But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3

Land mines have a long history in global wartimes. Starting in ancient Rome, when spikes were buried to thwart forward movement by the enemy, through the Ming dynasty and the American Civil War, when explosives were concealed to trap—and destroy—enemy troops. In modern warfare, explosive mines have become quite “effective” in conflicts. Traversing minefields—even when soldiers know they could be there—is always dangerous and deadly. What’s worse, minefields often remain active well after the war-du-jour is over, sadly taking the lives of children and other civilians for years to come.

When we recognize that we are far from God, separated by the chasm of sin, and accept the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, we are fully redeemed—transformed into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). But although our inner man (our spiritual self) is made new, we still have to live in the flesh, our fallen body. And our enemy, Satan, never ceases to pursue us—not to steal our salvation, because he cannot—but to keep us from glorifying God and serving and loving others. So, until we are out of this body and present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8), the battle against sin rages on.

And, as with human warfare, these spiritual battles in the life of every believer are also fraught with concealed traps—dangerous and even deadly. We may know they are there, even expect them, but the threat still remains as we move forward toward ultimate victory. 

These dangers, friend, are “mindfields”.

The battle with sin always starts in the mind, with our thoughts. We may be exposed to a lie (on social media, talking with a friend, watching a show) and think, “Well, that doesn’t seem so bad—I can do/say/be that.” Our thoughts deceive us, feeding our emotions to rile us up to accept the sin with fervor. Then, once our mind and heart are bought in, we wholeheartedly take action. And danger—sometimes even death—results. 

How do we effectively clear our mindfields? Thankfully, it’s much simpler than removing the mines of human warfare. First, we must fill our mind with the Truth of God’s Word, setting our thoughts on things above (Colossians 3:2). When we know the Truth, we can destroy the hissing lies of the enemy and other crafty deceptions (2 Corinthians 10:5). Second, we must think about better things—better than what, you ask? Better than the junk being relentlessly hurled at us by the world (divisiveness, hatred, anger, lies, smut, selfishness, etc.). In fact, God, through the Apostle Paul, gives us a nice list of things to think about in Philippians 4:8: Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

So, let’s keep our minds swept of nasty spikes and explosives meant to turn us away from our good and God’s glory. Read the Bible and think about godly things. Simple, but not simplistic…and certainly not easy. But, sweet friend, your life depends on it.

Lord, may my thoughts be on You, Your Word, and things that glorify You so that my mind will be protected…which will protect my heart and my very life.

I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Ephesians 3:16-17

This is going to sound strange, but I absolutely love to de-clutter and purge and deep clean. Maybe that doesn’t sound too odd to you…but I really, really love doing that in other people’s homes. Ask my friend, Wendy. It was sheer bliss for me to work alongside her for 10 hours as we went through every kitchen cabinet—emptying, purging, cleaning, reorganizing. Ahhhh.

When our house is cleaned out and decluttered, “home” is so much comfortable. We have peace, contentment, and joy. Plus, it’s so much easier to keep tidy—when junk is dropped on the floor or shoved in a corner, it stands out like a sore thumb, so we take care of it. (As opposed to that same item simply being added to an existing pile…I mean, at that point, what’s the difference between a two-foot stack and a three-foot stack?)

What’s the spiritual lesson here? At salvation (the moment we recognize ourselves as sinners and accept the free gift of grace from Jesus Christ), a believer becomes indwelt with the Holy Spirit—God lives in us! Amazing! He abides in us, giving us comfort, discernment, direction, conviction. But how comfortable and at home is He?

At salvation, we are made new, transformed—we move from death to life, darkness to light. But, because we still live in our earth-bound fallen bodies, we have to do a little “housework” when it comes to our new life and walking in obedience to the Lord. So, whether you gave your life to Christ 50 years ago or yesterday, let’s talk about doing some soul-level purging. 

Have we cleaned out the clutter of the world from our lives—stuff that doesn’t glorify God, as well as the idols we prioritize over Him? Is his voice of conviction drowned out by the clamor of culture? Have we swept every corner of our heart clean, so that He can fill that space with His residency? Or are there closed doors, rooms that we’ve padlocked, piled high with old, comfortable habits, hidden lusts, cherished sins?

Friend, open up those rooms! Let the Holy Spirit do some serious housecleaning. Just as a clutter-free home is easier to keep tidy, so is our soul. The unrighteous thoughts, words, and actions of the old self are easier to spot against the backdrop of a pure Holy-Spirit-controlled space. And you will be quicker to sweep them out. 

Side note: I can assure you that if you do the work to purge your heart of sin and unrighteousness—which is a good thing—but you do not surrender to the Holy Spirit and give Him total access to every nook and cranny, worldly clutter will quickly return. In fact, all you’re doing is making room for greater sin, more idols, bigger lusts. By the way, the enemy of your soul loves a nice clutter-free space to abide in as well (Matthew 12:43-45). Your purged home must be filled with the Holy Spirit, and that only happens when you give your life to Jesus.

If you have not done so, give your life to Jesus today. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He made a way of reconciliation for you with God. No work on your part required! And you get God living in you, through the Holy Spirit to give you the strength and power to live out your soul-transformation and glorify God. If you are already a Christian, how “at home” is the Holy Spirit in you? Is it time for a good deep-cleaning heart purge? Clean out the clutter you’re still holding onto. Surrender and submit to the Holy Spirit, so He can make Himself at home…and you can experience the peace, contentment, and joy He longs to give you.

Lord, I surrender to You—create in me a pure heart (Psalm 51:10), so that I can walk according to Your Word and Your will.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 

Ephesians 4:32

I’m studying Ephesians now, so I thought it would be nice to revisit this devotion I wrote in 2019, posted here in February 2020. Enjoy—and maybe be convicted…

The Bible says a lot about forgiveness. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus and the Epistle writers command believers forgive. But often, we believe that “forgiving” equates with “condoning”—and that forgiveness negates the associated pain of the wrong. But that’s not the case.

The thing is, forgiveness is a choice—not a feeling. And true forgiveness, although it is a gift to the other person, frees our own soul from the destructive burden of bitterness and anger.

About this time several years ago, a virtual bomb was dropped in my life—a revelation of truth that devastated my very soul. I was more hurt and angrier than I thought possible. And no one would have faulted me for wrapping a firm grip around bitterness, never to let go.

Instead, within a matter of hours—in the midst of the shock, horror, pain, and disbelief—I did something unexpected. I chose to forgive.

Please know this was not of my own power—it was not humanly possible. It was the Holy Spirit, living in me, that gave me the supernatural ability to make that decision. In the middle of my pain, He convicted my spirit with five simple words that still burn within today: “How dare you not forgive?”

See, my life is daily filled with sin. I am a sinner. But Jesus stretched out His arms on that cross to pay the penalty I owe. Yesterday’s, today’s, and tomorrow’s sins are all forgiven—thrown into the sea (Micah7:19) and removed from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). We who accept the precious gift of salvation are made white as snow even though our sins are as scarlet (Isaiah 1:18). 

When you consider people in your life who have wronged you, you may think, “But that person’s sin is way worse than mine—they hurt me!” But in God’s economy, every sin is an imperfection that stains the perfect righteousness required by a perfect God. And every sin hurts Him too. 

We are forgiven. Because of what Jesus accomplished—His pain and suffering on our behalf, His amazing mercy and grace—how can we not extend that same grace, mercy, and forgiveness to another?

Because we are forgiven through Christ, let’s choose to be forgiving through Christ. 

Lord, thank You for forgiving me and making me righteous in God’s eyes. Because of Your grace, empower me to choose forgiveness daily.

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Luke 15:7

Were any of you cheerleaders? I was. Just for one year—during my sophomore year in high school. I must say, it was really fun. Shouting rhyming cheers to choreographed moves during crisp, cool Friday night football games…starting chants courtside for the bleachers packed with basketball fans…pounding the mat to support the wrestlers as they grappled for victory. We kept an eye on the game, always yelling to encourage our team. And when there was a score, we’d go crazy—leaping into a herkie, spread eagle, or tuck jump—while we got the crowd to join together in a victory cheer.

That was a long time ago, and I don’t think about it much. But it all came back to me as I studied the first few chapters of Ephesians. You may be thinking, “Cheerleaders in the First Century Church?” Let me explain.

Since God created the angels, they have been around His thrown giving Him glory—glorifying God is one of their main purposes. They circle the Lord’s throne and proclaim His holiness (Isaiah 6:2-3). Angels know God’s sovereignty and power. They are in awe of His creation—they’ve seen it firsthand.

But angels are not omniscient or omnipresent—they only know what has happened and what is happening as they observe it. And although throughout history, as written in the Old Testament, the Lord prophesied about a coming Savior, His death, and His victory, you can just imagine the level of drama that unfolded in front of the angels on Calvary (I picture them howling in despair). But then, three days later, you can almost hear the roar of joy at the Resurrection. They no doubt shouted from every corner of heaven, “Victory! Victory!” 

As Paul writes to the Ephesians and other First Century churches, he reveals to these new believers the mysteries of God. In other words, Truths that the OT prophets wrote about but couldn’t comprehend—not until Christ came, died, and ascended, sending the Holy Spirit for understanding (Ephesians 3:10; Colossians 15:51; Colossians 1:27; 1 Timothy 3:16). And the Apostles made these Truths known to the early Christians (and to us). The cool thing is that the angels also came to an understanding of these mysteries right alongside the Church! (Can’t you just see them high-fiving and cheering with each profound Truth?)

And the most Amazing Truth of all, the Gospel of Grace—salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works or the law—was also unveiled to the angels in real time. No doubt, this was like your team winning the world (no, UNIVERSE) championship! The cheers, the jumps, the shouts and hugs! But there’s more (1 Peter 1:12)! The Bible also says that angels rejoice over each sinner who repents and surrenders to Jesus (Luke 15:7-10). 

Think about that. When saved, each and every person has myriads of myriads of angels going ballistic—doing angel herkies, shouting, blowing trumpets, probably doing some serious gymnastic moves. An explosion of celebration because it’s the most important event of a person’s existence. So, if you haven’t yet experienced the life-altering transformation of salvation, why not make today the day…your cheer squad is watching intently, waiting to shout over you with unabashed joy.

Lord, thank You for Your amazing grace, for reconciling us to Yourself through Christ—it is the Ultimate Victory.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).          

Ephesians 2:4-5

Have you ever heard someone say, “Oh, she knows I love her”? Sometimes this concept is also stated as, “I know he loves me—he doesn’t have to say it all the time.” On the flip side of that coin is a person who tells another person (even frequently), “I love you,” but their attitude and actions are neutral (or worse). The fact is, for someone to truly know we love them, words are not enough. We need to demonstrate that love in ways (big and small), by being helpful, extending grace (giving others kindness that they don’t deserve), and showing mercy (not giving others what they do deserve). 

God loves us—He is love (1 John 4:8). We can read all about His love for us from Genesis to Revelation—He tells us clearly using His words. We can also see His love expressed to us through Creation. A breathtaking sunset, the intricacies of a flower, the miracle of a newborn baby. And this is truly amazing and breathtaking. 

But did you know, friend, that it is not God’s love for us that reconciles us to Him? His love does not make a way for us to spend eternity with Him in heaven. That may sound strange. But it’s true. God does love us—all of us. We can read it; we can see it. But He demonstrated that love for us in that while we were still sinners, He sent His Son—Jesus—to die on our behalf (Romans 5:8). Jesus paid the price for our sin—a price we could never pay—so that we can be righteous, holy, worthy to stand before God. It is this grace and this mercy that saves us from eternal suffering and separation from God. This is God’s love on display.

God does love all of us. And all of us have an opportunity to accept God’s gift of love-on-display. He loves you. But no matter how much you read about it, see it, or “know” this fact, it’s not enough. If you haven’t said, “Yes” to God’s grace through faith in Jesus, won’t you do that right now? 

Lord, Your love maintains the breath in our lungs and the earth’s rotation…but it’s the demonstration of Your love through Jesus that saves us. Thank You for this gift.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

The word “new” can be used in a lot of ways. I’m a huge fan of recycled clothes, hitting thrift stores and consignment shops regularly. When I make awesome finds (which I do too often), I have “new” pieces in my wardrobe. This clothing had been purchased and worn by others, but it’s new to me. Maybe you’ve bought a “new car” that was preowned by one or more people—but it’s your new mode of transportation. There are “new-new” cars too, of course, fresh off the factory floor and complete with that new car smell (if you can even find one in today’s whacky world—and if you do, you’ll pay a significant premium over MSRP). For all of these things, we have one word in the English language: new.

Other languages have lots of words to a single English word that helps distinguish meanings and differentiate subtleties. New Testament Greek is a wonderful example of this. We see it with the word “love” parsed out into: eros (passion), philia (friendship), storge (family), and agape (unconditional). Also in the New Testament, we find a word for “new” that is completely different. In fact, it means “completely different in quality or kind.” The Greek word “kainos” is used in some form 44 times to describe “new” throughout the New Testament. One of my very favorite verses in the entire Word of God—2 Corinthians 5:17—uses this word not once, but twice. And the implication is pretty awesome.

First, the definition of this word for new: unprecedented, novel, unheard of; previously non-existent; far different from what they were before; completely new in form or quality.

Upon salvation—our recognition that we’re sinners and our total surrender to Jesus as Lord—we are transformed. Completely. Not reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated. We’re resuscitated—we were dead and now we’re alive. We don’t turn over a new leaf, we receive new life in Christ. The “old has passed away”—gone.

Secondly, “new things have come”! What are these new things, exactly, that come to everyone who is transformed by the saving grace of Jesus? Theologian James Butler succinctly delineates three specific new things that occur:

1. A change in devotion and interests—a saved person will be devoted to Christ and have interests in spiritual things (like a desire for God’s Word). 
2. A change in demeaner and behavior. Reconciliation with God changes everything—our thinking, our words, and our action. 
3. A change in destiny. This is the greatest and most important change. The eternal destiny of the reconciled soul is heaven. The unreconciled soul is headed for eternity in hell.

For three decades, I attempted to make my life “new”—year by year, week by week, day by day. I worked hard, tried my hardest. I even bargained with God regarding my good/bad list…promising to “do better” next time. But, friend, this effort is impossible on our own—it’s a losing battle because every one of us is wholly unrighteous, fallen. But we can be transformed and made new! And the only “effort” involved is accepting the free gift of God’s grace, salvation through Jesus. When I finally recognized this, everything did indeed change. I was made a new creation, with new devotion, demeaner, and destiny. I finally had peace with God—no more battling against Him. Completely new in form and quality. Not perfect, mind you, but continually growing and maturing in my walk of obedience and holiness. 

What about you? Are you done trying to “renew” your life on your own terms and by your own efforts? You can be made new—a new creation in Christ—right now. Just believe that Jesus paid the price for your sin, exchanging His righteousness for your sin, freeing you from the penalty of death and hell. 

Lord, if there is just one person reading this who is tired of the struggle to “renew” their life, let them turn to You for rebirth…to be recreated as something entirely new and beautiful.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Many (most) of you all reading this probably grew up doing some type of competitive sport or activity—maybe dance, track, tennis, or swimming. For me, it was soccer. I started playing in third grade. Soon I was in a high-level travel league (once the “Boys Club” become “Youth Club”), and the months and years through high school were filled with plenty of blood, sweat, and tears. But there was always that motivational carrot, right? The trophy or medal—the ultimate reward for hard work and dedication.

Over the past 10-15 years, things have shifted in our culture. Gone are the hardcore competitions at youth levels. “First place” has been “re-placed” by “participation awards”. When my two boys played various sports as kids, some leagues didn’t even keep score. Everyone who plays gets a trophy.

But when everyone wins, it’s not a reward anymore…it’s a gift. The prize is no longer earned. It’s given freely, regardless of effort.

Whatever your perspective on this aspect of kids’ sports (and you probably land on one side of the debate or the other), it actually serves as a wonderful analogy for the saving grace of Jesus Christ. See, every world religion—as well as many “Christian” denominations—believe that salvation is to be earned as a reward. If you work hard enough, doing more good than bad stuff, then the “trophy” of heaven is yours! 

It’s true that God is Holy and cannot tolerate anything but perfection in His presence. And since we’re all sinners and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), hard work and great effort are indeed necessary to bridge that chasm between our unrighteousness and His righteousness—the Justice of God demands it. A price of blood, sweat, and tears must be paid for the ultimate Prize of heaven.

But, friend, it’s already been paid, the work has been done. God, in His kindness toward us, made a way of reconciliation with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:4-9). Salvation is a gift—not a reward! We do not (cannot) earn it, no matter hard we work. We can never do enough to be Holy enough to stand in God’s presence. But we don’t have to! By His tears, sweat, and Blood, Jesus accomplished what we could not, covering our every sin (past, present, and future) with His righteousness. All we have to do is participate! 

If you’ve been tirelessly working to justify yourself to our Holy God, you can rest now. Accept the gift of salvation through grace (getting what we don’t deserve) by faith alone. Just acknowledge your sin, turn away from it, and surrender to Jesus…and the prize of heaven is yours.    

Lord, thank You for the great gift of salvation—that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8), paying the price we could never pay for the riches of heaven.

It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:26

“Justice” is an easily defined word: “the maintenance or administration of what is just, especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments” (Merriam-Webster). However, in our culture today, justice is a convoluted, upside-down, and often hollow concept. Harmful criminals are allowed to run free (wreaking pain and destruction) and harmless citizens are fired, canceled, and locked up for living life according to their Constitutional rights or God’s Word. Plus, there are plenty of “________ justice” terms out there as well. But, whenever you add a modifier to “justice”, it automatically becomes the very definition of “injustice”—let that sink in.

God, however, is always perfectly Just (Deuteronomy 32:4). And, unlike our earthly judges at every level, there is no corruption or skewed morality or political leanings with Him. And because He is also perfectly Righteous and Holy, requiring perfect holiness in His presence, there are no misdemeanors or felonies or plea bargains. Every one of us—no matter how “good” we believe ourselves to be—is guilty (Romans 3:23). And the sentence for us all is the same: death (Romans 6:23). No fines, community service, or jail time.

But God, however, is also Merciful, not wanting anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9; John 3:36; 1 Timothy 2:4). So, here’s where we are: (1) God is perfectly Just—requiring justice, the “merited punishment” for our sin; (2) In His mercy He doesn’t want anyone’s sentence to be executed; and (3) we’re all guilty and unable to pay the penalty for our sin. At first glance, it seems like a hopeless scenario.

What’s the answer? It’s another form of our word of the day: Justification (the act of proving or showing something to be right or just). And this is one of the most beautiful, amazing, mind-blowing concepts in the Bible. 

Imagine you were in a courtroom, standing in front of a judge. You’ve been convicted of a terrible crime, and you are anxiously awaiting your sentencing. But you know you’re guilty and deserve whatever is coming to you. Instead of handing down your punishment, though, the judge stands up to tell you that someone else—your victim, in fact—has chosen to pay the price for your crime. He’s been put to death already, so you’re completely free to walk away—as if you never did anything wrong. Justice has been served, but you are justified.

Can you picture the scene? Friend, this is what Jesus Christ has done for us. He came to earth, fully Man and fully God, to live a perfect, holy life—a life we could never live. And then He hung on a cross, paying the penalty for our sin—a sentence we deserve but could never pay ourselves. Then Jesus rose from the dead, victorious, making the way for us to stand in front of our Holy God in perfect righteousness. Justice has been served, but you and I are justified.

It’s the awesome picture of mercy and grace: Mercy is not getting what we deserve (eternal separation from God—hell), and Grace is getting what we don’t deserve (eternal heaven with God). All we have to do is confess our crime (sin) and accept that Someone else paid our penalty—free of charge (no good works or law-following needed). Friend, will you acknowledge God’s justice and choose today to be justified in Christ?

Lord, thank You for your patience and mercy. Thank you that because of Jesus, You look at me “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

Matthew 5:13

What do you prefer—chips or candy? Popcorn or cake? Doritos or Nestle Toll House? In other words, would you gravitate toward something salty or something sweet? This is always an interesting insight into someone’s preferences, and it’s often used as a big group icebreaker question. Regardless, there seems to be a definitive response every time.

When we look at the elements themselves—salt and sugar—we discover unique attributes of both. Salt is used to preserve food, as well as bringing out flavors. Salt also makes us thirsty. Sugar, interestingly, is also used to preserve some foods…and, of course, it makes food sweet.

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He called His followers to be salt of the earth. What does that mean exactly? We are to influence the world—unbelievers—by adding the flavor of holiness. We’re to represent the Lord, His will, and His ways to others. We’re also to preserve His Word in a time when the enemy is working diligently (in and out of the Church) to water it down, make it seem irrelevant, and use it to divide. And we’re to make others thirsty for God—when they see our joy and experience our grace and mercy, they should want what we have.

Jesus did not call us to be sugar. We are not to only invite others to Him using sweet-tasting morsels—or, worse, entice with cloying syrupiness that sickens. Think of churches today that put on smoke-machine praise performances, affirm all-things-worldly, and assure congregants that wealth and health is one prayer away. Like ingesting too much sugar, such indulgence in so-called “Christianity” will not only make a person sick, it will ultimately lead to death. Sugar may be a temporary preservative, but rot doesn’t take long.

The thing about salt, you see, is that it also purifies and cleanses. These are vital actions for the Church today—not to do the cleansing, but to share the Good News about the One who can. The fallen world is defiled, in need of purification. So are fallen, broken people. We all fall short—all of us. We all sin because we’re all sinners. (We’re not sinners because we sin.) And because we are unrighteous and unholy, we are separated from God—and we can’t work our way back to Him. But Jesus died on the cross, redeeming us from our sin and paying the debt we owe. Jesus cleanses us from all our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), washing us as pure and white as snow (Isaiah 1:18; Psalm 51:7), so we can stand before God holy and unashamed. 

Another thing about salt is that when used to clean and treat physical ailments, it stings. A lot. Same with being salt to the world. It’s good, useful, helpful, tasty. But sharing Jesus in a world that hates Him—because it does—can cause significant distaste in the hearer. It’s our task, though, to make people thirsty for the Truth that preserves them for eternity.

Lord, may I be salt to our lost world, making them thirsty for the Living Water.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.

Ephesians 1:7-8a

Grace is an amazing concept. It’s defined simply as getting what we don’t deserve. And it’s especially astounding in the context of God’s grace toward us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). We don’t deserve it, we can’t earn it. It’s a free gift for the taking. The Apostle Paul talks a lot in all his epistles about grace—he knows it well, after all. The man was overseeing the murder of Christ-followers, only to have his life turned upside down by the very One he was persecuting, becoming a great evangelist—steadfast through beatings, imprisonment, hunger, and ultimate martyrdom. 

His letter to the Ephesians is deep and rich. In fact, we can dive into each verse for hours, relishing in the doctrinal Truths and wading through centuries-old theological debates. But let’s camp out on one sentence from the very first chapter: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us (Ephesians 1:7-8a). Friend, in these 25 words (at least in the NASB it’s 25 words), there is enough encouragement and fodder for joy to lift us out of the darkest slump. 

So, let’s unpack a few of these reassuring points from Paul. First, “In Him we have redemption through His blood.” Now, “in Him” is a book-long study in itself, so we’re going to jump to the overall message of this phrase: In Jesus Christ, we are redeemed—He paid the price to ransom us out of the bondage of sin and rescue us from its penalty. His sacrifice was a Great Exchange of His righteousness for our unrighteousness. And when we accept this gift, through faith, and surrender to Him, our sin debt is paid in full. We are redeemed, transformed, a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Next, we have “the forgiveness of our trespasses.” When we confess and repent, God forgives us. It’s really that simple (1 John 1:9). Upon salvation (acceptance of His free gift), all our sins are paid for—all of them. Yesterday’s, today’s, and tomorrow’s. And once forgiven, God does not bring them up again (Isaiah 43:25, Psalm 103:12)—Satan will and you will, but God won’t. And because we are forgiven, we can (and must) forgive others. How can we not after being forgiven of so much ourselves?

Finally, there’s that last marvelous phrase: “…according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.” God’s grace is not only amazing, it’s extravagant. He lavishes it on us—pours it out without end. We cannot “out-sin” God’s grace (Romans 5:20)! We do not deserve grace…again, that’s inherent to the definition. But He extends it to us—lavishly! Let that sink in. Let this Truth pour over your thirsty soul, refreshing your spirit. 

So, when our enemy, the evil one, is hissing all kinds of lies about us in our ears (because he will), and we feel discouraged, let’s throw these 25 words of God in his face. Bask in your identity in Christ—your redemption, your forgiveness, and His lavish grace.

“Lord, Your grace is amazing—a sweet sound to my soul. Let me not get caught up in the world, my sin, or the lies of the enemy and forget the Truth of who I am in Christ.”