New Lifeنموونە

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

Once your burdens are lifted, Jesus can restore in you the joy of His salvation and grant you a willing spirit, to sustain you. That is what makes His salvation so powerful and beautiful. Because of His death on the cross, we are forgiven. Jesus did not have to do that. In fact, we do not deserve it. We deserve Hell. But because of the grace of God, He sent Jesus for the purpose of reconciliation. He forgave us and restored to us inexpressible joy because we confess our sins and give Him our loyalty. 

While recognizing your sins and confessing them to the Lord might be hard, He promises you joy. He promises you strength. He promises you eternal life. During that hard time, remember this verse: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will — to  the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” (Ephesians 1:3-6 NIV)

A friend said this to me and others: “He adopted us through the blood of Jesus Christ! He died for me and you! He did this for His pleasure to give us grace to have a relationship with us.” To have a relationship with us… In order to have a right, intimate relationship with God, He will confront you about all your sin, but your heart must be open and humble. He wants you to know Him, deeply. Let go of all control and every fear; let Jesus in. Let Him grant you a willing spirit and sustain you until the day our faith becomes sight.

Prayer:

God, thank you for creating a perfect plan for my life. Thank you for never letting me go, no matter how many times I run away from you. You are truly the author and sustainer of my life. I pray my life will be an offering of submission to you today. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Questions:

• Are you willing to let Jesus restore you? Even if that means letting go of something you really love?

Activity:

Do you trust ALL His promises? Write down why or why not and think about how you will trust one of those promises today.