and How to Find Your Way Back
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”— Romans 3:23 (NIV)
We are sinners… that much we know. But, through Christ that is no longer who we are.
We ALL stumble. We ALL forget who we are sometimes. But through Christ, our identity isn’t determined by our failures — it’s defined by His victory.
Christ has redefined us, and our new identity is one of true freedom.
You could even say it’s —Limitless 😉
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,”— Galatians 3:13 (NIV)
We are no longer slaves to the wicked desires of our flesh.
No, instead we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)
We put to death every sinful thought, behavior, or desire that the devil tries to tempt us with.
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” — Galatians 5:24 (NIV)
We aren’t just children of God, but well equipped warriors He has prepared for the good fight against the evils of this world and the unseen world.
So friends; don’t lose hope!
Sinning is a part of our life on this earth until Jesus returns. But it’s not hopeless — we are not hopeless or helpless anymore.
Our Father who reigns in heaven watches over you and sends angels to protect you from unseen evils (Psalms 91:11-12, Psalm 34:7, Hebrews 1:14, Exodus 23:20)
Christ who died and resurrected you with Him is in constant intercession for you
And the Holy Spirit who lives within you is your constant source of strength and discernment in times of temptation.
Through the trinity you are equipped with the full armor of God!
The Armor of God
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”—Ephesians 6:10-13 (NIV)
- The belt of Truth
- The breastplate of Righteousness
- The shoes of the Gospel of Peace
- The shield of Faith
- The helmet of Salvation
- The sword of The Spirit (the Word of God)
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”— Ephesians 6:17-18 (NIV)
So, if you’ve lost your way, gotten distracted by the empty pleasures of this fallen world, and perhaps you’re struggling to come back and face your Father, remember this…
“The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.”— Daniel 9:9 (NIV)
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”— Psalm 103:12 (NIV)
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”—Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)
“Come now, let us settle the matter, “says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’”—Isaiah 1:18 (NIV)
“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”— Jeremiah 31:34 (NIV)
He loves you. He wants you. He already forgave you. Accept His grace and rest in Him.
Take comfort in this even if you’ve wandered off the path or drifted away from prayer — you’re not the only one.
You’re Not Alone
No Christian has ever not been led astray before. As stated before “we are sinners” but unlike the rest of the world we have a way out.
A strength to turn to, a power to lean on, and a light that shines through to vanquish the darkness we let in.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path”—Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
Lean on Him through His Word. He will light your path and keep you from stumbling (and forgive you when you stumble anyway ❤️🩹)
I know this because I’ve been where you are.
I’ve fallen away (more than once and will do so again I’m sure) and I can testify to the power of simply allowing yourself to rest in your Father’s arms.
My Own Stumble
Ever since I was saved a few years ago I’ve struggled MANY times with “falling away” from my faith.
Before I was saved I struggled with a particular sin (which I suppose I technically still struggle with but it doesn’t have a foothold anymore) and it was something I could lean on during difficult times in my life.
However, it slowly destroyed me.
It was this destruction that God found me in, or more that I finally took notice of God in.
I had tried to break free from this sin on my own many times.
And I’d go a long time without it, but then I would inevitably end up back where I started because I had no other way to comfort myself during difficult times.
Then I was saved and of course that automatically makes you want to be rid of all sin. The problem was I was still trying to do it by myself.
Instead of letting God take away my sin so I could live for Him freely; I wound up falling back into that sin even after I was saved.
It was disheartening to say the least. I was so disappointed in myself for not being “strong enough for God” failing to realize that it wasn’t my job!
God never asked me to be strong — He asked me to let go. That realization changed everything.
My job is to love God above all else and to keep His commands. Part of that includes accepting His forgiveness and living under His grace. I couldn’t accept that so I “hid” from God.
Every prompting from the Holy Spirit to turn away from my sin I ignored.
I thought tuning God out would make the shame of letting Him down dissipate but apparently that’s not how it works! 🙄
Even in my disobedience though God remained faithful to me.
He communicated with me daily until He softened my heart to His voice.
I came back to Him heavily grieved over not just my original sin but also the sin of turning away from God in shame because of my sin.
I repented and prayed that my repentance be genuine and any disingenuousness would be snuffed out by a deeper love and faith.
I had a renewed desire to please God that came not by my own works but through His grace.
I re-dedicated my life to Him and yielded what I thought I could control to the One I knew was actually in control.
You see, I am a sinner who still struggles with the temptation of that sin.
But more importantly, I’m an image of God protected and sanctified by His grace alone.
I’m no longer a victim of the sin or the shame that comes with it.
I implore you all to remember you aren’t either.
Forgetting is Not Failing
Forgetting who you are in Christ doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
Failing would be choosing to turn from God because you allowed your sin and shortcomings to keep you from His grace and relationship. That’s true failure!
With God the only way you can fail is by doing things without Him!
So don’t be discouraged and don’t allow your sinful nature to become a vice that keeps you from God.
God saw your sin and chose to pay for it through His Son. Don’t then throw that merciful blessing away because you feel bad.
That defeats God’s purpose in saving you!
He wants you to come to Him like a good parent would want their child to come to them when they screw up.
So they can help you fix it!
We’ve gotten too good as a society at being independent that we even pride ourselves in our toxic independence.
God wants us dependent on Him and when we fail is when we’re in need of Him most! So don’t run away!
It’s always a good idea to run towards God. 🏃♀️
Ask yourself, “Where in your life have you been hiding from God instead of running to Him?”
My Prayer For You
May you all be emboldened by God’s grace and mercy to live your lives against sin and without shame!
May you find relief from your transgressions by the Lord’s work in your heart and find the freedom freely given to you.
I pray that you live each day within the identity of your God-given redemption.
And forgive yourself as Our Father has forgiven you!
Remember always to hate the sin but love the sinner but above all Love God.
I pray you let God work through you to break your chains and heal your wounds. Never allowing the enemy to become your source of comfort or peace because anything he can give you is a lie.
Lord draw them to approach Your throne of Grace boldly and with genuine repentance.
Help them to be secure in the knowledge that You have already forgiven them and their sins are already paid for.
I pray that you yield your life to the One who resurrected it and go on in peace forever beside Him!
In Jesus’ redeeming name I pray for us all,
Amen.
Lastly, live limitlessly; love God. ❤️
This concludes the Limitless Living in Christ series!
Check out some related posts:
Real Life; Real Faith-
- the Practical Application of Your Faith
- Faith over Feelings
- Everyday Idols Pulling You From God
- Created for Communion: God’s Design For Faith-based Relationships
- Building Faith-Filled Relationships
- Faith In the Little Things
- Living Faith Out Loud: integrating faith into everyday life
- A Walking Testimony: Being a Christian ALL the Time
If you’re new to faith or just coming back:
Or go back to the beginning of the series if you missed it, here.
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