Are you allowing your mistakes to hold you back? Do you lay awake at night, replaying the wrong things you did or said? You don’t have to obsess over your mistakes when you know the grace of Jesus because there is no condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1). The grace of Jesus is a gift to you because he loves you so much. As his child, he has great plans for you—no matter what you’ve done.
Don’t think you are disqualified because of what you did or let your mistake stop you from stepping forward and accepting what Jesus has for you. Let yourself move on and see the great future he has for you, despite your mistakes. With Jesus you can do this and live the great life he has for you. His favor is upon you.
What Is Grace According to the Bible
You have salvation only through God’s grace, meaning his “favor,” because he loves you so much. God’s affection toward you as a loving Father is so great that he has given you favor.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,” (Ephesians 1:7-8, NIV)
He has and will continue to forgive you for your mistakes, all because he adores you. You did nothing to deserve this. It was a gift.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)
This is the grace of Jesus according to the Bible. Rejoice in it and know that your mistake doesn’t mean good things aren’t ahead for you. You have favor through him; humble yourself before him.
Examples of Grace in the Bible
There are many benefits of God’s grace, and many examples of the wonderful grace of Jesus in the Bible. The below examples show you the importance of grace in the Bible and what it really means for your life (and how it changes it for the better):
- In the book of Acts, Stephen was able to do great things to show people Jesus.
“Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.” (Acts 6:8, NIV)
The grace of Jesus Christ allows you to do things you never could on your own, no matter what mistakes you have made in the past. God’s grace opens up doors for you, giving you opportunities and a life you could never achieve by yourself.
- By the grace of Jesus you have been given spiritual gifts.
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:6-8, NIV)
These gifts should be used to further the kingdom. They will change your life and others when you use them in this way. You have a great purpose and have been given great gifts from God. The grace of God gives you extraordinary gifts that will help so many people when used for his purposes.
- God’s grace allows you to speak about him to others. Paul mentions how God did this for him and you can do it also with God’s grace.
“I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.” (Ephesians 3:7, NIV)
You are his servant by his grace and can do his work in whatever way he is calling you to. His favor is upon you. What a gift to be his servant.
You have the favor of God; it will change your life when you know it. You don’t have to let your mistake hold you back—move forward with repentance, knowing the great things his grace enables you to do for God’s kingdom. You are forgiven.
The Grace of Jesus
If you did a Bible study on grace, you would find many verses about the grace of God. Doing this can really help you when you are struggling to let go of your mistake and to know God still has good for you. This can allow you to move on, help you to know Jesus has good plans for you, and teach you that your mistake doesn’t define you or your future. Your mistake gives you the opportunity to learn, and to receive God’s correction, in order to be more like him.
I pray these scriptures on God’s grace can help you know the immense love he has for you to give you his grace. Also, that they would help you to know that God is a loving Father even when you make mistakes and that he has goodness for you despite them.
Romans 5:21
Your mistakes don’t make you a bad person or mean you deserve less than anyone else. Instead, remember through the grace of Jesus you are righteous before God and have eternal life.
“So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:21, NLT)
This means your mistakes don’t have to have a hold on you. You can choose not to sin moving forward, repent, and let them go; not focusing on your mistake but on how Jesus sees you as righteous.
You can step ahead, acting righteous, when you truly believe and know this is who you are, too. It’s a process, but each day you can do better.
When you do mess up again, you can still know that you don’t lose your standing with God. You don’t have to worry about the consequences of your mistake for eternity. You will be with him. This brings such peace of mind.
Ephesians 2:4-5
When you feel like your mistakes keep haunting you and that you are scared that you might do it again, know that by the grace of God you are dead to sin.
“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)” (Ephesians 2:4-5, NLT)
Sin doesn’t have a hold on you any longer. Jesus set you free! When you know this, you can move forward without fear. You should not let this mistake hold you back any longer.
You are free from sin. Make the choice to not sin and when you do, don’t let it continue. You have the power of the Holy Spirit within you to always help you resist. Put on the armor of God and pray.
The enemy has no power anymore when you stand in the truth… and neither does your sinful nature when you don’t let it.
Hebrews 4:16
Maybe your mistake is making you feel like God is disappointed in you. God loves you and the Bible tells you that you can come fearlessly to him in prayer. He wants to embrace you, no matter what, and you will get his mercy and grace in your time of need.
“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:16, NLT)
His grace is available to you. Go to him with these feelings of guilt, shame, and condemnation and know he is always there to help you.
2 Corinthians 12:9
The Grace of Jesus is all you need to rely on. When you feel stuck because of your mistake and too weak to want to go on, remember the words of Paul quoting Jesus:
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV)
You have the favor of God; that is all that matters and all you need for a good future. This mistake doesn’t mean God doesn’t have good things for you or will not work on your behalf. Be humbled by his overwhelming grace towards you.
When your mistakes are holding you back, remember you have the grace of Jesus. The favor of God means your mistakes don’t define you and that he has great things in the future for you. Four scriptures on God’s grace to remind you of this are Romans 5:21, Ephesians 2:4-5, Hebrews 4:16 and 2 Corinthians 12:9. Jesus loves you so much. Know the favor of God to not let your mistakes hold you back any longer.
