As well as possessing “overcoming faith” every child of God also possesses “overcoming grace.”

Grace is much, much more than “unmerited favor” as it has often been defined. Thank God, grace is most certainly His free, unmerited, unearned favor – but it is even more amazing and astounding!  The Holy Spirit desires to enlarge our capacity to understand and experience God’s grace in all possible aspects. As well as possessing “overcoming faith” every child of God also possesses “overcoming grace.” Using his own experience, Paul explains how this abundant, overcoming grace comes to us in our time of need.

Paul spoke of all that he did in serving Christ and then he added, “Not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Cor. 15:10). Paul saw the grace of God as something that empowered him to lay down his life for the cause of Christ. He understood God’s grace as something that was available in his greatest time of need. He realized that God’s grace was the motivating force behind all that he had accomplished. When the angel of Satan was tormenting him, Jesus revealed that the grace of God would energize Paul to overcome the attacks of this supernatural spirit-being. (See 2 Cor. 12:7-10)

WHAT WAS THAT “THORN?”

Paul’s thorn was not sickness or some form of physical disability. This thorn in Paul’s flesh was not a natural weakness or some carnal tendency to sin. This “thorn in the flesh” was a supernatural spirit-being sent to harass him and hinder his preaching. Paul met with fierce opposition wherever he preached the uncompromising Gospel. He tells in his letters of the many sufferings he went through to take the Gospel to unreached peoples. The Lord did not tell Paul that He would not remove this devilish spirit that was attacking him as he labored in the Kingdom of God, but rather He said that “My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  “Paul,” Jesus was saying, “All the power you need is already yours. Your present trials are just bringing you to the end of yourself so you can discover the abundance of grace that is in you to resist and overcome these attacks. Trust in that grace to help you overcome these present challenges.” After having gone through these trials in his ministry and based on his own experiences of “overcoming grace,” Paul was able to say with great certainty to a younger minister - “You therefore Timothy my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:1).

The Holy Spirit desires to enlarge our capacity to understand and experience God’s grace in all possible aspects.

BE STRONG IN THE LORD!

Grace is the anointing of the Spirit within and upon us. Grace is God’s own ability working through us. It is God’s supernatural favor to us when we least deserve it. Grace is something that is given to us as we need it. It has been said that the Law would make us “workers,” but Grace would make us “resters.”  As we recognize our weaknesses and commit them to the Lord, we find out the true meaning of being “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”  We are not strong in ourselves and our personal determination, but strong in His overcoming ability (grace) working through us. We become stronger through His grace that equips us to meet the challenges we face in life and ministry. His grace will never let us down or forsake us!

Paul said, “When I am weak then the anointing, ability, and grace of Christ rests upon me.”  You can be fully assured that if the power of Christ was resting on Paul, the angel of Satan was thoroughly defeated!  This “thorn in Paul’s flesh” could not stand against this overflowing grace that accompanied him!  The Holy Spirit is in you as the Spirit of Grace (Heb. 10:29). No devilish power can stand against the “Greater One” that abides in you!

He realized that God’s grace was the motivating force behind all that he had accomplished.

All the power we will ever need for victory is already in us. There is no need to ask for any “extra” power, anointing or authority. The written Word assures us that the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead also abides in our mortal bodies. Christ Himself abiding within our inner man is our “Hope of Glory.” Our great need is to learn how to cooperate with Him, the Holy Spirit, and better yield to Him.  He, who is this wonderful Spirit of Grace, is also the voice of Christ in our inner man. He is to guide us into all truth or reality. He is our personal teacher, comforter and helper. He is in us to show us the things freely given to us by God.  One of the things freely given us is His indwelling Presence!  It is time for us to become “God-inside minded.”  Living daily in God’s grace makes us more sensitive and conscious to His presence within. This is possible because of the grace of God, which is now available to us in the New Covenant!  Trust and rest in His grace! Thank Him for His grace which is always available in our time of need!