Tucking in my son at night and the words keep flooding his little mind, much like a broken record. Reminiscing each hurtful lie, brings hurt and tears. Honestly it's quite hard for any Mommy to watch. Yet we (Holy Spirit and I) refuse to allow the enemy to identify one who is destined for greatness, as we are all created to manifest Jesus our Lord. His identity is being molded by the King of kings and no lie shall stand. Our identity in Christ, how important it is to know, Christ in you, the hope of glory.

I got to tell my son about the cross, about His love, His blood, His grace. How because of Jesus, because of His grace, we can forgive these people who have hurt us and eventually they won't even be able to hurt us anymore. When we have His grace, it's not just words from the bible that tell us the "right" thing to do, it's His power in us to actually walk it out.

I watched as this reality flooded his spirit. He grabbed my hand and began to pray for these kids. The very ones who had said such hurtful things to him. I watched as the Spirit of Grace flooded the room and His love and forgiveness saturated my son's little heart. He sobbed at the love he felt the Father had for these children and forgave them just as Jesus has forgiven us. He prayed for the love of God to pour out all over these kids. Wow, what a prayer that touches the heart of our Father. Such selflessness. A little laid down life. We are not our own, we were created for Him, for Jesus.

In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus is telling the crowd... He says, "43 You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44. But I tell you, love your enemy and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven.....48 Be perfect therefore as your heavenly father is perfect."

How can we be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect? It's only by His grace through relationship with Him. Grace is dependent upon relationship. Sure we may trip up and stumble but we run to Him, unashamed and ask Him to change us.

Without a relationship with Him and knowing His love, we will constantly feel as if we aren't good enough and could never measure up and feel condemned. We would identify ourselves as being "just sinners" who have prayed a prayer to go to heaven but there would be no transformation. When in reality, grace has come through Jesus to bring us back to our original value and put heaven back into us. He has come to make us pure and holy and to walk in righteousness through Jesus. Grace is God's empowerment to change.

So instead of saying, "Well, I just cursed out that man on the road who just cut me off, thank God for His grace."....rather His grace would empower you to not even be upset about it. It makes me think about the martyrs for Christ, who have given their lives for the gospel and the name of Jesus is upon their lips as they are being put to death on this earth. They have loved not their own lives unto death. They have denied their selves, taken up their cross and followed Him. What a testimony of His grace, His love.

John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

We were born with a sin nature, born into Adam, that's why we must be born again into Christ. Grace came on a cross and gladly gave His life for us to become the righteousness of God. (Romans 5:12-21)

Dan Mohler gives an incredible example of this. He talks about how when Adam and Eve were in the garden after they sinned, they covered themselves in fig leaves. When they would look at those fig leaves, it reminded them of their sin. So God the Father came and killed (sacrificed) an animal to get the skins to cover them. It's a foreshadow of the blood of Jesus, saving us from our shame and sin, but it's also a picture of Him covering us with His righteousness. So now, instead of the constant reminder of their sin, they can look down at the animal skins from the Father and be reminded of His covering, of His righteousness.

Romans 5:17 "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ."

Grace makes the impossible, possible!

I believe that right now God is allowing us to see and understand His great grace in greater revelation and understanding! That as we proclaim His grace like an anthem, that it will ring through the cities and nations and change the way that people see themselves. That through the eyes of Jesus' blood they will understand His grace for humanity. As we see ourselves through blood filtered lenses, we will be able to see others through the same blood. His grace enables us to see them through His eyes. His grace is available to live holy as He is holy, to love as He loves, to walk as He walks, talk as He talks, to bring the Kingdom to earth. He lives in you and you live in Him!

I love what Dan Mohler says, he says, "We are afraid to preach righteousness and believe we can live holy lives by the grace of God because we relate so much with our ability to fail. We think it's humble to let that thing be held high as if it would lift God up but God has lifted us up to where He is and told us to live from the Heavenly places. If you receive the abundance of grace, you will reign as king in this realm of life. For He is the King of kings. You will pass through trials, adversity, everything that would come against you being completely unfaced and overcoming evil with good."

I hear in my spirit, "Walk in My Grace, Talk in My Grace, Love in My Grace. Grace, Grace, Grace I pour upon you this day to do the same things that I did as I walked upon the earth. My Kingdom within you is full of My grace. My grace is sufficent for you. Grace is with you on this journey, grace has made a seat for you in heavenly places. I am fully able to complete what I started in you. Receive My grace to empower you to overcome. The world cries out for revenge, I cry out for mercy. The world uses grace as an excuse to sin and not change, I say, receive my grace and be transformed into My image, like from the beginning. I have created man in My image. No more looking back at the fig leaves, I have covered you with My skins, My righteousness. Grace is upon you, in you and through you, my sons. Now go and proclaim My grace to the people like a ringing anthem of Truth."

Let's let the world see Jesus in us and shout out His grace from the rooftops. Let's reign as king in this realm of life because of the abundance of grace from our King.

Proclaiming His Grace,

Amanda Leonard