Welcome to Gifted through Grace

Have you ever been so excited about a gift you received that you couldn’t keep quite about it? A present that you had to tell everyone about? Maybe one that just kept giving day after day? I received this gift many years ago and I have to tell you about it.

 

This gift that I speak of has changed my life and is my reason for living; it is called salvation.

 

Now that is a big word and what exactly does it mean? According to a dictionary salvation is a saving or being saved, a preservation or rescue from destruction. And this is exactly what happened to me. I was saved from self destruction through a life full of sin.

 

I was born and raised at the Church of God where they preach straight from the Bible about living a holy life free from sin. But while it was good to hear about it and acknowledge that it is possible, my parents and friends experience was not enough for me. I needed to have my own personal relationship with God. Even though I was young and had not gone deep into sin, I knew I still needed God to forgive me. He saved me from destroying my life with sin. As it is explained in Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” This is the gift I long to tell you about.

 

But what does it mean to live sin free? Do I have to commit to living in seclusion, take on a “holier than thou” attitude, or constantly have to ask forgiveness for sin that I can’t control? No, we can be human with a normal life and live with out sin. I brush my teeth and drive my car to work just like every one else, only I am alive with in and not just a living breathing human. It is this that I want to demonstrate, how to live a holy life today, not 2000 years ago, not 100 years ago, not even 10 years ago, but today in 2009. God has given me this gift, the gift of his son who paid for my sins on the cross. As I said before, it changed my live and is my reason for living. Because he has done so much for me, I choose every day of my life to serve him by living with out sin. It is not of my own strength, but because it is my greatest desire, God gives me strength to remain holy.

 

I am not here to preach or offer religion but to share how one can practically use Godly principles to live each and every day. Holiness is a way of life, not something to put on every Sunday.

 

All scriptures and authority come from God’s Word, King James Version of the Holy Bible. The dictionary I use is an old Webster’s dated 1951. Other than that, most entrees will be an explanation of how God has helped me to live a holy life.

 

I encourage you to read on, comment or ask questions. And I will do my best with the help of my best friend Jesus to reply in a manner that edifies.

Strive to Find and Enter

Luke 13:23-24
Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

 There is only one way to make it to heaven; living a holy life. As the Bible says, few will find this way and will choose to walk in it. If we have an honest heart and truly desire to live holy, we must strive to enter into this life. It isn’t an easy transition or evolution, it is a conscious choice to leave everything behind and serve God.

 Let us strive to find and enter that gate that leads to holy living.

Fruits of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23 KJV
-But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
-Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23 Amplified
-But the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit, [the work which His presence within accomplishes] – is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness;
-(Meekness, humility) gentleness, self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].

Love – God’s benevolent concern for mankind, Man’s devout attachment to God, the feeling of benevolence and brotherhood that people should have for each other

Joy – a very glad feeling, happiness, great pleasure, delight

Peace – freedom of war/disturbance/disorder, an undisturbed state of mind, absence of mental conflict, calm, quiet, tranquility

Longsuffering – bearing injuries, insults, trouble etc patiently for a long time, long and patient endurance

Gentleness – kindly, serene, patient,

Goodness – the state or quality of being good, kindness, generosity, benevolence,

Faith – unquestioning belief; unquestioning belief in god, religion; complete trust, confidence, or reliance; loyalty, allegiance to some person or thing, steadfast adherence

Meekness – patient, mild, not inclined to anger or resentment, tamely submissive

Temperance – the state or quality of being temperate; self-restraint in conduct, expression, indulgence of the appetites; moderation

Do we find these fruits going in our life?

How can He be denied?

I don’t know who compiled this, but I though it was pretty awesome and wanted to share it.

What an awesome and orderly God!

God’s accuracy may be observed in the hatching of eggs.

For example :
-the eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days;
-those of the canary in 14 days;
-those of the barnyard hen in 21 days ;
-The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days;
-those of the mallard in 35 days ;
-The eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days.
(Notice, they are all divisible by seven , the number of days in a week!)

The lives of each of you may be ordered by the Lord in a beautiful way for His glory, if you will only entrust Him with your life. If you try to regulate your own life, it will only be a mess and a failure. Only the One who made the brain and the heart can successfully guide them to a profitable end.

God’s wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant. The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live on two legs. For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily.

The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first. A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation!

God’s wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as well as in the number of grains.

-Each watermelon has an even number of strips on the rind.
-Each orange has an even number of segments.
-Each ear of corn has an even number of rows.
-Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains.
-Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number.
-The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather.

All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks, and the Lord specified thirty fold, sixty fold, and a hundredfold – all even numbers.

God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day, so that Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed!

Thus the Lord in His wonderful grace can arrange the life that is entrusted to His care in such a way that it will carry out His purposes and plans, and will be fragrant with His presence.

Only the God-planned safe life is successful. Only the life given over to the care of the Lord is fulfilled.

Anchor of Hope

We Have an Anchor

By: Priscilla J. Owens and William J. Kirkpatrick

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

It is safely moored, ’twill the storm withstand,
For ’tis well secured by the Savior’s hand;
And the cables, passed from His heart to mine,
Can defy that blast, thro’ strength divine.

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

We can rest assure that our ANCHOR in Christ will hold no matter how the storms come against us.

Hebrews 6:18-20  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Encouragement through Prayer

Prayer invites encouragement. Why?

Because it WORKS!

We wouldn’t be instructed to pray if it didn’t work. Encouragement comes when God answers prayer which then perpetuates the practice of prayer. The more evidence of answered prayer, the greater the faith in God, the more people will rely on prayer and communication with him.

…the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

Prayer helps to accomplish many things. It works when all else fails.

Mighty Power of Heaven

Press the Battle On – Naylor and Warren

Forward, forward, is the battle cry,
Onward, onward, to our home on high;
We will conquer for the Lord or die,
The foe’s retreating, press the battle on.

Refrain:
Strengthened by the mighty pow’r of heaven,
We shall conquer, we shall conquer;
Till the raging foe afar is driven,
Press the battle on.

Forward, forward, never faint or fear,
Christ, our Captain, is forever near;
Be courageous, full of hope and cheer,
With full assurance press the battle on.

Forward, forward, put the foe to flight,
We are battling for the truth and right;
We shall triumph in Jehovah’s might,
Then do not falter, press the battle on.

Forward, forward, there’s a crown before,
See it shining on that heav’nly shore?
We shall wear it when the conflict’s o’er,
The prize is waiting, press the battle on.

It is only through the strength from heaven that we can carry on through this life. I am so thankful that we don’t have to rely on human strength. I know that I couldn’t live a life free from sin on my own. I don’t have the power to do that. But one of the benefits of salvation is the “mighty power of heaven” that daily strengthens us. And through that boosted strength we can be victorious in all situations. These trials that we face may not turn out exactly how we wanted or imagined, but we have the strength to go through it correctly with the right attitude and a clear testimony.

Remember as you face each day that you don’t have to face it alone, but that you have that mighty power of heaven backing your every step.

Faithful in all things

God expects us to be faithful in our stewardship.

 Steward – a person put in charge of the affairs of a large household or estate, one who acts as a supervisor or administrator

 Being a good steward doesn’t imply riches but being faithful with everything God has given you charge of.

 Luke 16:10-12  He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?

Help Thou Mine Unbelief

King James Version
Mark 9
17-And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
18-And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
19-He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
20-And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
21-And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
22-And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
23-Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24-And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
25-When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
26-And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
27-But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

Amplified
Mark 9
23-And Jesus said, [You say to Me], If You can do anything? [Why,] all things can be – are possible – to him who believes!
24-At once the father of the boy gave (an eager, piercing, inarticulate) cry with tears, and he said, Lord, I believe! Constantly help my weakness of faith!

Do we really believe that ANYTHING is possible with God? When he asks us if we believe what do we say? Are we willing to fully believe and admit to needing assistance with unbelief? Because of the Father’s strong desire to see his son healed, his belief was great and I believe his request was granted not just on the account of his faith, but on his humble admission for God’s help with his unbelief. It is hard sometimes in the human to fully comprehend and believe that some things are possible, especially if you are having to deal with a situation, but if we can have even a little faith and ask God to help with our unbelief, God will work in ways that we couldn’t even imagine but that will prove a perfect work.

Can we really say, “Lord, I believe, Help mine unbelief”?

The Lord is Faithful

Psalms 145:14-21

-The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.

-The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.

-Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

-The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

-The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

-He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

-The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

-My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

The Lord is faithful to his people, those that wait upon him. Let us be faithful to praise him for all he has done, is doing and will do.

His Strength is Perfect

His Strength is Perfect by Steven Curtis Chapman

I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength,
But sometimes I wonder what He can do through me;
No great success to show, No glory on my own,
Yet in my weakness He is there to let me know . . .

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone;
He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on.
Raised in His power, the weak become strong;
His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect.

We can only know
The power that He holds
When we truly see how deep our weakness goes;
His strength in us begins
Where ours comes to an end.
He hears our humble cry and proves again

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone;
He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on.
Raised in His power, the weak become strong;
His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect.

Isaiah 40:25-31 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

With human strength we might not be able to handle the many complications of life, but with God’s strength, he can help us overcome and be victorious in all things.