Divine Influence PDF Download

Grace, as it is commonly understood, is God's unmerited favor. This definition of grace is impoverished because it makes grace a characteristic of God rather than the presence of His Spirit within our heart. It is from our heart that we are to listen and follow Him. Grace is God's divine influence upon our heart and His expression in and through us. Living in grace shifts us from trying to live beliefs in our mind to believing in our heart where our Lord and Savior resides. Jesus demonstrated how to live in grace. He repeatedly emphasized that He said and did nothing but what Father God did in and through Him. We are to live as Jesus did by receiving and surrendering to God's Spirit within our heart. We are to listen and heed His voice and promptings from within. This book explains how to live in grace and develop an intimate relationship with God our Father through His Spirit residing in our heart. Jesus made it possible for us to come out from under the law and live in grace. This is the abundant life Jesus won for us. Trying to obey written words from Scripture can become laws we try to keep and cause us to deny Christ-God's Spirit-within us. Without understanding grace, Scriptures can seem to conflict with one another such as "a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Romans 3:28) and "a man is justified by works and not by faith alone" (James 2:24). Without understanding grace, Scripture can seem condemning and impossible to live such as "He who commits sin is of the devil" (1 John 3:8) and "No one born of God commits sin; for God's nature abides in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God" (1 John 3:9). Early Christians understood the importance of grace. Their epistles in the New Testament start and end with the word grace. This book is a comprehensive Biblical study of grace with over 300 Scriptures interspersed with the author's discussion about the importance of living in grace. The author wanted to make sure that her new understanding of grace agreed with what Scripture says about Christ and what it means to be a believer. A sequel to this book, Living In Grace, is the author's testimony of how she lives in grace and the significant difference it has made in her life. This book is written for those who have submitted their life to Christ, yet have not entered the freedom and victory of living in grace that Jesus made possible for us. The purpose of this book is to increase your understanding of: How to come out from under the burden and bondages of trying to live by Scripture beliefs and laws and enter into the freedom and victory of living in grace by believing in Christ-God's Spirit-within your heart. How to have faith in a Living God rather than just having knowledge about God from the Bible. How to have a faith based on the Spirit of Truth in your heart rather than knowledge in your mind. How to hear God speak with you and develop a love relationship with your Lord and Savior.