No Condemnation

Let’s take a moment to study the nature of condemnation. Condemnation is in essence a lie believed and embraced. When we feel shame, thoughts of condemnation are sure to follow. Condemnation is when we entertain the notion that we can detract from our value by performing inferiorly, or add to it by performing outstandingly. This ideology very closely resembles pride and conceit. It is prideful to assume that you are better than someone or too good to relate to someone because of your achievements. The same holds true for feelings of not being good enough. We can infer that perceiving a lack of glory in your achievements is also conceited when measured to the value placed on your life. Your works can neither add nor detract from the value that His  blood purchased you for. (1Timothy 3:6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.)  Condemning thoughts are the ones that persistently tell you to try harder, and after you did your best, condemnation is still there screaming that your efforts were mediocre at best. I have so many times experienced the feeling of not being good enough because I could not accomplish a task “just so,” the despondency that overtakes your thoughts is the basis for hopelessness and depression. I clearly heard the Lord saying to me, “What is it that you believe?” and in all honesty, I had to truthfully respond that I believed my own successes more redemptive than the He was; more real, more tangible. It became easy for me to be dismissive of Jesus. And this, in essence, is our biggest stumbling block. We do not believe well. We fail not at life, but at believing. We fail not at working, but at resting. If I am feeling condemned, I instinctively know to check my beliefs. John 3:18….Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God..

Our redemption is found in believing Jesus. In His name is the power to be made free and alive. When our beliefs are skewed, we struggle to hope in His name. His name is all sufficient.  When you proclaim His name, you proclaim power, redemption, belonging, freedom, anointing, and healing. Trusting in His name makes you a Son. John 1:12 but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. When we confess His name, He takes residence in our hearts and makes us His dwelling. (1 John 4:13-15)He becomes part of us and we in turn assume His likeness and character. This makes you belong to His kingdom; part of His family. You BELONG!   When we believe on His beautiful name and trust in His name, we rest in knowing He is who He says He is. Resultantly, we bear fruit consistently. In His name is the power to accomplish everything we set out to. In His name is the empowerment to become whole and fully alive. We become steadfast when we fully trust and rest in His name. When we trust we consistently bear fruit without the signs of failing or faltering. (Jeremiah 17:7)

Right now, there is a prevalence of hopelessness among the women specifically. The mommies and wives are tired. They just don’t have the courage or hope to believe in God. Like faith is a work, like faith is an effort. Like Christianity is burdensome. I have heard it whispered by the enemy, I hear people say the familiar  “Christianity does not work”, “My faith does not work”, “My faith does not accomplish what other people’s faith does”, “I believe in God, but He is not for me.”  Today I want to tell you that it is the enemy that came to steal from you. He stole from you by disturbing your peace, destroying your beliefs, and killing your personhood. The enemy has sowed chaos in your thoughts, deceiving you into thinking you are worthless and inadequate, that you cannot accomplish the tasks in front of your, that your efforts are inferior. There are so many lies voicing their opinions on our efforts, there are so many voices vying for our attention. John 5:44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? There is a constant battle between where we believe we should be and where we are in our lives, mainly because we compare our accomplishments with those of others. We feel the need to validate our callings by having certain credentials.  The gap leaves us in despair, and the despair renders us hopeless, and hopelessness makes us inactive. Again I want to stress that if this is what you believe about yourself, if this is the standard you have set for your capacity, then today I want to challenge your beliefs. I want to challenge you to start assessing whether the things you think and say measure up to the truth of God. Philippians  4:8-9  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Whenever you find yourself having negative thoughts know that there is grace in Christ; run to Him. When you find yourself entertaining a lie and being condemned run to Him. In Christ is both grace and truth, run to Him and think on the truth of His word, meditate on it and embrace it, and proclaim it.  The solution to pride and condemnation, inferiority and deception, is in believing in the name of Jesus. His name is strong and all sufficient, in His name is the power we need to overcome. Believing on His name saves you from inadequacy and places you into a new family of acceptance, fulfillment, sufficiency, ability and empowerment. Believing on His name makes you adequate and predisposes you to success and fills you with a good nature so you can accomplish that which fills you with purpose.

Proverbs 18:10 the name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

When we turn to Jesus as our refuge, we become shielded from the lies of the enemy. The voices shouting out that we are inferior and inadequate are quieted, and the turmoil in our hearts stills. Translated into the original Hebrew, this verse says that the honor of the Lord is a loud pulpit. The name of Jesus is literally very loudly calling out for you to be safe, His honor is ardently beckoning you to come to Him and be saved from the lies that haunt you. God’s intention is not for you to be tormented to the point of yielding to His will, He is a good Father, and His very essence is pursuing you to make you His, His very name calls out to you so you can inhabit the rest He has prepared for you. The moment you believe and proclaim the name of Jesus, you are the righteous one running to this strong and mighty tower of refuge. He is our place of refuge, He is our place of safety, and He is our hiding place. There is no condemnation for those who belong to and are in Christ.