Stop Striving Start Living
You can take whatever you desire from the Kingdom. God, in His grace, has already given us all things—it is up to us to receive them. If you need joy, take it. If you seek peace, take it. Everything you need is already made available.
February 9, 2025
You can take whatever you desire from the Kingdom. God, in His grace, has already given us all things—it is up to us to receive them. If you need joy, take it. If you seek peace, take it. Everything you need is already made available.
The Bible says,
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” .
Notice the emphasis on confidence—not doubt, not hesitation, but boldness. Another word for confidence is boldness. You do not enter the presence of God confused or uncertain about whether your request will be granted. Instead, you come knowing that what you ask for is already yours. As Jesus said,
Mark 11:24 – “When you pray, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”.
People who receive from the Kingdom do so with boldness, not false humility. False humility is common, but the Kingdom is for those who know their identity in Christ. We have received the same spirit of boldness that Christ has. So, when you approach God, come boldly. If you sense a lack of faith, stir yourself up—come boldly!
Now, look at the wording in Hebrews 4:16:
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
The word “receive” can also be translated as “take.” Mercy is something you take. When you come into God’s presence, you must take what is freely available to you. On the other hand, grace is something you discover.
The word “find” in this verse means to uncover what is already present but not yet seen. Mercy is received; grace is discovered.
We all have needs. So, what do we do? We approach God with confidence and boldness to take His mercy and discover His grace. That is all we truly need.To take mercy, you must first recognize that it has been made available. You cannot take what you do not know is yours. But God is rich in mercy and desires to show it to you—so take it!.
Now, how do we discover grace?
Ephesians 1:7-8 – “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.”
Grace is revealed through wisdom and insight. If you want to walk in grace, you must cultivate a heart that is hungry to learn and receive revelation.
Think of Joseph—he had the favor of God that positioned him as prime minister overnight. But what if he had only received favor to enter that position but lacked the wisdom to sustain it? Grace does not only open doors; it also gives you the wisdom to remain where God has placed you.
We do not just seek open doors—we seek the wisdom to maintain what God has entrusted to us. That is why grace comes in the currency of wisdom and insight. There is an abundance of grace available, and you can have as much as you desire. What determines the measure of grace you walk in? The Bible says,
James 4:6 – “God gives more grace to the humble”.
Because the humble are willing to learn.
If you are humble, you can receive more grace. What grace accomplishes in a moment, human effort cannot achieve in a hundred years. You were saved by grace, and you must continue living by that same grace. None of us carried a cross to Calvary and died for our sins—Christ did that for us. Just as we were saved by grace, we must live by grace, walking in the abundant life that is already ours.
Consider when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
John 11:43-44 – “He cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips.”
Imagine the scene: Lazarus was wrapped in burial cloth, his hands and feet tied. Yet, when Jesus called him forth, he still emerged from the tomb. The same power that raised him from the dead also brought him out. Likewise, the same grace that saved you from sin and death is the same grace that will promote you, give you purpose, and bring fruitfulness into your life and ministry. You can step into more and more grace—there is no limit. You can walk in as much grace as you desire!
There are two ways to live: striving or resting in God’s grace. Striving gives you a false sense of satisfaction, as if you achieved something through your own efforts. Imagine two people climbing a mountain. One is struggling, taking two steps up only to fall one step back. The other is already at the top, calling out, “Come, celebrate with me!” The one striving represents the religious mindset; the one at the top represents Christ in you. Before you try to die for Jesus, learn how to live for Him. Your life is not meant to be defined by endless striving but by a grace-filled, effortless life. This does not mean no effort—it means less effort with maximum impact. It means relying on the Holy Spirit rather than human strength. As a church, we declared this year to be the Year of Jubilee. Jubilee, which happens every 50 years, signifies debt cancellation, restoration, and rest. Rest, however, does not mean inactivity; it means engaging in what brings you joy and peace.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. Rest is not just about stopping work—it is about working in a way that brings fulfillment, joy, and peace. True rest is living in alignment with God’s grace, where His joy and peace propel you forward.
The Kingdom of God is defined by these two things: “The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit”. Peace and joy are your inheritance. But just like mercy and grace, you must take your portion. Many believers live passively, waiting for God to give them peace and joy, but the truth is—peace and joy have already been given. You must take hold of them! We often lose peace and joy because of bad circumstances. But how do we regain them? By coming boldly to the throne of grace and taking what belongs to us.
Your external circumstances have not changed. You still have the same bills, the same challenges, and the same responsibilities. Yet, you can stir yourself up in joy and peace anytime. Stop waiting for external situations to change—learn to stir yourself up in the Holy Spirit. It is okay to feel depressed, but it is not okay to stay there. Negative emotions are indicators, not dictators. When you see an indicator light in your car, you do not sit there staring at it—you take action. Likewise, emotions indicate where you are, but they should not control your direction.
You cannot get closer to God than you already are.
Romans 8:35 – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”
Nothing can separate you from Him! However, you can grow in your awareness of His presence.
Prayer is not about “coming closer to God” as if He is distant. Instead, it is about aligning your awareness with the truth that you are already one with Him.
1 Corinthians 6:17 – “He who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.”
You and God are one—there is no separation. When Jesus said, “It is finished”, He ended everything that stood between you and Him.
Who has done this? Who has brought you into such deep union, creating an inseparable oneness? It was not your doing, and because you did not bring it about, you cannot undo it. If you are in Jesus, you are one with God, and there is no way to be separated from Him. The only place separation exists is in your mind, in your awareness—like being in a brightly lit room yet closing your eyes to experience darkness. But that darkness is an illusion. Open your eyes and see that God is one with you. You are already one with Him; let nothing take away this truth.
Jesus said in John 10:30,
John 10:30 – “Me and my Father are one.”
He was not speaking of numerical oneness, as though He were merely another name for the Father. Instead, He described a relationship so intimate that they operate as one being. Just as a father and son remain distinct individuals yet function as a unified family, or as a husband and wife, though two separate people, become one flesh in relationship, so too is the believer’s union with Christ.
Many misunderstand marriage, thinking it is merely a legal or social contract, but in reality, it is a crucifixion of self. Marriage signifies the death of individual independence and the birth of a new, unified entity. This is why in marriage vows, one surrenders personal autonomy, and only through this surrender comes the resurrection of a new life together. The world resists this because people do not want to crucify their egos. Yet, as Galatians 2:20 states,
Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
This union with Jesus means that when people see you, they see Him. Just as a husband and wife cannot be separated in identity, neither can a believer be separated from Christ.
If my right hand knows something, my left hand also knows it. In the same way, you are one with Christ. No matter what you feel or perceive, the truth remains: you are united with Him. Striving as a Christian does not produce fruit; rather, it often leads to frustration. Imagine an artist handing you a finished masterpiece, and you take a brush to add your own strokes to it—this ruins the perfection. In the same way, attempting to add to what Jesus has already completed is futile.
You must recognize what Christ has already accomplished. First, you are already in heaven.
Ephesians 2:6 – God “raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
Second, you are made one with Christ—this is an established fact, not a goal to strive for.
Third, you are already made holy, righteous, and cleansed.
2 Corinthians 5:21 – “For He who knew no sin became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God.”
Righteousness is not something you grow into; it is something you receive.
When Jesus died and was raised, He already made you righteous.
Hebrews 9:14 – “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
The blood of Jesus has purified you. This means that your identity is righteous; you now possess the same nature and character as God. Though you may still struggle with sinful habits, your identity remains unchanged. Can a righteous person struggle with sin? Yes. But the blood of Jesus was shed precisely for this reason—to purify and cleanse. This does not mean grace permits continued sin. Imagine rescuing someone from a pit, only for them to jump back in. When God delivers you from sin, it is not so you can return to it, but so you can walk in freedom.
Romans 6:14 – “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”
Many struggle with sin because they fail to believe the truth about their identity. When someone battling addiction begins to believe, “I am the righteousness of God,” that addiction loses its grip. The issue is not just behavior; it is a belief problem. 2 Corinthians 5:17 affirms,
2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
You are not merely a sinner forgiven—you have been completely remade. Jesus did not simply repair you; He recreated you. Therefore, believe what God says about you over what society says, over what the enemy says, and even over what you say about yourself. Society may label you based on your past, but God declares you are His righteousness. The enemy may whisper lies of defeat, but you must stand on the truth. And even your own self-perception can be flawed, yet God’s word is unchanging and perfect.
Many times, mentors and leaders see potential in us that we fail to recognize in ourselves. The Creator knows His creation better than the creation knows itself. Let God’s word define you. Colossians 1:12 states, “He has qualified you.”
Colossians 1:12 – giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
You have been made worthy. God did not take pity on you as something worthless; you were always His beloved child, and through Christ, He has restored you. John 3:16 declares that God loved the world even before the cross. If He loved you while you were still in sin, how much more does He love you now that you belong to Him?
Nothing can separate you from His love. Your identity is to be loved, for as 1 John 4:19 says,
1 John 4:19 – “We love because He first loved us.”
If you don’t know how much God loves you, you cannot truly love others. The primary question in life is not, “Do I love God enough?” but rather, “Do I know that I am loved enough?” His love is not just a concept or a phrase we repeat—“God is good all the time”—but a deep conviction that should settle in our hearts.
A person who walks in the awareness of God’s love cannot contain it; it will naturally overflow. When we are filled with His love, love flows from us effortlessly. If you ever feel like you lack the capacity to love, it simply means you need to be filled again—filled with the reality that you are loved, made righteous, and made holy by God. Christ has finished everything, and we do not add to His work; we only live from it. However, the distractions of the world constantly try to pull us away from this truth. Media, bank statements, job pressures—all these voices tell us things that contradict what Christ has already accomplished. Even though we are one with God, we often don’t feel that way. So how do we realign ourselves with the truth? Through thanksgiving. Thanksgiving should not be limited to Sundays—it should be a lifestyle. When we give thanks, we acknowledge what God has already done, not just what He will do. This shifts our minds back to the truth and builds conviction in our hearts.
It moves from being just head knowledge to a deep assurance: “Thank You, Jesus. I am loved. I am Your beloved. I am the righteousness of God.” And how long should we do this? Until we are fully convinced.
Everything we do in the kingdom is not to convince God—it is to convince ourselves. God is a God of faith, but sometimes, we are unbelieving believers. When bad news comes, we must remind ourselves, “Calm down. You are God’s beloved.” We live from a place of victory, not for victory. We live from righteousness, not for righteousness. Being one with God means that everything He has is ours, just as in any close relationship where what belongs to one person naturally belongs to the other. If we are truly united with Him, our problems become His, and His abundance becomes ours. It’s a flow, a divine exchange.
Consider this: when you plug a device into an electrical socket, the power flows without asking any questions about your background, status, or qualifications. In the same way, when we are plugged into God, His life flows into us effortlessly. There are no requirements—no need to pray a certain amount, read a certain number of chapters, or meet specific religious expectations. If you are connected to Him, His life naturally flows in you. As Jesus said in John 10:10,
John 10:10 – “I came to give you life and life abundant.”
This abundant life is not just for heaven—it is for here and now.
So, what do we do with this gift of life? We live! We stop striving and start living in Jesus. We do not add to what Christ has done—we simply receive it. This is the life of rest, the life of assurance in the Father’s love. Many people seek purpose—discipling nations, establishing God’s kingdom, preaching the gospel—but nothing flows unless our primary purpose is first to be loved by the Father. His greatest desire is to love us, and our greatest calling is to receive that love.
Psalm 147:11 – “He is not impressed by the strength of a horse, nor by how fast a man can run; He is impressed by those who deeply trust in His unfailing love.”
This means that while sharing the gospel and leading people to Christ is wonderful, what impresses God even more is when we trust in His love—especially when circumstances give us no natural reason to believe.
So how do we apply this truth? Through thanksgiving. A lifestyle of thanksgiving keeps us aligned with God’s truth, reminding us that we are one with Him and deeply loved. When we live from this place, our lives become filled with peace, joy, and fruitfulness—effortlessly. Even if no one else believes in you, God does. He believes in you because He knows what He has deposited within you. He is committed to you—committed to loving you and being faithful to you. Heaven rejoices over you. There is no turning back, for God has invested so much in you. He is with you, always.
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