Grace in Galatians (Part 200) – Your PAIN Has A Target Audience

https://youtu.be/Y3JnbwP8GQU?si=i1iB6l2A-550-rp1

Today, we continue our focus on THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, as we learn to maintain our posture of faith after God has revealed His plans for our future.

As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians.

Key scriptures for this year:

2 Peter 3:18 GNT“But continue to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory now and forever.”

Luke 10:20 Mirror“It’s time for you to rediscover who you are from Heaven’s perspective.”

1 John 3:10 Mirror“There is a very visible and vast difference between living one’s life from your God identity or from a fallen man’s mindset.”

Proverbs 25:2 NKJV“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”

Jeremiah 29:13 NIV“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Scripture we will study today:

Galatians 6:17 TPT“From now on, may no one cause me trouble, for I carry on my body the marks of Jesus.”

Galatians 6:17 AMPC“From now on let no person trouble me [by making it necessary for me to vindicate my apostolic authority and the divine truth of my Gospel], for I bear on my body the [brand] marks of the Lord Jesus [the wounds, scars, and other outward evidence of persecutions—these testify to His ownership of me]!”

Supporting scriptures:

1 John 4:17 TPT“And our love for them grows more and more, filling us with complete confidence on the day of judgment, as we live in this world with the same nature as he who is love. Because as he is, so are we in the world.”

Philippians 3:10 TPT“And I continually long to know the wonders of Jesus more fully and to experience the overflowing power of his resurrection working in me. I will be one with him in his sufferings and become like him in his death.”

Mark 8:34 TPT“If you truly want to follow me, you should at once completely reject and disown your own life. And you must be willing to share my cross and experience it as your own, as you continually surrender to my ways.”

2 Timothy 3:12 NKJV“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 TPT“All praises belong to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Christ. He is the Father of tender mercy and the God of endless comfort. He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial. We can bring them this same comfort that God has poured out upon us.”

Revelation 12:11 NKJV“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

Romans 8:31 TPT“So, what does all this mean? If God has determined to stand with us, tell me, who then could ever stand against us?”

Matthew 3:17 TPT“And suddenly the voice of the Father shouted from the sky, saying, ‘This is the Son I love, and my greatest delight is in him.'”

Setting the Stage:

Today, we continue in Galatians 6:17. Yesterday, we opened this verse and learned that your scars can become God’s stars. Paul drew a line and declared that his body was his evidence. Today, we are going to camp on this same verse and unpack it from a different angle.

Paul writes verse 17 from a place of settled identity, costly walking, and purposeful mission. He knows whose he is. He knows where his scars came from. He knows what God is doing with his story. And the same posture is available to you today. Let’s talk about how this applies to us.

So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.

1. Settled Identity Produces Holy Boldness.

Look at what Paul says. “From now on, let no one trouble me.” This is boldness. Paul is not asking. He is not negotiating. He is declaring. He is saying, “I am done being shaken by what people think about me.” And the source of his boldness is not arrogance. It is not stubbornness. It is a settled identity. Paul knows who he is and whose he is. He knows what he carries. He knows what Jesus did for him. And when your identity is settled, no critic can shake it. No religious troublemaker can cause you to question it. No baseless accusation can disturb it. 

How this applies to you:

— Holy boldness flows from a settled identity. You will walk with a divine quiet boldness when you know who you are. 

— When your identity is rooted in what others think of you, you live shaken. You wake up wondering who is upset with you. You go to bed wondering if you measured up. That is not the life Jesus died to give you. He died so you could live from the inside out, not from the outside in.

— Identity is settled by relationship, not by performance. So when you know who you are, you don’t have to perform for the approval of men. 

— I want you to picture a believer who has finally stopped seeking approval from religious people. He has realized that he does not need their nod, their stamp, or a seat at their table. He has the Father’s approval. He has the Spirit’s witness. He identifies with Jesus and the cross. And once he has those things, the table he was trying to sit at no longer matters. This type of believer walks into rooms with a peace that does not depend on anyone’s opinion. I can testify and let you know that I am very thankful I am at this stage in my life. 

— 1 John 4:17 TPT says, “Because as he is, so are we in the world.” Read those words. As He is, so are we. Your standing in this world is the same as Jesus’ standing. Settled. Approved. Loved. And that settles every other voice.

— Remember, God will allow whatever you allow. God will permit whatever you permit. So, stop letting unsettled people unsettle you.

— Walk into today with the boldness of a believer whose identity is settled in Christ. You do not need anyone’s approval to be who God called you to be. You already have the only approval that matters.

2. If You Live Godly and Walk With Jesus, You Will Pick Up Some Scars.

Look at what Paul writes. “For I carry on my body the marks of JESUS.” Read that. The scars of Jesus. Not the scars of Paul’s enemies. Not the scars of bad luck. Not the scars of accidents. The scars Paul carried came directly from following JESUS. Every beating Paul took, he took for preaching the gospel of Jesus. Every stoning, every shipwreck, every imprisonment was the cost of walking closely with Jesus. Here is the truth. You cannot walk closely with Jesus and not pick up some scars along the way. The closer you walk with Him, the more your life will look like His life.

How this applies to you:

— Philippians 3:10 TPT says, “I will be one with him in his sufferings and become like him in his death.” Read those words. One with him in his sufferings. Paul did not want to skip the suffering part. He wanted the FULL Jesus experience. Paul wanted to experience the resurrection power AND the fellowship of Jesus’ suffering. You cannot have one without the other.

— The closer you walk with Jesus, the more your life looks like His.

— I want you to picture two believers. One walks closely with Jesus. He prays. He reads the Word. He obeys. He says yes when Jesus calls him to do hard things. The other walks with Jesus at the surface level. He keeps Jesus close enough for help but far enough that nothing in his life has to change. Guess which one carries the scars of a follower? The one who walks closely. Because intimacy with Jesus always produces a costly life.

— Salvation is free, but there is a high cost to this free gift. 

— Mark 8:34 TPT says, “If you truly want to follow me, you should at once completely reject and disown your own life. And you must be willing to share my cross and experience it as your own, as you continually surrender to my ways.” Read those words. Share my cross. Jesus did not pretend the call was easy. He told us upfront that the path includes a cross. And every believer who walks that path picks up some scars along the way.

— 2 Timothy 3:12 NKJV says, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” Read those words. All who desire to live godly. Not some. Not most. ALL. Paul is not being pessimistic. He is being realistic. A serious walk with Jesus will always cost you something in a world that does not love what you love. And the scars that come from a godly life are not a sign that you are off track. They are a sign that you are on it.

— A comfortable Christian life will NOT produce the scars of a costly one.

— Walk into today knowing that whatever it has cost you to walk with Jesus is worth it. The scars you carry from following Him are not signs of His absence. They are signs of your closeness to Him.

— If no one is talking about you, if you’re not facing opposition, and if there is nothing coming up against your purpose, then you’re probably not doing anything of significance for the Kingdom. 

3. God Did Not Give You Scars Just For You. He Gave You Scars For Someone Else.

Here is what Paul understood about his scars. They were not just for him. They were for the church. They were for the next city. They were for the next generation. Paul did not carry his scars just to feel close to Jesus. He carried them to demonstrate the gospel of Jesus to the world. And the same is true of every scar on your life. Your scars are not random souvenirs of survival. They are God’s tools for someone else’s freedom. Your story has a target audience. God gave you scars because someone needs to hear from someone who has been where you have been.

How this applies to you:

— Your scars were not given just for you. God will not waste what you’ve been through. There is purpose connected to your pain. 

— 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 TPT says, “He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial. We can bring them this same comfort that God has poured out upon us.” Read those words. The comfort we received becomes the comfort we give. Your healing has a target audience. Your deliverance has a target audience. Your story has a target audience.

— God turns wounded people into conduits of healing.

— I want you to picture the person God is going to send your way. They are walking through what you have already walked through. They are carrying what you have already carried. They are crying tears you have already cried. And they will believe healing is possible because they see it in you. Your scars become their hope. Your story becomes their roadmap. Your testimony becomes the encouragement they need to hold on long enough to receive their breakthrough.

— Revelation 12:11 NKJV says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Read those words. The word of their testimony. Heaven uses two weapons against the enemy. One is the blood of Jesus. The other is your story. Stop hiding what God brought you through. Someone is waiting for the testimony only you can give.

— The pain that almost took you out is the very tool God will use to set someone else free.

— Walk into today knowing that your scars have a mission. They were not random. They were not for nothing. God is going to use every one of them to reach someone only you can reach. So tell your story. Let your scars preach.

— Don’t allow the devil to cause you to be so ashamed of what you’ve been through that you withhold your story from the people who need to hear it. Say this: “I have endured hardship. I have experienced pain, I have the scars to show it, and I refuse to waste that pain because of shame. I will tell my story, I will glorify my Father in the process, and the people who are going through what I went through will hear it and find hope in my history!”

4. When You Know WHOSE You Are, You Stop Caring WHAT They Say.

Here is the bottom line of Galatians 6:17. Paul knows whose he is. He belongs to Jesus. His body proves it. His scars testify to it. His identity is locked in. And once you know WHOSE you are, you stop caring WHAT they say. Critics lose their power when you no longer need their approval. 

How this applies to you:

— Romans 8:31 TPT says, “If God has determined to stand with us, tell me, who then could ever stand against us?” Read that. If God has determined to stand with us. Not maybe. Not when. He has DETERMINED. And God’s decision settles every other vote. What anyone else says after that is irrelevant.

— Approval addiction is exhausting. Settled identity is freeing.

— I want you to picture a believer who has finally stopped chasing applause. He no longer wakes up wondering, “Who will affirm me today?” He no longer checks his phone first thing to see who liked his post. He knows whose he is. And because he knows whose he is, he can give without needing recognition. He can serve without needing applause. He can love without needing reciprocation. He has been set free from the prison of needing other people’s approval.

— Stop seeking approval from people who do not have what you need.

— Matthew 3:17 TPT says when Jesus came up out of the water, “The voice of the Father shouted from the sky, saying, ‘This is the Son I love, and my greatest delight is in him.'” Read that. The Father shouted. And what He said over Jesus, He says over every believer who is IN Christ. You are loved before you achieve anything. You are loved when you fail at something. You are loved on your worst day. Receive that love. Live from that love.

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I belong to Jesus, and my identity is settled forever!

Holy boldness flows from my settled identity in Christ!

The scars on my life come from walking closely with Jesus!

I want the FULL Jesus experience. Resurrection power AND fellowship of His sufferings!

My scars are not just for me. They are God’s tools for someone else’s freedom!

My story has a target audience. I will tell it boldly!

I refuse to let unsettled people unsettle me!

When I know WHOSE I am, I stop caring WHAT they say!

The Father’s approval is settled. No other voice can shake me!

I am living THE GRACE LIFE, and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!

I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!