Grace and living in who we are

So this Sunday I attended church at Kings Highway Faith Fellowship which is this phenomenal church that is filled with the holy spirit and people who love the Lord as well as each other. I really feel like this could be my home church.  This particular Sunday there was a gentleman who had traveled all the way from Poland to speak. He was so amazing to listen to.  One of the things that stuck out to me, among the 3 1/2 pages of notes that I took, was the concept that "we touch lives by who we are, not who we were because we are altered and different."  and I went on to write in my journal this idea:  We touch lives by who we are, not who we were because we are altered and different. Yet, we shatter lives because of who were were, not who we are"  So what the heck does that mean? Let me give you an example. You've gotten into a heated conversation with a good friend over Lord knows what and you have the opportunity to tear this person apart with a few choice words. The person you were before you knew Christ would go off on them and give them more than just those few choice words. Living in who you WERE shatters that person's life.  However; living in who you ARE means holding your tongue and choosing to act in love rather than pride. 
       Now you may be saying to yourself  "Yeah yeah Isha. That sounds lovely and like a great idea, but how exactly am I supposed to go about doing that? You don't know the people I deal with or how easily annoyed I get"  And to that I would answer "#1) You obviously don't know me too well AND...#2) God's grace is how you'll do that"  In 1 Corinthians 12 :8 & 9 Paul pleads with God three times to take away the thorn in his side. Are you kidding me? Three times??!!  Um.. hello Paul? Did you not get the idea that God wasn't going to take it away from you after pleading 2 times?  Obviously not!  So God replies to him "My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in your weakness"   It is through God's grace that we do all things. God has already given you the grace to get through the crap that life dishes out. And guess what? That grace is more than enough... it's SUFFICIENT! One of the synonyms for sufficient is free. Isn't that so cool. God's grace is free! Like, you'll always have enough because it's free. You didn't have to pay for it or earn it. You didn't have to work for it, slave away your days for it. It's FREE...SUFFICIENT! (Ephesians 2:8-10. Which even states that grace was given to us so that we may do good works, which were prepared for us in advance- SOO COOL!!) 

So tonight I leave you with the thought that God's grace was given to us so that we may live as who we ARE not who we WERE!

Good night and Blessings!