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So if we are save "By Grace" and it is "Through Faith" then it is Grace (of God) that saves us and the means is Faith.. (Ephesians 2:8)
I posted this in a previous thread and I believe it bears repeating..
The question was why do some Christians struggle and fail while other seem to do well with effortless success..
I think the main problem would be one of perception. People tend to see God the way they see their natural father. If they had an abusive father they think God is mean or cruel. If their dad was absent a lot or ignored them all the time they think God is distant or uncaring.
They also tend to see themselves the way they feel others see them. If they feel that others see them as unworthy or worthless they will tend to act that out. As a man (or woman) believes in his (their) heart so is he (they). In other words their core beliefs about God and themselves are skewed by their life circumstances and their feelings. They feel unloved and they feel guilty because of their sins, and this keeps them away from the only one who can free them from their false perceptions. The point is that it doesn't matter how you feel if that feeling is opposed to God's truth. The battle is in your mind, and it is a battle for truth. That's why Jesus said the truth will set you free.
The truth is that God loves you with an everlasting, unconditional and unrelenting love whether you feel it or not. He is for you and not against you. Let me say it again, He is for you and NOT against you. He always seeks what is good for you and you can trust Him even when it looks like you cannot. Your sin is as far from you as the east is from the west, and I'm not talking about this planet. I'm talking about from one side of eternity to the other. He has already walked your life with you from the beginning to end, so He who has started a good work with you He will bring it to completion. You are His adopted child, and bought with a price at the same time. A child of God. All of your sins, past, present and future were placed on Him at the cross and they were paid for forever. Jesus' perfect righteousness was placed upon you in Him at the cross as all believers are "in Him". You want to know the truth?
Sin WILL NOT have dominion over you because your are under Grace and NOT under law.
Here's the key. You are completely off the hook. There are NO strings attached.
Paul said "Recon yourselves as those dead to sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus". Why because you're under grace and not law. Count yourself as one of those who are dead to sin and alive to God because you are, right now, under His Grace.
The jail door has been unlocked the whole time. The feeling of it being locked has always been so strong we have never even tried to push on it. There are no guards with guns around the corner, but it has always felt like they were there if they even heard the slightest noise. Notice I use the words feeling, because it is our feelings and perceptions that lead us into a self created prison.
Salvation is the free gift of God and it cannot be earned. It can only be received.
Paul said that he labored more then them (the apostles) all, but he said it was not him but the grace of God that was with Him. Even when Paul did good works he said it wasn't him but grace.
I posted this in a previous thread and I believe it bears repeating..
The question was why do some Christians struggle and fail while other seem to do well with effortless success..
I think the main problem would be one of perception. People tend to see God the way they see their natural father. If they had an abusive father they think God is mean or cruel. If their dad was absent a lot or ignored them all the time they think God is distant or uncaring.
They also tend to see themselves the way they feel others see them. If they feel that others see them as unworthy or worthless they will tend to act that out. As a man (or woman) believes in his (their) heart so is he (they). In other words their core beliefs about God and themselves are skewed by their life circumstances and their feelings. They feel unloved and they feel guilty because of their sins, and this keeps them away from the only one who can free them from their false perceptions. The point is that it doesn't matter how you feel if that feeling is opposed to God's truth. The battle is in your mind, and it is a battle for truth. That's why Jesus said the truth will set you free.
The truth is that God loves you with an everlasting, unconditional and unrelenting love whether you feel it or not. He is for you and not against you. Let me say it again, He is for you and NOT against you. He always seeks what is good for you and you can trust Him even when it looks like you cannot. Your sin is as far from you as the east is from the west, and I'm not talking about this planet. I'm talking about from one side of eternity to the other. He has already walked your life with you from the beginning to end, so He who has started a good work with you He will bring it to completion. You are His adopted child, and bought with a price at the same time. A child of God. All of your sins, past, present and future were placed on Him at the cross and they were paid for forever. Jesus' perfect righteousness was placed upon you in Him at the cross as all believers are "in Him". You want to know the truth?
Sin WILL NOT have dominion over you because your are under Grace and NOT under law.
Here's the key. You are completely off the hook. There are NO strings attached.
Paul said "Recon yourselves as those dead to sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus". Why because you're under grace and not law. Count yourself as one of those who are dead to sin and alive to God because you are, right now, under His Grace.
The jail door has been unlocked the whole time. The feeling of it being locked has always been so strong we have never even tried to push on it. There are no guards with guns around the corner, but it has always felt like they were there if they even heard the slightest noise. Notice I use the words feeling, because it is our feelings and perceptions that lead us into a self created prison.
Salvation is the free gift of God and it cannot be earned. It can only be received.
Paul said that he labored more then them (the apostles) all, but he said it was not him but the grace of God that was with Him. Even when Paul did good works he said it wasn't him but grace.
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