Friday, November 19, 2010

Somebody's Praying Me Through

Check Your Baggage at the Door

Romans 8:1-  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (King James)

Earlier this week I had lunch with on old friend I have recently reconnected with.  
She and I had worked together in ministry about ten years ago.

During the years we had lost touch she has faced many obstacles.
After surviving a really bad car accident she became addicted to drugs and found her life spiraling out of control.

She shared with me how she has been clean for four years now and how she wants so badly to get close with God again.  
Everytime she tries to pray or worship God, however, she feels so condemned.  
She feels separated from her Father, God.

Have you ever felt that distance from God; that shame or despair that you aren't good enough to pray to Him?

If you ever find yourself in that place remember this:
No matter what your past may be, God longs to be with you.
He wants to hear from you, to speak to you, to fellowship with you.

Just because a son or daughter makes a mistake doesn't mean their father doesn't still love them.
No, a good father takes them in his arms to hold them and let them know everything is going to be alright!

If earthly fathers do that, how much more does our Heavenly Father want to hold us and say, "Everything is going to be alright."

Your past is the past.  
It is covered under the Blood of Christ.
It is erased through God's grace and mercy.

We have talked in previous posts about how nothing can separate you from God. (See Romans 8:38, 39)

There is no sin Christ's blood doesn't cover, no hurt His love doesn't heal, no secret too dark that His light cannot erase!

We serve a very real God who understands the very real issues we face today.
He is not looking for you to be perfect to pray to Him.

On the contrary, we can never be perfect.  The only righteousness we have is THROUGH Him.
If we could acheive perfection there would have been no need for His Son's sacrifice to begin with.

It is because of our sin nature that God sent His Son to live, die, and resurrect so that we could have life and have it more abundantly.
That act of sacrifice destroyed our separation with God.
He did this so that we could be one with Him, so that we could come to Him in the good times and the bad.

When you get to a point in life where you feel like you cannot pray to God because you aren't good enough or you think you cannot worship Him; when you feel like He is a million miles away from you, just remember this:
Once you accept Christ as your Savior your sins are forgiven.  
All of them are forgiven.  
There is no longer condemnation. 
There is No separation from God's love.

God doesn't want you to become righteous before you build a relationship with Him.
He wants to build a relationship with you so that you can become righteous through Him.
We have NO righteousness if not for Christ's sacrifice.

So, the next time you want to pray or praise or just spend time in the presence of God thank Him for His forgiveness and allow yourself to let your past go.
He has let it go.  
As a matter of fact He has completely forgotten all of your mistakes.

It no longer hinders you in the presence of our Almighty God.
Come into God's presence boldly as His beautiful child and check your baggage at the door.

Remember God Loves and Accepts You,

Until next time,

SavedByGrace