Back in the day, Genesis 19 or so, Lot’s wife looked back at Sodom and Gomorrah. She became a pillar of salt. She failed to turn her back on the world, on her old life. How often do we look back at our old life. We have died and risen with Christ. “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with (Romans 6:6)” The old man is dead and the new has come to be. Turn your back on sin, on self, and walk forward, run forward. Flee quickly as the angel told Lot and his family to do. “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” (Genesis 19:17) Just as Lot and his family had to flee from immorality in Sodom and Gomorrah we need to flee from immorality and sin in our own lives. The way to do this is to turn our backs on the old and run headlong for the new. I believe the key to righteousness lies less in hating evil than in loving good. As we chase after God we will come to know and love whatever is true, noble, lovely, and admirable. We need to run after God. We can’t afford to look away, to stray to the right or to the left but we must continue pressing on and pressing in to God. We need to run with abandon after Jesus. Turing our backs on the world and focusing on heavenly things. There are so many things we must give up, so much to cast away. So many worldly “necessities” that hold us down. Its crazy and insane to give it all up, throw it all away and cast yourself into the arms of God. It goes against everything of our flesh to surrender to God but it is so deeply needed. Jesus said, “Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” (Luke 17:32)
Let freedom be proclaimed! For this is a day of liberation! The captives are loosed from their chains! The power of the strongman is broken! His influence is stolen! In Jesus name! Declare the name of Jesus! Declare the name of the saviour! Jesus! Jesus! May the blood of the lamb cover over my sin! The blood of Jesus cover over my impurities! I praise You and thank You, Jesus, for the loving forgiveness You so freely give to me. Your grace and mercy is sufficient for me. Because of You I can be made clean, made whole, and restored. O Jesus, I am sorry for my sin, my iniquity. I have fallen in this sin so many times before. I have made this evil a habit. I have made this sin an addiction. I am in over my head O God. I cannot stay afloat. I drown in the depths of my depravity. I thank you O God that You can break habits, that You can break addictions! For nothing, nothing is to difficult for You my Lord. I ask and plead with You my King. I beg for this. That You would do a great work in me O God. That You would purge me of this wickedness. Make my heart pure O God. Renew my mind. Burn the flesh. Yes Lord scourge the flesh that abideth in me still. Close my ears to the lips of the destroyer, the father of lies. May his words fall on deaf ears. For Yours O Sovereign Lord is the only voice I long to hear. Let it be clear to me. O God help me to look past the distractions and focus fully on You. Jesus, lover of my soul You are the prize for which I run. Do not let me get caught up in pride, entangled in selfish ambition. Rather let me walk this earth as a humble man. Let me live as Your servant. No rather as Your slave for I am not my own but owned by You O God. Purchased, ransomed from the death of which I belonged. The blood of the lamb was shed for I. The ridicule of the King on high. All this so that I might be saved so that I might be clothed, no longer depraved. Let freedom be proclaimed! For this is a day of liberation! The captives are loosed from their chains! He who the Son sets free is free indeed. Though I was in bondage. Enslaved to habitual sin. This moment I am forgiven. This moment I am clean. I thank You O Jesus my liberator! I declare that this day in the name most high, in the name of Jesus I declare. My chains have been broken! My soul has been freed! Satan has no hold on me! At this time I purpose myself to fight the lusts of the flesh. I purpose this night to live in righteousness. Now that I am free I vow never to go back. May I live in purity, so help me God. I am weak He is so strong. My Jesus, my Jesus do not let me fall! But give me the strength to stand up against it. Give me the strength to fulfill my vow. As I resist the devil I submit myself to You. So many times have I been through this before let it be no more. Let me walk forward this day never to backslide to sin in this way. Let today bring closure to a period of unwholesome indulgence an end of shallow pleasure. Let it be known as a day of liberation. May all praise, all glory, all honor, and all worship be unto You, O God! Blessed be the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost! Hallelujah, the Lord our God reigns!
Time is Now
Some of this is probably hard to understand, a little strange even, if you don’t know Jesus Christ in a personal way. Hear me out. God never wanted to be some far off light hearted grandfather. Rather, he wants to be your closest friend. This is the whole reason Jesus died on the cross, so that he could have a relationship with you. If only I could make you understand, if only I fully understood myself, how greatly God loves you. No other love can match the depth of God’s love. Its not about who you are or what you’ve done, God’s love is unconditional. God loves you. He has a plan for your life that is greater than anything you can imagine. This is your destiny, your purpose; to be in a love relationship with Jesus. If you’re not sure, got some questions, I’d love to talk with you, anytime. Call me up, grab me in the hall, whatever.
It can be about anything. I just wanna say I’m here for you. Just like most of you guys are there for me if I need someone to talk to, someone to lean on, or someone just to be there for me. I love you. And it hurts me, it breaks my heart to think that you’re living without knowing Jesus, sometimes I cry, there’s so much more for you.
Soon school will be out. No more tests. No more projects. No more homework. How can one wait? Summer vacation. Great summer vacation is almost here. Days in the pool, at the beach. We can all feel it coming. We all yearn for it. There’s one thing and probably only one thing that I will miss when school ends and that is being with my friends and even those classmates who really aren’t close friends but I know them just the same. Those who’ve been through a whole year of school with me, seen me make a fool of myself. I’ll miss seeing them. It is just so great to see all the different personalities and individuals. All the beauty that’s been placed in every person. Everyone is just so special, so intricate, so unique, and also so much the same. God knew what he was doing when He made you. Amazingly enough as anti-social as I am, I’ll miss the limited social interaction that did occur. Maybe you guys do more stuff with your friends over the summer than I do, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be hanging with them five days a week. Of course last summer I was away for a month, not exactly conducive to getting together. I guess what I want to say is that school is ending, great but I’m sad too because I know I won’t see some of you over the summer at all. Also cherish these last couple of days, there’s work that still has to be done but there’s also a lot of cool people to talk to (especially me). Summer vacation is on its way. Freedom beckons. Remember don’t get too lazy, lost in that summer sun, drop me a line sometime. I’m probably as bored as you are.