Dirty Bible, Clean Heart

  " For sin shall no longer be your master , because you are not under the law but under grace..." -Romans 6:14      There is a common unspoken belief amongst Christians that we cannot overcome sin. That somehow the victory that Jesus purchased is only enough to cleanse our sins yet not to give us power over them. I say unspoken because most would not openly admit to this belief, yet our actions agree to it. We go through life with this invisible sign on our backs that says  "I will try my best to live a godly Christian life because since I was born in sin, all I can really do is try and because God knows I'm only human, He won't expect anything more from me." Yet the death and resurrection of Jesus did more than just wipe our slate clean. God not only defeated death and sin but also gave us believers the power to overcome those very sins which once enslaved us (1 Cor 6:11). And not just some small sins either, the cross gives us power over all manner of...

  "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more .” -Heb 8:12      What's the worst thing you've done? Or that has been done to you? The event or sin you're constantly replaying in your mind and repeating in the prayer closet. I think most of us want to believe that God forgives each of our sins but oftentimes our words & actions/inactions betray us. We proclaim God's forgiveness but  continue reminding the Lord of our past failures each time they come to mind. But is this God's desire for us? To continue in an earthly state of "purgatory" until we've paid our debt? Until we feel enough guilt and shame for what we have done? Did not Jesus die for this very reason? Does not the Bible say that "God made H im who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:21).  So if the Lord already paid the price for our sins taking upon Himself any shame attached, how do w...

"David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife ..." -Matt 1:6 We live in a pessimistic world. Regardless of how many motivational speakers and life coaches we hear, our society bombards us with negative messages. From a young age we are subconsciously led to believe that our past determines our future and habits create our identity. For example, we do not say a person "has a drinking problem" but most times we say "he/she is an alcoholic". The habit becomes the identity. So we walk through life carrying the invisible baggage of our sins and mistakes. But God is bigger than our choices & past failures, regardless of how bad it may seem (i.e. Saul became Paul). Sins & mistakes do not derail God's purpose for us . God's plan is not a rigid line from point A to B. Usually, as a result of our free will, it becomes a curvy road with detours along the way. And though some of these detours were not in the original outline of o...