Day 19

Walk By Faith

Do you know what is essential to pleasing God?

What quality in a person’s life brought Jesus’ highest praise?

What drew Jesus’ strong rebuke when He saw a lack of it?

The answer? Faith.

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” - Hebrews 11:6

When we walk by faith we please God. Pursuing freedom requires faith.

It takes faith to believe that confessing to others leads to healing. Faith is required to live vulnerably. We walk by faith when we choose to believe God’s Word, instead of the shame messages we repeat to ourselves.

One of the lies we can be tempted to believe relates to the impact of sin on our relationship with God. For the follower of Christ, our relationship with God is secure. Jesus paid for our sin on the cross and He gives all who trust in Him, His righteousness. This is called the Great Exchange. He takes our sin and in exchange He credits us with His righteousness. Amazing!

If you have received Jesus as the Savior and Leader of your life, then you are "in Christ." This means that what is true of Jesus’ righteous standing before God is now attributed to you. We receive eternal life by putting our faith in Jesus’ work on the cross, instead of trusting in our own good works.

Those who are in Christ are secure in their relationship with God and their standing before Him. That will never change. Sin does not change the righteous standing before God that we have in Christ. Sin, however, does have negative consequences in a person’s life and closeness with God.

Today’s Challenge:    

1. Meditate on the verse below and answer the questions.    
2. Check in on the Freedom Fight app.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...” - Romans 8:1

Meditate and Reflect:    

1. Read Romans 8:1 thirteen times, each time emphasizing a different word (there are 13 words). This helps us absorb the significance of each word.    
2. What stuck out to you in the verse?    
3. In yesterday’s video I said, "By faith, we must accept that we are forgiven, even though we sometimes won’t feel like it." What is the difference between how you feel in the midst of a relapse and what this verse says?    
4. Write your own prayer asking God to help you believe the truth of this verse for yourself.

If you aren’t 100% sure of where you will spend eternity and want to learn more about the Great Exchange, watch the below video.

A Prayer to Receive Christ

God I admit to You that I’m a sinner and I know that I’m separated from you. Thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. Lord, I want to receive the forgiveness and righteousness that comes through Jesus. Lord, please come into my life to lead me and to make me the person you want me to be. Thank you for eternal life.

If the words of this prayer reflect the desire of your heart, consider praying something like it to God yourself. If you make this decision, let someone know about it and begin your new relationship with God by reading God’s word, praying and spending time with other followers of Christ (ie. Church, Bible studies).