For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
—Luke 2:11 (KJV)
A child is born, but not just any child. He is a child born to save the world from sin. He is a child born to set us free from condemnation, guilt, and shame. He is a child born to give us His righteousness so we might walk in newness of life. This child promises a new life while the world continually brings up the old. This child gives joy while the world offers defeat. He imparts what the world can never impart—His gift of perfect peace and rest.
Why do so many believers live defeated lives? After receiving Jesus, they have not received a revelation of the grace He has given them. Without that divine understanding of the gift of His righteousness for their sin, they live with shame—daily reminded by the enemy of the guilt of sin, which is no longer theirs.
“For all who mourn in Israel,” Isaiah promised, “he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory” (Isaiah 61:3, NLT).
Instead of mourning over the debt of your past, Jesus gives you a crown of beauty. Instead of ashes from a burned-out life filled with condemnation, He gives you victory. You are no longer in debt to sin. When you understand in the spirit of your mind the new life His righteousness imparts, you live your freedom from guilt and shame. Festive praise rises instead of mourning over what has been. You are a new person in Jesus, and you believe it! In the righteousness He died to give you, you are like a great oak the Lord plants for His glory. You stand firm in Him and unmoved by the lies of the enemy or the world.
This Christmas, determine to believe in the gift of His righteousness. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a divine revelation of His grace and what it means in your life. Allow Him to teach you your new identity in Jesus. You will experience God’s peace, which will continually guard your heart and mind. His joy will claim you. His purpose will guide you. His power will sustain you. His promise will fill you.
Jesus has given you His righteousness for the ashes of your burned-out life. Believe. You don’t need to wallow in the guilt and shame of condemnation anymore—struggling to pay a debt you do not owe. This Christmas ask for His heavenly revelation of the gift of His life for yours. Seek, and you will find.
© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/12/believe-this-Christmas.html
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