Break free

We say we want to “treat” ourselves with an indulgence of something. But is it really a treat if it is harming you? Of course the enemy wants you to want what harms you so whatever that “treat” is will bring you great amounts of pleasure. Temporarily. Then you feel the pain of it.

So, are you really treating yourself by harming yourself? Is it really a celebration if it first feels good but then bad later? Is that really a treat?

The enemy sees you do something good and convinces you to harm yourself as a reward.

Hmmm.

Yet, discipline doesn’t always feel good in the moment but you get to set your eyes on the joy ahead of you.

Therefore, our choices are:

The enemy’s way:

Enjoy a temporary pleasure while dreading what it will do to us later. A punishment disguised as a reward he convinces us that we deserve. All the while becoming more and more weak and enslaved to this cycle of punishment (sin) the longer we stay in it.

Or

God’s way:

Temporary suffering for the joy set before us that is eternal. Joy that we get to hold on to even during suffering. All the while becoming stronger and gaining more freedom from sin the longer we stick with it.

Hebrews 12:2 1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

1 Peter 5:10
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Psalm 124:7
We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.

Choose Jesus

Just thinking of how Pilate gave the crowd a choice to either let the sinner go and punish Jesus or let Jesus go and punish the sinner. The crowd chose Jesus to be punished and set the sinner free.Jesus made the same choice as the crowd. He chose, from the very beginning of time, to let Himself be crucified and set the sinners free. The crowd made their choice out of hate and Jesus made the same choice out of love. The crowd chose Jesus over the sinner to be punished out of pure spite for Him. We choose Jesus to save us sinners out of pure love for Him because He willingly took the punishment for sin.We all still have free will to choose today. You are choosing Jesus one way or another. You are either willingly choosing to cast Him away in spite or you are choosing to accept His salvation out of love. What do you choose? Sin’s punishment or God’s unyeilding grace and mercy?Where are you choosing your eternal soul to reside? With the crowd casting Him away? Or with Jesus at the cross, sin crucified, and covered in His love? This was not a choice He took lightly. You shouldn’t either. Eternity is a really, really long time.He loves you more than my words could ever express. One day every knee will bow realizing how glorious that love is. Every knee will bow at how holy our God is.Let the sinner go and choose Jesus.

No more punishment

Do you think God sent His Son to save you just so you could keep walking around guilty and depressed? Do you think Jesus was tortured and killed for your sins just so you could continue to walk around feeling ashamed and horrible? Do you think the Holy Spirit was sent here to encourage you for you to just push the encouragement away and walk around discouraged and bitter?

We are all sinners. Guitly in every degree. Jesus washed that away at the cross. The forgiveness, the change, and the rest is all right there waiting for you to accept it. I know it is hard to let go of beating yourself up. I know. You feel like you have to because that is what you deserve. But that takes away from the suffering Jesus went through to save you. It says that what He did wasn’t enough. That you don’t think His power was enough to save you and you must punish yourself to be saved. Jesus did it because you can’t. Do you hear me? You can’t!! You will never punish yourself enough. You will never punish others enough. You will never behave well enough either and neither will anyone else.

What God sent His Son to offer you is forgiveness, continual forgiveness. Guilt creates bitterness creates sin creates guilt creates bitterness creates sin….
How do we break this cycle? Believe in your forgiveness by the power of Christ (breaks guilt). That leads to believing in forgiving others by the power of Christ (breaks the bitterness). Believe the power of Christ will change your desires (breaks the chains of sin). Do you see how accepting the gifts you inherit when coming to Christ benfits you, others, and your testimony?

Believe the words of God are for you. Believe Jesus died and resurrected for you. Believe the Spirit when it encourages you along your walk with Christ.

Believe that God is working in you. Pray back His promises to Him and let your faith grow. Like the woman that touched the hem of His garment with great faith…you will be healed.

Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.”And the woman was healed at that moment.

Matthew 9:22