After I accepted Christ for years I struggled, not recognizing nor understanding the plight of grace. Immediately after I felt conviction of something wrong that I had done I would rush to repent thinking that I was out from under the blood and if Jesus came before I repented I would be left behind. I found that almost everyday I had done something that was not like Christ. Sometimes it was a presumptuous sin, a hidden sin, or just my attitude. I would with so much guilt and shame cry out for forgiveness. Then something happened. I read in the scripture where it said where sin abounds grace superabounds much more. I also found that in the old testament they had to go to the priest and transfer there sins to a sacrificial lamb by laying there hands upon the head of the lamb while being mindful of their sins. This they had to do every year. It was called a sin offering. However after Jesus came and offered himself, under the new covenant He was our sacrificial lamb to be offered once and for all. Now I understand that all of our sins have been nailed to the cross. This includes our past sins, present sins and future sins. God is omniscient and therefore he already knows the sins that we will commit in the future and he already made a way that we are covered by the blood. There is no need for me to feel guilt or shame any more. Jesus took all the shame upon himself while enduring the cross. In 1 john 1:9 it states if you confess your sins he is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. So now as believers it is not a matter of asking for forgiveness because we have already been forgiven. However there is a need to confess. For me that means if you say," Lord, I have committed sin," and share what that sin was. The bible then says he is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. So I no longer meditate on the sin because that forms a root in my heart and a stronghold as well, making it more difficult to overcome. Now I meditate on the truths that I am declared justified, and the righteousness of God even when I stumble. Now that is good news. That is what I call grace, grace and more grace for we are not under the law but under grace. It is not about what works I can do (constantly repenting) to save my self, which means you are still under the law, but it is all about what Christ did for me. He has saved me. How about you? If you have not accepted him or you were waddling in guilt and shame pray this pray with me. Lord, I am not perfect, but you are and that is why you came and suffered, offering yourself as a sacrifice on my behalf. I accept your sacrifice. Instead of wallowing in shame and guilt and shying away from you, I will come running to you, for you are my Savior and my Lord. Help me to remember that I am the righteousness of God and my life is in your hand and no man can pluck me out of your hands in Jesus name. Amen.
Magnifying Grace!
In a culture where grace is truncated to "getting saved", let us be counter-cultural. May glorious grace be demonstrated by our grace-empowered lives, not merely as something that covers our godlessness, rather as something that enables our godliness. For it is God who works in us both to will and to do for his good pleasure! Oh that we would let this world see grace that not only pardons sin, but fuels change! In the words of John Newton's famous hymn, Amazing Grace, " This grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home."
The Cross of Christ
He Himself bore our sins in His body, on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live unto righteousness. (1Peter 2:24). Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life, no man comes to the father except by me "(St. John 14:6).
Jesus alone fulfilled everyone of God's requirements for a savior. The Bible shares "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). Other requirements were that the savior had to be a blood sacrifice as punishment for sin, (Lev. 17:11), he had to fulfill God's law (Heb. 9:19-22), the establishment of the perfect covenant between us and God (Heb. 18:6) and an endless priesthood that could carry out this covenant (Heb. 7:20-28). There is no religious leader that comes close to being able to do, explain, or provide what Christ has for us. Jesus gave His life for you and I. No matter what you have done if you come to Him he will forgive you and cleanse you from your sin making you the righteousness of God. Eternity is too long and Hell is too hot for you to be wrong about your eternal destiny. God loves YOU! He suffered, bled and died for YOU! He wants to be your savior, healer, provider and your peace. I am sure during your life you have tried many people, places and things, yet there is still an emptiness, a void in your heart. That place my friend is there for Jesus to fill. Let him be your savior, healer, provider and your peace today. Only Jesus can meet every need in your life while filling that void in your heart. If you have decided to try him today simply pray this prayer with me.
Jesus, I believe you died on the cross for me and God the Father raised you from the dead and you are alive right now. I ask you to forgive me of my sins, come into my heart and let your holy spirit live in me. Lead me and guide me. Make me your son/daughter. Fill me with the infilling of your Holy Spirit. I will go to church. I will read and obey your word. I will pray daily and follow you in water baptism. Thank you Jesus for saving me.
Welcome to the family of God! You are now born again. It is critical that you find a local bible based Church that believes in the whole Bible and that you attend faithfully there. When you want something you have never had ...you have to do something that you have never done...like you just did. God bless you & stay in touch!
Grace Saves the Worst of Us!
Recognizing that the law is holy, good and just however it lacks the power to make us holy, just or good. The majestic splendor of the love of Christ only, will make us holy, just and good through His blood. For what the law could not do Jesus fully came to fulfill. How? God sent His only begotten Son to be condemned in our stead so that we could be declared the righteousness of God. This is our position. We are fully declared the righteousness of God through Grace by faith. Even though the law condemns the best of us....grace saves the worst of us. Under the law if you break one law, you are guilty of all. Under grace, if you do one thing right, and that is to believe on the Lord Jesus then you will be justified from all!
Acting on your Vision
It is our job to understand, believe, and write down our visions, while it is God's responsibility to accomplish them. Sometimes, God doesn't give us all the resources we need to fulfill our visions because He has called other people to provide them for us.
The ability and resources are available for what you were born to do, yet your provision is usually hidden until you act on your vision.
God Hears You and Meets Your Need Now!
In 1 Peter 2:24, the Bible tells me .." by whose stripes you were healed." As far as God is concerned If I was sick at any time, now I am healed. Already done! Remember, in God's time frame there is no past...So if I have been healed then I was already healed over 2000 years ago. When Jesus went to the cross and said it is finished ...he is and was omniscient and knew that we would be sick and that we exercising our faith would come and petition him for our healing according to His will today. The key is to pray according to His biblical will or promises concerning you. Simply do things His way. Merely follow His instructions. When we began to search the Bible for those things that we are authorized to pray for, it is worth remembering that the Bible is the last will and testament of the Lord Jesus Christ....that is in fact why they call it the New Testament. A testament is a will or a statement of the deceased's desires regarding the disposition of his or her property accept in our case our Trustee is still alive...Jesus ...but he has gone to the next world, leaving us with His intentions in this one. In other words, God hears you in the now and He meets your needs in the now, but depending on your level of faith, the size of your need, and the opposition of the enemy, you may not physically see it or touch it until the future. However, bombarding the heavenly realm we pull down our promises to the earthly realm as we diligently confess his promises with confidence knowing that he hears us and therefore knowing that we have every petition that we desired of him according to His word. ! John 5:14 says, " Now this is the confidence that we have in HIm, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." So we know that if we are asking according to His will He hears us and it also states and we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. Mark 11:24 says, " Whatsoever things you ask when you pray , believe that you receive them When, you pray and you shall have them." The Key is to consistently be mindful that He hears and answers NOW and therefore knowing this, we must pray according to His will Beloved.
God's Justice is on your Side!
Someone asked, and I believe others may question, how can I be righteous when I have done nothing right, and especially when I have just failed. My response is I will answer your question if you can tell me this: How could Jesus be condemned as a sinner when he committed no sin? Jesus took all your sins upon Himself on the cross. And once your sins were punished, it would be "unrighteous" of God to demand payment for your sins again. He cannot punish your sins twice. Yes, it is holy, right and just for God to punish sin. But having punished sin on the body of your substitute Jesus Christ, God will not demand punishment for your sins again, past present or future sins, precisely because He is holy and just.
So if you understand that God's justice has already been executed at the cross, you will see that today, as a new covenant believer under grace, God's holiness, God's righteousness and God's justice are ON YOUR SIDE, demanding your acquittal, deliverance, healing, prosperity...God's justice today demands that you have and enjoy all the benefits of the cross.
Don't miss out on this powerful revelation. This is the gospel of Jesus. Because all your sins have been punished in the body of your substitute Jesus Christ, God's righteousness is on your side, demanding your justification and forgiveness. That is why, even when you fail, God's grace will superabound and swallow up your failure. It has all been paid for at the cross of Calvary.
Repent & Come Home
I thank God for the message of Grace for it is setting a lot of people free, but be not deceived God is not mocked. Jesus was manifested to take away sin destroying the works of the Devil. Little children let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning. Whosoever that is born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. This is not my word but the Word of God ( 1 John 3:5-9).
If you are living in sin, I implore you, repent today and make it right with your God. He loves you with a never dying love. You are precious in His sight. He suffered and died just for you. We did not deserve it but He said we were worth it. In the Bible Jesus spoke about Hell more times than he spoke about Heaven. There is a real Hell and a real Heaven. I strongly desire to see you in Heaven. Again I implore you, Come home today.God Loves You and so do I!