Let go & learn to enjoy

by Joyce Meyer

Living by Grace

When you and I learn how to live by grace, we can really begin to enjoy every single day of our lives.

Grace is the power of God that enables us to do with ease what we could never do on our own—regardless of the amount of effort or struggle we put forth.

When we attempt to use our own strength to try and be the person God wants us to be and do the things He has called us to do, we are operating in the flesh. Although God does call us to work, He does not call us to get into works of the flesh. It is important that we understand the difference, because when we move out of grace and into works, we end up frustrated and unable to enjoy our lives.

In order for you and me to live by grace, free from frustration and experiencing the fullness of joy Jesus came to give us, there are two very important things we must learn. The first one is how to abide in Christ and the second is how to receive from God.

Abiding In Christ
Abiding is not the same as visiting. The place where we abide is the place where we live—it’s our permanent address. John 15:1-11 talks about abiding in Christ. In verse 7 Jesus says, If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. If we want to be vitally united with Christ, we must learn to abide in Him, which means maintaining a close relationship with God.

Over my years in ministry, I have seen that one of the things people struggle with more than anything else is establishing a time of daily prayer and Bible study. For many of us it may be easier to go to church every day than it is to spend personal time with God. The decisions not to turn off the TV or not to get out of bed earlier or not to spend so much time talking with friends are some of the things that keep us from fellowship with the Lord. There are also the many distractions the enemy sends our way to keep us from what he knows will empower us to overcome his strongholds in our lives.

I believe one of the main reasons you and I battle so much in this area is that we tend to develop a “formula” for spending time with God, and after awhile it becomes boring and we give it up. This is especially true at the start of the New Year. We get all excited about making a fresh start and doing everything right. For instance: Let’s say we decide to read six chapters of the Bible every day. Everything’s going fine, and then one day we’re unable to do it. Now we feel like we need to read twelve chapters the next day to catch up. Pretty soon we’re 100 chapters behind, feeling frustrated, hopeless and condemned. How do I know this? Because I’ve done it before.

The problem is we’ve made reading the Bible a rigid rule—a law that we’re trying to live by. When we’re living by law and not by grace, we can’t enjoy our lives or our relationship with God. To overcome this pattern, I recommend reading a book about the Bible for a few days, spending some time worshipping or just sitting quietly in God’s presence. When you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in your devotional times, He will keep your time with God fresh and full of life.

As you and I abide in Christ and follow the leading of His spirit, joy and gladness are released in full measure. In John 15:11 Jesus says, I have told you these things, [about abiding in me] that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing. It seems clear that Jesus wants us to enjoy our lives. So, if we are struggling with frustration—a sign that we are into works of the flesh—we need to check and see if we are spending enough time with God and receiving His grace.

Receiving from God
The second thing we need to learn in order to live by grace and enjoy our lives, is how to receive from God. God’s purpose for bringing us into a relationship with Himself is not so we can try to do things to earn His blessings. He wants us to learn how to rest in our relationship with Him and receive the things that He already has for us.

In John 15:4 Jesus says, Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you…. Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. Branches don’t bear fruit by themselves. They bear fruit because they’re attached to the vine. The vine contains the sap which provides all the necessary nutrients to sustain life and produce fruit. In the same way, we can’t accomplish the purposes God has for our lives by ourselves. We must dwell in Him and receive from Him everything necessary to sustain life and produce fruit.

You and I are grafted into the Vine, Christ Jesus, to receive something—life. As we receive His life, we will naturally bear fruit. The Bible does not say that we get saved, we get mercy or we get the Holy Spirit. It does say that we receive forgiveness for our sins, we receive the Holy Spirit and we receive power to become the sons of God.(1) If we want to enjoy our lives, we need to be free from a worksoriented mentality and learn to lean totally on God for everything. Receiving His grace provides all the strength, wisdom and ability we need to accomplish the work He has given us to do.

By nature I’m a very strong-willed person, and years ago I had a real problem with impatience. It is an area I’ve struggled with on and off my whole life. I could never have established this ministry, working with all of the people who are involved, if I had not learned how to receive God’s grace to be patient. That’s what our walk of faith is all about…[the leaning of [our] entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness]… (Colossians 1:4). As I grew in my walk with the Lord, I learned that I could lean on Jesus by faith and choose to be patient. Rather than try to do it in my own strength, I could put my trust in God’s Word and receive His grace to be patient each step of the way.

If you have been struggling with abiding in Christ and receiving His grace to enjoy your life, I encourage you to ask God for help. Pray a simple prayer like, “Lord, please forgive me for trying to do things in my own strength. I choose to trust in You. I know that all the grace I need for every area of my life is available to me as I abide in the Vine. I receive Your grace to help me (name specific areas where you need God’s grace to bring change in your life). Help me to trust You each step of the way, leaning and depending on you…totally. Thank You, Lord, that as I learn to live by grace, I will experience the fullness of joy You have for me and truly enjoy my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”