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...

  " And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever He chose ." -Hebrews 2:4 Have you ever asked God for something big in your life? Maybe financial freedom, bodily healing, or the dream of having a child. The prayers that seem biggest to us are truly nothing for God. But many times we forget that. In the midst of our tear-filled prayers, we act as if our requests are too hard, complex, or big for even God Himself. And if this line of thinking is prolonged, our doubts will fool us into believing that perhaps God does not want to answer our prayers...that miracles are a thing of ages past. But the record of Scripture shows a different picture. All throughout God's Word we see a God who brings water from a rock (Ex 17:5-6), fights against our enemies (2 Kings 19:35), and heals those fighting illnesses and in bondage to evil spirits (Matt 8:16). We, through our own weakness and unbelief, oftentimes place G...

  "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...