I Am Set Free from My Sins

Affirmations 2023 | Your Identity in Jesus Christ | Full Armor of God

Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash

Select this link for the list of all the affirmations and links to each post.

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Lies from the Enemy

In Louie Giglio’s book, “Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table”, he mentions this lie from the enemy:

“I can’t be used of God because of my past.”

The devil wants nothing more than to keep us from sharing the Lord and His love with others by keeping us stuck in feelings of defeat. The extent of the adversary’s evil turns my stomach. He pokes us with his sick, evil lies when we feel overwhelmed about our past.

In Luke chapter 4, we read how the devil tempted a vulnerable and hungry Lord Jesus after He had fasted in the wilderness for 40 days. Jesus had just experienced a “spiritual high” moment when His cousin John baptized him, and God the Father proudly proclaimed:

“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
(Luke 3:22b, ESV)

Wow, what confirmation!

And yet, twice, the evil one said to Jesus:

“If you are the Son of God…”
(Luke 4:3, 9).

If….

Really? Sigh.

The evil one is not original nor creative, but in our weakest moments, we often fall for his lies, especially his lies that cast doubt on one very important thing:

Our identity.

Our accuser casts doubt on what God has already told us about ourselves.

Who are you going to listen to, your adversary or your loving Father?

What God Says about You

Our hungry Lord Jesus told the devil, twice,:

“It is written… (Luke 4:4, 8)

He also replied with:

“It is said… (Luke 4:12)

He just rephrased His previous words, but these statements point to one thing:

God’s word and its authority, its power, to overcome the devil’s lies and temptations.

In contrast to the enemy’s lie (“I can’t be used of God because of my past.”), author Louie Giglio declares God’s truth:

“God has blotted out the sins of my past.”

What does “blotted out” mean? According to online dictionaries, it means “wiped out” and “destroyed”.

God is powerful enough to destroy your sins. Wipe them out. That’s what He says about Himself.

What does He say about us? He says we’re sinners. Giglio references Romans 5:8 (ESV):

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Father God already knew we were sinners, and out of love and a strong desire to rescue us, He sent His Son to the cross to set us free and wipe out all our sins.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
(2 Corinthians 5:17,21 ESV)

God says your sins are gone in His eyes.

Your past is gone. Jesus—who knew no sin—was made sin on our behalf so we could be the righteousness of God.

Stop.

Reread those verses.

Let what God says about Himself, about you, sink in. Make it yours.

Your Take Away

Take time to get comfy and then read Romans chapter 8.

Then, ask yourself:

• Am I still feeling imprisoned by the enemy reminding me of my sins, my past?

• Which verses in God’s word can I use to fight back against those lies? (Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.)

Whether you’ve been walking with Jesus as His redeemed one for two days, two weeks, two years, or 20 years, one fact is certain: We will fail. We will sin.

Only Jesus is sinless. And, He understands the temptations we face every day. That’s what’s so beautiful about the God we worship and serve. He’s one of us! Immanuel, God with us, is what we celebrate every Christmas (and Easter). Jesus understands, so when we do fail, when we sin, we need to go to Him immediately to confess, repent, and receive His forgiveness.

8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(1 John 1:8-9 ESV)

He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. What an amazing Lord, so willing to blot out our sins over and over, until that day when He joyfully takes us home to our Father’s mansion.

So anytime you fail, go to Jesus in confidence, and then resolve to live for Him, guided by His Spirit in you. Walk away from your failure. It’s done. He’s forgiven you. Learn from your failings, grow, get closer to Jesus and be His “imager” in this world. Do not allow your failures to drag you down and away from Him.

That’s your enemy’s tactic. Your accuser would love for you to wallow in unnecessary guilt and grow ineffective for God’s kingdom. The devil does not want you to live in God’s love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and power. He wants you discouraged so you don’t share your precious Lord Jesus with others. He fears you will realize you can live a “set free” life, and you’ll realize how deeply God loves you.

He fears that then you’ll tell others about Jesus’ redeeming work of grace and love, and he’ll lose another soul to Almighty God, the Most High God of Israel.

This next week, let’s make him even more fearful. Let’s examine our hearts, confess any lingering sin, repent, and joyfully receive Jesus’ love and forgiveness. Then, let’s run around our homes in our socks and sing:

“I Am Set Free from My Sins!”

Soli Deo Gloria!

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Conversation & Community

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