“My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

“And lest the greatness of the revelations should exalt me above measure, there is given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord three times that it might be taken from me.And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9a (JUB)

Have you ever wondered about Paul’s thorn in the flesh? I’ve heard preachers and scholars say it was bad eye sight, and various other aliments. However; the scriptures clearly tell us Paul struggled with pride due to his great revelations on the Word of God. Then a messenger of the devil attacked him.

Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

According to the Holman Bible Dictionary, pride is undue confidence in and attention to one's own skills, accomplishments, state, possessions, or position. Some synonyms for pride include arrogance, presumption, conceit, self-satisfaction, boasting, and high-mindedness. It is the opposite of humility,

This sin of pride opened the door for an evil spirit to buffet or wear him down.

God’s answer was, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

In Ephesians 2:8-9 (AMP) Paul tells us that God’s grace is. “... [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].”

God’s grace is His Salvation offered to us and can only be received through faith in the finished work of the cross. It is so much more than favor. It is all that God offers us through Christ’s completed work on the cross received by faith. It includes deliverance, salvation, rescue, welfare, safety, prosperity, eternal salvation and victory over everything that comes against us, whatever our thorn in the flesh might be.

God’s grace (salvation) has been made available to everyone, but not everyone will choose to receive Him (Jesus).

So, how does a believer get rid of sin? “If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].” (1 John 1:9 AMP)

When we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive our sins and then Jesus leads us back into a right relationship with our heavenly Father. Our attitude/heart comes into alignment with God’s heart. This is righteousness. By our confessing our sins we come into submission to our heavenly Father, commanded in James 4:7 (KJV), “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

It is at this time we have the authority, given to us by Jesus, to cast out the evil spirit that is coming against us because the evil spirit no longer has a hold over us. He must flea in the name of Jesus.

This is not just about pride. It is about any sin that binds us: wrong attitudes, hate, anger, unforgiveness, trauma, fear, or any other soul wound caused by sin brought on by ourselves or someone else.

I have been working with many issues in my life through this process. The more I submit myself to God in each area of my life the more the healing comes.

My prayer is “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24) 

As I repent, I find His grace (Salvation-Jesus) is truly sufficient for overcoming any thorn the evil one uses to buffet me. I recognize this through my emotions: when something makes me cry, or angry, come into fear, etc.

As you spend time with the Lord today I would like to encourage you to submit yourself, every part of your being, to God, to His Word. Then thank Him and praise Him for His marvelous grace, His Salvation that is sufficient for all your thorns. Amen!

Blessings on your day!

Karen 

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation...” (Psalm 51:12 AMP)

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:12 AMP)

It seemed as if joy had left me. I was trying to work things out, and it just did not seem to work. Life was becoming drudgery.

I began to seek the Lord for answers asking Him to restore to me the joy of my salvation. While seeking Him, I was asking questions like, “What do I need to do?” “Are you through with me on this earth?” “Do you have a purpose for me?’ The more I asked, the more depressed I became.

Early this morning as I was listening to the Lord, He said, “It is a gift.”

Suddenly the depression lifted and joy filled my soul. Life was not about how mush I accomplished on earth. Despite the many sermons I have heard about “doing” and feeling guilty for not “doing” enough, joy and peace filled my being and transformed my whole perspective.

A gift is given to be enjoyed. When I give a gift, I do not expect anything in return. It is my hope that the person will enjoy the gift. The person does not earn it. That would be a wage. 

Life in Christ Jesus is a gift. “For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God;” (Ephesians 2:8 AMP)

The Lord has been trying to get me to understand this for a long time. Praise God! I finally got it!

Now I can truly declare, “This [day in which God has saved me] is the day which the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Join me today and rejoice in the outstanding day the Lord has given to us to live and rejoice (enjoy) in it. It’s given to us as a child of God, no strings attached. Amen!

Blessings on your day!

Karen

This is the day the Lord has made. (Psalm 118:24)

“This [day in which God has saved me] is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24 AMP)

For He says, “At the acceptable time (the time of grace) I listened to you, and I helped you on the day of salvation.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 2:6 AMP)

When we are in Christ, each day is a new day to discover something new about our Savior and the salvation He is offering us. We do not have to die to receive all of the salvation Christ provided for us. Once we accept Christ as our Savior, we become God's eternal child. Jesus came to give us abundant life and it begins the moment we accept Christ.

According to http://www.theopedia.com/salvation, Salvation [1] refers to the act of God's grace in delivering His people from bondage to sin and condemnation, transferring them to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Col. 1:13), and giving them eternal life (Romans 6:23)—all on the basis of what Christ accomplished in His atoning sacrifice. The Bible says we are saved by grace through faith; and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).

We just have to accept His gift to be set free from any bondage we are under; depression, poverty, sickness, whatever you need. Jesus is the deliverer. Ask!

The Greek word soteria means salvation."… [And salvation] includes past, present, and the future. As Christians, we were saved from the penalty of sin when God brought us to faith in Christ; we are presently being saved from the power of sin as we confess our sins and believe they are forgiven through Christ.

This is the day the Lord has made. It is our day of salvation, deliverance from the effects of sin. (Deuteronomy 28:16-67) and blessing us with all spiritual blessings. (Deuteronomy 28:1-15)  Hallelujah! I choose to rejoice and be glad in it. Today is a glorious day!

I partake of communion with my Savior because today is the day of salvation. Amen!

Blessings on your day!

Karen

Taking communion unworthily (1 Corinthians 11:26-30)

In 1 Corinthians 11:26-30, Paul talks about taking communion "unworthily" and "not discerning the Lord's body."  He was admonishing the church in Corinth because they were coming together without having a reverence for communion or respect for one another.  

They were getting drunk, fighting among themselves, and eating all the food before others arrived. This led to sickness and early death.

Taking communion "unworthily" does not mean that you are a worthless person. It means you are partaking of it in a casual, flippant, selfish manner instead of seeking the true meaning of Jesus' sacrifice.

When Paul says, "examine yourselves", he was not saying examine yourselves to see if you have sin. We have all sinned.(Romans 3:23) If sin would keep us from coming to Jesus to receive the covenant meal (His body and His blood), everyone would be disqualified!

Once we receive Jesus as our Savior, God sees us spotless through the blood of Christ. Jesus qualified us.

So as we take communion, let’s take a moment to understand, deep within our being, the whole of Salvation: Eternal life, deliverance, victory, welfare, health, prosperity, delivered from distress, our present help in times of trouble, kept safe from our enemies, and catastrophes, kept from plagues, famine or sickness. (#3444 in the Hebrew Lexicon) We can see this in Psalm 91 where God is showing us His Salvation, and again in 3 John 2.

It means that Jehovah is the God of our Salvation and Satan is defeated in our lives through Jesus' work on the cross. 

This is how we "discern the Lord's body", and take communion "worthily.” It is all about Jesus and all He accomplished for each of us on the cross.

As we eat and drink of communion today, let us rejoice in all of Salvation that has been accomplished for us on the cross.

Blessings on your day!

Karen

Dwelling in the Love of Christ (John 15:9)

In John 15:9 Jesus directs us to a new level of love, His level, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love.”

Dwelling or living in the love of Christ is not automatic and usually not easy. 

In John 15:10-11 Jesus said, “If you keep My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Jesus continues in verse 12, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

The Greek word used here for love is Agape. It means to give someone what they need, not necessarily what they want. It is the God kind of love. 

The Jews wanted another King David type of savior to free them from the oppressive Roman rule. God sent Jesus, His Son to save us all for eternity.

How did Jesus show His love? He offers us forgiveness without condemnation. He healed all that came to Him, calmed the storm, fed the hungry, raised the dead, had compassion, loved the unlovable, gave His life for us, carried our sins into Hell, and stands ready to enter our lives at anytime we choose to open the door and invite Him in. However; we have to do the inviting.

Some of this I know I can do. I may not accomplish for others all of the ways Jesus chose to love me, but I can do something whether it is taking food to the homeless shelter or to a shut-in, show love to someone that is acting unloving, forgive everyone of everything- large or small, and ask Jesus into my heart each day. Sharing His love must become a conscious part of our everyday life.

I find asking for and receiving a daily infilling of His love is vital before I am capable of showing His love to anyone else. Without coming to Him first I am trying to accomplish sharing His love on my terms which leads to sharing from a deficit and it runs out quickly. I’ve tried this many times and always fail, then I wonder what went wrong.

Jesus has asked us to partner with Him to accomplish His will on earth just as it is in heaven. He is the head and we are His body. The body does not function without the head. 

At best we are like a chicken that has just had its head cut off. It is a crazy sight to see. I watched my daddy do this one time when I was a child. I thought the chicken was looking for it's head. It ran all over the chicken yard. 

I can do nothing without Christ's love infilling me. Today was one of those days I needed to soak in His love. So as I ate and drank of the matchless love He offers me,  I savored my time in His presence. There is always more than enough and it will never end. Amen!

Blessings on your day!

Karen