Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth , nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This verse just makes me want to shout, "AMEN!" But isn't it frustrating how Satan knows exactly where to hit us to make us doubt? And then he is so good at kicking us while we are down. I, unfortunately, had this experience very recently. I was feeling a little worried about a particular situation and then Satan pounced and made me feel like an enormous loser. He was feeding me lies that he knew I would believe, because they are the same lies I always fall for. Thankfully, I was able to spend some time with God in quiet solitude. I was reminded that no matter what Satan throws at me, I will never be separated from the love of God because I have Christ Jesus living in me. Anytime I begin to feel down, or frustrated, or upset, or worried about any situation, the following has become my mantra, "Well, at least my salvation is secure!" What relief and peace it brings me! The security of my salvation is a truth that renders Satan powerless. His lies will not stand in the face of the truth that God has saved me through Jesus' death on the cross, and the hope I have in his resurrection is the future glory in which I will have a part. As soon as I say those words, "well, at least my salvation is secure", Satan flees. His power is completely lost at that moment and I am empowered to tell someone of the lies he has been feeding me, which brings even deeper peace by shining light into the darkness. Praise be to God for He has made a way through His son, Jesus. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!! Is He yours?
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. This is a post for Mom. She is the embodiment of these words written by Paul. When I think of Mom and who God created her to be, this is it. Each of these phrases describes her perfectly. Mom learned very early on in her walk with Jesus to let Him have His way in her life. Who she is and has been to people is the testament to that. Her patience with a super naughty 2-year old, namely me, rivaled that of Job. I don't ever remember her getting angry. Quite frankly, Mom and the word angry in the same sentence is laughable. She never bragged or boasted about us (even though we know she's proud of us) because that wouldn't be showing love to her listener. Mom was never rude, she was always serving others, and she was never judgmental of anyone, no matter their past or
I loved reading this. It all sounded so familiar. I really wrestle with the security of my salvation when I blow it. Especially when I'm ashamed of what I did and feel like how could God still love me when I failed Him so badly. I had begun to believe that the righteousness of Christ in me would be withdrawn because of my sin. I think actually that I knew He still loved me because God is love, but how much would He put up with in His wayward child before He withdrew His love or worse yet His righteousness from me. I would question at what point do I lose my righteousness. If I could just get that my salvation is secure those moments wouldn't be so tormenting. Thanks Abbie, I love your mom and dad and I miss your grandma Betty. She was my favorite lady at church in Jamison.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comment! I love when God moves in exactly the right way to help us see the truth. Grandma Betty was an amazing lady. :-)
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