Pu NES

GRACE
WILLIAM S. WINSTON
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are
taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

The Power of Grace

ISBN 1-931289-05-0
Copyright © 2002 by Bill Winston
2™ Printing January 2008
Bill Winston Ministries
P.O. Box 947
Oak Park, IL 60303-0947

Published by Bill Winston Ministries

P.O. Box 947
Oak Park, IL 60303-0947

Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved

under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or
cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any
form without the express written consent of Bill Winston
Ministries.
 INTRODUCTION

If you are a Christian, there’s no need to tell you

that the flow of society has been headed ina direction
contrary to truth and righteousness. Never has any
generation in the history of our nation been so far
removed from the heritage of faith that has been
passed down through the ages. But, never has there
been a greater opportunity for the Body of Christ to
be the glorious Church, operating in the fullness of
God’s anointing, to bring in the greatest harvest of
souls and wealth that the earth has ever seen.

In the pages that follow, I would like to challenge

you to rise up to the high calling of God, and let
your Christian walk bea light for this present
generation. Many are crying out for role models who
are living proof that God is a rewarder of those that
diligently seek Him; men and women who succeed
based on their integrity, strength of character, and
unwillingness to jeopardize all they have worked for
because “...the pleasures of sin [is] for a season.”
(Hebrews 11:25)
 We are living in perilous times where the standards
of God’s written Word are being challenged. The
Word of God commands us to “...Be ye holy, as I
am holy.” (I Peter 1:16) We must be alert at all times
not to adopt the world’s way of thinking, but to stay
true to our heavenly calling. Remember, “biblical
practice yields biblical power.”

It’s not by our own efforts that we can live a holy

and separate life once we’re born-again. It is only
with God’s help, through the Holy Spirit and God’s
anointed Word, that we can rise above the lifestyles of
the world to live clean in an unclean world.

There is a power at our disposal that is accessible by

faith, that will undergird us and strengthen us to run
this Christian race and make it to the finish line. That
power, my friends, is The Power of Grace.
 FORGETTING THE PAST
In Philippians 3:13, Paul says, “Brethren, I count
not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing
Ido, forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are
before.” Now Paul knew what it meant to forget
things. Remember that he was the one hauling off the
Jews who had confessed Christ. He had put them in
jail and even had some of them killed. So Paul had
quite a past. He did it because he was blind. That’s
what spiritual blindness can do to a person. Paul was
influenced by the enemy. In II Corinthians 4:4, Paul
calls Satan, “the god of this world.” He writes, “In whom
the god of this world hath blinded the minds
of them which believe not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them.” Notice, this is a little “g”
when Paul refers to satan as “the god of this world,”
and “this world” refers to this world’s system that
satan got from Adam when man fell. The devil has
blinded the minds of them that do not believe. So
before he can kill, steal, and destroy, he comes to
blind people’s minds. He has blinded many people’s
minds today in terms of who they are, or what God
has planned for their lives, or how they can even live.
The way that you get people’s eyes open is through

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the light of the glorious Gospel, or the truth. Jesus
said, “...if
ye continue in my word, then are you my
disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

SETTING A NEw CourRSE

Paul goes on to say in Philippians 3:14, “I press
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling
of God in Christ Jesus.” There is a high calling of
God, and Paul says he presses toward that mark. You
and I have a high calling on our lives, and it is a press
to get there.

Your Bopy BELONGS To Gop

In Romans 12:1, Paul says, “I beseech you
therefore, brethren, (Paul is talking to the church) by
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which
is your reasonable service.” So it’s not unreasonable
that these things are requested of us. Romans 12:2-3
says:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye

transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye
may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
 perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace
given unto me, to every man that is among you, not
to think of himself more highly than he ought to
think...

Here is where people get confused. It didn’t say

don’t think highly, it just said don’t think more
highly. That’s what’s wrong with some folks. Because
they don’t think much of themselves, they treat
other folks like they think of their own selves, and
they end up dogging everybody. You should think
highly of yourself. That means no more low self-
esteem. If God had gathered up all the gold in the
world, it still would not have been enough to pay
for your redemption. He had to give His own Son’s
life. A Rolls Royce, diamonds, corporate jets, or 14
bedroom mansions could not even come close to the
value of one person’s life. This is why some folks have
problems believing God for a nice vacation and first-
class flight accommodations. They don’t think highly
of themselves. They don’t see themselves the way
God sees them. Their real Father has surrounded His
throne with only the best—even streets of gold.

The last part of verse three says, “...but to think

soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man
the measure offaith.” Paul is still talking to the
brethren, and not to the world. God didn’t deal the

5
world the “measure offaith.” He gave the “measure
of faith” to His people. That faith is the faith that got
you saved and that enables you to receive all of God’s
precious promises.

Houiness Is By GRACE
Going back to Romans 12:1, it says, “holy.” In verse
two it says, “Be not conformed to this world.” Other
translations say, “Do not live according to the fashions
of the times,” or “Do not imitate the way of the world,” or
“Don’t let the world squeeze you into its own mold” (Phillips
Translation). Thank God for grace, because without
grace, where would any of us be?
A great evangelist once said:

Grace is not only the power that moves the heart

of God in its compassion toward us, when He
acquits and accepts the sinner and makes him a
child. It is also the power that moves the heart of
the saint, and provides it each moment with just
the disposition, and the power which it needs to
love God and do His will.

The main difference between faith and grace is that

faith changes things, and grace changes people. Paul
said, “By grace, | am what I am.” Through the grace of
God, Paul became just what God said in His Word he
would be.

The ability to act as God (our Father) would have us

to act, is right conduct, or what I call holiness. Paul
said in First Corinthians 9:27 that he had to keep his
body under. Not put it under, but keep it under.Why?
Because the body wants to do some stuff that’s not
right.

VicTORY OVERTHE FLESH

In Romans 7:18, it says “For I know that in me”—
[that is, in my flesh]—dwelleth no goodthing, for to
will is present with me; but how to perform that
which is good I find not.” Now, Paul doesn’t leave
it like that, because he says in Romans 7:24-25 and
Romans 8:1-2:

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me

from the bodyof this death? I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I
myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the
law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after theflesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death.

a
 Paul discovered how to get victory over the desires
of the flesh. He was confident in the grace that was
within him. Again, grace is not only what it took to
get us saved, but grace is also a divine influence upon
the heart or spirit of man, and it is reflected in the
saved life. The body can be restrained. It takes grace
to get us saved, and grace to keep us saved.

GRACE To THE RESCUE

God has made a way for us to be able to live. In
II Corinthians 12:7-10, it says:

And lest I should be exalted above measure

through the abundance of the revelations,
there was given to me a thorn inthe flesh, the
messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be
exalted above measure. For this thing I besought
the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for
thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest
upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,
in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in
distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak,
then am I strong.
 We must learn to appropriate God’s grace. There
is a tendency in a Christian’s life to count on his
own ability to accomplish God’s plan, to keep God’s
Word, and live like God commands us to live. His
grace is there for us, to give us strength to endure
situations without falling short, as we are going for
the high calling. We are called by God to live holy, and
according to scripture, we can do this.

SEXUAL SIN? “Not ONCE”

In Ephesians 5:1-3, it says:

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us,
and hath given Himself for us an offering and
a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor. But
fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness,
let it not be once named among you, as becometh
saints.

This has to do with any kind of sexual sin, including

adultery, fornication, and homosexuality. If we were
not able to live this way, God would not have said it.
It’s not us who will keep us; it’s the grace of God.
God called us, and it’s God who will have to keep us.
 Josep H: Our EXAMPLE
When sexual sins occur, such as adultery, people
tend to look at David. They say things like, “Well,
David saw this woman and lusted after her, and then
he fell into adultery.” But why not use Joseph as an
example?
In Genesis 39:5-9, it says:

And it came to pass from the time that he had

made him overseer in his house, and over all that
he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house
for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was
upon all that he had in the house, and inthe field.
And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and
he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he
did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well
favoured. And it came to pass after these things,
that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph,
and she said, lie with me. But he refused, and said
unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth
not what is with me in the house, and he hath
committed all that he hath to my hand [trusted
him]; there is none greater in this house than
I”—[Integrity is to go off by yourself with no one watching
and still refuse. Some people think that just because people
are watching them, they could refuse and act holier than
thou, but this will not hold any weight with God because

10
 God is everywhere. ]—“neither hath he kept back any
thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife:
how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin
against God.”

The devil used Potiphar’s wife to try to entice

Joseph and to steal the vision that God had placed in
him. The devil may be trying to seduce you, but it’s
not you he’s after. The devil is after the high calling;
that is, the vision God has placed in you. It is the
vision for you to take back cities and nations from the
devil.

WatcH THE SEEDS SOWN IN Your HEART

We have been called to high positions. There is

an integrity that we must have because we are very
visible. Little children and young adults are looking to
the leaders today. They are looking for role models,
people to admire and respect. We cannot let the devil
sow the seed that all of us have to cheat on our wives
or husbands at least one time in our lives. We must
come with the truth and be witnesses as to the power
of God.

Joseph looked beyond this moment of temptation

with Potiphar’s wife. As he resisted the temptation of

11
adultery, he said to her, “There is none greater in
this house than I; neither hath he kept back any
thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife:
how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin
against God?”

If you are looking at your own life, especially if you

are having doubts about remaining faithful, then this is
for you. This teaching is designed to give you a biblical
role model, and plant new seeds in you so that you
can walk holy and keep God’s Word. It is not designed
to condemn you, but rather to impart grace.

Eventually, there will be two divisions in the

world—the saved and the unsaved. It doesn’t matter
what color they are or how eloquent they may speak.
If he or she is on the unsaved side, they will suffer
judgment, and any wealth that person possesses will
come to the Body of Believers—the Saved Ones.
Whether you are black, white, or yellow, it doesn’t
make any difference. There is only one good side, the
Lord’s side, and only what He says is truth. If you are
saying anything that God did not say, or confessing
things that do not line up with His Word, then you are
not telling the truth. They may beafact, but they are
not truth.

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 FLEE FORNICATION
In Genesis 39:10-13, it says,

And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by

day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her,
or to be with her. [Joseph did not want to be with her. ]
And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph
went into the house to do his business: and there
was none of the men of the house there within.
And she caught him by his garment saying, Lie
with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and
fled, and got him out.

You must flee fornication! (I Corinthians 6:18) Run!

People may think you're crazy, but let them think
that.

God spoke to me and said something that opened

my eyes further. He said, “None of these folks in the
Old Testament were born again.” That means we have
something in us that they didn’t have in them.

A New Heart —A NEw SPIRIT

— A NEw STANDARD
The reason I know we can live holy is that in Ezekiel
36:26-27, it says:
 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit
will I put within you: and I will take away the
stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you
an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within
you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye
shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Not only are you saved or born-again, but the

Holy Spirit within you specializes in keeping you
holy. We are in the world, but separate from it and
victorious over it. We can do this. We can keep His
commandment. :

Isaiah 62:10 says “Go through, go through the

gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up,
cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up
a standard for the people.” It is the Church (us) who
is supposed to lift up the standard. When we were
unsaved, most of the seeds and things we believed
were sown into us by the unsaved. That is, by the
world’s standards and its system. For instance, I heard
such things as “don’t expect to understand a woman-
-look at your wife like she’s alittle off mentally, then
you can get along with her just fine,” and “have a
secret bank account just in case you have to make an
unexpected getaway (that is, move out).” These seeds
were sown into many men. This was the devil. I read
in Deuteronomy 28:9, that we, the redeemed, shall
be established as holy unto the Lord. I have said on

14
occasion that we can be holy millionaires. Well, if we
want the millions, let’s make sure we’re living holy.

If you teach these principles of holiness to your

children when they are very young, and teach them
that God will give them the grace to live holy, they
can grow up and remain virgins until they’re married.
I know that most of us probably were not virgins
when we married, but let’s not put that off on our
children. Put the right seed in them so they won’t
struggle with their flesh every step of the way. You
have some professional basketball players who are
virgins. When they were interviewed on television,
some of the hosts could not believe that they were
virgins. How were they able to dothis? The right
seeds were sown into their lives, and the grace of
God that comes with His Word enabled them to live
beyond their natural ability.

In Isaiah 62:11-12, it says:

Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of

the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold,
thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with
him, and his work before him. And they shall call
them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord:
and thou shalt be called, Sought out,A city not
forsaken.

15
 People will seek you out. They may say, “Oh, those
old holy people,” but wait until they get sick. They
will seek you out because in holiness lies power.
Do you remember Samson? He had great strength
and wisdom until he mixed with the world. He told
Delilah, who was a Philistine, what was in his heart.
His strength (power) then left him, and he became
as any other natural man. The enemy put his eyes
out, led him captive, and enslaved him. Thank God
he repented and regained his anointing (supernatural
ability), and destroyed the enemy.

WALK IN THE SPIRIT

In Galatians 5:16-21, it says:

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall

not fulfil the lust of the flesh... But if ye be led
of the Spirit,ye are not under the law. Now the
works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
Adultery, fornication, uncleaness, lasciviousness,
idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the
which Itell you before, as I have also told you in
time past, that they which do such things shall not
inherit the kingdom of God.

16
 This is saying that if a person walks in the flesh, they
will not get to their wealthy place. They will not make
it to their high calling, Oh, a person can be born-again
or saved, but what this is telling us is that they will
not enjoy the benefits of a good saved life.

I am not trying to raise up some moral ideology

that people cannot attain to, but I know this, when
God said, “Let it [fornication and sexual sins] not once
be named among you,” that caught my attention.
There is a way God desires for us to live. And there is
a way we can live. I’m not talking about being “holier
than thou,” as described in Isaiah 65:5. I’m talking
about letting the Word of His grace work in you and
through you.

Now, if we do sin, thank God we have an advocate,

Jesus Christ, and we can be restored. In I John 1:8-10,
it says:

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,

and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins,
heis faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say
we have not sinned, we make Him aliar, and the
word is not in us.

So God will forgive you, but there are repercussions

for sins. Society at large is paying for the immorality

17
of people. This statement is not meant to condemn
anyone because “...All have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) “For the
wages of sinis death; but the gift of God is eternal
life...” (Romans 6:23). That giftis God’s only
begotten Son, His Word. So, we are able to do this.
How? Tue: the Power of Grace.

18
 THE POWER OF GRACE
Prayer of Repentance and Restoration

If you have compromised your Christian walk and

have committed fornication, adultery, or any other
type of sexual sin, pray this prayer from your heart.
God will hear you, and will restore you. If you
have broken the trust of a spouse or of your local
church, you must prove to them, over time, that your
repentance is sincere, and that you have truly altered
your lifestyle towards godliness. Allow the Lord to
raise up other leadership in your place in your local
church while the healing time takes place.

Father God, I come to you in the Name of Jesus

and by his precious atoning blood
with repentance and godly sorrow
for the sexual sins that I have committed.
I judge myself in this matter guilty of this sin.
I sincerely repent and turn away from this sin,
and I thank you that mercy triumphs over judgment.

So as I have confessed my sin, you are faithful and just

to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me of all unrighteousness.
That sin is now cast into the sea of forgetfulness, and
I turn away from that behavior forever.
Iam free and loosed from the curse of sexual sins of the past,
and I pray that you will give me a new start.
By the power in the Name of Jesus and by His blood,
I release myself from every ungodly soul tie,
every familiar spirit, and the sins of my fathers.
I break the power of the devil and all controlling
spirits from over my life; I cut the bands asunder and I am
free this day from sexual sins of the past and its results.

I renounce the world and its compromising values.

I renounce the devil and all of his temptations.
I mortify the deeds of my flesh.
I keep my body under.
lam crucified with Christ.
[am dead to sin, and I do not let sin reign in my mortal body.
I refuse to yield to the lusts of my flesh.
I train my senses to discern good and evil.
I flee fornication, adultery and all sexual sin.
I choose to live holy, as God is holy--
For without holiness shall no man see the Lord.

Father God, I confess that I am delivered from all tempting situations.

I say as Joseph said, "No! I cannot sin against my God."
I keep my body under and walk in the Spirit and live in the Spirit.
lam spiritually minded, and keep my faith active to live a
clean life before you always, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

20
If you would like to send your prayer request,
share your testimony of how this book has
blessed you, or order more products by Bill
Winston, please contact us:

Bill Winston Ministries

P.O. Box 947
Oak Park, IL 60303-0947

(708) 697-5100
www.billwinston.org

21
 Bill Winston Ministries (“BWM”) is an outreach
ministry that shares the Good News of the Gospel
through a variety of outlets. From our radio and
television broadcasts, “The Believers’ Walk of Faith”
program, to our monthly partner letter, crusades,
and our website, we are reaching multitudes for
Jesus Christ.
Our mission at Bill Winston Ministries is to preach
the Gospel of the Kingdom throughout the world,
and train Believers how to live independently of this
world’s system and have dominion over it.
If this book has been a blessing to you and you
would like to sow into this ministry to help us take
the gospel to the nations and bring freedom to the
captives for Christ, please partner with us.Your
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bringing these life-changing messages to countless
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Please call 1-800-711-9327, or visit our website
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today.

Together, we can make a difference!

22
 William (Bill) Samuel Winston

Bill Winston is the visionary founder and senior pastor of

Living Word Christian Center in Forest Park, Illinois.

He is also founder and president of Bill Winston Minis-

tries, a partnership-based global outreach ministry that
shares the gospel through television, radio, and the inter-
net; the nationally accredited Joseph Business School
which has partnership locations on five continents and an
online program; the Living Word School of Ministry and
Missions; and Faith Ministries Alliance (FMA), an organi-
zation of more than 800 churches and ministries under his
spiritual covering in the United States and other countries.

The ministry owns and operates two shopping malls, For-

est Park Plaza in Forest Park and Washington Plaza in
Tuskegee, Alabama. Bill Winston is also the founder and
CEO of Golden Eagle Aviation, a fixed base operator
(FBO) located at the historic Moton Field in Tuskegee.

Bill is married to Veronica and is the father of three, Melody,

Allegra, and David, and the grandfather of eight.
 Books By Bill Winston
Born Again and Spirit Filled (Available in English, Polish
and Spanish versions)
Climbing Without Compromise
Divine Favor —A Gift from God, Expanded Edition
Faith & The Marketplace
Imitate God and Get Results (Available in English and
French versions)
Possessing Your Mountain
Power of the Tongue
Seeding For the Billion Flow
Tapping the Wisdom of God
The God Kind of Faith
The Kingdom of God In You: Discover the Greatness of
God’s Power Within
The Law of Confession: Revolutionize Your Life and
Rewrite Your Future with the Power of Words
The Missing Link of Meditation
The Power of Grace
The Power of the Tithe

Training For Reigning: Releasing the Power of Your

Potential
Transform Your Thinking, Transform Your Life: Radically
Change Your Thoughts, Your World, and Your Destiny
 Connect With Us!

Connect with Bill Winston Ministries on Social Media. Visit

www.billwinston.org/social to connect with all of our official
Social Media channels.

Bill Winston Ministries

P.O. Box 947
Oak Park, Illinois 60303-0947
(708) 697-5100
(800) 711-9327
www.billwinston.org

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 Gon’s Grace 1s SuFFICIENT!
It’s time for the Body of Christ to rise
up to the high calling of God and let our
Christian walk be alight for this present
generation. God has called us to live a
holy and separate life once we’ve been
born again. God doesn’t ask us to do
anything that we can ’t do. It is only with
God’s help, through the Holy Spirit and
God’s anointed Word, that we can rise above the lifestyles of
the world to live clean in an unclean world.
There is a power at our disposal that is accessible by
faith that will undergird us and strengthen us to run this
Christian race and make it to the finish line. That power,
my friends, is The Power of Grace.
Bill Winston reveals in this powerful message how God’s
grace will help you to:
¢ Have victory over your flesh
¢ Forget the past and set a new course
¢ Flee fornication
¢ Walk in the Spirit, and much more!

Holiness is by grace. Faith changes things, but grace chang-

es people. You can start tine the life that God has planned
for you today!

HI
ISBN 1-931289-05-0

UPMUNA O0NCN EAHA AY