GRACE THAT CHANGED MY STORY

GRACE THAT CHANGED MY STORY

By Rev. Samuel Arimoro

Main Text: Ephesians 2:8-10

Key Verse: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” — Ephesians 2:8 (KJV)

Supporting Texts: Ephesians 2:1-10; Romans 3:23-24; Romans 5:20-21; Titus 2:11-12; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Corinthians 15:10; 2 Corinthians 12:9; John 1:16; Hebrews 4:16.

Description: God's grace changes a person's story from sin, condemnation and hopelessness into salvation, transformation, purpose and a life that glorifies God.

INTRODUCTION

Every person has a story. Some stories contain pain, failure, rejection, disappointment, mistakes and seasons that people would rather forget. Others may look successful outwardly but contain struggles that nobody sees. The good news of the Gospel is that your past does not have to determine your future because God's grace has the power to change the story of a person's life.

Ephesians 2:8-10 presents one of the clearest pictures of God's grace in Scripture. Paul reminds us that we were saved by grace through faith, not because of ourselves or our works. We were spiritually dead in sin, but God made us alive with Christ. The same grace that saves us also changes us, gives us a new identity and directs us towards the good works God prepared for us.

Grace is God's intervention in a situation that human strength cannot change. When grace enters a man's story, shame can become honour, failure can become testimony, rejection can become acceptance, bondage can become freedom, and an ordinary life can become a life of divine purpose. Your story may have started badly, but if you surrender it to God, grace can give it a new ending.

1. GRACE FOUND ME WHEN I COULD NOT SAVE MYSELF

Grace begins where human ability ends. Ephesians 2 describes humanity as dead in trespasses and sins, walking according to the course of this world. We were not merely weak; we were spiritually separated from God. But God's grace came looking for us.

a) Grace Found Me in Sin (Ephesians 2:1) – Paul says we were “dead in trespasses and sins.” Grace did not wait for us to become perfect before reaching us. God loved us while we were still sinners.

b) Grace Reached Me in Mercy (Ephesians 2:4) – “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us.” The turning point in the human story is often found in two powerful words: “But God.” When God enters the situation, the story can change.

c) Grace Gave Me Life (Ephesians 2:5) – Though we were spiritually dead, God “hath quickened us together with Christ.” Grace brought spiritual life where there was spiritual death.

d) Grace Saved Me (Ephesians 2:8) – Salvation is not the reward for human achievement. It is God's gift received through faith. Grace took hold of us when we could not rescue ourselves.

Biblical Example: Paul the Apostle (1 Timothy 1:13-16) – Paul persecuted the Church and opposed Christ, yet God's grace transformed him from a persecutor into an apostle and preacher of the Gospel. His past was real, but grace gave him a new story.

2. GRACE CHANGED MY IDENTITY

Grace does more than forgive our past; it gives us a new position in Christ. The person who receives Christ is no longer defined primarily by past failure, sin or rejection. He becomes a new creation with a new relationship with God.

a) From Condemnation to Acceptance (Romans 8:1) – “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Grace removes the condemnation that sin brought and gives the believer a new standing in Christ.

b) From Strangers to Children (John 1:12) – Those who receive Christ are given power to become the sons of God. Grace changes our relationship with God from separation to sonship.

c) From Old Things to New Things (2 Corinthians 5:17) – “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” Grace does not merely improve the old life; it introduces a new life in Christ.

d) From Shame to Glory (Romans 8:30) – God does not save people merely to leave them in shame. Those whom He justifies, He also glorifies. Grace moves the believer towards God's intended purpose.

Biblical Example: Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9:1-13) – Mephibosheth was crippled, living in obscurity and conscious of his limitations. Yet David brought him into the palace and gave him a place at the king's table. Grace changed his position from forgotten to favoured.

3. GRACE TURNED MY PAST INTO A TESTIMONY

God does not waste surrendered experiences. The things that once caused pain, shame or regret can become part of the testimony of His faithfulness. Grace does not deny the past; it gives the past a redemptive meaning.

a) Grace Forgives My Past (Colossians 2:13-14) – God forgives our sins and removes the record of debt against us through Christ. Grace prevents our past from becoming a permanent prison.

b) Grace Restores What Was Lost (Joel 2:25) – God promised restoration to His people after seasons of devastation. Grace can restore years, opportunities, relationships, dignity and purpose.

c) Grace Gives Beauty for Ashes (Isaiah 61:3) – God can exchange mourning for joy and ashes for beauty. What looked like the end of your story can become the beginning of a new chapter.

d) Grace Produces a Testimony (Psalm 40:1-3) – God can bring a person out of the horrible pit, establish his steps and put a new song in his mouth. Your deliverance becomes evidence that God is faithful.

Biblical Example: Joseph (Genesis 50:20) – Joseph experienced betrayal, slavery, false accusation and imprisonment. Yet God used those painful chapters to position him for leadership and preservation. What others intended for evil, God turned into good.

4. GRACE GIVES ME A NEW PURPOSE

Grace does not merely rescue us from something; it calls us into something. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Grace changes our story so that our lives can fulfil divine purpose.

a) Grace Makes Me God's Workmanship (Ephesians 2:10) – You are not an accidental product of circumstances. In Christ, you are God's workmanship. He is working on your life and shaping you for His purpose.

b) Grace Gives Me Assignment (Ephesians 2:10) – God has prepared good works for His people to accomplish. Grace gives meaning to our existence and makes our lives useful in God's kingdom.

c) Grace Gives Me Ability (1 Corinthians 15:10) – Paul said, “By the grace of God I am what I am.” He acknowledged that his usefulness in ministry was made possible by divine grace.

d) Grace Makes My Life Fruitful (John 15:5) – Abiding in Christ enables believers to bear fruit. Grace gives us the divine enablement to accomplish what human strength alone cannot accomplish.

Biblical Example: Moses (Exodus 3:1-12) – Moses had a complicated past and had fled Egypt, yet God encountered him at the burning bush and gave him a divine assignment. Grace transformed a fugitive into a deliverer.

5. GRACE GIVES ME STRENGTH FOR THE JOURNEY

Grace is not only for the beginning of salvation; it sustains us throughout our Christian journey. There are challenges that human strength cannot overcome, but God's grace is sufficient.

a) Grace Is Sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9) – God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” When human strength is inadequate, divine grace becomes sufficient.

b) Grace Gives Strength in Weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9) – God's power is made perfect in weakness. Your weakness does not disqualify you when you depend upon God's grace.

c) Grace Helps in Times of Need (Hebrews 4:16) – We are invited to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace for help in time of need.

d) Grace Keeps Me Standing (1 Peter 5:10) – God is able to restore, establish, strengthen and settle His people after seasons of suffering. Grace keeps us from being destroyed by difficult seasons.

Biblical Example: Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-8) – Elijah became exhausted and discouraged after a great spiritual victory. God did not abandon him in his weakness. He provided food, rest and divine direction, demonstrating that grace sustains God's servants.

6. GRACE WILL GIVE MY STORY A GLORIOUS ENDING

The grace that began the work in us is able to complete it. God is not merely interested in where we started; He is interested in what He will accomplish through us. Our final testimony will be evidence of His grace.

a) Grace Carries Me Forward (Philippians 1:6) – God, who began a good work in us, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. What God starts, He is able to complete.

b) Grace Gives Me Hope (Romans 8:28) – God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Even difficult chapters can serve His ultimate purpose.

c) Grace Produces Greater Glory (2 Corinthians 3:18) – As we behold Christ, we are changed from glory to glory. God's grace continually transforms us into His likeness.

d) Grace Leads Me to Eternal Glory (1 Peter 5:10) – The God of all grace has called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus. Our present journey is moving towards an eternal destiny with Him.

Biblical Example: Ruth (Ruth 1:16-17; 4:13-17) – Ruth's story began with widowhood, loss and uncertainty. Yet God brought her into a new family, gave her a husband and made her an ancestor in the lineage of David and ultimately Jesus Christ. Grace changed her story dramatically.

CONCLUSION

Grace is the divine hand that changes the story of a person who could not change it by human strength. It found us in sin, saved us through Christ, changed our identity, redeemed our past, gave us purpose and continues to sustain us. Your past may explain where you have been, but it does not have the authority to determine where God's grace can take you.

Therefore, do not give up on your life, your family, your ministry, your calling or your future. Bring your story to God and trust His grace. What looks impossible today can become tomorrow's testimony. What began with tears can end in rejoicing, what began in weakness can end in strength, and what began in obscurity can end in divine purpose. Let your life continually declare: “It was the grace of God that changed my story.”

PRAYER POINTS

1. Father, thank You for Your grace that found me, saved me and changed my story, in Jesus name.

2. Lord, let Your grace erase every negative effect of my past, in Jesus name.

3. Father, let every area of my life that needs transformation experience the power of Your grace, in Jesus name.

4. Lord, turn every painful chapter of my life into a testimony, in Jesus name.

5. Father, restore everything that has been lost or damaged in my life by the power of Your grace, in Jesus name.

6. Lord, let Your grace give me strength where I am weak and help where I am helpless, in Jesus name.

7. Father, let Your grace position me in the place You have prepared for me, in Jesus name.

8. Lord, let every good work You have ordained for my life be fulfilled by Your grace, in Jesus name.

9. Father, let my family, ministry and destiny become living testimonies of Your grace, in Jesus name.

10. Lord, let the grace that began a good work in me bring it to glorious completion, in Jesus name.

PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS

1. Your story is changing by the power of God's grace; what was once a source of shame shall become a testimony.

2. Every negative chapter of your life is giving way to a new chapter of divine favour, restoration and celebration.

3. You will not be defined by your past; you shall be defined by God's purpose and grace upon your life.

4. Where human strength has failed you, the grace of God shall become sufficient for you.

5. Every lost opportunity, wasted season and damaged area of your life shall experience divine restoration.

6. You shall move from limitation into divine possibility, from obscurity into visibility and from struggle into supernatural accomplishment.

7. The grace of God shall position you in places you could never reach by human strength.

8. Your family shall witness the transforming power of God's grace, and your household shall become a testimony of His faithfulness.

9. The good work God has begun in your life shall not be abandoned; you shall fulfil your divine assignment and finish well.

10. Your life shall become a living testimony that when God's grace enters a man's story, his ending can be greater than his beginning.