BALANCE OF GRACE AND FAITH
Dr. Creflo Dollar began this session by stating that Grace is a person. He confirmed this by reading from Romans 5: 2, John 1:14.
The gospel is the good news about God’s grace. The gospel of Christ is the grace of Christ. Galatians 1:6 refers to the grace of Christ as the gospel. The gospel will only have profit if it’s mixed with faith in our hearts. Heb 4:2-6
THE EVIDENCE OF FAITH IS REST
God rested on the seventh day, not because he was tired, but because it was finished. Entering into rest makes us cease from our works.
The believer is no longer labouring to be healed, to be rich, to be prosperous. The only labour for a believer is entering into rest. We labour to remain in confidence; we labour to stay in rest.
REST IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF FAITH
The labour to stay in the walk of faith is a show of rest. When our rest is under attack, that is when we take up the word and confess the promises.
Jesus has already forgiven the sin of the whole world, but yet, not everyone is saved because they haven’t responded positively to the gift of grace through faith.
FAITH IS MAN’S POSITIVE RESPONSE TO WHAT GRACE HAS ALREADY DONE.
Faith doesn’t move God, but moves us to respond to what grace has made available. So, we must always check our response to situations and circumstances confronting us. The Shunammite woman had her son raised from the dead because she responded positively.
God has given to all of us the measure of Faith that grace has made available. Romans 12:3.
“The only labour for a believer is entering into rest. We labour to remain in confidence; we labour to stay in rest.”
FAITH IS A GIFT FROM GOD.
Eph 2:8; Gal. 2:20.
However, to build up our faith, we must hear and keep hearing of God’s grace. Rom 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God’’
“Faith doesn’t move God, but moves us to respond to what grace has made available.”
If we don’t consistently hear about the grace of God, faith won’t come up in our hearts, but hearing the word makes our faith and confidence build up.
GET INTO THE WORD.
The word of God is a seed that contains the potential of what grace has already done.
Matt 14:22-31
Little faith isn’t about the size, it is about how long it lasts. Luke 17:6
We need enduring Faith. Enduring faith is consistently confessing the promise/word till it manifests. It is constantly being confident that it has already been done.
Just like you don’t take a servant from his work post till he is done, you don’t stop on your faith till the manifestation appears. Keep your faith on. Keep it alive until the job is done.
Employ patience when your faith is under attack. Heb. 6:15, James 1:3-4, Heb. 10:36
Asking a million times is not a sign of faith, but may be of unbelief. Asking once is enough to receive grace. This is because God is our father, he doesn’t need cajoling multiple times before answering us. Luke 11:5-9
“After asking, enter into your rest and let your faith work in the field.”
The Holy Spirit is crucial in our faith/grace walk. He is the Administrator of grace. He knows your desires as well as the things you need to go through while waiting, before you are able to handle the desired results.
The Holy Spirit leads you into God’s will for your life, even if it seems unpalatable. Mark 4:1.
The Holy Spirit is responsible for causing all grace, he has made available, to manifest in our lives.
You don’t need to get out there, sweating like a sinner to get things done. Give him time, allow him sort you out at the right time.
Finally, just like sodium on its own and chloride on its own are poisonous and dangerous but produce salt when they are put together. So then, faith on its own and grace on its own are dangerous. There has to be a healthy balance of the two to have the God desired results.
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