Your Access To Divine Grace!

The starting point of grace is salvation. The grace of God is available to all who are saved, but not all have access to it. The ticket that gives you access to grace is humility. James 4:6,10 says, "…God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. …Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."

Humility simply means refusing to overestimate yourself or count on your credentials and giftings. There is no crime in being gifted, but you run into trouble, when you take your eyes away from God and depend on your gift. The measure of grace you enjoy is a function of your level of humility. In his time, Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth, no wonder he enjoyed so much grace (Numbers 12:3). If you maintain humility, you will never need to beg for grace. A proud man is the one who counts on his abilities and constantly thinks that he is more qualified than others, but the humble man relies heavily on God.

Also, grace is only for those who acknowledge their need for God’s help. Look at the story of king Asa in 2 Chronicles 14. The Bible says that he had "...an army of men that bare targets and spears…and…that bare shields and drew bows…all these were mighty men of valour" (2Chronicles14:8). But when the Ethiopians came against him in battle, he did not trust in his men nor in his weaponry. We are told, "And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee." And the Lord destroyed all his enemies before him (2 Chronicles 14:12).

Even though Asa had everything needed for battle, in his prayer he said, "For we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude." That was what brought the victory. The acknowledgement of your need is what opens the gateway of grace to you. Only those who acknowledge their need for Him qualify for His grace.

Without God we can do nothing but you must acknowledge your helplessness before you can link up to divine power. Don’t pretend to be self-sufficient or claim to be what you are not. God does not lift the already lifted. He is looking for the helpless and the lowly, who are heavily dependent on Him. So, the earlier you acknowledge your total dependence on God, the sooner you will begin to enjoy His grace.

If you have been living outside the zone of grace, it is time to return and say, "Lord, I am no longer trusting in myself, but in You." Don’t wait till you are tired of pushing before you call for grace, call for it even before you step out for the day. You must learn to rely heavily on God and have no alternatives beside Him. Put your case in His hands and take your rest, that is your escape route from shame.

Meditate on these: 2 Chronicles 20:12, 2 Corinthians 3:5

(written by a friend)