
Listen to "It's Finished" from my new mixtape https://m.soundcloud.com/jeannie-orte…/its-finished-lst-mix…
It’s important for a Christian to understand that once you give your life to Jesus that doesn't automatically mean the vicious cycle of dysfunction in your life will completely break. Yes, you are no longer a prisoner to it, nor does it have to have control over you but you sure can allow it to.
I officially knew I wanted Jesus in my heart at age 16 but it wasn't until I 21 that I finally realized, if I wanted things in my life to change the way my heart was starting to change, I needed to change my actions, behavior and even my circle. I had to be done with living in my sin because I no longer had to play a victim to it. Jesus' death on the cross would end the devils hold over humanity but I was like a dog that returns to their vomit and didn't even realize it. I kept thinking that just because I was falling in love with Jesus my life would change, like if he was some kind of Genie in the bottle (No pun intended). Here I was still wylin out, living a double standard, trying to be in control of everything and telling God to come along for my ride instead of the other way around. The Bible says you know a Christian by the fruit they bear, meaning their character would reflect Christ. But I was so trapped in pride, unforgiveness and self-pity that I stayed stuck there until I had a real revelation of what the cross means.
James 4: 7-8 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
When we all begin our faith journey’s, there are so many things we think we know until we are forced to walk it out. I swore I forgave everyone that ever hurt me the moment I found out Jesus wanted me to, until something came up and I realized I didn’t. I had to purpose myself to forgive until my heart changed and eventually I did forgive. God is gracious but that doesn’t mean that some of our actions won’t come back to bite us if keep doing the same things. When I was finally at the end of myself, I prayed - “Create in me a clean heart, oh Lord. Show me the things that need to go in my life that are keeping me from living free.”
I wanted the cycle to break but it wasn't until I was 21, fed up and lost everything I could lean on, that I finally decided to change my old ways of doing things - thinking/speaking and living. When Jesus said “it’s Finished” while on the cross, He meant it. What He was doing at calvary broke the devils hold over us but we don’t always live like it’s finished, do we? We tend to dance with the enemy a little longer until he destroys everything we have and care about and leaves us for dead, I learned the hard way.
Colossians 2:14 “[Jesus,]By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake He[God] made Him[Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Reflection: Today, as you ponder the term “It’s Finished,” include all the things in your life that try to keep you in chains. Jesus said “it’s finished,” that settles it and our job is to believe it! Be free and walk in that grace boldly knowing that somebody undeserving gave His blood for it.
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