Not Condemned!

Rom 8:1 no more condemnation

Rom 8 to 10: We, as believers, are well aware of the battle of the mind. Satan does his best to accuse us as he is called the accuser of the brethren. [Rev 12:10] So, as Paul continues his doctrinal treatise to the church at Rome and us in this present century, he now comes to what is the greatest assurance for any believer! “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” [Rom 8:1] So, when Satan comes calling with his deadly d’s of distraction, dismay, discouragement, etc., we can quote this verse back to him as part of our resisting him so he will flee. [James 4:7]

Not only is this comforting, but also the fact that both the Holy Spirit and the Christ intercede for us in our most challenging times. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.” [Rom 8:26] and Christ too intercedes for us, “Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” [Rom 8:34]

Today when you are experiencing that spiritual tug of war, remember this, both the Holy Spirit and the Christ are interceding for you and others.

Fear God NOT Man

Fear God not man

2 Chron 14- 16 There are stories about those who start strong yet finish last. In today’s reading, we see Asa start as a faithful king, yet he becomes unfaithful at the end of his life. We struggle with these stories because, in some ways, it is a reflection of ourselves, and we fool ourselves by saying I won’t be like Asa. But, unfortunately, we are more like Asa than we care to admit.

So what went wrong with Asa? What goes wrong with us? Asa is a classic example of how we handle a crisis. It was then that that Asa feared men more than God. The Proverbs author reminds us that “the fear of man is a snare, BUT he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.” [Prov 29:25] Like Asa, we allow fear to control our decision-making.

Learn from Asa; don’t fall for the tempter’s lies. Make a conscious decision to do as James says; resist the devil, and he will flee. [James 4:7] Remember this truth: men will fail you every time but God will always be faithful. [Ps 118:8]

We could make a top ten list of why we fail, but at the number one spot is the fear of men. How do you handle the enemy of fear? Share your thoughts.

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