The Gospel isn't the bad news of what is wrong with us, it is the good news of what is right with us because of Jesus!
It isn't the bad news of a scary judge standing against us but the good
news of a loving Father standing with us against the enemy and his lies
and ruin..
It isn't the bad news that we must somehow placate God's anger and get Him to accept us, it is the good news that God is not angry but instead gentle and happy with us and has already accepted us just as He accepts His Son..
It isn't the bad news of what we must do to get on God's good side, it is the good news that God has always been on our side..
It isn't the bad news that we are far from God and must somehow work
our way up to Him, it is the good news that Jesus has picked us up and
carried us to heaven and put us in our Papa's lap..
It isn't the bad
news that we are lacking and messed up, it is the good news that we are
already complete and perfectly whole in Jesus..
The Gospel really
is good news...there is NO bad news in the good news! What a wonderful
God and what a wonderful gospel of pure grace!
Jesus is our Vindication
"But
in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will
silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed
by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the
LORD, have spoken!"
Is. 54:17
At the cross, Jesus disarmed the enemy by nailing the law and and its decrees of punishment to the cross. Now when the enemy tries to accuse us of being bad, guilty sinners deserving condemnation, he hasn't anything to stand on because the law has been taken away at the cross, and there is no more record of our wrongdoing and therefore no justification to condemn or punish us! Thus the enemy is silenced every time! These wonderful benefits of vindication come from God, for our righteousness is from HIM. We have been made the righteousness of Christ, we have been made, declared and proven to be not only guilt-free but actually righteous with the righteousness of Christ Himself..
Vindication means to clear of guilt, accusation, blame, suspicion or doubt by evidence and proof...to uphold, maintain and insist on someone's honor and rights...to prove the worth of! Christ went to the cross and got rid of our sins and the law that was against us...His resurrection is proof that He succeeded in clearing us of sin and guilt and that He made us innocent and righteous (just/justified)! "He was raised because of our justification!" He vindicated us!
Jesus vindicated you - your vindication is from Him! He cleared you of all guilt, accusation, blame and suspicion. He upholds and maintains your cause and your righteous standing. He insists on your honor and rights to eternal life and fellowship with the Father! He proved your worth at the cross! You stand vindicated, proved to be righteous and innocent, cleared of all accusation, with every right to be in God's presence forever, holy and blameless before Him, worthy and affirmed, victorious over the enemy and his lies forevermore!!
Is. 54:17
At the cross, Jesus disarmed the enemy by nailing the law and and its decrees of punishment to the cross. Now when the enemy tries to accuse us of being bad, guilty sinners deserving condemnation, he hasn't anything to stand on because the law has been taken away at the cross, and there is no more record of our wrongdoing and therefore no justification to condemn or punish us! Thus the enemy is silenced every time! These wonderful benefits of vindication come from God, for our righteousness is from HIM. We have been made the righteousness of Christ, we have been made, declared and proven to be not only guilt-free but actually righteous with the righteousness of Christ Himself..
Vindication means to clear of guilt, accusation, blame, suspicion or doubt by evidence and proof...to uphold, maintain and insist on someone's honor and rights...to prove the worth of! Christ went to the cross and got rid of our sins and the law that was against us...His resurrection is proof that He succeeded in clearing us of sin and guilt and that He made us innocent and righteous (just/justified)! "He was raised because of our justification!" He vindicated us!
Jesus vindicated you - your vindication is from Him! He cleared you of all guilt, accusation, blame and suspicion. He upholds and maintains your cause and your righteous standing. He insists on your honor and rights to eternal life and fellowship with the Father! He proved your worth at the cross! You stand vindicated, proved to be righteous and innocent, cleared of all accusation, with every right to be in God's presence forever, holy and blameless before Him, worthy and affirmed, victorious over the enemy and his lies forevermore!!
God is a Safe Place
My help and glory are in God
—granite-strength and safe-harbor-God—
...God is a safe place to be.
from Ps. 62:7-8 Message Bible
He is not going to wound our heart. He is not going to be harsh with us. He is not going to berate us for our mistakes. He is not ever even thinking about our mistakes! He is not going to mistreat us. He is not going to reject us in any way. He is not going to be ashamed of us, withdraw His favor from us, or turn away from us in disappointment. He is not going to ever, ever withhold His presence, His blessing or His love from us!
He is the Safe Place where we can open up and be ourselves. He is going to comfort us. He is always going to be understand us. He is always going to hug us to His heart. He is always going to have a refreshing, uplifting, and healing word. He is always going to make us feel better, not worse! He is going to treat us with dignity and honor. He is going to cherish and celebrate us. He is going to love us for who we are. He is always going to approve of us and be proud of us. He is always going to be there for us, supporting us.
The Mirror Bible translation puts it like this: "God is a fortress where everyone feels protected rather than exposed!"
—granite-strength and safe-harbor-God—
...God is a safe place to be.
from Ps. 62:7-8 Message Bible
He is not going to wound our heart. He is not going to be harsh with us. He is not going to berate us for our mistakes. He is not ever even thinking about our mistakes! He is not going to mistreat us. He is not going to reject us in any way. He is not going to be ashamed of us, withdraw His favor from us, or turn away from us in disappointment. He is not going to ever, ever withhold His presence, His blessing or His love from us!
He is the Safe Place where we can open up and be ourselves. He is going to comfort us. He is always going to be understand us. He is always going to hug us to His heart. He is always going to have a refreshing, uplifting, and healing word. He is always going to make us feel better, not worse! He is going to treat us with dignity and honor. He is going to cherish and celebrate us. He is going to love us for who we are. He is always going to approve of us and be proud of us. He is always going to be there for us, supporting us.
The Mirror Bible translation puts it like this: "God is a fortress where everyone feels protected rather than exposed!"
Our Identity In Christ
I loved this list of our identity in Christ...it is so wonderful to realize who we are!
Seeing Myself as God Does...
God is re-forming my image of myself!
For as long as I can remember, my image of myself, the picture I have of myself in my mind, has been someone who is worthless, ugly, defective, unacceptable, unlovable, bad, and shameful. Terrible and dark image!
Yet God is washing over me in LOVE and showing me the real, true self He made me to be and that I AM in Christ.
He had this real and true me, the new creation, in His mind and heart before the world's foundation, saw me and loved me and chose me way back then as His beloved, wanted child! He chose me before He planned creation, chose me to be His blameless, beautiful, dearly loved little child!
That is the new self image He is putting into my mind, that is the real me, that is the true self - true for me and true for us all - let's all see ourselves and embrace ourselves, AS HE DOES, as His innocent little ones, showered with His love and affection at all times! Let's sing and dance and truly be carefree, because we are His beautiful and precious children, under His constant and tender care!
[In His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.
For
He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted
(revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with
the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]—
[So that we might be] to the praise and the commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Eph. 1:4-6 AMP
Under the Waterfall of Grace!
We are always under His waterfall of grace and love, being drenched by His presence, His goodness, His tender affection!
All His waves of love and mercy pour over us at all times, deep within our spirit!
Deep called to deep at the noise of your waterfalls [of tender affection and love!];
all your massive waves [of goodness, grace and kindness!] surged over me.
By day the Lord commands his faithful love;
by night his song [of affirmation, comfort and gentle care!] is with me .... Ps. 42:7-8a
Why Did God Create Us?
We don't have to do anything, perform anything, be anything, understand anything - just enjoy the unconditional love God has for you!
Right now, as we are, whether we ever 'change' or 'get better' or not, we are already delightful to Him right now, valuable to Him, complete and perfect and beautiful in His eyes..we are loved! We are simply loved with no reference to our performance or anything we do. We are simply loved for who we are, and who we are is a beautiful, wonderful work of art, crafted by the Master Artist Himself, who makes ONLY masterpieces! We are held, cherished, caressed, delighted in, celebrated - He even sings over us with joy, sings a beautiful love song just for us!
This is what we were made for - just to be loved on by our Daddy forever...
Right now, in this moment, God loves you with unending, unconditional, unfathomable LOVE...you are loved - always have been, always will be..
This Love will hold you forever and never, ever let you go! You are safely held in the arms of Love for all eternity!
We're GRACED: Loved For Free, Loved Without Condition...SAFE in His Love!
You are loved for FREE, right now..
You do not have to do anything..
You do not have to attempt anything..
You do not have to change anything..
Nothing is asked of you..
Nothing is required of you..
Nothing is expected of you..
There is no pressure on you..
There is no law on you..
There is no stress on you..
You are loved - all you are, as you are, for who you are..
Without having to try anything, change anything, do anything..
You are loved with no stipulations, conditions, or expectations..
You are unconditionally loved by God, right now...and forever!
And because you are loved without condition, there is no condition that could happen that would ever cause Him to withdraw His love from you!
That means you just can't lose this love, this Father, this Friend!
We cannot get away from His love..
We cannot get away from His grace..
We cannot get away from His presence..
He is more committed to this relationship than we ever are!
He is not going to leave us, forget us, drop us or forsake us..
You are joined with God, the One who is ever Faithful and True..
You are joined to a Love that never fails..
You are joined with a Grace that will not end, will not lose you..
Even if you fail Him, He will never fail you!
He has promised, "I will neither leave you nor let you go!" (Hos. 2:20 MSG)
"You CANNOT get away from a Love that WILL NOT let you go!" (Robert F. Capon)
Even if we blow it today..
Even if we forget the truth we learned yesterday..
Even if guilt and self-condemnation plague us..
Even if we feel far from God..
Even if we seem to ignore Him all day..
Even if we don't have one spiritual thought..
Even if we get stuck in a legalistic 'perform or else' mindset..
Even if we feel like a washed out zero..
NOTHING has changed in our relationship with God!
He is still right there, still loving us, still looking at us with absolute delight, still whispering sweet loving words in our ear, still carrying us through, still making all things work out for our good! He hasn't dropped us, dumped us, or left us; He hasn't become disillusioned, disappointed or disgusted with us.
We are still His beloved children, His very good children, in whom He is well-pleased!
We can totally fail in every way and continue to be favored, loved, accepted, blessed and delighted in by God...that is unconditional love...
THAT is GRACE!
You do not have to do anything..
You do not have to attempt anything..
You do not have to change anything..
Nothing is asked of you..
Nothing is required of you..
Nothing is expected of you..
There is no pressure on you..
There is no law on you..
There is no stress on you..
You are loved - all you are, as you are, for who you are..
Without having to try anything, change anything, do anything..
You are loved with no stipulations, conditions, or expectations..
You are unconditionally loved by God, right now...and forever!
And because you are loved without condition, there is no condition that could happen that would ever cause Him to withdraw His love from you!
That means you just can't lose this love, this Father, this Friend!
We cannot get away from His love..
We cannot get away from His grace..
We cannot get away from His presence..
He is more committed to this relationship than we ever are!
He is not going to leave us, forget us, drop us or forsake us..
You are joined with God, the One who is ever Faithful and True..
You are joined to a Love that never fails..
You are joined with a Grace that will not end, will not lose you..
Even if you fail Him, He will never fail you!
He has promised, "I will neither leave you nor let you go!" (Hos. 2:20 MSG)
"You CANNOT get away from a Love that WILL NOT let you go!" (Robert F. Capon)
Even if we blow it today..
Even if we forget the truth we learned yesterday..
Even if guilt and self-condemnation plague us..
Even if we feel far from God..
Even if we seem to ignore Him all day..
Even if we don't have one spiritual thought..
Even if we get stuck in a legalistic 'perform or else' mindset..
Even if we feel like a washed out zero..
NOTHING has changed in our relationship with God!
He is still right there, still loving us, still looking at us with absolute delight, still whispering sweet loving words in our ear, still carrying us through, still making all things work out for our good! He hasn't dropped us, dumped us, or left us; He hasn't become disillusioned, disappointed or disgusted with us.
We are still His beloved children, His very good children, in whom He is well-pleased!
We can totally fail in every way and continue to be favored, loved, accepted, blessed and delighted in by God...that is unconditional love...
THAT is GRACE!
You Are A "Child of the One True King" (Matthew West)
All the names that the enemy or the world or even our own thoughts have tried to pin on us are nothing but lies, and only the name God gives us is our true name and identity! Every other identity is an illusion, no matter how much our actions may seem to support that identity, no matter how many others believe it about us..it doesn't matter, that doesn't make it who we really are, that doesn't change God's opinoin about us! And only His opinion matters anyway, for He tells us the truth about ourselves - what He says holds infinite weight and stands true no matter what! And He says we are His children!
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1
Child of the One True King
Matthew West
Hello, my name is regret
I'm pretty sure we have met
Every single day of your life
I'm the whisper inside
That won't let you forget
Hello, my name is defeat
I know you recognize me
Just when you think you can win
I'll drag you right back down again
‘Til you've lost all belief
These are the voices, these are the lies
And I have believed them, for the very last time
Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I've been saved, I've been changed,
And I have been set free
“Amazing Grace” is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I am no longer defined
By all the wreckage behind
The one who makes all things new
Has proven it's true
Just take a look at my life
What love the Father has lavished upon us
That we should be called His children
I am a child of the one true King
At Peace...
"We have peace with God through Jesus." (Rom. 5:1)
I read that the definition of peace is: to be set at one again...
We are at one with God, one heart with Him...
He is at rest in us and we are at rest in Him...
All is well in our world together...thank You, Lord!
He is at peace with you, so you can be at peace with yourself..
You can accept yourself and like yourself, because He really likes you..
He enjoys your presence and enjoys having you around...
He thinks you are fun to spend time with..
You can really talk with Him anytime without fear, embarrassment or shame..
You can tell Him anything without fear of rejection or judgment..
It really is safe to be vulnerable in His presence...
He really does understand you and know you and accept you as you are...
He truly celebrates you and delights in you for who you are!
He is the place where we can open up and truly be ourselves without fear of rejection, rebuke, or disappointment!
He is a safe place, a refuge for us, our shelter..
I like what Francois du Toit says about His love - that His love is a fortress where everyone feels protected, not exposed!
He isn't going to put us down, compare us to others, grade our performance, get angry with us, use or abuse us, manipulate us or hurt us!
He will hold our hearts so tenderly...
We are so safe and secure with Him!
What a wonderful fellowship we have, being in the bosom of the Father, just as Jesus is, having the intimate and peaceful love relationship with the Father that is just as Jesus has!
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