THE WATERFALL OF GRACE

Galatians 3:5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?... Imagine that you are at a healing service. An alcoholic walks into the church reeking of alcohol. He sits behind the pianist, a nice elderly lady who has been serving in the church for 50 years. Both of them are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The healing power of God is present. In an instant, the alcoholic, who has never been in church before, gets healed. The pianist does not. Most people, on hearing stories like this, would get upset and confused. They might ask, “Shouldn’t God heal this nice, old lady who has been serving Him faithfully all these years, and not that debauched drunkard?” You see, many people still believe that God heals only the deserving. But that is not how God works. God looks at faith, not works. His power is made manifest in those who trust His goodness instead of their good behavior. So ...

COLOSSIANS 3:15 (AMP)  And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ's] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always]. God has revealed His will to us in many areas through His written Word, the Bible. But there are many things the Bible does not specifically tell us, such as what person to marry, what job to do, or where to live. (While the Bible gives us some principles, it does not tell us individually and specifically what to do in these types of things.) But God has made provision to guide us in these areas of life also. The peace of God is the umpire to determine our direction. Understanding the "peace of God" (which I also identify as the "inner witness") can sometimes seem difficult. Inexperienced b...

ROMANS 5:18 Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Gospel means good news. It was not originally a religious word, but meant good news which makes people happy and excited. If what you have heard about Jesus Christ does not make you happy and excited, then you have not yet truly heard and understood the Gospel as it is meant to be understood. The basic outline is that Jesus of Nazareth, who was God in a human body, took your place in judgment, paying the penalty for all your sins, and gave you the blessing He deserved because of His perfect sinless life. God, the Creator, and Sustainer of the universe, loves you enough to die for you.Even if you were the ONLY person on earth! That's good news! Jesus took what you deserved, and gave you what He deserved! That's good news! And this is not limited to just you. Jesus died for all mankind. De...

HEBREWS 4:15  For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Whatever you face, Jesus Christ has already faced it. Jesus knows what it is like: to be hungry to be tired to be lonely to be hurt to be hated to be beaten to be persecuted to be misunderstood to be mistreated to be mocked and laughed at to be betrayed by a friend to be tempted to sin to be responsible for employees to feel forsaken to feel hopeless to have no spouse to have no earthly father there to help to have lost a loved one to have to pay taxes to have money stolen from you to have the responsibility to provide for a family to live under an oppressive government to experience extreme pain  HEBREWS 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Don't be afraid to talk to Jesus about anything. Not only does He understand, but He knows ho...

ROMANS 12:19  Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back," says the LORD. When people do us wrong, not taking revenge is difficult. It seems natural to fight back when someone attacks us. But the Bible tells us to let God judge them. This is not saying you should never defend yourself, or what belongs to you. But do not seek revenge after you have been wronged. Instead, let God handle it. People who try to take revenge, usually end up committing more injustice. Often a deadly cycle develops. Instead of taking revenge, God's Word tells us to bless our enemies. PROVERBS 25:21  If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; MATTHEW 5:44  "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, God is aware of...

ACTS 20:24  "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Some believers are tempted to give up on their faith in God whenever the least thing seems to go wrong in their lives. The apostle Paul suffered many things: beatings, stoning, and shipwreck -- yet he called them "light afflictions." 2 CORINTHIANS 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 2 CORINTHIANS 4:8-9  We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed -- We are in a battle for the hearts and souls of men. The devil is against us. While we know our victory is sure, we should not expect to never face obstacles or difficulties. 2 TIMOTHY 2:3  ...

Sorry, you have it backward. God is trying to get you to do what He wants, because His way is perfect, and yours is not. PSALM 18:30  As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. You don't need to get God to do anything. God knows what to do. You are the one who does not know what to do. Imagine a two year old child telling his parents what they should be doing. It is even more crazy to think we know more than God about what is best for us, and that we need to tell Him what to do. This attitude indicates immaturity. If we were so good at figuring out things, we should be running the universe instead of God. But look at what our decisions have produced -- a mess. What we need is new management, not just to get God to do something for us. Even if we were to get God to do what we think He should do for us, would it really fix our life? For example, many people think getting a lot of money would solve every prob...