Gracious words are pure. — Proverbs 15:26b

Grace is like the sun or the rain. It comes to us freely from heaven whether or not we deserve it, whether or not we ask for it, whether or not we respond to it. Grace is always pure because it comes without an agenda. The Holy One does not shed grace in our direction in order to get us to do or be something.

We don't need to try to decipher what heaven is trying to get out of us whenever grace suddenly shows up in our lives. There are no conditions to receiving it. It is simply a gift. In this, it is the purest thing we know.

When our words are gracious, they too become pure. So often our words are tinged with manipulation. We have something in our minds behind the words.

Some words expose the anger in our hearts. Some words seek a response of caring. Some words show our importance. Some words get us out of trouble. Some words expect something in return. Some words engender love and tenderness.

When we speak words of grace, we speak without anything hidden behind the words. They flow from our lips like water tumbling over rocks—clear, pure and beautiful. There is no motive behind them but a desire to honor and bless those to whom they are spoken. These gracious words, born in the silence of our soul, come straight from heaven and are always the sign that heaven has come near.

Gracious God, let my words be gracious and pure, like oil that anoints and heals the heart.

about living by faith

To live by faith is to live the supreme life. To live by sight means we are imprisoned by what we see, feel, touch, and sense. The unseen love of the creator that is available to us can lift us up, up and away from the things of earth. The relationships gone wrong, the piles of emotional garbage we carry from our past, and the mountains of problems we carry on our back suddenly disappear when we live by faith in love. The "seen" tangibles of life can hurt and destroy us. When we live by faith the Light of Gods love, and the encompassing comfort of the Holy Spirit brings us back to life as it should be lived a life lived by faith in love. 2 Corinthians 5:7 We live by faith , not by sight.(NIV)

about never giving in

There are times when you want to give up and give in. There are pressures and forces of darkness and evil that twist you and turn you. The power of evil lurks behind you and whispers in your ear while at the same time this same dark power tries to directly crush your spirit with an in-your-face assault. In your dark and lonely moments, when you think you do not have the strength to wage this war, you must remember you have more going for you than you can ever know. At this minute, as you read these words, Christ Jesus is standing next to you pouring out His spirit of strength, encouragement, and sustaining power upon you. At this very minute, as you read these words, Christ Jesus is calling upon you to hold fast and not give in.
For Jesus knows what is just ahead of you.

Jesus can see the golden rays of heaven that will someday wrap their splendor around you. Your crucial battle in these minutes with this present darkness can be won not by your human will but by your simply turning your human will in the direction of God's will. There are many costs to standing firm for Christ. However, there is no cost greater than the cost He paid for each of us upon His Cross. Because He did so much, He knows you can do this little bit of standing firm and never ever giving in.