Transitions—Part 3
Part of my transition process has been to remove hindrances in my life that seem to have always been there—like they’re part of me and who I’ve been. But living with incumbrances isn’t God’s plan for us. @donnalhsmith #transition #refreshingstreams #amwriting TWEETABLE
The last four Mondays (before yesterday), I went through a process Christians would call “deliverance.” I call it removing hindrances, blockages to faith, barriers to truth.
Because Jesus came to set us free. When we accept Christ in our hearts, we become born again. Then, Romans 12:1–2 say, (TPT) “1Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.
2 “Stop imitating the ideas and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. (emphasis mine). This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.”
Our souls—which are comprised of our mind, will, and emotions need to be transformed.
Friends, for many years now, Christianity has compromised with the world, to the extent that there’s hardly a difference between us. Many denominations have accepted doctrines from demons, “greasy grace,” and flat out lies all in the name of diversity and tolerance. You all know what they are. I’m not going to single things out.
If Jesus were physically here on earth, what would he say to some of these things? The same as he has always said. When the woman was caught in the act of adultery, what did Jesus say? Let’s look in John 8:3–11. The accusers wanted to trap Jesus into stoning her. But he gave her mercy. He said, “Where are your accusers?” They’d fled, because he had said, (TPT) “Let’s have the man who has never had a sinful desire throw the first stone at her.” (verse 8)
They’d all gone. So, Jesus said, in verse 11, “Then I certainly don’t condemn you either.” Most want to end the verse there. Jesus doesn’t condemn, they think. We can do anything, believe anything we want, and he won’t judge us harshly.
They miss the second part of the verse. In the Passion Translation, it says, “Go, and from now on, be free from a life of sin.” In other words, “Go and sin no more,” as the more traditional way of putting it.
Jesus doesn’t give us permission to sin. He always confronted it. For a person truly repentant and wanting to change, that’s who he had mercy on.
Next week, I’ll share a sort of poem I wrote between weeks three and four of my hindrance removal.
Come along with me on this journey, if you will. I don’t know exactly where it’s going to end up, except to say that we’re on the right path. God is with us. And we can rest in that. God wants us free. Free from lies we believe. Free from sin (our wrongs). And free to love others as he does. @donnalhsmith #transition #refreshingstreams #amwriting TWEETABLE
Donna L.H. Smith 