08 Aug You Have Been Forgiven – Dr Mike Okonkwo
Dearly beloved, I come to encourage you today to keep walk boldly with your shoulders raised high because there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. If there was anytime you needed to walk in this understanding in your walk with God, it is now. Never allow your life be defined by an event that went wrong somewhere along the line, because all your sins past, present and future have been forgiven. For as long as you do not know this, the devil will continue to accuse and condemn you. The devil lies to you that God is about to drop a hammer on your head for every mistake you make and as a result, your boldness before God disappears and you live in constant fear and condemnation.
Today I will be encouraging you from the scripture in Psalm 130:4 {KJV}
‘’But there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared.’’
Beloved, contrary to popular and erroneous religious views, fear does not produce a New Creation but faith in the Lord does. Over the years, there has been the mistaken idea that God’s wrath, anger and judgment is on anyone who falls short of His righteous requirement. To fully understand and apply the Bible, you must know the dispensation that God was dealing with in its different accounts. God dealt with each dispensation differently. You cannot apply His dealings with those under the law as though they were under grace. God deals with the new creation under grace so you cannot apply the law to it. The new creation enjoys the grace of God.
The scriptural text above says it is God’s forgiveness that causes us to fear {revere} Him. It is not His judgment. This sounds contradictory. I thought that you take people for granted when they easily forgive. I thought that it is the man with the cane that is feared and not the one with a heart of love. This situation is true in the natural; but when you understand true love of God, then you will understand the power of the love that keeps you from sin.
In John 8, we are told that a woman caught in adultery received forgiveness and was offered the gift of no condemnation from Jesus. I guarantee you that the woman left feeling relieved and she most likely held the Lord in awe throughout her life. She knew the law against adultery and obviously expected to be stoned to death. I can imagine her with her eyes closed expecting the first stone to land on her head but nothing happened. Rather, what she heard was the voice of the Master asking, ‘’woman where are thine accusers? I am sure that woman had died several times in her head because she expected the stoning and not forgiveness.
Beloved, the love of God reached out to that woman caught in adultery and she was totally forgiven. She could never understand how she was delivered from sudden and untimely death. That is grace at work. The good news is that Jesus has already paid for all your sins on the cross of Calvary. When He bled on that old rugged cross, He paid the supreme sacrifice that could ever be paid. He died, went to hell, defeated the devil and was raised triumphantly on the third day in power and glory.
Don’t you ever forget that the Father poured out all His wrath on His only begotten Son and He has no more wrath to pour on you. When Jesus died, He said ‘IT IS FINISHED’. Beloved, indeed it is finished; the devil no longer has power to condemn you. You are free and free indeed. All you need do is to appropriate the love of God and receive the gift of righteousness by faith. You may not feel forgiven, but this has nothing to do with your feelings. The truth is that you have been forgiven and the devil cannot do anything about it.
I encourage you to stop walking around with your face down because of guilt. There is so much God has in stock for you that the devil wants you to lose when you walk around in ignorance. Arise today and enforce the devil’s defeat. Stand your ground on the promises of God and they will come to pass in your life. You have nothing to fear because you have the victory. When God says fear not, it is because he knows that you have a tendency to be afraid so He goes ahead of the devil to say ‘’Fear not’’. God does not just say fear not and leave it hanging. No! He says fear not because the challenges you saw yesterday you will see no more forever. Beloved, when God delivers, He delivers totally. You are free. You have been discharged, acquitted, case closed and no appeal.
Beloved, as you go into this week may the Lord cause His face to shine upon you, grant you peace on every side and uphold you with His mighty outstretched Hand. I will hear your testimony. I bless you. Maranatha!
In His Royal Service,
Dr. Mike Okonkwo, The Presiding Bishop
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