Come Out! Come Out! Wherever You Are! - Girlfriends in God - November 3, 2014
November 3, 2014
Come Out! Come Out! Wherever You Are!
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
[God said to Adam and Eve] “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9 NIV).
Friend to Friend
When I turned forty, all of a sudden small letters and numbers got smaller. A trip to the ophthalmologist proved that I needed reading glasses. But I had a hard time keeping track of them, so the doctor fitted me with mono-vision contact lenses. In my left eye, I wear a contact lens for seeing close up, and in my right eye, I wear a contact lens for distance vision. And somehow, my brain figures all that out and I can see perfectly no matter what.
That is how I view gratitude and grace. With gratitude in one eye and grace in the other, I can see God more clearly.
“What do you think keeps us from experiencing God’s grace and true union with Jesus?” my friend Bill asked. “I think it is that we still feel shame, even though we have been exonerated by Christ, forgiven by God, and washed clean by the power of the Holy Spirit,” he continued, answering his own question.
And Bill is right. Shame drove Adam and Eve into hiding and it can drive us there as well. And the only way of escape is to accept God’s grace gift and come out into the open. I often find myself crouching in the bushes with Adam and Eve. I hear the footsteps of God approaching the Garden in the cool of the evening, calling out to me with glory all around, but I cower, naked and ashamed…saddened by how I have failed Him throughout the day.
Sin. It will not cease to exist just because I have entered into this love relationship with Jesus. Yes, I have been saved from the penalty of sin. But the power of sin still pulls my heart toward lesser lovers, and off I go.
It tears a drain hole in my soul through which my joy seeps away as I try to soothe that glory ache on my own—apart from Christ. How I long for the day when I leave this earth for the consummation of this heavenly marriage, to be saved from the presence of sin completely. Until then, I fall away at times, and Jesus woos me back with grace.
And friend, He’s wooing you today. Don’t hide behind modern day bushes. He is calling out to you. Accept His grace. Give Him gratitude.
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, thank You for grace. I don’t deserve Your mercy. I could never earn Your grace. I praise You for forgiving me of all my sins and cleansing me of ALL unrighteousness (1 John 4:8). I will not hide behind the bushes of shame, but walk in confidence and grace.
In Jesus’ name, Who makes it all possible,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Is there any sin in your life that has kept you hiding in the bushes?
Is there any sin that you are having trouble forgiving yourself of or accepting God’s forgiveness? Is so, consider saying this prayer:
Dear Lord, I come before You today, confessing______________. I am truly repentant and sorry for my sin against You. I ask that You forgive me and cleanse me. Right now, I receive Your forgiveness. I believe that You have forgiven me and will no longer hold my sin against me. I accept the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for my sin and thank You that it has been paid in full. Thank You, God, for forgiving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Now, dear one, I want you to picture your sin nailed to the cross. It is finished. Don’t let Satan try to convince you otherwise. And believe me, he will. Satan is called “the accuser” who accuses Christians day and night (Revelations 12:10). I picture him walking back and forth with our mug shots before the throne of God, and our Heavenly Father saying…”I know her. She’s my beloved child whom I love! Her sentence has already been taken care of. She’s forever free.”
If you prayed that prayer today, let’s celebrate! Click over to my Facebook page and say, “I’m forgiven and free!”
More from the Girlfriends
Did you know that God wants to do MORE than forgive you of your past mistakes? He longs to turn your ashes into beauty, your pain into purpose, your mess into your message, and your hurt into hope. To learn more about how to use your past for great purpose, see my book, Your Scars are Beautiful to God: Finding Peace and Purpose in the Hurts of Your Past.
Seeking God?
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how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Girlfriends in God
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Huntersville, NC 28070
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