Text: “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” — James 4:6
Introduction
There is in every soul a divine longing to go further. We sense that we were not made for stagnation. The child of God, born again by the Spirit, desires more than mere survival. He longs to grow, to rise, to mature, to go deeper, and ultimately to go higher.
But every new level comes with new weight. Every elevation comes with a corresponding demand. Greater influence brings greater warfare. A deeper calling brings deeper testing. The soul may feel eager to ascend, but the climb is not easy.
And so we ask, how does a man reach the next level in life, in calling, in intimacy with God, in fruitfulness, in power? Not by merit. Not by effort alone. Not by ambition. The answer is found in the simple yet immeasurable provision of God: grace.
James 4:6 tells us plainly, “But he giveth more grace.” Not old grace recycled, but more grace for the next season, more grace for the next step, more grace for the next assignment. God has grace for each level of the journey, grace that matches the moment, and grace that prepares and lifts the believer beyond natural limits.
Today we speak not of generic advancement, but of grace for the next level.
I. Every Level of Calling Requires a New Measure of Grace
You cannot fight today’s battles with yesterday’s oil. The anointing that helped you face yesterday’s temptations may not be enough for the pressure that lies ahead. Every new level of calling demands a new supply of grace.
We see this in the life of David. When he was tending sheep, grace made him a faithful shepherd. But when God called him to stand before Goliath, David did not come in his shepherd strength. He said, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear… but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts” (1 Samuel 17:45).
That was grace for the next level. Grace that shifted him from the pasture to the battlefield.
Later, David would need grace to govern a kingdom. Grace to handle betrayal. Grace to rise after moral failure. Each stage of his life required more grace, and God supplied it in due time.
The same pattern is true for every believer. The grace that sustained you as a new believer is not the same grace you will need to lead others. The grace that helped you pray for yourself will need to grow to pray effectively for nations. The grace that kept you when nobody knew your name must grow if God brings you into a place of influence.
God gives grace for the present, and He gives grace for what is next.
II. Grace Comes Before Promotion
The world promotes based on performance. But in the kingdom of God, promotion begins with humility, and is only made possible through grace.
James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” This is not a strategy. It is a spiritual law. Pride may get you to the top, but only grace can keep you there.
Before Joseph was lifted to the palace, he had to pass through the pit. Before Moses led Israel, he was exiled in the wilderness. Before Paul became the apostle to the Gentiles, he was struck blind and led by the hand.
Why? Because the next level in God’s kingdom is not about visibility. It is about readiness. And readiness requires brokenness. Readiness requires dependence. And only when a man has come to the end of himself does grace flood in and prepare him for the weight of the next level.
Grace lifts the humble. Grace equips the broken. Grace steadies the one who says, “Lord, I cannot do this without you.”
III. Grace Unlocks Doors That Effort Cannot Open
There are levels you cannot reach through planning, talent, or strategy. There are doors that refuse to open no matter how long you knock. But grace has a key that no man can copy.
In Revelation 3:8, Jesus says, “Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.” This is divine access. Not granted by man, but by mercy. Not earned, but given.
Esther stood before a king who could have ordered her death. But grace went before her. The king extended the golden scepter. The door opened. The nation was saved.
Ruth was a Moabite, an outsider, with no legal claim to Israel’s inheritance. But grace took her from gleaning in the fields to becoming the great-grandmother of David. She could not orchestrate that. She did not plan her way there. Grace brought her in.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am.” He does not say, “I studied my way in,” or “I climbed my way up.” He points to grace as the reason he moved from persecutor to preacher, from murderer to missionary.
There is a level of favor that only grace can give. And when grace opens a door, no man and no devil can shut it.
IV. Grace Equips You to Handle the Weight of What Comes Next
Elevation in the kingdom does not only bring visibility. It brings pressure. It brings spiritual warfare. It brings responsibility.
Many long for the platform but do not understand the pain behind it. They want influence but are not ready for the isolation that often comes with it. They want to go to the next level but have not received the grace to carry it.
When God gives grace for the next level, He gives strength to withstand temptation. He gives wisdom to handle people. He gives discernment to navigate traps. He gives courage to stand alone.
2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” That is grace in abundance. Grace that multiplies. Grace that meets every pressure with divine strength.
It is dangerous to ascend without grace. That is why God sometimes delays promotion. He is not punishing you. He is preparing you.
He will not place a crown on a head that is not ready to carry the cross that comes with it.
V. Grace for the Next Level Is Found in Surrender
There is a secret to receiving grace for the next level. It is not striving. It is not self-promotion. It is surrender.
God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” But Paul had to come to the end of himself to hear that. He had to embrace his weakness. He had to glory in his infirmity.
Grace rushes into the surrendered heart like a river. It does not flow into clenched fists. It floods open hands.
When Jesus knelt in Gethsemane, He prayed, “Not my will, but thine be done.” That was the gateway to Calvary. And it was also the pathway to resurrection, ascension, and ultimate glory.
If you want grace for the next level, kneel before God with no demands. Say, “Lord, whether you raise me or keep me hidden, give me the grace to please you.” That kind of prayer moves heaven.
Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” Trust precedes promotion. Surrender precedes success.
VI. Grace Is Given to Those Who Will Use It for God’s Glory
God does not give grace so we may boast. He gives grace so we may glorify Him.
Every next level in your journey should bring more honor to Jesus, not more attention to self. If you want grace to go higher, ask yourself first: Will this elevation bring God more glory or bring me more pride?
1 Peter 4:10 reminds us that every gift we receive is meant to serve others. “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
If God raises you to preach, preach for His glory. If He gives you wealth, give for His kingdom. If He gives you influence, use it to lift others.
The grace you receive must not end in you. It must flow through you.
And the more you give away, the more God entrusts to you. The man who gives God all the glory will be given grace upon grace.
Conclusion
Are you standing at the edge of the next level? Do you feel the stretching, the longing, the preparing? Are you asking for more of God and wondering how to move forward?
Then hear this promise today: He gives more grace.
Grace for the doors you cannot open. Grace for the challenges you cannot face. Grace for the promotion you cannot handle on your own. Grace for the calling that terrifies you. Grace for the next level.
And that grace is not earned. It is received in humility. It is found in surrender. It is multiplied in obedience. It is preserved in worship.
So ask boldly. Wait patiently. Walk humbly.
And when the time comes, the same God who called you will lift you. Not by your might. Not by your wisdom. But by His grace.
Grace for the next level is already prepared for the one who will give Him glory at every stage.
Amen.