Condemnation Kills.

I saw this first hand after I had received my healing. Not long after I received my healing I tried to encourage others with the truth that Jesus had paid for them on the cross to be healed. I remember one particular hospital visit with a person who was struggling with a serious disease. The next day after visiting him, a person stopped by who knew his condition but who also wanted to make sure that the person who was ill was prepared for eternal life, so he talked to him about his sins. This is not how you get right with God. That man died the very next day. Talking about your sins won’t heal you. Trying to remember them all won’t heal you. Talking about your sins won’t bring you eternal life either. Instead, the only thing worth talking about is the Savior from sins, Jesus the Christ. 

Hey You! Who You Lookin’ At Anyway?

When I was in intensive care my focus wasn’t on Jesus Christ. I was thinking of all the things I could have done and all the things I should have done. I began to have regret. I forgot I was forgiven. I forgot the relationship I have with God. In Ephesians 1:7 (NASB), we read “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”.  If you’ve been forgiven then why do you want to remember your sins.  God isn’t this way. In Hebrews 8:12 we read a quote from Jeremiah 31:32(33), “FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.”  Again, my focus wasn’t on Jesus Christ, it was on me and what I did. When you do that you start to disqualify yourself from receiving God’s blessings. Instead, we should keep our eyes on Him who has qualified us.  No one talks about this anymore.  He doesn’t remember our sins.  He’s God.  He can remember whatever He wants to remember and He can forget whatever He wants to forget. We have to do this too. It means that we have no more consciousness of sin. One thought at a time, we lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us and we keep our eyes on Jesus Christ.  Feeling guilty about the past (or the present) won’t get you into God’s good favor. 

God Doesn’t Want Us To Perform For Him. He Wants To Perform For Us.

Rest puts you in a position to receive. Think of it this way. When your arms are full of anxiety you can’t hold onto anything else. Your arms are full.  Instead, one thought at a time, one step at a time, cast all your anxiety on Him. He wants us to. When someone loves you so much, they readily take on your burden.  Jesus is a perfect lover.  Let yourself be loved by Him one step at a time. When you decide to rest in Him, you let go of your troubles. Your heart becomes less anxious. Jesus said this twice in John 14.  If you do not condemn yourself for anything but instead look unto Jesus, you become aware that you don’t have to perform. God doesn’t want us to perform for Him. He knew we couldn’t so He sent us His Son. Instead, God wants to perform for us. He is our God. He wants to be God to us. You honor God when you let Him be your deliverer. 

Sin Doesn’t Separate You From God.  You Do.

Hey, remember, I wasn’t healed immediately. He was ready and willing to heal me immediately but I got in the way. Remember, there is no condemnation or shame for my actions, however feeble they were. When you are born again, what happens? In Ephesians 2:8 we read, (NASB) For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. You are saved as a gift from God. What is that gift? It is Christ Himself.  Romans calls this righteousness.  We can think of it as being right before God. When you are born again, when God sees you, He sees Christ, the Messiah, in you. Romans 5 is a great chapter covering this righteousness we received at the cross. Romans 5:19,21 (NASB) 19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. …  21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Bold – my emphasis).

You were made righteous through the obedience of Christ, the Lord our Righteousness. It is a gift. Grace reigns in your life through His righteousness. This right standing before God isn’t depending on you. Believe God doesn’t have anything against you, you’re righteous before Him. This means you can trust Him more easily, you can receive from Him more readily. Everyone, especially in religious circles is wanting you to be “right” with God.  But if you’re born again, you already are right before God. Remember, it didn’t depend on you, it depended on the obedience of the One, Christ. The reason I share these things is that I want you to be in the frame of mind to approach God as someone who loves you, who sees Christ when He sees you, who doesn’t have anything against you. He doesn’t even remember our sins. Why do you want to?