One of the questions I get asked the most is “How do I receive from God?” People usually follow that up with “I’ve been praying, reading my Bible, going to church, and paying my tithes. I’ve been doing everything the Bible says to do.” What they don’t realize is that when they say that, they’ve just told me why they don’t receive: they think their performance should earn them something from God. This is a misunderstanding of the balance of grace and faith and their relationship to each other.
The word grace basically means unmerited, undeserved favor. It’s important to understand that grace has nothing to do with you earning anything from God. Grace existed long before you ever came to be. To put it simply, grace is God’s part. Faith is your positive response to what God has already provided by grace. In other words, faith is basically your way of saying yes to God’s grace. Faith only appropriates what God has already provided for you. Therefore, faith is your part.
Grace and faith work together, and they must be in balance.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:8–9
Sometimes we read a passage from Scripture that is so familiar, we don’t stop to think about what it is really saying. In this verse, a profound truth is being declared. It says that we are saved by grace through faith—not one or the other. Think of it this way: Grace is what God does. Faith is what we do. It takes both working together for us to receive salvation, healing, or anything else from God.
Salvation is not dependent on grace alone. If it were, everyone would be saved and going to heaven, because God’s grace is the same toward everyone.
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.
Titus 2:11
God has already done His part; it is now up to you to receive the truth by faith and make it a reality in your life. Amen!
God’s grace has provided not only for salvation but also for every need in your life. That provision is not based on whether you are reading the Bible enough, praying enough, going to church, or even paying your tithes. Before you ever had a financial need, God created the provision. Before you were sick, God, through grace, provided your healing (1 Pet. 2:24). Before you ever became discouraged, God blessed you with all spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3). God anticipated every need you could ever have and met those needs through Jesus before you existed. That’s the grace of God.
Jesus hasn’t saved, healed, delivered, or prospered a single person in the last 2,000 years. What God provided by grace 2,000 years ago now becomes a reality when a person mixes their faith with it. Faith appropriates what God has already provided. Faith doesn’t move God; He isn’t the one who is stuck. Faith doesn’t make God do anything. Grace and faith work together, and our part is to accept what God has already done. Grace must be balanced with faith.
If you put your faith in what God has already done for you, you’ll have the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4). This is absolutely foundational to your relationship with God and could be the reason that you may not be seeing your prayers answered.
God has done His part by giving His Son, Jesus. His grace has provided everything through the sacrifice of Jesus. This is nearly too good to be true because there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn it and nothing we can do to lose it. Our part is simple: we respond to His grace by faith and appropriate what has already been accomplished.
If you enjoyed what I shared here, visit my website at awmi.net, where you’ll find additional free teachings and resources. If you need prayer, I encourage you to call my Helpline at 719-635-1111, where one of my trained prayer ministers would love to pray with you.
We love you,
Andrew and Jamie
