Condemnation Vs. Conviction

Condemnation versus Conviction

 A lot of believers hear condemning thoughts, and some believers even think it's God telling them these things. My friend, nothing could be further from the truth! God NEVER tells you what a loser you are. Jesus said He came not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 12:47)!

What is condemnation?
Condemnation comes from Satan and is meant to tear you down. Condemnation continually points out what a failure you are, and how badly you've messed up. Condemnation is showing you the problem, but avoiding the solution.
Jesus did NOT come to condemn the world (John 12:47). There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Satan on the other hand is KNOWN for accusing the brethren (Rev 12:10).
Why won't you ever hear God telling you what a failure you are? Because Jesus said, "I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." (John 12:47)

What is conviction?
Conviction is known in the Bible as Godly sorrow. God's Word tells us that Godly sorrow is what leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). Condemnation tells you, "You are such a failure! Look at what you did!" while conviction tells you, "Come to me... and I will forgive you!"
Not only is God willing to forgive your sins, but He longs (deeply desires) to do so! Isaiah 30:18, "Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him." (NASB)
1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness."
Romans 2:4, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"
Conviction shows you the answer to your problem. Conviction shows you the blood of Jesus that wipes away your sins.

What is the difference?
Conviction shows you the answer (the Blood of Jesus, which washes away sin), while condemnation shows you the problem (the sin, the past and your failures). Condemnation shows you the problem, but conviction shows you the answer.
Condemnation shouts, "Your past! Your sins! You loser!" But conviction shouts, "The Blood of Jesus washes away sins. Come to Jesus and be forgiven of your sins. You can be forgiven. Your sins and past don't have to be a part of you anymore."

Understanding the nature of God's forgiveness
It's so important to understand the nature of God's forgiveness and His desire to wash us clean from our pasts. The Forgiveness of Sins is a great teaching that will show you the nature of God's forgiveness.

Easy Yoke, Light Burden

^"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30

Many of us have heard this verse..it's one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible. But it can also be one of the hardest ones to follow when troubles hit..and fear and worry start pounding away.

One of the things that helps me is when the Lord gives me pictures, or describes a scene in terms that are easy for me to understand. Here's one for this verse.

The easy yoke
You may remember scenes of a farmer plowing his field, or putting a yoke around an animal and guiding it to plow a field. Very hard work either way. If I recall, there are some yokes that will attach to two animals.

Imagine yourself in one of those two sided yokes. It's only you. Now imagine that you are having to walk forward with this yoke on your back..and attached to the yoke are your worries, your fears, your trials, your struggles, your fears, your sickness. It doesn't take too long until you body starts to crumble under the weight of having to drag this yoke across this unplowed field, under the hot sun. That's how it is when we allow the enemy to attack our minds.

Now imagine that Jesus is on the yoke next to you. You are on one side, he is on the other. YOu say, Lord, I can't drag this yoke. It's too heavy." To which Jesus says "Nothing is too heavy for me to carry! If you give me control of this yoke, I'll drag it for you..all you have to do is walk alongside me. with that, Jesus starts to walk, and the yoke effortlessly starts to plow the ground. Jesus smiles and encourages you to walk with him. You barely, if at all..fell any of the weight of the yoke that is behind you. You are essentially walking alongside Jesus, who is effortlessly dragging the yoke on his side, while on your side, you are simply walking with the yoke around your neck..but it's effortless, since Jesus has taken the yoke upon himself.


The easy burden

What is it that burdens you? Is it fear? Doubt? There are many burdens that we deal with, sometimes on a daily basis. But Jesus wants to take those burdens from you as well!

Imagine yourself walking down a sidewalk with a backpack. It weighs about 200 pounds. Quite heavy! That's how our burdens are..they weigh us down, they depress. YOu hear the enemy screaming hopelessness in your ear. Suddenly Jesus approaches you with a backpack of his own. You say, "lord, I can't carry this backpack of burdens. It's too much for me." Jesus says"My burden is light! Trade me!" So you and Jesus exchange backpacks, and you notice that the backpack weighs only 3 pounds. Your back start to feel better, your muscles start to relax. 

Jesus smiles and strap the backpack with your burdens on, and says "Walk with me. you don't have to carry these burdens. I got them. anytime you need me to take your burdens and give you peace and rest, just call to me. I am greater than your burdens, I am greater than your fears. Walk with me in peace. I'll handle the rest."

So the next time a burden gets dropped on you, give it to Jesus and receive His peace. He will take care of you..through all things.

A Relationship With God

One of the things I have been working on is my relationship with God. When one accepts Jesus Christ, they receive access to a relationship with God. I have struggled in the area of relationships in some areas, because I  tended to follow religiosity. I am getting better. Today in my quiet time, I felt compelled to look up what makes a strong relationship work between a couple (which is somthing I would love to have). They are:
Honesty
Trust
Respect
Communication
Attention
Intimacy
Commitment

These are the things that God desires me to have with Him. A relationship. I wrote a few things down, and here is what I felt the Lord say:
Honesty: It is okay to tell me how you feel. You don't have to worry that I'll be angry with you. I want you to share with me your fears and worries, and let me encourage you. You are safe with me.

Trust: You can trust me in all things. I am not out to harm you. I have plans, a hope, and a future for you. You can trust me in ALL THINGS. You are free to bring your concerns to Me. If you make mistakes, come confess them to me and I will forgive you and help you.

Respect: I am the Lord. I love you. Just remember that I am GOD and am holy.

Communication: I am available 24/7 for you. When you talk, I will listen, but also remember to listen as well. In my presence, there are presents. There is encouragement, counselng, direction, and so many other things. As you come to me in worship, I will return blessing to you.

Attention: In all relationships, people need to make time for each other. It's the same with us. Make time for Me. I desire to spend time with you. The Word is one way. Prayer is another. Worship is another. Let's make time together to spend so our relationship can build.

Intimacy: I desire to know the deepest parts about you...fears, struggles, etc.  I already know them. I desire for you to know the deepest parts of Me as well. You don't have to put walls up with Me. You can be vulnerable to Me. I am for you not against you. 

Commitment: Like any other relationship, I am in it for the long haul. Through thick and thin, good times and bad times, highs and lows..i am always here for you. If you stay in relationship with me, you will ALWAYS have what you need.

This isn't religion. It's something far, far beyond religion. It's a relationship.

David (Faith) Vs Goliath (Fear)

Many of you know the story of David and Goliath in the Bible. Today I want to share with you and encouraging word that deals with this story..it's about dealing with fear.

One of the statements that is in the Bible repeatedly is "Do not be afraid." Fear is something we all deal with. We could be low on money. We may be uncertain about the future. Our country is not doing so great. Many things. I also know as well, that Satan will use our fears against us. I know for myslef, he loves to take any unhealed issues I have and just provoke them to the point where what I think is happening is not happening at all.

Anyway, this is Goliath..aka fear.

A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.[a] 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels[b]; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.[c] His shield bearer went ahead of him.
8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

So here is what Goliath had
1. Tremendous height
2. Experience
3. Bronze scale armor
4. Bronze greaves
5. Bronze javelin
6. Spear shaft with iron tip
7. A shield bearer
8. Bronze helmet
9. His gods

Fear works the same way. When we deal with fear, we deal with somthing that is much bigger that us. It can make us shudder in terror sometimes. It makes us worry, it makes us doubt. You'll also notice that Goliath challenges the Israleites, and the big thing...he defied God's army, and God himself.

now, let's look at David

David was a mere shepherd boy, about 14 years of age. He had fought off lions and bears. When he came to Goliath, it says "Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine."

So this is what David had

1) Sling
2)Stone
3) Sheperd's staff
4) God

You'll notice there is quite a difference is battle gear here.

continuing on..

Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”
45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come AGAINST YOU IN THE NAME OF THE LORD ALMIGHTY,  the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

What did David come agasint Goliath with? God. And Goliath was defeated by a mere stone, despite all his armor, experience, and height.

The lesson here is that David faced fear with God. All he needed was a stone and a sling, and God took care of the rest. David had faith. And that is what will defeat fear. This is what will allow God to help us through whatever we are facing. This is what will help us to defeat the giants in our lives.

Check out this verse:
Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

The mustard seed in this case represents the stone David threw. It was all he needed to take down the giant. The mountains represent the obstacles Satan throws at us. My encouragement..all you need is a stone to take down your giants. Come agaisnt them the same way David came agaisnt goliath..An example..

“You come against me with fear and worry and sickness, but I come AGAINST YOU IN THE NAME OF THE LORD ALMIGHTY,  the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head."

If you come against the enemy with God , the enemy cannot win. He never will.

The Eye Of The Storm

I remember a while back vacationing in Destin, FL. However, when we got there, we heard that a tropical storm was going to be coming through, with winds around 70 miles an hour. The storm hit later that night, and our condo was pounded by rain and wind. It was pretty creepy to say the least..hearing all these howling noises outside, no light, and rain slamming into the outer walls. However, an interesting thing happened. The eye of the storm passed over us. And for about an hour, there was no wind and no rain. I could see the storm clouds hugging the outer edges of the sky, and in the middle of the sky I could see stars. The temperature was perfect. It was one of the most peaceful things I've ever experienced.  Peace in the storm. The storm eventually came back however, and so we went back into the condo and rode the storm out.

When I think of this, I think of the story in the Bible where Jesus walked on the water..from Matthew 14..

...the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
²⁹ “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

So here is the picture. The disciples are out in a boat during a storm. JEsus appears on the water. He invites Peter to come to him. Peter obliges, and AS HE FOCUSES ON JESUS, he is able to walk on the water. But as soon as Peter shifts his eyes from Jesus to the winds and the waves, he become afraid..and he begins to sink.

The moral of this story is this. In Jesus, there is peace. In Jesus, there is comfort. In Jesus, we receive strength. It says in Scripture.

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

When we go through trials. We have two choices. We can focus on the trials, or we can focus on Jesus. When we put our focus on Jesus, we put our faith in him that everything will be okay. We REST in him. Similar to the eye of the storm, you will be in an place of peace as the wind and the waves whip around you. You are essentially saying "Lord, there is a storm around me. But I am going to put my focus on you, because you are greater than the storm. I am going to praise you, I am going to walk with you. You are my peace through the storm. I trust that you will take care of me through this storm."  If we put our focus o the one that can calm the storm, then we will be calm as well, because our hope is in HIM..not our circumstances. Conversely, if we take our eyes of Jesus and focus on the wind and the waves, we will be hit with worry, fear, and anxiety...and we'll start to sink into it's pits. But even so, we can always ask the Lord to save us, and He will reach out his hand and grab us, hold us, and reassure us.

Rest Easy Music Ministries

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News: Jan. 16, 2012

Hi everyone! I hope and pray that you are all doing well. Be encouraged: The Lord has your back. he will never let the righteous fall.