Most of us don’t have any idea what grace really
is. Oh, we know some basic facts about it. We know we were saved by it
(Ephesians 2:8). But we don’t even begin to understand the real power it
can release in our lives now, today!
If you want to get a picture
of what grace can really do, look at what happened to the early
Christians in Acts 4. They’d been threatened by the religious leaders of
Jerusalem and commanded not to speak or teach anymore in Jesus’ Name.
So, they were praying about the situation.
Roughly, what they said
was this, “Now Lord, we’ve been threatened, but we aren’t about to quit
preaching and go hide out under some religious rug. Just turn the power
up, give us boldness, and we’ll go on.”
Do you know what happened as a result of that prayer? Verse 33 tells us, “Great grace was upon them all.”
Great
grace. Grace so powerful that when those believers received it, the
whole building shook. Grace so great it enabled the apostles to work
“many signs and wonders...among the people” (Acts 5:12).
That one
story alone should be enough to convince you that grace is not just some
abstract, spiritual state of mind. Grace is real. It’s powerful. It
provides the supernatural power to make things happen!
Now, do you
want to know something really exciting? The Bible says that same grace
that was available to the early Church in Jerusalem is available to
anyone who’s ever sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Thank God, that means you and I qualify!
If
the devil’s been threatening you lately, follow the example of those
early Christians. Get in prayer and say, “Lord, I don’t care what the
devil and his bunch say, I’m not going to back down. I’m going to keep
on talking and living by faith—and I’m going to do it boldly. So, just
turn up the power!”
I guarantee, if you’re sincere about it, He’ll do it; and you’ll begin to discover what grace is really all about.
