Hello blessed ones!

 

In Romans 7, Paul is talking about how sin produced death in him. He went on the say that he did not understand why he did the things he did.  He said in verse 15,

  • ...For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.

So, he comes to the conclusion in verse 17 that it was not him who did it, but sin that dwelt in him. Then he began to talk about seeing another law in his members warring against the law of his mind or heart, which delighted in the Law of God. His conclusion in verses 24-25 was this:

  • O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?  I thank God that I am rescued through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Then he follows with Romans 8:1-2 which says,

  • There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Praise God for Jesus!  Because of Him, Romans 6:5-7 declares this great news:

  • For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer become slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin (sinning).

Jesus gave His life to free us from the bondage of sin. Because of what Jesus did for us, we can forever be freed from a life of condemnation.

Satan always entices us to make mistakes and then condemns us for making them. He is the force behind sin, condemnation, and shame.

We have all made mistakes, but thank God, we can run to Him and ask forgiveness.  1 John 1:9 says,

  • If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

There is therefore NO CONDEMNATION to those who walk according to the Spirit. Romans 8:3 says,

  • For what the law (of Moses) could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His Own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin:  He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 

Just as the Law of Moses brought condemnation on the people living during that time, religious traditions bring condemnation on us today. Praise God because whenever we make a mistake, we can go boldly before the throne of grace and receive God's forgiveness.  This is what Hebrews 4:16 says, hallelujah!

We can thank God today, because sin is no longer the issue!  Jesus paid the price for our sins and we have been justified.  We do not have to allow condemnation to rule our lives.  Jesus died so that we would not have to live in condemnation.

I exhort you to not compare yourself with other people. This spirit of condemnation can come upon us if we constantly compare ourselves to others. This is especially true for mothers.  We should not condemn ourselves for the mistakes we feel we have made with our children. Remember:  Satan is the souce of all condemnation.  If we allow him to make us feel condemned, he will also be able to stop us from receiving all that God has for us.  He will play on our emotions, making us feel as though God has stopped loving us. If we are feeling this way, we can decide to believe the Word of God despite our feelings.  Jesus tells us in John 17:23,

  • "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have loved them as You have loved Me."

Wow, glorious family!  Our Heavenly Father loves us just as much as He loves Jesus! Chew on that for a while.  His Word is our final authority, and if His Word says He loves us just as much as He does Jesus, that settles it!

Thanking God for Jesus,

Lisa Gordon

Gordon Ministries and Jesus City Church