24: 50 Days Freed

Have you ever felt torn in you desires to do things that would be considered sinful? I picture the cartoon angel and devil in the right and left shoulder whispering in your ear.  But here Paul tells us that it is up to us to decide who we let guide our lives. The sinful nature has a strong pull in us, the Holy Spirit has a desire for us to accept his wisdom and follow his lead. The devil has been our hostage taker since the beginning and we have become so accustom to the life with him in charge it makes it difficult to ask for help and break free.

 

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives.

Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

The sinful nature wants to do evil,

which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants.

And the Spirit gives us desires that are the

opposite of what the sinful nature desires.

These two forces are constantly fighting each other,

so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”

Galatians 5:16-17 NLT

 

If you are wondering what some of the sins the sinful nature is working at in your life do a little reading at verse 19-21 of ch 5 in Romans, on your own time, you will see a list that Paul shared of some of the things that were happening then. Reading that last and looking at today’s society, you will see a shocking parallel. We may have upgraded our lives and lifestyles in the last 2000 years, but the sinful nature remains the same.

 

If the two sides are in constant struggle with one another what hope do we have? We must side with whom we want to live our lives with. It is a choice between the devil and his obsession with sin and keeping us away from God. Or with Christ who has already defeated the devil and it is only a matter of time before He fulfills His promise to rid the world of his existence. It may seem like a no brainer yet the majority of society has believed the lie of the devil and knowingly or not they have allied themselves with him. The shackles of sin hold them back from experiencing the love that God has for them and blinds them to the truth. Many have come to the point where they attack the foundation of Christianity out of fear and confusion because they cannot understand what it means to feel His love. I have said this before, but it is very much like Stockholm syndrome where the hostage becomes emotionally connected to the hostage taker to the point of defending their actions.

 

Is it possible then to break free from this bondage? Jesus has provided a way to free you from this bondage of sin, His sacrifice on the cross was the key to freedom. We must only accept it and repent of our sins only then can we truly walk in freedom with Him. Jesus promised we wouldn’t have to face this world alone, He sent the Holy Spirit to help us.  We must accept the Holy Spirits guidance, correction and will. This will give us the edge and power needed to withstand the temptations of the sinful nature. If we daily commit to following him, we will stand a better chance of reaching others with the love of Christ. I have heard it said, “Free people can free people”.

 

Have you received Jesus as your savior? Asking him to free you from the bondage of sin? Only then can we be able to withstand what the devil throws our way. Have you accepted the Holy Spirits guidance in your life? If we want to be effective in showing this world who Jesus is and the relationship God wants to have with them, we must accept the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

 

Jesus, I ask forgiveness for allowing the sinful nature use me. I commit myself to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, guide me, correct me and use me. I want to reach others with your love. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to be here with us until your return. I want to love the people of this world like you do, because they matter to you, and they matter to me. Amen

 

 

23: 50 Days Freed

Ever had the experience of taking a box of clothing to a thrift store to donate but on the way realize ‘wait a minute, how did that get in the box’ and you take something out? Or you’re having a yard sale to clear out your junk but your spouse put out something that is important to you and you bring it back in just before someone buys it? We cling to things that are material because they have a perceived value to us. What is precious to us is junk to others. Our sin is junk that holds us back from the freedom we can receive in Christ Jesus. There are times where we go to the altar and lay our sins down giving them all to him, but as we leave we quick grab and hold on to something just in case we may need it.

 

 

“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

Psalms 103:12 NLT

Jesus’ sacrifice for us was so amazing, so vast in nature that we sometimes cannot grasp what he has actually done for us. There are people out there who when they accept Jesus as their savour believe that Jesus couldn’t forget or wash away their sins, that he like all our dirty laundry as a teenager, is just gather in a ball and stuffed under the bed or in the closet. Out of sight out of mind, and one day maybe Jesus will pull items out and remind us of those filthy rags we used to wear. Jesus doesn’t do that, but some Christians do, instead of taking their sins to Jesus they choose to attempt to hide them away. When we hold onto these sins we set ourselves up to be in bondage to them.

Aren’t you glad that Jesus never told us to hide our sins from him? He offers to wash you white as snow, that means removing and tossing all sins in the trash. Not where we can access them but so far gone that we could never retrieve them. As far as the east is from the west. If you heading east, west is behind you, and no matter how far east you may travel west will always be behind you. Such a vast divide that can never be obtained, if he promised this separation from our sins why then would we want to hold onto them?

Do you have sin balled up in the closet? Is it starting to smell and permeate your life? If left to fester in your closet you will be tempted to check out the smell and even put them on for ” old times sake”. If that’s you, I pray that right now you ask Jesus to come in a clean up the closet of your life, give him access to all spaces of your life. Let him remove what you left behind, he will take it and make you fully clean. It is time to truly walk in the freedom Jesus has for you.

Jesus, take all my sins, as far as the east is from the west send them from me. I want to serve you with a clean heart, holding or hiding nothing from you. Holy Spirit indwell my life. Guide me, walk with me, put the mission of reaching people at the forefront of my heart and mind. Let me see others as you see them and constantly remind me that they matter to you, so they should matter to me. Amen

 

 

 

 

22: 50 Days Freed

An inmate released from jail yet refusing to wear anything, but his old prison grab would probably garner some attention. It will not be the attention he desires because he would be judged based on where he has been. Though the thought of a prisoner who is free roaming around in an orange jumpsuit perplexes us, we as believers sometimes do the same thing. We have been given a freedom in Christ, yet we refuse to act like it. In Ephesians 6 we are called to put on the armor of God, so before we can do that we have to get out of the prison garb that once fit us so comfortably.

 

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”

Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT

I wonder if we examine yesterday, and really took some time to break it down, how would it look compared to the example of Christ. I wouldn’t have to look by heard to find times that I either missed an opportunity to share the love of Jesus or find a time where my example was not much of one. We go through life just doing the motions. Not really thinking about what we are doing as they have become ingrained in us.

To imitate God isn’t something that instantaneously happens when we accept Jesus into our lives. We are a work in progress, we still have to live in this sinful world which will daily grind us done in hopes of us throwing aside the new-found freedom we have. The enemy doesn’t want us to be effective in our walk with Jesus. If he has lost you, he will do everything in his power to either get you to relinquish the freedom or make you apathetic to the cause of reaching others. Lazy Christians are effective for the enemy. If he can get you to put on those old dirty prison rags and fit in with all the others, then he is content to let you do so.

But as followers of Jesus, we like children should be looking at him as a role model, father figure, teacher. Someone to look up to, aspire to, work to become like, it is what we are called to. He gave us a mission of sharing the same love, that rescued you from the eternity in hell, and to share it too those around us. Those who are like us, those who live close by and may not be like us, those outside our area and those out in the world. Do not be deceived, we are called to tell others about Jesus. If you are not telling others about Jesus you are not listening to the one who saved you. It is time to burn the prison clothes and replace them with the armor of God.

What is holding you back from sharing Jesus with people?

Jesus, we thank you for rescuing us. We ask your forgiveness if we haven’t been faithful in sharing you live with others. Help us to do this daily. Encourage us to see the moments and grasp them. I want to destroy my prison garb that has that connection to the old way of life and put on the armor of God that you offer me. As we see people come to you it will motivate us, even more, to share your love. Set us on fire. They matter to you, so they matter to me. Amen

 

 

 

 

21: 50 Days Freed

People in this world are longing to be freed. Make no mistake about that. They may not always realize that they are in the bondage of sin but their hearts are yearning for the connection with the creator. They have come to adhere to the motto that if you believe a lie long enough it must be true. Mankind was created and is here to have a relationship with God. Without it we are broken and like the man in Acts below begging for anything just to get by.

 

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts,

walking and jumping, and praising God.

Acts 3: 1-8

 

Notice how excited the man becomes when the prospect of help is even hinted at. The man gave them his full attention. He had been so used to people giving him money or quick fixes that he wasn’t looking for anything else. He wasn’t aware that there was, even more, he could be asking for, even sitting outside the temple. As I alluded to earlier, those in the bondage of sin don’t know there is more to life. The fish with a hook in its mouth will follow the line where ever it takes them. This man was just looking for what he needed to get by another day. He had lost all hope that there was going to be any more to his life than this.

I can only imagine the look on this face when Peter opened his mouth with the phrase ‘Silver and God I do not have”, it was probably disappointment as these two men had purposefully looked his way. And if they had left it at that and walked away like so many of us do when we encounter a panhandler asking for money, he would have resumed his daily slump. Yet Peter and John were not like everyone else. They had seen the power that Jesus had used to perform miracles. They not only seen it they understood that because Jesus was their savior and the promised Holy Spirit was living in them that they had the same power in them given by the grace of God.

The name of Jesus has a powerfully freeing property. Not only does it freedom from the bondage of sin but it can free with miracles and healings. I can’t explain why miracles or healing aren’t as prevalent as they should be. I really don’t know, we have the same Holy Spirit that Peter, John and the other Apostles had known. Peter knowing that giving this man money would only continue the cycle of bondage he gave him something that would free him, calling out the name in which all freedom resides, Jesus, commanding him to get up and walk. Now the man had a choice here. He could have just laughed and reminded Peter and John that he had never walked before and that was impossible. The man chose to believe what was being commanded and he was freed from his infirmity. It says he then walked, jumped, ran, danced and praised God for the healing.

I wonder what we need to do to have the faith that Peter, John and other disciples had when it came to freeing people through miracles and healings. This freeing power is promised to us by Jesus himself. Yet we don’t embrace it because we have never really seen anything like it before. Sure we read about it but until we see a blind eye opened, a dead person raised or a limb regrown why should we believe? I personally am starting to pray that God will use me to perform healings and miracles. I will be asking the Holy Spirit to guide me to people who need prayer and the courage to pray for them. Are you ready to let God use you to free others with the truth and power of Jesus name?

 

Father, all too often we keep the miracles and healings in the bible. Good for than but they don’t happen now. That lie from the enemy needs to be overturned and we need to see a mighty move in our world today. This world now more then ever needs you and your healings. Use us to free people from the physical ailments that hold them down, let there be no reasoning behind their recovery then Jesus. We want to see people freed from the bondage of sin, reveal to us whatever is holding us back so we can be effective in this mission. Amen

20: 50 Days Free

How popular would your favorite sports team be if no one ever talks about them? Or if the arena was always half full but no one cheered or just sat in their seats arms crossed just watching the game. If you were the owner of that particular team you would wonder why these people are even there. The ones performing would start to wonder what they were doing wrong to garner a lack of enthusiasm among the so-called fans. Have the fans become so complacent in the game they just don’t feel they need to cry out and cheer. Have they lost touch with the fans? Or are they really bad? Where has the passion gone?

 

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for

finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—

the work of telling others the Good News

about the wonderful grace of God.

 

Acts 20:24

 

We know that this would never happen to your favorite sports team. Fans are invested in various levels, yet they all to some degree passionate about their teams. They may not always bring it up, but they have no hesitation to let you know who they root for. If we can be invested in a team that we can never truly be a part of, why can’t we invest our lives in the family of God where we can be a part of? Think about it, there are many churches on a Sunday where there are people there but not there. I am always tempted to bring up when I am leading worship is that the song “I’ll Stand with arms high and arms extended, in awe of the one who gave it all” doesn’t sing “I’ll sit, with arms crossed and mind distracted, wondering where to go for lunch, I’ll sit my heart not really into this, can’t wait for this hour to end”. How would the church be more effective if those attending on a regular basis were invested in the work of God as much as they were invested in their favorite sports team?

 

Now don’t get me wrong there are some churches that are full of invested people who are passionate for the work and growth of her people. I would be dismissed to ignore that fact. Yet a apathy and malaise has overtaken many churches where attendance seems to be routine or even to some just another social gathering, if something better comes up then we can skip church. But isn’t church just a modern religious trap created to take our money and fill our minds with rules and regulations? Some may think that, and I often wonder if that isn’t the heart of some. But the church is meant to be a place of family and connection. I place to be restored after a hard work of work and outpouring of God’s love to the world. The church in my eyes has three roles;

1. Refresh and restore through corporate prayer and worship.
2. Discipleship – a place to grow and learn what it means to follow Christ.
3. A place to bring others to hear the good news of what Jesus has done for them. Not everyone has an easy time sharing their faith but inviting someone to church may be something they can do.

I don’t see the church investing in jerseys and large foam fingers, but I do see the need for the church to awaken their hearts and reignite their passion. When there is excitement people tend to flock to it. When you talk to your coworkers about what you did on the weekend what brings a bigger smile to your face, the big game or the work of God Sunday morning? The Newsboys put out a great song that exemplifies this,” Wherever we go that’s where the parties at”. We as believers need to see our time together worshipping Christ as more than a funeral procession, it is a celebration where anything and anything can happen. And it will if we come with an openness to seeing our lives changed. Let us be honest with ourselves we all need to grow closer to God. The one and a half hours each Sunday can’t be the only time we spend with God, yet it needs to be more than lip service. It should be an outward reflection of your week long service to God.

 

Father, let us not see Sunday as just a routine to follow. Let us awaken our hearts and our passion to worship you with our fellow believers. There is something about worshipping with others that empowers us. Maybe it is a reminder that every day every hour there are angels in heaven worshipping you, in unison and for a brief moment here on earth we join with our family in worship to you. Give us opportunities to reach others with your love, showing them that you are what excites us and are what drives our lives. Free us from this apathy that is holding the churhc down. Amen

19: 50 Days Freed

Good Friday is among us and it reminds me of a cartoon from the strip BC.

It reminds me that many of times the world focus on things that are not important when it comes to faith in God and what Jesus has done for us. They nitpick just to make an excuse to why it isn’t for them. When we focus on the debate or the words used we miss the message that is meant to be delivered.

 

The disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing. Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. (Luke 22:23-24 NLT)

 

I read this series of verses and have to wonder. Why did the topic change so quickly? It went from who’s going to betray to I’m the best. It makes me wonder if during the conversation, Judas was the one who changed the direction and focuses off what he was planning, unto something unimportant that really Jesus had already talked to them about. I may have been, or it could have been that the conversation was uncomfortable, so it was easier to just change topics. We see this when we bring up our faith with our family and friends. You may only get to interject one sentence before they work hard to steer it away from what they really need to hear.

 

Have you ever been set on something only to have distraction take you off course? If this has happened, it may be the enemy trying to keep you from doing the work of the Lord. The enemy is good at distracting us from the job at hand, entertaining us to the point of laziness. We need to recognize our distractions for what they are and ask the Holy Spirit to help us focus on the task at hand. If your task is Gods will, the enemy only goal is to distract you from completing that task. Satan will use every trick he has using his minions to keep you from sharing God’s love and the power of grace from those who don’t already believe.

 

We need to refocus ourselves on what God is calling us to do. It isn’t to sit in a pew each Sunday, meeting with the family of believers is important but it is only one aspect of our faith. The mission of believers of Christ is to share the freedom that is for the whole world. Making disciples of those who hearts are changed, not letting them flounder in their faith to walk away distracted and discouraged. We are called to love this world and we can’t do that if our hearts are distracted and our love is cold. We need to have an awakening in our churches to the mission of freeing people. It starts in each and ever believers heart. Your Pastor or elders can’t do anything to change you, they can only set the example for you to follow. Are you ready to reset and get back to the freedom you are called to in Christ? Set aside the distractions and get back on mission.

 

 

Dear Jesus, I pray today that you will help us to see through the enemy’s distractions. I ask you to give us focus on the task at hand. Many times, the distractions have lead us to a place of apathy and complacency. Awaken your church to the need in their communities, a need to be loved and told about the freedom available through Jesus. Raise up believers who are disciplining the babes in the faith to become mighty warriors unashamed to share your love. The time is now. Amen

 

18: 50 Days Freed

I can’t imagine living life in prison with a death penalty. You have done something that has in the minds of a group of your peers is so heinous that your life is no longer validated and to pay for it you must give your life. I don’t think anyone who made a choice to suggest or demand the death sentence would do so lightly. Mankind in the garden of Eden disobedience to God put all mankind under a death sentence. I don’t think God did this lightly, he must have weighed out the cost.

 

“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

Ezekiel 18:30-32

 

There are some who have a hard time understanding why a loving God would deal with man’s disobedience in the garden so swiftly and harsh. Man’s disobedience wasn’t the first time God has dealt with this, when Satan decided he wanted to assume the role of God he was cast out of heaven, with no plan for redemption. We don’t see the full account or conversation of what happened there or the extent of what Satan did. But we do see how God dealt with Adam and Eve in the garden.

 

Unlike the way he sent Satan out of His kingdom with no return, mankind was given a second chance of redemption. God must have seen something in mankind that was worth redeeming. He promised of a day where mankind would be able to free themselves of the sin that now bound them and separated them from his presence. As we read in today’s scripture, God’s heart is that we make the step towards ridding ourselves of the bondage of sin. We can’t do this in our own strength. How then can we ever rid ourselves of sin and get a new heart?

 

God had a plan for that. He sent His Son to be born of a virgin. He grew up like any other boy of his time, yet as He grew He never sinned. He wasn’t born of sin, He was God in the flesh, yet fully man. He was obedient to the will of God the Father and knew his role was to be the redeemer of the people of this world. He struggled with this even calling out that if it were possible could there be another way. He submitted to his role as the sacrifice and was lead to die on the cross, sinless. This sacrifice broke the power of sin in the lives of everyone on earth forever. It did not remove sin from the earth but gave away for those who accepted it to be reborn to a life free from the bondage of sin. To cement, the power over sin and death Jesus rose from the gave three days after his sacrifice on the cross. This was no gimmick or illusion. Jesus came back from breaking sins power and displayed for all to see his role as redeemer.

 

God does not have a desire that we die in our sin. Jesus is waiting for each and every man, woman and child to open their hearts to him and ask for a pardon for their sin. If we are living in sin and do not have this relationship with Jesus, believe it or not, we are still under the death penalty. But for those who have accepted Jesus, he already paid the price of death for you. Now you can live as a free man or woman. If you have this freedom, why are you not sharing it with others?

 

Father, thank you for the freedom we can have in Jesus. Once I was on deaths row, but because of your sacrifice on the cross, that penalty of sin is gone. Let me daily thank you for your sacrifice. Give me a passion to share this freedom with those around me. We need to be an example of what it means to be free. Help us to spread your love to all those who need to hear it. Amen

 

 

If you know someone who needs to hear about Jesus and the freedom he offers, I pray that you share this message.

God Bless

17: 50 Days Freed

Cory Asbury wrote a song called Reckless Love that explains the love of God quite well. That God would work so hard to come up with a way to redeem us is well reckless, yet he choose us to redeem. Take a read of the second verse and the chorus;

When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me

You have been so, so good to me

When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me

You have been so, so kind to me

And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine

And I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God,

 

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

2 Corinthians 5: 14-15

 

Without the reckless love of God and his plan to break the hold of sin the world we live in right now would most likely be a lot worse off then it is right now. Jesus came to love the world, and he shared that over and over again while he was on earth. He told us that he would leave the 99 sheep to go find us if we wander away. He told us that he is right there waiting knocking calling us to freedom. He went to the cross knowing full well what was going to happen to him. He had the power of God, don’t think that Jesus was a puppet on a course he couldn’t change. Jesus could have stopped the journey to the cross at any moment. Yet he proved his love and compassion for this world by submitting to what needed to be done to redeem its people and bring them back to a relationship with God the creator.

 

In spite of everything he has done, there are many who don’t think Jesus is any more than a man who did good things. A great teacher, a prophet of old who had wise and wonderful stories on how to live, he died, and the fantastic story of his resurrection is just another story to keep the image alive. Jesus made the claim to be God. To make a claim to be God in those days was certain death. Blasphemy. So, would a great teacher make such a claim? He should have been stoned, yet the authority he spoke gave those listening, a glimpse of God. They could see that this man was unlike any other prophet in the past. His claim to be God and having a relationship with God. They saw a reckless love in Him that was unique, and they desired the same relationship. They saw he was free from sin and the pull of the world.

 

Do you see Jesus for his reckless love for you? Do you realize that he died for you, when he died on the cross he died for you? Catch that, your sin your life is important to him. Jesus knows us each individually. Jesus doesn’t just have a relationship with the world, but a relationship with each of us individually if we surrender to him. Make no mistake without him we are in a prison of sin that nothing we can do will ever be able to free us from it. Jesus holds the keys to the prison and is standing hands outstretched offering you the key to freedom. Will you take it? Will you experience his reckless love?

 

Father, thank you so much for loving us. The plan for salvation of the world is so complex in its simplicity that it is hard for the world to accept. I pray that your family of believers will be salt and light to this world sharing your reckless love. For those who only see Jesus as a good teacher, I ask that you give them a word or vision of Jesus as so much more. Use me to reach the world. Help us share your freedom from sin every day. Amen

 

https://youtu.be/Sc6SSHuZvQE

16: 50 Days Freed

There are those around us in bondage to sin who feel that what they have done forfeits any chance of redemption. Freedom is a dream that is for the righteous and you could imagine what they have done. How could God even look their way? They let this eat them up and fester to the point of bitterness, becoming a way of living, angry at God for His double standard which doesn’t exist created by them to ease the guilt of what they have done.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:12-16

Paul, formerly Saul, was in every modern term a radical extremist. Before his acceptance of Christ, Saul hunted believers with the intent of stoning them if they would not recant their newfound faith. Judge, jury and executioner, he was ready at all cost to wipe out this new belief system that was changing the way people experienced God. I am sure if you had the ability to talk to any believers back then they would know who Saul of Tarsus was. Saul was locked in his bondage of sin and religious dogma, he had been brought up with the law being the only thing he knew.

One day unlike any other for Saul, he was heading to Damascus to seek and confront believers there. What happened on that journey can only be described as divine intervention. Jesus himself met Saul on the road and gave him an ultimatum. But the choice He gave Saul was one to one to discover who He really is. Jesus didn’t provide a choose me or die approach. He simply asked Saul ‘why are you killing my family’. Saul then asked Him who he was in which Jesus told him ‘go into the city and I’ll show you’. Then to drive the point home so Saul wouldn’t dismiss this as a daydream, Jesus struck him blind. This made Saul realize that he must then rely on this Jesus if he ever wanted to see again. Was this a trick of Jesus to coheres Saul to accept him? I don’t think so, it was more of a way for Saul to realize how truly blind he was to what he was doing and what he was missing out of.

Summing it up Saul meets a believer who Jesus had prepared for Saul’s visit. Although scared that Saul might arrest him he obeys none the less. Saul is healed and receives the freedom that Jesus offered, changing his name to Paul as an outward sign of his change. Paul knew he didn’t deserve the love of Jesus. His action towards believers could be what some call unforgivable sins. But Jesus doesn’t have a list of sins that He doesn’t forgive. He doesn’t have a list of unforgiveable people. No matter what we have done we have a loving God who sent His Son to give us grace.

Today are you living a life where you feel that Jesus could never forgive you for what you have done? Paul described himself as beyond redemption, yet Jesus met him where he was on his journey and showed him grace. You may be on your journey, doing things that are separating you from God. Jesus wants to meet you on the road and show you who He is. He may not be audible like He was with Saul, yet He may be speaking through someone who is inviting you to join them at church or ALPHA. You may think those moments are odd and irrelevant, but they are moments where Jesus is asking you ‘why are you running from me?’. He loves you, even if you don’t love Him. He died so that you can experience freedom in Him. You don’t have to live this life any longer in bondage to the sin that will lead you to an eternity separated from God. Will you take some time today to pray ‘Okay Jesus, show me yourself’?

Father, if we want to experience freedom we must accept the sacrifice Jesus made for us. I pray for those who feel that what they have done cannot be redeemed. I pray that hey will come to the moment where you show them that your love is bigger than their sin. Meet them right where they are at. Send someone into their lives to be a witness of Jesus love to them, let them see you for who you are even today. Use your children to share your love with all who need freedom. Amen

15: 50 Days Freed

To be freed we must put aside all things that will cause us to sin. ” the devil made me do it” ever hear anyone make that claim before? Maybe you have said it yourself. Let me make it clear when it comes to temptations the devil isn’t by your side promoting you to sin. He doesn’t have to be. He has already set things in motion in this world such that we have become our own worst enemy.

 

 

“Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.””

Mark 14:38 NLT

“Obey my commands and live! Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes.”

Proverbs 7:2 NLT

The devil is a finite being, he is not like God who is everywhere and anywhere. The devil can on be in one place at one time. So to use Satan as an excuse is not always correct, yes he has his minions who do his bidding, but Satan himself may be nowhere near you or even care who you are. The issues of the temptation of sin come from three areas, ourselves, our peers and the devil’s minions. Today we are looking at the traps we set for ourselves, consciously or subconsciously.

We leave stumbling blocks in our own lives, sublimely hoping that one day we will fall into them. We shouldn’t be doing this but sometimes we do. Don’t believe me, well let’s take a look

1. Have you locked your computer from access from porn or do you feel, well I don’t access it I won’t ever go there?

2. Do you have bottles of alcohol in your home? Hey it’s only there for guests and social occasions.

3. Quit smoking yet keep that one package to remind you that you quit?

4. Love your spouse, but keep in contact with former ” friends” who have loved you in the past on social media, and if this doesn’t work out maybe the spark will reunite?

5. Do jobs on the side getting paid cash but not feeling the need to report it at tax time?

I could list many more, but what I am saying is we need to guard our lives against temptation. Put away the things that can cause us to sin.

Trust that God can provide you with the strength to push past these temptations and help by removing them from your life. If you make it easy to sin, then, of course, it will happen. No more excuses. We need to set a hard fast line on sin and push ourselves to keep it. We have to stop setting ourselves up to fail. If we want to experience the relationship of freedom the God has for us we must come to the realization that we have stumbling blocks in our path and work diligently to remove them. We may not see them all but once we work at clearing them away others may become visible. You can do this, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

Father, if I have put up stumbling blocks in my life that make it easy for me to sin I pray you will reveal them and help me to tear them down and remove them from my life. I want to live daily avoiding sin. Help me not to be a stumbling block for others, I want to share your love with them. They matter to me and they matter to you. Work with me to reach the lost. I want to be more effective. Let my relationship with you flourish as I walk with you avoiding temptation. Guide my path. Amen.