If we don’t understand what Jesus did for us on the cross, we can spend our entire lives trying to get something that was made available to us two thousand years ago. Many people are unaware of how the covenant of grace, which began at His death, impacts their lives. Whether we need healing, deliverance from trouble, prosperity, peace of mind, or anything else, we don’t have to struggle on our own to see manifestations of it. The finished works of Jesus freed us from self-effort, and now we can claim what we need by believing we’ve already received it.

The three words Jesus uttered just before He died, “It is finished,” made it so. It’s a done deal. When we got born again, we moved from the natural realm, in which there are many limitations to what we can claim, to the supernatural, where there are no limitations. We moved from being children in bondage to our works to children living in the freedom of Jesus’ works.

Our belief in God’s love and favor toward us moves us into a position to receive from Him; steadfastly standing in faith and walking in the authority we have as believers completes the process. We don’t have to beg Him to do something He has already done, but instead thank and praise Him. The shift from the need to perform to the need to believe is evidenced by the requirements for laying hold of eternal life. Before Jesus’ death, keeping the commandments was necessary; after His resurrection, all that was necessary was to believe in Him.

We can be thankful that faith gives us access to grace, and we can rejoice because our hope comes from God. We don’t even have to rely on our own faith, which can waver, but on the perfect, unwavering faith of Christ. God’s grace has given us everything we need for an awesome life. Faith connects us to it.

Prayer:

God, we could never do all that’s required of us through our own efforts, so Jesus did it all, perfectly, on our behalf. The faith with which You blessed us connects us to all the good things You want us to enjoy. In Jesus’ name, thank You. Amen.

Scriptures:

• John 19:30
• Galatians 4:31, AMPC
• Matthew 19:16-19
• Acts 16:27-31
• Romans 3:22
• Ephesians 2:8