Strong in Grace

"Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus."
2 Timothy 2:1, NLT

God wants us to be strong in grace. When God's grace is shifting in our lives it can be challenging and exhilarating at the same time. When you're in the midst of a God-ordained grace change—you may experience a fresh anticipation or a bit of internal unrest. When God's grace is changing in our lives, He's lifting old graces so that the new graces of His ability and empowerment for a given task, season or assignment can take hold in our lives.

In a grace change—when the Lord is at work kicking you out of your comfort zone, you often experience a divine dissatisfaction, boredom or frustration with your current situation. Sometimes you can't put your finger on it, but you don't love the job, ministry or role you are in the way you once did. You may sense there is more for you to do.

There are two big challenges during a grace change:

Obey—One big challenge is to obey God when you'd rather do your own thing. A grace change requires obedience. Don't allow fear of the unknown or your present security to rob you of the exciting unknown! If you don't obey the Lord during a grace change, you may miss a divine opportunity and be stuck doing the same-old, same-old, with less grace—for many years to come! When the grace is changing…obey the Lord!

Guard—Another big challenge during a grace change is to guard your heart and mouth. When you don't feel as graced to fulfill a role you once loved, you can be tempted to allow a critical spirit, disillusionment or your opinion to taint your view. As a result, you may over-exaggerate things, say things that aren't true, or express yourself in ways that you'll regret. The best thing to do when you sense a grace change is to seek the Lord, walk in love, talk to those who can guide you, button your lips with others and humble yourself until you know exactly what type of grace change the Lord is working in your life.

Today, be strong in grace to obey the Lord and to guard your heart and mouth.

"Father, thank You for grace to be strong. In Jesus' Name. Amen."