The Mystery RevealedSample

Day 2: Kristi Louis, Co-Founder of Braveheart

Romans 3-4

Years ago, I found myself in a rather depressed and anxious state, miserably far from my perceived idea of what an "on fire Christian" should look like. I had actually experienced great things in God. I had tasted of His love and grace quite profoundly. Still, in this particular season, disappointment and pain had come knocking at my door, and in the wake of that…anger, disillusionment, and depression. One night, I found myself in an anxious state, trapped in feelings of unworthiness. Those feelings of unworthiness caused me to rage at a "God" I'd created in my head, who was somehow quite disappointed in me. Can you relate to having a certain standard you fall short of?

There I was, feeling familiar feelings of anxiety and worthlessness that had become a norm in that season. I was about to go into a full fit of panic and rage, and just before I did, a picture and phrase flashed in my mind. I saw a whiteboard with orange handwriting all over it, and then, the next moment, an eraser erasing all of the markings on the whiteboard, wiping it clean. A phrase popped into my spirit just before I was about to fly off the handle, "A big smile on your face kinda love for me."

A smile? Surely not. "How could You be smiling on me now, God? In this kind of state." But then, I saw it. I saw His smile and this completely white whiteboard with all the scribbling erased. Surely, He was speaking to me.

What was this whiteboard? And why the smile?

"But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding his blood…God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus…"

(Romans 3: 21-26 NLT).

Your righteousness, my friends, is based entirely on the work of Jesus at the cross, not on your ability to "please" Him. This is the Good News. This is GRACE—undeserved, unmerited favor—Your Father's smile of approval is based on what His Son did, not on what you do. A clean slate, based on the cleansing blood of Jesus, not your toiled effort.

"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin" (Romans 4: 7-8 NLT).

Prayer: Father, thank you that my record has been cleared and You stand before me with a smile, ready to receive me based on the work of Your Son. I ask that You would speak this truth over my heart, “Righteous, clean, and perfect. My son, my daughter, I see no flaw in you.”