Getting rid of my fear this year!

Hebrews 4: ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

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Which weakness should I write about? My fear of the future, lust, pride, envy, gluttony, work-a-holism, doubt, selfishness you name it, I probably have it. I used to think it was SO hard to follow JESUS’s example. I mean HE was perfect and I heard many preachers tell me that I had to be perfect too.

GOD says “Be holy, for I AM holy.” What does HE mean “be holy!?” Well back in 2003, I was perfect about 15 minutes into the New Year because I was asleep.

• GOD doesn’t expect me to be sinless throughout my life.
• GOD doesn’t expect me to save others by my sinless actions.
• GOD doesn’t set a high standard for me to constantly fail at.
• GOD doesn’t wait for me to fail so HE can hit me with a brick.

JESUS who is GOD decided, long before HE made me, to die for my sins. HE came to earth and lived the perfect life for me. HE never sinned yet was tempted to sin every day. HIS perfection took care of all my sins and when HE was raised from the dead, it showed that HE truly did perform HIS mission.

Now I get it… JESUS is declaring me “holy” for HE is holy. My belief in HIM makes me holy, not my actions. I can approach HIS throne of grace with confidence. I can get mercy when I need it!

Grace means getting a great thing I do not deserve. Mercy means knowing I am at fault for a wrong and knowing the consequence, yet being excused for the malefaction. JESUS pours out HIS “Grace” and “Mercy” on me in healthy doses.

So I can sin all I want, right? Wrong! There is still something wrong with sin that I honestly do not know the effects even though I am saved. All I know is when I reduce or stop sinning, GOD blesses me in ways I could not imagine, but “when I sin” I can come to JESUS’s throne confidently receiving “grace” and “mercy.”

Now I do not “fear” getting rid of my sins this year, because I cannot fail!

• Have you sinned the same sin again?
• Do you think HE won’t forgive you this time?
• Can you believe HE understands your weakness and forgives you anyway?
• Will you confidently look at JESUS’s perfection instead of your own?