Faithful & Just

Hello friend! Spring-like weather has been teasing us for the past week. And now, a snowstorm is headed this way. I am soaking up every ray of sunshine & every ounce of warmth I can. It sure has me excited for picnics & hikes when winter is REALLY over! But as soon as that storm hits, I know I will be in awe of its beauty. I may not like the cold, but I sure love the snow. (Explain the logic in that one.) I hope you are well. I sure love you.

Routines are sometimes hard break & habits are even harder to retrain. It may take me just a moment to mess things up, but I'll tell you what…I can beat myself up about it for a LONG time. I have the endurance of a marathon runner when it comes to remembering certain mistakes I've made. Even when I've genuinely repented for what I've done & I "know" I've been forgiven…my flesh likes to remind me. My flesh likes to keep me in a state of regret & embarrassment. My flesh likes to keep me IN THE PAST. As a result, my PRESENT is eaten away by memories & reminders of what once was. And most of the time, the energy & emotion that I use to beat myself up about that "thing" impacts me more than the actual mistake itself!

Sometimes looking into the past can bring healing & enlightenment. It can free us from bondage of things that have happened to us or around us. But besides looking back for those reasons, it's usually not for the best.

Jesus has been showing me something incredible. It's not about my mistake. It's about my heart & choice NOW. And when He says He has forgiven me, HE HAS FORGIVEN ME. Period. That's it. End of story. He doesn't bring it up my mistakes to make me feel guilty or remind me of how inadequate I am. He doesn't use it to show me how unworthy I am to have good things in my life. That isn't the heart of my Savior.

Psalm 103:11 & 12, "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

He doesn't hold mistakes over my head or withhold good things from me because I'm imperfect. My imperfections are nothing new to Him. And the beautiful part?? He's never expected me to be perfect. He doesn't demand me to handle every situation perfectly without any mess ups or mistakes. He cares about my heart. When my heart is in line with His, THAT is what matters. So why do I beat myself up over & over & over when I mess up? It's the enemy. He knows that the forgiveness that Jesus brings is FAR MORE POWERFUL than any mess up or mistake I could ever make. When we confess & repent of our sins, Christ erases that thing immediately!

Acts 3:19, "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,"
  
If the enemy can keep us in that state of regret, we won't live in the fulness & abundant life that God has provided for us. When we settle into that cycle of focusing on the mistake not the forgiveness, we're really missing something. We're missing the beautiful message of the price & sacrifice that was made so that our sins could be forgiven. God sent His precious, perfect & innocent Son to die on the cross for our sins…yet we still dwell on the sins that have been forgiven? Do we believe that Jesus' blood was enough? If so, do we live like it is?
 
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
 
What if we could really grasp onto the truth that Jesus' rejoices when we repent; He doesn't hold it against us? What if we lived that?

Thank you, Jesus for the abundant life that You've made available to us! May we live in it, dwell on it & share it with others! You are faithful & good. I've made mistakes & will continue to. But with all my heart, I want to live a righteous, holy life & focus on the beauty of Your forgiveness, not my failures! In every circumstance, in every day, Your grace is sufficient for me.

Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

Be blessed my friend! I declare my God as faithful!