The only One.

There is nothing more humbling than revisiting the past to reflect on all that Jesus has redeemed me from while at the same time being presently aware of His grace of me being in the process and secure in His love for me.

Today I was filling out an application for an organization I’d love to serve with and one of the questions was: “What have you struggled with in the past? What do you struggle with currently?”

I was brought to tears. All I could think was,

“Jesus died so I could be set free and forgiven of these things.”

There was no other way. Jesus is literally the only One who can make me holy. He is my righteousness; I am not anything I am today apart from Him; I am a product of grace.

He didn’t want me to stay depressed and lonely or hating myself. He didn’t want me to be starved for love but convinced I was unworthy. He wanted me to know His love. He didn’t want death to pull me away. He wanted me to come alive in Him.

Jesus wasn’t looking at the filthiness of my sin, but the treasure of my heart.

He wasn’t criticizing the cracks of my brokenness; He longed to touch my wounds where they hurt most.

The compassion of His heart toward me was greater than I can still grasp to this day. Every time I think about it, I’m humbled. Jesus loved me when my thoughts were far from Him; Jesus loved me when I was in sin; and most amazing of all, Jesus loved me just as much then as He does now. He doesn’t love me less or more dependent on how holy I am; He loves me because He is love. Nothing I can do can change that. And nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).

Jesus had such a love for me even while I chose to love my sin more than Him. And now I know His love is greater. Because of Christ, I am healed, restored, whole, loved. I died to sin and I am alive in Him; those things that used to ruin and rule me have no power because He has overcome my heart with His loving-kindness. None of those things have a place in my life anymore. Sin has no power over me. Christ set me free.

If you have sin in your life, if you are struggling with something, run to Christ. Turn from it and toward Him. He loves you. There is nothing you can bring it to Him that He can’t make new. Jesus didn’t die so we’d stay in bondage or trapped in constant guilt. Repentance is sweet. Surrender is freedom. For those who are in Christ, there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). Jesus speaks a better word; you are not your past. And the only way you overcome it is in Him. “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

There is so much joy in knowing I am loved and forgiven and free. The sin that used to keep me bound has no hold on me. I know no struggle I face is ever going to rule me or overcome me; Christ in me is greater. I’m not the same person I was; I’m redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

I am thankful for the grace God has given me. I am thankful for Christ and what He did for me so I could be set free and forgiven, so I could know truly know His heart and know His love. I praise God that I can see myself through His eyes. Thank You Jesus for loving me. Thank You for doing what only You could do.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20

// April 9, 2014

Source: breanna-lynn

#sin #grace #forgiveness #struggles #guilt #repentnce #Jesus #repentance

breanna-lynn

I think some of the best advice I’ve learned to give myself spiritually is no matter how much I sin or fall, no matter how many times, no matter how guilty or ashamed I feel, never stop coming to Jesus. Never let it hold you back or keep you away from drawing close to Him and trying to grow. Never tire of repenting, even if it feels like you repeatedly repent for many of the same things. Sin is inward and it takes more than a one time conviction for the behaviors to fully follow and get out of habits or the depths of our depravity. Accept the truth you’re forgiven and free when you come to Christ and genuinely want Him to continue to change your heart to be more like His, and move forward. If I stop moving toward Him because I am letting my sin become greater than his grace and mercy, I am doubting the power of His redeeming work to the power of my flesh. Paul reassures us in Romans nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. If that is our reality, then we shouldn’t let anything, no matter how bad, how frequent, how difficult it is to overcome, how long it takes to get past- none of that should ever stop us from still coming to Him and seeking to become more like Him. Don’t give up because of your sin or fallings. Look to Christ. The whole point of the cross was not only that Christ paid the price to remove our condemnation, but He triumphed victoriously over all sin and death. The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in us, and we can overcome. Believe that. Don’t let discouragement drag you down or get stuck at “I obviously can’t be holy.” Of course you can’t, we’re sinful by nature, which is why we desperately need Jesus- but there is bright hope in knowing we have Him, and He is able.

#truth #personal #encouragement #Jesus #sin #failure #guilt #forgiveness #repentance

breanna-lynn

Purity in the biblical sense means being free from guilt and shame.

Havilah Cunnington

#purity #quote #guilt #shame

breanna-lynn

Don’t try to be someone’s Holy Spirit.

#wrote this a year ago but never shared it #guilt #shame #repentance #forgiveness #judgement

breanna-lynn

Anonymous asked:

hi breanna! im struggling with resisting the desires of my flesh sometimes and i feel like every time i give in im overcome with guilt and i feel so much further from God. can you pray for me? i really need some backup for fighting this. i want to try to be pleasing to God in all aspects of my life and i feel like im losing progress when i give in.

Beloved of Christ,

I am sorry I took so long in replying to you, but I have been keeping you in my prayers. Read Romans 7:15-25. This is what you are going through. Next Read Romans 8:5-8:

If you are struggling with sin and your flesh, I want to encourage you to simply repent and ask God to empower you by His Holy Spirit to overcome. Romans 8:26 says that "the Spirit helps us in our weakness." We cannot overcome sin, temptation, or our flesh by our own efforts; we need the power of God. And the amazing thing is, all we have to do is ask Him for it.

Jesus understands, "because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted." (Hebrews 2:18).

Romans 8:1-4 says that Christ conquered sin and death, and when we have died to our fleshly nature, we are FREE! Sin no longer reigns in us, we have total VICTORY over it. God doesn't want you to strive and struggle. He wants to give you complete victory! This is why Christ not only paid the penalty for, but also fully conquered sin and death once and for all on the cross.

Our righteousness comes through faith and grace. It's a gift that's already paid for by Jesus Christ and all we have to do is receive it. If you have recognized sin in your life, truly repented (asked forgiveness and turned from), and have asked the Holy Spirit to fill you with life and free you, then you will be! Also, do not let the enemy continue to heap guilt on you once you have received God's grace. "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

The desires of the flesh can seem overpowering but the love of God is more powerful! God loves you, even when you have sinned He is still there and still loves you. He is not repulsed by you or what you have done. Don't even think for a minute that He desires you any less. He just wants to love you and cherish you...He delights in you because you are His and He will always, always love you, and He will always, always be there.

One of the best ways to fight temptation and attacks of the enemy is to speak the Truth. The word of God is your sword, so go to battle! Declare over yourself that you don't live according to the flesh but you live according to the Spirit. Tell the enemy to go in the name of Jesus and he has to obey.

I will keep praying for you, and if you want to come off anon I will reply to you privately. Or you can ask me for my email.

I strongly encourage you to also confide in a trusted friend about your struggles (especially one of the same gender, who is spiritually mature) or even your parents if they are Christians. James 5:16 tells us to "confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

I am praying for you. I hope that you are strengthened and encouraged.

#flesh #freedom #guilt #sin #struggle #temptation #victory #q