Psalm 103:12 “Farther than from a sunrise to a sunset, that's how far you've removed our guilt from us.” Today's episode talks about how we are not our sins. They are what we do, not who we are. It also talks about who God says we are. Then it talks about how we can learn to tell the difference between what God says, and what the enemy says. I end the episode with a word of prophecy that the Lord gave our prayer group. This will be how I end each regular episode going forward. I hope you start to recognize what it sounds like when the Lord talks to you. I hope you start to recognize the kind of language He uses. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Our Father’s Love (Part 8) Get Intimately Familiar With The Real One
Psalm 103:12 “Farther than from a sunrise to a sunset, that's how far you've removed our guilt from us.”
Today’s verse goes right along with the past few days, and yet it confirms it a bit stronger. For the last few days, I have been talking about God’s love and God’s mercy. We now know how much God loves us. We know He is not just sitting in heaven waiting for us to mess up so he can punish us. We know he does discipline us at times, but not never as much as we truly deserve. We also know from the previous episode that the Lord wants to talk to each and every one of us. When he talks to us, He is gentle and loving. We know He also has different ways of talking to us. If you did not know any of these things, or you struggle to believe any of these things, you can go back and listen to the last 2-3 episodes. However, if you have missed any in this series about the Father’s Love, then I would recommend going back and listening to them all, as I am really loving Psalm 103.
Today’s verse says, “Farther than from a sunrise to a sunset, that's how far you've removed our guilt from us.” Do you understand what this verse is saying? Do you understand the magnitude of this verse? God is separating us as far away from our sins as the sunrise is from the sunset. These two things never touch. They are as far apart as they can be. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Wherever you are in the world, take a moment and think about the most eastern point in the world you can think of. Then think of the most western point in the world you can think of. This is how separated you are from your sins.
We tend to think our sins are part of us. Oftentimes we take those sins on as our identity. For instance, I am a liar, not someone who has lied before. I am an adulterer, not someone who had an affair. I am a cheater, not someone who cheated in a game. Do you see what I am talking about? What is the sin that you are claiming as your identity? This is so common. I used to do this when it came to my children. I would say he is a liar. He said x, y, or z. My counselor would always correct me. He might have lied about this thing, but that is not his identity. This is hard for us. We find it easier to claim the sin and make it part of us.
I wonder if that is because when we do that, we also turn over our responsibility. If I am a liar, then it makes sense that I lied. I don’t have to take responsibility for it, and I don’t have to change it because it is just who I am. I have heard this a lot over the years. People justify the ugly things they say or do by saying, “That’s just who I am.” Or they justify their loved ones’ behaviors by saying, “That is just who they are.” Your sins and your behaviors are not who you are. They are not your identity. You are who God says you are. God says we are special (Eph 2:10), loved (Jer 31:3), redeemed (Gal 3:13), important (1 Peter 2:9), lovely (Dan 12:3), forgiven (Psalm 103:12), family (Eph 2:19), strong (Psalm 18:25), not alone (Matt 28:20), treasured (Deut 14:2), Protected (Psalm 121:3), created for a purpose (Jer 29:11), accepted (Rom 15:7), a new creation (2 Cor 5:17), chosen (John 15:16), a child of God (Rom 8:17), precious (1 Cor 6:20), empowered (Phil. 4:17), unique (Psalm 139:13), and cared for (Eph 3:17-19). The scripture references for each and every one of those words is listed in the show notes. Where is the scripture verse for the things you are taking on as your identity?
We think the Lord sees us as a sum of all our sins because that is how we see us. However, our ways are not like His ways, and our thoughts are not like His thoughts. If you listened to the previous episodes in this series, you remember Father Mike said truth can’t contradict truth. We know what is in the Bible is truth. So, if your idea of who you are contradicts the above identity, it can’t be the truth. The verse above confirms that God does not identify us as our sins. It says He separates us from our sins. How great would it be if we could do the same?
Why is it so hard to see ourselves through God’s eyes? I think part of it is because we don’t really know God. If we aren’t reading the scriptures, if we aren’t reading faith-filled books, and if we aren’t spending time with God, then how can we know Him? In the last episode of this series, we talked about hearing the Lord’s voice and listening to what He wants to say to us. If we aren’t doing this, if we don’t know how He talks to us, then how can we possibly know the difference between His voice and the enemy's voice?
I heard a story the other day, and I think it is a great analogy/example for this. The woman speaking is a banker. She no longer works with physical money. However, she used to. She asked us if we knew how they teach bank tellers to spot fake bills. We had several ideas of the differences between real and fake, and she said yes, there are definitely ways to tell them apart. However, she said when you are learning how to tell the difference between the real bill and the fake bill, they have you get intimately familiar with the real thing. They don’t teach you all the various characteristics of fake bills because there are so many differences, and they are constantly changing as counterfeiters get better. What they have you do is learn all about the real bill. What does it look like, what does it feel like, what is the weight of it, what is the texture, what does it smell like? They have you spend so much time with the real bills that when a fake comes into your hands, you instantly know it is different.
I loved this story the moment I heard it. It is a perfect analogy for listening to the Father’s voice. If you listen to your heavenly Father, talk to you each and every day. If you read about Him in the scriptures and you spend time with Him, then you will know when the enemy starts whispering lies into your ears. You will know it is not from God because it doesn’t make you feel the same way it does all the other times you have talked with Him. You will know it is not God because what is said contradicts the promises you have read in the scripture. If you want to start recognizing the enemy, you need to get more familiar with the Lord. Become intimately familiar with the real thing, and you will recognize when the lies start creeping back in. You are not your sins. God separates us from our sins, so why do we cling to them so tightly? Isn’t it time we loosen our grip and let them go?
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, help us to release our sins. Help us to separate ourselves from them. Help us bring them to you and lay them at your feet for your infinite disposal. Lord, thank you for separating us from our sins. Thank you for taking our sins to the cross. Lord, any time we cling to our sins and claim our sins as our identity, it reminds us of the cross. Remind us that your sacrifice was big enough to cover our sins. It was ENOUGH. We love you, Lord. Help us to get to know you so intimately that when the enemy comes around whispering in our ears, we instantly spot him as a fake and what he is saying as lies. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I hope you all have a very special Thanksgiving Day today! If you don’t celebrate, I still hope you have a special day! I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I!
I mentioned in Part 7 that I felt the Lord is calling me to end each episode with a Word that He has given to our prayer group. The point of this is so we can all get used to hearing how the Lord talks to us and so we will recognize when it is Him and when it is the enemy. Here is the word: “My children, when you are full of worry and fear, come to me. Give me your hand in trust, and I will help you. All your cares that you give to me I take care of in my time, not in your time. It is trust you must have with faith that never ends.”