For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38–39 I often hear people say, "God's love is unconditional!" But the moment they fail, all of a sudden, the love they once said was unconditional becomes contingent upon their behavior. Many believe that God loves them when they do right, but stops loving them the moment they do something wrong.
When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:1–3 There is so much wrong believing today about who Jesus is. I am asking you to throw out every idea, concept, and picture that you may have of a "religious" Jesus. Allow me to introduce the real Jesus to you, for this is where it all begins.
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:13–14 God's blessings are part of our inheritance in the new covenant of grace, which Jesus died to give us. God's Word tells us that, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us...that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." Hebrews 8:12 When something goes wrong, is your first thought, "Well, this must be happening to me because of the sins that I have committed"? When you have a flat tire or fall sick, do you wonder, "What sin is God punishing me for now?" If your answer to both questions is "yes," you are not alone. This kind of thinking is so prevalent in the church because many believers don't really believe that they are under the new covenant. They believe the opposite of today's Scripture and think God is not merciful to their mistakes and always mindful of their sins.
My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Proverbs 4:20–22 I always encourage my church to be mindful of their eye and ear gates. Essentially, this means that we need to be conscious of what we watch and hear on a regular basis. The Book of Proverbs, which is chock-full of God's wisdom, tells us, "My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh."
"He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him." Psalm 91:15 We have a God who wants us to run to Him. And the moment we do, He has promised that He will answer us. Not "might," or "perhaps," but a definite "will." And He does not stop at merely assuring us that He will answer us. He goes on record for all eternity, saying, "I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him." Do you know why we can have the assurance that when we call on Him, He will answer us? It's because of the divine exchange that took place at the cross, where our Lord Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46).
"If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water. Anyone who drinks this water [from the well] will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." John 4:10, 13–14 NLT John 4 tells the story of a shunned Samaritan woman who encountered Jesus when she came to draw water at a well. When she asked Jesus why He (a Jew) would ask her (a despised Samaritan) for a drink of water, this was His amazing response:
You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children's children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine. Genesis 45:10–11 In the Old Testament story of Joseph, after Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, he tells them to return to their father and to tell him, "...come down to me, do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children's children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have." (Genesis 45:9–10).
Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 Unfortunately, unbeknownst to many believers today, the enemy has launched malicious disinformation campaigns that have effectively enslaved them for years to low self-esteem, self-hatred, guilt, eating disorders, perversions, inordinate fears, and all kinds of crazy habits and addictions. I want to expose the enemy's lies and to help you see with pristine clarity the enemy's deceptive and manipulative tactics. These lies will collapse like a house of cards the second you see your true identity in Christ.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17, NASB Have you ever felt like you needed more faith? Have you ever looked at yourself and told yourself that if you just had more faith, you would see your financial breakthrough or healing? My friend, I have good news for you today: faith is not a struggle. The Scriptures show us that the hearing of faith and the works of the law are total opposites (see Gal. 3:2, 5). And since the works of the law are about our self-efforts, there is no self-effort in faith.
Follow Up
