Receive God’s Abundant Provision of Grace – Part II

All believers in Jesus Christ have already been delivered from our sin nature (see Ro. 6:22). We need not fight to obtain this victory, nor can we! We already dwell on holy ground: God has placed us at His right hand in the heavenly realms in Christ (see Eph. 1:3, 20-23). The victory is manifest in us to the degree that we set our minds on what the Spirit desires and stand firm to the end (see Romans 8:5, 12:2; Matt. 10:22). We are exhorted to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power… take your stand…. Therefore, put on the full armor of God… stand your ground… stand. Stand firm, then (Eph. 6:10-11, 13-14a). The armor God provides is clearly defensive, with the singular exception of the sword of the Spirit. We must know this sword as the ultimate weapon: God’s word spoken in faith by one intimate with the Lord cannot be overcome. …it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit… everything is uncovered and laid bare… (Heb. 4:12-13).

Jesus applied truth to the lies which barraged His soul when He spoke the precise Scriptures that the Spirit brought to His mind at the close of His extensive trial of fasting and temptations. The last Adam did not have only “head” knowledge of the Scriptures as the Pharisees had; this Man also had intimate experiential knowledge of the Lord. Recall that faith must be applied/worked out, else it is dead (James 1:22; 2:17); Jesus had to be made perfect through what He suffered from the Father’s loving discipline just as we must (Heb. 2:10; 12:7). Just as the Holy Spirit enabled Jesus of Nazareth to consistently believe the truth and apply it, He now empowers us to do likewise by virtue of our faith in Christ. As we set our mind on what the Spirit desires, we find that He always provides the precise word to speak aloud into the heavenly realms just as He did for Jesus (see Matt. 10:19-20).

Authentic ministers of God’s word have had Christ revealed to them, and continue receiving His revelation. Behold Saul of Tarsus: a self-proclaimed Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, faultless for legalistic righteousness, Saul had impressive religious knowledge. He was spiritually dead, though, unaware that he was in fact persecuting Jesus until God revealed His Son in him (Phil. 3:4-6; Gal. 1:13-17). Such humbling of heart and renewal of mind! Such ministration of Christ through him!

I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin.  I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. – Galatians 1:11-12

Praising God for His great mercy and grace with you, your sister deanna

Written April 14, 2015