choice.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Romans 8:1

Condemnation.
katakrima is the greek for condemnation and it literally means "sentenced and damned." Once you become a Christian, you are no longer a damned sinner. You are justified by Jesus' blood and have become free through His sacrifice.

Have you ever let that permeate into your heart, mind, and soul? Do you see what this means? The devil has so trapped Christians into the mindset of the world. How many Christians do you see who are struggling for a "life lived to the fullest" like Jesus promised and can't seem to let themselves be found in the shelter of His wings?

WHEN YOU ARE IN CHRIST YOU ARE FREE.

You are free to do and be anything that follows God's commandments. What are God's commandments? Easy.

"'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: "Love your neighbor as yourself." There is no commandment greater than these.'"

You see, when you're walking in His counsel and getting to know Him through His word, every single issue you face can be resolved by these two commandments. The two greatest commandments are to love!

In life you will have choices, but what I think a lot of Christians don't realize is that when you are IN Christ, WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE, YOUR CHOICES WILL BE GOD'S WILL FOR YOU. Whatever you do, as long as you're walking with Christ, you will be in His will.

So. Our only choice and the deal breaker for all things: You either follow God or you don't. When you have a relationship with Christ you may not know the road exactly, but you definitely know where He doesn't want you to go. Your job then is to choose God and let all the details fall into place. When you're in Christ, there are good choices, and there are better choices, and there are the best choices. He wants the best for you, but it's your call.

Never before has "you reap what you sow" been so powerful in my life. All the waiting, praying, hoping, wishing, and long nights pay off. God is faithful. And He will reveal to you His plans and your next step when you delight yourself in His mercy. When your heart is your guide and your heart is in love with the Lord, your feet are sure. So, be free! Make choices for yourself and stop worrying! God has you in His hands. Shout for joy because He's freed us NOW and will continue to make us Holy through His holy Son!

Be sanctified. Be loved. Be His.

And, always remember, NOW there is no condemnation when you're in Christ.

fear.

We've all heard the story of the wind and the waves calmed by Jesus. It's a great story of how Jesus can come to our rescue in storms or save us when we're scared, but it's a lot more than that. The Bible says that Jesus rebuked the wind and came to the disciples' rescue, but then scolded them for having so little faith. They were fearful and "timid" (original Greek, "deilos") They were not only afraid of the storm, but they doubted that Jesus could save them.

For His strength is made perfect in weakness, not in timidity. God gave us all a spirit of strength, power, and self-discipline, not timidity. Not fear. He's called us to be strong and courageous.

How many times have we been so caught up in the storm and doubted that Jesus was able to get us out of it? How many times do we just take the Devil's lie that it's a given that Jesus won't save us? It's a sad trick that the enemy uses against us and it's the opposite of Jesus' joyful, grace-filled, and holy lifestyle we crave. Life to the fullest, God promised us that and "not one of all the Lord's promises...failed; every one was fulfilled." He promises to fulfill His promises. I'm tired of typing promises now. But let that sink in! PROMISED security. PROMISED rescue. PROMISED atonement. PROMISED sanctification. PROMISED justification. PROMISED life to the fullest.

Those covenants should wipe the fear right out of our guts. But it doesn't always, does it? I wonder what we have to do to get it out of us. You know what? We can't lose the fear ourselves. We're not good enough. We are sinful and fallen, that's why we fear life. And that's what makes Christ's love so scary. And amazing. We aren't, and will never be good enough for God, but He loves us regardless because He can see what we were originally created to be. Because of Jesus, God doesn't see all the sins, those are washed away, He sees His image and He works with us to make us more and more like Him everyday. Only Jesus can work that fear out of us.

The only healthy fear is the fear of God. But it's not a "God's going to strike me dead any minute" fear. Instead, it's a fear of disappointing Him. Be afraid because you're His reflection, not because you're afraid He can't calm the storm.

"Oh, you of little faith, why do you doubt?" -Jesus (Matthew 14:31

"Be strong and courageous; do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10