is a gift, but we appropriate it when we humble ourselves. James 4:6–7 says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Pride is saying, “I will do things my way.” Humility is saying, “God, I will do things your way.” Humbling ourselves is a tremendous blessing because it gives us grace, which gives us the power to do God’s will.Jesus was the greatest example of humility the world has ever seen and we are called to be like Him. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross,” (Philippians 2:5–8). His humility allowed God’s power to flow through Him. August AssignmentYour assignment this month is to humble yourself before God so you can receive His grace in your life to do His will. Here are some practical ways you can humble yourself before God. Ways to Humble Yourself Acknowledge areas where you have pride in your life. (A few ways pride can be manifested are through argumentativeness, unforgiveness or unteachability.) Ask those close to you to point out any pride in your life. Confess your pride to God and to those who have been affected by it.Repent and ask God to give you His grace to overcome sin.Admit when you are wrong. Fast. (Fasting humbles your soul; see Psalm 35:13.) Focus on the greatness of God.Worship God.Dance before God. Physically humble yourself before God (on your knees or on your face). Tell God how much you need Him. Surrender to God.I pray that as you humble yourself before God, you will experience His overwhelming grace, love and power in your life to do His will. Next Habitation Service | Sunday, September 18 I will share a special message about how you can be set free to live the overcoming Christian life. We will have a special time of prayer and ministry in the Auditorium at 5:15 pm, and the service will begin at 6:00 pm. We look forward to seeing you at Habitation. God Bless, Steve Dulin For more information, visit habitation.gatewaypeople.com or email habitation@gatewaypeople.com.