Have you been condemned by others? Have you condemned yourself? Do you feel unworthy? Do you feel doomed to failure? Do you feel imprisoned by a plethora of small infractions that have piled up to create walls?
We are often our own harshest critic. We know each and every tiny failure. We hold those failures against ourselves, remembering even the smallest infraction from years ago. We allow them to stack up until we are surrounded by high walls of them.
We may remember borrowing a dime from a fellow fifth grader and never repaying it. We may remember foolishly drinking ourselves into oblivion over a lost relationship. We may remember a violent reaction caused by anger. We may remember being extremely rude to a store clerk because we were in a bad mood.
What can we do about these past sins and memories? First, we can accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Second, we can take comfort that He does not condemn us for those past transgressions. We may not be able to forget them, but they no longer need to be prison walls that keep us from moving forward in our faith.
We must remember that Satan will continue to throw those memories in our face, telling us we are not worthy. We also must remember that Jesus says, “I know all about them, and I have forgiven you.” We no longer stand condemned but freed from our past. We can move forward with obeying Christ and living the life He wants us to live—a life of freedom.
I pray we all know we are no longer condemned. I pray we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. I pray each one of us lives the life Jesus wants us to live, a life in Him, a life of freedom. You are no longer condemned. You are free of past sins. Step out on a positive note. Follow the path Christ has laid out for you. Live a life of freedom.
Romans 8:1-3a Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.
Marty Pressey 