Grace Walks in the Shadows
Well, now, friend, if this here ain’t somethin’ worth sittin’ down for, I don’t know what ever is. So come right on in and settle yourself here on this real comfy front porch chair like a lil’ ol’ chipmunk that done just found the fluffiest patch of pine needles in the whole forest. We’re ‘bout to go tiptoein’ into a truth that is so needed and so tender it could calm a proud lil’ ol’ rooster with a nasty attitude problem.
Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” That there verse fits hand in glove with Psalms 19:12-13, which tells us, “Who can understand his errors. Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. Then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” Both scriptures remind us that God just ain’t in the business of beatin’ us over the head with our past. And friend, if that sho’ nuff’ don’t git your spirit perked up like a deer hearin’ a distant scrapin’ sound, I don’t rightly know what ever will.
King David asked the Lord to be cleansin’ him from secret faults and to be keepin’ him from willful sins. He knew somethin’ we too often go to forgettin’. Sin awareness is more deadly than the actual sin itself. It’s like starin’ at a mud puddle so long you go to forgettin’ you are standin’ on solid ground.
The devil loves that kind o’ trick. He’s been usin’ the same ol’ tired routine since the beginnin’ o’ time. Jesus warned us in John 10:10 that “the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.” Friend, that ol’ devil will steal your joy faster than a lil’ ol’ raccoon can swipe a ham sandwich right off a picnic table while you are standin’ there watchin’ him.
Once that ol’ devil steals your joy, he gits to goin’ after your boldness. He whispers that God didn’t forgive you, that believers are better than you, and that you ought to be hidin’ away like a lil’ ol’ possum tucked up under a porch. Before long, you start thinkin’ your past is louder than any o’ God’s promises. But David knew better. He asked God to be cleansin’ him, not to be lettin’ him stew over his mistakes.
God is tellin’ you the same thing right now today. Romans 6:14 says, “Sin shall not have dominion over you because you are under grace.” That means you just ain’t no slave to guilt, shame, or yesterday’s failures. And Romans 6:18 declares that you have been made free from sin and have become a servant of righteousness. When you ask God for forgiveness, you gotta be receivin’ it by faith and movin’ right on. Don’t be lettin’ them ugly second thoughts crawl back in on you like a nosy lil’ ol’ groundhog rootin’ an’ diggin’ his way ‘round your peace.
Father, thank You for freein’ me from sin and from the weight of condemnation. Help me walk in the boldness of Your grace. Teach me to receive forgiveness quickly and to live in the joy and light of Your Word. In Jesus name, Amen.
Well, if that don’t beat all, friend, as you git to windin’ your way off this here porch and headin’ back into the thicket of your day, don’t you be forgettin’ that you ain’t wanderin’ ‘round like some confused ol’ turkey gobbler lost in tall grass. You’re plumb forgiven, steady, and guided by grace. When that ol’ devil tries to drag up your past, you just let him know you done already moved out of that mean ol’ neighborhood. Walk on ahead in freedom, ‘cause God has already declared you real clean, real whole, and sho’ nuff headed in the right direction.
With joy,
Gwen
