Condemnation is a Lie

Have you ever felt guilty or condemned?  I think we all have at one time or another. The truth is that before Jesus Christ's death the whole world was condemned because of Adam's sin.  There is no one righteous, no NOT one. But here is the really GOOD NEWS.

John 3:16,17 " For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, but whoever BELIEVES in Him should not perish but have eternal life. But God did not send His Son into the world to CONDEMN the world, but in order that the world might be SAVED through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not CONDEMNED, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." 

For the believer, Satan has no legal right to condemn us anymore.  We are totally set free from condemnation by the POWER of His BLOOD of the CROSS. Don't let the devil deceive you.  He is a liar.  Believe me, he will try, especially by making us feel guilty, when we sin. Sin makes us feel guilty, but by acknowledging our sin, and repenting, the Lord will meet us at the cross. We don't have to carry guilt.  We can confess it, and know that it has been dealt with by the blood of our Lord Jesus. We are no longer sinners, but saints. (ones set apart unto the Lord). God hates sin, but loves His children and we  also are growing to hate what God hates, and to love as God loves.

Personally, I found the best cure for guilt is to memorize Psalm 103:10,11,12, "He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities (sin). For as high as the heavens are above the earth ,so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear (awe) Him , as far as the east is from the wet, so far does He remove our transgressions from us."

I lived in condemnation for many years. I would read in Romans 8:1,2 "There was no more condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life, has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." I knew in my head this was true because it was God's word, but how was I to apply it?  Condemnation was such a strong feeling.  Most of the time it felt stronger than the truth! What was my problem?

I had to admit that I was in the sin of UNBELIEF. It was hard for me to believe that I was forgiven ALL my transgressions, and that the Lord's love for me was REAL. It was too good to be true.  At the time I didn't realize that I was being deceived by the enemy.   When I did repent of unbelief, the power of Satan was broken in my life.  The Holy Spirit had patiently brought me to repentance. I could confess my sin of unbelief and receive His forgiveness that had already been paid . Now that is FREEDOM. The spirit of condemnation is real and will keep you in bondage as long as you believe it. Condemnation opens the door to the enemy with his suitcase full of lies.  We do have an enemy, but Jesus has defeated him at the cross and resurrection. DO NOT FORGET THAT!

 The past has NO more control over us, only what we choose to believe; the voice of God or the voice of Satan?  "It is finished" was the heart cry of Jesus, when he gave up His spirit to His Father.  What was finished?  The JUDGEMENT and CONDEMNATION of God towards Adams sin.  Jesus paid the price to break the  POWER OF SIN in our lives, to enable us to repent and receive His forgiveness. By grace, through faith, we are new creations in Christ Jesus, created unto good works that will please God.  May the joy of the Lord be your strength today.  Jesus loves you.