So as I continued to pray, “Lord, I know You can, but I don’t trust You will,” God began to reveal the root of my problem. It might be something you struggle with as well, because it seems to be the one thing the enemy keeps trying to use against all of God’s children. As I prayed, the Lord whispered in my heart, “Child, you have a root of guilt within you that you must allow Me to pull out, or we cannot move forward.” I was a bit surprised at this, because I have taught and believed Romans 8:1 for years, but as I thought it through, He was right, of course.
It started with Beckie. You see, when you lose a child, the enemy continually tries to make you believe it was your fault. You didn’t do this or you didn’t do that… or you were so sinful and unworthy… or any other number of lies. Basically he hisses, “Because you don’t deserve her, God took her away. You are still no good!” Oh that enemy is surely the craftiest, and cruelest of all creation! He knows all too much how to strike us in the deepest way.
But by God’s Grace, I continued to pray and, between tears, I cried out, “But Lord, I AM guilty!” To which He quickly and gently replied, “No, Child! You are Forgiven!” Do you see it? No, we don’t deserve God’s forgiving Love. No, we will never be able to earn this freeing Forgiveness. But our Salvation has nothing to do with us and what we merit. It is all about God’s Love for us. Because He Loves us, we are Forgiven! This is one of the many wonderful New Identity markers we receive when we surrender to Jesus as our Savior.
Now that we ARE His, God will continue to teach us who we are and He will continue to do this through discipline and pruning. These are expressions of His Love…because, while God loves us just the way we are, He loves us way too much to leave us in that old sinful, pitiful state we were in when we became His. The transformation within me was immediate…I will finish up my story tomorrow…
2023’s Got A Minute? Book Club
January: The First & Best Book Ever: The Bible
February: Love Is In the Air: “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” by Gary Chapman
March: Spring Growth: “Secrets of the Vine” by Bruce Wilkinson
<>< Peace, Diane
