RECEIVE GRACE IN TIME OF NEED
“But God gives more grace. Wherefore He said, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
Hebrews 4:16 tells us to come before God – and the only way to do that is in humility – “to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” The grace of God strengthens us. It empowers us to live above our circumstances and fulfill God’s will. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).
It is God who is producing in you both the desire and the ability to do what pleases Him. Trust Him! Stay close to Him! He’s a loving Father! Thank Jesus that He’s your Lord and Savior! And let the Holy Spirit be your compass, your guide (John 16:7-9)!
Aside from Jesus, Paul was one of the most humble. Why? 1) Paul depended upon God; 2) he wasn’t selfish or disobedient; 3) he didn’t seek his own glory or kingdom. 4) he was a faithful witness who was thankful and consistent.
Think about this: Knowledge puffs up (1 Cor 8:1) but revelation humbles. Paul had an abundance of revelation. God had unlocked the Gospel of Grace to him (Gal. 2:7). It’s because Paul was humble that he was able to receive these revelations from God. Isn’t that awesome? Do you want to receive revelation straight from your loving Father? Stay in relationship every day. Commune with Him throughout the day! And listen to what He has to say with your spiritual ears through your spiritual heart: the combination of your new spirit and soul!
Now, think about this: Paul went to the throne of grace to find mercy and help in his time of need (Heb. 4:16). And the Lord responded, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor. 12:9). You can do this any time you want in your godly imagination! And guess what? You will find that His grace is sufficient for you every day!
Paul then went on saying, “Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, FOR Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:9b-10) Wow! When God wants to be your strength! In fact, the eyes of the Lord go to and throughout the whole universe to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts (spiritual “heart”) is stayed on Him (2 Chron. 16:9). Paul understood this.
If we will recognize that only by the grace of God can we accomplish anything of lasting value, that puts us into a position of strength. To the natural mind, it is foolishness to be both weak and strong at the same time. But to the humble, it is “grace.” When we depend on God – when we are humble – we allow His strength to work on our behalf. Thank You, Father! Thank You, Jesus!
Now, start counting your blessings! Name them one by one! Your spiritual heart will start to become filled to the fullest with thanksgiving! Thank You, Lord!
Today, choose to humble yourself! And as you do, watch depression would go! Why? Because your focus will change! You’ll be surprised at how good your life really is! It is impossible to be depressed if your mind is stayed on ALL Jesus has done for you. Jesus loved you enough to leave heaven and become a man, suffer through rejection and murder, return from the grave, and give you access to His grace by faith (Romans 5:2). That’s what we call the GREAT EXCHANGE! He became what you were so that you could become what He is (2 Cor. 5:21)!
Living every day in humility and thankfulness is how we receive more grace from God. Rest in His finished work! In His grace!
Grace belongs to you. It is only waiting for you to humble yourself and find it at His throne.
As long as you humble yourself and stick with what God tells you to do, He will provide the people to help to do what you’re not called to do. All you have to do is cooperate with God!
We need more grace to do the things and be the people God has called us to be. And praise God, God has already made that grace available to us (2 Peter. 1:3). All we have to do is humble ourselves and receive (James 4:6)
“Father we love You. We receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save our souls (James 1:21). Though this teaching goes against everything we see in our culture, help us to see that this is not a message of rejection. It’s a message of love and discipline. For what father doesn’t disciple or correct the ones He loves (Heb 12:7)? Father, we know that You love us. We know You want to pour Your grace upon us, so we humble ourselves and choose to cooperate with You! We cast our care for our families, our ministry/jobs, and our future on You. We trust You to deal with them. Lord, we renounce pride, and we choose to present our bodies to You as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1). Teach us to be thankful. Teach us to be faithful witnesses and to rest in Your unchanging goodness. Thank You for the grace to make course corrections as needed. We love You, and we ask these things knowing You hear us (1 John 5:14-15). In Jesus’ name. Amen.”