Questions About Grace - by Grace Church Orlando

Grace Church in Orlando, FL has a really neat article on their website featuring answers to common questions people have about the Grace Message. The church has graciously given me permission to post the article here on my blog. I have put it in my Pages section on the blog sidebar, but I also wanted to post the Q and A here. It really helped me to read through these, and I hope this encourages others as well!

Here are the first few questions:

1. Does it matter to God how we act?
Of course it matters. God is a God who starts everything in the invisible for the purpose of manifesting His glory in the visible. As the writer to the Hebrews says,

“By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3)

And Paul wrote,

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20)

God is into bringing the invisible reality into the visible creation. Also Jesus said,

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16)

It matters to God how we act, but the more important question is: “Does it matter to God how we glorify Him?” God is only glorified when we believe in Him and in the work of His Son that He sent to take away our sins. Without faith it is impossible to please God, no matter how good we are acting.

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6)

God cares about how we act but even more He wants us to know that apart from Him we can do nothing. All our acting or works is but “filthy rags” to God if those acts or works are not the fruit of our union and abiding in Christ Jesus. Jesus said a good tree would produce good fruit. It will happen. In Christ we can rest in the good news that God no longer counts my sins against me because of the death of Christ and that the same Jesus who gave Himself for me has given Himself to me to live inside me that I might bear much fruit and thereby glorify God.

2. Does Grace give us a license to sin?
No, we already had a license to sin from the flesh (an illegitimate license that God does not recognize). Grace cancels that fleshly, illegitimate license and gives us a heavenly permit to be free. Free from condemnation.

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1)

Free from the power of sin…

“The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19)
“Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6)
“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14)

Free from fear of judgment….

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” ( John 5:24)
“By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world” (1 John 4:17)

Free to know God as our Father. Free, indeed!

“You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” ( John 8:32)
‘So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36)

The law is the strength of sin, the scripture says,

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:56)

But, grace is the strength of Life – His Life living within the believer!

“to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)
“For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17)

When we sin, we know that “where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.”

“The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20)

When we sin, we know that sin is not imputed to us because we are not under law, and where there is no law, sin is not imputed.

“for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law” (Romans 5:13)

But this freedom from the dominion of sin, which is at its core the power to condemn, does not lead to more sin. On the contrary, because we no longer serve God after the letter of the law, but rather by the newness of the Spirit where we find the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus putting to death the deeds of the body as we simply walk in the Spirit.

“for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13)

Paul writes simply and profoundly that if we walk in the Spirit we would not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16)

3. Why does the New Testament say so much about our behavior?
As mentioned above, God desires to manifest His glory in the earth among men and one way that is done is by our words and deeds – by our behavior. But, He also wants us to experience a rich, full life – life abundant and full of joy.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10)

God understands that selfish behavior or self-centered behavior (or any behavior that isn’t loving behavior) will make us miserable. It will make us miserable and everyone around us miserable.
True freedom isn’t being able to do anything you want. Freedom according to God’s design for His children is being able to do anything you want, because what you want is what God wants! He changes our “want-er” if there is such a word.
In every case where the New Testament talks about the behavior of the saint of God (you are a saint and not a sinner if you are a believer in Jesus) the message about behavior is always preceded by an awesome message on how God has removed our sin from us through Christ, creating in us a brand new identity (in Christ). We have a new heart, not an evil heart anymore, and as we put off the deeds of that old man who is now dead through the death of Christ, we put on the new deeds of the new man who is alive in Christ.

“Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited” (Hebrews 13:9)
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18”

We are encouraged by the apostles to simply be who we already are in Christ. Be the new man that you are in word and deed, by depending on the life of Christ within to live His Life through you.

4. What is the balance between law and grace?
Well, how do you balance death and life? You don’t. What men call balance, God calls mixture! The scripture is clear that we are no longer under law but under grace,

“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14)

that the law is the “strength of sin”,

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:56)

that the law is the” letters of death engraved on stone”

“But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was” (2 Corinthians 3:7)

(yep, that’s the Ten Commandments), that the law is not of faith, that the law made nothing perfect, that the law was weak, that the law made sin increase, etc.
How do you balance that with “grace” which makes you righteous, that gives Life, that brings you into union with God, that reveals the heart of God , that is of faith? God did away with the covenant of law to bring us a new and better covenant of grace. The law is not the rule of life for the believer, rather the Life of Christ is simply the life of the believer. The writer to the Hebrews says that as long as you try to live under law and grace you will never be established in grace.

“But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed” (Galatians 3:23)
“To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law” (1 Corinthians 9:20)
“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14)

You will always live a life of condemnation accompanied by a sense that you are never measuring up to God’s standards. What does the scripture say? Cast out the bondwoman (the law) and her son (the flesh) and receive the freewoman (the new covenant of grace) and her son (the gift of righteousness and life) and be not entangled again in the bondage of the law. (read Galatians 4:22-f)

5. What role should the law play in the life of a Christian?
It is important to know that the law was given as an intermediary to the advent of Grace. While it revealed an aspect of God’s holiness, it did not reveal His mercy or redemptive plan. Just as importantly, the law did not have the power to change the heart.
When Christ fulfilled the law, and atoned for our sin through His death, the holiness of God as well as His righteousness and purity became engraved upon the hearts of all who would believe (notice the scripture does not say “of all who would behave”).

“Now He (Jesus) said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44)

The Old Covenant “law keeping” became nullified for the Christian under the New Covenant. We are no longer under the law, but under grace.
Paul said that the law is not for the righteous. He was referring to those who are made righteous in Christ by faith. Paul also instructed believers to consider themselves to be dead to the law.

“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God” (Romans 7:4)

Thankfully, it is the role of the Spirit living within each believer, not the law, to lead the children of God in their new identity as the “righteousness of God in Christ”. Behavioral changes reflecting the standards required by the law would now be out of a motivation of acceptance and love, rather than a fear of judgment and condemnation for failure.

“But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory” (2 Corinthians 3:7-9)

Where the law says, “thou shalt not kill”, or “thou shalt not steal”, or “thou shalt not commit adultery”, the Spirit not only leads the believer to not commit murder, but to be willing to lay down his life for a friend; instead of stealing, giving; rather than committing adultery, choosing to love sacrificially while receiving one’s spouse in a manner which brings them to a place of security, comfort, and joy.
The law set a standard outwardly that the flesh was simply unable to satisfy. This was not a mistake. God intended for the law to instruct us by means of our failure so as to trust God’s perfect provision for all aspects of life, including holiness and happiness. Christ is our life in all its fullness, living in our hearts by faith.

“When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4)

Therefore, the law serves to bring us to Christ, while continuing to reveal our utter dependence upon the indwelling life of Christ, serving to make us holy, righteous, justified, and eternally secure before the Father.

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4)

When reading and studying the Old Testament, it is important to remember that in order to unearth its incredible wealth and value it must be interpreted through the spiritual-lens of the “finished work of Christ”. It has been said, “the Old Testament is the finished work of Christ concealed, and the New Testament is the finished work of Christ revealed”. It is good to be reminded that we are built upon the foundation of the prophets (Old Testament) and the apostles (New Testament), with Jesus being the “chief cornerstone”. (Luke 20:17)

6. Are there consequences to sin for a Christian?
Yes, and on two levels. In this natural world a Christian will be arrested and go to jail if they are caught robbing a bank. Peter writes that we believers should not suffer as an “evil-doer” by stealing.

“Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler” (1 Peter 4:15)

Paul writes that the courts and police officers are there by God’s design, and that “they bear not the sword in vain.” Natural man must have law in order for there to be a measure of peace in this world and that law is designed to modify the behavior of the unbeliever through fear of punishment. So in this world there are consequences to sin for a Christian if that sin is a violation of the laws of this world.
On another level, in the spiritual world, the believer will experience the corrupting power of sin in spiritual matters as a consequence of a lifestyle of sin. As Paul wrote the Galatians,

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7-8)

Notice that Paul does not say that if a believer sows to the flesh he shall reap “judgment” – just corruption. There is no judgment from God for the sins of a believer. God’s judgment for all the sins of the believer, past, present, and future, fell fully on Jesus. That is the Gospel in its essence. That, dear saint, is the good news!
The sins of a believer are no longer counted against the believer because of the death of Jesus. But there is a corrupting power that sin, or the flesh, has on the mind of a believer. While the Spirit seeks to renew the mind to unseen realities in Christ thereby releasing the “new creation” in Christ to manifest his righteous identity in word and deed, it is the flesh and the power of sin in the flesh that seeks to corrupt the mind and causes a spiritual “blindness or near-sightedness”. While the “new creation in Christ” can be hindered from manifesting his/her identity by means of sinful behavior, inwardly the corrupting power of sin in the flesh is powerless to affect the inward, invisible reality of the “new creation”.
Bottom line? Sin is trouble! Yet, God has set us free from the power of sin as we are positioned in Christ, and the believer’s new heart desires to be like the Father in word and deed. The believer has been made a partaker of the “divine nature” and that new nature desires to walk in righteousness, not because of the fear of consequence like the unbeliever, but rather from a motivation of love and knowledge of who we really are.

“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust” (2 Peter 1:4)

By Grace Church Orlando

Who Can Compare (Jesus Culture)

Here's a wonderful song I found recently - noone compares to You, Lord! You show me the way to Life - You showed me who You are - Love, Grace, Goodness more than I could ever imagine! You are all I've looked for and there's noone who compares with You! When others leave, You stay! When others don't care, You understand! When others reject me, You accept me! When I am confused about my life, You are the Way! When I hear lies from the enemy, You are the truth! When everything else is empty, You are Life!

Thank you for lifting my head to look into Your eyes and see the love, healing and grace there! Your eyes are full of acceptance and life!

"Who Can Compare"
Jesus Culture - Emerging Voices

VERSE 1
Who can compare to You, my King
Who can compare to You, my Lord
Who can compare to You, my Friend
I looked and I've found that there's no one like You in all the earth

CHORUS
And You take my hand, and You call me Your own
You show me the way to life
And You lift my head, and You give me hope
You show me the way to life

VERSE 2
No one compares to You, my King
No one compare to You, my Lord
No one compare to You, my Friend
I looked and I've found that You're the One I needed all along

BRIDGE
You are the way
You are the truth
You are the life

He Is Always Near, And That's REAL JOY!

"I always see the Lord near me,
and I will not be afraid
with him at my right side.
Because of this,
my heart will be glad,
my words will be joyful,
and I will live in hope.
The Lord won't leave me
in the grave.
I am his holy one,
and he won't let
my bones decay.
He has shown me
the path to life,
and he makes me glad
by being near me."
Acts 2:25b-28
(quoting David in Ps 16)

I'm realizing there is a big fear Satan has tried to push on me most of my life - the fear of being rejected and left alone. We all crave that unconditional love, to know we're known, understood, and completely embraced and delighted in...accepted. And it seems the reverse of that is the fear of being misunderstood, uncared for, ignored, and abandoned....rejected.

But God says in the New Covenant of Grace, "You ARE accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6) and "I will NEVER leave you or forsake you!" (Heb. 13:5b)

In the good news of grace, God is promising us that He accepts us without the possiblitly of our ever being rejected and left alone/forsaken. He has so rigged the New Covenant that it is based on Christ's faithful work in His perfect, once for all time sacrifice, and also based on Christ's undying presence before the Father as High Priest of the New Covenant. We have a perfect sacrifice, a perfect righteousness given to us, and a perfect High Priest standing up for us against all the accusations of the enemy! We can't be condemned because we have HIS own righteousness! We have been perfected forever through HIS perfect sacrifice! And this stands forever because HE ever lives to intercede for us! And what's more, He has sent His own Spirit into us to be the life source within us, a life that is eternal and CAN'T be destroyed! The Spirit is in us as a law, HIS nature has been given to us as our new nature, and that nature CAN'T sin or turn away from God, for He's the HOLY Spirit who always believes, thinks, and acts right!

We are a clean temple with the Perfect God of the Universe dwelling within, and it's all set up in such a way that it can't be revoked, changed, or ruined by us! That's because the whole New Covenant is based on HIM and HIS work, and therefore it's settled and done forever...Wow! We have really been brought into perfect union with God forever, in an unchangeable way, for it's impossible for God to lie, and He said, I will NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU; instead, He promises with an oath, even, that Surely I will BLESS YOU!

He will never leave us. He is always near us. He is within us, Spirit bonded to spirit! Our spirits are ONE! You can't get any closer than that!

This gives me great relief and joy. We will never be abandoned or left alone to face this world on our own. We have Big Brother Jesus backing us up, the dear Comforter Holy Spirit guiding and reassuring us and being with us through it all, and Father God carrying us in His arms at ALL times - we are safe, secure, found, hopeful, cherished, free from fear - His perfect love won't ever be removed from us, and it's a love that ACTS on our behalf to move mountains, calm storms, heal broken bodies and hearts, and change circumstances to always bring us through in victory. His is a love and a life that always conquers, always wins, is always over all!

Grace reigns through Jesus Christ in my life! All because of Him, and I need do nothing - He has done it all and will carry it to completion! Thank You, Lord! Your nearness makes me rejoice and sends the fear of abandonment away!

Rob Rufus - the Holy Spirit Tells Us We Are Righteous!!

What a wonderful thought by Rob Rufus on what the Holy Spirit is telling us:

"The Holy Spirit isn't telling you that you are a sinner - He is telling you that your sins are gone and that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

"The Holy Spirit testifies...that your sins are forgiven! That you are perfect forever and that God doesn't remember your sins anymore.

"Give your testimony: 'I am the righteousness of God.'"

Rob Rufus

Wow! How awesome to be able to stand and say, "I am righteous! I am the righteousness of GOD in Christ Jesus! I am not evil but righteous! I am not a slimy wormy sinner but a clean and pure saint! I am glowing with the glow of Christ and my heart has been cleansed and is now good and pure, for I am righteous and have Christ's very own divine nature in me as my very nature!

I read recently that righteous means without sin, sinless - SINLESS! That is what we are because of Jesus! God has MADE us the righteousness of Christ in Him! At our rebirth, we were recreated and remade that way, and we will be righteous before Him forever! Righteous before we do anything right today! Righteous even if we blow it today! Righteous once for all, righteous forever, right with Him, pleasing, in right standing before Him, accepted and acceptable! We please His heart! We make Him smile, sing and shout over us with love-shouts of joy! Wow!

Thank You, O dear Father God, for Your marvelous grace shown to us through Christ! Thank You, Jesus, for being MADE sin for us, so that we could be MADE righteous with Your righteousness! Thank You, Holy Spirit, for telling us it is SO, especially when the devil attacks us with lies and tries to make us ashamed. Thank you that whoever believes on You, Lord, will never ever be put to shame! You lift our heads high to look at Your face and see the love and acceptance in Your eyes! And You lift us up to look in triumph on the enemy! We are living in the freedom and joy of GRACE! Living in Your perfect right standing before the Father! Thank You, God! I felt like a failure today over something I felt I'd done wrong, and You reminded me of all this wonderful truth that we are forever RIGHT with You through Jesus! Thank You! Amen...

More Great Quotes from Rob Rufus

Here are more great words from Rob Rufus on His wonderful grace toward us and our new identity in Christ:

"I am His son because I have the DNA of rebirth."

"[God says to us:] Everything I have is yours! You are My son -it's automatically yours! Irrespective of your behavior - it BELONGS to you!"

"[What we have] all day, every moment of every day, every second - is open heaven fellowship closeness with the Father - no condemnation - even when [we] do wrong.."

"At the cross, Jesus identified with you at your worst so that in Him you can be identified with Him at His best."

"Grace is God's total and absolute acceptance of you unconditionally..Grace is also God's empowering presence of life!"

"Your identity is forever settled and God gave it to you and made you in His image and likeness."

Rob Rufus

Rob Rufus on What the Gift of Righteousness Means for Us

Here is a great quote from Rob Rufus that I read recently. It is so uplifting to think of this wonderful gift of righteousness God has given us and what that really means for us!!

"What does the gift of righteousness mean? It means 'right standing with God!' The gift of righteousness gives you permanent, unconditional, irreversible, from first to last right standing with God. Now what does right standing with God mean? It means that there is nothing between you and the Father.

"Right standing - nothing separating us! Does the Father have any problems with the Son? Is there any conflict between the Father and the Son? Does the Father pint out the Son's faults? No! You are in Christ and through what happened on the cross you are actually ONE with the Father! So actually friends - every second of every moment of every day you are actually as close to the Father as Jesus is!"

Rob Rufus

O God, You are an Endless Ocean (Jonathan Helser)

What a beautiful song!

He and His love are an endless ocean, infinite in scope. We will never come to the end of that love, that goodness, that joy and peace, that Presence! We are floating in His presence, and His waves of love constantly flow to us and over us. Whatever our need, He is an infinite supply for us, meeting our need out of His riches in grace, out of His boundless sea of kindness and favor toward us!

Conversation

Me: I am the biggest failure this planet has ever seen!

Him: You are beautiful to Me!

Me: How can You say that when I act and seem and feel so very ugly, inside and out!?

Him: It's the way I MADE you..I MADE you beautiful, inside and out, when I regenerated you.

Me: I don't see it..I look at myself and see faults and uglies..

Him: I look at you and see the image of My Son!

Me: Really? He is so beautiful and lovely, so perfect and wonderful. I wish I could be like Him..

Him: I see Him every time I look at you. And I am so proud of you!

Me: God, how could You love me and be proud of me when I don't even love myself and all I feel sometimes is shame about who I am?

Him: That's not who you are, that's who you were without Me. Look at yourself through My eyes only..you are perfect to me!

Me: Let me see myself through Your eyes!

Him: Snuggle up close and I will show you..I love these times together, and I love YOU so very much!

Me: I love you, too, dear Daddy!

The Real You (Dan Stone)

Here is a wonderful quote from the book The Rest of the Gospel, by Dan Stone.

I read this recently when I was down on myself because of a failure in my life. As I read, my sense of condemnation and shame over how I'd failed just melted away! All the vague feelings that the enemy tried to put on me - feelings that God might look on me with disappointment or displeasure - just disappeared! The fog of confusion lifted, and I could see once again that His face had always been and was still turned toward me with a loving look and a smile! That is the power of the good news of grace, isn't it?! It is the power of God to save - deliver - us from the devil's lies, sinful confusion, feelings of doubt, etc. into the glorious freedom of being unconditionally loved and perfectly RIGHT with God!! The good news of grace is so powerful in my life, and I love how it brings me right back to reality, the new creation, Spirit-reality that God has brought about in my life..and in the lives of all of His dear children!

I love how in the quote below, Dan Stone describes the real, true self, the real and true US that we REALLY are because of Christ! He has regenerated us and made us a new creation, and that person, our true self, the deep-down spirit-self within us, is complete and perfect - that is how we've been MADE!

"You are a righteous person...

When He look at you, He sees the nature of His Son.

He sees you as love.
He sees you as joy.
He sees you as peace.
He sees you as righteous.
He sees you redeemed.
He sees you justified.
He sees you perfect.
He sees you complete...

This is the real you.

Your false self - your flesh and its independent efforts to cope in the world - is not the real you.

The real you is a new creation: righteous, holy, blameless, acceptable, beloved."

Dan Stone

My Dear by Bethel...

Here's a wonderful song by the people at Bethel Church...we love You, dear Jesus! You are everything to us!

My Dear (Hunter Thompson, from Bethel):

I am Yours and You are mine / I am ravished by the sight

Of one glimpse into Your eyes / My lovers coming for His bride

For there is none upon the earth that I desire before you, Lord
For you’ve been faithful all my days Your love endures,
it will never fade away

I need to say what my soul is singing
I need to say what my heart is screaming

That I love You my Dear / I love You my Dear, my Dear
I love You my Dear / I love You my Dear, my Dear

You’re everything I ever wanted, everything I ever needed
You’re everything I ever wanted, everything I ever needed
You’ve ravished my heart, You’ve ravished my … (repeat x4)

The Nature of God (Graham Cooke) - Part 2

Here is part 2 of the Message by Graham Cooke on the nature of God. Enjoy!

The Nature of God (Graham Cooke) - Part 1

Here is a wonderful video by Graham Cooke on the nature of God - He is the most wonderful, loving, kind, giving, and amazing Being of all! He is ALL LOVE!

Already There

We don't have to look for Him, long for Him, seek Him, try to find Him...He is here! There is nothing for us to do..there is nothing for us to do! We have found our rest, found our hope, found our peace in the One who loves us! (This is a song, but I can't remember which one..) Or more accurately, He has found us!

He has wrapped us in Himself for all eternity. He has embraced us. He has set our hearts on fire with His love for us. He has set a song of love going over us that will play for us forever. He is so in love with His Bride. We are married to Jesus and just waiting now for the heavenly reception party! The marriage feast of the Lamb!

We have the Love we have looked for all our lives. We are under the shadow of His wings. We are safe in Him, in the strong refuge of Christ. We are abiding in the Vine. We are drinking of the living water. We are feasting on the Bread of Life. We are Home!

We have Him, so we have everything.
We have all we need.
We shall not want.
We need do nothing.
All is provided, all is done, and He is working all that out in us and through us. What a fellowship, what a joy divine!
We are in His everlasting arms forever!

The Gospel in Ten Words by Paul Ellis

I received an electronic copy of the new book by Paul Ellis, The Gospel in Ten Words, and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! I had been in a little bit of a slump, starting to focus on 'trying to improve' and seeing lots of things that needed changing in my life, trying to bring about change on my own effort and feeling frustrated, etc. (putting myself under law again without really noticing it, ugh!), and so when I began to read Paul Ellis' book, it was like a breath of fresh Holy Spirit air blowing through my soul as I read! I felt so uplifted and felt free again! Of course, I always had been free in Jesus, but I had forgotten that I was free from law and 'should' and had seen myself in the realm of lack and needing improvement, rather than in the Grace Land of completeness and wholeness, where I truly am as a new creation! Paul's book came at just the right time and brought me back to focusing on reality, and the reality of being a new creation - holy, loved, saved, forgiven, accepted, righteous and royal - well, it is the the so-good-to-be-true news for sure!

Paul breaks his deiscussion of the gospel of grace into 10 chapters that discuss ten aspects of this good news - that we are loved, forgiven, saved, in union, accepted, holy, righteous, that we've died, that we're new, and that we're royal. Wow, it gets me excited just to think about all these amazing things that Christ has done for us by His finished work!

I think the chapter that challenged me the most is the one titled "Royal" - in it Paul talks about the fact that we are royalty, sons and daughters of the king and thus reigning in the authority Christ gives. And we can spread that reign of Christ on earth by proclaiming authority over the works of the enemy, seeing people healed and delivered from demonic bondage. I don't have any experience with that, really, so this part of the book was an eye-opening challenge for me to read! I love thinking about having authority over the enemy and his evil works. I love the idea of God bringing that freedom from bondage to other people through me as I just trust Him.

One new and beautiful truth that impacted me is that we are already married to Christ! I had always thought we were engaged or promised to Christ, but Paul explains that we are already married to Christ and simply awaiting the wedding celebration/reception! To think that I am already married to Christ makes me know even more how secure my salvation is, how certain because I have already been wed to Christ! Christ would never, ever abandon His Bride! As Paul says in the book, "Jesus doesn't believe in divorce. In fact he hates it. You're stuck with him for good. What God has joined together, let no man separate." What a beautiful thing and what security we have in Him..

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book (if you are able to buy it, I know you would love it!):

'The gospel is the joyful announcement that in Christ the old has gone and the new has come."

"His supernatural life is not something you achieve; it's something you receive."

"We are not defined by who we used to be but by who Jesus is."

"Your new heart beats with new passions and they are the passions of the Holy Spirit."

""He sees the real you, and from his timeless perspective you are faultless, blameless, and radiant with glory."

"You are no longer part of Adam's race. You are a son or daughter of the Everlasting Father. Christ is you life. You stand on His faith and are cloaked in His love."

"Can you imagine God the Father frowning at Jesus? Of course not. Then neither is he frowning at you."

"My Father is pleased with me. I don't have to prove a thing!"

"Jesus completes you. You were broken, but in him you are whole. You were in lack, but he who has Christ lacks no good thing. You life was a sinful mess, but he gave you beauty for ashes. Isn't that good news?"

"We are whole - God has given us everything we need in Jesus."

"He is looking at you full in the face and beaming with a galaxy-sized smile."

"In Christ you are inclined to walk straight and true. You have a Holy Spirit gyroscope that keeps you stabilized and on course."

"When the Son moved in you instantly became just as acceptable and pleasing to the Father as Jesus is."

"'He made us accepted.' His acceptance is not something you ever need strive for; you already have it. what relief! What freedom!"

"'Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' If you have called, then you are saved. Believe it. Rest in it."

"Your heavenly Father loves you like crazy."

"Look to the cross. Jesus loves you more than his own life."

Quotes from The Gospel in Ten Words, by Paul Ellis

The Law of the Spirit Keeps Us!

Grace means we have a Life inside us, given to us for free, that we can't lose or make go away!

The Holy Spirit who indwells us and makes up our spiritual DNA is so interwoven and connected with us. After all, we were reborn with the Nature of Christ as our nature and the Life of Christ as our life!

We are alive with Him, a Person, the very Spirit of Christ, as our very Life, the core and source at the depth of our very being, in union with our spirit. Our spirit has been regenerated or remade with heavenly material - Christ's very Life!

We have a Life in us we can't lose or be separated from! How can you be separated from your very own nature? How can our spirit, which was formed using the very Spirit of Christ, be separated from that Spirit? We are part of the new creation reality that Christ has begun, and we can't ever go back to death or separation from Him ever, ever again!

No more separation!

Wherever you are, God is..whatever you are going through, He is going through..whatever you experience, He understands and experiences along with you..

And vice versa! Whatever riches belong to Christ now belong to you! Whatever resources are at heaven's disposal are now at your disposal! You plus God makes infinity! "With God on our side like this, how can we lose?" (Rom 8, MSG)

We can't lose! We have an unkillable, unstoppable, unlosable Life inside us! We are kept by the power of an indestructible Life!

"We don't have a Law we have to keep; we have a Law that will keep us!" (Jamie Weeks)

The Holy Spirit, a Person, lives inside us as a law of Life in us! We have been sealed with Him unto the day of redemption. He is like the Angel of the Lord that kept the Israelites on their way, like the pillar of fire/cloud. He is that for us, INSIDE us rather than outside us! He is upholding us and moving us along to our heavenly destination, assuring that we arrive at the bodily resurrection one day and enjoy the marriage supper with our Heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus. His presence in us is the guarantee that the redemption of our body WILL happen, that we WILL receive the complete inheritance in tangible and visible form in heaven, and thus always be with the Lord, spirit, soul and body! Our spirits are already part of that heavenly reality, and the presence of the dear Holy Spirit within us, melded to our spirit in forever union, is our assurance that our bodies will 'catch up' with our spirits one day!

What a wonderful Holy Spirit! He is our keeper and security, our very Law of Life within, holding us up and always keeping us IN LIFE, for He is the source of our very being, the seed that gave birth to us, the material with which we were remade, our spiritual DNA, our very Life. And as such, we are inseparable, forever melded together.

So we cannot ever be apart from Him! No more separation! And no way to lose Him! He is in us and we are in Him in our new creation selves, as the very way we were re-birthed. We are so melded together that the word used for the Holy Spirit "dwelling" in us (in James) carries the idea of being permanently cemented together! This is the Person that dwells in us, closer than our heartbeat, closer than our breath, never to leave, abandon or forsake us - it's not even possible, for it would be like losing part of our very make-up as a person!

Since He and we cannot be separated, the Spirit of Life in Christ is a LAW to and for us! So stable and sure! His Life, which can't be separated from us, is a stable law for us, our keeper, upholding us in Life at all times. Thus we have been taken out of the death, sin, curselands, and we have been placed in the life, grace, communion lands forevermore.

The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus is buoying us up and along..no matter what we do or say or get confused about..no matter how many struggles in faith or troubles we have..no matter how many times we fail..no matter what our emotions say..no matter what comes our way or what Satan throws at us..we are still alive in His Life! We are still up in the fresh air of grace in the new creation reality! We are still out of the law of sin and death - freed from the curse, freed from condemnation, freed from guilt! Sins remembered no more and punished no more! Free, free, free! Breathing and living on the fresh air of the Spirit, pulsing with the Life of the Spirit, formed with the very Being of God!

We are "part of the permanent and cannot die" (from 1 John 2, Phillips translation). We are born of imperishable seed. We are new, new, new! We are alive with a Life that is ETERNAL in the heavens! This life is the very Spirit of Christ Himself, the very material we are remade with is heavenly, eternal material! And this material is a Person! We have a Person in us, the Holy Spirit, holding us together and keeping us. We will never die or be separated from God ever, ever, ever! "We are in Life and we are never going out! "(Jamie Weeks) We are one with God Himself, the very temple of His Spirit. He's living in us, has made His home in us, and is fellowshipping with us 24/7..this is heaven on earth! This is what we were made for!

Thank You, Holy Spirit of Life in Christ, for being my life and being a law of life in me, holding me up and keeping me in life just by being in me as my life! Thank You for fellowshipping with me always, always loving and delighting in me! Thank You for empowering me with all the resources of heaven and freeing me forever from the law of sin and death and curse. Thank You for the joy of being in Your presence forever!

Hallelujah by Cory Asbury

Here is another great song imagining heaven, but I like to think of it as happening right now in our spirits, where the Spirit dwells in union with our spirit..

No more tears, no more pain..
We will see His face..

Ways the Holy Spirit Ministers Grace To Me

I thought recently of some special ways the Holy Spirit really personifies grace and ministers grace to me. He is so wonderful and good, and He is always love and grace towards us!

One way He has ministered grace to me is in just being all about giving. He always gives. He gives love, and He gives blessings, and He gives understanding, and He gives strength, and He gives, and gives, and gives again. He gives all those things through the gift of Himself, rising up and filling me! When He fills me, I am on top of the world. I don't have fear or worry or doubt; I sense that everything is going to be okay and my worries pale in comparison to Him. So with His very presence comes all the joy and power and peace that He truly is, and He pushes out the darkness and lies. He just keeps on doing that whenever I need it! He is always there, ready to help, a very present help in trouble! He is nourishing, like water to my parched soul. He is so fulfilling and satisfying - He especially satisfies my deepest need for love! But He also satisfies my other needs for direction, encouragement, strength, etc. He is a giver! And He gives liberally and freely, without reproach - which means without frustration or irritation, without condemning or berating me! He just gives, whether I've had a "good performance" day or not. We can always drink of the water of Life, the Spirit, freely, any time we want, for He is given freely! This embodies grace to me, because it isn't about my performance but all about His gift. Grace can mean a gift given freely, without our having to earn or deserve or merit it. That is why it is called a gift, not a reward. Well, everything the Spirit is, the gift of the Spirit and all He brings us, all of that is a free gift of grace! He will give of Himself to us no matter what, just because He loves us and loves to give to us! Wow!

Another way He ministers grace to me is by the freedom He brings. Grace is freedom from law and sin; it is the opposite of law and takes us out from under law, and also sin won't be master over us now that we are under grace. We have been set free from the law and are free of sin's power over us, and we are now under the law of the Spirit, which is Life and Freedom. I love how the Holy Spirit really leaves me free! He never demands of me or pushes me. He never requires or coerces. He doesn't point out my faults and He doesn't put "shoulds" and "musts" on me. Instead He keeps telling me I am right with God and beloved by Him, making me just fall in love with God and want to follow Him! He rises up from within me as my new nature that wants to do the right thing and wants to love people! He motivates me from within, so that it is truly my desire to love and do rightly! He fights against Satan's attacks and lies that could confuse or trap me. He is on my side to fight against the enemy's tactics. He shows me the truth, that my new heart is good and righteous and wants to follow God. He is the Love that rises in my heart so I freely want to love! And He does all this without ever forcing or demanding. In fact, if I never acted out the love that He put in me, He wouldn't condemn me. He would love me just the same and I would still be God's precious child, even if I never did another thing right for the rest of my life! that is freedom! Knowing you are loved no matter what you do is true freedom! The way He works is through freedom, hallelujah!

The last way I see the Spirit ministering grace to me is in how He leads me to just rest and not "try." Grace is about God doing all for us, so we can rest and not have to "try", instead just enjoying the favor and friendship of God. He encourages me to just enjoy my relationship with God. He reminds me that through Christ's finished work, I'm already complete and right with God, I'm set forever, home free, already in perfect relationship with God, so I can relax and just enjoy being with God and fellowshipping with Him! He is always reminding me that all is well between us. He is always delighting in me. He is such joy! He is just pure joy, so easy-going, so jovial and happy! He is joy rising up within me, the joy of just being in relationship with God! This was the whole point and goal of Jesus' death, resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Spirit - so we could have union fellowship with God Himself - wow! The Holy Spirit constantly affirms that relationship and is always available and ready to fellowship with me! He brings me to be able to stop all my efforts at trying to make life work or make my relationship with Christ work, and leads me to just rest and enjoy the relationship, because it's already mine, and to be able to stop my efforts and know God will take care of me. What a wonderful God and what wonderful grace!

The Waterfall of God's Grace

His grace pours over our lives constantly like a Spirit-fill, living, loving waterfall!

His waterfall of grace will never stop and will never fail us! His love endures forever! It's always a new day of grace and mercy in Him...

Amazing_landscape_in_china_0796128010241_large

His waterfall of grace is more abundant, more amazing, more wildly beautiful, more refreshing than we could ever imagine..His love inundates us and sweeps away all lies and shame and confusion..no sin, doubt, problem, anxiety, depression or fear is any match for the powerful flood of His grace and love constantly poured into our lives by the Holy Spirit!

This is you! This is me! We are little children again and can laugh with uninhibited joy and glee at the wonderful grace He's shown us in Jesus - the kindness, the everlasting delight in us, the goodness, the gentleness and acceptance He's shown us!

We can be filled with happiness at the gentle love of God that stooped down and picked us up, gave us a home, an inheritance, and belonging, gave us Himself to be our Daddy - and hugged us forever!

By His grace we are forgiven, justified, freed, alive, new, sanctified, at peace, accepted, loved, included, held, kept, healed, provided for, whole and holy!

Let's laugh and play and sing and splash and shout out loud for joy! This water is alive, it's flowing over and around us, it's filling us with unstoppable joy..this water is the wonderful presence of Jesus, in and over us in all His love and joy and goodness! To the praise of His glorious grace!

The ONLY Thing That Ever Let Me See Victory Over Sin Struggles In My Life

The only way I have ever found ANY freedom from sinful struggles in my life was when God overwhelmed me with His love and acceptance (grace!) and I started just enjoying that love and forgot about "trying not to sin." He drew me to from being sin-conscious to being Son-conscious. With the revelation of His grace and love for me, the desire for sin really melted away. And I began to experience the freedom from sin that He purchased for me through the cross. That is how it worked for me!

When I realized that even in the midst of my struggles, that God was looking on me with love and not condemning me, for there is no condemnation in Christ, it just changed my whole world. I had always imagined that His main thing was "Sparrow, stop sinning! Do better!" when really, His main thing turned out to be "Sparrow, stop trying! Rest in My arms! I love you!" When He showed me that, it melted my heart and I began to fall in love with God. And I fell out of love with sin! The devil can't stand to be around a believer who knows that they are loved by God no matter what they do, and even in the midst of their struggles, knows that they are the righteousness of God in Christ, totally accepted and holy in God's sight!

There is such power in that acceptance that He has for us. The more I have seen that truth, the more it has set me free from sin's hold. But the main thing I have noticed with God is not trying to get me to stop sinning, but to get me to just enjoy the relationship we have. He truly is in love with us! He delights in us and sings over us with joy! I have experienced His Spirit just delighting in me with joy, even after I'd sinned - it is amazing!

He is really showing me lately that the answer to all my issues and struggles is to look away from the struggles and straight into His eyes, and just enjoy worshipping Him and knowing Him for who He is, and that mind set on Him He keeps in perfect peace. The more we set our minds on His love for us, the stronger we become! (That is a loose quote from Bill Gillham, who wrote one of the first grace books I ever read, What God Wishes Christians Knew About Christianity..)

Dear Father, thank You that we don't have to 'try harder' to overcome sin, but can just REST in Jesus our overcomer, rest in His victory. Pull our gaze away from the sin that seems to entangle us and fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. It's all about You, Jesus! You have finished a work to set us right with You, and now we can enjoy sitting at Your feet and listening to Your Words of Love to us. Thank You for taking care of all we face as we just simply gaze at You and enjoy Your beauty. You are everything to us! One thing we seek, just to know You more deeply in our experience! We worship and love You! In Jesus' name, Amen..

Joy of My Heart - by Andrew Feliciano

Hey, everyone, here is a beautiful new song I just 'happened' upon when looking for some wonderful, grace-filled worship music...the song is so wonderful, and then I realized that my family knows the artist! He is a great and wonderful guy and full of love for Jesus, very musically talented, too!

I really wanted to share this song here, not only because I want to just highlight my friend's music, but also because God spoke to me through this song today..

He has been reminding me lately just to REST in Him and His love, and also telling me that I would see His face..I had wanted a revelation of God's love for me, just to understand and know it more, and so I took this message to be that I can just rest in His love and not even try, and He will be so gracious and show me His face, let me look into His face and just see His love! Isn't that true that He just longs to show us His love and how we can just enjoy such communion with Him that it is "face to face", our spirits fellowshipping with His Spirit, just able to be open and honest before Him and let Him love on us and heal the wounds from lies we have believed, lies that we aren't 'good enough' or 'worthy enough' - and how He'll just wash over us with His love and let us know we're so perfect and beautiful in His sight, and that we are worth so much to Him, worth the price of His Son!

So as I was looking for music today, I came upon Andrew's song. The song is about heaven and all God will say to us on that day, but I imagined it as things God is saying to us right now, because in our spirits we are already in heaven, seated with Christ in heavenly places, and He is in us, in union with our spirits right now down here on earth! So anyway, I was listening to the words, and there was the phrase again, "You will see My face!" And it just ministered to me..

Think of it - God wants to show us His love! He wants to show off His love, even! He just pours out His love and kindness on us in that secret place in our hearts by the Spirit, who dwells there, just pouring out God's loving Presence as a living water of love to soothe and encourage and heal and nourish and refresh! He is truly a spring of living water..

I hope you like the song! It's wonderful to think of heaven, when faith will be sight! Also wonderful to think that we have heaven on earth right now with Him inside us! Rivers of living water are pouring out of you..And you are in perfect communion with the One who is Life..He is just feeding your spirit and loving on you today..we can all lay back and rest in that Love..in that place there are no more tears and no more pain, for He wipes them away with His Presence...in that place we see His face and look upon the Beloved, with those eyes full of delight for us! And we hear Him sing His song over us, the love song we have wanted and needed to hear, the song that heals and refreshes as it flows over us! We love You, Jesus!

Rest in His Love

He gives us rest, leads us to rest, to lie down in green pastures, by still waters..

I feel the Holy Spirit is telling me over and over again lately to just REST..Rest in Him and His Love..

To stop trying so hard..to stop 'doing' at all..to just relax and rest..

To be still and listen to His heartbeat of love..

To stop trying to figure out the answer to my problems and just look at Him..

There is healing in that gaze, in those eyes of Love..

His eyes are on us at all times, watching over us, looking at us with love..

A friend told me she had heard a pastor say, "Go look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself 'God loves you'", and we were agreeing that it would be hard to do that, that we might break down and cry or find ourselves unable to do it..

But it is true..God loves us..we will never get to the end of that Love.

It never fails, never runs out, never gives up on us, as the song says.

It is freely given, without us needing to earn it, deserve it, or CAUSE Him to give it to us - it's FREE!

Rivers of Living Water are flowing to us - that is the Spirit of Love pouring out the Love of God in our hearts, our souls, our emotions, our lives..bringing healing to all our insecure and wounded places..

It's like there is a little child inside us longing to be held and loved, and God sees that little child in the deepest part of our heart..

We might tend to put up walls to keep people from knowing that little child, to protect that little child from being hurt or rejected..

His gentle grace melts away those walls and soothes us with love, envelopes us in love - He is holding the little child in us, wrapping us warmly in the blanket of His love. We can let Him just hold us and love on us today..

Love on us, Jesus, hold us in Your arms, and reveal Your heart of love to us, sing Your love song over us, show us that we matter, that we are special to You..

There's a place in His heart just for us..He's put us there, and we are safe in His heart always, loved, cherished, home..so we can rest, rest, rest in His love today..

The Holy Spirit Shows Us That Grace Is True!

A couple of years ago I had the amazing experience of being filled or baptized with the Holy Spirit (I simply asked God to do this in me - and He did!), and since then I have been so encouraged to get to know the Holy Spirit who indwells us and to experience more of His interaction in my life!

He has shown me so many things, but I think one of the most beautiful and most special is that Grace is TRUE! I had learned a lot about the grace of God in past years and had been blown away in learning that God truly accepts us because of Christ, and that He is not looking on our performance but on Christ's performance - so we are totally, unconditionally, eternally accepted by God because it stands on that perfect and finished work of Christ, not our own merit or efforts! Also, the idea that I don't have to live this Christian life, that Christ is my Life and will live through me, so that I can just rest - this whole idea was riveting to me as well, and made me feel so relieved that nothing was required of me or demanded of me - I could just rest in Christ and He would live. Well, when I had the experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, it was like I was really getting to know and experience God in a more personal and deep way - I felt that the Spirit brought me face to face with Christ in such a powerful and intimate way, and I was a little nervous..what if it turned out that grace wasn't true when I really experienced Christ so deeply? What if He really was more demanding or works oriented? What would He be like? Deep down in my heart I think I knew He was love and grace, but here I was experiencing this very real presence of Christ, Christ Himself making Himself known to me through His Spirit, so what would He be like toward me??

Well, it is awesome that I have found Him to be nothing but grace and love! Every experience with Him through the last couple of years just confirms over and over that Grace is really true! Wow, what a gospel and wow, what a Savior and Lord! The Holy Spirit is God's Spirit in us, and the way He is to us shows the nature and character of God Himself toward us. In every way the Spirit has shown me grace and love!

He is there to show us Christ, and He has truly shown me that Christ's finished work is more than sufficient and has brought me into a perfect and unchanging and intimate union relationship with God, and that Christ has completely done away with my sin and isn't relating to me based on my sin or works but on the work of Christ alone! So I have a God who is constantly smiling at me because of Christ's finished work on my behalf! I have experienced this in such a real way, really driving home those truths and making them come alive for me! When I have felt His presence or filling, it is always with so much joy, peace, love and power! He is always delighting in me and smiling at me! I have experienced Him delighting in me even in the midst of sin. After I've sinned and feel awful, there He is, loving me JUST THE SAME, delighting in me JUST THE SAME, ready to go on with me as if nothing happened, because that sin is already gone and put onto the cross, and sin never separates us from God's presence anymore as believers! We are just right with God all the time, no matter what we do, because our rightness is Christ's rightness given to us, and that rightness is a perfect rightness or righteousness, not based on works we have done but on the blood of Christ the spotless lamb! We have been perfected forever by His one perfect offering! And the Holy Spirit has made that truth just come alive in real experience by the way He treats me with love, acceptance and joy even in the midst of sin struggles! He just doesn't see our sin..He sees us with joy and is always love! I have felt Him fighting against sin's attacks/temptations in me, fighting against lies, rising up in my with love when I have been tempted to get irritated, for example, fighting on my behalf..yet never condemning me when I fail but instead being there loving me and ready to fill me with love and power to defeat any temptations! That is how He has been with me when I am tempted or when I've failed. It is amazing to me that even when I choose wrong, He's always there ready to fellowship and always there loving me anyway! What a Friend, who truly shows me grace and loves me unconditionally.

That is the second way I have seen Him demonstrate that grace is true - by His unconditional love and friendship. Grace is acceptance of us as we are, and I have experienced this in my relationship with the dear Holy Spirit. He is the Best Friend I have always wanted. He is always there for me. He is always ready to listen and understand. He loves to hang out with me! He loves to listen to me ramble. He is delighted with me, even with my quirks and eccentricities. He enjoys my company and would still choose to have me as His Friend, even knowing how weird I truly am! He is there to counsel, console, comfort, and encourage. He always lifts me up. He never says a harsh word. He never makes me feel worse - I always, always feel better from time spent with Him! He will never reject or abandon me - He is with me forever, always there, faithful, constant, loyal, true. He demonstrates the acceptance in the Beloved and pours out on me the unconditional love of God! He is all love, all the time! He is safe and can be completely trusted. He is so loyal and won't leave - He just won't leave me! He will be with me forever, for He promised never to leave me or forsake me! That means I am safe and secure in God's friendship forever! He will always be my Friend! No matter what..safe and secure and sure..He truly demonstrates grace to me! He is everything we have always wanted in someone to love us without condition..

The last way I have seen the Spirit demonstrate that grace is true is in the living of the Christian life. To me, one meaning of grace is that I don't have to live this life - Christ will live it in me, and I just get to rest in faith. I don't think I ever really even started to understand that until I was baptized/filled with the Spirit. When I have been tempted to have bitter feelings toward someone and have gone to Him, He has just filled me powerfully with Himself and driven away the bad feelings, and a peace and love have just settled over me! Other times, when I knew Satan was attacking me with worry or fear, He has risen up within me to fight against that attack. Whenever I turn to Him needing Him, He is there to just take over and rise up with the strength and power and love and joy and peace I need. He doesn't just give those things, He IS those things and He brings out those things in such a personal way by just rising up in His very presence inside me! So Christianity isn't just asking for "things" like joy or victory but having a relationship with a Person and experiencing Him as joy or victory! It's being able to just open up with Him and tell Him all your needs, and then seeing Him actually work on your behalf in those areas and be all you couldn't be in those areas. I just ask Him to fill me and He then rises up and is all within me! With Him filling me, I am so strong and so willing to love people, and everything makes sense - and that is all HIM inside as the Spirit of power, love and a sound mind! Wow! Christ really LIVES in and through us by His Spirit! We don't have to live this life, solve our problems, have perfect love or forgiveness, overcome the enemy's attacks of fear or worry, or even have faith on our own! He will do it! He is ALL to us! He will supply ALL our need out of His riches in glory in Christ! HE will live this life in and through us, and it will be His works of power and love that come forth, His faith, His strength, His Spirit actually moving, motivating, willing and working in us! That must have been somewhat of Paul's meaning when he said he labored, yet not him, but the grace of God that was with him. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Grace loving us and moving in us!

The Spirit is the embodiment of God's grace to me! Thank You, dear Holy Spirit, for showing me without a doubt that grace is true, that God really does love us unconditionally, that we really are accepted and right with God in the Beloved, that we are perfect to and in perfect relationship with Him, that His blood really did take away our sins and they are remembered no more, that we really are secure in Your presence forever, that we are one with You in perfect spirit-Spirit union, that nothing can separate us from Your presence and love and favor, that nothing is required of us and we can let You rise up and live through us, that we can rest and just let You do it all, that You will be everything we need, that we are already more than conquerors, that we are home free, that You will never leave us, that You are for us and delight in us, that You are in love with us, that You will fight for us, that You will keep us and finish the work You began in us! Thank You for Your grace and for the gift of Your Spirit, who has really made You, Father, and Your Son, Jesus, and Your grace and love so real!

He is Light and in Him is NO Darkness at All!

This is the message that we have heard from Him and proclaim to you: that God is LIGHT and in HIM is NO DARKNESS at ALL!

God is light and never dark!

He is good and never bad!

He is kind and never mean!

He is fair and never unjust!

He is loving and never hateful!

He is beautiful and never ugly!

He is truth and never false!

He is faithful and never disloyal!

He is LOVE and LIGHT and never one bit otherwise!

Thank You, Lord!

(The photo was taken by my daughter and is unedited - it just 'came out' that way - wow!)

God's Mind Isn't Thinking of Our Sin

This thought came up in a comment recently from a friend out there in cyberspace, and the more I got to thinking about it, the more happy and excited I became in Him, and just wanted to share some of my thoughts on this topic, because I have struggled with sensing God's acceptance even when I have sinned, and have lived under a lot of unnecessary guilt and condemnation, thinking He was mad at me or only cared about my works. I thought His main agenda was for me to not sin, but He showed me His main agenda for me was to receive His love!! So here are some of my thoughts:

God's mind isn't thinking of our sin! Wow, how can that be, when we know God hates sin and loves righteousness, and we know that sometimes we as believers still mess up and do things wrong? Sometimes I have been filled with fear that God majored in my faults and was always thinking "why can't you do better" when He thought of me. I felt the main thing He wanted from me was for me to stop sinning and do better. And I kept failing, experiencing more and more failure the harder I tried to do rightly! It almost made me feel God must hate me or at least be really disappointed in me! Because I knew God hates sin, and I seemed to have so much of it in my life..But what is really on God's mind? Not our sin (Christ washed it away!) but Christ and His perfection and beauty, and us in Him, beautiful and perfect, too, in Him!

He has helped me understand a little better His nature! He is LOVE! Yes, He hates sin - sin, not people! He LOVES people, and He hates what sin does to people, for He hates to see them trapped by sin and deprived by sin of the union relationship with Him that He had in mind when He created people. (We were created for a love relationship with God, and sin robbed us of that by killing our spirits and thus cutting us off from being able to be united with God on that deep spirit to Spirit level, Him dwelling in us and us in Him.) He loved us so much and wanted to stop the destructive hold of sin so much that He sent Jesus to take away our sin and set us free in Christ from its power! So we as believers are set free from slavery to sin and now have a new nature that loves God and an alive spirit that is ONE with God's Spirit, His very Spirit dwelling inside us and fellowshipping with us 24/7, in fulfillment of God's very purpose in creating us! God knows that sin leads to nothing but trouble and wants to help us have the most fulfilling life, which is a life filled with the Holy Spirit Himself, with His wonderful presence giving us joy and love and hope and faith, so that we can be trusting Jesus to live a love-life through us, His very Spirit flowing through us like a river of living water, to bring love and hope to this world.

So when God looks at us, how could He help but see His new creation work? Satan's work in our life has been put down, for Jesus came and destroyed the works of the devil in our life and set us free! Do we still somtimes fail? Yes, but God knows that whole arena is who we were, not who we now are! For He has re-created us righteous in Christ, and that is on His mind!

Another way to say it is that we are more important to God than our failures, so when He looks at me He sees the child He loves over any mistakes. All the mistakes and sins have been taken away on the cross and He has promised to "remember our sins and iniquities no more" - ! So His mind is set on helping us enjoy the new life we have in Christ, that relationship with Him. The natural result of just being with Him and seeing His grace for us is that we trust Him more and Christ flows through us more to love others! Sin is naturally put down without our even trying, because it is all an effect of Jesus' life welling up in us by the Spirit! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom! We live, yet not us, but Christ lives in us!

I think it is like a parent with a child - our main focus isn't on their behavior, but on having a good relationship with them and making sure they know we love them, and out of that as a bonus or by-product will come more trust in us and a willingness to accept our 'coaching' for life's situations, for they trust we want the best for them and know in wisdom what pathways would give them that happiness and fulfillment, pathways of love and honesty, for example. But the focus isn't on producing the 'prefectly well-behaved child', it's on loving our child and having a great family relationship. I know that even if my child messed up his/her life in some big way, it wouldn't change our relationship one bit. I would love that child just the same. I would still see my child as beautiful in my eyes. I wouldn't be thinking of their mistakes when I looked at them, but thinking, "This is my child that I love and accept always." That's the main point I was making here. God doesn't see sin when He looks at us, because Christ took it away at the cross and "by one offering perfected for all time" God's dear children,- us! When He looks at us, He sees the new creation child that He made in the image of His Son and re-birthed into His own family (He sees His true "blood relative", connected to Him by Jesus' blood!), and His heart is just overwhelmed with love and He sings over us with joy!

You and I are beautiful before God! When He looks at us, He is so in love with us, and He sees us as perfect in Christ and as His beautiful children, not as sinners or messed up people who "won't ever get it right". Lord, fill us with that knowledge of Your love and acceptance and may we just enjoy being in Your arms today and having You delight in us, and may Your Spirit push away any of the enemy's attacks as we just stay here with You! And may Christ live through us and the Spirit bear fruit and display His gifts through us, as we just worship! We love you and thank You that You are all about love and Jesus, and that You don't see any of our sin, for it was taken away, away, away on the cross and we are the righteousness of God in Christ! Thank You for Your love that is so amazing! Let us hear the song You sing over us today! We are in love with You, too, and want to sing Your praise! In Jesus' name, Amen!

Beautiful Photos

Look at these beautiful photos that my daughter took and then edited! Wow, I love them! I am so proud of her..just had to show them off to everyone..

I Sing and Dance Because You Are Good!

This song is going out in honor of my dear friend Julie, a wonderful and beautiful daughter of God who loves Jesus with all her heart and just radiates with the dear Holy Spirit!

Julie, you have taught me so much about the goodness of God and you never fail to encourage me and remind me of that fact. I have seen how you handle daily life - hard times as well as good times - with constant faith and reliance on Jesus and His goodness! Thank you for being such a light and letting the Spirit shine through..I am one of many who are blessed to know and love you!

This is an awesome song by Jeremy Riddle all about how good God is! He is good all the time and is ALL good! There is not one bit of evil or badness in God! His motives are never suspect!

He has only good thoughts toward us,

Desires only good things for us,

Gives only good gifts to us,

Makes only good plans for us,

Dreams only good dreams for us,

Provides only a good future in store for us!

Honestly, I have been so down lately and worried about so many issues and problems, with things seeming so hopeless, and God has reminded me today of how GOOD and wonderful and kind He is, how it's His will to do good to us, heal us, love us, bring us out into an abundant and hopeful life, and take care of all our needs! He is so good to us!

I love You, Lord, and I will sing because You are GOOD! You are my Provider, Healer, Supporter, Keeper, Father, Love, and Friend! You are so good - pour out Your goodness and love on all who read this!

You are Good

Brian Johnson, Jeremy Riddle
Vs: 1 I want to scream it out From every mountain top Your goodness knows no bounds Your goodness never stops Your mercy follows me Your kindness fills my life Your Love amazes me Chorus: I sing because you are good And I dance because you are good And I shout because you are good You are good to me to me Vs: 2 Nothing and no one comes Anywhere close to you The earth and oceans deep Only reflect this truth And in my darkest night You shine as bright as day Your Love amazes me Bridge: With a cry of praise My heart will proclaim You are good You are good In the Sun or rain My life celebrates You are good You are good With a cry of praise My heart will proclaim You are good You are good

In the Sun or rain My life celebrates You are good You are good

We Aren't, We Are..

We aren't lost, we're found..

We aren't hopeless, we're hopeful..

We aren't rejected, we're accepted..

We aren't on probation, we're secure..

We aren't lacking, we're full..

We aren't broken, we're whole..

We aren't sickly, we're vibrant..

We aren't weak, we're strong..

We're not bound, we're free..

We're not worthless, we're precious..

We're not rebuked, we're encouraged..

We're not losers, we're victorious..

We're not vulnerable, we're safe..

We're not unimportant, we're significant..

We're not unwanted, we're loved!

Why?

Because Jesus is not a weak God! Jesus is not an effective Savior!

Jesus is perfect! His work is perfect and what's more, it's complete!

He is full..

He is complete..

He is holy..

He is lovely..

He is victorious..

He is strong..

He is wholeness..

He is rich..

He is loving..

He is encouragement..

He is kindness..

He is security..

He is protection..

He is KING and reigning over all!

He took all the bad things plaguing us DOWN to death on the cross, buried them in the tomb, and they did NOT come out..

Then He rose up as the heir of the new creation, and sent the Holy Spirit to come down and dwell in us and fill us, so bringing ALL that He is down to live in us and be part of our nature and inheritance..

Our old self died with Him, our new self rose with Him to newness of life in God's kingdom, where LOVE and GRACE reign through Jesus Christ our Lord!!

He has gotten rid of all that we were and brought us into all that He is!

Hallelujah, what a Savior, Redeemer, and King..

Grace Means...

Grace means there are no demands on you today..you do not need to 'do' anything or 'become' anything - you already ARE all you were meant to be, as a gift (something given, not worked for, something already yours, experienced and enjoyed here and now by simple faith - by seeing it is yours), by Jesus' work on your behalf.

You already ARE righteous, loved, accepted, at peace with God, empowered, free from sin's power, strong, holy, pure, and ONE with God, together with Him forever.

You are His child, included in the royal family, and the inheritance is yours in Christ!

There is nothing left for you to do because Jesus did it all and will manifest it all in you! You are free! Free to enjoy a love relationship with the most Perfect Love of all - HIM!

"We feel our innocence as we believe in and meditate more and more on Christ Jesus and what God has made possible thru Him as He has judged us all innocent~~... this message of our innocence is~~~like crystal clear clean water washing us~~like rain from heaven.... The God-life~~is now MY-life~~and I live daily with the identity-of-Jesus-the-Son-of-God so that I effortlessly FEEL MY innocence everyday--- this great gift is TOO MUCH for words to adequately express……..I am overflowing with joy unspeakable and FULL of God’s viewpoint and opinion of me!!!" :)♥Gwen Lilly

The Experience of Grace

Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when we walk through the valley of a meaningless and empty life. It strikes us when, year and year, the longed-for perfection does not appear, when the old compulsions reign within us as they have for decades, when despair destroys all joy and courage. Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a great voice were saying, "You are accepted. You are accepted, by that which is greater than you, and the name of which you do not know. Do not try to do anything, do not perform anything, do not intend anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted." If that happens to us, we experience grace. (Paul Tillich)

Accepted..

Grace overcomes shame, not by uncovering an overlooked cache of excellence in ourselves but simply by accepting us, the whole of us, with no regard to our beauty or our ugliness, our virtue or our vices. We are accepted wholesale. Accepted with no possibility of being rejected. Accepted once and accepted forever. Accepted at the ultimate depth of our being. We are given what we have longed for in every nook and nuance of every relationship....There is a weightlessness about grace. It has the feel of a fairy tale; what makes it a very special fairy tale is that it is true. (Lewis Smedes)

About Me

Amazon.com Widgets

I am an ordinary person living an ordinary life in the Southern US, a wife and mom, a lover of quiet walks in the woods, summer sunrises over the ocean, reading books aloud to my kids, family movie nights, and just enjoying this wonderful life that is chock-full of grace and acceptance and love. I'm finally learning how to love myself and love my life, all because of the waterfall of Grace, the Loving Presence of our Papa God that gently bathes me within and without, and these posts are my thoughts on that wonderful grace washing over us all and carrying us along in its current throughout our lives. Isn't it wonderful to be on this journey of life and grace together? I thank you for stopping in to visit! I'd love to 'meet' you if you wish to leave a comment or send me an email..blessings to you today and always.. :)

The Gospel of Grace Is..

The Good News of Grace is that God out of His great love and grace and favor toward the world, sent Jesus to take away our sins, and He isn't counting the sins of the world against them! Wow! We are free to be friends with God again, for He's already friends with us. And not only that, He has taken us with Him out of the realm of sin and death and into the realm of His resurrection life! He included all humanity in Him in His work - we died with Him to sin, and we are alive with Him to God! Truly, it is finished!

This is the good news! Repent (change your mind about your status with God) - He isn't against you but FOR you, favoring you and having mercy on you! The incarnation, death and rising of Christ are God's love message to us, to prove we've always been in God's good graces and to give us the real, living relationship with God that we were created for. There is no way to be OUT of His favor, love, grace and acceptance, no way to be out of Him or His life! Jesus showed us that, so we can enjoy forever the relationship of Love with our Dad that's always been our right and privilege!

He has already taken away your sins on the cross and isn't counting your sins against you. He has brought you into harmony with Himself (reconciled you; He always felt harmonious towards us, we were the ones holding back, feeling we might be rejected because of our sins) by exchanging your sins for His right-ness (by removing our sins from us, He gave us a way to feel clean inside and worthy, reconciled our minds to the idea that we were okay with God..this was done for our benefit, not God's. Our Daddy has always been okay with us and never needed a sacrifice in order to forgive us or to make us acceptable in His eyes!) And He has taken you up to the bosom of the Father, accepted and beloved and alive in Him! (Death is conquered! Only Life awaits!)

He is looking at the whole world with the same love and tenderness that He has for His Beloved Son, Jesus! So open up your heart and agree with this and get to know Him! Faith (simple, happy confidence in Him coming from what He did for you - "Wow, Jesus, You did all that for ME! Thank You!") opens the door and allows Him to bring into your experience the newness of life that He is within you! Yes, within you! The scripture says that God reveals Christ, not outside of us trying to get in, but IN us waiting to be seen and known in intimate fellowship!

Isn't it wonderful to think that, since He sustains us all and holds up the whole creation, and we truly live and move and have our being in Him - He is already in us and has been in us all along, just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed! We can open up and receive/welcome Him in fellowship, greet the One who is there within us with the smile of simple childlike faith (remember faith just means seeing what He already did, what is already so!), and He fills and overflows us, makes every part of us truly full of His very own Life! We start to experience the eternal life that is our right! We start to manifest it in this earthly realm, in these earthly bodies! He bursts forth from within your innermost being like a river of living water, His Spirit flooding your life and spilling out! His very own life, joined with us forever!

Yes, His very own life joined with us forever! In the incarnation, God joined Himself to man irrevocably and permanently. So He became the new representative of our race, not Adam - in fact, He had prior claim to us all along, for before creation even happened God chose us to be IN Christ! It was through Christ that we were even created! So He has always been our true head and source of life, always had the strongest claim on us! So all that He did is effective for all of us. When He died, we all died with Him to all the old lies, confusion and ways of life..and when He rose, we rose with Him into the newness of His life!

What a Savior, what a Redeemer (Rescuer)! He came down and joined with us where we were in death and then conquered that death state and separated us from it forever, bringing us up into the glory of His resurrection life! Wow! You are not of the old but all new like the first day of creation (an even better than that, for you're not in the likeness of Adam but in the likeness of Christ)! See and know yourself as He has always seen and known you since before time began - so innocent and pure before Him, so beloved and precious, His very own dear child! You are fresh and sweet like a newborn baby, untouched by evil, innocent and pure - a new person with Him as your very life source - thus, your being, bound as it is to God's life itself, which is eternal, will never die!

All the old is gone and all things are new! You are a new creation, which is really the original you God always had in mind from before time began, now finally realized and manifested in this world! You are righteous (sinless and in right relationship with God) and having a good nature (Christ's own nature) so that you naturally love and trust God! You are perfect before Him, with no stains, faults, or anything amiss at all! You are accepted and acceptable! You are loved and lovely!

You are bound up with Him, locked into the love circle of the Trinity forever! He is in heaven and you are in Him, and you are on earth and He is in you! Inseparable union, infinite bliss! You have the same relationship and same fellowship with the Father that Jesus has! You are one with God and have perfect harmony with Him, perfect fellowship with Him at all times - you can talk to Him about anything, He is the Friend you've always wanted, He will be loyal where others could not, He understands you perfectly, He delights in you.

And you are a complete and whole person! This is the way your life was always meant to be - a person filled with God's Spirit and in perfect love relationship with Him!

Nothing is required of you in this life - you are free to bask in Him and His love and be happy in Him, for He will do it all, and you'll find yourself full of new desires to love people, new hope for the future, new authority and freedom over evil, new joy and peace, new strength, new freshness of grace-gifts falling on you every day!

Every day will be a day of just receiving His love and radiating that love back to Him and being a reflection of His love to the world. They are going to want what you have, because they'll see the unconditional love, the satisfaction, the freedom and joy! They'll be attracted to the blessed, full life you have! And Jesus will be glorified and lifted up!

Hallelujah!

You're Under a Fountain

You are accepted and you are the righteousness of God no matter what you do, no matter how much you fail, no matter when you fall into sin - you are STILL the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. It is not based on your obedience - it is based on the obedience of Jesus Christ....I don’t care how bad your sin was, get up, you’re under a fountain. When you fall, when you fail under a fountain, the fountain does not fail, it keeps coming over you. You are clean, you are righteous in Him. The more you believe this, the more victory you will have over sinning. Come on now, say amen. Give Him a shout just for the heaven of it. (Rob Rufus)

From the Quote Book

You are not your own enemy. There is nothing wrong with you as a Christian. Steve McVey
God's love will never fail you. Jamie Weeks
God never humiliates, shames, or belittles His young'uns. Mike Fitzpatrick
God never loved you for a reason. Wayne Jacobsen
Knowing that God does not expect anything from us is the only way not to despair. Watchman Nee
I need do nothing for God: that is deliverance from the law. Watchman Nee
We are all we were ever meant to be: one with the One who is life. Dan Stone
You don't have to grow, change, or be good to be loved. Brennan Manning
There is nothing you can do that would cause God to love you any more or any less than He does right now. Steve McVey
You have received the life. You cannot - you cannot - fail to manifest it. Dan Stone
No matter how great we think Him to be, His love is always greater. Brennan Manning
Jesus Christ loves us as we are, and not as we should be. Brennan Manning
A real gift never puts the receiver in debt. A real gift is only to enjoy. Lewis Smedes
Jesus not only loves you, He also likes you. Mike Yaconelli
He always looks on the soul with gladness. Julian of Norwich

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More Answers to Questions about Grace - from Grace Church Orlando