The bible is filled with the promises of God, but most of us haven’t even scratched the surface of His will for our lives. Most of us don’t even know the hope that is waiting for us. We get so stuck in the day to day of just trying to make it in life, but what if we could have something so much better, without bearing the weight of it? I think that for many of us, it seems too late; we feel like that ship has sailed. But what if I told you that it’s never too late to inherit the promises of God? What if I told you that the story of your life—yes even the bad parts—could be used to bring the blessings of God into your life?
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. (Romans 8:28-30 NLT)
This scripture tells us that God causes everything to work together for our good, and He uses it all for His purpose. Not that God causes all things to happen to us, but in His sovereignty, and providence, He causes those things—which happen to us, or which we have done—to work towards the calling that He’s placed on our lives. His word says that He knew us in advanced. So, He already knew what our story would be, before we ever lived it. He knew the choices that we would make, before we would ever make them. And with all of that knowledge—with the knowledge that we would not always choose Him—He still chose us. He still called us to be His children, to share in His glory. This is the grace of God…the Good News. That while we were still sinners, He chose us!
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. (Romans 5:8-11 NLT)
Because Jesus died on the cross, our relationship with God has been restored. Once we accepted Jesus into our lives, we received this free gift… resulting from the grace of God. We could never earn it, and there is nothing that we can do to ever take it away.
And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. (Romans 5:16 NLT)
No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:39 NLT)
Reconciliation with God is just the beginning.
Christ died so that we could be reconciled with God, but that’s just the beginning. Many of us are satisfied that we have been made right with God. He has forgiven our sins, and we will spend eternity in heaven, but what about this time that we spend on the earth? Do we really believe that He wants us to live our lives lacking in the fruits of His Spirit? Must we believe that He desires for us to live short of His glorious plan for our lives? Absolutely not. Reconciliation was just the beginning.
Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. (Romans 5:18 NLT)
Do you see it? Yes, Christ died to bring us into right relationship with God, but that is only part of the story. He also died so that we could have a new life… a life where we are walking in purpose. One where we are fulfilled because we are all that He has called us to be. And guess what, there is no age limit. There is no distinct time frame in which the bible says that this must happen, because remember, our God is a God that uses our past to build our future. He takes the worse seasons of our lives and turns them into the greatest testimony; one that gives us the foundation that we need to walk in purpose. It doesn’t matter what you’ve been through. It’s doesn’t matter what has happened to you, or what you have done.
It’s never too late to walk in the promises of God.
We serve a God that patiently waits for us. And we worship a Savior that constantly pursues us, because His desire is to see us living a life free of bondage. His desire is to see us become who He intended us to be.
Behold, I stand at the door [of the church] and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me. (Revelation 3:20 AMP)
In the above scripture, Jesus tells us that He continually knocks on the door to our hearts, just waiting for the day that we might let Him in…so that He can restore us! This is so powerful. His desire is to see us whole. His desire is to heal the areas of our lives that have been damaged. He wants to redeem every bit of brokenness that we have inside of us. He doesn’t want to come in and act like the past doesn’t exist. He doesn’t want to put a band aid on the things that have pained us for years, because He wants to see us completely free of it. Not just the type of freedom where we can forget the things that we’ve been through, and move through life with a smile on our face. He desires to give us a freedom that produces internal peace and joy. This is a type of peace and joy that is immovable, because we know that no matter what comes our way, our God is for us, and He will never leave our side.
This is true freedom, and anything less than this is bondage.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (Luke 4:18-19 NLT)
This is why Jesus came…to set us free. He came to set us free from the physical things in this world that hold us hostage, but He also came to set us free mentally. Because It doesn’t matter that we are free from this world, if we still aren’t free when we are alone. Our minds can literally tie us up, and keep us from seeing the promises of God. We have the proof of this is in the children of Israel. Yes, they were free from Pharaoh, but they were still mentally chained. They did not see the promised land because of their minds… because there were tied down, and they didn’t allow themselves to believe in God. Is this what we desire for ourselves?
Why would we surrender to something less than what our Father has for us? Why would we accept less than what He has spoken over us? We are His children…all of us. And the second that we accepted our Savior, we inherited His promise. He gave us access to do the good things that He planned for us, from the beginning.
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
What keeps us from doing the good things that God has planned for us?
This question is worth talking about, because we don’t automatically receive the promises of God. His plans only benefit us when we partner with Him. But I think that sometimes, we feel that we aren’t qualified to receive the grace of God. Maybe that is because of something that we’ve done, or maybe even as a result of something that was done to us. Both of these things can cause feelings of shame and condemnation. But neither of these are from the heart of God.
Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]. For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (Romans 8:1-2 AMP)
“Do not fear, for you will not be put to shame, And do not feel humiliated or ashamed, for you will not be disgraced. For you will forget the shame of your youth, And you will no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood. (Isaiah 54:4 AMP)
Our Father wants to take us away from the feelings of shame and condemnation of our past and present. He wants to show us that He paid every debt that we would ever owe. And His payment, gave us the opportunity to have freedom, and the ability to hold our head high, knowing that our Father loves us.
But sometimes, it’s not shame and condemnation that prevent us from doing what God calls us to do. Sometimes it’s that we feel unworthy, or even incapable. The amazing thing about these two feelings is that they are what makes our journey with God so astonishing. It’s true, none of us are worthy, and none of us are capable. If we were worthy, we would not have needed our perfect Savior to die on the cross for us—He alone is worthy. And if we were capable, we would not need faith. We would not need the help of our great God. But in our weakness, we are made strong—because of Him. And because we are unworthy and incapable, we have the ability to glorify God. We have the ability to do the great things that He tells us to do—in His strength—so that others can see how amazing He is. This is the goal.
In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:16 NLT)
Maybe it’s all of these things put together. Maybe you feel the shame and condemnation because of your past, or because you have spent your days running from your Father in heaven. And because of this, you feel unworthy—like you aren’t worth His time, or like there is no way that someone like you could see the promises of God. If that’s you, I want you to know that He came just for you. He didn’t come for the people that think they are righteous or worthy. He came for those that know they are sinners. He came for the people that need healing and deliverance.
When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Mark 2:17 NLT)
Jesus came for the lost.
There is a story in the bible that gives an account of the Pharisees and religious teaches complaining to Jesus about His association with sinful people. Let’s see how Jesus responds to their complaints.
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! So Jesus told them this story: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! (Luke 15:1-7 NLT)
This is the heart of our Savior towards us. It doesn’t matter who we are, or where we’ve been. It doesn’t even matter where we are right now, or how much time has past. It’s never to late. He searches high and low for us. He leaves the ninety-nine, so that He can find just one of us that needs Him. This is how much you mean to Him. If you are reading these words, it is because He is running after you, relentlessly. It is because He spends day and night at the door of your heart, just waiting for you to let Him in. Not so that He can tell you everything that you have ever done wrong, but so that He can rejoice over you, so that He can restore you to the person that He has created you to be. It’s so that you can do every good things that He has planned for you. And He wants you to know that He will be with you every step of the way, through His Spirit. He is your comforter, and your helper; He will be your guide. He wants to wipe every tear from your eyes. He wants to heal the wounds that you have tried to suppress for so long. He wants you to be whole. He wants you to have His peace and joy. He wants you to live free. All of this He promises to you; all of this is His will for you. You just have to let Him in, and receive it.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for me. Thank you for your grace that allows me to have an intimate relationship with you, and gives me the opportunity to receive the new life that you have for me. Thank you for choosing me in spite of my past, present, and future. Because you know it all, and you still love me. You still run after me. And for that, I will forever be grateful. Today, I declare that I am turning away from the life that I have created for myself, and I am turning back to you. I pray that as I trust in you, you would do a great work in me. I pray that you would reach into the depths of my heart, and heal the wounds of my past. I pray that you would restore me, and mold me into who you have called me to be. I trust you Father, because I know that your Spirit is with me, and I know that you will never leave my side. I will look to you, because you are where my help comes from. And I will wait on you, in faith, knowing that with every step, you are working everything out for my good, and you are bring me to the place that you have prepared for me. I love you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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