Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus
Is your best never good enough? Talk to a mentor.
“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
Sometimes I fail to take time to just stop and be still with the Lord, meditating on just what it means that I was sanctified, justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. It is truly amazing to know that Almighty, holy God set me apart for Himself, which is what it means to be sanctified. I am separated from those who do not know Him.
Why have I been set apart? Not because of anything that I have done or could ever do, but because of the finished work of Jesus on Calvary’s cross. When Jesus gave His life up for me, He had faith that His sacrifice would pay the penalty, for my sins – past, present, and future! Because someone told me about His amazing atoning sacrifice for me and I believed through the God-given gift of faith, I have been justified.
I have had my sins washed away by the blood of Jesus! To be justified means that it is the same as if I had never sinned. To be justified means that I am just, no longer guilty of the wrongs that I have committed. I am innocent before the throne of God! In His eyes, it is as if I had never sinned!
Praise be to God in Christ Jesus our Lord! My Abba Father loved me so much that He allowed His only Son to suffer an excruciating death for me, for you, for all of humanity, that we might believe and be washed clean in His blood and saved from the eternal death! When I accept Jesus’ gift of perfect atonement for me by faith, I am granted eternal life, a life that is meant to be lived with abundant love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and, self-control. I cannot help but think of Psalm 27:1:
“The Lord is my Light and my Salvation—whom shall I fear or dread? The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (Amplified Bible)
I do get lost in a sea of fear from time to time. Instead of running to my Refuge and Stronghold, I forget the power that is available to me in Jesus. I begin to grumble, like the Israelites murmuring against God and Moses in the desert. Nothing seems right, and I cannot find peace in my heart, for I start setting expectations on others that they cannot possibly meet.
I have start to pick out the splinter in my neighbor’s eye while ignoring the log in my own. (Matthew 7:3) Without accessing the power of the Holy Spirit on a regular basis, I fall prey to my own negative attitudes and mind-sets, and I notice I am procrastinating on work projects, becoming fearful of failure and the judgments of others. Why? Because I am expecting them to do to me what I am doing to them! It is so evident that I cannot live this life without Jesus and the power of His indwelling Spirit!
But praise be to God, Jesus is my Deliverer:
I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. (Romans 7:21-25, NLT)
So the moment I realize what I am doing, I can turn in the opposite direction, repent of my sin and run into the arms of my Rescuer. I can confess my sin to Him, confident that Jesus will forgive me and cast my sin as far from me as the east is from the west.
“ If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude and lead ourselves astray, and the Truth [which the Gospel presents] is not in us [does not dwell in our hearts]. If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. (1 John 1:8-9, Amplified Bible)
Isn’t it wonderful to know that we are continuously washed clean by the blood of Jesus? We do not have to live in denial or shame when we step out of the will of our loving heavenly Lord; we can simply turn back to Him. He always receives us with open arms, having never stopped cleansing us from our unrighteousness. What an awesome truth. We stand righteous before the Lord our God without condemnation!
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)
So let our prayer be united as one in faith with the author of the Book of Hebrews:
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Questions: Are you struggling today with sin, guilt, shame, or condemnation? Turn your eyes to Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith, who loves you with an everlasting love. Cast your cares unto Jesus, for He cares tenderly about you. If you need to talk to someone about life issues that are burdening you, one of our mentors would love to come alongside you to share your burdens.
7 Responses to “Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus”
Leave a Reply
Start a Conversation
Media
What Do You Fear?
What do you fear, and why? Is it holding you back from realizing your full potential?
>Watch
- Contact
- |
- Advertising
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Link to Us
- |
- Media Releases
- |
- What we believe
Thank you, Laurie, for your encouragement on my devotional!
Joe, I am grateful to the Lord that He has used me to speak to your heart, and I thank you for your prayer of blessing.
Hedy, I can relate to you so very well! I, too, have gotten past my daily struggle with some painful old ways, but, as you said, they can surely “rear their ugly heads”! It is so vital to remember that we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS in Christ Jesus our Lord, and NOT allow the enemy to bring us down where he wants us to be: living in the land of his lies! I am so glad you now run straight to your Sanctuary, and not to pity-parties; I know from personal experience with many of my own, that those are no fun at all! Thanks so much for sharing your heart, Hedy!
Mariq, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this devotional; you have truly encouraged and blessed me today! I pray each time you re-read these words, you are blessed by the Lord more than the last!
Susan, you truly are righteous before your Lord! I encourage you to meditate on 1 John 1:9 and to remember that, above all things, the devil is a liar, and the Lord Jesus is the Bondage Breaker. He desires that you be set free forever from the sin with which you struggle. NOTHING is impossible with Jesus, and when you find yourself rushed, try repeating His Name over and over again as a prayer. Also, I encourage you to set a daily appointment with the Lord, even if for a short time, so as to ensure that you spend even a few moments with Him – if possible, before you start your day – but any time you can is important. Jesus loves you so much, Susan, and He just wants to minister to you, and to let you know how very precious and beloved you are in His eyes. Daily time with Him will help you to grow in knowledge of who He is and who you are as His cherished child – especially time in His Word, the Bible. If you desire to talk with someone one-on-one about the difficulties you have been having, please consider filling out the form at the following link, and one of our online mentors will be sure to contact you confidentially:
http://powertochange.com/experience/talk-to-a-mentor/
Susan, I pray you never lose sight of how much you mean to Jesus, and I pray that the bondage to sin in your life NOW be broken forever in His holy and precious Name. Amen.
VB, thank you for your wonderfully kind words on my devotional, and, along with Mariq, I pray that each time you read this devotional, the Lord leads you to new blessings and a deep desire to seek Him with all your heart.
Thank you so much to each one of you for sharing your thoughts and your heart on this devotional!
On point!
Great devotion, this word has spoken to me today and reafirmed that I am righteous before the Lord my saviour. God Bless you and your ministry.
I`m not struggling today (with these 4 things) as much as I use to,but that dosen`t mean that it won`t try to rear it`s ugly head later that day.A perfect day for this is a day when I let the business of the day keep me from spending time with the Father.I use to get into such a state when I`d realize what was happening & waste precious time having a pity-party,Oh, He WILL abandon me etc. Now I stop what I`m doing & run to Him because He promises to never leave nor forsake me! You don`t mess with that kind of everlasting love,,,atleast I will not!…I wasted to many years….no return trip in my near future just a knowing that because of Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin & death-Rom.8:1-2
Excellent devotional — a keeper to reread. Great explanation of the meaning of sanctification and justification. Good use of several Bible translations.
Thank you, Lord, for the gifts You have given this sister and her obedience in using them for Your glory!
Brenda, God bless you for this devotional. You were truly used by God to reach into the very core of my heart today. A stronghold of sin exists in me like a hook embedded in my very soul. The enemy delights in leading me around by this hook the moment life gets too busy for me to be still before the LORD. Slowly, slowly the hook is set, yet again, and somehow I find myself overwhelmed with sin. The shame of it keeps me from falling before my Saviour but I pushed myself to at least read my daily devotional. Through your words and the Scripture, He gently led me to confession and repentance. I am righteous before my LORD! PRAISE GOD! For He is good! Thank you Brenda, good and faithful servant.
Wow this devo is a blessing! Thoroughly written and worth reading over and over again.