498. Celebrating God's Grace, God's Grace for the Race

Things that happen in life can cause us to be overwhelmed in our race of faith. Obtain freedom from the issues of your heart, receiving God's power to strengthen you to run your race of faith with grace!

Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, A Women World Leader’s Podcast, I’m your host Robin Kirby-

Gatto.

Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate God’s grace, in our lives, in our ministry, and around the world.

Today’s Title: God’s Grace for the Race!

1 “Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, 2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 AMPC

While working out at the gym this morning, I noticed my husband’s company shirt, from the Breast Cancer Awareness walk we participated in spring of 2011. In front of the word “race,” was the breast cancer awareness pink ribbon, and I couldn’t help but see the word GRACE. The Lord spoke to my heart that when we have God, which is big “G,” in our race, we have GRACE!

Recently, the Holy Spirit has brought much to light during the Feast of Tabernacles, known as Sukkot, which ends October 6th. Presently, while writing my podcast it is October 3rd. On October 2nd, God went deep into my heart with His Word of Truth, operating on it as in Hebrews 4:12, dividing between soul and spirit, revealing my intentions and motives.

“For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 AMPC

Sometimes, we don’t know what we don’t know. Things are hidden deep within the subconscious, which I’m familiar with, having been a psychotherapist with the seriously mentally ill, and now doing health and wellness coaching for many years, which includes the psyche. It wasn’t until the time of these fall feasts that things “came to a head,” where the Holy Spirit revealed things hidden in my heart.

I had gotten cluttered with thoughts of others and what they were saying about me, as well as the stress of my hormonal changes and getting balance with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), and in addition, a close loved one, who received a serious debilitating diagnosis earlier this year, that we’ve kept quiet. We are believing for full healing and are certain we’ve been given wisdom from God, for the path of my loved one’s healing.

All these issues in life became the issues of my heart, crammed to the rim of my soul. However, this is the thing; I had no clue that anything had been within my heart, causing me to be stifled, so to speak. My husband says I’m the most forgiving person he knows, in our 22 years of marriage. He’s seen the personal hurts in my life, as well as known where I’ve been merciful and forgiving with him, especially in our early years of marriage. That’s why he’s so loyal to me.

I would consider myself a seasoned saint, having ministered under the unction of the Holy Spirit as in Galatians 1:1, where I’ve not been sent by a church or a man, like the apostle Paul states, but I’ve been sent by God. I never wanted to be a minister and always saw myself as a high-powered attorney, with my Ann Taylor suits and shoes, going into court arguing my client’s case. I have a bachelor’s and master’s in social work, and a Juris Doctorate. It was in the first year of law school on Resurrection Day 2002, where Holy Spirit delivered me from alcoholism, the residue of me medicating my soul, while being a single mother, that blended over into the first year of our marriage. Shortly after that, Holy Spirit delivered me from rage, which by the way, I never knew I had, but God did.

In the midst of the supernatural encounters with God in 2002, and Him bringing freedom and deliverance by the Spirit of the Lord, I was called to train and prepare for ministry. Initially, I wanted it, but then like Moses, I learned that it wasn’t till you didn’t want to do a thing, that you get to do it. God had to sift “Robin,” out of the way, so that all that could be seen was Christ. He then put me on the Isaiah 35:8 Highway of Holiness, redeemed the time in my life, and had me studying the word four hours a day, and praying an hour a day. I knew it to be Mach 1 into the call of God.

Now many years later, after being in full-time ministry since February 24, 2011, where God has superabundantly supplied for all of our needs, as I left an incredible job making double the amount of my husband at the time. Even now, God humbles me, revealing my weakness, allowing the sifting of the satan, who has been given permission as with the prophet Job, and Peter in Luke 22:31-33. The whole purpose of the sifting is to get us out of the way, where we’ve become accustomed to running our own race without God, unaware we’ve allowed little mole hill to build up into mountain and hinder us.

The way God has built me in my Christian faith, is to remain humble and transparent. Therefore, this week He had me publicly repenting to my Facebook and YouTube followers, of how unknowingly I’ve allowed things to become the issues of my heart, between other people’s discussions of me, my hormone imbalance, and my loved one’s illness. It was then, as in James 5:16, where I confessed my sins, that what had been hindering me from the issues of Robin trying to run her race, I was SET FREE! I was able with grace to turn to the people that I need to, and have conversations that were necessary, for me to become a better saint, being set apart for God, as well as bringing things to light, for peace to dwell in our midst. I had to take a hard look at my behaviors and heart, seeing the sifting within, to know that the purpose would not only be for making me better, but to strengthen the brethren.

God began to show me, areas in which I was seeing others through my own hurt and hadn’t let go. Thank God; as much as we forgive others, is the degree that we’re forgiven. (Matthew 6:14) This is the thing; I didn’t know I had issues in my heart. I was so distracted and overcome with all that was going on in my life, that I didn’t realize a little at a time over the span of 4 months, I had ended in a place where the intents and motives of my heart were areas of woundedness, that left me running my race of faith by myself.

Once I repented, and all was laid bare before God, He breathed into my weary soul, and lifted me up to His throne of Grace, to obtain mercy for my need! (Hebrews 4:16) The interesting thing is that yesterday when all of this happened, I had to go to a doctor appointment and get my estrogen bumped up, and on the way, I saw a personalized tag PRAY4US. God always talks to me through personalized car tags, and it is timely. Later, on my way back home from picking Rich up from work, I then saw the personalized tag ADVOCAT for advocate. I couldn’t help but think of How Jesus our Advocate and High Priest prays for us.

“My little children, I write you these things so that you may not violate God’s law and sin. But if anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (One Who will intercede for us) with the Father—[it is] Jesus Christ [the all] righteous [upright, just, Who conforms to the Father’s will in every purpose, thought, and action].” 1 John 2:1 AMPC

This blessed me so much, as the Father reminded me how Jesus has been praying for me and advocating for me, while I had been going through all the issues of life. He knew that I would be at this place in 2023, and His prayers effectively, got Robin out of her race and into God’s race, conforming me to God’s purpose in my thoughts and actions. He changed my stinking thinking and freed me of the issues of life that had weighed me down.

We’re never above the place of needing God’s chastisement, on His beautiful Hebrews 4:12 surgical table where He does heart surgery. Our vulnerability proclaiming our infirmities, is the place where God is strong. Paul knew this well, as he proclaimed, if he were to boast about anything regarding himself, it would be his weaknesses. In our weakness, God is strong! (2 Corinthians 12:9) Paul knew that the secret to running the race of faith, was to cry out to God, where His grace would always be sufficient!

Most people, when they think about Paul, consider him a super saint. However, in 1 Timothy 1:15, he proclaims himself, chief sinner. I love his monologue in 2 Corinthians 11, right before he cries out to God to remove the thorn, which was a messenger of satan, sent to buffet his flesh. He’s telling the church of Corinth like it is, as they put up with all the super false apostles, whom they give offerings to willingly, while he must work in a trade, while he is preaching there and get support from Macedonia. Paul is real. He’s sharing the issues of his own heart and displaying them in a vulnerable state publicly in front of the church. How many of you right now, would stand before the church and humble yourselves, if need be and confess your sin of unforgiveness or pride. We never want to think that is us.

With the past revivals I have read about, one especially, the revival of Timor, in the book “Like a Mighty Wind,” by Mel Tari, people were real when the glory of God showed up. When the glory of God came upon the church in Timor like the book of Acts, they saw signs and wonders of the Kingdom of Heaven! Healings took place, souls were saved, and people were set free from all oppression, glory to God! And one of the leading trademarks, as with the revival in Shantung, China beginning in 1927, was that people confessed their sins publicly in church and got rid of all the issues of life that had hindered them.

Where is it that you’re running your own race, and you need to step back, confess what’s on your heart, and get in God’s race, where you experience His Holy Grace.

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