Tag Archives: surrender

What Can Wash Away My Sin

Sunday at church, we sang the 150-year-old hymn, “Nothing But The Blood of Jesus.” I felt the Lord impress this message on my heart in a new way.

As I sang, “What can wash away my sin?”, I felt the Holy Spirit reveal to me the many ways I have tried to wash away my sin in my life — the substitutes I have tried to manufacture to make me … to make the situation… right on my own.

As we asked this question through song yesterday, “What can wash away my sin?”, I felt this reminder come to my mind…

Nothing can wash away my sin…

– Not perfection.

– Not performance.

– Not good works.

– Not secrecy or denial.

– Not self-righteousness.

– Not shame.

– Not alcohol.

– Not starvation.

– Not time.

“Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

There is absolutely nothing that zeroes out our sin and makes us righteous and clean again but the blood of Jesus. Even our very best is like filthy rags compared to His holiness: “How then can we be saved? All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away” (Isaiah 64:5b-6).

Yet, He made a way to make us right again – by sacrificing Himself on the cross — sinless and spotless – for our sins. All we must do is believe in Jesus as our Savior to be made right with God. His blood is all we need.

Here is how we know we are made right: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:8-10).

I have worked in vain, spinning my wheels, striving to make things better in my own strength or make the pain go away. But it has been futile. Because the truth is, not a single thing can wash away my sins but Jesus, and that is exactly what He came to earth to do for me and for you.

His goodness and His kindness is real, and it brings me to tears. I am made right again by His blood — only His blood. Thank you, Jesus.

Courage

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

Anything that you have been called to do will require you to be courageous – whether it is waking up in the morning or living out a calling that exceeds your experience. In today’s world, even smiling at a stranger requires courage. To stand with the Lord and rebuke darkness takes courage in a dark world. Everything requires courage.

Meanwhile, our nervous systems are overstimulated and easily triggered. The weirdness of the world, even in just a single moment in a public setting, could trigger us. But we cannot back down… not from our calling, not from our kindness, not from showing up.

The older I get, the more I realize courage is like a muscle. It develops as we trust God, believe that He is with us, and that He indeed fights our battles for us. It grows by pressing ahead through obstacles and seeing victories by the power of God.

I say it regularly, and I will say it again today — to you and me both: Do not be bullied out of your calling. Do not allow others to scare you off of the path God has placed you on. Ask God for courage. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself – to speak truth – when you need to. And keep pressing forward.

Don’t Back Down.

Have you ever walked into a meeting, feeling the palpable tension in the room — difficult dynamics and confusion? Or entered an event with a pit in your stomach knowing someone there was ever-ready to antagonize? Ever experienced a confounding – even dramatic – situation that could easily have been pleasant?

Some situations and relationships cause us to ask ourselves and God a lot of questions, like… Why? Why does it have to be like this? How do I navigate this? Should I even bother showing up? Or should I just give up and throw in the towel ? Maybe I should back down?

I have admittedly thrown in the towel on some pretty major things in my past because it felt easier. But the Lord has been developing spiritual and mental fortitude in me. And today, I feel led to encourage you with this:

Step up. Don’t back down. God is preparing a way for you.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:5-6).

You have everything you need walking into that environment. He has prepared a place for you. And His goodness, love, and protection are far greater and longer lasting than the antagonism you are up against.

Don’t be bullied out of your calling. Do not forfeit your calling to quiet your nervous system, or those loud voices used by the enemy. Choose to hear the voice of God, your Father and Lord, louder than the antagonism of the enemy.

Trust God more than you fear the enemy.

God says you can. The enemy says you can’t. But, make no mistake, God is more powerful. Jesus conquered death and has the victory over all. And so do you when you yield to the Lord and look for His approval only.

So, be brave. Be confident, knowing God’ love and goodness follows you everywhere — in that meeting, at that event, in that encounter. He has called you to show up, and He is making a way for you.

So pull up to the table, knowing you have access to the wisdom of God in that moment by yielding to and drawing from the Holy Spirit. The Lord is available to you in that moment through His Spirit, and you lack absolutely nothing with His love in and around you.

Releasing a Dream

I feel encouraged to share this today…

That exciting thing you wanted, that God said “no” to, that you continue to process and feel hurt by, may not be what He was saying “no” to at all.

It may have been the crippling debt, distraction, time loss, physical exhaustion, illness, and hindrance to your priorities and true area of calling that He was actually saying no to.

After all, He is your Protector and Provider. He sees more than each of us, and He loves you too much to let your life and calling go to waste.

Let this one go. He has better. It’s coming.

A Prayer of Surrender

Are you feeling broken? I invite you to pray this prayer of surrender with me today.

Dear God,

I feel broken some days. Today is one of those days. But I know I will be okay, because you are with me – inside me, beside me, and before me. You are even behind me. You have held my hand through all of life’s struggles.

And I know that, just because I am broken doesn’t mean I am discarded or disqualified.

You used the broken throughout history, all throughout the Bible. And you accomplished great things by your power at work through them.

So I surrender my way, my brokenness, my ideas, my solutions, my insecurities and my pain. And I ask you to put your love, your strength, and your power inside me. Pluck me off my course and set me on your way. Direct me on your path.

I thank you, Lord, for using me, even as a broken vessel. And I thank you for healing me. I am dependent on you in every way. I thank you that you are my Provider, providing in every area.

I give you my day, my week, my month, and my life. Have your way, Father. Use me to be a part of your redeeming work on the earth. May your name be heard louder and lifted higher than any other name or word from my mouth.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.