Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1 Peter 2:24
If it had not been for the Lord who was on my side, where would I be…? This is question that I desire to ask myself on a daily basis… I believe that in asking this question, we can break down strong holds and overcome temptations… Knowing that Jesus paid the price, knowing that my sins (past, present and future) have been forgiven and understanding that I have a chance to inherit Eternal Life I can rebuke the attacks and devices that the enemy uses… Our focus verse taken from 1 Peter starts off by saying, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree…” Jesus took it upon Himself to bare our sins, He took upon Himself to receive them upon His own body and He took it upon Himself to carry them to the tree… There was nothing that we could offer Him, nothing that we could give or pay Him to do it; He did it “…his own self…”
This is good news today because it speaks to the love and care that Jesus has for us; this is good news today because it demonstrates the desires of God to reconcile with His creation and this is a sweet verse to carry in the forefronts of our minds because it reminds us that God wants to see us at our best… Jesus laid down His life before we were formed in our mother’s womb, He paid our debt before we even were engulfed by it; recognize where you would be without the love of God, recognize today where you would be if His grace and mercy was not deposited in the form of His son, recognize today that things can and would be worse if it were not for the life shed on Calvary… The verse goes on to say “…we, being dead to sins…” We were powerless in the fight to overcome, man had fallen and there was no way (in our own power) that we could get up… Some of us have been battling within ourselves for a long time, we have been fighting and losing because we are using our own strength; however, we must turn to Him and know that it is not only through Him that we can live but that we can live unto righteousness… God will get us back on track; He will have you walking the right path which will lead to His expected end for your life… We can live and live abundantly, we can sow seeds that will sprout with much fruit, and we can allow the will of God to rework us, remake us and mold us into the beautiful creation that we are…You were dead to sin, but you don’t have to stay there…
Jesus died and rose; you have the ability through the Savior to rise… There are obstacles in your life that have stripped you and made you appear as one who was dead… You are dead because you have not connected yourself or aligned yourself with God… You’re dead because you are giving the enemy power; you’re dead because your holding on to past hurts, you’re dead because you are concealing yourself to things that shouldn't have any authority or voice in your life… Jesus came to take your pain, this is why the writer goes on to say “…by whose stripes ye were healed…” The bottom line is the enemy wants you to think you are still wounded, He wants you to be deceived into believing that you can’t get better, you can’t turn and go a new direction; however, we must declare that this is the very reason Jesus came… He took the flaws through the lashes so that you can be flawless… He took the scars so that you can be without blemish… He hung on the tree so that you can hang all your impurities and infections upon Him… He bore your sins so that you would not be subject to carrying them through this life… You have the ability to succeed not because of the decisions that you make, but because of the decision that He made…
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