He has made known to you, O man, what is good; and what the LORD seeks in you: to do justice, to love lovingkindness, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
My Son explained that no one took His life away from Him. He freely laid down His life for your sakes and to do My Will, which was His delight.
“For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” John 10:17-18.
He walked in My Will so He walked free. He walked in the glorious freedom of My children, the children of God.
But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. Romans 8:20-21.
When you do the right thing you are free. You are walking in the light with Me. If you want to live a life of freedom full of My glory, if you want to walk out and enjoy your salvation, it is not a question for your emotions whether you feel like doing the right thing in the light, it is a decision to set your face to do what is right no matter how much your flesh wants to hide it or make up excuses that blame another. The flesh wants to cover itself from shame so it hides what it has done that would incur blame, just like Adam hiding in the garden and trying to cover that the glory no longer clothed him with perishable fig leaves.
When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:3-7.
Your true happiness and peace beyond understanding does not come only from outward circumstances in comes from within. It depends entirely on your relationship with Me that is hidden deep in the innermost recesses of the heart. It is the living water, the river of delights, of which you partake in My house. It is all about being free. And that is the only way you can be truly happy because I created you to be free. I gave each person the gift of free will and gave you the earth to take dominion authority over.
The heavens are the heavens of the LORD, but the earth He has given to the sons of men. Psalm 115:16.
When you walk in the integrity of My Word, My Word sustains you and upholds you in a place of power, love and a sound mind, a place of self-control. But walking in the darkness of sin makes your life go helter-skelter. Where jealousy and strife are there is every kind of evil work because there is no unity of purpose, plan, and power. Where two agree in My Name miracles are born. True happiness lies in doing the right thing for your audience of One, then you can live in peace and not in the torment of worry, regret, and fear. Only your dealings with Me really matter and I expect truth and humility, responsibility and repentance, willingness to do right and focus on My Word in your innermost parts.
True freedom is always doing the right thing, i.e., that which is true, honest, and perfect—putting up with no nonsense of your feelings and self-preservation and prideful exaltation. If you have to hide it, don’t abide with it. Stand up and be honest and be humble, and that keeps you in the light.
Adam did not do right. He never did face it but hid, and that is not the way to live. He tried to shirk the blame and the result was one of toil and pain.
Justice and righteousness are the foundation of My throne and you life should rest upon that as you are seated there in Jesus with Me.
Forgiveness is very important. It is of first importance.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:3.
To be useful to Me for Kingdom work on earth you cannot harbor unforgiveness. I cannot flow through you with unforgiveness in you. It shuts the door to your heart and does not allow
My blessings in or out.
So many of you who are reading this have a longing in your soul to make Me happy. They even call saints those who in a desire to please Me whipped themselves, starved themselves, and made themselves as miserable and uncomfortable as they possibly could thinking somehow that would make Me happy. It grieves Me that you have such an opinion of Me. All I have been trying to do since the beginning when I made sure in each day of My work that every detail of the world I created for you was good and something you could enjoy. You think you are trying to make Me happy but all the time I just want to make you happy. It makes Me happy when you are happy with all that I have given you for your life and your godliness.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4.
The LORD your God is with you as a hero who will save you. He takes great delight in you. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17.
When you delight in Me, I give you the desires of your heart.
But let us look back a bit over your past year. Was it the year you wanted it to be? If not, maybe it is time to do some serious evaluation of your words and thoughts. Did they line up with Mine? Did you spend the year in fruitful activity or were there a lot of wasted days? Did you rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give constant thanks? Or were you depressed, fearful, grumbling and complaining?
Maybe you need to give this some thought so your new year can be the best yet.
I revealed this to you long ago by My prophet Isaiah. My people were sinning and doing evil in My sight. They were hurting and cheating one another and shedding innocent blood, and yet they were coming to Me and observing My feast days in the Temple and offering sacrifice in services to Me! Isaiah 1:2-15. I told them that their “worship” was a burden to Me and their rituals gave Me no pleasure. I knew where their hearts really were and they were not with Me! They had rebelled against Me by not keeping My Word. Many people, in fact whole nations, are in this same position today.
But then I tell them it is time to turn from their evil deeds and get washed clean. And then instead of oppressing others to work to free the oppressed. Then I tell them how to do this, and I tell you the same now, My Word stands forever.
The solution is simple. Come to Me, let us reason together, and let us settle the matter and set things right. Isaiah 1:18. I will clean you up. Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall become white as snow. Though they be crimson red, they shall become white as wool. How? By the Blood of My Son. His Blood cleanses you from every stain of sin.
I took all your sins, past, present and future, and laid them on the body of Jesus. In Him, I judged, condemned and punished them. In Him, My justice was satisfied and now My mercy extends to you who are in Him. Double jeopardy applies and you cannot be judged and condemned again. My justice and My mercy kissed upon the Cross.
But you must come to Me and confess Jesus as your Lord. You must repent of your sins and let Me take care of them. Confess them to Me and know that I am faithful and true to forgive all your sins and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9.
You must come to Me and let Me set things right for you. For the sake of My Name, I forgive all your sins in Jesus. 1 John 2:12.
And I tell you how to continue from there, once you are cleansed, you must be willing and obey, then you shall have the good of the land. But if you refuse and resist, the sword will consume you. Isaiah 1:19.
And what must you obey? The obedience of faith. Romans 1:5. The righteous (and you are in Christ Jesus) shall live by faith.
You must believe that every good promise I made to you will come to pass in your life no matter how contrary the circumstances look. You must believe that in Jesus you have forgiveness of your sins and are made righteous of all the things the Law could not make you righteous of. Acts 13:38-39. You must believe that you can live holy and pure in Him and that I will work in you the desire and the ability to do so. You must believe that you have peace with Me through the blood of the Cross and that you are blessed with the Blessing of Abraham and the promise of the Spirit. Colossians 1:20; Galatians 3:13-14.
And this is all a gift from Me bought by My Son. It is not of your works that you should boast. So it does not depend on your works but the finished work of My Son that puts you right with Me.
All you need to do to have the best life is be willing to do and obey My Word by faith.
Once you truly understand that things have been set right between us by the sacrificial death of My Son on your behalf you can come to Me in all your needs with confidence that I am willing to give you all you need and more. I gave you My Son, I will give you everything good in Him. It is only then you can go forward with confidence and joy. It is only then that you will be willing to follow Me.
Today I want to talk about My mercy. It endures forever.
Yes, I want you to understand My mercy for it will give you joy and help you to step away from your past to the future with no hindrance. No encumbrance that would stop you from running forward.
Remember that he who puts is hand to the plow and keeps looking back is unfit for the reign of God. Luke 9:62.
You must cover the past with My mercy and then clothe the future with My love.
My mercy is as great as My majesty. It reaches all mankind.
It is hard for you to even begin to fathom the depths of My mercy. When I forgive your sins, they are gone. I remember them no more. You are washed clean in the Blood of My Son and become holy and blameless in My sight.
I forgive your sins, not because of any righteous act you do, but because of Who I AM and what My Son did. I am love. The Hebrew word for love and mercy is the same. Chesed. You will find it translated both ways in the Old Testament. And I do not change. My mercy and My love endure forever.
I so love you that I gave My Son to die to pay the penalty due for your sins. His Blood was shed so your sins are forgiven. He sealed this at the Last Supper in an everlasting Covenant when He took the cup and changed the wine to His Blood and proclaimed it the new and eternal covenant in His Blood shed for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins.
My mercy is so great and the Blood of My Son so powerful that it can cleanse out the most stubborn stains of sin so that not a trace of them is left. Yes, My Word to My prophet Isaiah was fulfilled in Jesus—though your sins be red as crimson and scarlet, I make them white as snow. As far as the east is from the west, so far have I put your sins from you. I have taken them off you and plunged them into the depths of the sea.
So on this New Year’s Eve I say to you: Stop looking back with regret and shame. If you have taken Jesus as your Lord your foolish actions and unthinking and unkind words, they are forgiven and gone. You are cleansed by the Blood of My Son. Rejoice as the prodigal son when he returned home. There was no punishment for him, only joyful welcome. Join in the feast, the celebration of the marriage of our spirits.
Instead of looking back with regret (or even sometimes with longing), look to what lies ahead. It will be better than all you could dream or imagine if you let Me work in you to the full extent of the power of My Spirit in you. I have great plans for your future—plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope. My love will provide for you. Your life of good deeds I have prepared in advance for you to walk in if you will. In your future there is no lack if I am your source.
So in the coming year, rejoice in hope and put your hand to the plow to do your life’s work, your destiny. Run your race with joy. I will give you eagle’s wings with which to soar.
You will have trials in the world, but cheer up! I have overcome the world and deprived it of its power to hurt you. Take refuge in Me and rejoice. I make all things new. I make all things work out good for those who love Me and who are called for My purposes. You are all called to that and have each received a special gift to use for the good of all.
So as you face a new year, and it is your year of renewal, let My mercy cover the past and then clothe the future in My love. If you do, it will be a wonderful year!
So get prepared, sit down with Me tonight, and let us work out your vision list for 2014 and then we can run with it! Habakkuk 2:2-3.
I love you. The path of the just gets brighter and brighter until it reaches perfect day. The year will be your best year yet. Just let Me be the light of your life. There is no darkness in Me. And My Son is the Light of the World. No follower of His will ever walk in darkness, no, he will have the light of life. And I will renew, restore, and establish you in the fullness of My grace. Wait till you see all I have in store for you!