Grace Notes - Luke 13 v 16

Luke 13:16 "And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?"

Sickness is not a blessing in disguise, God does not withhold healing from us to teach us or show us things. In the same way that all our sins were forgiven at the cross all our sickness was dealt with at the cross.

God in his grace has provided all we need to live in victory. Jesus never refused to heal anyone in scripture and everyone who came and asked to be healed was healed. Jesus never withheld healing.

The full provision of our healing is included in our salvation and we have access to full power of Christ and this power works within us. I have received the fullness of Christ in my spirit and I am united into all God’s complete work, inside me.

Here Andrew Wommack explains that healing is part of our salvation, and we need to receive all God has provided for us.

This sickness was the work of Satan - not the work of God. Jesus said it had bound her - not blessed her - for eighteen years. The teaching that says that sickness is actually a blessing in disguise, because the Lord is working His plan in one's life, is not found in scripture. As Acts 10:38 says, Jesus "went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil," not "oppressed of God."

There are 17 times in the Gospels when Jesus healed all of the sick that were present. There are 47 other times when He healed one or two people at a time.

Nowhere do we find Jesus refusing to heal anyone. Jesus said that He could do nothing of Himself, but only what He saw the Father do. His actions are proof enough that it is always God's will to heal!

Jesus provided for physical healing as well as forgiveness of sins. The very word "save" (Gk.-"sozo") is translated "made whole" in reference to physical healing in Matthew 9:22, Mark 5:34, and Luke 8:48. James 5:15 says "the prayer of faith shall save (Gk.-"sozo") the sick." Many scriptures mention the healing of our bodies in conjunction with the forgiveness of our sins.

Healing is a part of our salvation, just as much as the forgiveness of our sins.

It is God's will that no one should perish, but many do because of their unbelief. Likewise, it is God's will that we all be healed, but not all are healed because of failure to believe. It is a mistake to assume that whatever God wills will automatically come to pass. We play a part in receiving from God. Believe His Word today.

Grace Notes - Mark 14:36

Mark 14:36 "And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt."

It is almost too good to be true, that God should welcome me into his family as a joint-heir.  All the privileges of sonship have been bestowed on me.

Just like any natural son, I have the same DNA and blood flowing through my veins. If you were to open me up and dissect my spirit it would have the fullness of Christ grafted into it.

Nothing can separate me from the love of Christ, because Christ is eternally interwoven into my spirit and when God looks at me he sees Christ in me.

As Andrew Wommack explains Jesus purchased us from the depths of sin so we could reign with Him in fullness of life, right here, right now all by his wonderful grace.

Although God was referred to as our Father in the Old Testament, Jesus' frequent use of this title brought a whole new understanding of our relationship with God. Jesus referred to God as His Father, and He spoke of God as being our Father as well. This infuriated the religious Jews of Jesus' day who considered it blasphemy to call God their Father, because they understood that to mean they were equal with God.

We are instructed to call God our Father, revealing the kind, gentle, loving nature of our God. The term "Abba" is an affectionate term that a young child calls his father, which corresponds to our term "daddy." It is a term used to express intimacy and affectionate fondness. It removes the idea of God as a strict judge and carries the image of Him as a loving Father who cares, understands, and is our best friend. "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (1 Jn. 3:1).

We are sons of God by adoption. Jesus was the Son of God by nature. As Jesus said to the Jews, ye are of your Father the devil (Jn. 8:44; Eph. 2:3).

However, Jesus purchased us and made us adopted sons of God.

We are not just heirs, we are joint-heirs with Christ. To think that we share equally with the one who has inherited everything God is, and has, is beyond comprehension.

Grace Notes - Luke 24 v 21

Luke 24:21 "But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done."

It was the eternal plan of God made before time was created that I should become a son of God though my adoption into his Son.

By grace, God anticipated and provided all that was required, and through Christ’s death my eternal salvation was paid for and made complete, all I have to do is believe it and receive it.

My inheritance is not dependent upon my good works, not dependent upon my obedience, not dependent upon my effort, but is solely dependent upon my falling and immersion into the blood of Christ.

Christ + nothing = everything.

His overwhelming sacrifice overflows in my life as I become immersed in His grace.

Andrew Wommack explains that it was the life of God poured out at on the cross that purchased my redemption: -

When the right time came, God sent forth His Son from Heaven in His pre-existent state, into the world. He was born of a woman (virgin birth) and was made subject to the requirements of the law. Jesus was sent at a specific time. The entrance of Jesus into the physical realm was not a random thing occurring at a haphazard time. There were developments that had to take place before Christ could come to earth and redeem man. The Father sent His Son to the earth at the earliest possible time. Anytime prior to the time Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, would have been premature.

His purpose for coming into the world was twofold. First, He came to "redeem them that were under the law." He did this by perfectly keeping the law, fulfilling it, and paying its curse (Mt. 5:17; Gal. 3:13). Thus, Christ delivered us from the entire system of the law. The Greek word for redeem means "to buy OUT OF the slave market."

Secondly, Christ gave us the status of sonship with all its privileges. Not only were we redeemed from the bondage of the law, but we were redeemed unto sonship. Many people stop short, only realizing what they were delivered from, not what they inherit. Sure, we need to rejoice that we are redeemed, but we also need to move on, and realize the full benefits of our inheritance.

God created us for Himself but we sold ourselves into slavery to the devil. God bought us back through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. No amount of effort, human works, or man's own righteousness could bring the divine favor that we needed. It was the actual life of God (Lev. 17:11) that purchased our redemption.

Grace Notes - John 1:16

John 1:16,  - "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace."

Salvation is a finished work; everything that is needed for us to live a fulfilled, victorious Christian life was provided by Jesus at the cross and is available to us by grace.

There was nothing left unavailable or unattainable, the work of Christ was perfect and complete. By grace we can receive, forgiveness, righteousness, peace, joy, hope, security, assurance, love, a sound mind, power. Grace is an overflowing fountain of God’s delights poured out to each and every one of us.

It is all available right now, this instance and it is free.

As Andrew Wommack explains grace is all that God is given to us through Christ: -

The Christian life is not like an insurance policy that only pays off when we die and go to heaven. Every believer has now received the grace of God and the fullness of God. We are now complete in Him (Col. 2:9-10).

When we receive Jesus as our Lord, we are instantly changed in our spirits (2 Cor. 5:17). Many Christians aren't aware of the change that takes place in their spirit. They continue to live within their physical and emotional realms and are oblivious to the new, born-again part of them that has received the fullness of God.

You can't see or feel your spirit. You just have to believe what the Word of God tells you because God's Word is spirit and life (Johnn. 6:63). Your spiritual salvation is complete. Nothing can be added to it. In your spirit, you are right now as you will be throughout all eternity (1 John. 4:17). PRAISE THE LORD!

To the degree that we will renew our minds to these truths and believe them, we will experience this fullness in this life, for as a man "thinks in his heart, so [is] he" (Proverbs. 23:7).

Pray the prayer of Ephesians. 1:15-23 and let the Holy Spirit reveal "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27).

Ephesians. 1:15-23 - “Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.  And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.”

Grace Notes - Luke 22:16

Luke 22:16 "For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

The Passover meal was taken by the children of Israel as a remembrance of their deliverance from the slavery of Egypt.

This meal served as a signpost for the people to Christ. When the children of Israel left Egypt they were under a covenant of grace.  The grace of God was there to: -

 Free them from oppression,

Deliver them from slavery,

Heal them from diseases,

 Sustain them on their journey

Save them from the chasing army

Guide them to the Promised Land.

Likewise the grace of God through Christ, is our deliverance, freedom, health and wholeness.

As Andrew Womaack explains the Passover was much, much more than a meal to remember:-

The Lord longed to share the passover meal with His disciples. He was less than 24 hours away from fulfilling His mission and, like anyone who can see the finish line, He must have had feelings of relief and excitement.

The passover meal commemorated the Jews' deliverance from slavery in Egypt (Ex. 13:3-10). It also had a much deeper spiritual application that, as Jesus explains here, would be fulfilled through His death. The Jewish nation as a whole had missed any future prophetic meaning of the passover.

On the night of the original passover, the Lord passed through the land of Egypt and judged the land by slaying all the firstborn men and beasts. The Jews had to slay a spotless lamb, take its blood and apply it to the door posts of their homes. They were commanded to remain indoors, under the covering of this blood until morning. When the Lord passed through the land at midnight to execute His judgment, He passed over the homes that had the lamb's blood on their doors and no one inside was hurt. This is a perfect picture of the redemption that Jesus provides for us.

Everyone deserves judgment because of their sins. However, Jesus provided Himself as a spotless, sacrificial lamb for us, so that if we apply His blood to our lives by confessing Him as Lord, God will pass over us on judgment day.

Jesus was sacrificed on the 14th day of the first month of the Jewish year - the exact day and time that the passover lambs were being slain. Truly, "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7).

Grace Notes - Mark 11 v 25

Mark 11:25 "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses”.

All of my sin, every past, present and future sin was forgiven at the cross. The amazing fact is that before I was born, before I was conceived in my mother’s womb all my sin was forgiven. It is not sin that separates me from God but it is my unbelief in all that Christ accomplished for me on the cross. My eternal redemption was won for me, I just have to accept and receive it.

Likewise as a Christian, my good works do not earn any blessings from God and if I sin that sin does not separate me from God.

Sin does however cause a barrier in my heart, as it makes me more conscious of my ‘old man’ and causes my heart to harden to the grace of God.

Forgiving others and asking for forgiveness of others keeps our hearts free from the pollution of the world and the accusations of the Devil. We don’t ask for forgiveness to be right with God, we ask to be right with our fellow man and show the same reconciliation that God shows to us.

As Andrew Wommack explains keeping our hearts free from the pollution of sin helps us hear the quiet whisper of God’s voice and the awareness of the Spirit in our lives:-

There are qualifications for believing and receiving as well as restrictions for receiving answers to prayer. Unforgiveness in our hearts will keep our prayers from being answered.

We should forgive others as quickly as it takes to make the decision to pray. The Greek word for "when" means "whenever, as soon as, or while." When we stand praying, we must forgive if we have ought ("anything at all, the least little part; whatsoever") against anyone.

When we are offended or hurt, we often feel justified in holding a grudge.

The Old Testament law expressed this when it stated, "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth" (Ex. 21:23-25). Until the offense was paid, we did not feel free to forgive. However, God dealt with all men's offenses by placing sin upon the perfect Savior who was judged in place of every sinner of all time. To demand that others must earn our forgiveness is not Christlike. Jesus died for every man's sins, extending forgiveness to us while we were yet sinners, and we should do the same.

It is doubtful that a person who refuses to forgive has ever experienced forgiveness himself. This is comparable to the servant that Jesus talked about in Matthew 18:23-35. He was forgiven a debt of over $3,000,000,000 and yet he refused to forgive his fellow servant who owed him $3,000. The forgiveness that we have received from the Lord is infinitely greater than any forgiveness we will ever be asked to extend to others. Freely forgive as you have been forgiven.

Grace Notes - Matthew 20:8

Matthew 20:8 "So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first."

The amazing and wonderful bountiful grace of God is exactly the same for every one alive. Every living and breathing human has the same measure of grace from God available. God’s grace is not dependant on anything we do, anything we achieve, anything we force it is all available, the full riches and victory that Christ won at the cross. The only proviso is whether we believe and receive or we doubt and do without .

God does not force his grace upon us, he offers it freely, all that is required is our ‘thank you’ to him, that positive response is called faith.

You cannot force God to bless you, because God has already blessed you with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Everything we need and require is In Christ. As we ask and draw from the grace of God we are transformed into his likeness and effortlessly we being to experience the reality of all God has won for us.

Andrew Wommack explains that in this parable Jesus was explaining a picture of the overflowing grace of God and how everyone regardless of their work or effort has exactly the same offered to them: -

This parable begins with Jesus' statement that the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man who is a householder (owner of an estate). He went out early in the morning to hire workers to work in his vineyard for the day. An agreed upon price was set at a penny, the normal wage paid daily for a laborer. Later, around 9 a.m., the landowner encouraged others, standing idle in the marketplace, to work in the vineyard, not for a set wage but for "whatsoever is right." The landowner employed more laborers at noon, at 3 p.m. and even some at 5 p.m. when there was only one hour left to work.

According to Jewish law, wages must be paid each evening before the sun sets. When it came time for the steward to pay the laborers, he began with those working the shortest amount of time and paid each man a penny (a full day's wage). Those working the entire day murmured, for they supposed they would have received more. They agreed, however, to work for a penny, the stipulated wage agreed upon.

The context of this parable supports the teaching that it is impossible to earn the generosity of the Master. This is a lesson on grace. Regardless of whether or not our performance is better than someone else's, we all need God's grace because we have all come short of God's standard. The landowner gave freely, making all equal. Jesus is saying that the benefits of the kingdom are the same for all who have become subject to its King, regardless of what they have done. Therefore, those who are last (or least) in the sense that they have not served the Lord as long or as well as others, will truly become "first" when they share equally of the Lord's goodness with those who "have borne the burden and heat of the day".

Grace Notes - John 11 v 14

"Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead." John 11:14

We must face the facts that confront us. Hiding behind a false religious mask, helps no-one.

There is no disgrace or lack of maturity in indentifying and sharing when we are going through difficulties, problems, trials and periods of ill health. Trials are a part of every day life, in a fallen world, where the effects of sin dominate.

The problem is when we are overtaken by our identity with the problem and we forget all that God has provided by grace and has deposited inside of us.

Yes, we have trials and tribulations, but we have all the fullness of God, the same power that raised Christ from the dead living inside of us.

God understands every situations of our life, he anticipated every attack from the evil one and he provided the answer in the finished work of the cross.

We can look and acknowledge the problem and us can look, acknowledge and focus on the grace of God. Keeping our focus and eyes on Christ will give us a heavenly perspective over a carnal perspective.

As Andrew Wommack explains, Christ acknowledges Lazarus was dead, but with his words and the power of heaven called him back to life:-  

Jesus spoke of Lazarus being asleep instead of dead because that is really a much better description. Death, to their carnal minds, would be final; whereas the word "sleep" would not. When the disciples misunderstood what He was saying, He clarified the situation by saying plainly, "Lazarus is dead."

This looks like a contrary statement to what Jesus was going to do (raise Lazarus from the dead) and indeed it would have been if He had left it at that. But He went on to say in verse 15, "I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe." This was referring to Lazarus being raised from the dead and it turned Jesus' statement of a negative fact into a positive confession of faith.

Many people have been confused over this very issue. Many times people will refuse to speak of or acknowledge any situation that is contrary to a promise that God has given them. It is certainly desirable to avoid talking about our problems and there is scriptural precedent for this (2 Ki. 4:20, 26). In this very instance, Jesus avoided using a word to describe Lazarus' situation that would have instilled fear into His disciples' hearts. But when dealing with people who didn't understand, He didn't deny the natural facts.

A true, positive confession doesn't deny natural truth. It just refuses to stop at the natural realm and speaks forth the greater spiritual truth. This is what Jesus did and we should follow His example. Therefore, it is not wrong to acknowledge a physical problem such as sickness just as long as we acknowledge to an equal or greater degree the spiritual truth, "by whose stripes ye were healed" (1 Pet. 2:24). Don't deny that problems exist, just deny those problems the right to continue to exist in your life by confessing your faith in God.

Grace Notes - Luke 17:5

"And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith."Luke 17:5

How do I respond to the promises of God?

This is a question I continuously ask myself, if God has anticipated my every need and through Christ has provided all my needs by grace, how do I receive all God has for me?

My Spirit is completely interwoven and entwined with all the fullness of Christ. Within me, Christ dwells and I am the temple of the Holy Sprit. I take the glory of God, the presence of God, the power of God, the love of God with me, wherever I physically go.

So what holds me back?

It cannot be faith as I have the same faith inside me that raised Christ from the dead. But what I have is hindrance of unbelief.  I can limit the effect grace in my life, if I don’t believe all God has promised and provided. It is vey simple, for example if God has promised my joy I can both accept and receive it or I can not believe it and not live in the fullness of it.

Faith is just my positive response to all God has provided for me by grace.

As Andrew Wommack explains, Jesus taught the disciples that faith is not a problem to us, it is whether we accept and receive all God has given is the real problem:-

There are many scriptures that speak of varying degrees of faith. However, the scriptures also speak of Jesus increasing in wisdom (Lk. 2:52) that certainly refers to His physical intellect drawing more and more on the perfect wisdom of God that was already in Him at birth. It is in this way that we also increase in faith.

At salvation, the believer is given the supernatural faith of God. We had to use the very faith of God (not human faith) to believe the gospel (Eph. 2:8).

That faith came to us through hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17), and once we are born again, it becomes an abiding fruit of the Spirit within us.

Every believer is given the same measure of faith at salvation but not all believers use what God has given them. Therefore, it is correct to speak of growing in faith and having great faith or little faith, but it is important to understand that this is speaking of how much faith we use or manifest - not how much faith we were given. All believers were given "the" same measure of faith.

Jesus' example of the grain of mustard seed underscores the truth that our faith is sufficient if we will just use it without the hindrance of unbelief.

He then continues on into the parable of the servant serving his master to illustrate that our faith is not the problem but rather our use of it. We are using it to serve ourselves instead of our master who is God.

Grace Notes - Luke 16:17

"And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail." Luke 16:17

Jesus was the perfect law keeper. He was the only person in history that kept the law and he kept it on my behalf.

He took my place at the cross, all the judgment and wrath of God was poured out upon my sin on the cross. He took my sin, he bore my sicknesses, he was filled with my fears, he experienced my depression, and he was overcome with my desperation and my separation from God.

I killed Jesus, it was my sin that he carried, God did not kill His own son, I killed him, He took my place, experienced my death and along with those physically present, I was the reason Jesus died at the Cross, He took my place. God wept as He saw his son die in my place.

The great exchange is my dirty, sin stained life for His deserved riches and glory.

We inherit in Him all the favor of God and this power and life now dwells inside every believer.

Eternal life in all it power, fullness and perfection does not start when we get to heaven. It begins as soon as we believe and put faith in Christ.  One day we will experience eternal life without the constraints of what is left behind with our old man.  

Andrew Wommack brilliantly explains that the debt has been paid and we can go free: -

The jot was not only one of the smallest letters of the Hebrew alphabet, but also one of the most insignificant, being sometimes deleted at the writer's pleasure. The tittle was only a mark or a point on a line that helped distinguish one letter from another. The tittle corresponds to our period or apostrophe. The point that Jesus is making is that even the tiniest detail of the law would not pass away.

Christ fulfilled every jot and tittle of the law. The law was ordained to life, but no one could keep it. So, God Himself became flesh. He did what no sinful flesh had ever done. He kept the law thereby winning the life of God as the prize for keeping the law. This granted Him eternal life but before He could give it to us, we still had a debt that had to be paid. This is similar to someone receiving the death penalty for some hideous crime, then some billionaire leaves his whole estate to him. It would do the condemned man no good. But if that same billionaire could somehow take that man's place and die for him, then he could go free and enjoy his new wealth. That's what Jesus did for us. He took our sins and gave us His righteousness.

Jesus did much more than just obtain eternal life for us, He also paid all the wages of our sins (Rom. 6:23). God literally placed the condemnation, or judgment, that was against us upon His own Son. Jesus' perfect flesh was condemned so our defiled flesh could go free. What a trade! Since Jesus bore our sentence (condemnation), we don't have to bear it. The debt has already been paid.

Grace Notes - Luke 11 v 38

"And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner." -  Luke 11:38 -

The New Covenant is a covenant of rest; it is living and acting from our place in Christ.


Everything we need has been provided by God, through grace. God anticipated all our needs; he acted independently of us, before we were born. We cannot move God to do anything, because he has already done everything we need through Christ. In Christ we have received every spiritual blessing we will ever need or desire.

How we perceive God and what he has provided for us by grace is faith. All we need has been given to us we just activate it into reality from the spirit realm by believing and receiving.

Good works, doing the right things, trying to make God to move by our acts, is all self-righteousness and is rooted in unbelief.

Saying thank you and resting in all Christ has freely given by grace is the essence of faith and walking in the spirit.

Andrew Wommack explains that grace is the key to the Christian life and believing that God has already done everything through Christ.

“A sure sign of the error of legalism is misplaced priorities, as we see here with these Pharisees. It is not recorded in Scripture that the Pharisees marveled at the wonderful works of Jesus. They were too busy looking for something to criticize (Mark 3:2). But they marveled at Jesus not washing His hands. This is a classic example of straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel (Mt. 23:24).

Those who seek to earn righteousness through keeping the Law are consumed with "doing," while those who receive righteousness by faith are simply confessing what has already been done. This is a simple and yet profound difference. If we are still "doing" acts of holiness to get God to move in our lives, then we are still operating under a "Law" mentality that is not faith (Gal. 3:12). When we simply believe and confess what has already been provided through Christ, that's grace.


A person who is living under the Law and a person who lives under grace should have very similar actions of holiness, but their motivations are completely opposite. The legalist has their attention on what they must do, while the person living by faith has his attention on what Christ has already done for him. For instance, the Scriptures teach us to confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts, and we will receive from God. The legalist thinks, That means I can get God to heal me by confessing, 'By his stripes I am healed.' 


However, the person who understands God's grace will not confess the Word to get healed. They will confess, "By His stripes I am healed" because they really believe it has already been done.

Analyzing our "mind set" is the simplest way of discerning whether we are operating in true Bible faith or a legalistic counterfeit. If the motive for our actions is to be accepted with God, that's legalism. If we live wholly out of faith and gratefulness for what God has already done, that's grace. Grow in grace!”

Grace Notes - Luke 11 v 11

"If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?" - LUKE 11:11

God is always good to us, his children.  We often look at our rebellious, independent, headstrong attitude and think that God must be disappointed with us when we decide to do things our own way. But God’s love for us is unconditional, there is nothing we can do to make him love us any less and there is nothing we can do to make us love him more.

We are His delight; he created us to enjoy a wonderful, abundant life in intimate union with him. It is his desire that we accept His grace and enjoy eternal life with him.

When we sin we do not separate ourselves from Him or his presence.  All our sin was dealt with before we were born at the cross. All our sin is eternally forgiven. The only thing that separates us from enjoying God is our unbelief, in his sacrifice and our unbelief in all that he has provided.

God loves us; he wants us to enjoy all the riches and glory of heaven, in a relationship with him.

Andrew Wommack explains nothing can compare to the love of the Father towards us.

The most loving Father in the world cannot compare to our heavenly Father and the love He has for us. And yet, many times, we find it easier to believe in the willingness of a father or mother or mate to help us than in the willingness of God to use His power on our behalf. Relatively few people really doubt God's ability, but rather, it is our doubt of His willingness to use His ability on our behalf that causes most people to do without. Jesus is assuring us that God's love, and His willingness to demonstrate that love, is far greater than we can ever experience in any human relationship.

The Lord didn't just save us out of pity or a sense of obligation as our Creator. He saved us because He loved us (John 3:16). It was the "good pleasure of his will" for us to become adopted sons (Eph.1:5). We are wanted and accepted by our Father! What a wonderful thing this is! It would have been more than any of us deserve to be forgiven by God. Then to be given certain rights and privileges would have been more than we could have expected. But the Lord went further than that. He has actually accepted us.

The dictionary defines "accept" as "1. to receive gladly; 2. to receive into a place or a group" (New American Heritage Dictionary). The Lord does not just tolerate us; He actually loves us. He even likes us. He rejoices over us with joy (Zeph. 3:17).

Grace Notes - John 10 v 2-3

John 10:2-3 "But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out."

Jesus Christ is the good shepherd, he leads us besides still waters, he is the voice of reassurance and he shows us that we are righteous in Him.

As Christians we have many things in the 21^st century that are trying to take our time, fill our minds, saturate our souls. Everywhere we turn our lives can be filled with constant amusement, we can watch endless re runs of TV drama’s on I-Player and then watch the same programmes on Satellite TV.

God accepts us, loves us, showers his grace upon us and nothing we can do, can separate us from His love and grace given to us. But, I can separate myself from his abundant lavish grace if I fill my life with the worthless over the valuable. I have a choice in life to enjoy all God’s grace or fill my life with the world. The more I live out of my union with Christ in my spirit the greater my mind and soul is renewed and is connected to my heavenly Father.

God’s grace is constant; it is an ever flowing stream of unmerited favor to me. In my spirit I have entered the Promised Land with all its blessings. As I live and enjoy all that God has provided by grace, I become strong, I experience his presence and I am renewed. The transformation is effortless.

Andrew Wommack explains how we are spirit, soul and body and that living from the spirit changes the way we think and live.

This verse promises all who are God's sheep that they not only can, but that they do, hear His voice. Many born-again people doubt the truth of this statement based on their experience. They don't think they can hear God's voice. However, the Word of God is true - not our experience.

The harmony between what this verse says and what our experiences say is that it is our new born-again spirit that hears God's voice. Although God has spoken and still does speak in an audible voice at times, very few people experience this. God speaks to our inner person (spirit) and our inner person hears Him. The problem comes when we aren't sensitive to, or controlled by, our spirit but are walking in the vanity of our mind. The Bible calls this walking in the flesh instead of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-18).

Man is a spirit, soul, and body. Our spirits are as perfect as they will ever be in heaven. If we will change our thinking so that we believe what God says in His Word about who we are and what we have, then this agreement between our spirit and soul forms a majority and our flesh will experience the life of God that has been deposited in our spirits.

Prayer, Bible study, fasting, fellowship, etc. are ways of refocusing our mind's attention away from the voice of this world and back to the voice of our Shepherd who is constantly communicating with our spirit. If we fail to renew our minds, we can live our entire time on this earth without experiencing the abundant life that Jesus provided for us.

Listen, and you will hear His voice speak to you through His Word today.

Grace Notes - John 9 v 2

John 9:2 "And his disciples asked him saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?"

Jesus Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, every curse was put onto Christ at the cross and was paid in full by His blood. We have been set free from its curse and now we live in the spirit through faith.

Faith is our positive response to everything God has provided for us in grace. Forgiveness of sin, all sin past, present and future sin and all our sicknesses and diseases. He became poor so that we could become rich, not just financially, but in every area of our life and existence.

Sickness is not from God, Jesus died so that we might live in fullness of life, his redemption was a once and for all time payment that redeemed us.

God wants us well, he wants us to enjoy all the lavish grace he has provided for us. It cost him everything to give us his all.

Just think of the story of the Prodigal Son, we now sit at the banqueting table enjoying all the delights of the Father, why would we choose to go back to the pig sty to live? 

Here Andrew Wommack explains that we are blessed through Christ and it is not God who makes us sick:-

The disciples asked a question that still puzzles many people today. Why is a child born with a physical defect? Is it a judgment of God upon the parents for some sin, or is it possibly God's judgment upon the child for sins that God knows he will commit?

Jesus Himself had previously linked sickness with sin. In this instance, however, Jesus said this blindness was not caused by this man's or his parents' sins.

This has led many people to interpret the rest of this verse as saying that God made this man blind just so that He could heal him and be glorified thereby. From this thinking, many doctrinal teachings have risen about how sickness and other problems in our lives are actually blessings from God, intended to bring glory to God and correction to us. This reasoning, however, does not line up with the other truths of God's Word.

It was not God who made this beggar blind. This man was not born blind because of any one person's sins but because sin in general had corrupted the perfect balance that God had created in nature. Therefore, some maladies happen, not as a direct result of an individual's sins but as an indirect result of sin in general.

Deuteronomy 28 settles forever the question of whether sickness, poverty, and oppression are really blessings in disguise. God says that sickness and poverty are curses - not blessings from God. Christ redeemed us from these curses of the law so that now the blessings may come upon us through Him (Galatians 3:13). God's curses have been placed on Jesus and removed from those who accept Jesus' sacrifice. You are blessed!

Grace Notes - John 7 v 38

John 7:38 "He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

The overflow of the Holy Spirit living in us is the very life of the new birth. Christ in all his fullness is within every Christian, we are totally and utterly united the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and it is from this union that the fruit of God grows and ripens.

This is all by and through Christ and his grace overwhelming our lives. It has nothing to do with our effort, our works; it has everything to do with the blessings of God.

We are the good soil where the seed is planted and grows. The more we enjoy and revel in the spirit the more vibrant the spirit becomes to us and this ignites us with desire and passion for deeper communion with Christ.

As Andrew Wommack explains it is the Spirit that produces all that is good, all we do is yield and trust. Our faith is a positive response to all God has already provided through Christ’s finished work in grace.

“These rivers of living water are referring to the Holy Spirit and the effects He produces in the life of the believer. Galatians 5:22-23 says, "the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." These qualities should flow out of us as an artesian well. They should not have to be pumped. They will flow as we conform our thinking to God's Word.

Jesus speaks of bearing fruit in John 15 and declares that ". . . without me ye can do nothing" (Jn. 15:5). This fruit is the product of the Holy Spirit, not our effort. However, since "he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17), then this fruit of the Spirit is also what our born- again spirit produces. Our spirit always has these attributes regardless of what we feel in our emotions. Failure to understand this has caused many Christians to think they would be hypocrites to express joy when the truth is, they are depressed. However, it's only our soulish part that gets depressed. Our spirit is always bearing the fruit of "love, joy, peace, etc."

For a person who is seeking to walk in the Spirit, it is actually hypocritical to let our soulish emotions dominate our spiritual emotions. The truth is, our spirit is never depressed, just our soul. Those who understand this have the choice of letting their soul depress them or letting the Holy Spirit, through their born-again spirit, release the joy and peace spoken of here.

The "fruit" is not produced by the believer, but by the Holy Spirit, as we live in union with Him. Our part is to yield and trust; God's part is to produce the fruit.”

Grace Notes - John 6 v 9

John 6:9, "There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?"

God wants to be involved in every moment of our daily life. He is interested in every breath we take and he desires to use our natural, everyday gifts for the glory of his kingdom.

God in His fullness is with us, alive in all his power inside us, with our every heart beat. Nothing is mundane, nothing is ordinary, and everything in us is alive to the power of God working in and through us. We are God’s channel of provision to everyone we meet.

God’s grace is an overflowing reservoir of abundant life that is available; we have entered the Promised Land, a land overflowing with all that God has provided in Christ. He has blessed us and He wants to work through us, with every day items to show His love and mercy.

As Andrew Wommack explains Jesus could have just made the miraculous happen on his own, but Jesus involved the disciples to plant the seed of faith into their hearts and demonstrate that God blesses the ordinary and uses it to produce the supernatural.

“Notice that Jesus didn't just turn some of the stones into bread (as Satan had tempted Him to do in Lk. 4:3). We find only one instance in scripture where God created a supply to meet a need (Num. 11:21-23). Usually, the Lord simply blesses what we set our hand to do. The resources were totally inadequate to meet the need in this instance, but when the Lord blessed it, there was more than enough.

Jesus didn't just teach the disciples, but He trained them also. He was constantly trying to involve them in these miracles. Just a matter of days later, He again asked His disciples what they could do to feed the multitude of four thousand men. It was like He was saying "You missed this question when I asked you how we could feed the five thousand men. Now, here are less people and more food. What would you suggest this time?"

Instead of remembering the previous miracle, they acted like they had never seen Jesus feed the multitude and they looked at their own resources again (Mt. 15:32; Mk. 8:1). Likewise, we all too often try everything we can do first and forget God's supernatural power until all we can do is pray. Many people have missed their miracle because they never took that first step of faith and used what they had. This young lad was certainly credited with part of this miracle for offering what he had. When in need, we should seek God's direction for something to set our hand to, and then trust Him to bless it and multiply the results of our work.”

Grace Notes - Matthew 16:18

Matthew 16:18, 

"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

God’s word contains all the seeds we need to live an abundant, overflowing grace filled life. It is the perfect spiritual mirror that actually shows the true reflection of who we are in Christ. It is not a rule book to be obeyed but a love letter to be adored.

We are filled in our inner man with all the fullness of Christ, we are now a living temple, Christ in His fullness is interwoven inside every believer and His life flows inside of us. As we let the seeds of his word germinate in our souls and let our new creation spirit dominate our thoughts and action, the reality of Christ dwelling in us starts to become Christ working in and through us.

As Andrew Wommack explains the revelation of Peter in Mathew 16 that Jesus was the Christ, was the foundation stone of every believer. Christ is our cornerstone, and we are his temple, God’s dwelling place on the earth. Christ in us the hope of Glory.

“Some people have mistakenly interpreted this passage to say that Peter was the foundation on which Christ would build His Church. However, that would violate many scriptures that refer to Jesus as the "chief cornerstone."

Ephesians 2:20 does mention the apostles as being part of the foundation stones of Christ's church, but it doesn't single Peter out above any of the other apostles, This same scripture once again mentions Jesus as the "chief cornerstone."

There are two different Greek words used for "Peter" and "rock" respectively in verse 18. The word used for "Peter" means "rock" but signifies a piece of rock like a pebble. In contrast, the word translated as "rock" signifies a massive rock which certainly refers to Jesus, the "chief cornerstone." Some have suggested that the foundation rock referred to was confession that Peter made saying that Jesus was "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt. 16:16). Although it is true that, to enter God's kingdom, we do have to confess that Jesus is Lord (Rom. 10:9-10), in light of the Old Testament prophecies and New Testament references to Jesus being the "chief cornerstone," this passage of scripture must be referring directly to Jesus as the "rock" upon which He will build His church.

One of the greatest differences between the New Testament believer and the Old Testament believer is the fact that New Testament saints are the temple of God. God Himself actually indwells us. God does not dwell in a building made by man's hands. He now lives in the hearts of those who make Jesus their Lord (Rom. 10:9). The cornerstone of our lives in God must be an ever-increasing revelation of His Son. If we had a real understanding of the reality of Christ in us (Col. 1:27), it would drastically change our attitudes, emotions, and actions.”

Grace Notes - Joel 3 v 21

“I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: For the Lord dwelleth in Zion.” Joel 3:21.

When we believe in the reality of God’s grace, His favor that flows from the finished work of Christ on the cross, we position ourselves to receive the power of Christ flowing through and out of us.

Through Christ we are united into the fullness of God filling our bodies. We can carry the radiance of God’s presence on our lives each and every day.

We are His temple, we carry His presence here on Earth, God has come to His people and He is inside each and every believer. When we touch, breathe, lay hands on people we are imparting the power and presence of God into people’s lives.

God believes in you. He sees His promises inside of you. He believes that you can be everything He ever dreamed you could be. It is simply about living a life that believes in the power and the presence of God, believe that your sins are forgiven, believe that your debts have been relieved, believe that you have been healed, and believe that God in Christ by His Spirit has come to live inside you.

John G. Lake in his sermon on “The Tangibility of the Spirit,” explains that Christ blood applied to the believer cleanses spirit, soul and body.

“The Christian stands out as the revelation of divine power of Jesus Christ to come into the spirit of man, and change it and make it sweet and lovely like God Himself. To come into the mind of man, and take possession of all its faculties.  To come into the nature of man and change it by the power of God until his thoughts are pure, holy, and lovely. To come into his old diseased body until God’s action revolutionizes every cell of the blood. 

I believe that when the Blood of Jesus Christ is applied to a man’s nature, spirit, soul and body, that when his sin is forgiven, the effects of that sin should be eliminated from his life. This may not be true in all Christian lives because we have not been educated in our Christian faith to believe with the same force and power for physical cleansing, as we have for the cleansing of our soul. But the word of God says, “I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: For the Lord dwelleth in Zion.” Joel 3:21.”

Grace Notes - Luke 8 v 50

Luke 8:50, "But when Jesus heard it, he answered him saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole."

Fear is all around us, fear of economic recession, fear of sickness, fear of accidents, fear of failure to name just a few. If we listen too long to the news and all the bad reports we can be overwhelmed with all the negatives the world has to offer.

Focusing our minds and thoughts on Christ and his finished work is the antidote of fear.  In Christ is the fullness of joy, every promises of God is ours in Christ, we have been redeemed from the curse and have been raised and seated into heavenly places in Christ.

Living from our heavenly position and being overwhelmed by the grace of God should be the place where we live our lives.

As Andrew Wommack explains no problem is too big for God and Christ has everything we need to overcome in our union with him: -

Jesus told Jairus to "believe only," implying that faith and fear can operate in us at the same time. This is also the reason James tells us not to be double-minded, or to waiver (Jas. 1:5-8). Fear will negate faith. We can have both thoughts of faith and thoughts of unbelief at the same time.

Fear and faith are opposing forces. Fear is actually faith in reverse. Fear is believing something or someone other than God. Therefore, fear makes us subject to Satan and his death just as faith makes us recipients of all that God has to offer. This is the reason Jesus told Jairus, "Fear not." Jairus' fear would have sealed his daughter's death.

Instead of trying to build huge amounts of faith to overcome our fears and unbelief, a simpler method is to remove our fears by cutting off their source. Then, our simple "child-like" faith that remains will do the job. It doesn't take big faith - just pure faith.

Where does fear come from? Second Timothy 1:7 says, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and of a sound mind." It doesn't come from God. The way that fear is able to come upon us is that we take our attention off of Jesus and put it on our situation.

Fear or doubt cannot "just overcome" us. We have to let it in. In the same way that faith comes by hearing the Word of God, fear comes by hearing or seeing something contrary to God's Word. We would not be tempted with fear or doubt if we didn't consider things that Satan uses to minister that fear and doubt.

Satan tries to distract us with thinking about our problems. No problem is too big for God. We should cast our concern about the problem over on God and just keep our eyes on Jesus, the Word.

Grace Notes - Matthew 9 v 9

Matthew 9:9, "And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him."

Many times I have heard various “Altar” calls at events where people are encouraged to follow Christ. This has many aspects but the most difficult is that it can produce self effort as the path of acceptance with God.

Christianity is not a changed life, it is an exchanged life. When we come to Christ our old sinful man is crucified with Christ and we are born into a new union with the living God. Christ now lives in us and He starts to flow through us.

Grace is the power and glory of God now living on the inside of us, motivating us, encouraging us, loving us and overflowing us with the power to overcome. This union is a place of victory and joy. We now  live from a new spirit man and focus our eyes on Christ.

As Andrew Wommack explains to “follow” Christ is to let Him live through us: -

To "follow" means to come or go after; move behind in the same direction; to come or go with; to accept the guidance or leadership of; to adhere to the cause or principles of; to be governed by; obey; comply with.

When a person first comes to Jesus, it is impossible to know everything that following Jesus entails. No one, however, should be fearful of making a total commitment because of some imagined problem that may never come to pass. There should be a willingness to forsake everything to follow Jesus. Once we make that decision, then Christ begins to live through us and we find a strength that is not our own, equal to whatever test we may encounter .

It is Christ living through us that is the secret of victorious Christian living. It is not us living for Jesus, but Jesus living through us. Failure to understand this simple truth is at the root of all legalism and the performance mentality. The law focuses on the outer man and tells it what it must do. Grace focuses on the inner man and tells it what is already done through Christ. Those who are focused on what they must do are under law. Those who are focused on what Christ has done for them are walking under grace.

Just as the life of a root is found in the soil, or a branch in the vine, or a fish in the sea, so the believer's true life is found to be in union with Christ. The Christian life is not just hard to live, it's impossible in our human strength. The only way to walk in victory is to let Christ live through us.