Graveclothes

 Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." What a powerful promise. How much of a reality are these words for us?

It's been said, "If you don't know the truth, how will you ever recognize the lie?" Do we, in our day to day living, really know the difference between His truth and the enemy's lies? What is it that we really believe about the Father, the Son, His Holy Spirit.....and ourselves? Are we believing the truth....or a lie? Have we lost the ability to discern the difference between His truth and the devil's lies? Have we ever even had the ability to do so?

Jesus also made another potent promise: I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly." There is no promise He makes that He's not able to bring to pass for us. Has He been able to bring this promise to pass for you? The abundance He promises is far more than material or financial. We can have an abundance of these yet still live barren,empty lives. If we are His, we're promised an overflowing supply of His spiritual riches. Joy, peace, strength, hope, victory, and on and on. If we lack these, could it be that we have accepted the lies of the enemy over the truth of His Word and life? Jesus called Satan a thief, one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy, the father of lies. He ceaselessly seeks to steal, kill, and destroy the life Christ gives us. Life, hope, joy, dreams. Where has he robbed you? 

Freedom. Abundance. Two promises among hundreds, given and sealed by His blood. Why are they so absent from our faith lives? Why is the devil, the thief, so effective in getting us to believe his lies against the truth of Jesus Christ? Why do we exchange the truth for a lie?

I think a deep reason that we do is found in that while we know who He is, even what he's said, we don't know Him. We don't know His heart. The enemy has been very effective in slandering His name, not only to the lost, but even to those who say they follow Him. We don't really know Him so we never really enter into the fullness of His promises. We live on breadcrumbs instead of His Living Bread. We guzzle the stagnant water of the world instead of drinking freely of the Living Water of His Life. We just can't trust in the goodness of God. Satan practiced this deception in the Garden and it's been a very effective scheme ever since. How well has it been working on you?

In His earthly ministry, Jesus would often ask the ones He reached out to, "Do you believe Me? Do you believe what I say? Do you believe I am able to do this?" He still asks. He is asking it right now with you and me. When Jesus called Lazarus out of his tomb, He had his grave clothes removed. He'd been bound and couldn't move. He needed to be free of his graveclothes. Too many of us, though called to Him, still wear the grave clothes of our old life. Let Him cut them away. Come forth and be free. Be whole. Be His. Fully His.

Blessings,
Pastor O