And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” 2 Corinthians 9:8–9 (NKJV) There’s a lot of teaching on grace today, and I love it. We just need to remember that grace is not simply God’s ability to put up with your sin. That’s mercy. Grace includes his power to change! It is true that God loves you despite all your mess-ups and problems. God is not angry with you; he accepts you the way you are and you don’t have to earn his love. But his grace …

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matthew 11:29–30 (NKJV) Jesus said that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. This doesn’t mean that life will always be easy. What it
means is you’re yoked (or connected) to Jesus. A yoke is a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to something they are to pull. It’s a beautiful picture for life. As a believer, you aren’t alone. You’re teamed up with Jesus, and his strength never fails! With him, you can change and grow. With him, you can walk …

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6–7 (NKJV) If you’re a believer, every- thing you need is already in your spirit in potential form. If you don’t realize this, the enemy can mess with you. He’ll try to make you think God’s not listening. Meanwhile, it’s not up to God! He is empowering you to overcome, and you have the ability to transform your life by getting into his Word. For example, let’s say you can’t seem to stop worrying. You could start by meditating on today’s verses. Sometimes I like to read a couple different versions of a verse, so …

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29 (NKJV) Within every one of us is
a desire to change. We
can change by beginning to
think and act more like God.
Our verse today teaches us that God planned this. He planned for you to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many. So if you’ve given your life to Jesus, you can develop a strong desire to not only act like God morally, but also to function like him financially (he doesn’t lack anything), in health, in peace, in joy and in every other way. You were created by God to …

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Romans 6:6–7 (NKJV) Yesterday we talked about your power to overcome bad habits, temptations and addictions. According to 1 John 4:17, we believers are like Jesus
in this world, which means we
can overcome anything that threatens to limit us or take us down. We also discussed the key to walking in that freedom: getting the beliefs contained in God’s Word established in our hearts. Let’s say I have a bad habit I can’t seem to kick. I’m using wisdom and willpower to do my best to stop …