No Condemnation

This is not the time for the voice of the enemy to be the loudest in your life.

The Bible says no one in Christ is condemned/penalized.  No one in Christ.

So, since you have accepted and acknowledged Christ as your Savior, you can gently remind yourself that because of your past sins, God does not condemn you. 

You condemn you. You allow the voice of the enemy to speak unforgiveness to your soul.

Period.

See, our standards of being in right relationship with God are not God’s standards.  We tell ourselves that because of the past, we are not worthy to talk to God.  We tell ourselves that we are not allowed to talk to God.  But this is not true.

Once we ask for forgiveness of sins, we are forgiven.

And, we go into God’s presence.

Remind yourself, through God’s Word and your cooperation with God, that you are loved, forgiven and free.

Each time you remember an act that you are not proud of, tell yourself, I forgive you for that.

Then repeat the Word of God to yourself, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus.”  (Romans 8.1 ESV)

Try this translation if it is better:  The Message says, “With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.”

But, I also like this one:  There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus. Romans 8.1 (GNB)

There are people who believe their wrongs and mistakes in the past prevent them from having the right to pray; and doubt God hears their prayers.

Because you are saved, you are not condemned.  You are not banished from the presence of God.  You can boldly (without shame) approach God and know that he hears you.

There is, therefore, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus!

Proof – Psalm 32 – The Bible says when our sins are forgiven and covered, we are blessed.  But it implies that by faith we know we are forgiven and therefore, our sins are covered.  Verse 2 says we are blessed because the Lord does not count our sin against us and we are in right relationship with him because there is no deceit in our spirit.

Burdened with the weight of our sin, zapped of energy because of its heaviness, we (v. 5) acknowledge our sin, confess it to God and God forgave the guilt left over from the act of sin. 

Since God has forgiven us, we can pray to God while He may be found.

Empathy

            I can relate to having to take time to understand what this means for my own life personally.  Often, people can tell us what to do but don’t share why they needed to do it or how difficult it was to do.  Trust me, it was challenging.

            It reminds me of the Third Step prayer from 12-step programs which says, Take my will and my life, guide me in my recovery, show me how to live.”  

Prayer:          Lord, I don’t know how to crawl from underneath this weight of guilt, shame and worthlessness.  I need you to help me.  Help me to forgive myself.  Show me I can be free from the bondage of my past.  Others say I can, but I have trouble believing this can happen for me.  Please, guide me into true freedom in you.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Follow...

Follow me AS I follow Christ

If we seek Christ

The worst about us becomes the best in us

Christ uses our weakest, most vile psychological and emotional conditions

As firecracker fuel

To push us and prompt us to seek His face

His comfort and

His peace.

In the seeking, we find

Answers.

We find ourselves.

And then, others find Christ too.

They imitate us.

Author: Iliana Mihaleva

Never mind they avoided us in our worst moments.

Talked about us

Heads shaking and minds

Filled with shameful, hopeless thoughts.

Now, they look at us with skepticism but amazement.

            Wondering why we acted irrationally in the first place

            Unsure if we will really stand the test of the next time…

They imitate us

They silently follow us on Facebook

            In the shadows

            Reading and watching

            Curious

            Maybe unwilling to vouch for the amazing work God is doing

Or boldly supporting the like-minded journey we have lived.

Doesn’t matter.  What matter is…

            The Christ IN us.

Those same folks will

publicly imitate the Christ in us.

Reposting our words

Meditating on our thoughts

Admiring our courage

Borrowing our head wraps, they see…they know.

Just remember…

They are imitating the Christ in us.

That’s why …

We don’t need/demand their public praise or acknowledgments

Accolades or rewards

Because we know it is not of us that we now

Exist

Clothed in our right mind.

It is the Christ in us

So, go ahead…

Follow me AS I follow Christ.

It is only through a humble surrender and submission to God’s unchanging hand, that our lives are a message of hope, freedom, courage and determination.

Be blessed,

M

Depression and Spirituality

Three gifts of Silent Solitude

Taking the time to learn about how my mental health and illness impact my life has allowed me to deeply ponder the Word and the image I reflect in Christ.       

Although many Christians would not embrace major depressive disorder as an “approved” illness Christ would assist me in managing, their opinions don’t matter to me anymore.  I tried it their way.  I failed.

Now I am taking a different approach.  An empowering approach.  In deciding to educate myself about mental health, mental illness, balance and self-care, I’ve discovered many precious jewels of Truth revealed in the Word, in addition to discovering gems within my own soul that are resources to assist in my daily recovery.

The Gifts of Solitude

1.     Friendship with the Spirit – Without access to a telephone, cable or even a large network of supportive friends, I was alone many days in silence.  Initially, aware my depression could thrive in isolation, I was intentional about grooming my relationship with Christ and growing spiritually.  Many days and nights were spent listening to sermons, Gospel music and engaging in positive self-talk in order to remain encouraged, uplifted and in the healing process.

The results were tremendous.  I began to see me, a person recovering from mental illness, in the Scriptures.  I began to hear the Word preached in ways that guided me into healing and ministered to my often sad, emotional state.  I wasn’t rejected by God, even though some in the church would have me believe that.  I was accepted by God in spite of any illness that sought to keep us apart.

2.     Friendship with myself – I learned how to begin being happy with me and my own company.  This world is gifted in leading me to believe I need something other than me to find happiness.  Or, I know this is true for me, I used to think I needed other people’s approval to embrace myself or confirm a new path in life.

That’s not true anymore.  Since I have spent so much time with me, I learned how to like myself and enjoy my company.  I started pursuing hobbies that in the past were only sincere wishes.  It is amazing how much money you don’t need to enjoy the world around you.

3.     Peace with others – For me, forgiving others for anything is very important because Christ forgave me for so much.  What is interesting is that as I began to grow stronger within me, by being gentle with myself, I resumed being gentle with other people for their faults and shortcomings.  We are all human, prone to err and in need of our Savior’s redeeming grace.  It’s okay for you to be you because certainly it is okay for me to be me.

In accepting my depression and learning how to manage it, I have moved into a more secure emotional and mental frame of mind.  The Word of God and my faith have ushered me into a form of self-acceptance that was elusive for many, many years. 

This solitude has allow me to accept the fact that I’m different, I’m okay and all will be well.  How do I know?  Because I am created in God’s image and God said so.  My God does have the final say, you know!

Be blessed,

Michelle