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Core Belief #1: 
You Can Tap a Power That Makes You Extraordinary
by Marnie L. Pehrson

You are not alone. No matter how imperfect, weak, or untalented you think you may be, you can still do amazing things. There is a power that you can tap into that enables ordinary people to do extraordinary things. It's a power I access whenever I've done all I know to do, and it's still not good enough. It's the power by which anything remarkable in my life is accomplished. It's not me - it's this power that works through me. I'm just an ordinary person like anyone else.

"What is this enabling power?" you ask. It's called grace. Why do you have access to it? Because God is your Father. The riches of eternity are in His hands and are His to give. His sole objective and desire is to endow you with all that He has.

Here's the rub . . . your attaining these riches is contingent upon obedience to eternal laws - laws that God obeys and that He's trying to teach you to obey so you can obtain all that He has. Each law has consequences for living in harmony with it or in violation of it. Every blessing we receive is because we've obeyed a corresponding law. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is a negative consequence associated with the violation of each law.

Some of these laws we know - like gravity or centrifugal force. Others we may not be familiar with, but that doesn't keep them from having an effect on us any more than a baby not understanding gravity would keep it from falling off a couch.

Because we are imperfect humans, we can't constantly live in compliance with every eternal law. Many of us don't even know what those laws are! Unfortunately, there's a penalty associated with every violated law - whether we understand that law or not. But all isn't lost. That's where mercy and grace come in. God's Son Jesus Christ paid the price associated with our disobedience and bridges the gap between what we are able to do and what is necessary to attain all that the Father has.

The distance between our best efforts and ultimate compliance is bridged only by GRACE (God's Riches At Christ's Expense). This grace is more than a last saving act that "gets us into heaven." It is a day-to-day enabling power that we can tap into, if we will only do it. It's the power to excel, to be remarkable, and to achieve far beyond our natural abilities. It requires a partnership with Christ to use it, for He is the source of this grace.

The concept of grace is outlined in Ephesians 2:8-10:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

Because on our own we fall miserably short, our works cannot save us; but the purpose of God's grace is to recreate us in Christ so that we can walk in good works. It is important to note that God gives us grace so that we can do His works and build His kingdom. A natural outflow of being in a state of grace is an abundance of good works (also referred to as "bearing fruit"). If you're connected to the vine (Jesus Christ) then you'll produce fruit (good works).

Activating God's Grace

So how do we activate this grace? Here are 5 simple steps.

Step 1: Humility. Acknowledging your weakness, your dependence upon God, and your need for a Savior is the first step to accessing grace. You must realize that you need Him to make up the difference between where you are and where you want to be. Without Him, you're nothing.

Step 2: Ask God for Help. Jesus repeatedly admonished us to ask and you shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you. Ask the Father in the name of the Son for the help you need. Be specific. Don't whine or gripe; ask specifically in positive terms for what you want.

Step 3: Receive. Expect an answer! Know that an answer will come. Keep your eyes open for it; seek it. Receiving is a verb and requires action on your part. You must seek, feel gratitude that an answer is coming, and intend to act upon the answer once it arrives.

Step 4: Act. Do all you can do - reach toward His reaching. Listen and act upon the feelings and promptings you receive from the Spirit. No matter how small or insignificant it might be, you must act. Sometimes what you feel prompted to do may seem like it isn't going to take you where you want to go or isn't big enough to make a difference. Do it anyway. It's like walking down a long, dimly lit corridor - until you start walking, you won't be able to see the doors opening along the way.

Step 5: Continue in Gratitude. Keep being grateful for guidance you've received and guidance you haven't yet received. There is no greater exhibition of faith than to be grateful for things your spirit tells you are true, but which your natural eyes cannot yet see.

Anytime you've come to the end of what you know to do, anytime you're feeling down or lost, or anytime things are going just the way you want them to, use these 5 steps. You'll notice that acknowledgement and gratitude to God permeates this process. Without gratitude, you cannot activate or maintain a state of grace. With grace and gratitude, nothing is impossible.

If you like this, you'll probably like You're Here for a Reason: Discover & Live Your Purpose. Get the first fifty pages for FREE here.

1. You Can Tap a Power that Makes You Extraordinary
2. We Are All Connected
3. Look for the Good
4. There's Always a Silver Lining
5. There is No Scarcity, Only Abundance
6. Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters
7. Everything Happens for a Purpose
8. Ask and You Shall Receive
9. We Are Eternal Beings in a Mortal Training Ground