Cleansing Your Soul
By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.
When a young boy came running into the house after playing outside, his mother stopped him, asking, "What is on your right hand?"
"Oh, just a little mud," he replied.
"Are you planning to get it off your hand?" she asked.
"Sure, Mom, I'll just wipe it off with my other hand."
There was only one problem with the boy's plan. One dirty hand and one clean hand equal two dirty hands.
Many people are like this little boy. Deep down they are conscious of their sin and rebellion and of their need of cleansing, but they think they can clean themselves by doing some good deeds or charity work.
Just as the mother had to put her son's hands under running water to clean them, so you must put your life under the blood of Jesus Christ. Only the resurrected Christ can cleanse you from sin. Only the resurrected Christ can transform your destination from hell to heaven.
There is a need in each of us to do things for ourselves—to be self-reliant. If we have a problem, we want to fix it. If we want something, we try to get it. This need to be independent carries over into our relationship with Christ. But we soon discover that we cannot redeem ourselves from our sinful nature. We cannot work our way into God’s favor. We must come to Him in complete surrender and obedience, seeking His forgiveness for our sins.
Without Christ, our lives are meaningless and empty. Peter reminds us, "In [God's] great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ that, though my sins were as scarlet, has made me white as snow. Today I rest in Your salvation by grace, that I may be free and able to share this Good News with others. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation” (Psalm 13:5).
Learn more in Dr. Michael Youssef’s sermon series How Shall We Live Now?: LISTEN NOW | WATCH NOW
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