I'm Not Alone

Wow, y'all. It's been a while, huh? I've been so insanely busy this year, and honestly, I've been in a huge slump with my Daddy God. Satan has been attacking my heart, pulling me into sin, and whispering lies to me! I've definitely stumbled a lot, and hit the ground face first more than a few times. I didn't even really want to write in this blog, because I just felt like I had nothing to say. I'm still not entirely sure what I want to say, but here's what's on my mind. I am not alone. I am not perfect. I feel like Satan has been trying to make me believe that I'm the only one who messes up, and that I can't trust anyone with my problems or shortcomings. He's been flooding my heart with shame and guilt, and that is not of the Holy Spirit! I think what I'm getting at is this: God doesn't bring guilt and shame, he brings conviction and then FORGIVENESS. He tells us that our sins are as far from us as the east is from the west. Our father, who knows all and sees all and holds all, chooses to throw our sin away from himself and forget it (once it has been confessed). He wants us to be completely united with Him through the redeeming blood of Christ, and as the pastor of my college ministry says, "You can't sin your way out of grace." Also, something I'm trying to wrap my mind around, is that I am not alone. I am not the only imperfect one. I am not the only person who struggles and sometimes falls. I am not isolated! I think that Satan wants us to believe that we are. And, ironically, if we believe that we are alone and isolated, we tend to become isolated! God calls us all to one body and unites us in his love. We are called to love and show grace to each other. Listen to each other and offer help and support and grace - not judgement or anger. Take heart, y'all! We are called to do life together - and Lord knows life isn't always pretty. Paul says this:

"So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. ⁵ For when we were in the realm of the flesh,^[a] the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. ⁶ But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

¹⁴ We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:4-6, 4-24

And also:

"¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you^[a] free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,^[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.^[c]And so he condemned sin in the flesh.." Romans 8:1-3

Y'all, we are free. We have been set free from our sin and our struggling and our striving. We are held and loved by God, and as long as we are in Christ, the only power that sin has over us is the power we give to it. I am most definitely preaching to myself, here! I'm free.

"You can't run if you're holding suitcases, it's a new day throw away your mistakes. Open up your heart, let down your guard, you don't have to be afraid. Just breathe, your load can be lifted. There's a better way when you know you're forgiven." -- Dara Maclean

I know that most of what I've posted today is not even my own words - but these words are expressions of what I'm feeling and trying to believe! I hope they've been an encouragement to you.

D