John 1:16-17 (Amplified) tells us, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with, one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
Most have understood that we were saved by Grace. Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) says, "For it is by free Grace (God's unmerited favor), that you are saved (delivered from judgment), and made partakers of Christ's salvation through your faith. And this salvation is not of yourselves (of your own doing, it came not through your own striving), but is a Gift of God."
We receive a glimpse of God's Grace, His favor and His Gifts, from the above passage. We were told about these Gifts, favors, Graces, Spiritual Blessings and Truth in John 1:16-17. In order to access these awesome, inherited Blessings and make them work in our lives, we must use the faith that God has given us. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that, "God's Grace has supplied His salvation to all who believe," but we must apply faith to the Promises. We all know that it's God's will that everyone should be saved. 2Peter 3:9 (Amplified) says, "The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He Promises, according to some people's conception of slowness, but He is long suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance." The only thing that is holding up the Coming of the Lord, is His Great Love. As long as there is still time, more shall come to salvation.
Although the great offering of salvation came two-thousand years ago, we still see many people who haven't put faith towards God's Grace and received salvation. Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) says, "But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him; For whoever would come near to God must necessarily believe that God exists and that He is the Rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him out." Remember, it's by Grace through faith, that we are saved and Romans 12:3 (Amplified) says, "God has dealt to every man the measure of faith that it takes to partake of His Grace."
We learned from Ephesians 2:8 that Grace and faith, are both Gifts of God. Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified) says, "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of things we hope for being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality, faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses."
The Gifts, Graces, favors, Spiritual Blessings and Truth listed in John 1:16-17 are all appropriated by the same faith that caused us to believe in God's Gift of salvation. You couldn't see your salvation and you ca ot see His Grace, but you simply believed by faith that His Promise was True, even though it wasn't revealed to your senses. We now know that God's salvation was there already, but we had to put faith in God, in order to make it work. God is the Rewarder of our faith and He brought the Promise of salvation to pass in our lives, by Grace.
Every Promise for the new creation family of God, is appropriated by faith, in the same way. We can't always see or know His Spiritual Gifts or favor, by our senses. We must accept His Word as Truth. Even though these things were all yours when you received Jesus, you must still activate them by faith. Remember that, "we have all received, all had a part in and were all supplied" these things. No one was left out or given more than any other person. We were ALL supplied with these things.
If someone is functioning in more Grace or more favor than others, then it's because that person has, by faith, allowed God to lavish the fullness of His Promises upon him/her. Satan can't control God's Promises, but he can deceive us into believing that "God's Promises aren't for us today" or that "they're not True."
It's God's Grace that gives all these things, just like salvation was a Gift through Grace. Although Grace had already supplied salvation, it didn't become a reality in our lives, until we applied faith to it. The same is true for the other things in God's Promises. Healing, salvation, the Holy Spirit, the Blessing of Abraham, your righteousness, your justification and all the other great Promises of God, are already yours. By faith, they are believed and applied to our lives here on earth. Even though these things are True, you won't walk in them, if you won't believe and have faith in them.
John 3:16 (Amplified) says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, so that whosoever would believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." We know that this scripture is True, but we all know people who are not saved. Why? They didn't apply faith to the Promise of Grace and are still lost in this world. We are saved by Grace through faith.
Many Christians aren't walking in their inheritance, even though they are God's heirs and fellow heirs with Jesus, according to Romans 8:16-17 (Amplified) says, "The Spirit Himself, thus testifies together with our own spirit, assuring us that we are God's children. And if we are His children, then we are His heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him only we must share His suffering if we are to share His Glory."
Notice how God tells us in the above scripture that, "The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit." He doesn't bear witness to our senses or our flesh, but to our spirit. Walking in this inheritance will bring about His suffering and we'll draw reproach from both the world and the Church, at times. The world doesn't care if a drug cartel has money, but it does object to Christians having money. The cartel uses it's wealth to increase satan's kingdom, so the world and satan are content. A true Christian uses wealth to bless and increase God's Kingdom. A true Christian uses wealth to provide for the poor and to meet the needs of others. This is in direct opposition to the world. The world is without Revelation, so it persecutes those who believe the Promises of God. God says that, "The gold, the silver, and the cattle on a thousand hills, are all His, not the world's or the devil's...they are all His." They are to be used to Bless and be a blessing to others.
Jesus stood trial before Pilate in John 18:21-23,38 (Amplified) which says, "Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. See! They know what I said. But when He said this, one of the attendants who stood by struck Jesus, saying, is this how you answer the High Priest? Jesus replied, If I have said anything wrong (If I have spoken abusively, If there was evil in what I said), tell what was wrong with it; But if I have spoke rightly and properly, why do you strike Me?" Verse 38 says, "Pilate, after hearing and dealing with Jesus said, I find no fault in Him."
Your being persecuted and reviled, doesn't mean that you have done anything wrong, but that you are bearing His suffering and His Glory, for the Kingdom of God. It's good to pray for the poor and hungry, but it's better to pray for them and then feed them. If the Church is full of people who are poor and hungry, then we cannot take care of the needs of others. The gold, silver and cattle weren't placed here for the drug cartel and the ungodly, but for the furtherance of God's Kingdom and for caring for the poor. This is part of our inheritance but it must be appropriated by faith.
Money should never corrupt a Christian, but should be used as a tool to further God's Kingdom, on this earth. The Spiritual Blessings we've received should be able to provide for the hungry, even without money. In Luke 9:16 (Amplified), Jesus finished teaching a large crowd of men, women and children and He didn't wish to send them home hungry. There weren't any stores nearby to buy food, so Jesus asked if anyone had food. One boy was willing to share his five loaves of bread and two fishes. Thus, we read, "And taking the five loaves and the two fishes, Jesus looked up to Heaven and praising God, gave thanks and asked Him to Bless them for their use. Then He broke them and gave to His disciples to place before the multitude." If we're to provide for the poor and hungry, then God will supply it, however He wills. But, HE WILL PROVIDE!
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