Anchored In Grace
Many people are anchored in guilt, shame, condemnation, and fear because of past sins and regrets.
The feel distant from God.
Deep in their soul they hurt.
They are frustrated with themselves for what they did.
They tell no one.
Silently they suffer.
They've tried to escape or numb their pain in many different ways...
...drugs
...alcohol
...food
...busyness
...relationships
...gambling
...sex
...etc...
Yet the pain remains.
There are two other ways people try to escape or numb the pain of their past...
...by participating in church activities (commitment, serving, attending, joining, etc...)
and
...by practicing church disciplines (fasting, praying, confessing, devotions, quiet times, giving, worshiping, etc...).
They were promised by their church leaders that if they participated in church activities and practiced church disciplines, they would grow spiritually, and God would bless their lives.
Many of these people were motivated by guilt placed upon them by their leaders to participate in church activities and practice church disciplines.
How do I know this?
I've seen it with my own eyes.
I've talked to thousands of these people.
Deep down, they thought if they participated in these church activities and practiced church disciplines, the guilt, shame, condemnation, fear, regret, and pain would be removed.
But they remained.
What they needed to be shown at church was not another activity in which to be involved or discipline to practice, but they needed the church leaders to teach them the truths of the new covenant of grace.
They needed to be taught what the writer of Hebrews taught to those living in guilt, shame, condemnation, fear, regret, and pain.
They needed to be taught Jesus died for all of their sins...all of them...fully and forever.
They needed to be taught they do not have to ask God to forgive them over and over, day after day.
They needed to be taught God's forgiveness is simply received by faith in Jesus.
They needed to be taught they have been eternally forgiven.
They needed to be taught the blood of Jesus eternally removed them from the guilt of sin.
They needed to be taught the blood of Jesus eternally cleansed them from a guilty conscience.
They needed to be taught the blood of Jesus eternally released them from regrets.
They needed to be taught they are 100% righteous.
They needed to be taught about God's loving presence within them.
The needed to be taught to rest in grace.
They needed to be taught to enjoy the Promise Land of Grace (God's love, forgiveness, acceptance, presence)
They needed to be taught the truths of the new covenant of grace which draws them close to God.
Yet they were given another church activity in which to participate and another church discipline to practice.
The guilt remains.
The shame remains.
The condemnation remains.
The fear remains.
The regret remains.
The distance remains.
The pain remains.
They tell no one.
Silently they suffer.
This is because, at the exhortation of their church leaders, their soul has been anchored in church activities and disciplines rather than in the new covenant of grace.
If you have tried to escape or numb your pain through church activities and disciplines, yet the pain remains, lift up your anchor and drop it into the truths of the new covenant of grace.
"We have this hope [all that God has done for us through Jesus] as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." (Hebrews 6:19)
