SWORD & SPIRIT WRITER

In recent months, the Lord has answered some of my prayers in amazing ways – and as He promises – exceedingly above what I asked for. I wrote about one of those answers here.

As a covenant child of God, if I merely glanced at myself as I prayed, my faith and any expectations of answered prayer would wither and die as I’m all too familiar with my imperfections and the shortcomings I have yet to conquer with His help.

Literally, the entire 19 years of my walk with the Lord, I can relate to the apostle Paul’s words in Romans 7:18-22 (TPT), “For I know that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity. The longings to do what is right are within me, but will-power is not enough to accomplish it. My lofty desires to do what is good are dashed when I do the things I want to avoid. So if my behavior contradicts my desires to do good, I must conclude that it’s not my true identity doing it, but the unwelcome intruder of sin hindering me from being who I really am. Through my experience of this principle, I discover that even when I want to do good, evil is ready to sabotage me. Truly, deep within my true identity, I love to do what pleases God.”

But through my confession of faith in Lord Jesus Christ, my true identity is daughter of the King. I am clothed in the royal garments Christ, washed squeaky clean from every sin – past, present, future, in covenant with God the Father, forever sealed in the blood of His Son.

Like Paul, truly, the desires of my heart are to ALWAYS do what pleases the God I love oh so much, but that unwelcome intruder of sin hinders me from being who I really am.

In the words of the apostle Paul once again, Romans 7:24-25 (TPT), “What an agonizing situation I am in! So who has the power to rescue this miserable man from the unwelcome intruder of sin and death? I give all my thanks to God, for his mighty power has finally provided a way out through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!”

Gllllooorrrrrrrryyyyyyyy! Praise You, my Lord Jesus Christ! You’ve provided the way out, and I chose Your way! Thank You, Lord! I love You so much.

Beloved, if you’re truly a child of God who has confessed Christ and need the Lord’s help today or are standing on a promise of God, you can approach God with absolute boldness with Jesus Christ, the perfect One, standing in the gap as your personal Mediator.

Don’t even peak at yourself, not even a glance, if you need answers to prayers. Nor entertain thoughts from the enemy that try to get you to question your fully righteous standing IN Christ, saying, “You did this, that, and the other. God can’t answer the prayers of someone like you.”

Lies! That’s why that snake is called the accuser. Refuse those lies. Take them captive. Cast them down and out of your thoughts and declare who you actually are in Christ.

Guard your heart from the religious teachings that have infiltrated the church that are of the enemy that attempt to get God’s own children to compare themselves to others’ standards or what THEY think it means to be a good Christian through their man-made measuring sticks of righteousness.

“For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise,” (2 Corinthians 10:12).

This is exactly what the enemy uses, even through those in church leadership, to do. For example: “Oh, you’re a divorced. Well, you did what God hates, no wonder You’re having a hard time.” As if divorce is an unpardonable sin more powerful than the blood of Jesus Christ! That talk of theirs is devil talk. Not the language of the Father who sees you as perfect IN His Son, Jesus Christ.

Yes, there can be terrible earthly consequences to sin that we have to walk out, but I tell you, I was divorced because of abuse, and I have had a countless number of prayers answered because I simply looked at Jesus, took Him for His Word, and He’s never failed me. Not once.

P.S. No, this is not a license to sin. Let’s be clear. God hates sin and the destruction and death it brings to the lives of His children who choose it. The last thing our good Father desires for one of His own is for us to give place to the devil in our lives. But this is a world filled with the fallible men expressing the free will God gave them. As as we see, sin and its affects abounds.

Our Father is in the redeeming business. Dear Lord that the world would only turn to You and stop loving their wickedness more. Your ways are far better than anything the world has to offer.

I love the many ex-con testimonies I’ve heard where truly the Lord raised these beautiful men and women from the pit to the palace.

When we love God and are in awe of His grace, the last thing we want to do is sin, but if we do, we merely need to cry out to Him in our forever forgiven state for help to turn from that thing that has a hold of us, and He’s right there, ready to lift us out of the mess we got ourselves into. This I know oh so well.