“The grace of God is bigger than my ____?”

Recently, my prayer time turned into a 40-hour unscheduled fast. During this time, God showed me me… versus His grace in my life. It was pretty intense and humbling as one-by-one my character flaws were brought to my attention. Yet as quickly as the Spirit of God showed me my shortfalls, I was immediately comforted with the greater reality that His grace was bigger than my failings. As my list grew, I weeped, I was angry with myself, I was grateful, I was awestruck.

Permit me to be transparent. This is my list. You may identify with some, or you may have different issues. The point is you need to remind yourself constantly that “Nothing is bigger than the grace of God.”

Here goes: (Repeat this phrase as often as necessary and fill in the blank with your own words.)

“The grace of God is bigger than my _____________.”
Anger
Anxieties
Attitudes
Bitterness
Blindness
Complaints
Confusion
Coveting
Cynicism
Damage
Deceit
Depression
Despair
Disobedience
Distractions
Education
Enemies
Envies
Facades
Failures
Fears
Foolishness
Forgetfulness
Greed
Habits
Hate
History
Idols
Ignorance
Image I’ve made for myself
Indifference
Insecurities
Insensitivities
Internal wars
Jealousies
Laziness
Lies
Loneliness
Luke-warmness
Lust
Misgivings
Misjudgments
Mistakes
Money
Mouth
Obstacles
Opinions
Pains
Past
Profanities
Procrastinations
Problems
Quitting
Reluctance
Reservations
Scars
Secrets
Strength
Strife
Struggles
Tears
Thievery
Thoughts
Troubles
Unbelief
Vanities
Wanderings
Whining
Words
Worries
PRIDE, FLESH, & SINS!

Let me ask you something. Is anything bigger than God’s grace? Of course not. So, as we embark upon a new year, hope and potential is in the air. At this time, God is calling Believers to be Offensive, Advance, Reclaim, and Occupy. Before you engage with the calling of God, engage with His grace. Hebrews 12:1 admonishes us to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, so we can run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Recognize also that it’s not “Grace + _____” either! Because as soon as you add anything, 1) You’re required to do it, and 2) You will fail. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

As you proceed in faith in His calling, understand this. Truly, truly, any place in our life where we are repeatedly failing, is proof positive that we have not appropriated His grace in that area. “The grace of God is bigger than _____!”

In  closing, we need your help. Being full-time missionaries in Japan is physically and spiritually demanding, and financially expensive.  We’re genuinely about The Father’s Business, but we simply cannot fulfill these ministries without financial support. Please consider partnering with us through financial gifts and offerings. Donations can be made online at  CinA.