in Him we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins,
in accordance with the riches of God's grace.
ephesians 1:7 (tniv)
i'm in a bible study and we're reading "you're already amazing" by holley gerth. it's so beyond good. you need to stop reading this and go order it online or go take a trip to the bookstore to get it.
seriously.
we just read the chapter about the lies women tell each other daily.
lies that keep us from seriously reaching our potential in Christ.
lies like: i'm not good enough, i've done too much, i'll never be perfect.
and then, like every good writer, she asked me to fill in what my lie was.
and then, like every good christian woman, i skipped over it and said i had none.
i wish.
it almost came to me quicker than when someone asks me my address.
my lie: that past sins can not be totally forgiven
i'm sure most of you are shaking your head in question right now.
i know, it's almost elementary christianity that i'm working with right now.
sins not forgiven? unheard of.
but really.
after i vomited out that lie i was assigned to finding a scripture that countered that lie. the lie that satan has let me believe for way to long.
see here's the deal.
it's not like i've ever killed anyone. i just happen to have a really long "track record" with guys. i wrote about how i did everything backwards and still got it right. but there's always been this part of me, this lie from satan, that God couldn't ever really forgive me for all the stuff i've done in the past.
ephesians is my favorite book so that's where i started, and within the first chapter, i found the verse above.
redemption
re-demp-tion [ri-demp-shuhn]
1. deliverance; rescue
2. salvation
3. atonement for guilt
4. repurchase, as of something sold
Christ came to deliver me from my sin. all of them. when the nails were going through His hands He didn't do that so we could have half our sins taken away but all of them.
i was rescued.
i am thankful for a God who is so patient with me. because i still am a work in progress. there are some days i can tell satan to bug off and never let that lie worry me. but other days. well, that's a different story.
i'm covered by His grace.
and it's His plan for my life that i revel in the fact that my sins are forgotten.
is there a lie satan keeps reminding you of? one you can't let go of?
in this chapter, holley gives the example of when Christ met the adulterous woman. the leaders who brought her to Christ were trying to trick Jesus into condemning her. they had their stones in hand (because back then when you committed adultery you were stoned).
Jesus then bent down, wrote something in the dust (which we don't know), and then told the leaders that who ever had never sinned, got to throw the first stone. and then they all walked away.
"what Christ wrote in the dust is a mystery. but whatever it was, I know it was truth. and now we stand as women acused. the enemy is ready to throw stones at us. in the dust of our hearts, i picture Jesus writing truth that covers those accusing words: lovedacceptedchoseMineforgiven. others may speak into our lives. but Jesus has the final say. He covers the lies with love." (pg 44)
figure out that lie, and then find scripture to cover it.
all my love,
meg
