Showing posts with label condemnation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label condemnation. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The Voice of Condemnation
Have you ever thought that condemnation has a VOICE and it isn't yours? The thoughts may really be the VOICE of the accuser of the brethren, Satan himself who stands before God with all kinds of lies and accusation? You might have thought in your mind like, you are unfit for the Kingdom and useless as a person. Your character is under attack. It will say things like," you are a failure, you are stupid, you are a loser, you can't do anything right. And you call yourself a Christian!" The list goes on and on. Whose voice is it?
It is Satan's voice. It is NOT the voice of our Lord Jesus, who came to destroy the works of the devil and to set us free from the power of sin. You can always tell a voice of condemnation because it is very vague and not specific. You will just feel guilty, dirty, ashamed, unclean and unwanted. It will lie to you that you can't possibly be a a new creation in Christ and that you have been cleaned by the blood of Jesus. Satan is a LIAR. If you are in Christ, you are NOT condemned. We can confess our sin and God is faithful to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We are NOT accused. The blood of Jesus delivers us out of condemnation. Renounce the lie, submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee. (James 4:7)
The VOICE of conviction is the VOICE of the HOLY SPIRIT. He will not attack your character or make you feel dirty or guilty. He will be very SPECIFIC with His corrections. For instance, perhaps, I spoke unkindly to my husband or a friend. I will feel convicted and need to repent. I will even want to ask them for forgiveness for my behavior and God will change my heart. The Holy spirit is more interested in our heart than accusing us. John 16:10 says, "The Holy Spirit convict us of righteousness ". It is like the Lord says to us, "My son, my daughter, I am leading you into the path of righteousness for My Name sake. You are now learning My righteous ways, follow me. "
The VOICE in the Garden with Adam and Eve is still the same VOICE today. Satan is alive and well today and loves to keep us under condemnation.. The world is fallen and Satan, the father of lies is trying to keep us in chains of condemnation as long as we believe his lies. That is why the Lord is crying to the church today,' COME OUT, COME OUT OF THE WORLD, AND BE SET APART TO ME AND I WILL KEEP YOU FROM CONDEMNATION AND YOU WILL GROW TO KNOW ME IN MY RESURRECTION POWER. YOU ARE IN THE WORLD, BUT NOT OF IT!"
When you are convicted, you will never feel condemned. The Holy Spirit will speak the truth in love and you will repent and turn to Him. You don't have to live another day under condemnation. Shut the door in the face of the devil and turn to the Lord. He will keep you safe with Him all the days of your life, until you see Him face to face. Psalm 91
Friday, January 25, 2013
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Accepting Unmerited Favor
I don't know how it is for you but, I had for many years made "grace", God's unmerited favor, more of a doctrine, than a reality. Yes, it is a wonderful doctrine to acknowledge, but I have found that God's unmerited favor is not a subject, it is A PERSON, AND HIS NAME IS JESUS. When I have Jesus, I have unmerited grace. Jesus and unmerited grace do not exist separately. His unmerited favor is fulfilled in His entire being and you can not separate Jesus from His finished work on Calvary.
When I began to see JESUS as He really was, grace (unmerited favor) began to flow like a mighty river into every dry and empty area of my physical body, marriage, career, and finances. The more I increased in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work at the cross, the more God's unmerited favor was multiplied into my life. Honestly, I have to admit, before then, I was living in unbelief. I believed for salvation. I knew that I was a sinner and that Jesus died for my sins, but I wasn't in faith for how much God truly loved me. I kept His love at arm's length.
I had stopped at the cross and continued to live my Christian life repenting of sin, but never enjoying my salvation, until I found out that I was under the LAW and not under GRACE. What a horrible place to be, always feeling judged and having to do, do, do.Then, one day my eyes were opened to what Jesus had done, done, done! I was a new creation that had never existed before. I no longer just looked at the cross but believed the gospel and came to experience my new life. I believed that I was hidden in Christ,when he died, was buried and raised again. My identification in Christ set me free from the LAW. Praise be to God! Condemnation was over and the resurrected Lord was alive in me. Satan may try to roar like a lion, but Jesus has kicked his teeth out!
I would like to tell you a story. I think you will get the point. During the Koren War, a little orphan girl had captured the heart of an American GI. AS his love grew for her, He and his wife wanted to adopt this little orphan and raise her in the United States. Now, remember, this little orphan only ever knew the sounds of guns, army tanks, airplanes and rockets exploding . Her whole life had been lived in a war zone. After the war, the GI brought her back to New York to live with them in the city. The adjustment for her took several months before she would trust her new parents and new home. It was too unbelievably beautiful and totally foreign to her old life. Every time the noise of a fire truck or police serine sounded off, she would run and hide behind the living room couch. She was so riddled with fear, that it was all most impossible for her to feel loved and accepted . Her emotional memories of Korea were still present and hindered her from believing the best of her new parents. This continued for months, before the orphan believed that her mommy and daddy really did loved her and would protect her from harm. She wasn't able to emotionally grow until she believed and accepted her parent's love. Once she did believe and receive their love, she was able to respond and grow up as a normal little girl.
I don't know about you, but for years, even after I was a believer, I felt like that little orphan girl. Every time I sinned, I felt condemned and wanted to hide. It was hard for me to believe that God really loved me, even when I sinned. I still fell short of His glory. I believed that Jesus had died for my sins, was buried and rose again, but FEAR kept me in the prison of my mind. After years of this struggle, my heart finally believed that the Lord not only loved me, but was delighted in me. He doesn't see my sins. They were all on Jesus and He had dealt with them. Praise the Lord, He ONLY sees the BLOOD of His dear Son. The more my eyes were fixed on Jesus and not my sin, I sinned less and less. I can now thank the Lord and receive by faith His UNCONDITIONALLY FORGIVENESS. Today, I understand how God is changing me. It is from faith to faith, strength to strength and from glory to glory. The more that I see my glorious Lord, the more that I am changed AND SIN LESS. He alone is worthy of all my worship.
When I began to see JESUS as He really was, grace (unmerited favor) began to flow like a mighty river into every dry and empty area of my physical body, marriage, career, and finances. The more I increased in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work at the cross, the more God's unmerited favor was multiplied into my life. Honestly, I have to admit, before then, I was living in unbelief. I believed for salvation. I knew that I was a sinner and that Jesus died for my sins, but I wasn't in faith for how much God truly loved me. I kept His love at arm's length.
I had stopped at the cross and continued to live my Christian life repenting of sin, but never enjoying my salvation, until I found out that I was under the LAW and not under GRACE. What a horrible place to be, always feeling judged and having to do, do, do.Then, one day my eyes were opened to what Jesus had done, done, done! I was a new creation that had never existed before. I no longer just looked at the cross but believed the gospel and came to experience my new life. I believed that I was hidden in Christ,when he died, was buried and raised again. My identification in Christ set me free from the LAW. Praise be to God! Condemnation was over and the resurrected Lord was alive in me. Satan may try to roar like a lion, but Jesus has kicked his teeth out!
I would like to tell you a story. I think you will get the point. During the Koren War, a little orphan girl had captured the heart of an American GI. AS his love grew for her, He and his wife wanted to adopt this little orphan and raise her in the United States. Now, remember, this little orphan only ever knew the sounds of guns, army tanks, airplanes and rockets exploding . Her whole life had been lived in a war zone. After the war, the GI brought her back to New York to live with them in the city. The adjustment for her took several months before she would trust her new parents and new home. It was too unbelievably beautiful and totally foreign to her old life. Every time the noise of a fire truck or police serine sounded off, she would run and hide behind the living room couch. She was so riddled with fear, that it was all most impossible for her to feel loved and accepted . Her emotional memories of Korea were still present and hindered her from believing the best of her new parents. This continued for months, before the orphan believed that her mommy and daddy really did loved her and would protect her from harm. She wasn't able to emotionally grow until she believed and accepted her parent's love. Once she did believe and receive their love, she was able to respond and grow up as a normal little girl.
I don't know about you, but for years, even after I was a believer, I felt like that little orphan girl. Every time I sinned, I felt condemned and wanted to hide. It was hard for me to believe that God really loved me, even when I sinned. I still fell short of His glory. I believed that Jesus had died for my sins, was buried and rose again, but FEAR kept me in the prison of my mind. After years of this struggle, my heart finally believed that the Lord not only loved me, but was delighted in me. He doesn't see my sins. They were all on Jesus and He had dealt with them. Praise the Lord, He ONLY sees the BLOOD of His dear Son. The more my eyes were fixed on Jesus and not my sin, I sinned less and less. I can now thank the Lord and receive by faith His UNCONDITIONALLY FORGIVENESS. Today, I understand how God is changing me. It is from faith to faith, strength to strength and from glory to glory. The more that I see my glorious Lord, the more that I am changed AND SIN LESS. He alone is worthy of all my worship.
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