FINISHING GRACE
Doesn’t take much effort to start things.
Diet, school, family…
Starting is easy — finishing is what can be difficult.
Any young lady can have a baby but mothering is harder.
Any two people can get married but sticking it out together takes commitment.
Anyone can have a dream; it takes perseverance to see it come to pass.
The question is not will you start, but will you finish?
People have setbacks.
They get discouraged.
God is called the author and finisher of our faith.
He’s not only given you the grace to start, He’s given you the grace to finish.
Remind yourself I was not created to give up or quit – but to finish.
Shake off self-pity.
Live forward in faith.
God is breathing in your direction with finishing grace.
You must tap into it.
Don’t sit around in self-pity.
You have the grace to finish.
Don’t talk defeat, talk victory.
Quit telling yourself you won’t make it.
God gave you the grace to start, and He’s giving you the grace to finish.
Even in simple things.
You start cleaning your house and want to quit 5 minutes later.
Tap into finishing grace.
Vacuum like you’re on a mission from God.
Maybe you’re tempted to give up on a dream.
The enemy doesn’t try to stop you from starting.
He’s seen a lot of people start.
But when you have a made-up mind and keep pushing forward,
That’s when he’ll work overtime to try to keep you from finishing.
The opposition is a sign you’re moving towards the goal.
Progress gets his attention.
He thought you’d give up after the first few difficulties.
Instead you kept moving forward.
Tapping into finishing grace.
When you should’ve been depressed you were smiling.
Talking about how big your God is.
When you didn’t see a way He made a way.
You may be up against challenges now; it’s because of your progress.
He didn’t bring you this far to leave you.
In Philippians 1:6 it says He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.
He will bring you to a flourishing finish
This happened to Joseph.
As a teen he dreamed of ruling a nation.
He started out great with a big dream and supportive family.
His brothers were jealous and threw him in a pit to die, then decided to sell him into slavery.
Joseph didn’t really do anything wrong but his world was turned upside down.
Then he was put in prison for 13 years for something he didn’t do.
Joseph knew he had the grace not just to start but to finish.
He kept doing the right thing when the wrong thing was happening.
Pharaoh had a dream that Joseph interpreted and Joseph became ruler of Egypt.
God has put something on you that will override people being against you.
You cannot stay defeated.
Life may push you down but God will push you back up.
Situations may look impossible but God can do the impossible.
When you have finishing grace all the forces of darkness cannot stop you.
It’s just a detour on the way to your destiny.
The enemy doesn’t fight people that are going the wrong way.
He comes against people headed towards the fullness of their destiny.
Keep moving forward despite the bad breaks.
My assignment is too important to get discouraged.
When you’re tempted to get discouraged and settle it’s because you’re close to breakthrough, and seeing your problem turn around.
It’s on the way.
Tap into finishing grace.
You’ve come too far to stop now.
It may be difficult.
You may hear negative voices say quit.
You’re close to your destiny.
I am in it to win it.
I am not moved by this opposition.
God began a good work in me and He will complete it.
I’ll keep doing my best.
You’re one day closer to coming in to your finish line
Deuteronomy 33:25 says as your days are, so shall your strength be.
Your strength will always be equivalent to your need
Your strength will match what you’re up against.
Joel didn’t know how he’d deal with his father’s death.
He felt a peace like he’d never felt.
In his mind there was worry and anxiety,
But in his spirit there was God’s peace saying I’ve got you in the palm of My hand.
There’s grace for every season.
Victoria and Joel were in Colorado in a rented SUV.
On the flat roads the engine was quiet.
On the steep hill you could hear those extra 2 cylinders kick in.
Those 2 extra cylinders were there all the time.
It was strength in reserve.
Sometimes in life we think how will I make it up that steep hill?
God has some strength in reserve for you.
There are 2 more cylinders about to kick in.
Taking you where you can’t go on your own.
The closer you get to your destiny the tougher the battles.
Critics come out the woodwork.
You lose a loved one.
A bad break.
That challenge is a sign you are close to your destiny.
God knows exactly where your path is leading.
He knows every setback.
His grace is sufficient.
You’ll never come to a hill where you won’t have the strength to climb it.
The apostle Paul faced some huge hills.
He was sharing the Good News when he was arrested and put in
The closer he got to his destiny the more obstacles came.
Paul wasn’t defeated and depressed.
He couldn’t speak publicly so he wrote letters.
He wrote over half the New Testament from a prison cell.
They thought they were stopping him but they amplified his voice.
God will use the ones trying to hold you down to propel you forward.
As long as you stay in faith you will accomplish your assignment.
Quit focusing on who’s against you
Or how steep the hill is.
God has the final say.
If God doesn’t turn it around the way you thought he may cause you to have great influence right in the midst of your enemies.
No bad break can keep you from your destiny.
At the end of his life Paul said I have finished my race – with joy.
We all have things come against us.
It’s easy to drag through life but there’s no victory in that.
Determine to finish your course with joy.
Thanking God for what you do have.
Thousands of years ago in Greece there was a race called a torch race.
At the start of the race they’d light the fire and runners would run with the torch.
You could only win if you finished with your torch still lit.
They had to protect their fire.
It’s the same principle in the race of life.
Guard your fire.
Don’t let your flame go out.
Don’t lose your passion.
They let their fire go out.
God is not done with you.
Shake off the blahs and discouragement.
The scripture talks about how we have to fan the flame and stir up the gift.
John Osteen struggled with high blood pressure.
Eventually he could no longer travel overseas.
But he didn’t miss Sunday services.
He preached and nobody realized he wasn’t well.
He kept his fire burning.
He guarded that flame.
He was determined to finish his course with joy.
He was talking to Joel’s brother-in-law Gary and said "I don’t understand it all, but His mercy endures forever."
Those were his last words.
Not magnifying the problem but magnifying his God.
He crossed the finish line with his fire still burning.
We all will die.
Will you die in faith?
Decide to die full of joy with your fire still burning.
A Tanzanian runner fell and broke his leg during Olympic race but he finished his race.
Everyone else was gone but he kept going.
The runner said he didn’t quit when he broke his leg because his country didn’t send him 7,000 miles to start the race but to finish it.
The race is not for the swift or the strong but to those who endure to the end.
You weren’t created to quit.
You have to dig your heels in and say I am determined to finish my course.
Reference : http://anointedmessagesnotes.blogspot.com.ng/2014/09/finishing-grace-joel-osteen.html