Contending For Grace

Throughout my travels and even at home a common theme is trying to figure out what we can do in order to get what we want from God. Somehow in the midst of our desire for more we have missed the promises in the Bible where we are told that God is good and gives us good things. When we get to the place of needing more we suddenly become irrational in our requests and ask for things that God has already given us. Why does this matter?If we ask for what God has already given us we deny His goodness and the reality that Christ died for us. We replace our victorious Christ with a weak God that has lost control of the universe.

The other day two people from another religion came to my friend’s house while I was there. As they were talking my friend stated how she doesn’t watch the news because it is so full of bad reports. The young man at the door stated that there is only bad news in the world. Just as I would have, my friend quickly said that lots of good things happen but that most people don’t focus on the good, but only on the bad. The young man at the door quickly changed his argument to agree with my friend. These people at the door believe that healing today is from the devil. Since when did the devil and God change job descriptions? In the Bible the devil came to steal, kill and destroy and many demonic spirits were the cause of sickness while Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and to give life to the full. For most people it is easier to believe the bad news than the good news. In that sense it is easier to believe that we are not fully equipped by God than to believe that He has already given us everything we need.

In Ephesians 1:18-20, Paul says, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead...” Paul was telling us to pray so that we will eventually be given something of value, he was praying that our eyes would be opened to the hope that God has called us to. He is also praying that we would understand God’s great inheritance in us and that we would understand that we have His incomparably great power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead!

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Jesus speaks to Paul and says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Many people interpret this passage to say that it is God’s for us to be sick. I disagree. It is God’s will for us to be in complete surrender to Him. That means that He is the Lord of my life. The Lord over everything. The words that Jesus spoke to Paul show that Paul already has all he needs. Even though he feels weak, Jesus has made him strong. My own experience with this has shown me that when I am in a tender place of relying on God and not on my own strength, that is when I am strong. When I grab the wheel to take control of my life I am choosing to allow His grace to be lifted off of me. When my hands are off the wheel I am allowing Him to do what He wants, yet I might not understand where I am going. That is a place of weakness in the natural because I don’t have control. Yet in the spirit that is my place of greatest strength because He is in complete control of every circumstance.

Many people have a strange mindset about healing in that they actually have something to do with the person being healed. There very well may be truth to this, however let me reassure you that we don’t heal people, God does. God can still heal people even if you don’t fast the first three days of each week. Most people I have come across are entrenched in a mindset that they must do things to earn a healing anointing. My bible says that Jesus gave His disciples authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness (Matthew 10:1). Not only that but then He gives them instructions to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy and drive out demons (Matthew 10:8). Then, in the frequently quoted great commission He tells the disciples  to go and make disciples, teaching them to obey everything He has commanded them (Matthew 28:18-20). Why do some Christians chose to believe some things but not others when then read that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8)? If He is the same, then when great crowds come bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and others afflicted by disease then He will still today heal them all (Matthew 15:30, 14:35-36, 12:13, 12:22, 9:33, 9:22-25, 9:6-8, 8:13-16, 8:2-3, 17:18, 20:31-34).

So why contend for grace? When we understand His goodness and grace we will learn to flow with what He is doing, while giving thanks for what He is doing, and not focusing on what He hasn’t done. When I first realized that God would do miracles through me I was so concerned about not being anointed enough to do the stuff. After seeing many miracles in Brazil I suddenly became concerned about what it would look like if people I prayed for weren’t healed when I was the person who was preaching. God doesn’t give us fear, but rather His will is for us to be joyful always, to pray continually, and to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). When I was praying for people that night I had so much fear and unbelief. A few people did get healed, but because I was focusing on what I can’t do and not on what He can do my expectation was for each person to walk away without being healed. Our expectation should be that Jesus loves even the worst of sinners and will heal every person. Until we believe the fullness of who Jesus is and see it manifest through our lives we have reason to contend for understanding that results in experience.

How do we contend for grace? Reading the bible is a great place to start. Prayer that is focused on declaring things that align with Heaven is another great way. Jesus taught His disciples to pray on earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10). Are there things around you that don’t exist in Heaven? Reinforce in your mind that God is good and that He is love. Romans 12:2 says, “do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will.” When we renew our minds to think about what God thinks, our lives are transformed. When we fully believe that God will heal every person we pray for it is impossible for more people to not be healed. When we pursue a relationship with God we will know His attributes. Knowing these attributes transforms us into being like Christ, who lived in right relationship with God and healed every person who came to Him.