God not only loves you but He really really likes you & enjoys you

"The greatest thing that ever happened to me, that literally changed everything for me, was when I got the revelation that God not only loved me but He really really enjoyed me & liked me. When I got that & realized that was true, literally all those little games I used to play with myself just fell away. I never ever went back to it. I don't go to bed at night & say "I'm sorry." And I did that for years, that's all I ever did. My whole prayer life was a series of forgive mes & I'm sorrys, that's all it was. It was just simply the revelation that God likes me that changed that.

Most of us have this idea of how God sees us because we're monitoring our sins. So we've got all these things in our mind that we're struggling with. You ask any Christian, "How you doing?" "Well I'm struggling brother. Pray for me." And he's usually got a list of 3 or 4 sinful things. They've got these little lists in their minds & know if Elijah were to appear & give them a word from the Lord it would be about one of those things.

That is kinda what happened to me. My friend Jay Dillon told me that he had a word for me. This guy is like always dead on. I had a list in my mind. I was freaking. I was so scared, I was doing nothing but praying night & day before I met him that he wouldn't reveal anything in front of my wife. That's how scared I was, I was terrified. I was sure he was going to say, "You're demonically oppressed. You are.." I had things I just knew he was going to say. When we met all he did was look at me straight in the eyes & say, "You have the heart of God. You love people. You have the heart of God."

Then I realized God is not looking at the things you think He is looking at. Church has taught us to be sin conscious. You cannot be sin conscious & ever know that you are loved by Him at the same time. They don't go together. The truth of what really happened at the cross is that your sins are no more. But we still keep counting them & trying to stop sinning. When you go down that sin conscious road you can't ever get the revelation of His love until you are willing to let that sin consciousness go. When you do it changes everything." -Darin Hufford

Transcribed from the Into the Wild Podcast Just Let It Go

Excerpt from Redemption by Andrew Wommack

Most people, including Christians, see the forgiveness of sins as something that God can do, and continues to do, but not as something He has completed. From that comes the false concept that we must constantly confess our sins, which makes and keeps us sin conscious. The New Testament presents the forgiveness of sins as something that is already accomplished and that the effect of this redemption is that we are not even to be conscious of sin (Heb. 10:1-2).

Ask yourself, what produced the forgiveness of sins and when did that happen? Jesus was the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the world (John 1:29). It was through the shedding of Jesus’ blood that you received redemption, which is the forgiveness of your sins (Eph. 1:7 and Col. 1:14).

When did Jesus die and shed His blood for our sins? About 2,000 years ago. He will never die again (Rom. 6:9-10). He dealt with the sins of the whole human race once, for all time (Heb. 9:25-28 and 10:10-14). Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins is already an accomplished work.

We don’t have to ask Jesus to forgive our sins; He’s already done it. Paul didn’t tell the Philippian jailor to ask Jesus to forgive him; Paul told him to believe on what Jesus had already done and he would be saved (Acts 16:31). We confess the Lord Jesus, not our sins, to receive this gift of salvation (Rom. 10:9).

We have received eternal, not momentary, redemption (Heb. 9:12). One sacrifice was made for all sin forever, and we have been perfected forever.

Whole Article found here http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/redemption

Excerpts from The Myth of Christian Leadership by Frank Viola

See Full Post Here:  The Myth of Christian Leadership

• There’s no hint of the clergy/laity or minister/layman schema in the history, teaching, or vocabulary of the New Testament. This schema is a religious artifact that stems from the postapostolic disjunction of secular and spiritual.
• In the secular/spiritual dichotomy, faith, prayer, and ministry are deemed the exclusive properties of an inner, sacrosanct world. A world that is detached from the whole fabric of life. But this disjunction is completely foreign to the New Testament ethos where all things are to bring glory to God—even the stuff of everyday life (1 Cor. 10:31).

• Leadership contains these elements:
• Persuasion & Influence
  
• Leadership is really nothing more than influence.
• Giving direction
• Leadership is showing others “the next step,” which goes along with persuasion and influence.
• Leadership “leads” or “points” to something/someone
• For the Christian, it always points to Christ. Either in faith or action. As Christians we lead/point/guide/direct people (both Christian and non-Christian) to the ultimate Leader, Jesus.

• All aspects of leadership are accomplished by teaching and/or example.
• If you’ve ever given direction to someone and they’ve heeded it, you were leading.
• If you’ve ever corrected someone, and they received it, you were leading.
• If you’ve ever led (brought) someone to Jesus Christ, you were leading.
• If you’ve ever written a blog post, article, or book, and you influenced someone to take an action or adopt a viewpoint, then you were leading them.
• If you’ve ever persuaded another human being to do anything, be it your spouse, child, parent, friend, co-worker, employee, etc., then you were leading them.
• We all lead in various and miscellaneous ways and arenas. We just differ in the kinds of things into which we lead others.
• Some people influence more people than others based on the size of their “platform.” “Great leaders” are people who by virtue of their lifestyle and wisdom have many followers who safely trust their guidance. But the fact that they have large followings doesn’t entitle them to wield the special title of “leader” at the exclusion of everyone else. Unfortunately, many Christians obsess over being a “leader” today. Some to the point of frenzy. Some will give their souls for the title of “leader.” 
• Is it possible that much of Christianity today is focused on being a leader when it should rather be focused on how to follow an indwelling Christ?
• Focus on following Jesus and you will be leading others naturally by your example, let alone by the things you say.

10 Things to Consider
Here are 10 things to consider about “leadership” and why the common idea that some Christians are leaders and others aren’t is a myth in my view:

1. The New Testament never uses the term “leader.” In some translations, you’ll find the word “leader” only in a few texts. Hebrews 13:17, 14 and Romans 12:8, namely. But these are questionable translations of the Greek words. Those words are better translated as “guard,” “give care,” or “guide.” It’s the verb, not the noun. These texts almost certainly have in view the more spiritually mature overseers and elders. Overseers/elders are not “the” leaders of a local assembly. They simply lead in a specific capacity that’s different from the other members of the assembly.
2. Overseers (also called elders and shepherds/pastors in the New Testament) are part of the DNA of the assembly, but we have misunderstood these functions as “offices” that have inherent authority over other Christians. Overseers/elders/shepherds certainly lead, but so do prophets, apostles, evangelists, teachers, exhorters, those who have gifts of mercy, helps, and every other function in the body of Christ. Christians have authority only in so far as they are revealing the mind of Christ is the authority. Again, all Christians lead according to their specific gifting. That’s the argument of 1 Corinthians 12.
3. Jesus Christ turned the common idea of leadership on its head. He did this in two ways.
1. He took dead aim at the positional/titular view of leadership that was common among the Jews (Matt. 23:8-13).
2. He took dead aim at the hierarchical/top-down view of leadership that was common among the Gentiles (Matt. 20:25-28; Luke 22:25-26).
4. Many Christians and assemblies have adopted the business model of leadership over/against the New Testament vision of leadership. Properly conceived and functioning, the ekklesia is a spiritual organism whose source is divine life. It’s not a human-constructed institution. Once this is fully understood, our understanding of leadership changes dramatically.
5. The New Testament doesn’t emphasize leadership. It emphasizes following Jesus (who is now in the Spirit) and living as a servant of Christ and a servant to others. According to the New Testament, all are gifted, all are servants (“ministers”), all are priests, and all have ministry as members of the body. In addition, all are called to be examples of Jesus.
6. None of the many words used for “office” in the Greek language are ever employed to describe a function or role in the assembly. New Testament scholar Robert Banks makes an indisputable case for this in his seminal book, Paul’s Idea of Community.
7. The doctrine of “covering” was invented in the post-apostolic period, and it has no biblical merit. See Reimagining Church, Chapters 11-13 (entitled “Who is Your Covering?”) for details.
8. The modern obsession over leadership isn’t helpful. If Christians spent their time focusing on following Jesus Christ and sharing whatever He has given them with others (= functioning as a member of the body), opposed to obsessing over how to be a “leader,” the Kingdom of God would be better off. So it seems to me anyway.
9. Hebrews 13:17 confirms the idea that leadership is linked to persuasion. In that text, some translations have, “Obey them that are over you.” The Greek word for “obey” in this passage is not hupakuo, the garden-variety word for obedience used elsewhere in Scripture. It’s peitho (middle-passive form), which means to yield to persuasion. The author of Hebrews was simply saying, “Allow yourselves to be persuaded by those who are more mature in Christ than you are.” The word “over” and “rule” in some translations is a horrible reflection of the Greek. And according to Peter and Luke, elders/overseers aren’t over the flock, they are among it (1 Pet. 5:1, NIV; Acts 20:28, NASB). See Reimagining Church, the lengthy Appendix for details.
10. Throughout the New Testament, only Jesus Christ is said to be the “head” of the assembly, which implies both source and rule. All leadership flows from His headship organically when a member of His body reveals His mind and will in a given situation. Christ has the power of speech, and He speaks through His body (this is the argument of 1 Corinthians 12:1ff.). And we all share the mind of Christ. His mind is not the exclusive property of a few.

From the Comments Section

• Spiritual authority was exercised *when* and only when the mind of Jesus Christ was being revealed. The authority was spiritual/organic, rooted in the life of Christ which was seasoned in some (like Paul). But it wasn’t official, i.e., invested in a certain office irrespective of what the person did or said. That’s why the writer of Hebrews says “allow yourselves to be persuaded.”
  
• The few times when Paul “commanded,” he did so “in the Lord Jesus Christ” or he referred to something the Lord Himself said. Most of the time, he pleads, beseeches, admonishes, exhorts, encourages, and even requests. Paul did not have a hierarchical top/down relationship with the assemblies he cared for. In fact, in some of his letters, he submits to the assembly itself. Even saying that if he preaches or teaches anything contrary to Jesus Christ, let him be cursed. Paul’s relationship to the assemblies is summed up in his words in 2 Corinthians 1:24, “Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy.”
• We are called to minister to one another . . . and to the world. We are called to lead/guide one another (as well as the world) to Christ.
  
• There is one HEAD. But all who share His life lead under the one HEAD pointing to and expressing the Head in different ways. All lead in different ways … in different capacities … and through different giftings and functions. Re-read 1 Cor. 12 in this light and you’ll see leadership in a new way.
• What do you say about Paul telling Timothy and Titus to appoint elders in the assemblies. Doesn’t that mean they were offices that had authority?
• There is no question that certain people were endorsed for certain tasks in the NT. Take Acts 6 for instance. The seven men selected in Acts 6 weren’t given some kind of unilateral authority over everyone else, nor where they installed into a social construct (“office”) that had intrinsic authority regardless of the persons who populated it.
  
  Rather, the seven were selected for a task based upon their spiritual maturity and wisdom. The same is true for those places where Paul endorsed elders (which wasn’t in all the assemblies, by the way). In the OT, Moses publicly acknowledged elders who were *already functioning* as elders, the Scripture says. Moses just made it public.
  
  In the same way, when someone endorses a book of mine publicly they aren’t giving the book authority. They’re simply acknowledging an authority that they perceive the book already possesses. The problem with us viewing the endorsement of elders in South Galatia, Crete, and Ephesus as “installment into office” is that we are imposing the Western idea of “office” as having an authority irrespective of the individuals who populate those offices.
  
  In the NT, rather, the idea is that spiritual authority is based on spiritual maturity and wisdom — a la, expressing the mind of God. And in some cases, that’s endorsed publicly and in other cases, such individuals are given certain tasks. If a person … be it elder or apostle … is teaching something that goes against the will and mind of the Head (Christ), they have no authority in what they’re saying. All authority comes from Christ. 
• I don’t view elders/overseers/shepherds as a *modern office* — by that I mean a sociological construct that has authority independent from the people who populate it, like the “office” of President. Doesn’t matter if you have a buzzard or a noble man in the white house, he still wields the authority of the Presidency. The authority is inherent in the office. In the NT, we don’t see elders working in that same way.
  
• The many Greek words for “office” are never used of them or any other function in the assembly.
• The spiritual authority they express is by virtue of their wisdom and spiritual insight which comes from growth in Christ’s life (hence elders can be translated “seniors” — they were the older, aged ones in the OT).
  

Commentary on Romans 7 by Andrew Wommack

In Romans 7 Paul was expounding the impossibility of serving God in our own power, whether lost or saved. The flesh is unwilling and unable to fulfill the Law of God, and if we as Christians try to fulfill the righteousness of the Law through our own will power, we will fail just the same as unregenerate people would. Paul was describing the futility of trying to obtain favor with God through our own goodness whether Christian or non-Christian.

Paul only used the term "spirit" once in Ro 7 (Ro 7:6), a chapter that described the hopelessness of people to ever keep the righteousness of the Law in their own strength. In contrast, the word "spirit" (or "Spirit") is used twenty-one times in Ro 8, a chapter that gives the answer to the hopelessness of Ro 7.

In these verses of Ro 7, Paul was not describing warfare that wages between the new man and the old man. He was contrasting the complete inability of people to save themselves because of their corrupted flesh versus the life-transforming power of Christ described in Ro 8.

The Apostle Paul was not living a life of constant failure where the good that he wanted to do, he was unable to accomplish, but the evil that he didn't want to do, he did. He wasn't living that kind of life because it was no longer him living, but Christ living in him (Ga 2:20). Christ in Paul was manifesting holiness in Paul's life that was second to none.

However, if Paul had abandoned his dependency upon Christ and had started trying to live the Christian life out of his own resources, then the condition described in Ro 7:15-24 would have been his experience.

Our flesh has been corrupted through sin, and though we can renew our minds through God's Word (Ro 12:2), we can never elevate our flesh to a place where it can fulfill the Law of God. Hence, the good news of Ro 8 that what the Law couldn't do, because of the weakness of our flesh (Ro 8:3), God did for us, and all we have to do is receive by faith.

"I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing" (Romans 7:18)
When Paul used this parenthetical phrase, "that is, in my flesh," he was specifying the natural (physical) part of his person. He was stating that in himself, apart from his born-again spirit, there was no good thing. He had to include this explanation, or his statement would not have been accurate, because in his spirit there was a good thing (Christ). Many times scripture speaks of "Christ in us." Paul clearly separates the flesh & the spirit in this scripture.

Paul says that "with the flesh he serves THE LAW OF SIN" in Romans 7:25 but in Romans 8:2 he says, "Christ Jesus MADE US FREE (past tense) FROM THE LAW OF SIN." To summarize all this, We are free to walk by the spirit but if we try to walk by the law we will be walking by the flesh. You can choose to serve the law of sin with your flesh (offer your members to the flesh) or you can choose to serve the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (offer your members to righteousness & put to death the deeds of the flesh).

Our old self WAS (past tense) crucified with Him (Ro 6:6)
The old self is dead and gone, but it left behind a body with attitudes and emotions that still influence us until we renew our minds. We are not dealing directly with the "old sin nature" but with its influence that is still being exerted through our unregenerate flesh. So the Christian life is a renewal of our minds to who we HAVE BECOME in Christ, not a hatred for who we are in our "old self."

Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Romans 7:24)
Paul didn't say, "Who shall deliver me from this death?" for the Christian has already been delivered from the death that is the wages of sin. He made special mention of the body of this death. The terminology "the body of this death" corresponds to what Paul called "the body of sin" in Ro 6:6, "Our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our BODY of sin might be done away with". He was not speaking of the sin nature itself, for a Christian no longer has a sin nature, but he was rather speaking of the lingering influence of the sin nature that still exerts itself through the un-renewed mind. So death, or the "old man/self," is gone, but the body that it left behind (i.e., the thoughts, attitudes, and emotions) still poses a problem to us as Christians. How do we overcome this flesh? The answer is stated in Ro 7:25 (God through Jesus Christ our Lord) and then explained in Ro 8.

Taken from http://www.awmi.net/bible/rom_07. Some words are my own.

Bible Q & A

Answer the following questions with what first comes to your mind. Please refer your Bible after answering it. It will be fun.


Psalm 130:4 (NKJV)
But there is .............................. with You (God), That You (God) may be feared.
    1) wrath and punishment
    2) forgiveness

Romans 5:20 (NKJV)
Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace ....................
    1) lessened
    2) abounded much more

Romans 5:17 (NKJV)
For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who .......................................................... will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
    1) fast, pray and show more zeal for God
    2) receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness

Romans 1:16,17 (NKJV)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the ....................................... is revealed from faith to ...............................; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
    1) sinfulness of men, works
    2) righteousness of God, faith

Romans 2:4 (NKJV)
Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the ................................. of God leads you to repentance?
    1) wrath and punishment
    2) goodness

1 Corinthians 11:24,25 (KJV)
And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of ............................
After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of ...........................................
    1) your past week's sins
    2) me (Jesus)

Ephesians 1:7 (KJV)
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the .....................
    1) faithfulness in confessing your sins
    2) riches of his grace

Romans 4:5 (KJV)
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ..............................., his faith is counted for righteousness.
    1) godly
    2) ungodly

Romans 6:14 (KJV)
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the ........................., but under ..........................
    1) grace, law
    2) law, grace

Romans 8:1 (NASB)
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who ........................................
    1) don’t sin
    2) are in Christ Jesus.

1 John 4:17 (KJV)
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because ......................
    1) we don't sin and we do all the good works
    2) as he is, so are we in this world.

1 Corinthians 15:56 (KJV)
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is ........................
    1) grace and freedom.
    2) the law.

Hosea 4:6 (KJV)
My people are destroyed for lack of ...................................
    1) holiness, prayer, and fasting
    2) knowledge

Hebrews 10:10 (KJV)
We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ .............................
    1) until the next sin
    2) once for all.

Hebrews 8:12 (KJV)
I (God) will be ............................. to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember ...........................
    1) angry, until they confess
    2) merciful, no more.

John 16:8,9 (KJV)
When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Of ........................., because .............................................
    1) sins (plural), they always sin.
    2) sin (singular), they believe not on me.

Taken from Alfred Scott via Marc Allan, thanks brothers!

Sin Offerings were Made to Sin Not to God by Darin Hufford

Excerpted from Who Killed Christ?

A “sin offering” is not made to God, but to sin. Sin is a beast who wants to devour you. Imagine camping with your family and you come across a grizzly bear out in the wild. First off, let me tell you that if this happens; you had better come baring gifts! You had better have an offering for that bear, or it’s you he will devour. Christ basically threw himself in front of the beast of sin and allowed it to devour him instead of us. He saves us from sin. 

Most think that the old covenant sin offering was to God so that He would overlook their sins and refrain from killing them one more day. If you really think about that theology, it doesn’t follow through very nicely. What we’re saying is that God set up a system where people could pay Him off when they sinned. It’s like God was selling indulgences. This is silly on several levels. First off, it implies that there is a price in God’s mind that would make sin worth it for Him. If that price was paid to God, He would be satisfied and the sin wouldn’t matter anymore. Could you imagine there being ANY price where sin would be okay from a fathers standpoint??

Know this; to God there is nothing in this world that would ever make sin worth it. Sin takes from people. It depletes them and leaves them hollow and empty. It strips people of their identity and basically devours their bodies. God would NEVER put a price on that because there is no price that would make it okay for Him. It would be like me agreeing tome allow a man to molest one of my children for the right price. There is NO price that I would accept for that. 

Yes, it appears that the people in the Old Testament brought their “sin offerings” "to" God, but it wasn’t an offering that was “for” God. The sin offering was “for” sin. In other words, God didn’t accept the offering and overlook sin because the price was right. He took the “sin offering” and gave it to sin.

It's interesting to note the amount of times in the Old Testament where it says to take the sin offering outside the camp and burn it. It’s almost as though God were saying, “I don’t even want it mixed in with my stuff, take it away and burn it.”

The real answer as to whether a sin offering is for God or for sin, is answered when the truth is revealed in the New Testament. When we read that “when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death” we begin to see that it was sin itself that kills and therefore the slaying of the animal in the Old Testament was to the one who required your life; sin. If scripture said, “when sin is full grown, God will give the sinner the death penalty,” we would know for sure that the Old Testament “sin offering” was meant to appease God. It wasn’t that way though. 

The issue wasn’t how to put God’s inevitable wrath on the sinner off another day. It was, how to keep sins inevitable devouring nature satisfied until the time of Christ in order to save the life of the person. This is almost the complete opposite of what most of us have been taught.

So who was it that killed Christ? Was it God or was it sin? The bible says, “The wages of sin is death,” not “The wages of God is death if you sin.” The wages are paid to SIN; not to God.

The rest of Scripture points this way as well. If we look at the James 1:14-15 verses it clearly shows the progression of it. “Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then , after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” It is SIN that gives birth to death. It was SIN that killed Christ; NOT GOD. 

Romans 6:10 puts it so simply and beautifully:  “When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But the life he lives, he lives to God.”

Truth That Sets Us Free!

1. God desires that I live in His unconditional love and affection everyday!
I was created to enjoy friendship with God.
God loves me as I am, not as I think I should be.  He is very fond of me!
God desires an ongoing honest dialog with me.
The more I know that God loves me unconditionally the more I will trust Him.
I struggle with shame and destructive behavior when I live unaware of God’s love.
The cross (not my circumstances) proves how much God loves me.

Jesus said, "Know the Father himself loves you." (John 16:27)
Jesus said, "Father you have loved my followers just as much as you have loved me." (John 17:23)
Jesus said, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love." (John 15:9)
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:38-39)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in sin—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
God is love. God showed his love among us by sending his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. (1 John 4:8-9)
We know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them. (1 John 4:16)
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." (Jeremiah 31:3)
The Lord your God is with you. He takes great delight in you. He will calm you with his love. In his love he will no longer rebuke you. He rejoices over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

2. My biggest obstacle to experiencing God’s love is my flawed thinking.
Much of what I think and believe is not true.
Believing a lie leads to bondage; believing the truth sets me free.
The truth of Jesus the bible exposes me to benefits me in countless ways.
God transforms me by renewing my mind.
Setting my thoughts on the God produces life and peace.

As a man thinks within himself so he is. (Proverbs 23:7)
To the Jews who had trusted him, Jesus said, “If you continue following me you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)
We all, who contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:5-6)
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)

3. Christ gave His life for me so He could give His life to me.
The cross is God’s cure for sin and shame.
Jesus died for me to make relationship with God available to me.
All my sins (past, present and future) have been forgiven.
Sin was defeated at the cross and it can never separate me from God again.
Eternal Life is Jesus living in me now!
Salvation is not about me getting into heaven, but getting God into me.

Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in sin—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
God is love. God showed his love among us by sending his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. (1 John 4:8-9)
Jesus said, "Father, I have given my followers the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me." (John 17:22-23)

4. I must know and believe who I am, in Christ, to change what I do.
I am no longer a sinner who is merely saved by grace.
God has made me a new person on the inside.
I don’t have two natures. My old self died with Christ.
I am now dead to sin and alive to God.
God gave me a new heart and spirit and put His Spirit within me.
Because I have a new nature, I have a new identity: God’s child.

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through his glory and goodness he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4)
We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. (Romans 6:6)
Consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.(Romans 6:11)
If anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:7)
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Because you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:6-7)
Put on the new self, it has been created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:24)

5. Father God is much better than I could ever imagine!
God the Father is just like Jesus; the kind of Papa I’ve always wanted.
Father loves me the same as He loves His Son, Jesus.
I can do nothing to cause Papa (Abba) to love me more or less than He does.
Only Father can meet all my needs and satisfy my heart.
I can only trust God to the degree that I trust He loves me
The more I know and relate to Father, the more I become like Him

Jesus prayed to the Father, "This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:3)
Jesus said, "I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me. The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Trust me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me." (John 14:10-11)
“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters," says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:18)
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)
God loves us perfectly. There is nothing to fear from Him. His perfect love removes fear. Fear involves punishment. He will not punish us. If we fear punishment from God we do not know how perfectly He truly loves us. We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:18-19)
Because you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:6-7)

6. Christ placed His Spirit in me so He could live through me.
Living the Christian life is not just difficult; it is impossible.
God did not design us to rely on our own human abilities.
I was created to contain and live by the life of another.
Through my spirit union with Christ, I am now complete and acceptable.
There is a battle between the flesh and my spirit. I am not the flesh.
Dependence on Holy Spirit empowers me with supernatural life.
Only as I trust in Christ, can His life and love flow from me to others.

Jesus says, "The Father gives you another one just like me, a comforter, to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. You know him, for he lives with you and is in you. You are not left as orphans; I come to you as the life giving Spirit of truth." (John 14:16-18)
Jesus said, "The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sends in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26)
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. (John 6:63)
Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the trust as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:6-7)
Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:16-18)
Reside in me, as I also reside in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must reside in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you reside in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you reside in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)
They said, "We want to perform God's works, too. What should we do?" Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you: Trust in the one he has sent." (John 6:28-29)

7. I can overcome sin by understanding the battle within.
Satan counterfeits the Holy Spirit with an entity called sin.
Sin still lives in my body but it is not me.
Sin seeks to deceive and control me through my thoughts.
It impersonates my old self using 1st person singular pronouns (I, me).
Setting my thoughts on the truth leads to life and peace.
Temptations are opportunities to exercise trust in Christ (as life).

Jesus was saying to those Jews who had trusted Him, “ If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
I am the vine, you are the branches; he who resides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11)
If I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me is doing it. (Romans 7:20)
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (Romans 8:2)
You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:9-11)
Don't judge by outward appearances. All who are in Christ are equally in Him. (2 Corinthians 10:7)
Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints (Ephesians 6:10-18)
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the  faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20)
Walk by the spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the Law. (Galatians 5:16-18)
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24)
May it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but all that matters is the new creation. (Galatians 6:14-15)
We put no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3)
I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but dung so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death (Philippians 3:8-10)
Let no one say when he is tempted, “ I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. (James 1:13-15)

8. I can’t believe everything I feel.  I was designed to live by trust in God.
My emotions reveal what is taking place in my soul.
My beliefs produce perceptions and perceptions fuel my emotions.
The Holy Spirit wants to change how I think about God, not just how I feel.
I need to acknowledge my feelings and express them to God.
Joy and peace result from relating to God and trusting what He says.

We live by trusting not by seeing. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
I am deeply discouraged. My heart is so sad. But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love and kindness upon me (Psalm 42:5,8)
Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. (1 John 3:20)
Our hearts are at rest and assured in God's presence because even if our heart condemn us, even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our heart, He is greater than our feelings and knows He all things. (1 John 3:19-20)

9. Living by rules and “shoulds” is the surest way to live defeated.
Knowledge of right and wrong does not empower me to do right.
Legalism is trying to make spiritual progress based on what I do.
Trusting, not trying, leads to abundant life.
God’s commands are His invitation to depend on Christ.
Living in God’s love, not fear and guilt, transforms me to be obey God.
My weaknesses and failures remind me to rely on Christ’s life within.
The more I believe and trust God’s love for me, the less I will be unloving towards others.

You were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the spirit and not in oldness of the letter. (Romans 7:4-6)
Sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, deceived me & produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. (Romans 7:8,11)
Through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.” (Galatians 2:19-21)
If a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. (Galatians 3:21)
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery of the law. (Galatians 5:1)
If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. (Galatians 5:18)
We are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the assembly; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but dung so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death (Philippians 3:3-10)
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our sins, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:8-17)

10. Jesus empowers me to respond to wrongs done with love and forgiveness.
Jesus desires to displace unforgiveness and bitterness in my life.
Bitterness is like drinking rat poison and waiting for the rat to die.
Holding on to anger and bitterness hurts me more than others.
Living in the awareness of God’s forgiveness frees me to forgive others.
Forgiveness is letting go of my "right" to judge and punish.
Offenses are my opportunity to experience Christ living through me.

This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. (John 15:12)
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you forgive one another. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. (Colossians 3:12-14)
Let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:7-11)

11. God uses my problems, failures and trials to set me free!
God doesn’t cause suffering, He redeems it!
Problems can be used to bring me to the end of my self-sufficiency.
God uses adversity to free me from dependence on external things.
God brings incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies.
Rejoicing in my trials reveals my trust in God’s love and goodness.

I reveal myself to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have troubles, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
Who or what will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, because in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your trust produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:2-5)
We are protected by the power of God through trust. In this we greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while we have been distressed by various trials. (1 Peter 1:5-6)
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory in this circumstance you may rejoice with exultation. (1 Peter 4:12-13)
We do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us. (2 Corinthians 1:8-10)
Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

12. Life is a journey of learning to trust God, live in His love, live by His life, and loving others out of His love!
Father desires the free affection of sons and daughters living in the celebration of His love and life.
Community is sharing our journey with God honestly as we encourage one another to live in His love and affection.
God’s desire is that I love those whom He places in my path.
Christ is setting me free to live graciously and generously in this world.
Living in Father’s love and affection is the most exciting and satisfying way to live!

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
To us God has willed to make known the riches of glory, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. (1 John 4:11-13)
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21)


Jesus Christ is the truth about God. He is the way to have a relationship with God. He is the life of God, within us (John 14:6).  To truly know God is our ultimate purpose (John 17:3). The more we perceive God as He truly is, the more we will be transformed into His image (2 Cor. 3:18). Destructive actions and attitudes are the result of not personally knowing and trusting the One who is perfect love. As you renew your mind with these foundational truths, you will begin to recognize and reject the lies you have believed about God, yourself, and life. As you trust and rely on God, you will know the truth and it will set you free; free to be and live as God intended! (John 8:31-32)


This was Edited to fit my experience and understanding of God. Originally Posted Here:  Grace...Grace...Grace...: Truth That Sets Us Free!