Open Your Eyes

What is Grace?   Grace is unmerited favor, undeserved favor. You can’t earn it. It is a GIFT. Some teach it as empowerment to not sin. While it is true that it empowers you to not sin and live an abundant life it is not empowerment. It produces empowerment but it is not empowerment. It is unearned, unmerited favor. It is a GIFT that cannot be earned by your performance in any way. Gifts can only be received.

2 Corinthians 9:8 is a KEY scripture on grace. The KJV version says “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work”. Notice that the “is” is in italics. Anytime you see italics in the Bible it means that it has been added and was not there in the original Greek. “Is able” is future tense in the KJV and should be present tense as it is in Greek. “Is able” is not correct.  It should be translated as “continuously enabling” which is in the present tense. Wrong translation lead to wrong teaching which leads to wrong believing. Translated from Greek it should say “God is continuously enabling all grace to abound toward me, that I, always have sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work.” Is able would mean that God is able to do it in the future. This creates doubt in your mind...  "Yes, I know God is able and can do anything but WILL He do it for me?”  There is no will do with God, only HAS DONE.  We live on the other side of the cross; we are New Covenant believers. There are no uncertainties for us!  EVERYTHING that you will EVER need on this earth to thrive has ALREADY been done. No will do’s! ALREADY DONE!!! DONE!!! DONE!!!

Two thousand years ago, on that cross, when Jesus said “it is finished” a dynamite went off in the spirit realm. The word “able” here is “dunamis” in Greek which means dynamite...an explosive force. Dunamis is not just any power...it refers to MIRACULOUS POWER, MIGHT AND STRENGTH; MIRACULOUS WORKS. When the Bible uses this word dunamis, it never refers to our strength or ability but rather to HIS power through us. Those three divine words released an explosive tsunami of grace into your life that has been flowing since you accepted Christ as your Savior.

If this is true then “why” am I not experiencing it in my circumstances you may ask. First, of all, as humans we are very flesh conscious, very material conscious. We are a people that goes by sight. Since we were young we did not know God’s ways. God’s ways are ways of “faith”. Faith is His currency, His medium of exchange. Some people teach that faith produces things. This is error... it is NOT accurate. They teach when you have enough faith it will produce what you want. New Age people teach this. It is WRONG!!! You hear this from Christians all the time...“I wish I had more faith”...”I guess I didn’t have enough faith to get my miracle.” This teaching is pointing to YOU and not to CHRIST and HIS finished work. This is wrong teaching which blinds us to the truth. It leads  to wrong thinking which leads to wrong living.

Bible faith is opening up your spiritual eyes to see what God is already doing in your life. It is not you believing long enough and the healing will be there. It is opening up your eyes to see that healing is all over you and start thanking God that you are healed. Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Faith substantiates the invisible. Even though right now you may not even have $10 in your pocket thank God that all favor is abounding toward you and He will do miracles. Everything in the kingdom works by Faith. Faith doesn’t mean that “you” make the thing real. It is already real in the invisible realm. Your faith substantiates what is real in your life.

When I asked God why haven’t I been able to see certain things He said to me “your eyes have been sealed with self righteousness.” Most of us are products of wrong believing which results from wrong teaching. This wrong teaching goes all the way back to the days of Noah. Rebellion against God began soon after the flood as civilizations were restored. After the flood there was, at some point, a breakaway from Yahweh. Only eight people descended from the Ark. Those people worshipped the Lord but at some point an influential person become opposed to God and gathered others to his side. This man was the great grandson of Noah. His name was Nimrod and he birthed the system (religious, economic and political system) our entire world operates under.  Nimrod means “the rebel” and oh what a rebel he was. In Genesis 10:8-11 we learn that Nimrod established a kingdom that would rebel against God and produce a system that the entire world would be in bondage to. He persuaded people that it was their courage and strength that procured their happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny...seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence upon His power. His descendants were the ones who began building the tower of Babel where the tongues were changed. Nimrod started his kingdom in Babylon which is modern day Iraq.

Today we see it working in full force, the source behind much of the depravity found all over the world. The Bible tells us that in the last days the pervading influence of the Babylonian system will profoundly affect the world. Revelation 18:3 says “For all nations of the earth have been made spiritually drunk by this entity called Babylon.” The nations are unable to grasp or understand the purposes or plan of God. They do not know how to achieve happiness, or how to bring about true fulfillment in the lives of their peoples. Today we find ourselves in a mess of seemingly unsolvable problems involving war and peace, racial division, crime and violence, famine, poverty, catastrophic weather conditions and breakdown of home and family. Peace and happiness seem to be beyond the grasp of millions of people. Why? Because they are operating under a false system that has taught them to depend on themselves and the system.  

This Babylonian meritocracy has blinded us and programmed us with wrong believing. For decades we have heard pastors preach and teach on character, morality and living right yet our society continues to slide further and further into the the dark abyss of immorality. The focus has been on US and OUR behavior. We don’t have a living right problem we have a believing right problem. Get the thinking right and the living right follows. This wrong thinking has been a strategy used by the enemy for thousands of years. Keep us blind to our identity and keep control of us. He has controlled us through lies and deception. This ministry was birthed to OPEN YOUR EYES to the truth of WHO YOU ARE.

Our whole lives we have been trained to believe we must EARN it. Why? Because of what happened in Genesis 3:5…”For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible. Without it, we can’t begin to understand the darkness that blankets the earth. Adam and Eve were created perfect by God, and the devil stole their identity. He uses the same play book today my friend. Satan deceived them into believing that God is less than He is and that man is more than he is. In other words, he implied that God felt threatened by the wonderful things that they would become, so He restricted their full humanity. The serpent was calling into question God’s character and trustworthiness. Before this deception Adam and Eve had depended on God to explain reality for them. The serpent suggested that they could now become autonomous and decide what is true for themselves. He reduced God’s Word to the level of a mere opinion or viewpoint, while man became the measure of what is “true for me.” Self determination was more desirable to them than continued trust in and obedience to God. So, they did open their eyes but to the WRONG tree! They opened their eyes to the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil which represents “the law”. And THIS is how Satan usurped the earth and took the dominion that God gave to man. He is Prince of the Power of the Air and because of their choice He has controlled mankind through guilt and condemnation through our performance. The law is ALL about YOU and your performance. It points to YOU and not to Christ. Fortunately for us God had a plan of redemption for man and sent His Son to reclaim that dominion. As believers we now have the authority over the enemy that Adam and Eve lost. God restored our identity and now expects us to exercise it and walk in it.

Satan is an author of deceit and distraction… a master of smoke and mirrors. Keep them blind to the truth and deceive them into believing that they must earn their own righteousness. He knew that if he kept us from our “who” and kept us focused on our “do” he could control us, he could keep us from fulfilling our assignment. Steal your identity thereby steal your purpose. The devil’s ultimate purpose in His kingdom is to steal your identity! By stealing your identity he prevents you from fulfilling your destiny which always involves bringing others into the light. This is the reason this ministry was birthed. To OPEN THE EYES of GOD’S CHILDREN to GRACE... to the truth of WHO WE ARE. Our eyes have been OPENED but to the wrong thing! Opened to law and sealed shut to grace.  We have been partaking from the wrong tree! Our tree is the TREE OF LIFE. That tree of life is JESUS CHRIST. As Christians our eyes must be opened to the truth of what has already been done for us. To the truth of our authority in Christ. Our eyes have been sealed by the evil one who has already been defeated. He wants us to think that we are defeated too! Misery loves company! He knows that once our eyes are opened to the truth that there is NO stopping us! Keeping us in the dark has been his strategy the whole time. Keeping us from knowing who we are keeps us from exercising our authority over him. The day you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior is the day you defeated Him.

Operating by our five senses is to live a temporal life, a lower life. As Christians we are to reprogram our mind to what God says. We are not to live by our five senses. We are not to be moved by what we can see, feel or touch. We are to live a higher life and have a kingdom mindset; that SEES life through our spiritual eyes. Ephesians 1:21 says “Our Lord Jesus is far above all principality and power and might and dominion, every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.” This means that as Christians we are FAR ABOVE Satan and his minions. In Christ we have ALL authority over Him. THIS is WHY my beloved sisters He has kept us in the dark. He wants control. He wants power. He wants dominion. He wants might. This is the reason He rebelled against God. He wanted to BE GOD. He wanted to be worshipped and praised. The only way he can have it is to deceive you and lie to you. By keeping you blind to your identity. By blinding you he keeps you from fulfilling your purpose.

We've been raised in a meritocracy that embraces our own effort and strength. We are praised and highly regarded when we perform well and it’s been drilled into our brains since birth. “Do good, get good, do bad, get bad.” We have been taught to look inward not outward. That WE are the source of our happiness and success. “If it’s gonna be then it’s up to ME.” It’s the same lie that Satan used to deceive Adam and Eve in the garden. You see it all boils down to one thing...having your eyes OPENED to the truth. You have been putting up with his lies, deception, and garbage because your eyes have been sealed with YOUR own self righteousness. He blinded you to the truth of WHO YOU ARE. If you knew that your identity was in Christ perfect, finished work you wouldn’t be looking at your own imperfect self trying to earn your way to God...trying to become your own Savior.  It’s ALL about you being enlightened to the truth of who you are. Without Christ we are nothing, can do nothing. His grace flows in our lives with no kinks when we admit we don’t deserve any of it. It’s a gift that we receive because He loves us. It’s that simple. He blesses us because He loves us. He doesn’t bless us because we are good. He blesses us because HE is good. Once this becomes a revelation to us in our hearts we can receive His gift. Does it take some suffering to get there? It does. Dying to our flesh is the hardest part of all. Our flesh is prideful and wants the acknowledgement, praise and pat on the back for a job well done. The flesh screams and craves the spotlight. But in Grace there is only room in the spotlight for one and His name is JESUS...the name above all names. Christ gets ALL of the praise. A gift you don’t boast in you just receive and THANK God for it.

My friend, my prayer for you today is that YOUR EYES BE OPENED TO GRACE. That your eyes be opened to ALL of the abundant blessings that God unleashed on you the day you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior. That you would walk in the authority that the blood of Jesus paid such a high price for. That you would know that you are greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved by your Father who gave everything for YOU. Your worth and value were established long before He sent you to this earth. Jeremiah 1:5 says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  

God Bless You!

In Christ, Sherry :-)

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