Jesus said the truth would set us free (John 8:31), but in order for that to happen, the truth has to go beyond mere intellectual assent and enter into our soul and emotions. This requires prayerful meditation and periodic reminders.
The following is one such meditation, and I pray all God’s children can rejoice in this wonderful news! And for any who do not yet have a personal relationship with Christ, I pray they will want to experience such wonderful freedom and victory, and seek to know the Lord.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.
And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
When God looks at me, He sees me through Christ. Thus, I am righteous, pure, holy in His eyes. My sins no longer define who I am. They just get in the way of my ability to hear God, and they give Satan a foothold to make me miserable. Satan points to my sins and condemns me and tries to make me feel ashamed. But God readily forgives me when I ask. He sees my sins as separate from who I am. For example, I may say foolish things, but that doesn’t make me a fool. In Christ, I’m declared righteous, even though I may do unrighteous things, at times. My sins need to be dealt with, but they don’t define who I am.
Hallelujah for the freedom from shame we have in Christ! He is, indeed, the lifter of our heads! I don’t have to hide my sins from God or anyone else. My stories of deliverance are my testimony of God’s power and love.
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood…a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
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Thank you so much, Jorja. Our God is so good!!! You help me focus on Him, His forgiveness, His grace & mercy! What a Blessing and joy!
Judy E.