Not only did Jesus come to save us from Hell, He came to save us from sin – our sin! These include the sins we struggle with, some that we are in denial of, and those we even try to hide from others either out of shame or to preserve an image of self-righteousness; all of these He came to save us from. Let us look back to Joseph just after the time Mary conceived Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph contemplated where he could send Mary away secretly, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream encouraging him to not be afraid. He was instructed to take Mary as his wife, and then the angel made this proclamation concerning the Son she would soon give birth to: “You shall call His name Jesus [Yeshua in Hebrew], for He will save His people from their sins” (Mat 1:21 NASB [emphasis mine]). Jesus came to save you and me (we are His people!) from our sins!
Jesus Came to Destroy the Works of the Devil (see 1 John 3:8).
Many of us are convinced the works Jesus came to destroy are merely limited to the works of the enemy designed to mess up our temporal arrangements and plans, thwart our happiness, or harrass us. We also recognize that this refers to the more diabolical and real efforts of the devil to destroy our lives in the arenas of health, marriage, families, and finances, or our society, communities, neighborhoods, and nations. Rest assured Jesus came to destroy his works in those arenas (thank you Lord, He has!), but also be sure of this: the works of the enemy Jesus came to destroy reach well beyond the superficiality of temporal plans, arrangements, and momentary happiness. What Jesus came to destroy includes the sin and its elements that war, rage, and trouble us while still at work within our members (see Rom 7:23)! Jesus did not come to only forgive us of our sins, He came to save us from our sins as He destroys its holds in our hearts and lives! The sin warring within us is the resultant work of the devil, and Jesus can and will give us victory when we follow Him who has already overcome!
Harboring Destruction
The enemy has access to us through our vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities are areas of darkness that have been given refuge within our hearts and souls. Some of these areas we have no awareness of for they remain latent – for now. However there are areas in our lives, in our hearts, of which we do have knowledge. These include areas of sin that we do struggle with, as well as the areas of sin that we are either in denial of or we justify. Beware! Justifying or excusing them fortifies their hold on us and the destruction they bring as we harbor them. Whether we hide them to preserve and save the image we project to others, or hide them out of shame, they remain safe harbors not only for the sin that does so easily beset us, but also for the destructive works of the enemy. These harbors concealed in darkness or even ignorance give him access to bring hurtful ruin to our lives, health, relationships, and future. The enemy traffics in the darkness that has been reserved for him by God (see Jude v. 7). Unrepented areas of our hearts, and the uncrucified thought processes of our minds are harbors hidden in darkness that for us are not to be pleasure centers, happy places, or even harmless vices (let us not relish in deception); these are harbors destined to ruin us and our hopes and bring destruction as the enemy exploits these places of vulnerability – places and areas in our hearts and minds which we in fact have preserved by not acknowledging, confronting, renouncing, and repenting from them!
Stand Still and See
When we get saved, God begins to change our lives. Old things begin passing away as God begins making all things new (see 2 Cor. 5:17). He provided that if we sin, we as Christians can confess our sin, and He will faithfully and justly forgive our sin(s) (see 1 John 1:9). But He also is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteouness. Not just the record of it. But also the very element and principle sin working in and through us! He desires to continue to conform us to the image of Jesus through the transforming power of His grace. Thus the grace that forgives us would also be the grace that transforms and changes us. Thank God we do not have to change ourselves! He will do that. But we must let Him.
Before we can see the salvation power Jesus wields as He rescues and saves us from our sins, we must first stand still and see. He can only save those who need saving. He cannot save those who will not acknowledge their need, or who don’t realize their need. We must come to a place, to a condition, whereby we cease in struggling and resisting God. We must arrest ourselves from excusing, rationalizing, and justifying the sin that wars in our members. He can only save those who are in need of saving. This we must see, and to see this we must desist and be still.
From this we need not hide ourselves in shame. Jesus loves us. And yes, He knows our hearts, that’s why He wants to change – transform – our hearts into the habitation of God in our lives! Therefore we need only appropriate the power of the blood of Jesus in which is our only source of confidence, and attend ourselves to the throne of His mercy and grace where we will encounter the grace that we need to overcome. No shame here, no justifications or rationalizations. No secrecies of falsehoods needed. Only transparency and trust in the light of His love are the requirements. Here we find the platform on which to humble ourselves, kneel and repent, and those harbors are displaced one by one by the pleasant fruitful fields that bring forth the aroma of Christ found in fruit meet unto repentance. In our weaknesses and infirmities we find the strength of Him who now makes us more than conquerors through Him that loves us as we lean into Him.
See the Salvation
Submittng ourselves to God and submitting specific areas of sin and pride to Him establishes the God-empowered resistance to the devil, and he will flee from us as each harbor is obliterated by the power of the cross we’ve been called to bear, and the resurrection power of His grace that enjoins us as we truly repent. Yes, it is here where shackles are crushed into pieces, prison doors are ripped open, and the fate of darkness gives way to the liberty that is found in our destiny in Christ!
As we repent, fortified zones of oppression, depression, discouragement, despair, fear, worry, and sickness are shattered by the power of God. Repentance becomes the open door through which the destructive blow of Jesus crushes the enemy’s authority over you and me. Our hearts and minds are no longer the haunts of spectres, the renovation of each fallen area of our heart and mind become established in the stronghold of Christ. In this we are not only forgiven, we are set free, we are healed, and we, in stillness see and experience the salvation of God!
But, beloved, we must cease striving with God, and cease from struggling and resisting His Spirit. And when you in stillness cease from these, Christ in you will appear and you appear with Him in His likeness. The life of Christ that the Holy Spirit began to form in you the day you gave your life to Him will be revealed in and through you! Then they who know you and those who encounter you, they will get a glimpse of the salvation of God, for His name is Yeshua – Jesus – and is revealed in you as He destroys the works of the enemy!
We want to help you, pray for you, encourage, edify, and equip you through the power of His Spirit in the authority of His Word. We are happy to journey with you in your destiny in Christ.
