Romans 4:7–8 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
Some people think that if they were more “right” with God, then He would hear their prayers. For example, they sometimes believe that if they had not quarreled with their wives or had those bad thoughts earlier in the day, then God would answer their prayers.
God is not like that. He wants you to know beyond any doubt that you can always come to His throne of grace with boldness and have every confidence that you will receive His mercy and grace. (Hebrews 4:16) You see, because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, you are already right with God. You don’t need to do anything to make yourself more right with God.
In fact, by faith in Jesus, you have received the righteousness of God Himself! (2 Corinthians 5:21) And no matter how many mistakes you make, you will never lose that righteousness because in the first place, God gave it to you apart from your works. (Romans 4:5–6) In other words, God did not impute righteousness to you because you were good, but because you believed in Jesus.
Because of what Jesus has done for you at the cross, all your sins—past, present and future—are forgiven. God will by no means ever remember your sins or count them against you! (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17)
My friend, because Jesus has been punished for your sins, today, God is not counting your sins against you. This means that your sins won’t stop Him from hearing and responding to your prayers. So you can always run into His presence knowing that you can boldly stand in and enjoy His presence and His love.
When you know this truth, it is going to set you free in your relationship with God. You can talk to Him without fear or any sense of condemnation. You can practice His presence and trust that He always hears you. Should something happen at home or at work, you don’t always have to call for your church leaders—you pray and God hears you!
Beloved, you are righteous in Christ and God hears your prayers—all because of Jesus!
Thought For The Day
Because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, you are already right with God. So when you pray, God hears you!.
WHEN GOD FEELS DISTANT ...
'The Lord has hidden Himself...but I trust Him.' Isaiah 8:17 GNT
Does God feel distant? Floyd McClung writes: ‘You wake up one morning and all your “spiritual feelings” are gone. You pray, but nothing happens. You resist the devil, but it doesn’t change anything. You go through spiritual exercises, have your friends pray for you, confess every sin you can imagine, then go around asking forgiveness of everyone you know. You fast; still nothing. You begin to wonder how long this spiritual gloom will last. It feels like your prayers bounce off the ceiling. In utter frustration you cry out: “What’s the matter with me?”
This is a normal part of the testing and maturing of your friendship with God. We all go through it. It’s painful, but it’s absolutely vital to developing your faith. You see, God is always present, even when you are unaware of Him. His presence is too profound to be measured by intellect or emotion. He’s more concerned that you trust Him than that you feel Him. Faith, not feelings, is what pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). You ask, “So what can I do?” Isaiah answers, “The Lord has hidden Himself…but I trust Him.” Focus on God’s unchanging love and faithfulness. Cling to His promises. During times of spiritual dryness, rest on His Word, not your feelings. Realise that He’s taking you to a deeper level of maturity. Any friendship based strictly on emotion is shallow indeed. So don’t be troubled by trouble—God’s grace is still in full force! He’s with you even when you don’t feel Him.’ His word to you today is, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ (Hebrews 13:5 NIV)
FOCUS ON WHAT YOU HAVE
Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. - Ecclesiastes 5:18, NKJV
The scripture talks about how God has given us the power to enjoy what is allotted to us. That simply means another person doesn’t have the power to enjoy your life. You may have more success, more money, more friends and a better job, but if you put another person in your life, they are not going to enjoy it like you. We are each uniquely designed to run our own race.
When we truly understand and embrace this, we won’t be tempted to compare or wish we had what someone else has. You won’t think, “If only I had their talent...” No, if God wanted you to have that talent, He would have given it to you. Instead, take what you have and develop it. Make the most of it. Don’t think, “If only I had her looks...” No, God gave you your looks. That’s not an accident. The life you have has been perfectly matched for you.
Now, you’ve got to do your part and get excited about your life. Be excited about who you are — your looks, your talent, your ability, your personality. When you’re passionate about who you are, it brings honor to God. That’s when God will breathe in your direction and the seeds of greatness in you will take root and begin to flourish!
NO QUEUES AT HIS THRONE
Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them… - Matthew 19:13–14
In this hectic, everybody-for-himself world that we live in, your friends and colleagues may not have time for you. Sometimes, even your loved ones may not have time for you. But don’t despair—Jesus always has time for you! Whether you come to Him at noon, in the night or in the wee hours of the morning, He has time for you!
“But Pastor, there are millions of believers on this planet vying for His time!”
My friend, God being God lives outside of time. Whenever you come to His throne of grace, it’s as if you are the only child there—you have His undivided attention, love and care! You’ll never find a crowd there and Jesus telling you, “Take a queue number and wait for your turn.”
So what is troubling you today? Do you have a pressing need to bring to Him or do you just want to pour your heart out to Him? Whatever your need is, just go to Him right now like a little child. He has all the time to listen to you, provide for every one of your needs and love you into wholeness!
PILATE VIOLATES THE TRUTH
Matthew 27:17 "Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, 'Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ'"?
Although Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, he looked for some diplomatic way to release Jesus that would not cause him to lose popularity with the Jewish leaders. This is why he sent Jesus to Herod. He hoped that Herod would pass judgment on Jesus and save him the trouble.
When that scheme failed, Pilate drew on an old custom of releasing a prisoner to the people at the feast. He gave them a choice between Jesus, who he knew was innocent, and Barabbas, who was a murderer. Pilate thought that the crowd would certainly choose Jesus. However, through the insistence of the chief priests and scribes, the people chose Barabbas to be released.
Pilate was now out of ideas as to how to let Jesus go, and still save face with the Jews, so he condemned Jesus to death. Pilate violated what he knew to be true in his heart because of a fear of men (Prov. 29:25) and what he thought they might do to him. Without the chief priests' cooperation, he ran the risk of unrest among the Jews, and possible punishment by Caesar for failing to govern well.
As it turned out, Pilate was deposed anyway, just a few years later by Tiberius Caesar, and died in exile in Gaul in A.D. 41. At the most, Pilate gained a five-year extension of his troubled rule, and damned his soul in the process. What a person compromises to keep, he'll lose. Sin is never worth the price
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