Living in Liberty

Last week, during my Fourth of July celebration with my family, we went to the lake to swim. During our swimming time, Elissa, my granddaughter, latched on to my back for me to swim and carry her for a ride. I quickly began to struggle to keep my head above water as I swam. Of course the only resolve to the problem was to get the weight off my back which gave me the freedom to swim and breathe at the same time. There is an important life lesson in what I just described. There are many people who are trying to make it through life with more weight on their shoulders than they can bear, and they are sinking fast.

If that describes you, I advise you to do the same thing, get rid of the extra weight that is dragging you under. There may be people in your life that can swim on their own if you refuse to carry them. There may be other weights that are pulling you down as well, such as guilt from the past. If you are under a burden of guilt and shame, please know that it is not God’s plan for you to carry this guilt. God wants you to live under grace and mercy, which are like a life jacket that lifts you up above the guilt of the past.

Of course Satan would love to make you think that you need to hide your past or carry guilt and shame because of it. If you have confessed it and asked God to forgive you, then it is over. Do not pick it back up. Remind Satan and yourself often that it has been forgiven and it is not yours to carry any longer. Live your life with liberty and freedom to serve the Lord with peace and joy, knowing that when God looks at you He sees a righteous, clean person through the blood of Jesus.

Remember, “God is greater than your heart." His forgiveness can and should put an end to your condemning heart.

Pastor,
Rev. Wayne Marcus