GOD

God’s Grace

Land

Where the King’s Kids Live!

By Mike Mings

Faithsays.com Publications

608 N. Ingles

Lawson, Mo. 64062

816-580-3328

Contents

Introduction …………………………………….“God’s Grace Land”

Chapter 1 ………………………………………….. “What is Grace?”

Chapter 2 ………………………………………. “How do we Get It?”

Chapter 3 ……………………………. Faith Says: “I Have it NOW!”

Chapter 4 ………………………………………… “Grace and Peace”

Chapter 5 …………………. “What’s Contained in God’s Grace?”

Chapter 6 ……………………………………………….. “More Grace”

Chapter 7 ……………………………… “Noah found God’s Grace!”

Chapter 8 ……………….. “Angels sent to minister God’s Grace”

Chapter 9 ……………………………….. “What is the Holy Spirit?”

Chapter 10 ………………………. “How I received the Holy Spirit”

Chapter 11 ……….. “Children of Israel didn’t take God’s Grace”

Chapter 12 ………. “Adam and Eve stepped out of God’s Grace”

Chapter 13 …………………… “God’s Grace is sufficient for you!”

Chapter 14 …………………… “Humble yourself before the Lord”

Chapter 15 ……………………………………….. “Multiplied Grace”

Chapter 16 …………………………….. “Gifts and Callings of God”

“GOD’S GRACE LAND”

(Where the Kings kids live!)

God’s grace land is a place where the children of God can and should live every day of their lives. God’s grace land contains everything every believer in Jesus Christ needs to live a successful Christian life in overcoming sin, sickness, and poverty. In God’s grace land there is peace, hope, love, joy, patience, self control, healing, health, wisdom, understanding, wealth, boldness, righteousness, goodness, godliness, long life, faith plus a whole lot more.

In this book we are going to delve into God’s Grace. We are going to get understanding on what God’s Word says Grace is and what it is not. We are going to find out exactly what is contained in His Grace and how we can take possession of it. We are going to expose some of the misconceptions about grace and get a clear understanding of what it actually is and how we can begin, from this day forward, to walk more and more into God’s Grace Land!

Proverbs 4:7-9 “…and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.”

Chapter One

What is Grace?

Beginning several years ago, every time I would hear it preached or taught that God wouldn't heal Paul of his thorn in the flesh something grieved me in my spirit. Deep down inside I got a sick feeling. You see God leads us by our spirits. God’s Spirit bears witness with our spirit to lead and guide us into all truth. “Those that are led by the Spirit of God, those are the sons of God.” Every time someone said that God's grace meant that God was saying no to Paul something went off in my spirit man and said "That's not right! God is not saying no."

The Lord began to deal with me to begin studying God's Word concerning grace and to get understanding of exactly what God's grace is and how we appropriate it. The Holy Spirit is our greatest teacher. Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to lead us and to guide us so that we can know the truth and have understanding. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit and reveals the deep things of God to us.

One day I was driving down the interstate highway between Kansas City and St. Louis. I was praying in the Spirit (in other tongues) and meditating on the Word of God.

I had just preached a message earlier that week on God’s grace and I had a desire to get an even better understanding of it. Suddenly the Spirit of the Lord began to speak to me and teach me about God's grace. Now the Lord had already taught me some things about grace and I had learned many things about grace from the Word of God but on this particular night the Holy Spirit gave me clarity of understanding on the subject. This is what the Holy Spirit taught me.

The Lord told me that "grace is the container that contains or holds everything that God has already freely given us. Everything that has already been freely given to men by God is contained in His grace. The Holy Spirit told me to picture a box; a gift box if you will, and picture everything Christ did for us at Calvary put in this gift box. Salvation from sin. Salvation from sickness. Salvation from poverty. The Holy Spirit told me that everything He has already freely given to man is contained in that gift box of grace. He said that not only is everything that He has already freely given us contained in His grace but that everything He does freely give individuals is also contained in His grace. These gifts, that He does freely give individuals, would include ministry gifts, gifts of the Spirit, and other special gifts that God gives to individuals at His discretion. The Holy Spirit said that faith is the hand that reaches in to the box to take out and take possession of what God has already freely given us."

So you see ALL the promises in the Word of God, that He has already freely given us, are contained in His grace. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is contained in His Grace. Salvation is contained in His grace and is a door we must walk through before we are eligible to receive many other things that are contained in His grace. Christ provided physical healing for us at Calvary. It is contained in His grace. Jesus gave us authority over demonic forces. This is also contained in His grace.

We are going to journey together through God's Word and find out just exactly what God has already freely given us by His grace and what we need to do to take hold of all that God has freely given us.

We can do what God says we can do. We can be what God says we can be. We can have what God says we can have. So if God says it’s ours let’s take it.

Chapter Two

How do we get it?

The Holy Spirit told me that faith is the hand that reaches in and takes possession of the things that have already been freely given to us through God’s grace.

You see even though God has given us many great and precious promises in His grace they don’t do us any good unless and until we take possession of them and receive them by faith.

1 John 2:1-2 says “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Now notice that Jesus paid the price for our sins and not only our sins but for the sins of the whole world. That is to say that God’s grace for the redemption of sin has been paid for and freely given to every man, woman, and child in the whole world. Jesus paid the price with His precious blood. So does everyone have freedom from sin? Is everyone walking in righteousness? Does everyone have eternal life?

Of course the answer to all of these questions is no. You see, even though Jesus paid the price for the redemption of sin, for everyone in the whole world, only those of us who believe it and receive what Christ has done for us, through his glorious grace, will benefit from it.

John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes on him would not perish but would have everlasting life.

In the first chapter of John, God tells us that to as many as receive Jesus, to them He gives the power to become the sons of God.

So you see we have to believe and receive what God has given to us by His grace. To receive something means to actively take it. Receiving is not a passive thing but takes some effort on our part.

We have to actively take possession of the things that God has freely given to us by His grace. The children of Israel had been freely given the Promised Land, but they had to go in and actively take possession of it before it did them any good. The promise of God will do us absolutely no good until we believe it and actively receive and take possession of it.

God Won’t Save Me

Several years ago my wife and I were preaching a revival in a little Assembly of God church in Kearney, Missouri. At the end of one of our services, when we called people to come forward to be saved, there was a lady that came forward. She seemed to be really struggling and having a hard time as she was led through the sinner’s prayer. As I recall this very same lady came forward another night of the meeting for salvation again and she still seemed to be struggling.

I asked her if she hadn’t already received Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She said no that God wouldn’t save her. She said she didn’t feel saved. She said that she just couldn’t believe that God would forgive her for all she had done. Even though she wanted to be saved she just couldn’t believe that God would save her so every night she went away disappointed. That same pastor later told me that she goes forward in many meetings but never receives salvation.

As far as I know that lady has never received her salvation to this day. Even though it legally belongs to her, even though Jesus paid the price for the sins of the whole world, she could end up dying and going to hell not receiving the promise because of her unbelief.

Romans 4:16 says “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.”

Romans 5:1-2 says “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

These scriptures makes it clear that the Holy Spirit was right when He told me that the way we appropriate or receive those things, that are contained in God’s grace, is by taking them by faith.

God Confirms by His Word

You know; God is pretty smart and when He speaks to you He will always confirm to you what He says by the Holy Scriptures. Every time the Holy Spirit has taught me something it has always lined up with the Word of God. We are to judge the spirits to see if they be of God. We are to judge what we hear in the spirit by God’s Word and if it doesn’t line up with the Word of God then we should just shelve it. Second Corinthians 11:14 says that Satan himself can appear as an angel of light so we have to be careful that any revelation we receive from the spirit lines up with God’s Word.

2 Timothy 3:16 says “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

Notice that the only thing that is profitable for doctrine is scripture. This tells us that ALL SCRIPTURE is profitable for doctrine.

Some people get what they believe to be a special revelation from God and you might ask them where that is in the Bible? If they tell you that it is revelation that is beyond the Bible then you had better put on your running shoes and run away from that fellow as fast as you can because if it doesn’t line up with all scripture then it is not profitable for doctrine.

That is how doctrines of devils get started. People get some idea or revelation and they totally ignore what God’s Word says about the subject. They might have heard an audible voice come out of the rafters of their barn. They might have had an angel come to them and give them some golden tablets. They might even have had a near death experience and come back with some wild revelations, but if all of this doesn’t line up with “all scripture” then we should just throw it in the trash because that’s exactly where it belongs.

Reject Anything Not Scriptural

It’s so easy for us to get sucked in by the sensational. We love to read books by people who claim to sit around and visit with angels all the time. We love to hear stories of people who have died and come back to life. That’s natural but we must test every teaching and doctrine by the written Word of God. That’s how we must judge the things these people say. Paul tells us in Galatians 1:8, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”

This scripture tells us that even if an angel from heaven appears to us and tells us anything contrary to the Word of God he is to be accursed.

Let’s examine something the apostle Peter tells us in 2 Peter 17-21. Peter says that he was an eyewitness of Jesus Christ and his power. Peter said that he heard with his own ears the voice of God the father speak out of heaven and say “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Peter says they were with Jesus at the holy mount and saw with their own eyes these things. Yet Peter says in verse 19 “We have also a more sure word of prophecy.” Now I ask you this, How could there be something more sure than what they saw with their own eyes and heard with their own ears? God tells us in verses 20-21, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy come not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

You see the only way for us to have a “sure word” from God is if it lines up with the Holy Scriptures.

Some people say that they have their own interpretation of what different scriptures mean but God says, in His Word, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. That means His Word says what it means and we can’t just decide to interpret it the way we want too just so we can satisfy a belief system that we have learned, or developed on our own. God’s word is truth and He says what He means. Let’s just believe what God says.

Even Peter who walked and talked with Jesus and saw the mighty miracles that He did said that if his own eyewitness testimony didn’t line up with the scriptures, about the Messiah, then it wouldn’t have been a SURE WORD.

Personal Prophecies

Today it seems like everyone is going around trying to get a “prophet” to give them a word from God. If those same people would spend half as much time in prayer and meditating on God’s written word (the Bible) they would have a word from God and it would be a sure word. Men are fallible and prophets can make mistakes.

Now I’m not saying that God doesn’t speak to us through godly men or through prophets, He does, but men can get in the flesh and are not always in the Spirit when they “give you a word”. The Bible says, now we know in part and we prophecy in part but when Jesus comes back for us THEN we will have full knowledge and understanding just as God knows us. God’s word will never, ever fail us. God’s word is sure. God’s word is always true.

When someone gives you a personal prophecy, make sure it lines up with the Word of God. Also it should confirm, with your own spirit, that it is correct and from God. We are to test the spirits to see that they be of God. The way we test them is with the Word of God and by the inward witness that God gives us by His Spirit that is in us.

If someone does give you an incorrect personal prophecy, don’t get mad, just walk in love and say to yourself “well they missed that”. “That was their flesh and not God”.

Jesus said “and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Then Jesus said, “Father your word is truth.” Praise God, His word is the truth and He has given His word to us through His Holy Scriptures.

Chapter Three

Faith Says: “I Have It NOW!”

About 20 years ago my wife and I were preaching what we called revivals in those days. We were at a little church in Waxahachie, Texas. We were holding a meeting that lasted from Sunday to the next Sunday. I was just out of Bible College and had been in the full time evangelistic ministry for a couple of months.

We had a little travel trailer that God had miraculously provided for us. When I say little, I mean little. I think it was only 17’ long and everything was very tight quarters but we actually lived in it when we were on the road. We just parked beside the church where we were ministering, hooked up the electricity and the water hose and we were all set. The church we were ministering in that week had at one time run about 300 people or so but it had run down to only about 50 to 60 folks.

Our services were good. People were getting saved, healed and filled with the Holy Spirit. I believe the pastor had 3 sons and all 3 received the baptism in the Holy Ghost.

Each night of the revival I usually preached on a different subject and the night the pastor's sons received the Holy Spirit was the night that I preached on the baptism in the Holy Ghost.

Should We Tarry?

Now there were many in the Pentecostal movement in those days that believed, preached and taught that you had to tarry to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You see they believed that when Jesus told His disciples and followers, just before His ascension, to tarry (or wait) in Jerusalem until the promise of the Holy Spirit had been poured out, that this was actually a formula for receiving the Holy Spirit. Now if that were true then everyone, even today, would have to not only tarry to receive the Holy Spirit but they would have to travel to Jerusalem and tarry if they wanted to receive the Holy Spirit.

This is what Peter said right after the 120 received the Holy Spirit and caused such a commotion by doing all of that tongue talking on the day of Pentecost. “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on ALL flesh.”

You see Jesus had been telling them about the Holy Spirit and how it was needful for Him to go to the Father so He could pour out the Spirit on them. He said that the same works that He did they would be able to do. He said even greater (in number) works could they do because, while He was only one man on the earth operating in the power of the Holy Spirit, through all believers filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, He would be able to do even more.

God’s word tells us on that day of Pentecost, back there in the second chapter of Acts, about two thousand years ago, God poured out His Spirit on all flesh. He has already been poured out for every believer to receive by faith. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is contained in God’s grace. Jesus said; “And you shall receive miracle working power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.”

Tarried 40 Years

I actually met a man in one of our meetings that had been tarrying for the Holy Spirit for 40 years and as soon as I ministered on the Holy Spirit in his church, he just reached out and took what God had already freely given him. You see I told him that he didn't have to tarry, that the 120 in the upper room only tarried till the Holy Spirit was poured out on all flesh and since that time all we believers have to do is receive by faith what God has already given us.

Well this older man just reached out and received the Holy Spirit so easy that it seemed hard to believe that he had actually grunted, groaned and strained for 40 years trying to receive the Holy Spirit. He thought that God would give it to him when God was ready. He was waiting on God to do something He had already done about 2000 years ago.

When he found out, through the Word of God, that God had already given him the Holy Spirit, he just reached out and took it by faith. When he did, those tongues just started flowing out of his mouth. It still, even to this day, gives me goose bumps every time I hear someone begin speaking in tongues for the first time. It is truly a miracle of God.

His pastor was amazed because he was the one who had been teaching this “tarrying” doctrine to his people. Now bless his heart, even after seeing several of his people just reach out in faith and receive the Holy Spirit, after being taught the truth, he still refused to let go of his “tarrying” doctrine.

I was recently told by a good friend of mine that’s currently in the evangelistic ministry among various denominations that there are still quite a number of Pentecostal ministers teaching this “tarrying” doctrine.

Are You Working Harder to Appreciate it More?

You see, some people think the harder you have to work to get something the more you will appreciate it, when you do get it. But when God has already freely given us the Holy Spirit, by His grace, then He has already done the work for us. He did the work so we don’t have too. We can just enter into His rest. Praise God! Let me say that again. Jesus paid the price so we don’t have to.

If you want to wait and wait and wait on God to give you something that He's already given to you by His grace, in His word, then you are going to be waiting a long, long time with no results. As for me, if God says something is mine then I just believe I'll take that. If God says I can do something, then I just believe I'll do that. If God says I am somebody, then I'll just say I am who and what God says I am, because God is not a man that he should lie. Indeed it is impossible for God to lie.

Back to the Travel Trailer

Now back to that little travel trailer. One day while we were parked beside that church in Waxahachie, Texas, I was in that little travel trailer preparing for the service we were having that evening.

When I prepare to minister I spend a lot of time praying in the Spirit (in other tongues) and meditating on the Word of God. I actually spend more time meditating on the Word than I actually do reading or studying.

When you meditate on the Word you just ponder on the things of God and let the Word of God roll over and over in your mind. For me the more time I spend meditating on the Word and praying in the Spirit (praying in tongues) the easier it is for me to hear from God.

The apostle Paul said that when we pray in tongues it edifies or builds us up spiritually. It makes us more sensitive to spiritual things. It makes it easier for us to hear from God.

That particular day as I was meditating on the Word and praying in the Spirit suddenly the Spirit of the Lord began to speak to me and this is what He said; “Faith doesn’t say I believe that I’m going to get something, faith says I HAVE IT NOW.”

Now I want you to understand. I was already a faith preacher. I was already preaching and teaching faith and I really thought I knew all there was to know about faith. After all I had read all the books.

There was something I was lacking and you don’t really understand the things of God until the Holy Spirit reveals them to your heart. “For the things of God are spiritually discerned.”

When the Holy Spirit told me that “Faith doesn’t say I believe that I’m going to get something, faith says I HAVE IT NOW,” I began to argue with the Holy Spirit. You see, sometimes we think we know more than God, besides the bible teaches us to test the spirits to see that they be of God and the way you do that is to judge everything by the written Word of God. If the Holy Spirit speaks to you, His revelations, will always be in agreement with His written Word.

So I spoke back to the Holy Spirit and quoted Mark 11:23, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”

Now notice in this verse of scripture that it says when you speak to the mountain and command it to be cast into the sea that you are supposed to believe that it “shall come to pass”. Now that is future tense, not present tense.

That’s what I told the Holy Spirit. Then the Spirit of the Lord spoke back to me and said again; “Faith doesn’t say I believe that I’m going to get something, faith says I HAVE IT NOW!”

When God tells you something more than once you had better listen, so I got out my reference materials and began to study that particular scripture, which appeared to be in conflict with what the Holy Spirit was telling me about faith.

Study to show yourself approved

When I was in Southwestern Assemblies of God Bible College in Waxahachie, Texas they gave us a list of bible reference books, that would be good to have, to properly study the Bible. One of them was what’s called a Greek Interlinear. It’s the New Testament in the original Greek with the literal translation of each Greek word translated in English.

You see the New Testament was originally written in Greek. That was the universal language of the day and most people of different countries understood Greek and therefore could read and understand it.

So guess what I learned when I thoroughly studied this scripture out in the original Greek?

That’s right. The Holy Spirit was right after all. You see in the original writings of this particular scripture it doesn’t say we should believe what we say, “shall come to pass.” It says we should believe that what we say “HAPPENS” when we say it. Now that’s a big difference. We should not believe something is going to happen sometime off in the future but believe that it happens NOW, when we say it.

I’ve found that it is very important to pay particular attention to what tense something is written in when studying the scriptures. That is to say, is it in past tense? Is it in present tense? Is it in future tense? You see in this particular scripture where Jesus is teaching His disciples about faith. He tells them that if they speak to a situation and believe that what they say happens when they say it, then they will have whatever they say. The next scripture is a confirmation to this when it says; “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

Notice that when you are speaking to a situation or desiring something in prayer, you have to believe that you receive it, at that moment, and then you will get it. You have to believe that you have it, before you get it.

Now in the natural that seems silly, but when you are dealing with spiritual powers like faith, we operate differently than we do in the natural. “While we look not at the things that are seen, but the things that are not seen, for the things seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal.” “For we walk by faith and not by sight.”

We believe something because God says it. You see “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” So to truly be able to stand in faith and receive any or all of the promises that are contained in God’s grace, we have to know what God’s Word says concerning our situation.

This is an area where many people miss it. Many people are trying to receive something from God based on their wants, desires, or lusts and not on the promise of God. “You receive not because you ask not and then you ask and receive not because you asked amiss, that you may consume it upon your own lusts.”

When we come to the throne of grace to obtain help in time of need we need to come boldly and with complete faith and assurance that when we pray, we have what we ask for. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Now notice that the throne of grace is the place we go to receive what we need from God. Everything we need is contained in God’s grace and has been freely given to us through all of His great and precious promises.

Let’s look at the scripture that tells us that to receive God’s grace we must receive it by faith. Eph. 2:8 says, “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”

There are a few things I’d like to look at in this scripture. First notice that salvation is contained in God’s grace. Now the Greek word translated saved in this scripture is the Greek word SOZO and it means to deliver, to protect, to heal, to preserve, and to make whole. So you see when God is telling us in this scripture that by grace you are saved, He is saying that contained in His grace is deliverance. Contained in His grace is protection. Contained in His grace is healing. Contained in His grace is preservation. And finally contained in His grace is complete and absolute wholeness in every area of our lives. Praise God.

What did Jesus deliver us from? He delivered us from sin, sickness, and poverty. These were all taken care of for us at Calvary. 1 Peter 2:24 says, “Who his own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree; that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.”

2 Corinthians 8:9 says, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”

Now notice the past tense used in this portion of scripture. Jesus bare our sins. That’s past tense. By whose stripes you were healed. That’s past tense too. That means Jesus has already done the work.

Jesus has already paid the price for the sins of the whole world. Jesus has already paid the price for the sickness and disease of us all. Jesus took on our poverty 2000 years ago at Cavalry so we don’t have to. Every person that has ever lived, who ever does live, and every person who ever will live in the world has already had the price paid for their sins, sickness and poverty. Plus a whole lot more. God is sooo good!

Why do we still sin?

So then why isn’t everyone delivered from sin? Because redemption from sin is contained in God’s grace and the only way anyone can receive it, is to receive it by faith. “Now faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” So you see a person has to learn from God’s word that Jesus bare their sins for them before they are able to believe and receive that redemption from sin.

People have the choice. We can either believe God and receive what God has already freely given us by His grace or we can reject God’s word and believe the lie of the Devil and go without receiving the promise of God.

Now when Jesus paid the price for our sins He totally and completely forgave us of our sins and made us white as snow. Micah 7:19 says, “God will subdue our iniquities; and will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

Isaiah 23:45 says “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”

When we receive salvation, God forgives our sins bug not only does He forgive us of our sins, He doesn’t even remember we ever were a sinner. When God looks at you and me He sees the righteousness of Jesus Himself. Praise the Lord. Now since God has blotted out our sins we need to forgive ourselves and believe that we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

Eph. 5:1 says, “Be ye therefore imitators of God as dear children.” That means that in the same way little children imitate their daddy we are supposed to imitate God.

So if God remembers our sins no more then we are supposed to forgive ourselves and put it in the past and realize that we are no longer the person that we used to be but that we are now new creations in Christ Jesus. Old things in our sinful nature are passed away, behold all things are become new. Praise God!

Now not only is forgiveness from sin contained in salvation and God’s grace but also preservation from sin. That is to say not only has God forgiven our sins but also He has totally and completely delivered us from the sin nature.

Sin no longer has power over us. God has restored us and made us whole again. We’ve been redeemed, set free, delivered. We’ve been made overcomers. We’ve been made more than conquers through Jesus. The law of the spirit of life has made us free from the law of sin and death. Our sin nature has been buried in the grave with Jesus and we have been raised up together with Him in to His righteousness.

Now this seems like a hard concept for many people to grasp but we don’t have to keep living in sin. Jesus has delivered us from sin. We don’t have to sin every day. That is a lie of the Devil. We don’t have to sin every week. We don’t have to sin every month. We don’t have to sin every year. I’m free at last, free at last, thank God almighty. I’m free at last!

1 Peter 2:24 says, “Who his own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree; that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.” You see since we are dead to sin, we can live a righteous and holy life. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord.

Now I know what you are going to say. You are saying to yourself, that’s a high standard and what happens if I do sin? Well this is the confidence that we have in Him. “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.”

So if and when you do sin and you catch yourself you need to immediately, or as soon as possible, confess that sin and turn away from it. That way you stay in good standing with God and yourself.

Notice that He’s faithful and just to not only forgive you of your sin but to totally and completely cleanse you of ALL unrighteousness. God makes you holy. God makes us pure. God makes us righteous. God does the work. We just need to believe and receive all these good things He has provided for us by His grace.

Chapter Four

Grace and Peace

One of the ways we will know that we have taken possession of God’s grace is that peace will always accompany it. When we have truly received the promise of God we will have peace in that thing.

2 Peter 1:2 says “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God…” There are several other places in the scriptures where grace and peace are linked together.

Hebrews chapter 4 talks to us about entering into God’s rest. Verse 1 says, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.”

When God freely gives us His great and precious promises, He expects us to receive them and enter into His rest. When we have received the promise of God for our circumstance we don’t have to worry about the situation any more and we are at peace about it. Even though things don’t look any different in the natural, since we have taken hold of the promise of God, we know that we have what we need because God says so.

When we really believe what God says in His promise to us, then we will begin to continually give Him praise and glory for what He has done for us.

Hebrews 4:2-3 says, “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest.

The children of Israel refused to believe the promise of God concerning the promised land belonging to them so they were not able to enter into God’s rest and they did without the peace that they could have had. But we which have believed do enter into rest. Praise God. When we believe and receive by faith the promise of God then we have peace. Then we have rest. Then we can boldly say “The Lord is God and is able and willing to meet all our needs. Praise be to the name of the Lord.”

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Any time we have a need God wants us to come boldly to His throne of grace. Why? Because contained in His grace is everything that we need. God wants us to boldly obtain His mercy and He wants us to find His grace that will take care of what ever in life we are having problems with.

Get God’s Word in your Heart

I just encourage you to get these promises of God in your heart. For with the heart man believeth. Think about God’s promises day and night. Continually keep them in front of your eyes. Get God’s word and His promises so engrained in your mind that whatever happens to you in life the first thing that will come to your mind is, what does God’s word say about that?

Proverbs 4:20-22 says, “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”

Over 20 years ago I was attending Bible College in Waxahachie, Texas. As I was attending classes I met a young man that befriended me. One day I stopped by his apartment after class. When I walked in the door of his place I was taken back. As I looked around his walls it appeared they were totally covered with sheets of paper containing God’s word and His promises. All the time he was home instead of wasting his time watching TV he was reading those promises of God. Getting them down in his heart.

He walked in the power of God then and he continues to walk in the power of God to this day. He is a full time evangelist and God uses him in a mighty way. “You have been a great inspiration to me Don and I thank you from my heart for all you have done to lead me into the truth of God’s word which has set me free from sin, sickness, and poverty.”

Let’s look at another scripture that talks about us getting God’s peace when we appropriate His grace. Philippians 4:4,6-7 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Here in this portion of scripture God tells us that we should just always be rejoicing in the Lord. God says rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. God says ALWAYS rejoice in the Lord and then to add emphasis He says and again I say rejoice. Now when God tells us two times in a row to do something then it must be important. What do you think? This is a hard saying because sometimes we just don’t feel like praising and glorifying the Lord.

Sometimes circumstances in our lives just stink and we feel more like cussing than praising God. But God says we should just praise Him anyhow. “We walk by faith and not by sight.” “While we look not at the things that are seen but the things not seen for the things seen are temporary but the things not seen are eternal.”

So many times we are so short sighted we can only see the circumstances right in front of us. We should be seeing the promise of God, that can and will deliver us out of our bad circumstances, if we will only trust God and give Him praise and glory for what He has already given to us by His grace.

Now after God tells us to always rejoice, then he has the nerve to tell us not to worry about anything but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let our request be made known unto God.

This sounds kind of like going boldly to the throne of grace to obtain help in the time of need, doesn’t it?

Now I know I’m stepping on a lot of toes by telling you that God says not to worry. I know that a lot of people don’t know what they would do if they couldn’t have their little pet worries and fears to gripe and complain about all the time. But worry is fear and is totally opposite of faith in God.

If we are worrying about a circumstance then we are saying, “God I just don’t believe you are big enough to meet my need” or “God I believe you could meet my need if you wanted to but I just don’t know if you want to.” Well here’s good news, God IS big enough to meet all your needs and He wants to. Jesus said “Only believe, all things are possible to him that believes.”

Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Philippians 4:6, “…with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

This is one of the most important scriptures in teaching us how to receive the promises and peace of God. God says, “with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

In respect to anything we need, we are supposed to take the promise of God to Him, with thanksgiving. Several years ago the Lord started directing me to pray in this way and I began to always receive what I was giving thanks for.

Then recently the Lord showed me that this is what this scripture is talking about. I’ll give you an example of how I pray and receive in this way.

This is how I pray if I need healing in my body. “Father God I just thank you that you took my infirmities and bare my sickness. I give you praise and glory Lord that by the stripes of Jesus I’m healed. I just thank you Father that you’re healing virtue is flowing through my body right now. I thank you Lord. I praise you Lord.”

I just continue to pray like this until the peace of God just overtakes me. With thanksgiving I’m letting my requests be made known unto God and I just keep doing it until His peace overtakes me and wipes away all worry, care, and fear.

When I get the peace, I have the victory. When that peace of God that passeth all understanding fills my heart and calms my mind then I know that I have taken possession of God’s grace in that specific circumstance.

How do we know when we are walking in God’s grace in a particular situation? When we are walking in His peace. If we don’t have peace yet in that area we are believing God for, then we know we haven’t yet received the promise of God by faith that covers that particular circumstance. When we take possession of God’s grace in anything, His peace will ALWAYS accompany it. We will be at rest in Him. Thank you Lord.

Chapter Five

What’s contained in God’s Grace?

Now we are going to look at some of the different things that are contained in God’s grace. Get ready to get excited because we serve a good God that has given us many great and precious promises that we might grow up into maturity and become more and more like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:2-4 says, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

God tells us here that contained in His grace is everything that we need for this physical life and for godliness, that is our spiritual walk with God. He says that as we get knowledge of His exceeding great and precious promises that we have the ability to be partakers of the divine nature and that we can escape the corruption of worldly lusts.

As we take hold of the promises of God and apply them to our lives we can begin to walk as Jesus walked. We can begin to talk as Jesus talked and we can begin to do the works that Jesus did. Do you believe?

These are the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “Only believe. All things are possible to him that believeth.” “The same works that I do you shall do also and even more works than these shall you do because I go to my Father.” If we can only believe then we can do the same works that Jesus did.

Say this out loud with your mouth. Lord I believe. Lord I believe. God if you say it belongs to me in your Word then I believe it, and I say it’s mine. Thank you Lord, I HAVE IT NOW!

Great and Precious Promises!

It’s God’s will that we take possession of everything that he has already freely given to us by his grace but until we know what belongs to us we are unable to possess it. “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” As soon as we understand in our hearts what God has freely given us, then the faith to receive it comes alive inside of us and we can begin to say with our mouth that we have what God says we have.

We can begin to say with our mouths that we are who God says that we are. We can begin to say with our mouth that we can do the things God says we can do. Whatever we believe in our hearts we will say with our mouth.

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” “I believed and therefore have I spoken, we believe and therefore speak.” “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (deliverance).”

We need to begin to pay close attention to what we are saying out of our mouths because “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh”.

Are we speaking good and edifying things out of our mouths? Are we speaking words of faith and hope and love out of our mouths? Or are words of doubt and unbelief spewing forth from those lips? Are we griping and complaining like the children of Israel and refusing to go in and take possession of the promise of God?

God’s word tells us that we are to judge ourselves so that we will not be judged. We should examine ourselves and guard our lips for by our words we will be justified and by our words we will be condemned. Jesus said that it is not what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him but rather what comes out of his mouth that defiles him.

Let’s look at some of these great and precious promises that are contained in God’s grace. Now everything we are about to talk about, has already been freely given to us by God. All we have to do to possess them is to actively take them by faith.

SUPERNATURAL PROTECTION

Protection is contained in God’s grace. “He gives his angel charge over us lest we dash our foot against a stone.” “The angel of the Lord is encamped round about them that fear Him.” “If God be for us who can be against us?” “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.”

God has provided supernatural protection for us. It has been freely given to us through His great and precious promises and is contained in His grace.

Psalm 23:4-6 says, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

God says that even though we walk through the valley of death, we don’t have to be afraid. Why? Because God is with us. God is on our side. God is fighting for us. God is giving us supernatural protection through and by these great and precious promises. Even as things look disastrous we can boldly say, “I will fear no evil for God is with me and His rod and staff protects and comforts me, for if God is for me what circumstance can destroy me. Blessed be the name of the Lord!”

Freedom from sin.

Freedom from sin is contained in God’s grace. Now most of us realize that Christ has paid the price for the forgiveness of our sins. However contained in God’s grace is much, much more than just FORGIVENESS of sins.

Under the Old Covenant men had to continually offer up sacrifices for their sins. Even though they wanted to live righteous they were unable to. They still had that old sinful nature. They still had that sin guilt that haunted them day and night. Their spirit man was still in darkness. So even though they wanted to live righteous and holy they ended up doing the things of the flesh and of the mind that were contrary to the ways of God.

We even see great men like king David who God said was a man after His own heart, committing adultery and murder.

Under the New Covenant of God’s grace everything has changed. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as a substitutionary act for us, we become new creations in Christ Jesus. Our old sinful nature is buried with Christ and we have been raised up together with Him in newness of life.

We no longer have to have that old sin consciousness. We no longer have to live under the condemnation of the Devil. We no longer have to be a slave to sin. Jesus has set us free from sin and the consequences of sin and who the Son has set free, is free indeed. Let’s look at God’s promises.

Let’s begin at Romans 6:4 “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” V. 11 “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

So we see that when we make Jesus Lord of our lives and enter into His death, burial and resurrection that our old sinful nature is nailed to the cross with Jesus. Our sin nature is dead and buried with Him and we have been raised up together with Him in newness of life. Another scripture tells us that old things have been passed away and all things are become new. We become new creations in Christ Jesus.

Many of us just haven’t received God’s grace in the area of death to sin and the sin consciousness.

Romans 8:1-4 says; “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Let’s begin to receive this grace that God has provided for us. Please pray this with me. “Father God I just thank you right now that Jesus bare my sins in His own body on the tree. I just thank you right now that since I’m dead to sin that I can live a righteous and holy life in Christ Jesus. I just thank you Lord that sin no longer rules and reigns in by body. I thank you Lord that I am now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Old things are passed away and all things have become new. I thank you that I have forgotten those things that are behind me for there is no more condemnation since I am in Christ Jesus. I just give you glory Lord! I just praise your holy name Lord Jesus!”

Sickness, Disease, and Infirmities

Deliverance from sickness and disease and infirmities are all contained in God’s grace. That means that Christ has already paid the price so that we could be free from sickness, disease and infirmities. God’s word says in the book of James, who by the way was the brother of Jesus; “Is there any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith SHALL heal the sick and the Lord shall raise him up.”

Now notice that this scripture says that the prayer of faith shall heal the sick and the Lord shall raise him up. It doesn’t say that the prayer of faith might heal the sick. It doesn’t say that the prayer of faith may heal the sick, if it’s God’s will. It says that the prayer of faith shall heal the sick.

1 Peter 2:24 says; “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

Matthew 8:17 says; “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”

Isaiah 53:4-5 says; “Surely he hath borne our sickness and carried our pains: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Your Faith Has Made You Whole

One day Jesus was on His way to heal a sick little girl. There was a woman who had a disease that the Bible calls an issue of blood. This woman went to all the best doctors and spent all the money she had and didn’t get any better but just kept getting worse.

Then one day something happened to her. She heard about Jesus. She heard that everyone who came to Jesus in faith, believing, received their healing. She heard that the lame walked. She heard that the deaf heard. She heard that the blind received their sight.

Now the bible tells us that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So when she heard about Jesus, the living word of God, faith rose up in her and she said with her mouth “If I can just touch the hem of His garment I shall be made whole.”

She believed in her heart that Jesus was able to heal her. She said with her mouth that she knew she would be healed if she just touched Jesus.

But if she would have stopped there she might have lived out her entire life not receiving the promise. However she didn’t stop there. She put works or actions to her faith. (The Bible says faith without works is dead.) She fought her way through the press of people around Jesus and caught hold of his clothes and immediately healing virtue flowed out of Jesus and healed her.

Jesus asked who touched Him. He didn’t even know who touched Him. He said that He felt healing power flow out of His body and when He turned around and saw the woman she told Him the whole story. His only reply to her was this; “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”

The word of God tells us that God is no respecter of persons. That means that what He does for one person, He will do for all people under the same circumstances.

So if you are sick in your body what do you need to do?

Get the promise of God in your heart. When you get the word of God down in you then faith will rise up in you, for faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Begin to say with your mouth what the word of God says. “Father God I just thank you that you took my infirmities and bare my sickness and with Jesus stripes I am healed. I give you praise and glory Lord that sickness and disease no longer has place in my body and right now I’m healed, I’m healed, thank you Jesus, I’m healed.”

Now that I’ve truly believed with my heart that I’m healed and continually proclaimed with my mouth that I’m healed, I’ll just put corresponding actions to my faith and begin to do the thing I couldn’t do before. This is when we actually see the manifestation.

You see you have to believe that you are healed before you will see that you are healed. That is how faith works. Jesus said in Mark 11:24, “All things that you ask for in prayer, believe that you have already received them when you pray and then you will have them.” (literal translation)

Now notice that when we receive something by faith we have to believe that we have it before we get it. In the natural that doesn’t make sense, I know. But when we are dealing with the things of God we are not operating in the natural realm under natural laws. We are operating in the Spirit realm and operating under spiritual laws. Now spiritual laws are higher laws than the natural laws of this world.

When we apply spiritual laws to the natural circumstances that we live under in this physical world then our circumstances must change to come in line with the higher spiritual laws that we are applying to our circumstances. “While we look not at the things that are seen but the things not seen for the things seen are temporary but the things unseen are eternal.”

Freedom From Poverty

Jesus has provided deliverance from poverty in His grace and we can access this through His great and precious promises.

2 Corinthians 8:9 says; “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”

The word rich in this scripture means “more than enough”. Because of what Jesus did for us at Cavalry we don’t have to live in poverty any more but we can take possession of the promise of God and boldly say, “I have more than enough.” “According to Philippians 4:19 God supplies all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. One of God’s Old Testament names was El Shaddai, which means the God that’s “more than enough”.

Matthew 6:26-33 says; “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall