Delores Liesner
Activating Faith in everyday life
5 Ways to Give Grace to YOURSELF!
First what is Grace? Strong’s Concordance (1656) reveals grace as: to compassionate [as a verb – my note] (by word or deed, specially, by divine grace): — have compassion (pity on), have (obtain, receive, show) mercy.
Now who is to receive this Grace?
Those who hear
All of you (believers to whom God directed the apostles to write)
All who are beloved of God and called as saints
The humble
Those are just a few of the descriptors of those to whom we are to “give” grace / to show or demonstrate grace
I know you realize that includes you, but have you known that YOU are involved in receiving grace not just when others are giving and showing grace. Look in the mirror. That is God’s child – she needs grace from you too!
How to do that? A few examples:
- Self Talk – Ephesians 4:29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Do you listen to yourself? Sometimes I have to tell myself to stop it! Stop vocalizing the enemies lies that I am not enough, that I am still guilty, shamed, condemned. Vocalize the truth. Only such words that will bring life. Stir in grace to what you serve yourself.
- Speak/pray for YOURSELF in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs
Eph. 5:19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord – put your name in the psalms and in the hymns and pray Grace over YOU.
- Give yourself permission to LET/ALLOW the Word of God to dwell (live – make its home) within you – memorize scripture, teach yourself by quoting scripture and accepting correction, instruction and wisdom from those verses. 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Do this for the specific object of you! And the specific objective of being prepared to LET the Spirit show grace to YOU as needed.
- Look within for a list of thankfulness and praise – just as you thank God for others, and what He has done for others, thank God that you are His child, and for the changes he has brought about in your heart and life, and for those He has placed within your influence, and guided you to reach. Write out that list and thank God for the evidence of His presence in YOU!
- Pray with confidence for YOU, a beloved child and heir of Almighty God. 4:16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. You know better than anyone on earth what your needs are – God’s throne is like your bank of Grace – stay close with a humble heart and ask for mercy for YOU. Ask the Spirit who prays only in God’s will, to pray for you. Let Him make your temple a place of refuge and hope.
If you haven’t thought of it before, add your name to your prayer list! Realize all that Christ has sacrificed for you – all the treasure (See Ephesians 1) that He has allotted to you, and how very much He loves you, the temple of His Spirit.
Read the verses again and replace you, your, those, one another, etc. Then give some Grace – again and again –
To YOU.
Grace to you
and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithfully,
Delores
Be the Miracle! – with journaling pages
Delores Liesner: Author
American Christian Fiction Writers Association
Delores Liesner 