“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9)

The great Reformers like Luther and Calvin believed in this and so changed nations and achieved super human things, all by God’s grace but do we live it? We are also living in a very challenging time, with plagues and big changes in our nations. We need to experience more of this grace.

Blondin the incredible tightrope walker

There is a fascinating story about the famous tightrope artist, Blondin. He was attempting to walk on a tightrope over the Niagara Falls, without a net. He asked the crowd watching, “Do you believe that I Blondin can cross the Niagara Falls without a balancing pole?” The crowd all replied, “Yes, we believe, you’re amazing”. And Blondin succeeded. Then he asked again, “Do you believe I can cross the Niagara Falls with a wheelbarrow?” The crowd replied again, “Yes, we believe, you’re amazing”. And he succeeded. Finally, Blondin asked a third time, “Do you believe I can cross the Niagara Falls with a wheelbarrow and a person inside it?” The crowd replied a third time, “Yes, we believe, you’re amazing”. So Blondin replied, “Who wants to jump in the wheelbarrow then?” There was a long silence.

So did the crowd really believe in Blondin 100%? No! They only said that they did. How about us Christians? Do we live that God’s grace is sufficient for every situation?

The 100% by Grace life

If we did then:

1. We’d never worry again! 100% peace!
2. We’d always persist in prayer until the grace arrived.
3. We’d never look to other things or idols for this grace
4. We’d attempt the impossible
5. We’d come into God’s presence every day without problem because it’s by grace through faith
6. We’d exercise our gifts to a high capacity because we’d ask for more grace to do so to bless others
7. We’d forgive everyone.
8. We’d love all our enemies and difficult people, family.
9. We’d be holy because it’s by grace and no sin would be too strong in our lives.

So how does God teach us to depend totally on His grace?

1.We need to believe it’s all by grace!

I know this sounds obvious. But Blondin’s crowd didn’t really believe what they said. So with believers. To experience God’s grace in any and every situation we must believe that we have this sort of access, purely because we have a loving heavenly Father and because we are His sons and daughters.

2.We need to believe it for the impossible situations

 There is no difference actually in the simple needs and the impossible needs. Just in our minds. With impossible circumstances we need to grab hold of Scripture and persistently pray it until the impossible becomes possible. The great missionary Hudson Taylor, who faced huge challenges in China in the 19^th Century, described this process as:

“first impossible, then difficult, then done!”

All by grace.

3.Through trials

 “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”  (Ps 119:71).

When the Reformer Martin Luther began to speak out against the injustices he saw, he was constantly criticized and threatened. He knew that his life was in real danger. But he continued in the grace of God and learned dependence. In commenting on Ps119:71 Luther said that these trials he faced had made him a better theologian. Every trial is an opportunity to grow in grace and experience it’s reality.

4.We must be like little children

The kingdom belongs to them because they depend completely on their father. They know their weakness. The problem is that we don’t stay children. We start to depend on ourselves and our gifts. If we are not depending on God’s grace, we will look elsewhere. And this does nothing for God or His kingdom.

So often we look at the great men and women of God, and look to their exceptional gifts. This is not the Gospel. There doesn’t exist exceptional people, we are nothing. There only exists exceptional Jesus and His exceptional grace for all his children. So now everyone can live an exceptional life. It’s all by grace and the glory goes to Him alone.

What now?

For more on how to receive God’s grace now see 5 WAYS TO GET READY FOR A DIVINE VISITATION.

For more stories on REVIVALS and Bible passages that will help get you ready for a THIRD GREAT AWAKENING, do read my book GRACE OUTPOURINGS: 21 DAYS REVIVAL DEVOTIONAL for a great devotional experience.