Laying The Foundation for 2026 (Part 20): What It Means To Grow In Grace
Today, we continue our focus on “THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY,” and we are embarking on a journey of growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
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:
(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.”
(Genesis 18:14 NIV)
“Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
Setting the Stage:
Our foundational scripture for 2026 commands us to “continue to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Savior.” Many people view growing in grace as simply getting “better” at being a Christian, but it is much deeper than that. Growing in grace is the process of decreasing so God can increase; it is the journey of losing your limits in His limitlessness.
When you grow in grace, you are growing in your dependence on God’s unmerited power rather than your own human effort. This growth is exactly what prepares you for the “discoveries” of this year. As you grow, the things that once seemed “impossible” to your natural mind begin to look “probable” to your spirit. Why? Because you aren’t looking at your ability anymore; you are looking at the grace that is already on you! Sarah eventually moved from laughing in doubt to laughing in joy because she grew to know the God who asked, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Growth in Grace is Growth in God-Dependency.
To “continue to grow in grace” means you are becoming more aware of what God can do and less focused on what you can’t do. In the beginning of your walk with God, you might have only believed God for things that were “difficult” but still within the realm of human possibility. But as you grow, God begins to reveal things that are flat-out impossible without Him.
This growth is essential for your Year of Discovery. God wants to show you a 2026 that exceeds your wildest imagination, but He needs you to have a “grace-capacity” big enough to hold the vision. In other words, you must have the faith to believe the impossible. If you are still relying on your own strength, you will “edit” the impossible out of your future. But when you grow in grace, you realize that if God said it, His power will perform it!
How this applies to you:
— Growing in grace means you stop trying to qualify for what God has already given. You realize that God is just looking for you to believe it.
— The more you grow, the less you use the word “impossible” regarding your assignment. You grow to the point where you acknowledge that if God is leading you to do it, then there’s nothing He can’t do through you.
— You are learning to rely on Heaven’s economy instead of the earth’s volatility. When it comes to your finances or knowing that God is truly your source, you have to grow to this point. But once you grow there, you know His resources never run out.
— Walking with God and growing in grace is measured by your willingness to launch out into deep waters where you can’t touch the bottom.
— As you grow in grace, your confidence shifts from self-confidence to God-confidence.
— You no longer see your weaknesses as obstacles; you see them as platforms for God’s power. You actually get excited when God tells you to do something that you know you can’t do for two reasons:
You know you don’t have to do it because He’s the one who’s going to do it through you.
When God does it, you know He’s going to get all the glory because everyone is going to know it was not you.
— In short, this Year of Discovery requires you to outgrow your old, limited way of thinking.
2. The Knowledge of Jesus Reveals the Reach of Grace.
The second half of our foundational verse says to grow “in the knowledge of our Savior.” You cannot separate the grace of God from the person of Jesus. The more you know Jesus (His character, His track record, and His finished work), the more “possible” everything becomes.
When you have an intimate knowledge of Jesus, you realize He never faced a mountain He couldn’t move or a sickness He couldn’t heal. Read that sentence again and notice that I’m putting all the emphasis on Jesus and none of the emphasis on you. There is literally nothing He can’t do, and since He lives in you, the power of His grace becomes the power of yours! This is what “I can do all things THROUGH CHRIST” means!
How this applies to you:
— Growing in the knowledge of Jesus is how you take the “limiters” off your life. You start to realize that you aren’t just a “mere man” trying to survive; you are a son or daughter of God, joint-heirs with the One who holds all power!
— Your ability to believe God for the impossible is tied to your intimacy with Jesus. The better you know Jesus, the more you will believe.
— To know Him is to know that nothing is too hard for Him.
— Growing in the knowledge of Jesus removes the fear of failure.
— You aren’t studying Jesus as a historical figure; you are discovering Him as your current source.
— When you know the “Author,” intimately, you can trust the authority of His Word. Why? Because you trust people that you know, especially people that you know have strong character and a good track record. God’s character and track record are flawless.
— Your “God identity” is anchored in the perfection of Jesus, not your performance. At our church, we quote 1 John 4:17 all the time. We lead our people into saying, as Jesus is, so are we in this world! Why? Because this puts the emphasis on Jesus and not us.
— The more you know Him, and the more you truly believe that he lives in you, the more you expect the supernatural to be natural to you.
3. Grace Provides the “How” for the Impossible.
Many people get stuck in the “Discovery” phase because they start asking “How?” Sarah asked, “How?” because she was old. Mary asked, “How?” because she was a virgin. But growing in grace teaches you that the “How” is always “by God’s Spirit.”
Grace is God’s empowering presence. It is His power to do through you what you could never do without Him. And the good news is that God not only gives you the power, but by his grace, he also gives you the desire. He wants you to want it, and he wants you to believe it.
When God shows you an impossible task for 2026, He isn’t asking you to provide the “How“; He’s asking you to provide the “Yes.” Growing in grace means you’ve reached the point where you are okay with not knowing the “How,” as long as you know the “Who!“
How this applies to you:
— Stop trying to engineer the breakthrough that only grace can produce. God is just looking for you to BELIEVE, not figure it out or make it happen.
— Your job is the faith response; God’s job is the grace performance.
— Growth in grace allows you to rest even when the “How” is still a mystery. You know you don’t have it all figured out, but you believe in the God who does.
— You are authorized to tell your soul, “Just relax, God’s got this!“
— The Holy Spirit in you is the Chief Strategist for your impossible assignments.
— When you don’t know what to do, grace gives you the wisdom that exceeds your education.
— Divine discoveries are manifested through surrender, not through stressing or striving.
4. Living in the Expectation of the Appointed Time.
God told Abraham He would return at the “appointed time” (Genesis 18:14). And guess what? He did exactly that! Genesis 21:2 tells us, “Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.” God didn’t just make a promise; He kept a divine appointment. The baby arrived right on schedule! It may not have been Abraham and Sarah’s schedule, but it was God’s schedule. In your Year of Discovery, you must understand that God is a God of timing. He isn’t just showing you “what”; He is managing the “when.”
When you have the courage to believe the impossible, you can wait for the manifestation without anxiety. You aren’t “hoping” it might happen; you are “knowing” it must happen because God surely gave it by promise! This expectation creates an atmosphere where miracles are common. You become a “Grace Case“: a walking advertisement for the goodness of God!
How this applies to you:
— Rest in the fact that God’s timing is perfect, even when it seems late to you.
— Your expectation is a magnet for the manifestation of your discovery.
— Don’t let the delay make you think God was denying the promise. If God said it, He’s already obligated Himself to his word. He cannot lie!
— You can whistle while you work because you know the “appointed time” is fixed. You are not stressed. You are living with an expectation of manifestation in God’s perfect timing.
— Remember how I keep telling you that the highest form of faith is rest? Here is a truth that if you really get it down in your heart, you will learn how to rest: Your future is not “up in the air”; it is anchored in eternity and headed for your hands at just the right time. Meditate on that!
— Authentic discovery leads to unshakeable peace during the waiting season.
— Enter this day with bold confidence, knowing that what God started, He will finish!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for the command to continue to grow in Your grace!
I declare that I am growing in my dependency on You and decreasing in my reliance on myself!
I yield my heart to the Holy Spirit and grow daily in the knowledge of my Savior, Jesus Christ!
Because I am growing in grace, I have the courage to believe for the impossible and expect the unimaginable!
I refuse to limit my future to my natural resources; I anchor my expectations in Your limitless grace!
I take the limits off of my life because I know that nothing is too hard for You!
I live in constant expectation of my “appointed time,” knowing that Your timing is perfect and Your Word is sure and certain!
I live from a position of rest, knowing that Your grace has already provided everything I need for 2026!
I am living #TheGraceLife, I am growing every day, 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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