One of my biggest fears is that through talking and teaching about Jesus, people see me as "holier than thou". I don't want people to be scared to come to me about their sins, struggles or doubts because they think I'll judge them for it. I don't want people to feel like if they talk to me that I will spill all of their secrets to God. But the truth of the matter is this: God already knows all your secrets and all your struggles. And guess what? He still loves you.I saw this quote one day, and it honestly perfectly sums up how I'm feeling: "I never wanna be the kind of Christian that portrays themselves as perfect. I have flaws and I have struggles, and that's why I need Jesus." I know that a lot of non-believers see God as this angry, judgmental, ruthless person. But that couldn't be farther from the Truth. The God I serve is gentle. The God I serve is understanding. The God I serve is merciful. The God I serve is LOVE.If nothing else is taken out of this blog post, this blog, or my life, I just want people to know that GOD IS LOVE. God hates your sin. But God absolutely ADORES you. HE LOVES EVERY DETAIL ABOUT YOU! He loves the color of your hair and He knows how many strands are on your head. He loves every single one of your freckles. He loves your laugh, the way you smile, the facial expressions you make. He loves your voice, your eyes. God made you in His likeness and image. Nothing. And I mean NOTHING can ever make Him not love you. NOTHING. Not "tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword... in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God" (Romans 8:35,37-39). I just want people to know that I love them, and that I try my very best to adopt God's PERFECT heart into my own life. I want people to know that I struggle so badly sometimes. There are days I honestly don't want to get out of bed. There are days I'll just cry for hours. I struggle with so many sins. God's not even close to being done with me. I want people to know that I need Jesus just the same amount as they do.I'm not "holier than thou". I am not sinless. We are all sinful. But the only way to break those chains of sin is by surrendering them to Jesus. I still have to do that every single day. I've had to give the same sins to Jesus over and over and over. But the Truth is that He's working on me and working WITH me to get me to a place where I don't have to struggle with that sin as much. Or I might not ever have to struggle with that sin again. God is merciful and HE IS GOOD. You can Trust Him... and you can trust me to help you find the true help that is in God. I want people to see me with open arms embracing them into the loving family of God, but I want my embrace to lead someone to the open door... that is Jesus. I want people to understand that Christians are not here to condemn and judge you. I want people to understand that Jesus was not sent to condemn and judge you. He's came here and is still here only to SAVE YOU and LOVE YOU FOREVER.I just want to introduce people to my hiding place. We're in this together... we're both on a pilgrimage, but are just in different places. God's still working on me, too. I want to be a light that leads the way to the Father in the most loving way. I want my open arms to lead to the open door to freedom that is Jesus Christ. Learn more about Jesus Christ ➳
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Living in the United States, we often have conversations about freedom. When we watch international news and see the horrible events that are happening throughout the world, we should remember that we're so blessed to live in a country that was built on the idea of liberty. We're always talking about the rights and freedoms of citizens in daily life, but one conversation that never seems to come to mind is the idea of spiritual freedom and redemption in the cross.
"...Christ has truly set us free."
(Galatians 5:1)
As Christians, we believe that Jesus Christ came to earth (being the Son of God as well as being God in the flesh) to redeem and save us from the inevitable punishment for sin: death. {Click here to read more about Jesus and His sacrifice for humanity➳} While Jesus lived on the earth, His disciples naturally developed tough questions, one being about how one gets to heaven.
“'I am the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.'"
(John 14:6)
When answering Thomas' great question about how we know where we're going after death, Jesus proclaims that He is the truth. We can recall earlier in the gospel of John that the Word (the Bible) was with God and that the Word became flesh (Jesus). We know from various places in the Bible that the Word of God is the only truth. (2 Timothy 3:16, John 17:17) Not only did Jesus say that He is the truth but He also said:
"'...you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"
(John 8:32)
This may be confusing at first, but try to look at the full picture:
If the Word became flesh in the form of Jesus Christ and we know that the Word is truth and that the truth sets free, we know that the only way to true freedom is through Jesus Christ.
If the Word became flesh in the form of Jesus Christ and we know that the Word is truth and that the truth sets free, we know that the only way to true freedom is through Jesus Christ.
Freedom from Sin
An overview of the gospel in 5 sentences:
Adam and Eve, the first people on earth, disobeyed God and sin entered the world.
Sin is now in all of us at birth.
Sin makes it impossible for us to see God because He is perfect and Holy.
The punishment for sin, therefore, is death.
Jesus took our sins and died so that we don't have to, and accepting Him allows us to see God.
Not only do we not have to face the punishment for sin when we accept Jesus, but we have power over our sins. When we decide to let Jesus into our lives, His Holy Spirit enters us as well. The Holy Spirit is so incredibly powerful!
Whenever we sin, that is at the fault of our human nature, or what the bible calls "flesh." Adam and Eve's decision to disobey God's instructions is what created this "flesh" within all of us.
The Holy Spirit, however, has not even an ounce of human nature or sin within it, because it is from our perfect, sinless God. If we choose to accept Jesus which "comes with" the acceptance of the Holy Spirit, we can command holiness and strength over our sinful nature. When you feel like sinning or are struggling with a specific sin, you can declare the self-control fruit of the Holy Spirit over your circumstances. (Galatians 5:22-23)
God calls us to live through and by the spirit and to denounce our sinful nature. We know that God's way is ALWAYS the best way, and living as holy of a life as we can will bring us the freedom of Christ.
We will always struggle with the battle between flesh and spirit, but accepting Jesus is the first step to getting closer to freedom from sin.
Read more about life in the flesh vs. life in The Spirit ➳
Read more about overcoming sin ➳
Adam and Eve, the first people on earth, disobeyed God and sin entered the world.
Sin is now in all of us at birth.
Sin makes it impossible for us to see God because He is perfect and Holy.
The punishment for sin, therefore, is death.
Jesus took our sins and died so that we don't have to, and accepting Him allows us to see God.
Not only do we not have to face the punishment for sin when we accept Jesus, but we have power over our sins. When we decide to let Jesus into our lives, His Holy Spirit enters us as well. The Holy Spirit is so incredibly powerful!
Whenever we sin, that is at the fault of our human nature, or what the bible calls "flesh." Adam and Eve's decision to disobey God's instructions is what created this "flesh" within all of us.
The Holy Spirit, however, has not even an ounce of human nature or sin within it, because it is from our perfect, sinless God. If we choose to accept Jesus which "comes with" the acceptance of the Holy Spirit, we can command holiness and strength over our sinful nature. When you feel like sinning or are struggling with a specific sin, you can declare the self-control fruit of the Holy Spirit over your circumstances. (Galatians 5:22-23)
God calls us to live through and by the spirit and to denounce our sinful nature. We know that God's way is ALWAYS the best way, and living as holy of a life as we can will bring us the freedom of Christ.
We will always struggle with the battle between flesh and spirit, but accepting Jesus is the first step to getting closer to freedom from sin.
Read more about life in the flesh vs. life in The Spirit ➳
Read more about overcoming sin ➳
Redemption & Freedom from Illness & Suffering
God never wants us to suffer. He wants us to prosper and flourish in our lives. Nothing of suffering or pain is from our God, but of the enemy. However, although God sometimes allows us to live in hard circumstances {Read more about God's reasons for allowing pain ➳}, we are actually all redeemed through Christ from our illnesses and hardships.
In chapter 28 of one of the very first books of the bible, Deuteronomy, Moses outlines God's punishments for disobeying Him. However, remember that when we accept Jesus, we are freed from sin's grip and therefore we are redeemed from all the punishments that were outlined, which include illness and physical suffering.
Not only does Jesus take away these sufferings because He took the punishments for sin, but He is also our healer. Recall in the gospels when He healed the blind, deaf, mute, paralyzed and even raised a man from the dead! Still today, thousands of people come out and speak about how Jesus healed them or their loved ones of illnesses like cancer, depression and several incurable diseases.
Surely if you call on the name of Jesus to heal you and if you command the illness out of your body, He will heal you!! You may not feel different or be healed instantly, but you have to remember that just the smallest seed of faith can produce the greatest harvest of blessings. Keep believing and declaring truth over your body and your circumstances, grow your relationship with Jesus, pray hard, and you will be healed!
Remember the fruits of the Holy Spirit outlined in Galatians 5:22-23. The Holy Spirit brings peace to us: peace of freedom from suffering of any kind.
In chapter 28 of one of the very first books of the bible, Deuteronomy, Moses outlines God's punishments for disobeying Him. However, remember that when we accept Jesus, we are freed from sin's grip and therefore we are redeemed from all the punishments that were outlined, which include illness and physical suffering.
Not only does Jesus take away these sufferings because He took the punishments for sin, but He is also our healer. Recall in the gospels when He healed the blind, deaf, mute, paralyzed and even raised a man from the dead! Still today, thousands of people come out and speak about how Jesus healed them or their loved ones of illnesses like cancer, depression and several incurable diseases.
Surely if you call on the name of Jesus to heal you and if you command the illness out of your body, He will heal you!! You may not feel different or be healed instantly, but you have to remember that just the smallest seed of faith can produce the greatest harvest of blessings. Keep believing and declaring truth over your body and your circumstances, grow your relationship with Jesus, pray hard, and you will be healed!
Remember the fruits of the Holy Spirit outlined in Galatians 5:22-23. The Holy Spirit brings peace to us: peace of freedom from suffering of any kind.
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
(Romans 5:1)
Ultimately, it is when we surrender our own wills to take on God's that we will find true freedom. Again, God's way is always, ALWAYS the right way. His plan is perfect and divine. God designed life perfectly, so if we live the way He designed it, (through the Holy Spirit) we will be fulfilled, joyful and free.
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About the Author
Hi! I'm Angie! I'm a college student, worship leader, pro-life advocate, future teacher, youth ministry intern, and above all else, follower of Jesus Christ. I would love to get to know you!
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