My friend, you are taking too much of a load on your own shoulders. Too often we think that God is letting us suffer just a little longer until we, “do a little more good”, “go to church a few more times”, or “do ANYTHING to earn His favor”. Thinking in this way is prideful. It pretends like you can do anything to add to the price that Jesus already paid.
That is a lie straight from the pit of hell. It is Satan that, “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Jesus even said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
He was clear about what He expected of us throughout the scriptures. He told us that we should rely on Him and Him alone. In fact, one of the best examples of this is in Psalm 46:10, where we are instructed to, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Understand this never had anything to do with you from that standpoint.
You are trying to take on a load, you were never meant to carry. Jesus told you personally,
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
He wants you to lay down your own burdens and take up His yoke. His is an easy one to carry. His, is a yoke of faith. We simply have to believe. Believe that Jesus is God’s son. Believe He died on the cross to save us from our own sins. Believe that He was raised again on the third day, thereby conquering death and the grave. Believe that because of faith and faith ALONE, you are sanctified, blood-bought, free from sin, and robed in His righteousness.
You must also believe that He is in control. For “we know that God causes all things to work together for His glory and the good of those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28). We also know this, because the bible declares that God establishes our steps. “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, And He delights in his way.” (Psalm 37:23)
In Hebrews 11:6, Paul even tells us that the angels in Heaven are “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to those who would inherit salvation.” However, even though these truths are all truths, they are not so, in our own lives, until we declare it, in our own lives.
Take the example given to us in the Psalms.
“I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!”
Psalm 91:2
You need to declare, to the heavens, to God Himself, that He is your refuge and your fortress. Your God in whom YOU trust. Stand on that declaration make sure that Heaven knows, in your heart, there is no doubt. Declare this truth in your life.
Know that, with the faith that you have in Jesus, once you have confessed your sins, regardless of how many, regardless of how often, regardless of how many times they were repeated:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9
At this point, you are totally free from the past. It is finished. It died on the cross. That part of you was buried with Him through baptism. You were raised to walk with Him in newness of life… So live that new life. Take it. Accept it as a gift from Him. That is why He suffered and bled so much. So that you wouldn’t have to be stuck, in the clutches of the enemy.
As you go forward, the Lord has given me these verses, to give to you. One is intended to impress upon you a way of life. The other is intended to be a daily reminder about your future.
Your new path in life:
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
James 4:7
A daily reminder about your future:
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6
So, my friend, if you want to please God, you must:
- Believe that He is
- Believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him
If you are truly seeking God… then you can’t even please Him without believing that He wants to reward you PERSONALLY!!!
If that isn’t good news, then I don’t know what the word Gospel means.