| How Do You Get God’s Sustaining Grace? |
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| By Rick Warren — Apr 2, 2015 |
“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’” (2 Corinthians 12:8-9a NLT)
What do you do when you can’t fix an unfixable problem? What do you do when you can’t solve an unsolvable riddle? What do you do when you can’t change an unchangeable circumstance?
You throw yourself on the sustaining grace of God.
How do you get the kind of grace to keep going in spite of temptations, trials, tension, tiredness, and troubles? You do four things:
- Cry out for God’s help. As long as you pretend to be self-sufficient, you short-circuit God’s power in your life. “[God] gives grace to the humble. So give yourselves completely to God …. Come near to God, and God will come near to you” (James 4:6b-8a NCV).
- Fill your mind with God’s Word. Let it comfort you, strengthen you, fill you, and give you the energy you need to keep going. David prayed, “I lie in the dust; revive me by your word”(Psalm 119:25 NLT).
- Accept support from God’s people. The Bible says that “by helping each other with your troubles, you truly obey the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NCV). God puts weaknesses in our lives so we realize how much we need each other. He never meant for you to go through life on your own.
- Hold on to God’s promises. There are more than 7,000 of them in the Bible waiting to be claimed. Here’s one of them: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youth grow tired and weary … but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:29-31 NIV). Keep your eyes focused on the hope of Heaven, not just on the here and now.
Where do you need God’s sustaining grace today? Where are you discouraged and feel like giving up? Are you being tempted? Or are you tired and think, “I don’t think I can put one foot in front of the other.” Or are you under tension, in trials that you can’t fix? No matter what you’re going through, God’s grace will sustain you if you’ll let it.
“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:8-9a NLT).
When you’re going through a problem you can’t fix, don’t give up — look up!
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
Talk It Over
- Why is it difficult to admit that we cannot control our lives or that we need help?
- In what trial do you need God’s sustaining grace? Have you asked for his help?
- How do you think God uses a small group of believing friends to sustain you in life’s troubles?
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So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
John 19:30
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We've all celebrated victory with cries of joy. Perhaps you have been watching the NCAA basketball tournament and seen the victory cries that have been raised from winning teams. It's exciting to be a part of a victory shout!
Well, let me assure you that even though these last words of Jesus on the cross are not a shout of victory, they are words of victory. They don’t describe someone who is finished…but someone who has finished the assignment that God had given Him.
Jesus was not finished…the plan of salvation was finished! And the Devil himself was finished.
Jesus had won the battle of the ages. And because His assignment has been successfully completed, you and I can live in His victory today.
As a believer, you are forgiven of your sins…you can share His confidence…and you can be empowered in your life because you have power over all the works of the enemy!
Jesus Christ is victorious! "It is finished!"
LIVE IN THE VICTORY HE WON TODAY!
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