Today I so wish I could sit across from each of you and encourage you to not ever let the enemy rob you of who you are in Christ. Be assured that nothing in your past has the power to define you any longer.
How do I know?
He knows that we are frail and will not do everything each day perfectly, which is why God provided an Advocate for us:
“My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins – and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”
(1 John 2:1-2, NLT)
Jesus, our Advocate. In the Greek, parakletos, is the one who is called to our side as comforter or advocate. He is our defense attorney in heaven, always representing us before the Father. We are sinful but Jesus is the righteous One and it is in His righteousness which we are clothed.
We are sinful, yes, but at the same time if we know Him, our lives will reflect Jesus who resides in us, in these temples of flesh which fall.
In her study, Believing God, Beth Moore reminds us:
“In Christ, I am loved and:
blessed, chosen, adopted, accepted, redeemed, and forgiven.”
May we lift up our heads and live out our days, fully assured, that we may not be perfect but we stand perfect in Him.
“The righteousness of Christ stands on our side; for God’s righteousness is, in Jesus Christ, ours.” (Martin Luther)
Today I am joining … Blessed But Stressed and #LifeGivingLinkup and Moments of Hope .
Joanne,
Sometimes we overlook our own sins…leave it to God to give us an advocate in Christ who pleads for us. On top of the forgiveness He grants, our Father blesses, accepts, and redeems us. His amazing love is often too much for me to grasp. Thank you for reminding me of His great love for me this am.
Blessings,
Bev
Sometimes all we need is a little reminder to see how blessed we truly are in Him. He offers us so much each and every day. Blessings today!
Whenever I read John’s letters, I am comforted by his pastor’s heart. He was so passionate to remind his readers of the love and acceptance of God — and I hear this in your voice today.
Blessings, Joanne.
John had such a heart of compassion towards people. Michele, your comment touched me deeply. Praying I always reflect His love and acceptance to others. Thank you!
“…we may not be perfect but we stand perfect in Him.” This is my message to myself today too as I battle perfectionism. Thanks for sharing, Joanne. I love when God syncs a message for me. 🙂
Oh Lisa, thank you for being transparent. You have offered such wisdom in sharing. The antidote to perfectionism is standing perfect in Him. You confirmed it beautifully! Blessings!
I love this so much! “May we lift up our heads and live out our days, fully assured, that we may not be perfect but we stand perfect in Him.”
I’m so thankful for my Advocate because I surely need one!
Me too, Jerralea. Me too!
Joanne,
The message of my heart! Amen and Amen! I so love the hope here. If we could only grasp the depth of our worth in Christ, so much heartache would be saved. Thank you so very much for coming alongside me and sharing the light of hope at Moments of Hope!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori