“Our Daily Bread”     http://odb.org/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie    http://www.harvest.org/devotional

Written by bruce r. mills for “God’s group” @  www.Godsmanforever.com

“God’s Grace is sufficient !!”

2 Corinthians 12:8-10…  And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  (NKJV)

The Apostle Paul, who wrote the Book of 2 Corinthians, is speaking in the opening scripture above…  Paul is having a conversation with the Lord, about a thorn in his flesh that he pleaded to the Lord three times to remove from him…  The Lord’s reply was…“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  

My friends, once you are saved by God’s grace alone, through saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ [See P.S. below], your life will change dramatically !!  Instead of your family, your job, your possessions, or anything else being most important to you…God wants you to place Him first in your life…  When God is first in your life, He promises to bless you in so very many ways…  A couple of key scripture verses many people will quote, are…

2 Corinthians 9:8…  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance  for every good work.  (NKJV)  And…

Philippians 4:19…  And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  (NKJV)

Take a look at the many blessings God promises His obedient children in 15 scripture verses found in Reference 1. Below…  When you see that every good and perfect gift we have is from God (James 1:17), why would you not want God to be in total charge of your life ??  God is sovereign, meaning ALL things are under God’s control…  And God doesn’t ever make any mistakes…  Once you understand that we as believers who are obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit will be blessed beyond belief…you will have found the key to living a “Christ-centered”, “Spirit-filled” life…

But I pose the question as to why so many truly “born again” Christians fail to submit their lives to the Lord ??  I believe it is because we are all born with a natural tendency to do what we feel is best…not what God wants us to do…  The Holy Spirit urges us to share our faith with someone, and we say no, now is not the time…  Our pride gets in the way of our ability to be humbled under the mighty hand of God…  Living a “Spirit-filled” life becomes a learning process that sadly many “born again” believers will fail to experience on a regular basis…  It takes a commitment and a mindset that we must do our best to keep Christ first in our life…  But Satan is so much smarter than we are when we are using our mortal minds… Satan can transform himself into an angel of light, as we see penned in…

2 Corinthians 11:14…  And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.  (NKJV)

I am reminded of two pieces of scripture that teach us what we must do to keep Satan and our own carnal flesh in check…  Ephesians 6:11-13…&…James 4:7-8…

Ephesians 6:11-13…   Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of ^]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  (NKJV)  [See Reference 2. Below for scripture on God’s 6 piece set of spiritual armor]

James 4:7-8…  Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  (NKJV)

I spent a day writing about the key to keep Satan in check by following the advice of these 2 pieces of scripture, that I titled… “God’s Duo”…  You can read this post, the key to my personal ability to keep Satan in check MOST of the time, in Reference 3. Below

When we as Christians fail to keep the Lord first in our lives we are living in a horrible sin because we are committing the sin of omission…James 4:17…  Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.  (NKJV)

To live a “Spirit-filled” life, we must always confess our sins to the Lord, repent, and turn from any and all sins to be cleansed from our unrighteousness…1 John 1:9…  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (NKJV)

At that moment in time we are filled with the Spirit…Ephesians 5:18-20…and are then able to walk in and by the full power of the Holy Spirit…Galatians 5:16…  I believe these 3 pieces of scripture are the 3 most important pieces of scripture in the Bible for the “born again” Christian who wants to live a life that God will bless in so many ways…  You can read this days writing in Reference 4. Below…

There you have it my friends…  A good understanding of what God’s grace is all about, and why God’s grace should be sufficient to help you through life’s most difficult trials…  I believe spending time reading, digesting, and applying God’s Word to your lives (hopefully every day), along with constant prayer, and being a member of a Bible believing and teaching church using your spiritual gift/gifts God has given you, are a must to be successful at living a Spirit-filled” life that will glorify God…

Gracious God and heavenly Father,  I thank You and praise You for who You are…  I pray Father that Your living and powerful Word (Hebrews 4:12), would energize Your children to start living a life that will be pleasing in Your sight…  I pray for hearts, minds, and lives to be changed by You for everyone reading this post…  And I pray for this life changing response for all of us, in Jesus’ most precious name, and for His sake…Amen…

Blessings in Christ,  bruce

References:

1. Link for scripture on God’s may blessings-  https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-blessings/

2. God’s Armor-  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+6%3A10-20&version=NKJV

3. “God’s Duo”-  https://godsmanforever.com/2020/05/02/gods-duo-revised-5-02-2020-written-by-bruce-r-mills-for-gods-group/

4. 3 most important scripture verses-  https://godsmanforever.com/2021/09/01/my-thoughts-on-the-3-most-important-pieces-of-scripture-for-the-born-again-christian-9-01-2021-written-by-bruce-r-mills-for-gods-group/

P.S.  When there is no other place to turn…turn to God !!  If you’re not a “born again” Christian, is the Holy Spirit urging you to open this link ??  Here is the truth about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ…   https://godsmanforever.com

Picture credit:  https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS832US832&sxsrf=AOaemvK5HCKoA8CCMVs181th-M4zKV2_3w:1632505785630&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=image+God%27s+grace+is+sufficient&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwigu8j7lZjzAhUQG80KHTGvDuMQjJkEegQIBhAC&biw=1258&bih=858&dpr=1#imgrc=XdhBUVO5qUjneM