There is NO Condemnation!

Don’t you just love this verse???

This morning I opened up the email to my verse-of-the-day from the Bible App, and read Romans 8:1-2:

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”

This is, in my opinion, one of the most meaningful and powerful verses in the Bible. I think it’s one verse that I can never just read and go by, without it sinking in deep. Maybe that’s because I need this reminder pretty much DAILY. 

Somehow, even though I know God and believe what he says in my head, my heart needs a constant reminder that if I am in Christ, THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION !!!

Not some…..

Not just a little…..

Not sometimes…..

There is NO condemnation!

No condemnation from others…..

No condemnation from myself…..

No condemnation from a perfect God, who created me and the whole universe, but still loves me…..

There is NO CONDEMNATION!

I don’t know about you, but I can’t hear this enough.

There is no condemnation for not spending enough time praying or reading my Bible.

There is no condemnation for not speaking to and treating my family in the best possible way at all times.

There is no condemnation when I lose my cool completely.

There is no condemnation because I missed a day of exercise, I’m a little behind on my blogging schedule, and my home is not perfectly cleaned and in order.

There is no condemnation if I spent the day in yoga pants or went out without my make-up.

There is no condemnation if I haven’t found a job yet, or because I don’t love the one I have.

There is no condemnation because I don’t use my time perfectly, am not in perfect physical shape, and sometimes run late.

There is no condemnation because I spent too much money, there are things we haven’t fixed around the house, and my yard needs work.

There is no condemnation for not making healthy eating choices all the time.

There is no condemnation for the piles that clutter my surroundings and my mind, and for the list of responsibilities I have not gotten around to yet.

There is no condemnation for the duties I put off out of fear, laziness or feeling overwhelmed.

There is no condemnation for the myriad of criticisms that I feel from others, put upon myself, or falsely believe to be true, but they are in fact lies.

There is no condemnation for the areas in my life that are not OK, but I either haven’t dealt with them yet, or I am in the midst of the long, hard process of changing.

There is no condemnation for the feelings I experience as a normal part of being an imperfect human living in an imperfect world.

There is no condemnation for the raw emotions I feel so strongly when life has hit me hard, I’m grieving a loss, my hormones are out of whack, or I don’t understand the path God is allowing me to travel.

Do you believe it yet???

I am not suggesting that everything we do, say or feel is OK at all times. I am not saying that we should not strive to better ourselves, repent from real sins (no matter how “big” or “little they may seem), and ask God to help us to be more like him. Where there is actual sin in my life, I am to ask for forgiveness and STOP it.

I will continue to learn more and make positive changes, plans and goals, moving intentionally towards a better way of living.

What I AM suggesting…..no, PROCLAIMING…..is that we DON’T HAVE TO LIVE UNDER THE WEIGHT OF CONDEMNATION !!!

God loves us, he offers forgiveness, direction, courage and help. And sometimes we need to enlist the guidance and assistance of others.

But God clearly tells us that there is no condemnation!

Take a look again at the end of the verse:

“And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”

There is no freedom in the feeling of condemnation.

Whether it comes from others, ourselves, or straight from the father of lies himself (Satan), it’s definitely NOT from God.

His life-giving Holy Spirit has given us power to leave the past behind and live in freedom. We can only flourish in this life when we simply surrender to God, open our hands, and humbly accept his gift to us…..of freedom.

*****

Is feeling condemnation a struggle for you, too? Where do your feelings of condemnation most often come from? Do you believe what God is telling us in this verse?