What being A Christian really is- and what it isn’t ….by Laura Grace

April 24, 2017April 24, 2017 Laura GraceLeave a comment

xIt just happens I’m in bible college, and a class I’m in right now is called apologetics. It’s a funny name for it, since I make no apologies about what I believe, or why.

This class helps us think about our Biblical worldview, what others believe, and challenges us to dig deep and see for ourselves why we believe what we do.

Everything I am about to tell you is based on scripture. If you have a question about that let me know, I will provide all the passages. What I can tell you is I am a witness just like the disciples who followed Jesus.

As a child I attended church. I heard all my life “Jesus is real.” When I was in high school I was a big time humanist. I was horrified at the world, the bullies, the mean people, the selfish people. I was a liberal, and very much a women’s libber, as well.

I was mad at God, and mad about injustice, which he seemed to do nothing about. I was apalled at conserative stances, and how christians could talk about love one minute, and throw people under the bus if they got food stamps, calling them “those who suck off the system” and take their tax dollars. For me that was the ultimate hypocrisy, to preach love one minute and be a “hater” the next toward those who were not so fortunate.

I married badly partly out of pride. I was going to show those conservatives what was what. “HERE I”LL SHOW YOU HOW to love” I thought (since they were so bad at it and all). it didn’t take long to figure out I got myself in a real pickle of suds (and problems). Totally broken. Defeated. In the dark. It was a blessing in disguise.

It wasn’t long before I found myself in a pile of failure. Baptists knocked on my door one day, asking if I was born again. “I’m a Lutheran” I said, and went to work and laughed at them for being so crazy. Later I was crying, upset, and a Billy Graham message captivated me. I HAD experiences with the presence of God (the Holy Spirit) prior to this.

When I ran away in high school in defiance, My mom prayed, cried and gave me to God. She said she didn’t know what to do with me. WHEN I was watching Billy Graham I truly realized my sin. Pride. Anger. Unforgiveness. Defiance toward God and others. Judging.

The Holy Spirit (Via Billy Graham and those that knocked on my door) caused me to see I had believed in Jesus but had not RECEIVED him as saviour and Lord. I saw he was the only way to Salvation. I saw I was a sinner, in need of help. I stopped saying in my heart “Well I’m not THAT bad of a person” and accepted him, gave him my life. I asked him to take over…………

After that, things changed for me. I went on a journey (30 years ago) It hasn’t ended yet. A journey of learning, (from the Holy Spirit) who IS my teacher. I’ve seen so many miracles I’ve lost track. I’ve seen God honor his word and provide for me.

God is holy. I know this. He wants us to be Holy. Why? Because if we are becoming holy (more like him) We are deeper in covenant with him. ALL we have is His, and all he has is ours. I’m not a liberal anynore, and I am not judging God for letting the world go to “hell in a handbasket” as they say. He gives us a choice. Me, You, everyone…..”choose this day” who you will believe in. God does not share his glory with any (other god) and he is not a humanist. He put us in the world, he can take us out if he wants to. He made us, created us TO BE HIS SONS (and daughters)

IF we rebel like satan we are satans’s kids -not his. When I was in defiance, if I had died, I would have gone to hell, and I know that. Yep they were furious when Jesus said “your Father is the devil” (wanted to kill him, and did!!) I undestand now, to be a humanist is to defy God’s discipline, holiness, and who He really is.

“HOW Dare you!” Their flesh said (to Jesus) How dare you not make us feel GOOD about how we are (in our sinful condition) How dare you convict us? Jesus was crucified because people were appalled he dared to say he was the only way. They wanted his miracles, but not his conviction. The Pharisees didn’t want either because they were already rich (and powerful.) They thought they knew God but they only knew his laws, and not his heart. They were full of pride.

Well, the road or door to Salvation is to admit we are wrong, and God is right. There is no other way, and there is no other name by which Men are saved.

JESUS ….the name above all names. Jesus………He’s proven himself to me, time and time again. I didn’t take “Someone else’s word for it” I just heard the preacher and said Okay “make yourself real to me Lord.”

He will rule and reign. Don’t believe me? Ask him! I dare you.

with love, Laura Grace Author, Grace to the Rescue

PS: Yes, I am born again. Filled with the Spirit. and in love with Jesus Christ

AA · abidinginthevine · Al Anon · alwayshope · be humble · becoming Christ-like · becoming whole · beingspiritual · bible studies · Bible study · book of sermons by Laura Grace · churchgrowth · growing · growingingrace · Letting go · run the race without weight · Serenity prayer · Serving Jesus · slowing you down · Uncategorized · victoriousinChrist · victoryingod · wisdom · words of wisdom

Why should I let it go? It’s not fair!!! A suprising look into why the serenity prayer is biblical :)

April 14, 2017 Laura GraceLeave a comment

Serenity Prayer.jpg Greetings! 🙂 Well you may be surprised at what God showed me today. I saw this poster on a friends FB wall, and I thought, “Yes that’s good.”

After awhile I was doing dishes, cleaning, doing housework, and the lights came on! I am always expecting God to reveal to me new things and what he wants to teach me (day by day.). I have built up my faith in this area, I BELIEVE He wants to speak to my heart (daily!).

With that said, What jumped into my spirit was; THE REASON we feel lighter and more free when we let go, is because we are letting go of grudges, unforgiveness, or wrestling with what we should do about a situation. Let’s say someone was really mean to you?

Don’t we often think; “We should say something” to them? Or maybe we should never talk to them again? Or maybe we should pray for them endlessly until they “Get convicted?” Whatever the weight is, it will weigh you down!

check out this passage in Hebrews 12

12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ²looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I hate to admit to you how many countless hours I’ve spent in my life, trying to figure out what to do about something.

There are also times someone does something (that throws me for a loop) and it’s a fight to ward off the after effects of their careless words. I think the enemy likes to send those fiery darts mentioned in Ephesians & magnify to us over and over the wrongs people have done to us. “You need to do something!” He accuses, or they will think you are a pansy, or a doormat.” Sometimes we need to do something, and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we need to just LET IT GO.

Did you ever think about the passage in 1 Corn about love being for YOUR SAKE? (Not so much for others?) The problem with being told we should love more at times is, we think “Why should I? They don’t deserve it!”

Forgiveness is for your sake, not for theirs. If they continue in their ways, they will face the Lord over it. (Or do you not believe this?) YOUR ANGER is a weight, your unforgiveness weighs you down! Your constant obsessions with trying to understand an unreasonable person is like and ankle weight, keeping you from running your race. “LET IT GO NOW” ……….(It’s holding you back)

It’s a blessing if you do! “Father grant me the serenity to accept what I can’t change, and help me to grow in spite of it all, and help me to just let it go……for my sake for your name’s sake, for everyone’s sake! In Jesus’ name amen -Laura Grace Author, speaker, minister of the Lord, and your friend and companion for the gospel.

2 or 3 witnesses · 5 easy steps to solve everything · christslove · church · churchbody · churchgrowth · churchpeople · churchproblems · clashingcymbals · co dependent no · godswisdom · Uncategorized · Word · words of knowledge · words of wisdom

God’s wisdom is foolishness to man and vice versa. That’s not going to change.

April 9, 2017April 9, 2017 Laura GraceLeave a comment

HOLY SPIRIT TEACHING The Holy Spirit is our teacher if we are Christians.

dove flying This word is not just for some Christians. It’s for all of us. What the Holy Spirit shows us will often not line up with “earthly Wisdom” It won’t make any sense to the natural mind. This is why we need to Be supernatural people and not natural people. The Flesh is at war with God. Our natural minds will be at war with God without his help and intervention.

WE PRAY to be able to receive from God. Pray like King David “Father Give me understanding that I might learn your Statutes” “Create in me a clean heart oh God renew a right spirit within me! Take not thy holy Spirit From me Oh Lord! ”

1 Corinthians 3:19

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”

If we are waiting for the world to agree with us, it’s never going to happen. The natural man cannot receive the things of God. We need to be born again, filled with God’s Spirit, and then we can BEGIN to cooperate with The Holy Spirit and be transformed by the renewing of our minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

There is no other way “into the light” ….God is light. And in him there is no darkness at all. Amen -Laura Grace Author and minister of the Lord and MIT (Minister in Training)

bigkidsofgod · born again · churchgrowth · churchpeople · churchproblems · disciplesofchrist · grace to the rescue · gracetogrow · Gracetogrowrealstories · gracetogrowstudy · gracetosoar · gracetotherescueseries · growing · growingingrace · growingraceandtheknowldgeofJesus · immaturechristians · judgingothers · letters to my children · lifeinjesus · light · maturityinchrist · sin · Uncategorized

Little Kids in Big Kid’s Clothing……What is a mature Christian? Do we even know?

January 8, 2017January 8, 2017 Laura GraceLeave a comment

Good Morning! dress up 2.jpg

A lot of stuff we call “sin” is just simple immaturity. I’ve watched Christians for years now, and I’ve been one myself! Still am! But here’s the thing, k? We go to church, we get saved, we are told that God doesn’t see sin when he looks at us anymore, He sees us In Christ (because of what Jesus did for us, amen?).

Then we start to worry about sin. I feel fear, I must be sinning, I looked at someone and thought bad thoughts …..oh dear I am sinning again! When will this ever stop? We feel good when we overcome what we deem to be sin, such as overeating, not caring about church, honoring or not honoring our parents, and so on, and so forth, and so on.

This type of thinking also leads to hyper-vigilance about other people’s sins. “DID YOU SEE THAT?”(We say), “The way she was dressed, in church?” DID YOU SEE (that she is not married, and lives with a guy?) Did you KNOW “I heard” he’s a thief, and a liar!

Sin sniffers! They remind me of children. “Mom, Jeffrey is touching the grapes, that you told him not to touch, MOM MOM MOM!” People go to church, they hear a great sermon, and go out into the world. The sermon was about how drinking and carrying on is the “way of the wicked,” so when they see someone doing those things, they go up and say, “You know, I pray for you, Jesus loves you, he doesn’t want you doing that stuff.” That is not Evangelism. And, It’s not what we are called to do.

One who considers themselves to be MORE Mature might just pray, and when the party animal tells them how much they drank yesterday, they might say “I see, well, I don’t do that stuff anymore, since I met Jesus!” (and consider this to be witnessing for Christ.). As children, while we may be “cute’ to our parents……WE really don’t have a clue (for quite awhile!) Do we? Furthermore, if we don’t listen to the life lessons (that our parents are trying to teach us) we remain clueless!

God doesn’t mind if we are immature, he probably even thinks we are cute! The problem (that we fail to see at times) is that the rest of the world can see it, also.

Most Christians want to learn how to be a better witness, but deep down, they really don’t know how. That’s why I share what I share (and I hope to get better at it) And why I will continue the mission of sharing (for the sake of God’s people) WE NEED TO GROW CHURCH! When I have had the honor of leading someone to Christ, they were ready (God drew them, seeds had been planted, and were watered) so I am nothing but a harvester (by his Grace). I am not a policeman for Jesus! (Selah, think on this)

Then they got “BORN AGAIN” Not just talked into going to church…….(and maybe stopped going, because they weren’t born again, not hungry, it did nothing for them.)

I have not come this far (In Christ) to go back and play “Little Kid Games’ when the world so desperately needs to see Jesus. Look, I’m not trying to be mean here, but really? REALLY Church? THE MANDATE we see in our bible IS Grace to Grow! This is for the believers. GROW……GROW it says……(Ephesians 1) GROW IN Grace…..

What non believers are doing is not really our business…….Come on church! I heard a preacher say once “When I was on my way to hell, I was going in style, with a bottle in one hand and a girl on each arm.” …….to run up to someone and point out how sinful they are is childish, trespassing, and it’s wrong. GOD doesn’t even do that!

How did you come to Christ? Were you drawn by his love and Grace, or were you told what a big hairy sinner you are? (And beaten into submission?). If you went to church to be moral, straighten up your act, and become a self-righteous Pharisee, you are in worse shape than those who are drinking, drugging and living it up! A rampant sinner that cries for mercy has “MORE HOPE” Than you have!!! ……….

So let’s get our eyes off what “everyone else is doing” and how wicked they are, and get back to growing up ourselves! Amen! -Laura Grace, Author, Grace to Grow, Grace to Grow the Study Guide, Grace to soar…….and others. Peace!