GOD IS NOT MAD AT YOU!

“Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him!” (Romans 5:9)

One night, having just fallen asleep, I heard a voice telling me “God is not mad! “ I don’t mean that I heard a voice outside of myself, and yet, I definitely opened my eyes to see if there was anyone else in the room! Reassured that I was still alone in my bedroom, I was puzzled. I hadn’t gone to bed thinking that God was mad; truth be told, I hadn’t gone to bed thinking about God at all. I said, “OK, God, I’m not sure why you are telling me that, because I hadn’t gone to bed thinking that you were mad, but still, I’m glad to know that You aren’t.” Then I went back to sleep.

 

Soon, the same voice that was not audible but so clear and distinct in my head, woke me with the same message: “God is not mad!” 

I am embarrassed and ashamed to say that I was just a little frustrated. I had gone to bed early because I was so tired, and now I kept getting awakened, and I hadn’t even been worried about God being mad. What was going on? Still, the voice was so strong and emphatic, I started to think about that concept…God is not mad…God is not mad…He isn’t mad at me…He isn’t mad at you…He isn’t mad at us…God is not mad…” and once again, I went back to sleep.

The voice awoke me for the third time. By this time, I guess He felt like He had to spell it out for me: “God is not mad. Tell the people, ‘God is not mad.’ Tell the people I am not mad at them.” As I heard these words, I now also felt the Lord’s compassion for His people, for us. He wants us to know He loves us; He wants us to know He isn’t mad at us. It is important to Him that we know.

This time I did receive the message, and I lay there for a long while, letting that message soak into me. So many of us struggle with accepting God’s love, because we feel or think He is mad at us. We struggle to make it on our own, because we’re afraid to ask for help. We’re afraid we will get a lecture or a, “You got yourself into this, you deserve to suffer” response. We settle for lack in our lives, because we think we are being punished. We feel like the anxious, rebellious teenager who would rather do anything than to go home and face the angry, disappointed parent.

We know that God is holy, righteous, and just; we know He hates sin. And we know that we continue to sin. Even if we are Christians, we may still believe God is mad at us, because we know we are not living sinless lives. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that none of us can fulfill the standard of perfection that God requires, and to fail in one part of the law is to fail in all.

 "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  Romans 3:23

God’s holiness demands that sin be punished. Sin separated us from God, with no way for us to get back to Him. We were lost. How can an unholy people be reconciled to a holy God? How can an unrighteous people serve a righteous God?  So far, it might appear we have good reason to fear that God is angry with us. He certainly would be blameless and justified if He were. But the gospel, the good news, is that God Himself made a way that allowed us to be justified and reconciled to Him!

“But God commendeth His love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from his wrath through him.

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”  Romans 5:8-10

Even while we were lost in our sin, enemies of all that was holy, God Himself provided the solution.

Jesus, the Son of God, gave up His divine power and authority to come to earth as a man. Although He was sinless, He took all of our sin and all of us upon Himself. Jesus, Son of God and Son of man, became sin, and bore God's wrath that rightfully belonged upon us.

Why would God do that? Why would God the Father allow His Son to suffer in our place? 

Because He was so mad at us? Because He wanted to punish us, pour out His wrath upon us? That, obviously, makes absolutely no sense; for it was God Himself who paid the price for our sin!

It was His love for us, not His wrath against us, even in our fallen and sinful state, that led Jesus to the cross to suffer the punishment for our sin.

Sisters and brothers in Christ, God is not mad at you. He loves you.

 

And, if you are not a Christian, guess what? He isn't mad at you, either! He loves you! He wants to rescue you, to save you, to adopt you into His own family!
 

"Now unto God and our Father be glory forever and ever. Amen." Philippians 4:20

 THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION

 

Ø  Is there any part of me that believes God is mad at me?

Ø  How could it change my life if I knew that God isn’t mad at me?

Ø  Do I believe God loves me? Really loves me?

Love, Hugs, and Blessings,
Syandra

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Have you believed? If not, choose to believe what the Bible says: God loves you; Jesus took your sins upon Himself on the cross, dying for them; God raised Jesus from the dead. If you believe it, then profess it, confess it, and declare it out loud. Jesus has already done the heavy work; all we are asked to do is believe and receive what He has done for us. Satan offers death. Jesus offers abundant life now and eternal life when we leave our earthly bodies behind. Choose life!

 

 “…The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”  Romans 10:8-10, NIV  

  

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23, NIV

"He himself (Jesus) bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed." I Peter 2:24, NIV

“Salvation is found in no one else (but Jesus), for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12, NIV

“…If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9, NIV

Sin brought us death. Jesus, through His blood shed for us on the cross, offers us abundant life now and eternal life when we leave our earthly bodies behind. I would love to hear from you when you accept what Jesus has done for you, or if you have questions.

 

WHO ARE YOU?

Who are  you? Most of us answer this question by responding with information about our jobs, careers, or relationships; for example, I work at XYZ, I’m a lawyer, teacher, nurse, I’m someone’s wife, husband, mom, dad, brother, sister, friend. To be sure, these are important descriptors of us, but let’s go deeper. Who are you? Who are you? Who are you at the core of your being? What motivates you? What are your values? Let’s go deeper. Whose are you? To whom do you belong? Whom do you serve?

Perhaps we haven’t thought about that last question too much. Our initial response might be, “I don’t belong to anybody! I don’t serve anybody! I belong to myself!” The Bible would tell us something very different, though. The Word of God tells us there are two kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. The Word further tells us that we belong to one or the other. We serve one or the other. We either belong to God, or we belong to Satan. There is no third choice. We can’t be “neutral,” refusing to participate.

When God created Adam He gave him dominion over the earth. It was paradise, and God had given Adam authority to rule. When Adam disobeyed God, choosing to believe the serpent rather than God, Adam handed over his authority to rule over the earth to Satan. No longer paradise, now the earth belonged to Satan; it became a kingdom of darkness, and mankind was now its prisoner, its slave. Sin and death were now part of man’s experience. Adam’s sin nature was passed on to the next generation and the next and the next and so on. We were powerless, condemned, and held in the grip of sin.

Fortunately, God was not finished with us. He called out to Abraham and promised to make him the father of many nations. God also promised that out of Abraham’s seed would come a Savior who would save us from our sin. (See Matthew 1:21) Jesus is that Savior, taking our sins upon Himself, dying for them, so that we could be delivered from the power of sin.

For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. Col. 1:13(NLT)

If you are a Christian, you are now living in the Kingdom of Jesus (also referred to as the Kingdom of heaven and the Kingdom of God). Jesus has rescued you from the kingdom of darkness, and Satan no longer has authority over you. You now serve King Jesus; He has redeemed you from the curse of the law of sin and death. From this vantage point, let’s ask the question again. Who are you? Here is how the Word of God would have you answer:

I have been bought with a price, and I belong to God. I Corinthians 6:19-20

I am a citizen of heaven. Philippians 3:20

I am forgiven of all of my sins and washed in the Blood of Jesus. Ephesians 1:7

I am in Christ; I am therefore a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17

I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child. John 1:12; Ephesians 1:3-8

I am free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2

I am united with the Lord; I am one with Him in spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:17

I am free from any condemnation brought against me, and nothing in heaven or earth can ever separate me from the love God. Romans 8:38-39

I am greatly loved by God. Romans 1:7, Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4

These are just a few of the things God says you are, and I encourage you to accept them. This is information the enemy of our souls does not want us to have, because it set us free from his lies and deception.

THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION

 ·        Whose am I? Do I believe in my heart that Jesus took my sins upon Himself on the cross?
 ·         Do I declare that “Jesus is Lord” in my life?
 ·        Do I believe I am what God says I am?

      Next week: Who Am I in Christ?

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Have you believed? If not, choose to believe what the Bible says: God loves you; Jesus took your sins upon Himself on the cross, dying for them; God raised Jesus from the dead. If you believe it, then profess it, confess it, declare it out loud. Jesus has already done the heavy work; all we are asked to do is believe and receive what He has done for us. Satan offers death. Jesus offers abundant life now and eternal life when we leave our earthly bodies behind. Choose life!

“…The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:8-10, NIV  

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 Have a great week!

 

Love, Hugs, and Blessings,

Syandra