Have you ever been slimed by someone? They’ve taken the liberty to judge your heart and in the process of wounding you’ve taken on the chains of accusation and slander. I believe we all have at one time or another. If you’ve been pierced by the merciless arrows of another, I have Good News for you!
In the Book of Luke, Chapter 9, Jesus commissions the twelve to walk in the power and authority given them to bring the Kingdom of God to a hurting world. There was a mandate on their lives to drive out demons, heal the sick, and proclaim love and light where darkness once reigned. It would require a trip.
I don’t know about you but I’m not one to travel light. In fact, overpacking is sort of my thing. I’ve often found myself to have come home from my travels without having used more than ½ of what I brought along. Now that I think about it, this applies to my closet in general. In Luke 9:3 Jesus instructs His chosen 12, “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.”
On our own journey to fulfilling all God has called us to, we must be willing to take nothing with us. I’m not talking about that adorable black and white polka-dot sun hat that incidentally matches your swimsuit perfectly or that additional pair of shoes that scarcely fit in your luggage. I’m talking about the guilt of the past and the offense of having been judged and misunderstood by another. It becomes a weight on your heart that only the cross of Christ can dislodge and send into the abyss where His blood has assured it belongs.
When the enemy comes with a swirl of chaos and condemnation, remember who and Whose you are! You are hidden in Christ, fully forgiven, deeply treasured, and unconditionally loved by a Father who doesn’t remind you of your past but rather entreats you to zero in on your future with and in Him.
The Good News of the Gospel is the anchor of the accused soul and the way in which we can navigate out of its heaviness and into the gift God has for those who will believe.
“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14 NIV).
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