Live Restored
Hello, Victors! If you’re reading this, that is indeed what you are because here at The Victory Collective, we believe that we are more than conquerors in Christ (Romans 8:37).
If you read the last blog post, I wanted you to remember that when we see and dive into the love of God, it should change how we serve him. We were unworthy, but he did not forsake us. That should ignite in us an eager desire to serve him willingly. Check it out here.
I’m thrilled to tell you that the school year is over for me. My class of 19 kindergarteners graduated on Friday. That means, I won’t have students this week but will actively be cleaning my classroom and letting my brain rest from the ever busy life that is teaching. While it is busy, I would not trade it for anything because watching students learn and grow is so rewarding.
I recently finished the book A Dozen Things God Did with Your Sin (And Three Things He'll Never Do), a book by Sam Storms. As I closed it, I sat in silence because I felt this wave of realization hit me. I became a Christian when I was 9 years old and I won’t do the math for you, but I have been saved for a while now, and yet, I’m still doubtful.
I’m not doubting my salvation, you see. But there have been times when I have doubted just how much God is willing to forgive. It is almost like in my head I’m thinking, well I know he’s said he’d forgive me, but what about the BIG sins? What about my past porn addiction? How many more strikes do I have with God until his love runs out or his forgiveness dries up?
I know that seems silly, but I also believe you have had those same thoughts, so I know I’m not alone. As I sat outside on my back patio finishing that book I realized that this doubt was growing in me because the truth of the gospel and Jesus’ forgiving power wasn’t affecting me anymore. It was in me, I had Jesus, but it wasn’t affecting me or empowering how I lived.
My Dad enjoys baking cakes and often he’ll bake one and then cover it up once he’s kind enough to share with us. They are always delicious, but imagine if he didn’t contain the cake properly and just set it out on the counter uncovered and not preserved. If he didn’t do anything about it, eventually it would become stale.
That’s what happened to me and maybe to you too. The life changing power of the gospel has become stale to us. We were confident in our identity, but maybe our confidence has become hesitant. It is one thing to know the truth, it is another thing to allow it to grip you and impact you. What does that mean?
It means this week I’m asking God for one thing and I encourage you to do the same if you have been feeling in a dry place in your walk with the Lord. This is what I’m praying for this week: Psalms 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
The problem is that I’ve lost the joy of my salvation. I’ve forgotten what it truly means to BE GOD’S and to HAVE GOD WITHIN ME. I’ve been ho-hum about it lately, but not excited about it.
When I was little I would talk to anyone and everyone. My Mom would bring me home from the grocery store and apparently she was exhausted from our little outing. I was talkative and outgoing.
I’m asking God this week to get me excited about the joy that comes from being his child. When we take time to daily meditate on who we are in Jesus, that doesn't give Satan much room or time to come in and try to convince us of who we were in the past. Because that is under the blood of Jesus and has passed away.
Here is your Gold Nugget: I will stand in awe of God’s forgiveness because salvation is a gift that no man can take away from me.
A bonus song for your week is I Am Not My Own- May it remind you that you belong to the Lord above all else.