To swim to Jesus

Here’s a revelation I am being reminded of:

GOD DOESN’T JUST LOVE US ON OUR GOOD DAYS. Crazy right? Jesus doesn’t smile and pat us on the back on the days when we are patient and kind and honest and shake his head in disgust when we are bitter and inpatient and afraid.

Logically this makes perfect sense based on the all loving, kind father that we know God is. But sometimes I forget to live out this truth.

When I fail, after I repent and ask for forgiveness, I often hang my head in shame and refuse to meet my Father’s eyes. After a day my head slowly rises as I feel I have beaten myself up for a long enough time.

Letting our circumstances control our emotions is like being on a boat in a storm, with us bobbing up and down with every new trial.

It’s enough to make anyone a little seasick.

We NEED to be anchored in God’s truth. We have to be, there’s no other way.

And the truth? We are loved. God does not condemn us, he convicts us with the intent to quickly forgive and restore us. We need to be constantly aware of the father’s tender heart toward us.

One disciple who knew Jesus’ heart was Peter.

Peter denied Jesus not once but THREE times. There is no denying that he blew it big time. Peter promised that he would lay down his life for Jesus but instead he denied even knowing His savior.

So after the resurrection when Jesus called to the disciples Peter hid behind the others and averted his eyes in shame, right?

Nope. Instead, Peter jumped out of the boat into the cold water and swam all the way to Jesus. I imagine that a dripping wet Peter fell down at Jesus’ feet and threw his arms around him. Because Peter walked with Jesus and had seen firsthand how Jesus LOVES to forgive.

When we sin, when we fail and mess up and fail to measure up, that is when we must jump out of the boat and swim to Jesus. Don’t wait until the boat reaches shore, jump out and get to your savior as quickly as possible! The quicker you get yourself to Jesus, the quicker your reconciliation and redemption and cleansing can happen.

We don’t bring Jesus our good deeds and hope that they outweigh the bad. We bring Him a repentant heart that’s only longing is to be close to Him once more. I don’t want sin or shame to steal one single precious moment of intimacy with my Jesus.

I frequently find myself falling at Jesus’ feet and confessing my great desire to be reconciled to him.

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Like Peter, I too have walked with Jesus and I have seen His mighty hand working powerfully in my life. I have seen with my own two eyes the way that His gracious kindness is quick to forgive my stumbling little heart.

In my life I have seen Him as one who breaks chains. I have seen Him as one who heals. One who redeems. One who restores. One who loves. There is no one who will love you more or better than Jesus. His love brings freedom and wholeness. God is ALWAYS good and we are ALWAYS loved.

 

Romans 8:37-39 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There is power in the name of Jesus

To me, taking a step back feels like I have failed. Admitting that I’m struggling with something that I’ve had victory over in the past makes me feel as though all the progress was for nothing. But stumbling doesn’t mean that we have failed or are failures.

 It means that we are human.

There are some lessons that we need to learn over and over again. There are some fears, some lies that we have to stand strong against over and over again. Some mornings you need to wake up and forgive all over again. Some mornings you need to proclaim truths all over again. Some mornings you need to ask God for courage all over again.

Sometimes the most difficult person to show grace to is yourself. 

We say, “I shouldn’t struggle with this anymore, I shouldn’t believe that lie anymore, I shouldn’t be that afraid anymore.”

But we are and we do anyway. Because we are not done being made like Christ. We are afraid to share our shortcomings, our backward steps with others, as though they aren’t holding onto any themselves.

But God never condemns. He knows that it’s hard being human; He knows that it’s hard living on this planet. It’s okay to not have it all together, it’s okay to stumble and take a step backward, as long as you don’t unpack and live there.

The good news is that God sent His spirit to live in us, and that alone is what gives us the power to say no to sin and to believe truth. If you have accepted Jesus as your savior, then the same power that raised Him from the dead lives inside you. That is incredible. There is power; all we have to do is call on His name.

Romans 6:11 Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Do not let sin reign in your body so that you obey its evil desires... For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

It’s so easy for us to forget that God’s love for us is not a result of our actions.

I know sometimes I go to God and say, “Look! I don’t do that anymore, I do this more, look at how I’ve changed! Aren’t you proud of me? Don’t you love me now?”

And my Dad shakes His head understandingly and reminds me that He loved me before I even took a single breath.

We remember that we no longer have to be slaves to sin, that sin no longer has any power over us. We may fall occasionally, but we DO NOT have to live there.

The victory we have in Christ is being able to say, “God help me,” and knowing that He will.

Something that I struggle with is forgiveness. Sometimes I just don’t care that I’m supposed to forgive because all I’m feeling is hurt and forgiveness just doesn’t seem right.

I ask God, “How could you possibly ask me to forgive that person? Look at what they’ve done to me!”

And He replies, “Yes, I know. But look at what I’ve done FOR you.”  

If you are the one asking for forgiveness and the other person isn’t able to extend forgiveness, just know that God always will.

There is power in the name of Jesus to break every single chain that could possibly entangle you. There is no sin too bad, no person too far, no pit too deep for God’s power to save, rescue, and redeem. No matter what you’ve done, no matter where you’ve been, no matter how long or far you have strayed, God welcomes you back with open arms. You are not the exception, there are no exceptions. Jesus loves prodigals.

Every day I thank God that I am not dressed in my own righteousness, I am dressed in His. If I had to rely on my own power, my own strength, I wouldn’t make it a day.

I am so glad I can go to God and tell Him exactly how unbearably difficult it currently is for me to forgive. I am so glad that He is not up in heaven shaking His head in annoyance that I still struggle over the same hurt. I know that any time, morning, afternoon, middle of the night I can cry out to Him and say, "Lord help me to forgive, but more than that, help me WANT to forgive." 

What are some things that you need to call out to God about? Where are the areas in your life that you have not trusted in God's power to give you victory?  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uu2RDZdaxc

Remembering who we are in Christ

I have come to the conclusion that spending time with God daily is one of the most important things you can do. 

Without TRUTH from God, its SO easy to forget. To forget who you are and what you were made for.Without memorizing God's truth, its SO easy to believe the devil's lies, the world's lies.


James 1:23
²³ For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. ²⁴ You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. ²⁵ But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.


If we listen to what God says and put it into practice in our lives, we combat the enemy.

But I know that if I don't spend time in God's word and with Him, I forget what He says.


Because I don't want to forget who I am. But more importantly, I don't want to forget WHOSE I am. 


I was watching the Bible series on TV and the ways I saw Jesus interacting with people literally brought me to tears a couple of times. The tax collector, the woman caught in adultery, the leper, all who devalued themselves because of their situation, or what they had done, or what life had handed them. 


And Jesus gave them their identity back, He gave them their value back. No longer were they categorized by any of those things, Jesus identified them as God's child, a valuable human being, full of worth.


To pursue me even when I didn't want Him. Though I turned my back on Him, He NEVER turned His back on me, not for a single second. I want the constant reminder that the way God views me never changes, I'm secure in my identity with Him. I don't want to keep forgetting that.

There is not a lie the devil can throw at you, that God does not give you a truth for. 


Every lie, every doubt, every fear, there is always reassurance and truth in the word of God. 


Sometimes though, even if I do spend time with Him in the morning, by afternoon I feel the lies creeping their way back in. And thats where memorizing God's truth is especially necessary.

I want the constant reminder that I have a God who loves me enough to pursue me.
When I'm doubting and unsure, I want to remember my God who pursues me.