God
became man in order to atone for our sins, because we could never pay the debt
on our own (1 John 4:19). Jesus loves us more than a pearl of great price
(Matthew 13:45).
Jesus
relinquished his royal status and gave His life, so that we can live as God's
adopted children and joint heirs with Him to receive all that the Father owns
in His Kingdom (Romans 8:16-18).
God
forgives us of every transgression of His law; but unless we forgive our self,
Satan keeps us under his bondage to degradation and sin. The shame we feel for
our behavior is fed by Satan's lies, which He whispers in our heart day and
night (Revelation 12:10).
Satan
knows that if we ever forgive our self, and dedicate our life completely to the
God who saved us, he will lose us forever. There is no thought, word or deed,
which we commit, that is too horrific for God to forgive (Romans 5:8).
Most
of our choices are mistakes that we make without thinking, although some of
them are premeditated. Yet, God forgives each one, which we confess, according
to His mercy and justice (1 John 1:9, 3:9). He erases the injustice of our
behavior with His goodness and grace.
God
has a perfect plan for us and our true joy lies in following that plan
(Ephesians 2:10). It is never too late to change. We can lay down our shield of
lies and our heavy burden of pain at Jesus' feet.
We
come to God in our weariness and hopelessness, and He gives us rest for our
soul and births life into our dead spirit, which we carried around within us
for our whole life, until the day we repent (Matthew 11:28).
Prayer:
Father
God, Your Spirit joins Your Bride in encouraging anyone who reads or hears Your
Word to come to Your river of life (Revelation 22:17). Your voice penetrates
the hard wall, which we build around our soul to keep out the pain of the past
and the eventual pain of the future.
This
wall crumbles when we face life's difficulties with Christ in us. Help us not
to patch up the wall of defenses and build it higher and thicker, and to
realize that only Your love can protect us from life's hardships and storms
(Isaiah 4:6).
Complete
surrender to Your call on our life will put us under Your umbrella of
protection (Job 11:13-15). You give us a place of repose (Isaiah 28:12). You
refresh and satisfy our faint heart (Jeremiah 31:25). You give us Your living
water to drink for eternity (John 7:37).
Thought
for the Day:
Forgiving
others and our self is the key to freedom from the destructive aspects of life
and it is the door to our freedom in Christ.
