I AM REDEEMED,
I have seen death and despair. I’ve witnessed the falling of men and women alike and been broken for them. I have experienced struggles that I dare not wish upon another. I have felt the weight of my shortcomings and fallen humbly to my knees. I have desperately reached for help that I couldn’t ask for. I have felt pain like most can’t imagine. I have been lost without a trace of His path. I have held the burden of failure. I have suffered the consequences of filthy thoughts. I have been tortured by the loss of love. I have been riddled with guilt that neither drink nor drug could cease. I have been plagued with injury. I have fought for things only to realize I can never have them. I have been let down by people I’ve trusted. I have been taken advantage of, used and abused. I have been seized by illnesses. I have experienced a broken heart that felt like even eternity couldn’t fix. I have poisoned my body and soul. I have been tempted by evil and fallen into its trap. I have been beaten and tattered and left to dry. I have endured the betrayal of friends and the ridicule of foes. I have started things I could not finish. I have been exposed to the elements. I have made wrong decisions and been punished. I have been tortured physically and mentally. I have been hated and despised. I have been tested and failed. I have been through so much in this life, but I would gladly endure them all again and again for I know that each of these struggles have brought me closer to God. Do not be afraid to call out and boast in your weaknesses, failures, hurts and pains, because God uses all of these tribulations for His purpose even if you cannot see or understand how. This doesn’t mean that God devised these things to happen in our lives but He is going to use them to bring us into a deep, personal and intimate relationship with Him. God sent His only son to suffer on the cross for all of our sins. Meaning that God has forgiven us for all of our shortcomings long before they even happened, WE ARE REDEEMED! We are liberated from our pains and sufferings. We are released from our guilt. We are delivered our failures. We are rescued from our addictions. We are saved from injury and illness. We are emancipated from the attacks of our enemy. And most importantly we are free to live our lives in relationship with our Father who loves us unconditionally and irrevocably.
So this is where we have to choose. Do we continue hide in the shadows and chains we have put ourselves in? Or do we choose to bring them to light and let the Lord use them in our lives so that not only are we set free from them but also they can be used to spread the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven. God has done His part so now it’s our turn to decide if we are going to do ours.
