In about a week we will be celebrating the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Easter. And when I hear/read those words, “It is finished” I feel SO much peace and Comfort! Because Jesus willingly laid down His life to save me from my sins. He paid the ultimate price for ALL my sins, to set me free!
As I was writing this I did some research and found out that the Greek word for "It is finished" is translated as tetelestai, a term that means “paid in full”. When Jesus spoke those words He was declaring, the debt owed by us humans, the debt of our sins has been wiped away completely and forever! He paid the full price for us to be free from the bondage of sin! THANK YOU JESUS!!!
Just a little comparison from Genesis, when God, Jesus’ father, created the earth He spoke it into existence and it came to pass. Therefor when Jesus dying on the cross spoke those three words, He was speaking them into existence; He wasn’t necessarily speaking about His present situation of Him dying, but the past (our past), the fulfillment of all the laws (Matt. 5:17), the shame, the guilt, the pain. When He declared those words EVERYTHING that had a hold on us was broken and EVERY sin we ever committed was washed under the blood that He shed on that cross. He spoke those words with the same power that His father did in the beginning when He spoke the earth into existence, He knew that the power of sin over us will be broken by that same power and authority that caused the earth to form.
I don't know about you but I get so overwhelmed with joy when I am reminded of what Jesus did on the cross for me because I know that my past is over, the things that happened to me are over, whatever I have done that wasn’t pleasing to God is over… the pain that I felt is over because He bore it on the cross and healed me with His wounds, the feeling of being unloved, unwanted, rejected is over, because He died on that cross out of love for me, I don’t have to feel unwanted because He wanted me so much that He died on the cross for me because that was the only way for us to be together! Isaiah 53:5 says:
"But He was pierced
for our transgressions,
He was crushed for
our iniquities; the punishment
that brought us peace was
on Him, and by His wounds we are healed!"
Galatians 2:20 says "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
2 Corinthians 5:17 says "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"
What these two verses are saying is that when we repent and are baptized in Jesus' name our old sinful selves are being crucified and buried like/with Christ; meaning our old sinful life died and we are a new creation in Him. Our past, our mistakes, our guilt, our shame, any old sinful way(s) and desire(s) are buried under His blood!!
The enemy loves to make us feel like because of our past sins/mistakes that we are unqualified to do what God has called us to do. He uses guilt, shame, & regret to cripple our witness & testimony BUT Jesus came to bring us new life so that we can live in abundance (John 10:10). For so long I allowed the enemy to use my past mistakes against me, for so long I believed that I wasn't "good enough" to do what God wanted me to do, for so I believed that I wasn't qualified because of the sins that I committed, for so long I believed that my past is who I am today, But those are all LIES from the devil! So what I began to do when the devil tries to remind me of my past, failures, and mistakes is first rebuke him. Secondly remind him of his future burning in hell. And Thirdly remind him what the blood of Jesus did for me that day on the cross! You see the devil loves... loves... LOOOOOOVES to remind us of our past to take our focus off of what Jesus already did for us! He loves to remind us of our failures so that we are so focused on them that we can't see the future that God has created for us. Don't allow the devil to keep you enslaved to your past when Jesus paid the ultimate price to set you free from it!
I love this quote that I read the other day: "God doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the called." sometimes we struggle with the person we are and the person that God called/created us to be because we see our imperfections and we feel as though we aren't "qualified enough" to do that thing that God has placed in our hearts to do. But I'm here to tell somebody that you don't have to be qualified when you are working for God. The amazing thing about God is that He'll equip you with all the necessary tools and equipment that you will need for the job; He won't leave you without giving you what you need. He will go before you and lead you, He will go with you and protect you, He will flow through you and give you the words to say... Don't ever think that because of your past you are unqualified, God can use you and your past for His glory!
No matter what type of sin you have committed in your past, if you repented, meaning you asked God to forgive you and turned around in the opposite direction and are now truly living for Christ. He has wipe your past clean, His blood paid the price for your sins and it has washed you as white as snow! And the devil hates that because he never had a second chance to repent and so he is going to try to condemn you, deceive you, manipulate you, he's gonna try everything in his power to keep you bound to that sin because he knows the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), he knows that if he can lie to you a little bit longer sooner or later you will die, (it doesn't necessarily mean a physical death but also a mental, emotional, or spiritual death), and end up with him in hell... Don't fall for his traps, schemes, or plans, the bible says " The thief (devil) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."~John10:10.
You see Jesus came to set us free from the death grip of sin that the enemy had us in, He came to give us life and life to the fullest! He doesn't want you to live a life full of regrets and full of shame, He wants you to be free walking in confidence in Him so that you will be able to help other be freed... Never be ashamed of your imperfections, your mistakes, your mess ups, your brokenness, your flaws, whatever it may be because God is SO great, merciful, good, gracious, loving caring AMAZING and SOOOOOO much more! He wants to use you, and when I say you, I mean ALL of you (flaws and all) if you let Him!!!! EVERYTHING about you, the good, bad, and the ugly of the ugliest, He can take the ashes of your past and turn them into beauty. He can take your mess and turn it into a message, He can take your brokenness and shine through you, He can take your mistakes and use them for HIS glory!
Never, I repeat, NEVER let the enemy lie to you and condemn you making you feel like God can never use you because you're too broken, or unworthy, or you made too many mistakes in your life, or that God can't fix, heal you, or that you aren't "good enough". Well let me tell you something if you weren't "good enough" then Jesus wouldn't have gave His life for you! Yes YOU, whoever you are reading this, YOU are more than enough! YOU are pretty enough! YOU are worth it! YOU are smart enough! YOU are good enough! Enough that God gave His ONE and only son, JESUS to set you free from sin by dying a horrific death on the cross to save you and that's why the devil is trying so hard to destroy you because he knows how much you mean to God. So please don't believe the devil's lies instead believe God's TRUTH!
This Easter celebrate our risen savior and your freedom In Christ! You are no longer bound by sin! He defeated death so that we can live! And because He overcame we to can overcome. Be encouraged and have a blessed day!
Love your sis in Christ,
~Joy J. :)
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