In Galatians 5 we have a listing of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) vs. the works of the flesh (the natural man) (Gal. 5:19-21). The fruit of the Holy Spirit can only be obtained by a truly born-again Christian who makes a choice in his/her free volition to yield to the Holy Spirit. Once again, yielding to the Holy Spirit is an act of the free will which was motivated by the resident Holy Spirit in a person and the Word of God made alive through the Spirit in a Christian. The volitional act of yielding to the Spirit is a practical application of faith and it is not a work or performance accomplished by an individual in their own natural strength. Also the fruit of the Holy Spirit is a production of Grace and is not at all a production of an individual's own strength or endeavor.

A Christian who possesses the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5; 1 Cor. 2:16) will be divinely enabled by the Grace of God to function in the Love of God (1 Cor. 13). Therefore, all Grace Exercises will be a fun adventure to apply the Grace of God in a practical way in everyday life situations. Such an individual will also realize the following spiritual principles and will trust God's promises found in the Scriptures:

"For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God." 
―2 Corinthians 4:15

"And all things are of God, who ... hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation." 
―2 Corinthians 5:18

Keep the above in mind when you consider and practice these Grace Exercises.
 

▀ GRACE EXERCISES ON THE ROAD

The easiest Grace Exercises can be applied in traffic. And in fact, by practicing just a few of these principles it will help to relax you and these exercises will make you a safer and better driver. Maybe one or the other accident can be prevented. And at the same time you'll be a testimony of the Grace of God.

Never drive aggressively, even when you're in a hurry. Instead drive defensively and watch out for the irrational behavior of others which could harm you. Speed limits are in place to protect lives and it makes a lot of sense to obey them. Some drivers behind you may get annoyed if you obey the speed limit, but simply relax and don't feel pressured to drive faster. Let the hurried driver pass and even if he/she is upset with you, stay focused and don't react with outbursts, but instead keep a calm temper. See, we don't know what is going on in the lives of other people: maybe a person has just found out that they have cancer, or maybe their child had an accident and they're in a hurry to get to the scene or the hospital, or perhaps they just have a bad day because of all kinds of circumstances (from a nasty spouse or colleague at work to bills that are unpaid, etc., etc.).

The Spirit-filled Christian has the advantage of God's promises found throughout the Word of God. HE (Christ) is our peace (Eph. 2:14) and in Philippians 4:7 we read:

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." 
―Philippians 4:7

Honking the horn in anger doesn't do any good, but the horn should be used when we can protect lives and property. How about showing kindness to other drivers and letting them pull in front of us and perhaps let them even have the last available parking space? Sure we know that many folks act like first-class jerks roaming our streets, but we do not need to become one of them. The roadway is not a place for "I will" competitions and ego demonstrations, but instead it's a great place to exercise and demonstrate mercy and grace. With simple Grace exercises by becoming a friendly driver you'll witness tremendous attitude changes in yourself and even in other drivers. Maybe we can prevent a few unnecessary accidents with these exercises through an attitude of Grace. Let's not forget that we aren't perfect either and we make plenty of mistakes ourselves.

Once again, it's important to note that these exercises are not a commandment or law, instead as a Spirit-filled Christian these exercises may become fun and a great way of demonstrating God's Grace to others.
 

▀ THE LINE AT THE POST OFFICE

A long wait at the post office is a torture for many and the complaints keep shooting through the line back and forth. Well, we consider the line at the post office a tremendous opportunity to either meet perhaps a new friend or to take this time to pray, meditate and relax. The time at the post office can become a truly refreshing and valuable time with God. Busy as we are, why not use this otherwise "wasted" time to redeem it with Grace exercises. We see this time of waiting as a tremendous opportunity to take a "breather" and perhaps to be used of God for an eternal impact in the life of someone else. With an attitude of Grace, the time waiting at the post office or in the doctor's/dentist's office, and the line at the DMV, etc. can be such a refreshing time with God that it sure beats sitting in front of a television for hours watching one worthless show after the other.
 

▀ THE LEGAL THREAT

In our day and age, people are so sue happy that it's scary--it's almost like a sport. How about applying some Mercy and Grace? Sure, we may have been wronged now and then, and we may have every right to sue someone or a company or some other fellow, etc., and in some cases legal action may very well be more than justified. But do we really need to engage in legal action for every little thing? In most cases it is far better to have an attitude of forgiveness and to turn the matter over to God. There is much greater inner peace to commit the matter over to Him as we trust Him for a situation than to run to the first law office around the corner and to make our lives and the lives of others miserable.

We understand that in criminal cases, especially in cases where violent crimes (murder, rape, physical abuse, kidnapping, etc., etc.) have been committed, it is certainly the proper course of action to file charges, etc. as divine discipline for criminal offenders is often executed through the court system. But what we're talking about in Grace exercises are the ridiculous law suits that don't serve a purpose other than to enrich lawyers while destroying the lives of so many. We need to learn to forgive. In the above quoted verse of 2 Cor. 5:18 we read that He gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

There are always bad investments and there are always people who for whatever reason just don't pay us back the money they've borrowed from us a long time ago. And yes, we need to make people accountable for their actions, so that they have an opportunity to take responsibility and so that the matter becomes an issue between them and God.

But listen, let's stop the threats and let's pray for each other. Let's trust God that when we've been hurt that God can redeem the situation. HIS compassions fail not and the Lord's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). We make plenty of mistakes ourselves and we need to learn to let go of certain things and to trust Him for the details in our lives. Yes, at times our feelings will be hurt and we may feel that someone has taken advantage of us, but how about distributing the Mercy and Grace that we've received from God to others?

"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you."
―1 Peter 5:7

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
―Ephesians 4:32
 

▀ HARSH WORDS

Because of the "I" factor (ego), human beings have the tendency to say very hurtful things to each other as they express their anger with raising their voice. And too often they throw all kinds of accusations around. It might be in the marital union when one partner feels that his/her wishes are not satisfied completely. A hot temper can produce a very scary scenario. And when children are around during the parents' fight, it usually turns into a fiasco, scarring the innocent little bystanders for life. A good exercise is to count slowly from one to ten and to breathe slowly and deeply as we simply don't react, but instead we look to Christ and picture His response when He was falsely accused and put on the Cross:

"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
―Luke 23:34

Or maybe it's an out-of-control boss and he/she because of a lot of performance pressure doesn't know how to get things back into control. The boss may think that raising his/her voice and expressing the threats of firing you will solve the matter and/or motivate the work force, when in all reality it devastates their capacity to receive from the boss in the future. But maybe the boss is even right in a matter and we just failed miserably, but the boss was unable to creatively encourage us. Once again, let's count slowly from one to ten and breathe slowly and deeply. Let's pray for the supervisor and boss, and let's apply Mercy and Grace as we trust God for the situation.

In Galatians 6:7 we read that whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. And Jesus said:

"Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; ... For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
―Luke 6:36-38

If we have a grasp of the Grace of God, we won't see Grace exercises as a duty, but instead it's a pleasure to apply them and to see God at work. What an opportunity we have to be used by Him to show His Mercy and Grace in a very practical and realistic fashion to the people around us. Through Grace exercises it is possible to initiate eternal results as we bring the Love of God effectively to the world. Once again, Grace exercises are not intended to put a Christian into a works-performance-duty program, but instead these are just a few easy tips to apply Grace in practical everyday life situations. Of course, it can help if the Christian learns and knows his identity in Christ and the many benefits (blessings) He has for us, because then Grace exercises will not be a burden, but instead these things will be a true faith adventure. It is an exciting opportunity to see God's Grace in action on a daily basis.

You may also want to check out our articles on:

• CHRISTIAN LIVING

• GRACE vs. WORKS