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“live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
Galatians 5:16
Imagine if Christianity was just a giant book of rules — thousands of things you should do or not do. Think of how overwhelming this would be! You would feel as if you had to be perfect to be accepted by God.
The good news is that Christianity is NOT a huge list of rules. Christianity is the good news that Jesus Christ died for our offenses against God - our sins. When we try to live the Christian life, we can ask God the Holy Spirit to fill our lives with His love and His power and His grace.
Paul said, almost 2,000 years ago to people in
“Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and the door shall be opened to you.”
Matthew 7:7
If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, God is now your Heavenly Father. Jesus said we should ask the Father in His name
Not only is anxiety an uncomfortable feeling, it also leads to negative consequences. Reasoning becomes cloudy when overwhelmed with worry. So an anxious person will have trouble making wise decisions. Fear of failure may also lead to procrastination or a lack of productivity. Apprehensions can devastate personal and spiritual growth, relationships, and work. So conquering fear is important. Four steps can help.
First, you need to identify the fear. Ask yourself about the circumstances surrounding your feelings and what triggered them. What message are you telling yourself? Then turn to the Lord. Remember, God loves you and desires an intimate relationship with you. He’s in sovereign control of your situation, so bring your fear to Him.
You should rebuke the fear before God. You have the authority and power in Jesus’ name to reject what isn’t from Him. Meditate on passages such as Matthew 10:31 and Proverbs 1:33. Let God’s truth replace any wrong thinking.
Finally, cling to your heavenly Father. Take your focus off your circumstances, and look to the One who promises His help. Scripture from Isaiah 41:10 gives this assurance: “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Circumstances are external and often beyond your control. But your response originates within. It’s amazing how fears diminish in the Father’s presence.
(Jesus speaking) “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
Matthew 9:2
You can be forgiven! This is the wonderful message of Jesus Christ. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Jesus Christ came to earth to die on the cross for our sins. He was perfect and sinless; we deserve the penalty for our sins. He took that penalty Himself when He died in such pain and agony.
Now when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior He sets us free from the law of sin and death. Even as Christians, we may sin. But God promises us that if we ask Him He will forgive us our sins.
That is the great news; and we want to share it with the whole world.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2
Corinthians 5:17
At this time it is good to think about starting anew. This is what happens to us when Jesus Christ comes into our lives — He makes us new people spiritually! Jesus said we could be born again — we would start out fresh like new born babies when we ask Jesus into our lives to be our Savior.
You can ask God to give you a clean slate. When you accept Christ as Savior, God forgives us our sins — He casts our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.
Unfortunately we still have our old natures to contend with — we are still tempted to lie, or to cheat, or to steal, or to be immoral. But you can choose to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit — and you can overcome your old sinful nature. You are a new creature in Jesus Christ! "Walk in the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh."
