Sometimes the things that were not good nor beneficial that happened in the past surprisingly pop up. It may be in our thoughts or even in our dreams. But, one thing that we get to be thankful for is the power of the Blood of Jesus that washed us, cleansed us and made us as white as snow. His Blood made the way for us to be NEW CREATIONS in Christ.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)

When we are caught off guard by these thoughts or dreams, we do not need to condemn ourselves. The good news is that we belong to the Truth. Jesus is The Way, The Truth and The Life. The truth is that we have been sealed with a heavenly identity when we are in Christ. In Him, God sees us perfect with His moral grandeur and excellencies. Even though our inner thoughts may initiate to condemn us with storms of guilt and constant reminders of our failures, we can know in our hearts that in His presence, God Himself is greater than any accusation. He knows all things. He knows what He has done for us to be established in righteousness that we may be far from even the thought of oppression for we shall not fear. He promised that “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1 NKJV)

What we need to do is to put in remembrance what the finished work of Jesus Christ has done. We wake up rejoicing knowing that we have been redeemed by our Faithful Redeemer Whose redemptive benefits are available at all times. He redeemed us from all the curses of the law and DAILY loads us with benefits of undeserved blessings that we are never to forget. We remind ourselves that His mercies are new and fresh every single morning that gives us hope, our confident expectation to see the goodness of God in spite of what just happened.

We keep in mind that the enemy is always on a lookout to steal, kill and destroy our PEACE by condemning us, making us think that God is no longer pleased with us. He robs us of our confidence of how much the Lord unconditionally and deeply loves us by inflicting fear in our hearts, fear to be punished because of the not so good thought or dream He is up to taking way our JOY because he knows that when he gets his job done, it weakens us, for the JOY of the Lord is our strength and a merry heart does good like a medicine. He is after our HOPE, since hope deferred makes one’s heart sick. Thus, His Word says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (I Peter 5:8 NKJV)

This just happened to me today when I woke up. I had a choice. We always have anyway. The very moment I opened my eyes, a thought of condemnation made its subtle entrance because of a bad dream that happened in the past. But, PRAISE GOD for His Word that is the lamp upon our feet and the light unto our path. His Word refreshes us and breathes life into us by the power and presence of Holy Spirit. He quickens us to see things from His perspective and instantly reminds us of who we are in Christ. You and I are the righteousness of God in Christ, not by what we have done, but by what He has finished.

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV)

I have this good habit of waking up in the morning, saying, “Good morning, Holy Spirit! Good morning, Jesus!  Good morning, Daddy God!”  Oh yes, I have read  Benny Hinn’s Book, “Good Morning, Holy Spirit!”, and you should too, if you have the chance. When we hear ourselves saying these words with gusto, our focus changes that sets our day from a divine perspective. As we acknowledge Him and heighten our awareness of His presence, it puts us in a good first gear at the onset of the day. It puts our hearts to be in peace, trusting Him ever step of the way. He is our Good Shepherd Who leads us in a good way and towards a good destination.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5‭-‬6 NKJV)

This is the beauty of living in Christ and Him living in us. We are His holy habitation with whom He busies Himself with our every step as we acknowledge Him in everything that we say and do. Our consciousness of His presence is what puts us to rest and gives us success as He sees our journey to the end.

When I had my morning devotion, this timely and timeless Word was highlighted before my eyes that splintered and pulverized every condemning word that set me FREE!

“They are dead, they will not live; they are shades, they will not arise; to that end YOU have visited them WITH DESTRUCTION and WIPED OUT ALL REMEMBRANCE OF THEM.”   (Isaiah 26:14 ESV)

Oh wow … I have never read this verse before or maybe if I have, it was not revealed to me yet. I have equated those bad thoughts and dreams of the past dead just as this Word says, never to haunt me again.

Thanks be to God Who ALWAYS causes us to triumph in Christ. His thoughts and ways are higher. We live because He speaks. He always declares a Word over us and as we receive it in our hearts, this promise is conceived within us as we keep it and hold on to it and we shall see its manifestation, for none of His Word is empty or void of power. It always comes to pass.

Our minds are the target of the enemy. It is known to be the battlefield. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. The more we condemn ourselves, the more we give him the legal right to harass us. Oh how wonderful it is to be infused with the light of His spoken and revealed word.

“When His words are unveiled, light shines forth; they bring understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130 Voice).

Yes, Jesus is the Word. He is the Word made flesh. The Word is near us, in our mouths and in our hearts (Romans 10:8). Jesus is the Son of God given to us as the Greatest Gift of all time and whom the Son sets FREE is FREE indeed. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, or in another translation, it says, where the Spirit IS Lord, there is FREEDOM!

Truly, it pays to SEEK HIM FIRST at the onset of our every day, partaking of His mercies that are new and fresh every single morning.

“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.

For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. ” (Psalm 27:4‭-‬6 ESV)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Being my ever present help in time of need. Thank You for Your great LOVE that You gave us Your Beloved and only Begotten Son so that in Him we may have perfect PEACE, uncontainable JOY and HOPE that cannot be disappointed as we put our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Thank You, Jesus, for making me a new creation in you. You washed and cleansed my past with the power of Your Blood and put an end to it fully stripping it off of any power to come alive again. Your resurrection power justified me and I praise You for it. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for quickening my heart and my mind, reminding me that on Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. Amen!

Photo credits: Binky Tolegida