Are you Barren?

by Sofia Di

 Is there something that is not producing fruit in your life? Maybe your marriage, womb, studies, therapy, rehab, job search? Have you been believing for a miracle that has not come yet?  Well,  let me tell you that you are not alone. There are some things I don't see moving in my life like they should be. I believe the reason is that there is a foundation that needs to be lay in my heart so I can have faith for miracles in my life. The foundation I am talking about is to stop living by the law and to start resting on the finished work of Jesus Christ.   


Last night, my sister shared with me Romans 4:17 and she told me that God lead her to tell me that those verses were for me. This morning, I read the whole chapter (I recommend you to do it as well.) There are two things the Lord showed me I could do so I could receive the miracles I expect.


 1.    Receive God's righteousness.

    Romans 4:17 Tells us the story when Abraham received a promise of becoming a father of many. His faith was so great that he did not see his circumstances---he was old and his wife was barren. Yet, he believed and was called father of many.

    If we see the context of this chapter, we notice that the author is talking about having faith in God's forgiveness and in His righteousness. We also see that Abraham's faith in God's righteousness empowered him to be a father of nations.

     Romans 4 tells us that before Abraham became a father of many,  he was justified and made righteous by faith. Which means, Abraham believed that he was in right standing with God. Abraham believed that God was merciful to forgive and cleanse him from all unrighteousness.

   The bible tells us that Abraham was not boasting of his own good deeds. We all know that he sinned---he lied at some point of his life. Still, he was counted as righteous.  In other words, God credited Abraham righteousness not because the things he made were righteous, but because he was DECLARED righteous by God.

    In Romans 4: 1-6  We read that when we work hard to be righteous---in right standing with God. Or when we try to justify our selves----be established just without guilt, then we get we get paid for what we deserve. But if we do not work to earn our righteousness, then we receive an unmerited favor, which is God's grace. And this will bring us joy and happiness because we know that our sins are forgiven through Jesus.

   Through Jesus we can all believe that we are constantly being washed and cleansed with his blood.  He payed for our sins once and for all! We don't have to live under guilt anymore. We've been sprinkled with pure water to have a clear conscience because of Jesus' sacrifice. God wants us to stop striving to please him and start resting and enjoying what he has done.

  All this means is that we, as human beings,  do not deserve a miracle. We do not deserve a single blessing because of the sin that entered through Adam. But through Jesus' blood we can be forgiven and receive his unmerited favor and righteousness.

Can you receive his forgiveness right now? It does not matter what you've done, come to Him! He will embrace you and convict you of righteousness.

2. Get your mind off of your performance and the law.

  

picture by Ajith Kumar

      In Romans 4:11 we read that Abraham was circumcised because he had faith.  I see circumcision as a figure of the law and our performance. Circumcision to me represents to follow all the rules to please God and live in holiness. I also means, to achieve something through self effort.

  The law will makes us focus on what is wrong with us. When we realize all the things that are wrong with us we feel guilty and condemn. Then we try to fix our behavior by following the law but in reality, the transformation of our performance will only come when we believe in what God says about us. He says that through Jesus we are the righteousness of God.

   The Bible says that Abraham first believed and as a result he was circumcised, which became a sign of having faith in God.  In other words, Abraham first believed he was righteous and as a result his behavior changed. Many times we get it backwards, we think that by doing the right things we are going to be without guilt. But it is really by receiving God's grace and believing that through Jesus we are forgiven that we will be righteous. This attitude of being forgiven will take us to have a faith for other miracles in our lives.

  
   You might wonder, how can a life that is not under the law, guilt and comdemnation might help me to receive the miracle I am beliving for?

   I'm glad you asked! I didn't understand this until I read Romans 4:13 where very clearly says: "The promise of God didn't come through the law but through the righteousness that comes from faith."

  Remember the context of this whole verse, it talks about forgiveness of sin. The miracle Abraham expected came because of his right-standing with God. The right standing came as a result of his faith in God and not of his own good deeds. Abraham didn't see himself as a sinner. Instead, he saw himself as the righteousness of God. He saw himself as forgiven! Therefore, he was blessed.

  The miracle you and I are expecting will start coming to pass by believing in the salvation God provided for us through Jesus.  It will not come based on our performance or by the laws we follow. I believe God is asking us to believe in his finished work at the cross so the things that are barren in our lives can start producing some fruit.

   In a personal conclusion, God wants me to receive and believe in his finished work specially when I fail. And He wants me to extend grace to others every time they fail me.  By having faith in His finished work I can obtain the greatest miracles of all, which is salvation. If I believe for the greatest miracle, then believing that all things are possible for those who believe will be a piece of cake!


Remember guilt and condemnation can hinder your miracle. Don't give into it!

A guilt-free conscience

©Sofia Di

     Last year, the Lord showed me many things that allowed me to overcome the challenges I faced. One of the most important truths He taught me was to live a "guilt-free" life through Jesus Christ. I learned that my faith in Him will cause me to produce good fruits.

   The base of this truth can be found in Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

As an old Christian---received Jesus at age 4. I grew up trying to please God in everything I would do. I  didn't understand that God was already pleased with me. In the Songs of Solomon He says of me that I am altogether lovely, I am like a lily among thorns. Nevertheless, the mindset of being a good Christian all the time created a self-righteous attitude in me that would not allow me to see God's love for me.

     I recently realized that my self-righteous attitude was very similar to the one of a pharisee  because I was trying to impose rules and regulations over my life very hard to bear. My joy depended on my performance, if I would follow the rules then I wold feel good about my self. If I would break one of those rules I would beat my self up over and over.

   The problem with the rules and regulations I would impose on my self is that they were never satisfying. Every day I would require more righteous works, more righteous thoughts, more righteous attitudes or words. Condemnation became like a monster in my mind.

   Guilt and condemnation can be an endless cycle in our lives that instead of helping us to overcome our challenges, it would lead us to do the things we hate the most.

  God wants to remove this guilt, shame-based nature in us. He wants us to receive HIS righteousness so we can produce good fruit.

   Our righteousness is not based on our good or bad performance. To God, there is no difference between doing the "right thing"  or the "wrong thing"  because both "works" are counted as filthy rags if they come from our own merit or strength (Isaiah 64:6.) The only righteousness God receives is the one given by his son Jesus Christ at the cross where He died to pay for our sins.

   When we sin we focus on our performance, so we try to make up somehow for the wrong we've made. Sometimes, we try to pay by feeling guilty and condemn. But the truth is that God does not requires sacrifices anymore.  Guilt is a sacrifice that would never please God. The only sacrifice that pleased him was the one made by Jesus Christ at the calvary---we find this truth in Hebrews 10.

   Hebrews is a book that talks about faith, This book teaches us the only way to please God, which is to have faith.  We need to have faith in His son and in HIS righteousness because when we have faith in HIS righteousness then God writes His laws in our hearts and in our minds. This will cause in our hearts a real transformation and it will set us free. We can be assured that our lives will produce a pleasant fruit when we receive the grace God is giving us.

      Also, If we believe in HIS righteousness we will see ourselves and others with God's eyes. We will realize that we have been cleansed from all unrighteousness. Therefore, we are the righteousness of God. We will also see that we have been sprinkled with water so we can have a clear conscience. We are His lovely bride without a wrinkle or spot.  We have been made perfect for the sacrifice of his son. It is good news to know that He remembers our sins no more! What God has forgotten we should forget too! His grace abounds for all of us even when we sin.

     Next time you make a mistake, just remember to take your brokenness at the cross and receive Jesus' wholeness because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.  Don't give place to guilt and condemnation because when God sees us, He sees Jesus' work at the cross.

    Lastly,  is important for us to know that the things we do to "please" God should never be the root of our righteousness.  Instead, they should be a result of our faith in Christ Jesus.

Salvation Prayer

     Have you receive Jesus as your lord and savior?  It is only through Him that our sins are forgiven. If you have not receive him yet as your savior, do not be afraid. He is not respecter of persons. We are all accepted into his kingdom. To receive him just pray with me the following prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins, come into my life, I make you my lord and savior. I believe you died for me and you rose from the grave. I believe that through you my sins have been forgiven.  Thank you for the new life I have in you." Amen