Dear believer,
By the regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit, you've been awakened to the wonder and beauty of God's kindness in the cross of Jesus. You are forgiven. You are beloved. You are his. Free to walk in the fullness of his saving, sustaining, and empowering grace. But if you are like me, positional union with Jesus becomes functionally disconnected from a conscious living union with Jesus. This shows up in obvious, and sometimes dramatic ways.
For me, common red flags of disconnect include but are not limited to reacting to critique with knee-jerk defensiveness, displaying a spirit of entitlement manifested in excessive complaining, manifesting a critical, judgmental spirit, minimizing my sins while maximizing the sins of others, responding to residual guilt and shame with self-loathing, etc.
If you can relate, what can we do when these red flags of functional disconnect are raised?
Don't try to just shake them off.
Turn with them to Jesus. Lay them down at his nail-scared feet and look up into his smiling face. Remember, stones of judgment will not be thrown at you because they've already been thrown at him. Jesus has consumed every drop in the cup of wrath. Now, our cup overflows with the mercy, grace, love, and kindness of our Abba, Father.
So, drink deeply. Abide in the Vine of Jesus' perfect righteousness by faith.
And then stand in that grace, walking in renewed freedom and joy in the power of the Spirit.
With the assurance that you're fully forgiven and beloved. Not merely tolerated but treasured.
Because you are his.
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