Spirit Food - August 2019
This month, let’s focus on our Heavenly Father’s love for each of us individually and for the church.
Look at Song of Solomon 4:7 (NRSV) – “You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.”
Jesus tells us, both individually and as a cooperate church, his bride, You are all fair, My love, and there is no spot in you. But our reply to Him tends to be, “Me?, All beautiful and no spot of sin? You don’t know me, Lord!” Do you really think that our Heavenly Father doesn’t know you?
Our Heavenly Father sees reality like no one else sees it. He sees the perfection of his Son’s finished work in your life. By one offering of himself at the cross (remember the Trinity), Jesus has perfected you forever (see Hebrews 10:14)! You have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). And you will never find any spot in this righteousness that Jesus died to give you.
Our Heavenly Father desires you to see yourself righteous – in right standing with him, beautiful and spotless in Christ. Every day, be conscious of your righteousness in Christ. Say, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ. There is no spot in me whom He has perfected with His blood.” When you do that, you are honoring Jesus and His finished work.
In the book of Hebrews 10:21–22, it tells us that since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” What does the writer of Hebrews mean by “an evil conscience”? If you read the beginning of the same chapter, you will find that he is talking about a “consciousness of sins” (Hebrews 10:2). Paul calls it a “conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). The Greek word for “seared” here is kauteriazo, and it means to carry about with you a perpetual consciousness of sin. This is why we need to keep our focus on Jesus!
So don’t carry with you an evil or seared conscience. Your lifetime of sins has already been punished fully in the body of Jesus at the cross. Be conscious, instead, of your perfection and righteousness in Christ. Because of what Jesus has done for you, you can boldly declare, “I am all beautiful. There is no spot in me!”
Yes, as human beings with tainted blood (as a result of Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden), we all occasionally “miss the mark” and sin, but that should be an infrequent occurrence rather than living a life full of sin. Remember, our Heavenly Father has a lovely plan for our life, filled with safety, health, prosperity, and everything else salvation includes. But our individual will is involved to believe and receive it.
If you’re reading this, but you have not made Jesus the Lord of your life, and would like to, pray this prayer out loud in an audible voice:
Heavenly Father, your Word says in Romans 10:9-10- “that if I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead, that I would be saved. For with the heart one believes unto salvation.” I believe your Word, Heavenly Father, and confess Jesus Christ (the anointed one and His anointing) as Lord of my life now. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess that I was a sinner, but now I’ve been saved by Your grace, and in Your thoughts, I am now in right standing with You. I denounce Satan and all he stands for. In Jesus Name. Amen (so be it).
Congratulations! If this is your first time praying this prayer, please write and let us know!
Should you decide to give and financially support this ministry with gifts given in faith, I join my faith with yours to see the devourer rebuked (Malachi 3:11) and for you to receive a harvest; pressed down, shaken together and running over (Luke 6:38). Please remember to name your seed!
Dr. Mark Krom, Ph.D., PsyD
