CWW Week 21 – Day 7 – Conquering The Dragon
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We acknowledge the wonderful work of author Marvin Moore for his book Conquering The Dragon.
We continue with The Conditions For Receiving Justification.
Scripture
John 1:11-12 (NKJV)
“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”
This passage highlights the rejection Jesus faced from His own people, as well as the promise and privilege given to those who do accept and believe in Him.
For most of my Christian walk I have struggled to accept God’s grace without looking for the catch, the gotcha in the fine print.
The mistakes of my past were so grievous that forgiveness surely, is just not possible. This journey I have started with you all just twenty one weeks ago has been for my benefit in that in helping you to understand a relationship with Jesus, I have been re-examining my own, and the Holy Spirit is working for mutual benefit.
Those who believe in Christ and love whom they believe in, are covered by His robe of righteousness.
Our own best efforts to remain free from sin will fall short day by day but all Jesus wants is our best efforts and He will make up for our shortcomings by standing in the witness box for us on the day of sentencing.
I finally get it, and the getting of it is all because I have restarted my journey with you. I am starting another great day with Jesus.
We must resist the urge to see ourselves through the eyes of conservative religious Christianity or fundamentalism. This theology emphasises standards and correct behaviour as a mark of a genuine Christian experience, a kind of spiritual correctness.
This reasoning supports the notion that your relationship with Jesus ends when you sin; that you are cut off from grace.
How can that be?
It takes the good news out of the Bible and leaves the world in a much more hopeless state.
I have just a few deep friends that I have faith in. Jesus is at the top of this list. They are always there when the chips are down in my life.
There were three massive events in my life that proved this to me.
My divorce from my first wife being one. Our mutual friends, many of whom enjoyed our generous hospitality over many years either disappeared or took sides. This is a natural human condition. Instead of seeing us as two nice people who couldn’t get it to work, one of us became demonic and the other a victim and they turned. Or it was a matter of, as one couple put it, and at least they told me, “This is a mine field for those around you so we are cutting you both off because we don’t need the stress in our lives.”
The next was when, just before my date to end my life, I found my relationship with Jesus. That truly put the cat amongst the pigeons.
One couple told me after a year into my journey that the changes were just too hard for them to grapple. “We just want the old Hoody back,” they told me. My reply was “The old Hoody back! You mean the one who had a sex addiction and was so empty he wanted to kill himself?” I love them I truly do.
The third event that sorted the wheat from the chaff in my relationships was when I stood against vaccine mandates during the declared pandemic. I could not believe the speed at which I was erased from peoples Christmas Card List. The speed was comparable to the roll out of an untested therapy enforced on all of mankind.
A large portion of society with me and my wife, were catapulted into the garbage shoot at breath taking speed. Some put me in a holding pattern until I “came to my senses,” while others became downright hostile.
My real friends, now clearly defined with a clear track record of loving me no matter what, just accept me as I am warts and all because they are prepared to make up for my short comings as they watch my back because they love me. I say again, Jesus is at the top of that list.
When we stand on the platform of justification we become members of a non punitive safety culture where mistakes are made and self reporting is rewarded because we have faith in the system. This self reporting is used to build enhanced procedures so we could all learn from each others mistakes. I worked in such an environment when I flew for the airline in the early days. This changed when the Human Resources Department became more powerful than the Flight Operations Department.
On the oil platform we have a non punitive safety culture that can be trusted. The self reporting is called repentance and true repentance is rewarded because it helps to develop enhanced procedures to build our character. We can self report in confidence because we have faith in the management team.
The two factors required to continue working on the platform are faith and repentance.Non punitive means no punishment for admitted mistakes based on the promise that we are secure as we work.
The non punitive safety culture is perfectly under scored in one of my favourite scriptures James 5:16
“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Another translation says “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that all may be healed.”
If this is how you want to live as you develop your character, then the helicopter departing for the platform is about to board and you have been given a free boarding pass.
Questions.
- “You can’t judge a book by its cover,” they say. Is it time you opened the book to search for the good news within?
- Would you like the message to be good because it is true?
- Are you ready to live in a world where your mistakes are not punished because you have faith in the Admin Team?
Prayer.
Dear Lord, Papa God.
I am choosing today to have an attitude that trades sin for mourning. I am choosing an action that turns me away from sin and I am doing this with confidence because I know that if I admit my mistakes to You I will be doing what you require and this is my greatest desire. Thank You Papa for providing me a safe place to work on my character development. Destroy my rebellious heart and make in me a heart that is pliable by You and You alone for this is my prayer in the name above all names. Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have a great day with Jesus.
Graham Hood.
