You “have to” realize that, as a believer in Jesus, you are just before God. Not by what you do, but solely by what Jesus has done for you. What did Jesus do? This: “Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.” (Colossians 1:22; NLT)
Only this unshakable awareness that nothing stands between you and God leaves you in the full blessing and great care of God.
Since you are righteous before God through Christ, this also applies to you: “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.” (Psalm 34:17; NIV)
Fear of punishment is pointless
Do not let feelings of guilt arise. Of course, you (unfortunately) sin from time to time. Of course, you (unfortunately) make mistakes again and again. But thanks to the perfect love with which God meets you in Jesus, you don’t need to have fear, feelings of guilt or fear of punishment: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18; NIV)
Fear comes up? Say (!): Thank You, Jesus, through you, I am righteous and holy before God.
You are no longer a sinner who needs forgiveness; you are a saint who (unfortunately) sins from time to time.
It is not the number of prayers, nor the intensity of your prayers. It is primarily due to your recognition of your identity as a Jesus-believer, completely and forever reconciled with God. Regarding you, God says, “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” (God in Hebrews 10:17)
Peter, with reference to Psalm 34, confirms your position before God: “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:12; NIV)
This was already the case in the old covenant: the priest did not inspect the sinner, but the priest inspected the sacrificial lamb. If it was immaculate, then the victim was accepted.
Your sacrificial lamb is the immaculate Jesus. God has accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for you. People used to bring animal sacrifices, which could not permanently wash away their sins. But the sacrifice of our perfect Jesus was so great that it only had to be done once for all. We are now forever reconciled with God.
God has replaced the old covenant with the new covenant through Jesus: “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10: 10; NIV). Start enjoying and being grateful for the “made holy once for all.” Do not reject this amazing, undeserved gift.
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