Monthly Archives: October 2014

Live Grace — Invite God In

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live grace, invite god in squareby Lydia Floren

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelations 3:20 NASB

At some point in your life, God knocks on your door, and you recognize that knock. You realize that He is real, and that He loves you, and that you need Him.

You have two choices:

1. Keep Him out. You can choose to keep the door to your heart shut tight. He will respect that choice. He is a gentleman. He won’t force Himself on you, no matter how self-destructive your decision might be.
2. Let Him in. You can choose to open the door to your heart. Maybe the reality of your need–and of God’s presence—has eclipsed your hesitation, and you decide to open your life to Him. Here is a way to do that:

Open the door by praying GRACE:

Invite God in.   GRACE:  Give thanks, Release, Accept, Continue, and Enjoy.

Give thanks:
Thank You, God, that You are real, and good, and powerful, and loving,
Thank You for giving me life, and the ability to make my own choices.
Thank You that You are committed to loving me, and every other person You have created, whether I choose to accept or reject that love.
Thank You for helping me see that I need You. That I can never make myself perfect. Thank You for showing me my sins, not so that I can beat myself up about them, but so that You can free me of them.
Thank You providing a way to make things right with You, by sending Your son Jesus, and allowing Him to die so that we could be free of shame.

Father thank You that You are real, and that You love me.
I choose to invite You into my life right now.

Release:
Thank You for releasing me from guilt.
Thank You that You know every wrong thing I have thought or said or done, and that You have loved me through it all.
Thank You that You have made provision for those wrongs through Jesus’ blood sacrifice.
Thank You that Your forgiveness is complete: You wipe everything away.

I choose to release my sins to You.

Accept
Thank You for accepting me just like I am–right where I am–and loving me.
Thank You for accepting me as Your child, and protecting me and caring for me.
Thank You for accepting the reality that, as much as I would like to think otherwise, there will be times in the future when I will wander away from You, and will need a fresh dose of Your grace.

I choose to accept Your love and forgiveness, which frees me from guilt and shame.

Continue
Thank You for Your continued presence, with me and within me, throughout the rest of my life.
Thank You for Your calling– to love You with all my heart, and to love myself, and to love my neighbor as myself.
Thank You that You will continue to guide me in fulfilling that calling, and redirect me if I head down the wrong path.

Father, I choose to continue, to follow You every day.

Enjoy
Thank You for enjoying me.
Thank You that You value my company.
Thank You that You love to give me good gifts, and that You scatter them throughout my day and life.
Thank You for inventing laughter, joy, love and relationships.
Thank You for the gift of hope: that I can welcome the day with anticipation, knowing You are working all things to good for those who love You and are called according to Your purpose.
Thank You that with You I need never be afraid.

Father, I choose to enjoy each day with a grateful heart.

Just so you understand: praying GRACE is not something you just do just once. It is something you do over and over again. And every time you pray GRACE, God refreshes your faith and restores your soul.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. Psalm 23:1-3

Living Grace

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living grace titleby Lydia Floren

Do you ever feel bogged down? Not by anything external, but by what goes on inside your head?  I know I do. Regrets and hurts sap my strength. Worries and frustrations drain away my joy.

Lately I’ve been figuring out a cool way to get back on track every day, so that I can go forward refreshed and energized:  I’ve been learning to pray GRACE.

Pray GRACE:

Give thanks

Release

Accept

Continue

Enjoy

For example, in the morning I might pray something like this:

Give thanks

Thank You Father, for life that is in me and in the world around me. Thank You for air to breathe, a beating heart, five senses and four limbs. Thank You for the past, present, and future. Thank You for You:  Your goodness, Your commitment to be with me and within me, Your love and care. Thank You for the particular situations that are on my mind, that You work all things to good, that You understand and will lead me in the right way to look at things, and how best to proceed.

Release 

Father, I know I have been carrying around all kinds of baggage, and right now I just want to leave everything right here at Your feet.  I release

  • My self-reliance: when I go my own way instead of Your way
  • Regret for what I have done that may have hurt myself or others, and
  • Any hurt that I am experiencing as a consequence of someone’s else’s actions
  • My habit of beating myself up over stuff. Thank you that you do not want me to live under condemnation, a slave of shame or guilt. That is precisely what you gave your life for.
  • Grudges I am holding against others: resentment and/or unforgiveness
  • Things dragging me down that I’m not consciously aware of: You know even more than I do what those things might be.

Accept 

Thank you for my life

  • Where I am in time and space,
  • My unique gifts and talents, my incredible value, and belonging to you and the family of God
  • The privilege of joining with You to love those around me, and that you use me just as I am, “imperfect” by my own false standards.

Thank You for You

  • You being with me and within me, and never leaving me.
  • That You are committed to me: You have my back.
  • That you are Truth, and You have freed me.

Thank you for the freedom

  • Of your forgiveness
  • From hanging on to hurt, condemnation, and the expectations of others.
  • From fear, as I leave my worries with you.

Thank you that everyday is a new day, that I can embrace with anticipation.

Continue

Help me to continue moving forward in the direction You’ve already led me.

  • According to the plans carefully – and prayerfully – formulated.
  • Utilizing the habit(s) you have led me to establish
  • Keeping the commitments you have asked me to keep.

Thank you that You fill in the blanks of my imperfect efforts with Your perfect sufficiency.

And as I go, thank you that You will show me what  changes you might want to make in those plans, habits and commitments.

Enjoy today

Thank you for the constants in my day:  your love, your presence, your commitment to provide and protect and lead me, your working in this world.

Thank You for the unexpected:

  • The gifts You give me throughout the day:  a beautiful sky, a smile, a connection, a new friend.
  • The surprising ways You work sometimes. ways I don’t anticipate or understand.
  • Opportunities to love and bless those around me.
  • Unique ways You communicate with me through your still small voice, your word, circumstances, your creation, and other people

Praying GRACE – it’s a great way to live!

p.s.  I am really excited about this GRACE model!  I am finding all kinds of applications for it.  Expect to hear more about Living Grace in the near future!  Below is a tool that can be printed on a 4×6 card so you can try Praying Grace, filling in your own blanks. (You can also find this on our Pinterest page)

Take a moment and share with us:  How are you living GRACE in your days?  

grace workpage 4x6