By Joyce Meyer, Christian Post
God’s grace is amazing but sometimes I wonder if we have forgotten how truly amazing it is. The word “grace” is often so common in church or other religious settings that it can become familiar, causing us to forget its true value. Romans 5:8 (AMP) says, “But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.” God sent His Son to die for us before we were even following Him, which is amazing! I believe that when we have a true revelation of all God has done for us, we can overcome any frustration in our lives.
Frustration happens when we’re trying to do something in our own strength that we cannot do. It is a work of the flesh because we’re trying to make something happen that only God can do through His grace. My personal definition of grace is: God’s power made available to us free of charge, enabling us to do with ease what we could never do on our own with any amount of struggle or effort. We all need the grace of God so when He calls us to something, we’ll be equipped to do it.
When I first started my ministry, I thought I had to make everyone like me and the pressure was more than I could stand! I would get discouraged when it seemed like someone was giving me a funny look or left during my teaching because I would think they didn’t like what I was saying. One day I finally said, “God, it is not my responsibility to make people like me; it is my responsibility to do what You are telling me to do.” The pressure I had put on myself to please people was released when I got this revelation: God is not just with us but in us and He will do through us what needs to be done when we stop trying to do it ourselves and let Him work.
Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God” (AMP). We are saved by the grace of God through our faith in Him; our faith does not buy our salvation, it merely receives it. As Ephesians 2:8 says, salvation “is the gift of God.” It is impossible to buy a free gift and this can be hard for us to understand. Our flesh wants to earn and deserve this free gift and take credit for being worthy.
Salvation is given to us freely, by God’s grace, and the same way we receive Christ’s salvation, is the same way we have to live – by grace. God gives us His forgiveness and grace daily; we just have to believe and receive it.
When God forgives your sins, it means all your sins: past, present and future. You do not have to be afraid of sin because God has taken care of the problem. Some may worry that if we don’t fear sin, we will keep sinning on purpose, but that’s not true. If you are truly born again and really have a relationship with God, there is a new nature inside of you. Second Corinthians 5:17 (AMP) says, “If any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!”
Now, no one is perfect, and we all make mistakes sometimes. But if the Holy Spirit is living in your spirit through salvation, you won’t be comfortable with those mistakes because God’s nature is at work in you. The devil would love for us to feel like God is mad at us for our mistakes but the truth is God is love and we need to humbly accept His love and grace.
When we humble ourselves before the Lord and understand that everything good in our lives is by His grace, we open ourselves up to His help. First Peter 5:5 says that “God sets Himself against the proud…[and He opposes, frustrates, and defeats them], but gives grace (favor, blessing) to the humble” (AMP).
This scripture helped me see that when I’m frustrated, God is trying to show me that I need to humble myself and let Him help me. My prayer usually sounds something like this: “God, I am nothing without You and can do nothing without You. I need You. Please help me.” The key is humility. The humble get the help, not the prideful.
Whatever God calls you to do in life, He will equip you to do it. You will be able to fulfill His will for your life and live frustration-free as you humble yourself before Him and receive His amazing grace. And when you do, He will do amazing things through you!
Joyce Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored more than 90 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and Do Yourself a Favor…Forgive (Hachette). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. For more information, visit www.joycemeyer.org.
