In Christ; Whom Shall I Fear

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear" the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid"

Psalm 27:1

We live in a dark and aimless world; one that will lead you astray if you don’t know the passage that we focus on in today’s devotion… There are many things that we are susceptible to in this life; many avenues that we can take that will lead us down a path of destruction… The word of God declares that “For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” The paths we see leading toward darkness are more visible and enticing than the paths that lead to Christ; however, despite what you see around you and how things may appear to be, you must focus your eye on the narrow path which leads to life… Everything around you says that you can’t amount to anything and the statistics say that you will fall into one of many unsuccessful categories; however, you can use the things to motivate you instead of deter you and let the world know that “The Lord is my light and my salvation…” I don’t know about you, but I refuse to be a statistic, I refuse to allow this world to limit me an dictate my future based on my ethnicity or past… God wants to open your eyes to a bright future, He wants to transform your mind to begin to look beyond what you know and see, but the key to all this is for you to recognize that you can be better than you are and go further than you currently have gone…  As a child of God our focus should be on living a life that is pleasing to the Lord and not appeasing our fellowman… Even though we are sure to face highs and lows in the rollercoaster of life our focus cannot be deterred or become unclear… 

The psalmist today poses two questions that we will study and reflect on today, the first is “whom shall I fear” and the second is “whom shall I be afraid…” The use of the word fear in this verse means terror, dread or horror; we all have many things in our lives that at one point in time we feared… Notice that I did not focus this fear specifically on a person, because there are different circumstances, obstacles or trials that we fear… Fear can be a vice grip that strangles our relationship with the Lord and causes us to fall short of His promises… What is it in your life that you fear? Are you scared of losing that special someone so you do things that you shouldn’t, are you fearing the lose of a job so you compromise your morals or integrity, are you fearful of financial insecurity so you do all that you can to make a dollar…? These are the questions that plague our lives daily; however, we see as a child of God that “The Lord is my light and my salvation…” Think about your childhood and if you were ever bullied or made fun of; you feared being in the company of certain people and because of this fear the person or people mentally controlled how you walked in school, what areas you avoided and how confident you were within. Fear is a terrible trap that will take control of your life and cause you to be susceptible to allowing other people, circumstance or conditions to control you and your relationship with the Lord…The next question posed in our focus verse says “whom shall I be afraid”, when one is afraid they are frightened, scared or troubled… Being afraid is a little deeper than fear because we are called to fear God which means to revere honor and respect Him… When we are afraid of something not only does it control us, but it can kill us… 

When we are afraid of something it usually is a quick developing situation that will lead us to a quick response… It is critical as a child of God that we understand this, that is precisely why the psalmist says, “the Lord is the strength of my life…” before the second question is posed. We must remember that God strengthens us day by day, He provides us with authority and ability to do great things… No matter what the case may be, whether we are fearful or afraid, we must know that “The Lord is my light and my salvation…” and “the Lord is the strength of my life…” If you are walking under the umbrella of other people’s thoughts than you are not walking under the umbrella of God’s love and His precious promises… If you fear anything except God than you are allowing outside circumstances to control you and that could be the reason for some of your aches and pains within your journey… Jesus said that we will do greater things on this earth than He did; this is a powerful statement for us to live by today knowing that God was His light and strength… In reading this declaration that Jesus made I know that through His trials He was elevated to the highest honor so I will not fear nor be afraid because I know what my heavenly father has done and what He has prepared for me… If we will do greater things; that tells me that the light and strength of God will be even brighter in me… Don’t fear, because there is a light which is Christ shining at the end of your dark and dreary tunnel…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

His Vows To You Are Everlasting

And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD. 

Hosea 2:19-20

God wants you to know today that He loves you… Despite how many mistakes you have made or the direction your life may be headed; we are reminded today that God wants to have a relationship with you, He wants to form a union with you that will last forever… The word of God tells us in Paul’s first epistle to the church of Corinth that love “is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” I am sure that there are things that you have done in life that you are not proud of, there are things that have happened in your life that you don’t want people to know; however, understand today that the Lord isn’t holding your past over your head; He is looking beyond your faults and wants to fulfill all your needs… Love sees the beauty amidst the mess, it sees the diamond in the rough and the worth surrounded by unworthiness… God wants to commit to you through whatever you have gone through or are going through… Yes you have messed up, yes you have fallen short, yes you have gone the wrong way and made some bad choices, but even still don’t let the enemy lead you to believing that there isn’t a better tomorrow or a brighter future for you… God betroths you; He is standing with open arms, He desiring to give you another chance and wants to bring righteousness, lovingkindness and mercies into your heart and into your home… This is why Hosea starts our focus verses by saying “And I will betroth thee unto me for ever…” Hosea was a minor prophet that was given a charge to present unto the house of Israel… 

Today, through all the ups and downs that life had presented, through all the bad choices and decisions that the children of God had made, the Lord informs the Israelites that through it all He still has plans to be reunited with them… The Israelites had worshipped other Gods, they had spoken out against the True God, they had strayed away from His will, and they had taken on a “what have you done for me lately”attitude and God being a loving and merciful God still remains faithful through all their disobedience… When I examine my life, I begin to see just how much I have in common with the Israelites… When I begin to look over my life, I notice how much I have disobeyed God’s will, I realize how much I have strayed away from His calling, I understand how much I have allowed the ways of this world to cut me short of reaching unimaginable heights in the kingdom of God… Even when I think of all the wrong turns I have made, even when I reflect on all the temptations that I have given into, Hosea reminds me that God still loves me, God still values me, God still wants to bless me… This is good news for us today; this passage tells me that despite my faults, despite my flaws, despite my mistakes God has a plan to be reunited with me… When I read this passage I think of the prodigal son and how he ran off with his inheritance, blew it miscellaneously and ended up eating with pigs… There are a lot of us that have run off on wild tangents in this world, we have spent all we had physically, we have given ourselves away physically, and we have sold our lives short and ended up feasting with pigs… We, like the prodigal son have been down and out, but just like the prodigal son we can go back to our father… The bible says when the son was a ways off, the father some him and ran to him and kissed him… It doesn’t matter where you are in life, it doesn’t matter what you have done in life, when you utter the words “I will go back to my father” God will come running even when you’re a“ways off”, God will pick you up even when you still may have the smell of pigs on you and cleanse you of your unrighteousness… 

In the first chapter of Hosea, the Lord called Hosea to marry an adulterer… Hosea was wed to a woman who was known to be unfaithful and basically prostituted her life away… It’s important to note that in our lives today we are that prostitute and God is Hosea… Even though we have made mistakes, even though we have done the unthinkable God desires to join with us in union to live together for all eternity… God join those two in marriage to strengthen Hosea, but also lift up this woman… Knowing what God called Hosea to do let’s me know that God still loves us and wants us to be transformed and taken to new levels in Him… Hosea tells us today that God will marry us; we will be with Him and He with us through thick and thin… God knows we aren’t perfect and just like any marriage He understands that their will be good days and bad days, but notice the levels that we will be married to Christ… “I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies…” We are justified and declared co-heirs with Christ through our union with Him… The unrighteous are now found righteous, those under sin’s penalty have now had their judgments removed and God’s lovingkindness and mercies have paved the way for all to live abundantly blessed and happy lives… Things could always be worse than they are! God will transform your life, He will be faithful to you no matter how far off you may appear to be; He will bring about the expected end He has for your life and you will know that He is God, the Lord and ruler of all! Sometimes things will be difficult in this life, sometimes things will be complex in this life, but we take pride in knowing that this marriage will never end and we will be with Jesus through eternity…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

There's No Condemnation In Christ Jesus

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:1-2

From your mother’s womb you were on a path filled with the desires of the flesh that would lead to eternal damnation… This was the course that was laid before you until you decided to turn and follow Christ… Paul reminds us today that there are no chains or restrictions on us in the body of Christ… So many people have found themselves conforming to the ways of this world; however, we are to walk these streets with our heads held high declaring that “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…” You have been freed from the blood of the lamb… All your sins have been forgiven and the slate has been wiped clean… Even though we have a new lease on life, we are reminded that we are not condemned through today’s passage simply because there are a lot of people on this earth who will try to discredit you or cast you down… This world has a crab like mentality which means that when someone is coming out of the basket others will latch on to him to bring him back down… I say that to say that you will endure persecution for the name of Jesus, you will have many days where you want to give up or throw in the towel; however, you can smile in the face of your adversary because you know that what Paul declares later on in this chapter is the unadulterated truth in that “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” 

The growing pains in Christianity are real and you will endure much torment and pain as you transition your life and begin to focus on the things of Christ instead of the things of this world… You will have days where you feel alone and isolated as you learn to “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit…” Paul wants to encourage you in your walk today because in your maturation process the enemy wants you to believe that you can’t win and that you are bound to fail… Satan loves to dwell on the past and try to tie that millstone of your mistakes and failures around your neck with hopes that you count the pressure to be too much to bear… Today, just continue to fight the good fight knowing, believing and trusting that you are no longer bound but that “Christ Jesus hath made me free…” When the enemy comes in like a flood, stand on the word and know that the Lord will raise up a standard against him… The enemy is powerless and has already been defeated; he wants you to believe that you are worthless and a failure so that he can lure you from your God-given destiny… When things get hard and frustration begins to set in, remind yourself that Christ has paid it all! This is why the Paul says that “Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death…” The truth of the matter is that your ability and measure of success is limitless; you can be whatever you want to be, you can go where you want to go… The sooner you turn to Jesus the sooner you can begin to live and live abundantly… You are worth more than you can imagine, you can reach heights beyond your wildest dreams and conquer the steepest of mountains… Don’t conform yourself any longer, stop restricting yourself to the things and ways of this world and start to take back the power that you have given the enemy you’re your life… Christ has made you free and given you the ability to win; however, the choice is yours as to whether you take up your cross or loss your life… 

Christ has established and met the ransom for all of our sins; He has given us an opportunity to reach goals that would not have been thought of had it not been for His suffering… This passage tells me that my poor decisions in the past are yesterday’s garbage, my struggles of today will not amount to failure tomorrow, and that my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness… I understand today that I must turn from the flesh; I must adhere to God’s calling upon my life and yearn for His spirit to empower me within His grace… The spirit of God empowers you while the measure of the world directs you… You are empowered in Christ to achieve all, so stop being directed by the standards of this world that will never allow you to reach your divine destiny and abilities… The law of the spirit is life, I am not concerned with things that will decay, or attitudes that want to hold me back or down, I will keep my eye stayed on THEE… Paul encourages us today; he motivates us today, and assures us today that through Christ we have victory… Jesus didn’t die just to die; He died because He wanted you to go above and beyond… This doesn’t mean that dark clouds will not appear sometimes, it doesn’t mean that trials and tribulations will cease, and just tells us that dark clouds will become clear skies and trials and tribulations will become stepping stones to develop a more intimate relationship with God… Know that your sins’ have been forgiven and that Christ has showed His love and extended His grace unto you so that you can become the jewel that He always knew you were…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

We Serve A Living God

...For he is the living God, and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.

Daniel 6:26

Life is full of uncertainties; however, in our focus verse today we are assured of one thing that is certain… Daniel endured much torment and ridicule for His faith, after being imprisoned because of His God we know the story of being cast into the lion’s den… I am sure that even though His faith did not waver, Daniel was filled with uncertainty regarding the outcome of His predicament… Today, I am sure that there are things in your life that don’t cause you to lose faith; however, they may have you in a position where you are unsure of how things will play out; it is in this perilous times and uncomfortable situations that we must come to know and remember that “He is the living God, and steadfast for ever…” The storms of life will have you tossing and turning from day to day, but you have an anchor whose name is Jesus that will keep you safe and stable… Even though things that you hold dear to your heart on this earth can be taken from you in the blink of an eye, you can be encouraged today by knowing that “His kingdom shall not be destroyed…” The bible declares that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever… This should provide good news to the body of Christ today as we are reminded that even though we will experience highs and lows in this life we will never fall beyond the thermostat of God’s grace… The thermostat that is Jesus Christ maintains a steady environment within us while all the things around us fluctuate from minute to minute… The passage taken from the prophetic book of Daniel reminds us today that we serve a living God, today we are reminded that in serving God we must trust Him in the most awkward and dangerous situations… 

Daniel was told that he could not pray for thirty days to the Lord, he was also told that he had to worship and pray only to king of Darius… The administration of the land didn’t like Daniel; there was nothing they could do to him in order to stop his rise in a foreign land, so they tried to cut him short by preying on his relationship with God… In this world we will found countless situations where people will see your rise and try to cut you short… They will try there best to trip you up along the way and find ways to make your life miserable… We take pride in knowing that we serve a living God who can use any situation to receive glory, honor and praise… Because of the leaders of the lands malice, because of their envy, because of their resentment, Daniel is cast into the lions den for not worshiping the king… When we decide that we aren’t going to worship man, when we decide that we aren’t going to follow suit, when we decide that we aren’t going to live according to this world we will surely face obstacles… Daniel was presented with a den of lions, we aren’t presented with that scenario literally, but we are challenged in maintaining our faith amongst a society and community driven by evil that would love to devour our hopes, steal our dreams and kill our future… We find comfort in knowing that we serve a God a faithfulness even through rough times, we find courage in knowing that we serve a God that is steadfast in the worst possible situations, we find a reason to smile when we realize that His kingdom shall not be destroyed… Your faith will be tested when you hold to God’s unchanging hand; Satan will intensify the temptations that are thrown your way when you trust the Lord and you will face opposition and remaining faithful to God… 

King Darius recognized the only true and wise God through the adversity that Daniel faced… There are a lot of situations that we encounter simply for others to recognize God’s power and sovereignty… We face trials daily so that God can manifest His power and save a soul… Notice Daniel has faith in God enough to endure hardships, he believes in God enough to face trials and tribulations; and he is adhering to God’s will despite obstacles and tragedy… If you believe that God lives, you must be willing to endure, if you believe that God saves, you must be willing to persevere, if you believe that God reigns, you must trust Him and remain faithful… One of the most important things that I teach to new disciples is that the road your traveling just took a turn for the better when you choose Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, but that you may not “immediately” see that to be true because of all the storms that you will encounter by making that choice… Darius saw Daniel’s faith and God’s faithfulness and wrote another decree that all the land should serve the God of Daniel… Your hardships are your testimony and witness to God’s love and power, endure them, persevere through them and take joy in them… The bottom line is that we serve a God that sits high and looks low, we serve a God that will never put more on us than we can bear, and we serve a God that will never allow us to be tempted beyond measure… This journey through life won’t be easy and isn’t for the weak at heart, but if you know the God you serve, you understand that every “lions den” brings forth exaltation and recognition… The words for today, believe in your God, and face your oppositions… Daniel did and was exalted, the same God the exalted Him will lift you us as well…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Love Conquers All

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18

In the 15^th chapter of the gospel of John, the 13^th verse Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” The point that Jesus made is echoed in our focus verse today, even in the midst of the garden of Gethsemane when Jesus prayed as He sweat drops of blood wishing that the cup of crucifixion and the separation from Him and God would pass, we see that due to His love He endured the cross and all the torment that came with it… What do you mean when you tell someone I love you? What is it that that person is supposed to understand about you and how you feel toward them? John informs us of the true meaning of love today, the fact that it outweighs fear and will cause you to become fearless… If a parent sees their child walk into a street with a  car approaching they will risk their lives to save their child, if a house is burning down a parent will overlook the flames to get their children out safely… This is the kind of love that John is speaking about today; true love gives you the ability to look beyond circumstances to fill the needs of another… To say you love someone means that you are able to look beyond the flaws; you are able to look beyond the shortcomings and open yourself up for that person… 

The greatest example we have of love is Jesus Christ death on the cross… Every drop of blood that came down His face had one of our names written on it, every time He cried out from the cross He was overlooking the pain to fulfill the need we all had… When we come to understand and realize what love is, we will also acknowledge that the word love has lost its meaning in today’s society; it is flung around from person to person like a basketball in a game… You constantly hear people saying I love you, only to see that love manifested in ways that would beg the differ. The first part of this scripture tells us that there is no fear in love; a lot of us claim to be children of God and say we love Him, but John is reminding us that if you love God you trust Him and turn your life over to Him… A lot of us haven’t and will not experience true love because we “fear” what people might say, we “fear” what people will think and we “fear” change… John is telling us today that when we overcome our fears we will then be able to experience perfect love. Another point we see about love is that as a child of God, we can’t become fearful when things don’t go the way we planned; we can’t become intimidated when the chips seem to be stacked up against us, and become fearful when storms approach our lives… The word of God has told us that trials serve a purpose in our lives and these situations, obstacles, hardships, occasions and adversities are actually placed in your life to show you the love that God has for you… John goes on to say that perfect Love casteth out fear… Fear will cast doubts and discourage you, and it will cause you to think twice or become apprehensive; this passage tells me that love casteth out fear. 

A lot of us have been held captive for far too long by fear and John says fear will torment, fear will keep you down, it will keep you suffering, and it will keep you distressed and continue to drown you in your sorrows… Notice John says “perfect love” (only the love from above) will cast out fear… You can’t waver back and forth and expect to overcome, you can’t take a step forward and take a step back and expect to grow or move forward in life… When you trust God, when you lean not to your own understanding, when you cut off some people or things in your life you will begin to see that “perfect love” manifested in your life and over time that Love that only God gives will cast out the fears you once had… To love is a process, true love doesn’t happen overnight, just as we grow in Christ we must grow in love and overcome the things that plague us and cause us to fall short in our abilities to love… Love should be your driving force to reach your goals and achieve your outcomes… Jesus was worried in the garden of Gethsemane, He was apprehensive about traveling into uncharted waters, but because of His love and compassion He was nailed to the cross; because of His love He never said a mumbling word, because of His love He hung His head, allowed sin to separate Him from His father, and was pierced in His side. His love conquered His fears and worries, your love should do the same thing. The question is, are you truly in love with Christ, or have you lost the meaning of the word just like the world we live in today?

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

God Provides Wisdom & Knowledge

He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:  He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

Daniel 2:21b-22

This passage taken from the book of Daniel reminds us of the awesome power of God! It starts by telling us that He has given each of us a unique gift, those who are to be wise shall receive wisdom; likewise, those who are to understand shall obtain knowledge… Wisdom is a step above knowledge and someone who is called wise is one that has insight, intelligence and acumen… A wise man is able to speak through personal experiences as well as things that have been learned throughout history… The wisest man to ever live was Solomon! He wrote the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Songs of Solomon… One of Solomon’s greatest quotes is, “everything is meaningless, a chasing after the wind…” Solomon was king after his father David, it is recorded that he had over 700 wives and 300 concubines and women would be his ultimate downfall… 

The wisdom that God imparted to Solomon is the same wisdom that He imparts to mankind today; everything in this life (on this earth) is meaningless… The wise know that God is the answer and the source of our existence, the wise know that Jesus died so that we could live, the wise know that nothing of this world can compare to the love that God has for His creation… Some are wise through longevity and experiences; some are knowledgeable when it comes to certain situations and/or events… The dark days of your life are a testimony to others; the pain you go through is a testimony to someone about God’s faithfulness… Sometimes that storms you go through aren’t for you, but you must endure them to showcase your faith and God’s faithfulness to others… Daniels says, “He giveth wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding…”God will make your path clear, He will reveal His plan unto you, but you must submit to Him first… He gives wisdom and knowledge to those who were “wise” enough to know they couldn’t do it on their own; He gives knowledge to those that have come to “understand” that without Jesus we are filthy rags headed to hell… God has a spiritual desire for you and a will for you to walk in, but you must first acknowledge your gift (or gifts) so that God can bestow them upon you… Never believe that you are not a vital instrument to God’s kingdom building, He has a work that is only meant for your hands to satisfy. 

Daniel goes on to say that he revealeth secret things and knows what is in darkness; God can and will reveal confusion to you, He will right the vision and make it plain, and He will help you to (as the psalmist says) understand it better by and by… There are a lot things that take place within our lives that we cannot understand at the present time, we feel like things are unfair or just don’t make sense, these are the secrets that Daniel says will be revealed. Jesus prayed that the come be taken away from Him, but also said “let thy will be done…” There are a lot of things that we have prayed for God to remove, a lot of obstacles that we asked God to push out of our way and Daniel wants you and I to know that not only will we overcome, but one day God will let us know what purpose these obstacles served, God will bring to understanding why certain things happened in our lives… Jesus doesn’t make mistakes, every action serves a purpose, every hardship causes you to mature, and ultimately you will become the vessel that God has called you to be. He knows everything that you have done, the wrong decisions that you have made and the snares that have entrapped you, He knows darkness, but also wants you to realize that HE IS THE LIGHT, and that He has everything that you stand in need of… Seek HIM and know that it doesn’t matter where you are, you will be FOUND! Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the light…” He has seen your pain, He has seen your frustrations, He has seen your agony and it all is working together for His purpose…Hold on, don’t give up, stay encouraged and watch God work and reveal His master plan through your trials and tribulations…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

You're Not Alone

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:8-9

This may come to you as a shock, but the truth of the matter is that you are not perfect… Even though you may strive for perfection in everything you do, you must come to the realization today that you are not without need of assistance… Your perfection is found in your flaws if you let your flaws lead you to Christ… This is why John says “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us…” The lie is to believe that you are fine and can make it on your own, the perfection is found in your humbleness and acceptance of your low stat… The first step a drug addict or a (n) alcoholic must take on the road to recovery is accepting and realizing where they are… Without knowing where you are, how can you get to where you want to go…? In this day of technology we utilized GPS systems to assist us when we are lost… A GPS must first know your current coordinates before giving you the route to take to arrive at your destination… In Christ, we have a GPS that will lead us to a brighter future and a better tomorrow… Our turn by turn directions are ordered by the Holy Spirit; however, if we do not recognize that we are lost; we will never realize or obtain what could have been… When you say you have no sin, you are that person who is wandering aimlessly through life and telling everyone you encounter that you know where you are going… 

This is how you deceive yourself, you deprive yourself of the help you need and the guidance that will lead you to living and living more abundantly (which is the reason Jesus came to this earth – John 10:10)… This principle applies also to those who desire to follow Christ and adhere to the will of God… The first thing that we must realize is that we are sinners and that we have fallen short… The bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, the key to understand is that “all” of us have made mistakes, “all”of us have done things we shouldn’t have and we “all” have missed the mark! John says,“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us…”Stop trying to cover up your impurities, stop trying to display a fallacy and misrepresent yourself… The bible says that “the truth shall set you free…” You digger a deeper whole and separate yourself from God when you deny the sins of your past, present and future; on the contrary, you are set free from the bondage and weight of your sins when you expose them and confess them too the Lord…There are many people that we find encouragement from in the bible, there are many prophets, apostles and disciples that we often hear referred to in sermons or any biblical discussions… People always talk about the leadership of Moses, the perseverance of David and the faith of Paul, but people never really focus on why they were able to accomplish so much under the hand of God…Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt after killing a man, David was called a man after God’s own heart after committing adultery, Paul was on of the greatest apostles and wrote over a third of the New Testament after persecuting and killing the people of “the way”… 

These men were great in the eyesight of God not because they were perfect, but because they admitted their faults and confessed them before the Lord… God wants to heal you, He wants to deliver you, He wants to forgive you, but the choice of whether these things happen ultimately lie within your ability to admit your flaws and turn your life over to Him… Again, John says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness…” Your freedom relies upon the word “if” and your breakthrough is conditioned on the word “if”… John confirms today what was written in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Are you willing to admit your imperfections, are you willing to expose your flaws, “if” you are than God assures us today through John that it doesn’t matter how far you have fallen, it doesn’t matter how many mistakes you have made, it doesn’t matter how deep a pit you have dug and it doesn’t matter how far you have strayed… God will lift you up; God will plant you feet on solid ground and will cleanse you of all evil… Today expose yourself and open the door to your “secret closet…” Even though you expose yourself to this world (pain, mocking and insults), the blessing is that you also expose yourself to God to see where you are and what you want to be… By opening the door you expose things but also give God an avenue into your heart…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!