Living on Purpose: God's love is about forgiveness, not condemnation

Some of you might keep a close watch on the news, and others may listen occasionally or not at all, but whatever the case, you’ve heard enough to realize that it’s common for worldly information to be relayed from a biased perspective. Worldviews and convictions dictate which side of the fence individuals are on, however; for the Christian, we are realizing that social politics has become a confusing puppet show that distracts us from what God is saying. We should know and trust that He is the only one that has all the answers to everything. Remember the old song that says He has the whole world in His hands? Do we believe it?

Political parties claim to be the opposite, but like a soap opera, it’s a misleading facade where the actors play games and read scripts of what they are told to say. The two-faced devil is like this. He is the “master distractor” and is hoping we will become so mesmerized by the media theatre that we will worship it as an idol. What would be wise is to analyze the facts. God is life, light and truth, and is trying to tell us that we are precious to Him, He loves us and wants to save us from death which is the wage or consequence of sin. On the other side, we have the devil who wants to destroy us and is trying to intelligently and scientifically persuade us to throw the Bible in the trash and live however we want. So, why again do we make this more difficult than it needs to be?

The most important decision we will ever make comes down to whose voice we choose to follow. Our ears and eyes are conduits to our thoughts, and we are responsible to guard and protect this battlefield from deception and lies. How do we do that? Christians are called to develop spiritual discernment where they can judge the spirits and have a keen sense of awareness from the Holy Spirit that warns them when something is not right. Some of you are probably thinking that not only are you lacking in this area but obviously many others are also. You are correct, but it should not be this way.

As we read and study the book of Ephesians, we can no longer be a baby that cries for the bottle. When a person commits to God’s kingdom, they have enlisted on the side of light and are now in a constant battle with darkness. This means they must pray and discipline themselves to not be conformed to the world but instead, be transformed by the renewing of their mind. Why does it talk about being fully protected by the whole armor of God? Because as we draw near to Him, the more intense the demonic attacks will come. When the devil laughs and blames you for being a loser and a failure, tell him that you have been washed in the blood of Jesus, you are forgiven and you are not going to listen to an accuser of the brethren. John chapter 8 says there is no truth in Satan and he is the father of all lies.

One of the more common problems I hear from men and women is based on a sense of guilt and shame from the snare traps they have fallen into. Satan condemns them for what they have done and this feeling of being unworthy causes fear and holds them incarcerated in the agony of rejection and defeat. Listen, friend, once you repent to the Father and He washes you clean with the blood of Jesus, you are purified which allows you to approach His throne boldly! Not only does He long to forgive you, but He promises He will never bring it up again. “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12.

Raise your hand if you want a $100 bill. I’m going to crumple it up, do you still want it? I’m going to stomp it in the dirt, pound it with hammers, bake it, soak it, deface it and throw it in the pig pen. Do you still want it? Why? Because even though it has been through the valley of the shadow of death, it still has as much value as it always did. This is the way God sees you today.

Dr. Holland is an ordained minister, author, chaplain, and worship leader. Discover more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com