Shouts of GraceSample

Grace in "God Invitations"

Would you like to go on adventures with God like Abraham, Moses, David, and Mary did? Take a moment to think about how they received grace in big “God invitations.”

What if many of the good ideas (see James 1:17) that come into your head or heart are divine invitations? What if God is speaking to you several times every day about little things? Recognizing good thoughts as the voice of God, as Jesus calling, as words of wisdom from Holy Spirit, will turn a bland, tasteless day (or decade) into an exciting journey with God as your companion. But there is a greater dynamic in play here. Because the invitation brings the grace of God to you to do something with Him -- not merely an interesting distraction -- how you respond is critical, determining whether you will qualify for more grace or backslide into less.

Linda and I were in sorrow one night because we believed that several of our relatives whose hearts used to be tender towards God had, over time, stopped believing a number of precious promises in God’s word. That day we felt that they felt that we were trying to shove the Bible down their throats when we thought we were simply encouraging them to develop a friendship with Jesus. We fell asleep humbly asking God how that happened and feeling dismayed that we didn’t know what we could do about it.

Early the next morning I was waking up to the fuzzy idea that I could get up and spend some time alone with God. I looked at the clock. It was 5:14. I sleepily prayed, “I’m tired, Lord. Will you help me go back to sleep?” Then this thought came strongly into my mind: “They turned away because they didn’t accept divine invitations.”

I was suddenly shaken fully awake, realizing that God had answered our prayer. I got out of bed, went to my “war room,” and repented for not recognizing his word of wisdom or saying, “Yes, Lord,” to God’s invitation for me to get up and spend some time with Him. I knew that Holy Spirit had sent me that clear word of knowledge (see 1 Corinthians 12:8) about divine invitations, and I asked God to send those relatives more invitations to bring them back to intimacy with Him. I asked Him to help me represent His love for each of them better in the future.

Wondering how someone is doing when you wake up in the middle of the night is probably an invitation to pray for them. It might “occur to you” to call your mother, or help a godly candidate get elected, or buy gas for someone out of money, or… Each idea is an invitation, a rhēma, a personal word from God to you. And sometimes they come through family or friends.

Saying, “Yes, Lord” brings His presence and grace, raises your friendship with God to a new level, and opens doors with faith for the supernatural in your future. And what if God is unwilling to give you your next big assignment until He sees your faithfulness in fulfilling His smaller ones?

Is Jesus praying for you to hear His voice inviting you to do things with Him today?

- Pastor Steve Kobernik

Prayer

Open my eyes and ears, Lord, to recognize the rhemas, invitations, and words of wisdom that you send me today. I want to say, “Yes, Lord!” every time.

And help me to schedule my time with attentive margins because I am expecting you to speak to me, and I want to listen and obey.

Journal Directions

1. Ask Holy Spirit to help you remember a God Invitation in the last week or two that you recognized and accepted. Write about it.
2. Then ask Holy Spirit to help you remember a God Invitation in the last week or two that you did not recognize or accept. Write about it.
3. Write a short prayer of repentance about that failure, and then pray it out loud.
4. Write a short prayer of commitment to God to recognize and accept any and every invitation He graciously extends to you, and then pray it out loud.