Do you feel pressure to labor?
If you’ve led in ministry for any length of time you’ve inevitably heard students wrestle with the pressure to perform.
How can you blame them? You know you’ve felt it yourself.
The question becomes: How do you help them?
No matter how much we know in our heads our justification and sanctification are by grace, there is an inevitable pull towards performance.
A challenge for any leader is to remind yourself and your students of the gospel of grace.
A great friend of mine and campus leader, Brent Reinke, wrote the following resource to help his students renew their minds in grace and help them with the inevitable pressure they feel. It’s a great, practical way to help your leaders preach the gospel to themselves using Scripture.
You can check out lots of Brent’s resources at discipleforward.com.
Grace Statements
The enemy wants nothing more than for you to live outside of grace. Grace overpowers his lies, crushes his legalistic attacks, and focuses the mind on Jesus rather than himself.
You can understand why Satan would hate it. But how do we avoid living graceless days? We must remember that the battle begins in our minds
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Therefore, if we ever hope to live in the grace God has given us, we must make a practice of renewing our mind with grace-filled statements.
10 Grace Statements
I can boast in weaknesses and failure because God’s grace is sufficient and is made perfect when I am weak (2 Corinthians 12:9).
I am saved by grace, not my own works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Sin no longer controls me because I am under grace (Romans 6:14).
I can confidently approach the throne of God through prayer because of grace (Hebrews 4:16).
I can work hard for God because of the grace of God that is with me (1 Corinthians 15:10).
I can strive to live a holy life because the grace of God has appeared through Jesus (Titus 2:11-14).
I can be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1).
I can boldly proclaim the gospel because of the grace that is upon me (Acts 4:33).
I will suffer, but can have confidence that by grace, God will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish me through it (1 Peter 5:10).
I will never be able to out sin God’s grace (Romans 5:20).
Put it into Practice
Choose the top 3 of these grace statements you need to hear and believe wholeheartedly right now.
List out 3 ways your life would look different this week if you lived out the truth of these statements?
Show these 3 statements to someone, share your answers and pray for one another.
Print & Use
Want to print this sheet off and use it with your disciple? Download it here:
