Here is a visual for you. In 2006 I drove my dad to a flea market in another town. We had the car loaded with magnetic gospel signs to give away for free. My dad sat on his walker and handed out gospel tracts.

I stood at the entrance, greeting people and handing them a tract. It was really hot, my back was screaming in pain, and I asked the Lord to help me. He gave me a picture of a box. Written on all four sides, “My Grace Is Sufficient For You.” I saw myself standing in that box. He gave me His grace-strength to endure.

Do you have a thorn in the flesh? Paul grasped what the Lord was saying. His next words can be ours as well. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “…Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” The Greek word here for rest means to spread a tent over to dwell in.

His grace-strength endows us to do what He has called us to do and be.

Paul was called the apostle of grace. We currently are living in the dispensation of grace. 1 Timothy 1:12 says, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.”

Ephesians 3:7 says, “Of which I became a minister according to the gift of grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.” He described that power in Ephesians 1:19-20 as the same power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead.

Ephesians 3:8 says, “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Romans 5:2 says that those who have been justified by faith, “…have access by faith into this grace by which we stand…” 

Paul had a thorn in the flesh. He begged the Lord three times to remove it. The Lord’s word’s radically changed Paul’s understanding. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “…My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness…”

Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Gifts are received ~ not earned. The grace that we received for salvation, is the same grace that carries us through our journey of progressive sanctification.

If you will note, Paul closed everyone of his letters with a salutation of grace. Ephesians 6:24 says, “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.” Sincerity is a word indicating transparency.

1 Peter 1:22 says, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.” What purifies our hearts? God’s word.

Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” Peter’s benediction. 2 Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”

Romans 6:15 says, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” False teachings claim that it is alright to sin because you are under grace. It is a damnable heresy!

Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” 2 Peter 2:20 says, “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.”

The enemy of our soul is always seeking ways to derail our faith. We are soldiers. 2 Timothy 2:1 says, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Verse 3-4 says, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life…”

Hebrews 12:1 says about our race to, “…lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us…”

John 8:34 says, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave to sin.” Verse 36 says, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

Verse 4 says at salvation, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also shall walk in newness of life.”

Verse 7 restates it saying, “For he who has died has been freed from sin.” Verse 16 gives us a choice. It says, “…to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey…”

The context of 2 Peter is about false teachers and destructive doctrines.. 2 Peter 2:19 says, “…for whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.” Warning: do not return to what you were freed from. 

Proverbs 9:10 says, “…knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” A. W. Tozier’s book, “Knowledge Of The Holy” explains some of the Lord’s attributes. You might read if you haven’t yet. One that really grabbed my attention is His Self-Existence.

Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”

2 Timothy 3:5 says, “Having a form of godliness but denying its power…” Our power comes from obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise we are only operating from our own strength ~ denial of Who God is, and His resurrection power within us.

True knowledge is taking God’s word into our hearts through personal applications. It then becomes a governor for our thoughts, actions, attitudes, and habits so they reflect Him in every aspect of our being.

Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” Isaiah 5:13 says, “Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge…”

2 Peter 1:3 says, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him…” In verse 5 Peter instructed his reader to add to their faith.

One of the inner graces to add is knowledge.  Then verse 8 says that if these inner graces, “…are yours and abound in you, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

What is your level of knowledge of the Lord? Do you have areas of spiritual barrenness? Are you lacking in self-control, or the power to overcome the work of the enemy against you? 

Verse 9-10 says, “For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.”

Peter was reminding us that harboring hidden sin creates blindspots ~ areas we do not acknowledge are there. 1 John 1:9 says to confess our sins.

Romans 4:3 says, “…Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Verse 18 says, “Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken…” Genesis 15:5.

Verse 19 says, “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” Consider means to ponder, to think about, and to weigh options. Abraham did not do any of that. He simply trusted God to fulfill His promise.

Verse 20 in the Amplified says that he did not waver in unbelief, “…but grew strong and was empowered by faith AS he gave praise and glory to God.” There is a foundational key for us. Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of His people.

Praising the Lord for Who He is at all times, keeps us on the path of His righteousness. It squeezes out our flesh. It keeps out hearts open to another foundational truth. The Holy Spirit dwells within us.

2 Timothy 2:19 says, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: The Lord knows those who are His, and Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Hebrews 4:13 Amplified says, “And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.”

Only the Lord knows hearts. We only know what another is thinking if they tell us. We often fall into error when we assume something. Assumptions are based on what we think we know. When we react in our flesh ~ that is iniquity. 

Our flesh wants to figure things out. Waiting patiently for the Lord’s way to be revealed is a spiritual life skill. It is based on moment by moment hope in His divine orchestration and impeccable timing.

Sarah’s devised plan not only failed, but continues to bear the fruit of those consequences. In spite of this, God had His way. Romans 4 recorded Abraham’s faith, not his giving in to Sarah’s fleshly driven scheme.

We can hope for things in our lives. However, if our focus isn’t on the Lord, we will have broken expectations. Let Psalm 62:5 be an anchoring verse for you. It says, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.”

Abraham and Sarah didn’t wait for God to fulfill His promise in His set time. They took matters into their own hands. Ishmael was the fruit. Yet the Lord had His way. His promise was fulfilled through Isaac.

Romans 4:17 says, “…God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” When the Lord gives a promise, it may sound like it is a present happening. Yet as He had a set time for Sarah to conceive, so He has a set time in our lives.

Isaiah 64:4 says, “…who acts for the one who waits for Him.” Isaiah 30:18 says, “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you…blessed are all those who wait for Him.” Hope must be in God alone ~ not circumstances.