| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church Today we are going to talk about “Enabling Grace”; 2nd Cor. 12:9. Most of us have or think we have a handle on “Saving Grace”, but we don’t realize the power available to us in the form of Enabling Grace. (I’ll lose some of you here); The power I’m talking about is not to get your way, or to manipulate others, but rather to endure the attempts of others to do these things to you. To be “bullet proof” when others attack you whether family, or coworkers, or fellow church members. We established last week, that this is contingent upon Obedience. (I just lost the rest of you huh?). Corrie ten Boom was in a refugee/POW camp in WWII, with her sister. She records how they were put into a shack that was so flea infested, none could even sleep with any regularity. Her sister cried out: “How could God allow us to be in this position?”. Corrie and her sister started a bible study, and after a time, it struck Corrie that none of the guards had hindered, or even questioned the goings-on in their quarters. You see, the situation was so pathetic, that not even the guards would set foot inside. As a result, the Word of God was proclaimed unhindered, and many were saved. We seldom see the big picture, but need to trust that a sovereign God does, and is in control. When the Hebrew Children were about to be cast into the fire, the evil king tried to give them a way out and asked: “Will you bow down to me now or do you think your God is going to save you?”. The teenagers displayed an Enabling Grace I can only wish I had when they replied: “Our God can surely save us, but even if He doesn’t, we will not disobey Him”. – Daniel chapter 3. The point is not the miracle, or the Good vs Evil, but their reaction. They had established this long before. They didn’t have to have a Holy Huddle, or a Prayer meeting, they had purposed long since not to disobey God, and so, in their time of testing, they were able (Had Been Enabled), to Please Him. They didn’t have to get right in order to pray to Him, they WERE RIGHT. I want to be like that - Don’t You? When the world gangs up on you, and you need His help, Please don’t say in your heart: “I can’t pray to Him right now, cause I have to clean up this part of my life - or quit doing this or that.”. Rather, Ask Him right now; who grants Grace, and Faith, and even Repentance, and He is faithful to do this - 1st John 1:9. How would you describe your confidence level? What or Who are you confident in? God Bless. |
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