Micah 7:19: “You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.” (NKJV)

Ephesians 1:7: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (NKJV)

Hebrews 8:12: “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (NKJV)

Colossians 1:20-22: “…having made peace through the blood of His cross…to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.” (NKJV)

1 John 1:7: “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (NKJV)

1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (NKJV)

What do all these Scriptures have in common? OUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN! (Yes, I meant to shout!).

There is a subtle game that the enemy of our faith seeks to play with our minds. He is constantly trying to get us to focus on ourselves; our sin, the fact that we are sinners. This of course is true; we are sinners. And yes, we should seek the forgiveness of God for our sins. However, if we know Christ, then all our sins are forgiven. And this is what we often forget.

The enemy of our faith seeks to condemn us for sins already forgiven. Its called false guilt. He wants us to feel guilty for sins already forgiven so we focus on our sins instead of focusing on our Savior!

It’s also pride. When we constantly focus on our sins, telling others what a sinners we are, we are drawing attention to ourselves instead of Jesus.

We should be rejoicing in the salvation God has provided for us in Christ! When we sin, we do need to confess and ask God for forgiveness. But we should immediately rejoice, for He has cleansed us! That is the Gospel, the Good News! Jesus Christ came to save sinners. To save sinners!

He does not remember our sins, so don’t you remember them either. He will never bring them up again, so don’t you bring them up again.

Corrie Ten Boom said of Micah 7:19, “He has cast our sins into the depth of the sea and posted a sign that says ‘no fishing.’” I love that! Such wonderful wisdom from the Holy Spirit.

Don’t go fishing today. Rest in the Glorious Salvation God has given you through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We are forgiven! Never forget that.

“A dead religion uses the words of God to do the opposite of what God does. It’s grotesque when you think about it. It’s demonic. Keep in mind that when someone says ‘I am a Christian’ it may mean absolutely nothing.” – Eric Metaxas

“The stiff and wooden quality about out religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain.” – A. W. Tozer

“The Gospel which talks much about faith and little about repentance will be free from offence, and will certainly be much easier to preach, but it will be deprived of all heavenly power. For the preacher to say, “peace, peace,” when there is no peace is to make himself an ally of unrighteousness, and to make himself guilty of allowing indulgence in sin.” – Alan Redpath

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine.” – D.L. Moody

“I believe that if there is one thing which pierces the Master’s heart with unutterable grief it is not the world’s iniquity but the church’s indifference.” – F. B. Meyer

How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer’s never- ceasing intercession for us. When we pray, He pleads for us; and when we are not praying, He is advocating our cause, and by His supplications shielding us from unseen dangers.

Notice the word of comfort addressed to Peter — “Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat; but” —what? “But go and pray for yourself.” That would be good advice, but it is not so written. Neither does he say, “But I will keep you watchful, and so you shall be preserved.” That were a great blessing. No, it is, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.”

We little know what we owe to our Saviour’s prayers. When we reach the hill-tops of heaven, and look back upon all the way whereby the Lord our God hath led us, how we shall praise Him who, before the eternal throne, undid the mischief which Satan was doing upon earth.

How shall we thank Him because He never held His peace, but day and night pointed to the wounds upon His hands, and carried our names upon His breastplate! Even before Satan had begun to tempt, Jesus had forestalled him and entered a plea in heaven. Mercy outruns malice.

Mark, He does not say, “Satan hath desired to have you.” He checks Satan even in his very desire, and nips it in the bud. He does not say, “But I have desired to pray for you.” No, but “I have prayed for you: I have done it already; I have gone to court and entered a counterplea even before an accusation is made.”

O Jesus, what a comfort it is that thou hast pleaded our cause against our unseen enemies; countermined their mines, and unmasked their ambushes. Here is a matter for joy, gratitude, hope, and confidence.

(from Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 1999, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

My two dogs love to run free. Whenever I go for a run, I’ll open up the gate and they both come running to the car. Like little kids, they fight for the front seat, (though usually the weimaraner gets it over the retriever). Those dogs know that I’m about to drive them to an open canyon where they can run free, and they love it. But when I take them for walks, it’s a different story.

I’ll open up the gate, and as soon as they see the leash, they’re both perfectly still. No excitement, no fighting to see who’s first — they don’t like the leash. But without a leash, they’d run way out ahead of me, or out into the street, and get themselves into all kinds of trouble. Without a leash, they would never walk close to me.

Sometimes the Lord allows us to experience pain and suffering so we’ll learn to walk closer to Him. Like a leash, trials teach us obedience.

Joseph was a man who knew pain and suffering. He had been abandoned by his family, shunned and almost killed by his brothers, rejected by his boss, abandoned by his friends, and forgotten by his enemies. At the age of 17, he found himself in a foreign land where he didn’t know one person, and didn’t speak the language. He’d been abused, imprisoned, and mocked. By age 30, he very likely could have been a bitter, hardened criminal. But he wasn’t. Not by a long shot.

Thirteen years after being abandoned by his brothers, Joseph had developed such a close relationship with God that he held no grudges or bitterness. In fact, he had such wisdom from God that Pharaoh appointed him the most powerful man in all of Egypt. At age 30, he sat at the most powerful place on the planet, and was able to rule millions of people with wisdom.

I’m sure Joseph must have wondered many times, while sitting in a dark jail cell, “Why God?” Have you ever found yourself asking God that question? “Why am I suffering like this?” I sure have. But God doesn’t give us the big picture, because it would require no faith on our part. Had God told Joseph that He was going to make him the ruler of the most powerful, most advanced nation in the world, Joseph would not have developed such a tender heart, and would not have learned to rely on God. He would have sat waiting for a paycheck, an entitlement that was “due” him. Instead, he learned obedience and acquired wisdom, both of which would equip him for the daunting tasks that lay ahead of him.

You see, when we suffer trials, God is at work. Romans 8:28 says that “in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Sometimes it will take thirteen years to see what God has been doing all along, but like Joseph, we must learn obedience through the suffering.

When we get to the end of our lives, myself included, we’re going to kick ourselves that we didn’t spend more time with the Lord. We’re going to wish we’d spent more time praying, serving, learning from His Word, and fellowshipping with Him. Today, whatever your circumstances, learn to walk closely with God.

In a few moments the day will arrive.
It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun.
The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day.
The calm of the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the
human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded
by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands.
It is now that I must make a choice.
Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love…
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness,
I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy…
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical… the tool of the lazy
thinker.
I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings,
created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less
than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace…
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience…
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so.
Rather than complaining that the wait is too long,
I will thank God for a moment to pray.
Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments,
I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness…
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.
Kind to the rich, for they are afraid.
And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness…
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one.
I will be overlooked before I will boast.
I will confess before I will accuse.
I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness…
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust.
My associates will not question my word.
My loved ones will not question my love.
And my children will never fear that their parent will not come home.

I choose gentleness…
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control…
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control.
I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ.
I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks.
If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then when this day is done,
I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

- Unknown

“If you go forward in the spirit of the original apostles and followers of Jesus Christ, trusting not in man but in the living God, He will enable you to pull down the strong holds of sin and Satan, and that work by which He is pleased will prosper in your hands.” – Adam Clarke

“The best place any Christian can ever be in is to be totally destitute and totally dependant upon God, and know it.” – Alan Redpath

“Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things, ‘above all that we ask or think.’ Each time, before you Intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things!” – Andrew Murray

“Our God is Jehovah of hosts, who can summon unexpected reinforcements at any moment to aid His people. Believe that He is there between you and your difficulty, and what baffles you will flee before Him, as clouds before the gale.” – F. B. Meyer

“The only way to learn strong faith is to endure great trials.” – George Muller

“When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon glaring sun,
When I stand with Christ in glory,
Looking o’er life’s finished story,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know -
Not till then – how much I owe.” – Robert Murray M’Cheyne

That strength which God gives to His Josephs is real strength; it is not a boasted valour, a fiction, a thing of which men talk, but which ends in smoke; it is true divine strength. Why does Joseph stand against temptation? Because God gives him aid. There is nought that we can do without the power of God. All true strength comes from “the mighty God of Jacob.”

Notice in what a blessedly familiar way God gives this strength to Joseph–“The arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob.” Thus God is represented as putting His hands on Joseph’s hands, placing His arms on Joseph’s arms. Like as a father teaches his children, so the Lord teaches them that fear Him. He puts His arms upon them. Marvelous condescension! God Almighty, Eternal, Omnipotent, stoops from His throne and lays His hand upon the child’s hand, stretching His arm upon the arm of Joseph, that he may be made strong! This strength was also covenant strength, for it is ascribed to “the mighty God of Jacob.” Now, wherever you read of the God of Jacob in the Bible, you should remember the covenant with Jacob.

Christians love to think of God’s covenant. All the power, all the grace, all the blessings, all the mercies, all the comforts, all the things we have, flow to us from the well-head, through the covenant. If there were no covenant, then we should fail indeed; for all grace proceeds from it, as light and heat from the sun. No angels ascend or descend, save upon that ladder which Jacob saw, at the top of which stood a covenant God. Christian, it may be that the archers have sorely grieved you, and shot at you, and wounded you, but still your bow abides in strength; be sure, then, to ascribe all the glory to Jacob’s God.

Charles Spurgeon

We exist by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

We labor by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

If you get outside of grace, there is only religion. Religion feels and looks good, but it can not save you…

Martin Luther said, “The default setting of the human heart is religion.” This is true.

Jesus Christ was the singular most anti religious person who ever has or will live.

We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Stay with God’s grace. Eschew religion. God is awesome!

Jon Clayton

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Jon’s blog can be found @ http://laboringinthelord.com/

I get it when I read that God loves me. Forgives me, too, which is more of a plus than I’ll ever realize. The question haunting me just about every day is, But does that mean He’s for me? To what extent, if any, can I expect Him to bless my efforts, open the doors I hope to go through, and provide the time, money and energy I need? In short, when Paul says we’re More than Conquerors, (Romans 8:37) is his definition the same as mine? Because of all the terms I’d slap onto myself these days, Conqueror wouldn’t be one of them. Too much stress; too many unfinished projects; too much daily scrambling to keep up with what was due last month. All of which leaves me tempted to say, If I’m a conqueror, then you’re a billionaire with 8% body fat. Let’s both dream.
But then again, what sort of men and women have traditionally conquered? Surely not the most perfect. Elijah, according to James, prayed for rain and drought, both of which came despite him being a man of like passions as the rest of us. (James 5:17-18) Peter walked on water in exhausted fear, not triumphal cockiness (Matthew 14: 24-31) and he (essentially) got it right. So did Abraham, Moses, Rahab and David, imperfect conquerors all. My hope rises.
And it gets better. When Joshua was commanded to lead Israel in its conquest of the Promised Land, God’s promises to His people and their leader were extravagant indeed: ownership of every square inch they walked on; an unstoppable status; guaranteed providence. (Joshua 1: 1-9) This was by no means a perfect people, as everything in their pre and post Joshua history proves. In fact, Christians who’ve been around the block a few years will easily recognize modern church squabbles and power plays in some of the problems Israel had. Yet they conquered. The word applied to them, accurately and plainly.
There are contingencies, sure. God qualified His promises to Joshua by reminding him of his need to keep the people fixed on His commandments and precepts (Joshua 1: 7-8) But there was also – and here let’s really think this through – a command to be courageous, confident and strong. (Joshua 1:6-7;9)
I can almost hear God saying, Don’t insult me by implying I don’t know what I’m doing when I call you. When it comes to vessels, I choose; you obey. Let’s keep the roles clear. Because of course, the fitness of the vessel has never determined the power of the Almighty. Yes, as stewards, we have a mandate to strive for holy obedience in every area of life, and as human stewards, we fail that mandate, to a point, daily. Still, the User, not the vessel, works His purposes, calling an imperfect conqueror to conquer, bringing all the more credit to the Creator rather than the created.
So today, Lord, give us the faith we need to walk boldly through the doors You’ve opened, trusting Your ability to complete Your purposes in us, and resting in the titles You placed on us, both as Conquerors and Beloved. Amen.
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You can visit Joe’s blog @ http://joedallas.com/blog/