Faith Food

"And He (Jesus) said unto me. My grace is sufficient for you: for My strength is made prefect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9      Paul had to learn, like we have to learn, the God has already given us His grace, and we need to believe it and act on it, especially when trouble comes. Paul prayed that the trial he was going through would be taken away from him, but that was not the way God said victory was going to come. Paul had to realize what we must realize today, and that is: HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT!     Like Paul, trouble will come to you while you are living  for God. The grace you already have is sufficient to see you through it all! The provision of all you need to live in victory is yours right now by grace! Instead of "praying and praying," hoping that God will come through for you, boldly declare right in the middle of the adversity: "HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR ME!" Paul did what many believers are doing today. They are praying and praying...

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. - Titus 3:5           Whenever you think or feel that God might not love you because of your sins and mistakes, you are deficient in your perception of His grace towards you. As a believer, whenever you think or feel you are not good enough to receive the help you need from God, you are deficient in grace. Whenever you find yourself stressed in trying to live up to your Christianity, you are deficient in understanding  of grace to help you live right!           You may need to remind yourself on a daily basis that it’s BY GRACE that you qualify for the help you need, and its BY GRACE that you can live a holy life!           The Bible said nothing about being strong in and of ourselves. We are instructed to be strong IN THE LORD. And in the power of HIS might! We are told to “Be strong in the grace that...

For by grace are you saved through faith... not of works... We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works...- Ephesians 2:8-10           Which is it? Grace OR Works? IT”S BOTH! The Bible teaches BOTH! Grace is what saves us AND good works are what we ge t to do once we are saved. Get rid of the “OR” and realize that both grace and works are the will of God for us all! Just understand the simple truth that works are not a “means” of salvation but a “result” of salvation.           Here’s the deal: when you love someone you will WANT to do whatever pleases the one you love. No one will have to talk you into it, and it won’t be a drag doing it. If working for the Lord, serving in his church, and doing the things the New testament teaches is not that important, then something is wrong. Works can be legalistic or they can be love!           Jacob “worked” for seven years in orde...

As every man has received the gift, even so minister the same to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.- 1 Peter 4:10           Some of the most un -gracious people can be those who preach the Grace Message! If you don’t see it like they see, they will cut you off. If you speak anything to try and balance out what they’re teaching, they will be everything but gracious to you! You would think that loving the message of God’s grace towards us would actually make us more gracious to those around us. That’s how it’s supposed to be! We must be cautious to not only study grace but to live gracious toward everyone, including those we don’t like!           God says we are to minister the grace He has given to us to those around us. The very nature of grace is to be kind and loving to those WHO DON’T seem to line up with what’s right! God’s grace towards us when we were yet sinners and he didn’t say, “I’m leavin...

Certain individuals have slipped in among you who pervert the Grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord - Jude 4           God said grace can be perverted! Teachings on grace can go too far! Actually, any Bible truth can be perverted. I know, that as a pastor for over 30 years, preaching and teaching at least three times a week, I have had to watch out about going too far with any Bible subject.           According to Jude, if any teaching says that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are not for you, STOP LISTENING TO IT! Much of what Jesus taught and did was toward everyone, not just the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Saying these New Testament books have nothing for New Testament believers is one step forward towards what Jude was talking about, “Denying Jesus Christ our Lord”. Sure, a lot of what Jesus taught was for the people of His day, but much of what he taught ...

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. - 1 John 4:1           Grace! What a perfect subject for the devil to pervert. The devil is not stupid. He knows that all believers love the grace of God! He knows the power of grace and what it can do for you. He knows he can’t get believers away from this life saving truth, so what does he do? He will endeavor to push people too far in it!           Notice what we are to test to see if what’s being taught is right: THE SPIRIT BEHIND THE TEACHING! Because the teaching may be sounding right and even have scripture in it, there is a way to know if it’s actually right or not. Testing the scriptures is not what needs to be tested. Scriptures are right. It’s the spirit behind the scenes and the fruit of the teaching that needs to be tested. The devil has always used scripture out of con...

Therefore it (Salvation and God’s blessings) is of faith, that it might be by grace: for this purpose; that the promise might be sure to all the descendants. - Romans 4:16                      Grace can’t work without faith, and faith can’t work without grace! Be diligent to study both! Ephesians 2:8-9 says that grace and faith are both gifts from God! We are thankful for both!           It should never be; “Grace or Faith”. We should never take sides with one over the other. The devil would love to separate the two things that can meet your every need on this planet! Division is of the devil. That’s what the devil and demons want! The devil doesn’t mind that we have a stick of dynamite as long as we are against having the match that can set it off. He doesn’t mind that we have a case of matches as long as we are against having any dynamite. But the devil knows that if we have faith AND grace,...

What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone with shouting’s crying, Grace, grace unto it. Zechariah 4:7           Mountains (problems in life) can be removed through faith in the grace of God! Jesus said we could remove mountains by BELIEVING in our heart that what we say with our mouth shall come to pass (see Mark 11:23). It’s not just studying  grace that moves problems. The grace of God and faith in God’s grace is what changes everything!           It’s not “Grace OR Faith; it’s “Grace” AND “Faith” that makes a difference! Be cautious not to draw a line between grace and faith. If teaching on grace begins to put down faith or any other Bible subject, then that teaching has gone way too far! Lets stay balanced and watch the power of God fix things that this world has no cure for!           As long as we value and reve...

        He that is faithful with a little is faithful with much ~Luke 16:10         Be faithful with the revelation you already have on grace! Don’t wait for more revelation before you appropriate what knowledge you already have on grace. Believe and say  that you ARE saved and healed and prosperous by grace through faith! Believe and say and live like you are empowered by grace to live right and godly in this world. Yes, grow in knowledge of the grace of God, but use what you already got!        Grace is not supposed to make us kick back and hear and hear and hear, and study and and study and study, and think that any work or serving is non- important. Actually, the moment we understand the grace of God, is the moment we should act on it! With proper teaching on grace, we will WANT to live a life of obedience to the Lord!        As soon as we begin to realize what “saved by grace and he...

          I worked harder than all of them: yet not I, but the grace of  God in me.- 1st Corinthians 15:10           Paul said his working was a manifestation of God’s grace in his life! Grace helps us to do the work we need to do in this life. We are not our own as we do the things we are called to do. There is “Grace” to get done all we need to get done, whether it be on the job in society or serving in the church. Grace doesn’t  eliminate work. Grace empowers us to do the work needing to be done.           Paul the Apostle, who taught more on the revelation of grace than any other Apostle, said that he worked harder than everyone else and it was by Gods grace that he did! Paul did not only teach that we are saved by grace; he also taught how to live by faith in the grace of God! When a person is hearing balanced teachings on the grace of God, there will always be respect for both. What grace...

                For the grace of God that BRINGS SALVATION has appeared to all men. TEACHING US THAT, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, WE SHOULD LIVE SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY, AND GODLY IN THIS PRESENT WORLD. -Titus 2:11-12         Most people would agree that grace defined means: The free unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings. This is right, but it’s not complete. Praise God for salvation by grace! Praise God for His free bestowal of all blessings by grace, but we need to also be praising God for grace that teaches us and empowers us to LIVE right in this present world!        It is important to acknowledge the full scope of grace in order to stay on course and not drift from sound teaching and get off in the ditch. We should be just as excited about and reverent toward the “living” side of grace as the “standing” side of grace! Our “standi...

You know the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ. That, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might be rich.- Corinthians 8:9           It must be OK to be rich or else grace would not have provided it! God wants us to KNOW the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in this area as well as other areas. “You know the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ...” Paul took it for granted that believers in Corinth KNEW of this grace of God to be rich!           It is a rare thing in church circles today where this part of the gospel is preached! Jesus redeemed us from poverty and lack! Prosperity is a part of redemption! (See Galatians 3:13 and Deuteronomy 28:11-61) God is not opposed to His children being rich. He’s opposed to them being covetous!           The Bible did not say that prosperity ruins people, it says prosperity ruins “fools!” Not everybody is foolish, and we shouldn’...

God is able to make all GRACE abound toward you: that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.- 2nd Corinthians 9:8                 Receiving prosperity is a grace issue! Being perfect is not what qualifies us for increase in finances. Sure, there are integrity principles that will allow for more increase to flow into our lives, but prospering is based on God’s grace toward us, not our perfect past. Don’t think prosperity can’t come to you if you have not lived a perfect life! You can’t stop grace by falling down! You CAN stop grace by thinking perfect living is how you will prosper.           Proverbs says: “A good man falls seven times and gets back up.” We are still considered “good” by God when we fall! Being good is more about who and what you ARE versus only what you do. Of course, what you DO will eventually be a reflection of what you believe you ARE! ...

HEALED BY GRACE The prayer of faith shall SAVE (heal) the sick.- James 5:15         Being saved includes physical healing! James said that the prayer of faith would save the sick. Or in other words, “heal” the sick. Ephesians 2:8 says we are “Saved by the grace through faith.” We can also read it like this: “Healed by grace through faith” Healing for our bodies comes the same way salvation for our spirit comes: BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH!        Believers have already received the greatest miracle by grace through faith, why would it be any different to receive healing from sickness and disease?  We already received the greater, how easy it should be to receive anything else we need.        Think about how easy it was to receive salvation by grace through faith. You heard the Word on Jesus the Savior, and you prayed the salvation prayer, and you BELIEVED it worked! From that moment on, whether you always...

WORK ON RESTING We who have believed do enter into REST.- Hebrews 4:3             It takes renewing the mind to break out of the “trying to earn the blessings” mode. We have been so ingrained with a performance based society, that receiving by grace through faith is foreign to many people.           True faith is actually a restful, peaceful place! True faith is living a worry free life even in the midst of adverse circumstances. Faith in God’s grace is supposed to eliminate all worry and fear that we might not make it through the storm. If we are still worrying and fretting after we have prayed our prayer, then we are not trusting in the Grace of God to come through for us, but rather trusting in our own ability. This is where most people miss it: They pray and pray, but they never enter into “rest!” They won’t BELIEVE that their prayer was heard until they see some kind of change in their circumstances. Let’s not...

        Thinking we have to earn  the blessings of God is how we cut ourselves off from the blessings of God. God CAN’T get us what we need on the basis of our working for it or trying to earn it. He WANTS to help, but so many people are not letting Him help them. Help comes to us through faith in God’s grace, not through our “trying harder” to become more worthy of his blessings! It is vital to realize that our being saved, healed, or delivered is not something we have to work or earn! The effort on our part is simply UNDERSTANDING the Word of God in this area! What we need to work  at is REALIZING we don’t have to work for the blessings! The effort needed to receive what we need and want from God is the effort of knowing and believing  what He has already  provided for us all through Christ Jesus!       The more we realize that it’s by God’s grace that we are saved, healed, delivered, the more of His blessings we will see in...