Grace in Galatians (Part 96): This Truth Will Help You Take The Pressure Off
Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.
As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians.
Key scriptures for this year:
(2 Corinthians 9:8 TPT)
"Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do."
(Galatians 5:4 TPT)
"If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!"
(Romans 6:14 ERV)
"Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God's grace."
(1 Corinthians 15:10 CEV)
"But God treated me with undeserved grace! He made me what I am, and his grace wasn't wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God's grace at work and not me."
Scripture we will study today:
(Galatians 3:17 TPT)
“Let me say it in plain language. The promise-covenant that God established with Abraham was fulfilled in Christ and cannot be set aside or have new conditions attached by a law that came four hundred and thirty years later.”
Supporting scriptures:
(Matthew 11:28-30 TPT)
“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.”
(Romans 8:1 TPT)
“So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One.”
(Colossians 2:14 TPT)
“He canceled out every legal violation we had on our record and the old arrest warrant that stood to indict us. He erased it all—our sins, our stained soul—he deleted it all and they cannot be retrieved! Everything we once were in Adam has been placed onto his cross and nailed permanently there as a public display of cancellation.”
(1 John 4:18 TPT)
“Love never brings fear, for fear is always related to punishment. But love’s perfection drives the fear of punishment far from our hearts. Whoever walks constantly afraid of punishment has not reached love’s perfection.”
(Hebrews 4:10-11 TPT)
“So we must be eager to experience this faith-rest life, so that no one falls short by following the same pattern of doubt and unbelief.”
Setting the Stage:
Over the past few messages, we’ve been unpacking the truth that the Law came 430 years AFTER God’s promise to Abraham. This isn’t just a historical fact; this is LIFE-CHANGING revelation! We’ve established that God’s primary system is GRACE, that the promise cannot be cancelled, and that no new conditions can be added to what God freely gave.
But today, I want to take this revelation from theological understanding to PRACTICAL APPLICATION! What does it actually LOOK LIKE to live under promise instead of under Law? How does understanding the 430-year gap change your TODAY? What shifts when you realize you’re operating under a grace-covenant and not a performance-covenant?
Here’s the reality: most believers intellectually agree with grace theology, but they still LIVE under performance-based pressure! They say they believe in grace, but their daily stress levels, their prayer life, their relationship with God, and their emotional state reveal they’re still operating under the Law! Why? Because they haven’t made the SHIFT from living under obligation to living under promise!
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Living Under God’s Promise Means You Wake Up Already Qualified, Not Trying to Qualify.
Under the Law-covenant, you wake up every morning needing to EARN God’s favor through your performance. Under the promise-covenant, you wake up every morning already HAVING God’s favor because of Christ’s performance! This one shift changes EVERYTHING about how you approach your day!
How this applies to you:
— You don’t start your day on probation, wondering if you’ll do enough to please God! Under the Law, every day is an exam you might fail. Under the promise, every day is an opportunity to enjoy what Christ already secured on your behalf!
— Performance-based pressure makes you wake up ANXIOUS; while resting in God’s promise causes you to wake up ASSURED! When you live under the Law, you wake up thinking, “I hope I can be good enough today.” When you live under promise, you wake up declaring, “I’m already approved IN CHRIST, so today I get to walk in that approval and enjoy His best!”
— Your first thoughts in the morning reveal your covenant! If your first thought is about what you need to DO to make God happy, you’re living under pressure. If your first thought is thanksgiving for what Christ has already DONE, you’re living under God’s promise, and it leads to living a stress-free life. When you change your first thought, change your entire day!
— The pressure to perform is OFF of you because Jesus performed perfectly ON YOUR BEHALF! This doesn’t mean you live carelessly; it means you live CONFIDENTLY! You’re not paralyzed by the fear of failure or the fear of not being good enough. You are actually EMPOWERED in the truth that Jesus was good enough for. This truth changes the way you see God, the way you see yourself, and the way you see your future.
— While others are living their lives worrying about whether or not they will be “good enough” to make it into heaven, you are free to focus on becoming a conduit of the purpose God gave you before the world began!
— So enter this day KNOWING you are already approved, already accepted, already qualified, and already blessed! Not because you did everything right yesterday, but because Christ did EVERYTHING right 2,000 years ago, and you’re IN Him! This frees you to focus on allowing God to live through you, so He can do (through you) what He sent you to this planet to do.
2. Living Under Promise Means Your Prayers Shift from Begging to Declaring.
Prayer under Law is begging God to DO something. Prayer under promise is declaring what God has already DONE and asking Him to manifest it in your life! Under Law, you’re trying to convince God; under promise, you’re agreeing with God! This completely transforms your prayer life!
How this applies to you:
— You stop praying like you’re trying to change God’s mind and start praying like you’re aligning with God’s will! Earlier this year, I taught a whole series called “Praying from a Position of Grace.” The core principle is this: God has already said YES in Christ; you’re adding your AMEN through faith!
— Under Law-thinking, prayer sounds like: “God, please bless me if I’m good enough.” Under promise-thinking, prayer sounds like: “Father, I thank You that I’m blessed through Christ, and I receive Your provision by faith today!” Do you see the difference? One is BEGGING; the other is RECEIVING!
— Performance-based prayer is filled with “IF“: “God, IF you’ll help me… IF you’ll provide… IF you’ll heal…” Promise-based prayer is filled with “BECAUSE”: “God, BECAUSE You promised… BECAUSE Christ secured it… BECAUSE Your Word declares it, I RECEIVE it today!”
— When you pray under promise, you’re not HOPING God will answer; you’re KNOWING He already has in Christ! Your prayers become bold declarations of covenant reality, not desperate pleas for divine intervention! You pray with AUTHORITY because you know you’re praying in alignment with what God already established!
— This doesn’t mean you never ASK God for things; it means you’re asking from a position of SONSHIP, not SLAVERY! Slaves beg. Sons ask confidently. You are not a slave, you are not a servant, you are a SON! You’re approaching your Father, who delights to give good gifts to His children, not approaching a judge who might deny your request!
— Your prayer life becomes less about CONVINCING and more about CONNECTING! You’re not trying to twist God’s arm; you’re resting in His heart! You pray knowing the Father loves you as much as He loves Jesus because you’re IN Christ!
— When you pray like this, FAITH rises and FEAR flees! Fear-based prayer questions whether God will come through. Faith-based prayer KNOWS God has already come through in Christ, and NOW you’re receiving what grace provided! THAT is praying from a position of grace!
— I wrote a book of affirmations that are Bible based that have helped countless people change their prayer lives. The affirmations cover every area of your life, and they help you to declare what God has decreed over your marriage, family, finances, children, body, etc.
This past weekend, a couple that I have known for nearly 30 years came up to me and said they use these affirmation books (one for men and one for women) every day. It has changed the way they pray. This testimony aligns perfectly with this point. When you pray in accordance with God’s Word, you’re praying in accordance with His will, and you can have confidence that you’re not begging; you’re declaring and receiving.
Here are the links if you are interested in getting these books:
3. Living Under Promise Means Your Failures Don’t Disqualify You from God’s Favor.
Under the Law, one failure means CONDEMNATION. Under God’s promise, every failure is met with GRACE and leads to RESTORATION! This is where the rubber meets the road! Most believers theoretically believe in grace until they MESS UP. Then they revert to Law-thinking, believing their failure has cancelled God’s blessing!
How this applies to you:
— Sin has consequences, but sin doesn’t CANCEL the promise! Let me be clear: I’m not promoting sin, and I’m not saying sin doesn’t matter. Sin does have consequences; you reap what you sow. But here’s what many believers miss: THE PROMISE STILL STANDS even when you fail! The blessing remains on you, even when you mess up! So, if you do miss the mark (which is what sin means), quickly repent, receive the forgiveness God has provided, forgive yourself, and keep going. THE BLESSING is still on you!
— Under the Law, your failure means God withdraws; under the promise, your failure means God draws NEAR with conviction and correction that leads to RESTORATION! The conviction of the Holy Spirit is not the same as the condemnation of the accuser! The Holy Spirit convicts to RESTORE; the devil condemns to DESTROY!
— Romans 8:1 declares there is NO condemnation for those in Christ! But religious people will try to bring you under condemnation every time you fail. They’ll say, “See, you’re not living right, so God can’t bless you!” But the promise-covenant says your blessing is based on CHRIST’S righteousness, not YOUR performance!
— When you mess up, you don’t have to EARN your way back into God’s favor; you simply RECEIVE the forgiveness that’s already yours through Christ! 1 John 1:9 says when we confess our sin, He is faithful to forgive and cleanse us. That forgiveness was secured at the cross; confession simply ACCESSES what grace already provided!
— This revelation keeps you from the spiral of shame and defeat! Under the Law, when you fail, you feel condemned, then you try harder, then you fail again, then you feel more condemned. It’s an exhausting cycle! Under the promise, when you fail, you quickly repent, receive forgiveness, and get back up! No long seasons of beating yourself up!
— The promise-covenant means your bad day yesterday doesn’t disqualify you from blessing today! Your mistake last week doesn’t cancel your destiny! The promise stands FIRM because it’s based on Christ’s faithfulness, not YOURS!
— I will be abundantly clear on this point: this understanding of grace should not lead you to ABUSE grace by continuing in sin! Romans 6 makes it clear: shall we continue in sin so grace may abound? God forbid! Grace doesn’t give you a LICENSE to sin; it gives you POWER to overcome sin! When you understand how much God loves you and what Christ did for you, you’re LESS inclined to sin, not MORE!
4. Living Under Promise Means You Live from Rest, Not Toward Rest.
Hebrews 4 talks about entering God’s rest. Under the Law, rest is something you’re trying to ACHIEVE through perfect performance. Under the promise, rest is something you’re already IN through Christ, and you live FROM that rest! You’re not working TOWARD God’s blessing; you’re working FROM God’s blessing!
How this applies to you:
— Jesus said, “Come to me… and I will give you REST!” He didn’t say work harder, and maybe you’ll find rest. He said REST is a GIFT you receive through your relationship with Him! The promise-covenant IS rest! You’re not trying to get there; you’re already THERE in Christ!
— Hebrews 4:10 says whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works just as God rested from His! This is profound! Just as God finished creation and RESTED, Christ finished redemption, and you REST in His finished work! You’re not adding to what Christ completed; you’re ENJOYING what He accomplished!
— Living from rest doesn’t mean you’re INACTIVE; it just means you’re not ANXIOUS! It means you work hard, but you’re not WORRIED! You’re diligent, but you’re not DRIVEN by fear! You pursue excellence, but you’re not trying to PROVE your worth!
— Performance-based Christianity produces BURNOUT; promise-based Christianity produces BREAKTHROUGH! When you’re constantly trying to earn God’s favor, you eventually run out of steam. But when you
REST in Christ’s finished work, God’s grace gives you supernatural stamina to fulfill your calling!
— The highest form of faith is REST! When you cease from your own works and rest in Christ’s work, that’s when God’s power flows THROUGH you most effectively! This is the paradox of the Kingdom: when you STOP striving in your own strength, God’s strength is made perfect in your weakness!
— So enter this day from a position of rest! You’re not working FOR God’s blessing; you’re working FROM God’s blessing! You’re not trying to EARN favor; you’re ENJOYING favor! You’re not proving yourself to God; you’re EXPRESSING the life of God that’s already in you! This is the grace life! This is living under promise instead of under Law!
That's enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You that I wake up today and every day already qualified.
I’m not trying to qualify; Jesus qualified for me!
My life is not my own; I’m resting in what Jesus already did for me.
I’m receiving what You’ve already declared for me.
My failures don’t disqualify me because You are more committed to me than I’m committed to me!
I do not take on the pressure to perform; I enter into Your rest.
I’m working from a position of resting—resting while I’m working and working while I’m resting.
I’m able to get more done this way because it’s not me doing it; it is You living through me!
I’m 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!
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