Accused

July 27

To Die to Sin

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HE HIMSELF BORE OUR SINS IN HIS BODY ON THE TREE, SO THAT WE MIGHT DIE TO SINS AND LIVE FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS; BY HIS WOUNDS YOU HAVE BEEN HEALED. FOR YOU WERE LIKE SHEEP GOING ASTRAY, BUT NOW YOU HAVE RETURNED TO THE SHEPHERD AND OVERSEER OF YOUR SOULS
(1 Peter 2:24-25).

Take note that Jesus bore our sins in His body on the tree, so WE might die to our sins. The Lord Jesus nailed the body of sin—the cause of our sinful actions and reactions—to the cross to remove the origin of sin, so we might have the opportunity to live for Righteousness.

WHAT SHALL WE SAY, THEN? SHALL WE GO ON SINNING SO THAT GRACE MAY INCREASE? BY NO MEANS! WE DIED TO SIN; HOW CAN WE LIVE IN IT ANY LONGER?
(Romans 6:1-2).

I have died to many sins.  I have died to willfulness, withdrawal, and pushing people away.  I have died to blaming, hating, and condemning others.  I have died to gossiping.  I have died to boasting.

FOR WE KNOW THAT OUR OLD SELF WAS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM SO THAT THE BODY OF SIN MIGHT BE DONE AWAY WITH, THAT WE SHOULD NO LONGER BE SLAVES TO SIN
(Romans 6:6).

I have died to these sinful actions and reactions, because I have had no need to live in them any longer.  You see, my old Self—the abandoned Orphan Me, the shameful Despicable Me, the condemned Bad Me, and the rejected Victim Me—was crucified with Jesus, so that it might lose its power over me.

Therefore, since my condemnation turned to acceptance, I did not have to hate anymore in order to take revenge. Since my shame turned to worthiness, I did not have to gossip and boast anymore in order to gain respect from others.  Since my abandonment turned to belonging, I did not have to withdraw anymore in order to protect myself. Because the Lord Jesus took care of the old Self—the body of sin—I did not have to serve it anymore through sinful actions and reactions.

IN THE SAME WAY, COUNT YOURSELVES DEAD TO SIN BUT ALIVE TO GOD IN CHRIST JESUS
(Romans 6:11).

Let your old Self, the body of sin, be crucified with Jesus. Then you, too will have the opportunity to live your life for Righteousness, since sinful actions and reactions will serve no purpose to you anymore.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I long to live my life for Righteousness. Therefore, I invite You to nail my old Self to the cross, so I would stop serving the body of sin through sinful actions and reactions.

Maintain an Awareness

Capture that the human mind loves to reason WITHOUT the Holy Spirit.

The Two Counsels
July 20

Do Not Depend on Your Many Warriors

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BUT YOU HAVE PLANTED WICKEDNESS, YOU HAVE REAPED EVIL, YOU HAVE EATEN THE FRUIT OF DECEPTION. BECAUSE YOU HAVE DEPENDED ON YOUR OWN STRENGTH AND ON YOUR MANY WARRIORS, THE ROAR OF BATTLE WILL RISE AGAINST YOUR PEOPLE, SO THAT ALL YOUR FORTRESSES WILL BE DEVASTATED
(Hosea 10:13-14).

I have many warriors, because I have eaten the fruit of deception. I have believed negative, destructive beliefs that are not true about my Self, God, and others.  I have one warrior who fights to the bitter end to defend me, whenever I believe that I am not loved.  This warrior will attack, blame, and drive anybody away who makes me feel unloved.

I have another warrior who is very good at hiding me in the dark dungeons of depression or behind a mask, whenever I believe that I am not worthy or special.

Yet, another warrior is a bit of a coward.  It scoops me up and runs to the safety of distraction and destruction, whenever I feel condemned, not daring to come close to the battlefield.  It lets me watch from a distance, while I lean on my own misunderstandings.

BUY THE TRUTH AND DO NOT SELL IT; GET WISDOM, DISCIPLINE AND UNDERSTANDING
(Proverbs 23:23).

Grasp that if you depend on your own defense mechanisms to fight the negative, destructive beliefs of the father-of-lies, the roar of battle will rise against you, causing you to plant wickedness and reap evil, every time. This will make you miserable.

Change your ways.  Dismiss your warriors.  Instead of hiding, get God’s Wisdom for the belief that you are not loved. Instead of running away, discipline your Self to get Understanding from the Lord Jesus for your unworthiness and shame. Instead of defending your Self, buy the Lord’s Truth and do not sell it.

WE KNOW ALSO THAT THE SON OF GOD HAS COME AND HAS GIVEN US UNDERSTANDING
(1 John 5:20).

What will it take for you to dismiss your many warriors and depend on God to give you Understanding, so you may get rid of your misunderstandings?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, how many times have I depended on my many warriors to save me from feeling ashamed, condemned, and abandoned, instead of depending on You. Forgive me, my Lord, for making the wrong choices. Bring me to the place where I will lay down my many warriors—where I will buy the Truth and not sell it. Then, exchange my Self for Your Self, who is filled with Wisdom, Discipline, and Understanding.

Maintain an Awareness

How much of our misbehavior sprouts from trying to PROVE that we are acceptable, worthy, loved, and wanted, because the OLD MAN character, conveniently formed in us by the father-of-lies, christened us unacceptable, unworthy, unloved, and unwanted?

The Two Counsels
July 19

Saved to Be Holy

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WHO HAS SAVED US AND CALLED US TO A HOLY LIFE—NOT BECAUSE OF ANYTHING WE HAVE DONE BUT BECAUSE OF HIS OWN PURPOSE AND GRACE.  THIS GRACE WAS GIVEN US IN CHRIST JESUS BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF TIME
(2 Timothy 1:9).

One of the things that turned my life inside-out was the realization that God did not just barely save me, in a meager manner. He saved me enough to be holy.

Throughout my life, I had the idea that God saved me just enough to go to Heaven. I believed Holiness was something extra…and holiness was up to me.  I believed that if I wanted to be holy, I had to muster together all my strength to better my own Self—to rid my Self of condemnation, shame, rejection, and abandonment, which caused me to complain, control, and criticize.

However, big was my surprise when God showed me, one day, that my holiness did not depend on me, but on His Grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus. This has always been part of the package of Salvation, even before the beginning of time—to stop sinful actions and reactions from controlling our behavior, through His Grace.

THIS IS HOW GOD SHOWED HIS LOVE AMONG US: HE SENT HIS ONE AND ONLY SON INTO THE WORLD THAT WE MIGHT LIVE THROUGH HIM
(1 John 4:9).

Beloved Child, do you know what to do with My Grace? Understand that I, your Savior, want you to come UNDER My Grace, moment-by-moment, whenever you feel rejected, ashamed, condemned, or abandoned. Instead of submitting to the beliefs of shame that cause you to complain, come and live UNDER My Grace, which will release you from disgrace. Instead of surrendering to beliefs of rejection that cause you to criticize, come and hide UNDER My Grace, which will deliver you from feeling unwanted and unworthy. Instead of bowing down to the beliefs of abandonment that cause you to control, step UNDER My Grace, which will discharge you from loneliness and dismay. Then, sinful actions and reactions will no longer control your behavior.

“FOR SIN SHALL NO LONGER BE YOUR MASTER, BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE”
(Romans 6:14).

How might your life change if you stopped striving to better your Self, but allowed God to bring you under His Grace?

PRAYER: Thank you, Perfect Father, for Your Gift of Grace, through Jesus Christ. Call me, daily, to come under Your Grace, instead of living from my own strength. Help me to remember to live under Your Grace whenever I feel rejected, condemned, ashamed, or abandoned. Then, sinful actions and reactions will no longer control my behavior.

Maintain an Awareness

We need to acknowledge that we cannot free our spirits, souls, and bodies from the entanglement of the OLD MAN’s rebellious will. But, with our free will, we can choose to go to the Person who can—the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to live HIS NEW MAN Life in us, in the place of the OLD MAN.

The Two Counsels
July 18

To Be Exchanged

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I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST: NEVERTHELESS I LIVE; YET NOT I, BUT CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: AND THE LIFE WHICH I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESH I LIVE BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD, WHO LOVED ME, AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME
(Galatians 2:20).

I bless you to know that there is a part of you that needs to be crucified with Christ.  There is a part of you that needs to be exchanged for the Lord Jesus Christ. He gave His Self for you to live His Life inside you, by His Faith.

KNOWING THIS, THAT OUR OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, THAT THE BODY OF SIN MIGHT BE DESTROYED, THAT HENCEFORTH WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN
(Romans 6:6).

Understand that there is an OLD MAN living his life inside you: an agglomeration of negative, destructive beliefs, instilled in your mind by the father-of-lies.  This collection of OLD MAN beliefs carries a painful, negative message of failure, defilement, and unworthiness.

Realize that this set of OLD MAN beliefs functions as the root or source of bad behavior in you.  This set of accusatory beliefs “You are bad…You do not count…You are a disgrace” causes painful emotions of unworthiness, hopelessness, and shame.  When you feel unworthy, you envy…you strife…you fail.  When you feel ashamed, you become angry…you become unkind…you become selfish.  When you feel hopeless, you argue…you give up…you become depressed.  Thus, the body of OLD MAN beliefs in you is the father-of-lies’ ally to control your mind, your emotions, and your behavior from the inside out.

AND BE RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND; AND THAT YE PUT ON THE NEW MAN, WHICH AFTER GOD IS CREATED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND TRUE HOLINESS
(Ephesians 4:23-24).

The Lord Jesus Christ came to crucify the body of OLD MAN beliefs in you, so that the source or the root of sin in you might be destroyed.  And in the OLD MAN’s place, He gave His Self to come and live in you, by His Faith.

May you allow the body of OLD MAN beliefs in you to be eliminated, so that the Lord Jesus Christ might live His Life in you, instead, by His Faith.

How do you think your life will change if you lived your life by the Faith of the Lord Jesus, instead of living from the negative, destructive OLD MAN beliefs of the father-of-lies?

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord Jesus, that You nailed the OLD MAN to the cross, so that this body of sin might be destroyed and You might live Your Life in me, by Your Faith.

Maintain an Awareness

This must be the hardest of all lessons to learn: to keep our eyes on the Eternal God during difficult circumstances, and trust that His everlasting arms are underneath us, holding us and keeping us safe.

The Two Counsels
July 17

Everyone Is Fighting the Same Battle

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BE SELF-CONTROLLED AND ALERT. YOUR ENEMY THE DEVIL PROWLS AROUND LIKE A ROARING LION LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO DEVOUR. RESIST HIM, STANDING FIRM IN THE FAITH, BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT YOUR BROTHERS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD ARE UNDERGOING THE SAME KIND OF SUFFERINGS
(1 Peter 5:8-9).

I bless you today to take note that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering you are.  Yes, everybody has the father-of-lies as an enemy…not only you.  He came to kill, steal, and destroy all…not only you.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour…not only you.

Deception is the practice of luring someone into beliefs that are not true.  This is the father-of-lies’ weapon.  Grasp that your brothers throughout the world have been victimized by deception…not only you.

THIS IS HOW WE KNOW WHAT LOVE IS: JESUS CHRIST LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR US. AND WE OUGHT TO LAY DOWN OUR LIVES FOR OUR BROTHERS
(1 John 3:16).

May you receive and display God’s Love and Compassion when someone believes falsities, when someone shows poor judgment, and when someone fails you.  May you understand that the father-of-lies stole their truth, killed their joy, and destroyed their hope, too.

Therefore, be self-controlled and alert. RESIST being lured into beliefs that are not true.  STAND FIRM in your Faith.  EMBRACE the Truth.  Then PASS THIS ON to your brothers, who also grapple with deception.

BE KIND. REMEMBER EVERYONE YOU MEET IS FIGHTING A HARD BATTLE
(T. H. Thompson).

How will you treat those who fail you: with criticism, complaint, and control…or by trying to understand how they (and you) have been deceived by the father-of-lies?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, remind me, daily, that I am not the only one suffering, but that everyone around me has been lured into deception, just like me. Fill me with Your Love and Compassion, so I may pass these on to those around me, whose truth, joy, and hope have been stolen by the father-of-lies.

Maintain an Awareness

So, yes, the deepest urge in human nature seems to be the desire to be important–to matter. But, it is not the PRINCIPLE of wanting to be important that is wrong; instead, it is the way we adapt or the means we adopt to meet this most urgent desire of our hearts.

The Two Counsels

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Accused Guilty

July 14

Nothing Is Hidden in God’s Sight

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WHEN I WAS A CHILD, I TALKED LIKE A CHILD, I THOUGHT LIKE A CHILD, I REASONED LIKE A CHILD. WHEN I BECAME A MAN, I PUT CHILDISH WAYS BEHIND ME
(1 Corinthians 13:11).

I bless you to understand that it is not what happened to you as a child that is causing you so much heart-ache, today, but your misinterpretations of these events—what you came to believe about yourself, others, and God. Know that the father-of-lies used your false childhood conclusions as a weapon of deception to take you captive, even as an adult. He used them to shape a Deserted Child, Defiled Child, Defeated Child, and Deprived Child in you.

AND SURELY I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, TO THE VERY END OF THE AGE
(Matthew 28:20).

Keep in mind that the Lord Jesus was present…on duty…alive when you made your false childhood conclusions. He was there. He saw it all. He knew the circumstances; but most of all, He knew the misinterpretations that distorted your mind and the lies that disturbed your heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from His sight.

The Lord Jesus knows of the Deserted Child, Defiled Child, Defeated Child, and Deprived Child that still live in your heart, today, as a result of your childhood misinterpretations. He understands the lies.  But, most of all, He knows the Truth.

NOTHING IN ALL CREATION IS HIDDEN FROM GOD’S SIGHT. EVERYTHING IS UNCOVERED AND LAID BARE BEFORE THE EYES OF HIM TO WHOM WE MUST GIVE ACCOUNT
(Hebrews 4:13).

If you listen carefully, you will hear the Lord Jesus say, “My Child, I have become your Wisdom from God: your Redemption from the deception that has been living in your heart, since childhood…your Redemption from the negative, destructive beliefs of the father-of-lies…your Redemption from the Deserted Child, Defiled Child, Defeated Child, and Deprived Child. Allow Me to set you free from being a victim to these OLD MAN personalities.”

IT IS BECAUSE OF HIM THAT YOU ARE IN CHRIST JESUS, WHO HAS BECOME FOR US WISDOM FROM GOD—THAT IS, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, HOLINESS AND REDEMPTION
(1 Corinthians 1:30).

What have you done with your childhood conclusions—with the Deserted Child, Defiled Child, Defeated Child, and Deprived Child that were formed in you through deception? Have you allowed these to rule your life…or have you allowed the Lord Jesus to become your Wisdom from God—that is, your Righteousness, Holiness, and Redemption?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, remind me, daily, that I have a choice: to live the rest of my life as a victim to the Deserted Child, Defiled Child, Defeated Child, and Deprived Child in me, or invite You to become my Redemption from God.

Maintain an Awareness

Since the beginning of our lives, the OLD MAN beliefs of abandonment, shame, condemnation, and rejection have been firmly planted in our minds and hearts by the father-of-lies.

The Two Counsels
July 09

Will You Lay Down Your Life of Over-indulgence?

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THEN JESUS ANSWERED, ‘WILL YOU REALLY LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE FOR ME’
(John 13:38).

How do you deal with the emotional pain in your heart—the pain that sits on top of the negative, destructive beliefs that you are not good enough…that you are doomed and damned…that you are a disappointment?

Do you deal with your pain through the defense mechanism of over-indulgence—turning to excessiveness of some sorts, rather than Jesus, to ease your pain?  Know for certain that if you sow overdo and overuse, you will reap DESTRUCTION, but if you sow to surrender your pain to the Spirit, from the Spirit you will reap LIFE and PEACE.

THE ONE WHO SOWS TO PLEASE HIS SINFUL NATURE, FROM THAT NATURE WILL REAP DESTRUCTION; THE ONE WHO SOWS TO PLEASE THE SPIRIT, FROM THE SPIRIT WILL REAP ETERNAL LIFE
(Galatians 6:8).

I bless you to give up seeking relief from your pain through over-indulgence of any kind.  Instead, allow yourself to pause before you indulge, and EMBRACE the pain that instigates you to overdo.  Identify the hurt.  Find the beliefs the father-of-lies has planted in your mind: the thoughts that persuade you to run to FOOD to eliminate the heartache, to run to DRINK to shut out the hurt, and to run to DRUGS to squash the anguish.  Then, EXPOSE these interpretations to the Lord Jesus in EXCHANGE for His free-setting Truth.  He knows you. He will tell you who you really are. Then, the Peace of God will rule in your heart, through His Spirit, allowing you to be thankful for who you are and what you have.

AND LET THE PEACE OF GOD RULE IN YOUR HEARTS, TO WHICH ALSO YOU WERE CALLED IN ONE BODY; AND BE THANKFUL
(Colossians 3:15).

 Are you aware of the reason of your over-indulgence—negative, destructive beliefs instilled in your mind by the father-of-lies? Do you know what these beliefs are telling you?

What will it take for you to stop turning to someone or something other than the Lord Jesus to still the pain in your heart?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, teach me to EMBRACE the emotional pain in my heart, instead of running away to excessiveness of all kinds. Help me to find and EXPOSE the underlying beliefs of abandonment, condemnation, rejection, and shame in my heart. Then, EXCHANGE these perturbing perceptions for Your Truth, my Lord, for without Your work of EXCHANGE in my heart, there will be no CHANGE in me—there will be no LIFE and no PEACE.

Maintain an Awareness

And after we have sucked others empty and they have nothing more to give, we turn to distraction and destruction to ease the excruciating pain that oozes from our hearts…because we still believe we do not matter.

The Two Counsels
July 07

Will You Lay Down Your Life of Mind-reading?

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THEN JESUS ANSWERED, ‘WILL YOU REALLY LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE FOR ME’
(John 13:38).

Have you adopted the sinful defense mechanism of mind-reading? Do you always assume you know what others are thinking?  Do you read between the lines?  Are you always gathering information to prove your presupposed point?  Do you like to surmise, basing your ideas on scanty evidence?

THE MAN WHO LOVES HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT, WHILE THE MAN WHO HATES HIS LIFE IN THIS WORLD WILL KEEP IT FOR ETERNAL LIFE
(John 12:25).

Grasp that the father-of-lies, the master of deception, will take advantage of your willful mind-reading, each time.  He will use your rebellion as an opportunity to drag misinterpretations into your mind, inserting more than is there, causing you to see yourself and others in a false light.

If you sow to please your sinful nature through obstinate mind-reading, you will reap destruction, but if you sow to deliberately and entirely submit your will to the Spirit, from the Spirit you will reap Truth. This Truth will set you free, will bring you Joy, and will give you Hope.

THE ONE WHO SOWS TO PLEASE HIS SINFUL NATURE, FROM THAT NATURE WILL REAP DESTRUCTION; THE ONE WHO SOWS TO PLEASE THE SPIRIT, FROM THE SPIRIT WILL REAP ETERNAL LIFE
(Galatians 6:8).

 I bless you to consider letting go of your rebellious mind-reading. Stop holding onto it as something precious. Don’t assume you know what others are thinking.  Don’t read between the lines.  Stop gathering information to prove your presupposed point.  Quit surmising.  Stop guessing. Instead, focus on finishing the race YOU have to run, and to complete the task the Lord Jesus has given YOU.

HOWEVER, I CONSIDER MY LIFE WORTH NOTHING TO ME, IF ONLY I MAY FINISH THE RACE AND COMPLETE THE TASK THE LORD JESUS HAS GIVEN ME
(Acts 20:24).

Why do you mind-read? What good has ever come of it? On the other hand, how has your mind-reading hurt you and others?

What will it take for you to stop guessing what others are thinking of you by arriving at your conclusions through your own understanding?

PRAYER: Lord God, I repent of my mind-reading. I am sorry, my Lord. I wish to change, but I know I can do nothing by myself. Work Your Grace and Mercy in my heart, so I would change and give up reading others’ minds. May my mind belong to You only and may everything it thinks only honor You.

Maintain an Awareness

Blaming others and blaming yourself will not get rid of the accusatory pain in your heart.

The Two Counsels
July 05

Will You Lay Down Your Life for Me?

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I was having a discussion with someone the other day about the anti-Christ.  We were wondering who the anti-Christ was, and from where he would come.  Is it a person?  Is it a force?  Is it already here or is it still to come?

Then I thought to myself, I don’t know who the anti-Christ really is, but I know that I have an anti-Christ already living inside of me.  It is very powerful.  It is very selfish.  And it is very anti Christ.  Its name is Self.

BUT EVERY SPIRIT THAT DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS IS NOT FROM GOD. THIS IS THE SPIRIT OF THE ANTICHRIST, WHICH YOU HAVE HEARD IS COMING AND EVEN NOW IS ALREADY IN THE WORLD
(1 John 4:3).

Self is its own entity that runs its own life in me.  Self has its own will, its own desires, its own ambitions, its own defense, its own esteem, and its own righteousness.  Self does not acknowledge or obey Jesus as Lord.  In fact, Self serves as an agent for the father-of-lies to rival Jesus Christ as Lord. Self is anti Christ.

THEN JESUS SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, ‘IF ANYONE WOULD COME AFTER ME, HE MUST DENY HIMSELF AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW ME. FOR WHOEVER WANTS TO SAVE HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT, BUT WHOEVER LOSES HIS LIFE FOR ME WILL FIND IT’
(Matthew 16:24-25).

I bless you to understand that the Lord Jesus is the Anti-Self.  He has His own Righteousness He would like to establish in your life.  He has His own Will for your life.  He has His own Defense against the father-of-lies.

THEN JESUS ANSWERED, ‘WILL YOU REALLY LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE FOR ME’
(John 13:38).

Are you satisfied with the way Self rules your life?

If you are not happy with what Self has done with your life, consider appointing the Lord Jesus as ruler of your life. Then, you will not need your Self-esteem, your Self-righteousness, and your Self defense mechanisms, because you will have Christ.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I invite You to reign in my heart, my thoughts, and the purpose of my life. Disable my Self-righteousness to plant YOUR Righteousness in me. Disqualify my Self-esteem to create YOUR Worthiness in my heart. Disengage my Self-defense to bring about Your Truth, Hope, and Love in my being. Bring me to the place where I will deny the anti-Christ in me, so Your Anti-Self might be formed in me.

Maintain an Awareness

Woe to us, the rebellious children, when we take counsel from the father-of-lies, and when we cover ourselves with coverings that are not from God. We will add sin to sin.

The Two Counsels
July 04

May the Work of God Be Displayed in Your Life

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‘NEITHER THIS MAN NOR HIS PARENTS SINNED,’ SAID JESUS, ‘BUT THIS HAPPENED SO THAT THE WORK OF GOD MIGHT BE DISPLAYED IN HIS LIFE’
(John 9:3).

Beautiful One, know that I, the Father of the Heavenly Lights, want you to be healed from the damaging childhood incidents in your life that caused you to feel condemned, shamed, abandoned, and rejected. I want to fill you with My good and perfect Gifts from above.

 But you need to take your focus off the childhood incidents that caused you to feel so guilty and condemned, even now, and turn your focus to My Son, Jesus.  It is not what you did, that matters, but what Jesus did for you, for I, the Perfect Father, did not send My Son into the world to condemn you, but to save you. Therefore, allow My saving work to be displayed in your life, for I satisfy the thirsty and fill the hungry with good things, if you let Me.

 FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. FOR GOD DID NOT SEND HIS SON INTO THE WORLD TO CONDEMN THE WORLD, BUT TO SAVE THE WORLD THROUGH HIM
(John 3:16-17).

In the same way, Child, take your focus off your parents or other persons of authority who caused you harm, during your childhood.  It is not about what they did or did not do that matters.  It is about whether you are willing to submit the abandonment, shame, rejection, and condemnation that resulted from the father-of-lies to My Son, Jesus, so My saving work might be displayed in your life.

FOR HE SATISFIES THE THIRSTY AND FILLS THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS
(Psalm 107:9).

I bless you today to allow the saving work of God to be displayed in your life: His Light in your darkness…His Hope in your hopelessness…His Wisdom in your confusion…His Righteousness in your sinfulness…His Wholeness in your brokenness…His Power in your weakness…His Peace in your anxiety…His Comfort in your sorrow…His Grace in your guilt.

How might you apply “it is not what YOU did that matters, but what JESUS did for you”?

How might you apply “it is not what THEY did, that matters, but what JESUS did for you”?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, how comforted I am that it is not about what I did or did not do, and it is not about what they did or did not do.  It is all about what You DID for me. Thank you that You came to save me.

Maintain an Awareness

This must be the hardest of all lessons to learn: to keep our eyes on the Eternal God during difficult circumstances, and trust that His everlasting arms are underneath us, holding us and keeping us safe.

The Two Counsels