Last week, I shared about my desperate journey into GRACE, and the magical mystery of this wonderful gift.
Grace is a mystery to all who have not received it.
Grace is simple...yet seems so complex.
Grace is not earned.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8
Grace has not made me perfect,
but it gives me freedom.
Not freedom to to sin, "MAY IT NEVER BE" as the Apostle Paul says in Romans 6:15.
Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!
Grace gives freedom from
trying to make the wrong things right.
attempting to clean up the messes I make.
scouring and scrubbing to make myself clean.
exhaustion from always striving to DO AND BE good.
I know, it might not sound very holy...but it's the holiest place I know. It's complete dependency on what Christ has accomplished so I have NOTHING to boast about. (See Ephesians 2:8 above)
In the process of developing a lifestyle of leaning into grace (it doesn't come naturally) I have come up with 5 Simple Steps to help guide you into Grace, time and time again.
STEP 1 | AWARENESS
Discover where you are NOT living in grace.
If you are being tormented…that’s not grace.
If you are beating yourself up…that’s not grace.
If you are replaying the recordings of where you messed up…that’s not grace.
If you feel like you will never measure up…guess what? That’s not grace.
If you find yourself going around the mountain of these thoughts, or if you are like me and tend to set up camp in these thoughts…THAT’S NOT GRACE.
And the FIRST STEP is to simply have an AWARENESS that you are not living in the Always Available Abundant Grace of God.
In coaching we call this a new or deeper AWARENESS. It is where the journey begins. It's that Ah-Ha moment and it is POWERFUL.
The sooner this awareness comes, the better...so if you don't have an awareness, or if you feel like you haven't arrived in that land of ALL-SUFFICIENT GRACE,
ASK GOD TO MAKE YOU AWARE or INCREASE YOUR AWARENESS.
STEP 2 | ACKNOWLEDGE
Our actions speak louder than our words. What are your actions saying about your belief regarding God’s grace. My actions repeatedly said that God’s grace wasn’t sufficient for me.
What is the truth that your actions are speaking? Here are some things our actions might be saying.
I’m not living in grace.
I don’t know what grace really is.
I don’t know how to access grace.
I don’t think I deserve God’s grace.
His grace isn't enough for me.
I've messed up too much for God's grace.
I deflect God’s grace.
BE HONEST with yourself and ACKNOWLEDGE the story you tell yourself. What do your actions say about your belief about grace?
STEP 3 | ASK
You might want to grab your journal or a piece of paper to jot down some notes here.
Ask God how He feels about the story you tell yourself. Following are a few suggestions for questions you might ask God:
“How do you feel about me deflecting your grace?”
“What do you say about my inability to believe your grace is enough to erase my mess-ups?”
"What more would you like to show me about Your grace?"
"Where do I not live or believe that Your grace is enough?"
"Where am I trying to clean up my own act instead of receiving Your grace?"
Now here's the hard part;
WAIT ON GOD'S RESPONSE.
Seriously. God wants to speak to you.
He WANTS you to live in His Always Available Abundant Grace.
HE DIED SO YOU WOULD HAVE THE FREEDOM OF HIS GRACE.
Write down anything you sense. What is your heart saying as you come to your Father?
Try not to filter what you are hearing through your lens, just write down what comes to mind.
STEP 4 | APOLOGIZE
I know, this might be a S-T-R-E-C-H, but think about it.
When our kids hurt someone (intentionally or unintentionally) we teach them to say “I am sorry.”
I believe our unwillingness, inability, fear, shame…whatever it is that keeps us from RECEIVING God’s gift of grace breaks the Father’s Heart. He’s a Good, Good Father who longs to lavish His children with good gifts. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, when we reject His Always Available Abundant Grace, I think it hurts His heart.
Rejecting this gift that has the power to wipe away our mess-ups is rejecting what Christ came to accomplish. He PAID for this tremendous gift for us. Most of the time we neglect to acknowledge the gift. We act like entitled brats and our actions tell our Father, “it’s not enough."
So yeah, we might need to apologize, “I’m so, so, sorry, Father. Please forgive me."
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6
APOLOGIZING is an act of humility. The result is MORE GRACE.
STEP 5 | ACCEPT
You can’t give yourself grace.
No really.
How many times have you heard, "JUST GIVE YOURSELF GRACE."
If you haven’t received His grace, you have nothing to give. You can't give it to yourself or to others.
So the next step is to learn to ACCEPT His Always Available Abundant Grace. He says He has enough, it’s sufficient.
[My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for[My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 Amp
Just take a moment, even now, open your hands and whisper, "I receive Your Always Available Abundant Grace." ~Selah (pause and think about it)
And for good measure...RINSE AND REPEAT
The lies will still bombard our minds, we must take on that helmet of salvation and remember:
He has set us free,
He remembers no more,
It is covered in the blood of Jesus and
He has removed it as far as the east is from the west.
This is called ‘renewing your mind’.
Using this Magic Eraser is not a one and done, we must learn to keep accessing this Always Available Abundant Grace time and time again.
If you are stuck, and can't seem to break free from the exhaustive lies that condemn you. Please reach out. This is not the abundant life God has promised. Coaching can help you write a better story and live in the freedom of His Always Available Abundant Grace.
Schedule a Get to Know You Call.
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