Tag Archives: grace

Grace and Unforgiveness

Grace and Unforgiveness

Story Time!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1:3). He is the life and light of men.

One day, the Word became flesh and dwelt among men (John 1:14). He was the promised child, He IS the savior, the Living King – Jesus Christ.

He came to the world to teach about “the way”, but He was not well received. The Word and His gospel warred against the flesh and hearts of men.

He was sinless and perfect in every way. Out of envy and spite, He was killed for what He said. After 3 days, He rose from the dead. Even so, He is still hated today.

Now, I don’t know about you, but…I would find it hard to forgive someone who killed my son. I’d think they were deserving of death. But God sent His son, knowing what would happen. His Son, Jesus, knew that His sacrifice would redeem those who believed in the truth. By grace through our faith, we are saved.

I could talk about salvation, but I want to pivot for this post and talk about how unforgiveness hurts our lives.

Unforgiveness takes root when we relive and hold onto a moment of hurt and pain in the absence of justice. Slowly corroding our mind, heart, body, and soul. Eventually, we reap the rotten fruits of emotional detachment, stress, mental and physical health issues. Unforgiveness will turn you into a shell of your former self.

Why do we choose to let pain, hurt, anger, etc., dictate our state of being? More often than not, we are more harmed by our own contempt than by the person who committed the offense. So how do we let go? Grace.

Working Grace and Forgiveness

God’s grace not only saves, but it works in our lives to root out the things that defile our spirits.

By allowing grace to work, we put our trust in the One who will be the judge. “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).

Allow grace to shift your perspective. Taking a merciful stance isn’t easy, but its a giant step in freeing your heart from pain and strife. Christians are to be merciful just as our Heavenly Father is merciful to us (Luke 6:36).

Forgiveness is an act of grace. One that isn’t always accomplished on our own. For believers partnering with the Holy Spirit makes this possible. The Spirit of the Living God, by His grace can and will help you in you time of need. It doesn’t mean your problems will go away all at once, but it is a step toward healing.

It is better to live in peace and grace than to live in suffering and darkness.

Do you need to forgive someone today?

Grace is Invaluable

The word grace is commonly used, but it’s an uncommon gift. We say it more than we practice it.

Would you choose to be kind to your enemy or someone who hurt you?

Think of someone you strongly dislike. Is your love for them immovable, resolute, selfless & unconditional?

Grace is more than what we say daily. It’s more than a sunrise. Grace is about loving those who are hard to love. It’s about forgiving those who are difficult to forgive.

Grace is the good gift that keeps on giving. Grace is interwoven in the very fabric of life. Grace is liberty from dead religion and legalism.

Grace IS Jesus Christ, and without grace, we are nothing. This is why grace is so valuable.

What is Grace?

When I began to write my book, I needed to brush up on the meaning of grace. Or, so I thought. In my humble opinion, the word grace has become a bit of a cliché. It’s overused, and the true meaning has been lost. The more I researched, the more I found that I didn’t understand what grace truly meant.

Over the next few days or maybe weeks, I want to share with everyone what I found out about grace. I’ll even pose a few questions along the way. I pray that what I share will be edifying to you as much as it was for me.

Tried, Tested, & True Grace

Are you tired? Life can sometimes feel like a weight that’s nearly impossible to lift. That weight becomes so burdensome that joy and peace are hard to come by. But there’s hope – grace! 

What if I told you that even in your weariness, God’s grace is sufficient? God’s grace was more than enough to carry that burdensome weight. Even the Apostle Paul, who experienced a “thorn in his flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7), found the grace to endure.

Today, I’d like to announce that I published my first book, Tried, Tested, and True Grace.

This book explores the all-sufficiency and impact of God’s good grace. Expect scriptural accounts, personal experiences, and a testimony about the testament to how God’s grace has changed lives. Moreover, take time to reflect on the meaning and transformative power of grace through a series of prompts.

If you are tired, come and be comforted. You’re not alone because I’ve been there too. Let’s take a journey together to recover in the true grace of God. 

The book is available on Amazon in both formats – print and ebook.

If anyone is interested, I’ll be working on a special edition that will include coloring pages for those who like to color and write.

My Heavenly Father worked with me to produce this book, and I pray that it’ll be edifying to all who read it.

Link to the book below:

https://a.co/d/05J0UBz3

Unstuck By His Grace

Stuck. I was stuck for the last few months. Stuck wondering what to write next. Life has been crazy and hectic, but that wasn’t the reason why I was stuck.

I’m not a true blogger in that sense. I can’t hire anyone to create content – nor would I. I won’t use AI to write for me. Why would I want a conglomerate of thoughts that aren’t my own? When I write there is a purpose. When I write, I have to express that purpose, genuinely.

So, I didn’t know what exactly to express. I was simply stuck…until He unstuck me. By His grace.

Did He give me some grand idea? No. But, He did tell me to write a book (it’s not done) on falling from grace. “GoD tOlD yOu…,” YES! He did, and I pity the soul who believes the Holy Spirit can’t speak to you. One should always want to hear from the Lord, as long as it aligns with the word of God.

At any rate, I decided to dive deep into what it means to fall from grace. Because…who in their right mind would write on a subject without making sure they know their stuff? Little did I know, I was in the camp who didn’t truly understand the fullness of His grace. You must know what grace is to understand how you fall from it.

Don’t get me wrong! I know what grace is. I’ve heard about it countless times from videos to sermons at church. But, just because you heard something a million times doesn’t mean you understand it. I had to sit with intense focus, purpose, and true desire. I had to read, listen, and take notes to understand what I was consuming. It was then it hit me. His grace is far greater than I can comprehend. Perhaps, far greater than what anyone can comprehend.

My Father in Heaven. He is a big God. He is a Mighty God. He is a good good Father who goes all out for His children. It is His grace, which is freely given that sustains us daily through our walk.

Ask yourself, do you know what that grace is? Not the generic definition! But for the sake of… grace means unmerited favor or gift. It is the untimely love and kindness of God. The things which He does for us that we do not deserve because we are sinners. That’s a hard one to swallow. But, why is that so hard to swallow?

Who wants to think they don’t deserve anything? If you keep doing something bad, what do you deserve? Do you think that you should ALWAYS do something good to receive a reward? Is love a reward? Why are things like relationships transactional and not relational? How do we explain the hard part about grace?

Listen, THE Creator doesn’t owe the Created anything, yet THE Creator gave the Created EVERYTHING. We are indebted to our Creator yet there isn’t a thing we can do to pay for it. But Jesus!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” 

John 3:16

Did you know Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection was the greatest act of grace? The greatest act in history!

No one, no, nothing can top it. The one who gave His life to save rather than condemn all who live in this world (John 3:17). He is the reason we live and breathe today and then some. He is Jesus, and by His grace, He freed me.

There is so much more to be said. I couldn’t go any deeper without dragging this post along. The gloves are coming off in the book though – hopefully!

Diving into the topic of grace gave me a fresh perspective. It helped me gain a greater understanding of grace. Yet, I still don’t totally get it. Maybe because I am but dust, I never will. Although, I pray that as I continue to write this book, the good Lord will reveal much more!

By A Hair, I Almost Dropped the Ball

Last week, my family and I were talking about someone. Some concerns and frustrations were voiced about this individual’s actions and decision-making. As I began to speak, give my input, and voice my sentiments… I made the mistake and said something that shouldn’t have been said. I was checked in my spirit for it and rightly so. I heard in the spirit, “judge rightly.” I apologized. I almost dropped the ball. Had I not repented, I certainly would have dropped it.

“ 1 Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.“

Matthew 7:1-5

That night, I had a dream. I was in a park, and I remember seeing cheetahs. I can’t recount how many, but definitely more than one. It was interesting to see them there because they weren’t in their natural habitat. The cheetahs were fairly docile and super friendly. Yet, they were just…there. Although I must admit, I felt a strong connection like one would have with their pet(s).

Quick Facts: Cheetahs are the fastest land animals (up to 70 mph) and allegedly, the original household cat – Cleopatra anyone? They are very swift and agile. Cheetahs have malar marks/stripes that run down their face. These allow them to see during the day when hunting and deflect sunlight. They chirp, purr, and meow but do not roar. Cheetahs are shy, so they avoid direct contact with humans. Their claws are semi-retractable, and sadly, they are endangered. After learning about these things and more, the cheetah became my favorite animal!

Inside the park, I remember standing near a baseball field. My family was there, and I remember my husband wearing a baseball cap. We began to pass the baseball and when it came time for me to catch, I began to fumble the ball. Yet, I was agile and swift enough to grab it before it hit the ground. As I stood up, I noticed I clipped the tip of the blade of grass between my fingers. Truly, by a hair, I almost dropped the ball. Talk about a close call!

The last thing I remember before waking up was gazing at the ball in my hand. After thorough thought and prayer, I KNEW in my spirit that this was about that conversation. That conversation I had with my family. I knew what God was showing me, and it didn’t go unnoticed. It was a reminder to me about the verse above (Matthew 7:1-5).

“29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. …31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:29; 31-32

He was showing me how close I was to dropping the ball. Sometimes people don’t realize that we can easily do this in conversations. In my effort to carefully craft my words, I made a mistake. With a quickness, the Holy Spirit humbled me. I rectified it and asked the Lord for forgiveness. No one is perfect, but imagine. 

Just imagine walking around with guilt for not repenting. It doesn’t feel good to have the heavy weight of guilt. Sleepless nights and nightmares. Mental fatigue from constant thinking. Somber moods and more. I don’t know about you, but that’s punishment enough for me. So, what do we do when we have an issue with or feel offended by another? We go to them.

Sure it’s not easy to say to someone, “You hurt me” or “I don’t like when you do this” or “Hey, your breath stinks.” But wouldn’t it be much better to tell the person than slander and/or gossip about someone? Ephesians 4:29-32 talks about how we should avoid such things. All issues within the body and in general should be addressed peacefully.

Why don’t we do this? Well, I think it’s out of fear. We don’t want to start a controversy or offend someone. With all that said I leave you with this…if you don’t address it, but rather choose to gossip – who is the worst offender?

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. James 4:11