“I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” – Romans 7:15
In the popular movie Freaky Friday, a mother and daughter switch bodies and must live out each other lives. Essentially becoming two persons in one body, the person you see on the outside and a completely different person within. The same could be said of us as Christians, sometimes we live in our righteousness doing and saying the things God has put in our hearts while other times we do and say things we know are wrong.
Everyone falls short spiritually, but the enemy wants you to feel condemned over the failed relationship, over the addiction or because you lied, stole, cursed and cheated. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. You are not condemned, you are loved, you are blessed, and you are still in the will of God. The Bible is full of men and women who lived less than stellar lives but were still used by God and is remembered for their faithfulness. The same is true for you.
Saul vs. Paul: Before his conversion, Saul killed and persecuted Christians and tried to destroy the early church. After having an experience with Jesus, Saul who was also called Paul would go on to become a disciple of Christ and write most of the New Testament.
Jacob vs. Israel: Jacob, whose name means “he cheats” was a trickster who swindled his brother out of his inheritance. The Lord would not let Jacob’s past define him. After wresting with God, He forgave and no longer held Jacob’s sins against him. The Lord renamed Jacob Israel, which means “El (God) fights.”
Peter vs. Peter: Peter was, to use a famous African American idiom, Jesus’s ride or die partner. Peter cut off the ear of a servant trying to arrest Jesus, walked on water to reach Jesus but he also denied Jesus three times. Jesus referred to him as Satan but would also say of Peter “upon this rock I will build My church”.
Noah vs. Noah: Noah was faithful and obedient to God’s commands but also drank until he got drunk.
Rahab vs. Rahab: Rahab was a “harlot” but because of her faith she became an ancestress in the royal line from which Jesus came.
Moses vs. Moses: Moses killed a man but he also led God’s people out of Egypt.
David vs. David: David slayed Goliath, wrote half the book of Psalms and became Israel’s greatest King but he also committed adultery and had Uriah killed so he could take his wife.
You vs. You: You are/did __________, ___________ and ___________ but you are also loved, destined and cherished by God. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love.
If you are honest with yourself then you know there is a gap in your life. A gap between who you are and who you were meant to be. Luckily, God has afforded us the opportunity to bridge that gap through Christ Jesus. By developing a meaningful relationship with the Lord, you have the opportunity to live your destiny in the gaps of life.
In the popular movie Freaky Friday, a mother and daughter switch bodies and must live out each other lives. Essentially becoming two persons in one body, the person you see on the outside and a completely different person within. The same could be said of us as Christians, sometimes we live in our righteousness doing and saying the things God has put in our hearts while other times we do and say things we know are wrong.
Everyone falls short spiritually, but the enemy wants you to feel condemned over the failed relationship, over the addiction or because you lied, stole, cursed and cheated. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. You are not condemned, you are loved, you are blessed, and you are still in the will of God. The Bible is full of men and women who lived less than stellar lives but were still used by God and is remembered for their faithfulness. The same is true for you.
Saul vs. Paul: Before his conversion, Saul killed and persecuted Christians and tried to destroy the early church. After having an experience with Jesus, Saul who was also called Paul would go on to become a disciple of Christ and write most of the New Testament.
Jacob vs. Israel: Jacob, whose name means “he cheats” was a trickster who swindled his brother out of his inheritance. The Lord would not let Jacob’s past define him. After wresting with God, He forgave and no longer held Jacob’s sins against him. The Lord renamed Jacob Israel, which means “El (God) fights.”
Peter vs. Peter: Peter was, to use a famous African American idiom, Jesus’s ride or die partner. Peter cut off the ear of a servant trying to arrest Jesus, walked on water to reach Jesus but he also denied Jesus three times. Jesus referred to him as Satan but would also say of Peter “upon this rock I will build My church”.
Noah vs. Noah: Noah was faithful and obedient to God’s commands but also drank until he got drunk.
Rahab vs. Rahab: Rahab was a “harlot” but because of her faith she became an ancestress in the royal line from which Jesus came.
Moses vs. Moses: Moses killed a man but he also led God’s people out of Egypt.
David vs. David: David slayed Goliath, wrote half the book of Psalms and became Israel’s greatest King but he also committed adultery and had Uriah killed so he could take his wife.
You vs. You: You are/did __________, ___________ and ___________ but you are also loved, destined and cherished by God. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love.
If you are honest with yourself then you know there is a gap in your life. A gap between who you are and who you were meant to be. Luckily, God has afforded us the opportunity to bridge that gap through Christ Jesus. By developing a meaningful relationship with the Lord, you have the opportunity to live your destiny in the gaps of life.
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