Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Healing

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

"Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:7-10 (NIV)


SIN!!! I hate it so much - beyond what I can express in words... if only you could see the rage in my soul and it could be magnified to something visible of my utter disgust for it!!! We are all sinful, it is an inescapable fact of humanity and despite all efforts to avoid it, counter it, fight it or suppress it we come up against the wall again and again, realizing the depths of our sinfulness and what seems insurmountable need of a way out!

What I hate the most though is this - the sin that remains, that eats away as does a disease at our very being, corroding our passion for God and propping its ugly head in less than a moment when we seek to pursue our Lord! That unfriendly reminder of unworthiness, shame, horror, despair - these things I hate! Their purpose is not to lead us closer to God, but instead, to suffocate our relationship with other christians, isolate us. To convince us that we are incapable or unworthy of serving God wholeheartedly, or of the inability or unwillingness of God to forgive, to heal, to love. These lies send us to a pit where the blindness sets in and our eyes close to the goodness of God and his openness to accept us.

For this reason we need to commit to His ways and let go of all elements of the sin that has entangled us for so long. How could it possibly be that our shame and unworthiness could exceed the depths of God's love and forgiveness that were demonstrated on the cross!

God DIED!! He is perfect, never sinned and yet took all shame and sin - moreover yet, he became sin, bearing all there ever was to bear!! How could it be?!! I don't understand, I can only marvel.

So don't dare forget that we are in battle! The devil seeks to steal kill and destroy us, how better than through our sin! My prayer is that God would open our eyes to sins that have set course in this manner and which continue to rear their head and suffocate our relationship with God. And that He would give us wisdom to recognize them and their effects and to submit those things all to God and receive His healing. God is faithful and when we lay our sins in His hands and confess them, hate them, He is faithful to do the rest. God is love and He is our hope... in fact, our only hope :) There is nothing to fear in trusting Him because he wants only to bring us life, eternal and in all fullness and true freedom :)

I love you all very much!

Teneke Newport