Forgiven and Free

I was an adulteress, but that is not what defines me. I am not defined by my biggest failures, past mistakes, sizeable sin, greatest accomplishments, or astounding achievements. My identity doesn't come from my job or a title, but it is found in the One who gave His life for me, Jesus Christ. He has given me a new name: redeemed, chosen, adopted, forgiven, daughter, royalty, and even masterpiece. When we truly repent before the only One who has the power to save our soul, He makes us new again, wiping our slate clean, and removing our "sins as far as the east is from the west." (Psalm 103:12) Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, through the shedding of His blood, paying our sin debt in FULL, we are now seen by the Father as RIGHTEOUS. People may throw our past in our faces, reminding us of what we have done, but Jesus doesn't. He will never say to us, "Remember when you did .......?!" From His perspective, we have been made "new." Our slate is clean before His eyes. I don't know what you have done in your past, the shame or guilt you deal with on a daily basis, or the weight you are carrying. I don't know the internal struggle you may be having with going to Jesus. Maybe you are wondering how could you face the One who is without sin when you come with so much baggage. Maybe you are embarrassed with some of the decisions you made in your past and are choosing to hide from God rather than face Him. I want to remind you today, that Jesus loves and accepts you just as you are. Nothing you will say to Him will shock Him or come to Him as a surprise. "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13) Jesus sees it all. He just wants you to yield and come. He desires a relationship with you. His Spirit will restore you, making you new again, if you will just seek Him, allowing Him to do His masterful work. I have often wondered recently how could God ever use me anymore. People have "disqualified" me. At times, I even "feel" disqualified myself! But, all throughout the Bible we get to hear stories of people just like me and you who have failed miserably, but GOD used them powerfully and mightily. "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong." (1 Corinthians 1:27) God wants our hearts, our availability. Our past isn't a hindrance to God even though it may be to some people. Pursue God. He has a plan and purpose for YOUR LIFE and He wants to use you to impact the Kingdom of God for all eternity! Will you let Him use you?! 

Meet Mike

Mike gets up before most people. He reads the Bible, prays, and drinks a few cups of coffee. He may write a new series and/or work on the message that he will teach that weekend before he goes to the gym to train people. After the gym, he will come home and study more. I will hear him on the phone at different times, listening to people bare their souls to him because they are in desperate straits. He will often meet people for lunch who need help, words of wisdom, guidance, the truth spoken in love, or maybe just a listening ear. Mike has a HEART for people. He wants to see people THRIVE in the Lord, no longer chained to any addiction, carrying the guilt of their past, weighted down by shame, or feeling hopeless because He knows Jesus has a purpose for their lives no matter what they have done or where they have been. He always gives people the benefit of the doubt, even if they have shown who they really are because he wants to see the best in people. When he hears a need, he will do everything he can to meet that need or find someone who can. Mike is also one of the most generous people I have ever met, always looking for ways to bless other people even if it is a small gesture. He enjoys GIVING and gets great delight out of being generous, seeing people smile from ear to ear! It is one of his gifts from Jesus. Mike would be one to give the shirt off his back. When Mike was preaching one weekend a man came up to him. He told Mike how much he loved the necklace that he always wore. Even though it was Mike's favorite necklace, he took it off and gave it to the man. Here’s another story I love… Mike had a seat in first class, but when he saw a woman in the military going back to her seat, he immediately got up and offered her his seat in first class.

Mike loves to study the Bible. His face lights up when the Holy Spirit reveals something new to him that he has never seen before. He gets so excited like a kid in a candy store. Mike is tough, but he is also very tender. He does not like hurting or disappointing people. He will be the first to tell you he is human like the rest of us, with a carnal nature he has to crucify daily. When he fell, he had to deal with the consequences because Jesus would not be a just God if there were no consequences to sin, but he also had to deal with an enormous weight of guilt because of his position. He had to deal with not only the shame, guilt, regret, and embarrassment of what he did on a larger scale than most of us would have to experience, he also had to deal with stones being thrown at him, coming at him from every direction. There were also lies being spread, people gossiping, and assumptions people felt were just not true. He could have tried to tell his side of the story, refuting the lies, but instead, he chose to take all of this to the One who had forgiven him because Mike had repented of his sins. Mike knew that prayer could do more than what he could write or share because Jesus hears us when we call. Jesus can work within people's hearts. The enemy and his own heart tried to convince him that he was useless, telling him that he had no purpose from God anymore.....But God. The Lord drew Mike away for a time so he could write, "Death by Church; Life through Christ: Hope for the Hopeless." Mike found himself being the "pen of a ready writer." It was as if God put his hand over Mike's hand and just started writing....and writing...and writing. The Lord inspired Mike and the words came out effortlessly. The Lord used this to bring healing to Mike and remind him that, even though people might have "disqualified" him, the One who had him in the palms of His hands, Jesus Christ did not. Jesus reminded Mike of all the people in the Bible who failed miserably, but God still used them greatly. The only person Mike needed to please was the One who gave His life for him. Mike is also very humble. He does not see why people would want to hear him teach when so many other pastors are much more qualified than him, but he knows it is God's calling on his life. Mike truly wants to bring the Lord glory. He wants people to know Jesus and for them to experience His transforming power!!! He knows he is an imperfect man, perfectly loved by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Are you thankful that Jesus can use sinners?! There would be no hope for any of us if God required perfection!! If you are reading this and are wondering, “Can Jesus still use me? Does He still have a purpose for me?” The answer is, “Yes, He does.” "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” (1 Corinthians 1:27) God does not require perfection. He is looking for hearts that are fully surrendered to Him. I want to end on this. Let's get to know people. Let's not base our perception of them on something they have done or a mistake they have made. Can you imagine if God did that with us?! #onwardandupward

Broken Vessel

There have been times in my life that I thought I was so broken, even beyond repair. Have you ever felt that way?! Have you ever felt so discouraged, beaten down, ruined, overwhelmed, and even hopeless that you wondered how in the world could the Lord ever make you whole again?! Isaiah 64:8 says, “But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” It also says in Ephesians 2:10 that ““For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Do you know what the Japanese do with broken vessels? They take the cracked vessels and add GOLD, making an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art. The inspiration behind this work is to not hide the brokenness but instead to use the gold to illuminate and expose the damage, causing it to “shine.” If we allow the Lord to do His incredible work within us, He can actually remake us into something more unique, beautiful and resilient because His work goes much deeper. It’s an inner work of the soul. When we are damaged and Christ restores us, we can become even more radiant as we reflect His glory and His goodness!!! He reveals His glory and power by mending that which was broken and restoring it!!!

Instead of focusing on the cracks, hurt, pain, scars, disappointments, failure, disillusionment, shame, and ugliness, let’s focus our eyes on the ONE who has the desire and power to make us whole again for His glory. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4: 7)