Recently as I was talking to God, I was lamenting about an area of my life where I feel like I fail a lot. I was pleading with God to forgive me and was praying for the strength to change. That’s when I heard Him speak to me, “Lisa, how many times did I tell you to forgive others?” My reply, “7 Times 77.” “Yes, now how many more times do you think I will forgive you?”
This was the moment I began to feel the full freedom of grace all over again.
Then He reminded me, “When Jesus died on the cross, He died for that sin too. It’s already been accounted for, so you don’t need to carry the guilt anymore.”
It’s funny how the thing that you’ve always known, can seem brand new when He brings it up to you.
Of course, I know Jesus already paid for my sins, but don’t we all need reminding sometimes? That’s the power of salvation, Jesus died for a lifetime of my sins before I was even born. So, how can I hold onto shame and disappointment without shortchanging His sacrifice?
Today, I wanted to remind you of the blood that covers all your sins. Sure, we all strive to not sin, but let’s face it we’re human and the struggle is real. Every day we do little things. Some days we do big things. The bottom line is that we all fall short of the glory of God.
This morning I hope you take comfort in the fact that you don’t have to be perfect. You only have to be covered. Covered by Jesus’ blood. When you finally begin to absorb the full affect of His grace, I believe your struggle with many sins will fall away. And the sins that are harder to avoid like, pride, slander and gossip, etc. well, you become more aware of and learn how to walk away from them more often than not.
Take heart, the God of the universe sent His Son to die a sinner’s death so you could live free. So, live free. Stop carrying the burdens of your sin and just walk in freedom. The thing you focus on most will more than likely become your greatest obstacle. If all you ever do is worry about this sin or that sin, then you’re much more likely to fall back into it, but if instead, you begin to focus more on walking in grace and freedom in Christ, then you’re much more likely to walk in that.
Focus on the thing you want to do, not the thing you don’t.
Prayer Moment: God, forgive me of my sins. Help me to walk in the freedom which You paid so dearly for me to have. Teach me to partner with Your grace more each day. Help me to not become so consumed with my shortcomings that I lose sight of Your grace. I want to be Christ focused, not me focused. I adore You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:21-22
365 Days in the Presence 