Have you ever been frustrated when you failed to receive something from God? Have you ever thought or said, “God I don’t understand why this is happening, I do…” You could finish that sentence with any number of things, but it is a thought that most Christians have had. There is a problem with this statement however, and the root of this kind of thinking is a major reason why many are failing to receive in the first place. It is a problem based on a failure to believe in the grace of God.

Ephesians 2:8 it says, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Now this word “saved” does not simply mean the new birth. Salvation includes freedom from the entirety of the curse and all that the devil would try to bring on you. “Saved” means healed, prosperous, free from fear and everything else under the curse just as much as it means the new birth. In 2 Corinthians 8:9 we read, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, for your sakes He became poor, in order that you might be made rich through His poverty.”

Grace is a free gift. It is not something you deserve and you cannot earn it.

In both of these scriptures the Word of God is talking about freedom from the curse. In Ephesians 2:8 it’s referring to the new birth, healing, prosperity, and much more. It’s all inclusive. In 2 Corinthians 8:9 it is specifically talking about financial prosperity, which is riches and wealth. However, notice that in each of these verses the thing that comes first is “grace.” “By grace are we saved,” and “For you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Without the grace of God we would not have the freedom these verses are talking about.

Grace is a free gift. It is not something you deserve and you cannot earn it. It is a gift or favor bestowed upon you apart from anything that you have done. In our minds, we would all agree with the fact that salvation from the entirety of the curse is by grace, but the mindset that produced the statement “God I don’t understand why this is happening” tells us we really don’t believe it.

You see, when you think like this what you are really doing is basing what you are believing for on your own works. You may say, “God I don’t know why my child is living in sin, I took them to church every Sunday.” Or, “God I don’t know why I’m sick, I read my Word and make confessions everyday.” Or, “God I don’t know why we are having such financial difficulty, we tithe and sow seed.” These are all good works, but if you are basing your freedom on what you are doing it is still works. You are trusting in what you do instead of what Jesus did. You are not believing in the grace.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t read the Word or make confessions. I’m not saying that tithing and sowing seed is not a part of your prosperity. What I am saying is these outward works cannot be what you are resting your faith on in order to receive from God. You must believe in the grace. You must believe in the free gift. You must know that these things cannot be earned. What reading your Word, confessing and sowing seed does is it positions you to receive the grace. It does not earn the manifestation for you.

Allow your outward works to be the corresponding action to your faith in His grace.

I encourage you to begin to renew your mind concerning the grace of God. Allow the Holy Spirit to show you how to receive that grace. When you obey the Word and do those faith acts, do not allow yourself to trust in your outward works to receive. Trust in the grace of God that has already purchased everything that you will ever need to succeed in life. Allow your outward works to be the corresponding action to your faith in His grace. Really meditate on the fact that you are not trying to earn anything from God, you are simply receiving from Him. If you are ever going to receive anything from God you must have this mindset. You must believe in the grace that has already been provided, because you can’t earn it.