After seeking God through other religions for many years, Mike Shreve finally came to Jesus and true salvation through the cross ended his search. Then fifteen years later, a revelation in God's Word changed his life forever: He is who God says he is.
He realized that as a Bible believer, he was more than a conqueror, the anointed of the Lord and the apple of God's eye. And, he realized, nobody could take that away from him, or the unmerited grace he received through the death and resurrection of Christ. But with that realization 35 years ago, he says, he also realized there were some things required of him.
"As long as you do your part, you will either live above sin or recover from sin," Shreve, a former yoga instructor and now author, told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. "One way or the other, grace is going to make you victorious. Ephesians 2:8 says by grace you are saved through faith.
"So, one requirement to receive God's grace is to have faith. You have to tenaciously believe in the cross and believe in the blood and believe in the mercy of God, or you get beat up by life.
"That is counterbalanced by the second requirement, humility. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. So, you can't manipulate grace to fit a sinful lifestyle and try to get by with it. Because the second requirement is humility: You must humble yourself before God with submission and meekness before Him.
"And then, the third requirement is sincere love. You're not trying to cause God's Word to fit your lifestyle. You're sincerely in love with Him, so you want to fit His mandates for your life. Ephesians 6:24 says, 'Grace be with all those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.' So, you have faith, humility and sincerity. Those three attitudes of heart position you to receive God's grace."
Tune in to Shreve's podcast, Discover Your Spiritual Identity. And for more of his thoughts on God's grace, listen to this entire podcast.
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