By HIS Blood

We despised him and rejected him;
he endured suffering and pain.
No one would even look at him—
we ignored him as if he were nothing.
“But he endured the suffering that should have been ours,
the pain that we should have borne.
All the while we thought that his suffering
was punishment sent by God.
But because of our sins he was wounded,
beaten because of the evil we did.
We are healed by the punishment he suffered,
made whole by the blows he received.
(Isaiah 53:3-5)

He endured pain and suffering on our behalf. Everything that Jesus went through, we deserved. We are sinners purchased by HIS blood. Isn’t that crazy? It is still hard for me to believe. I was born into the church and always knew of what Jesus did for me and that He loved me, but 21years later I still cannot believe the price He paid for me.  Can you? Think about it! When you really sit down and think about it, it will truly humble you. He thought of YOU as He gave His last breath. To Him, you are worth dying for. You are washed by the blood of a Savior who loves you more than you will ever know. Sometimes we think God looks at us the way we look at ourselves. We do this with how we think other people think of us as well. But when we think badly of ourselves, it can be poisonous. Not only does it hurt our bodies physically, but it can hurt us Spiritually! We draw away from God because we feel unworthy. We feel dirty, we feel that He doesn’t actually want to be with us, or dwell within us. But that isn’t the case.

Recently I have been a victim of “poisonous thinking”. I have pulled myself away from God. I had no desire to read His word. I struggled to worship, I struggled with going forth in my calling as a youth leader. I felt hopeless in my calling. I felt as if no one would see that I am genuine, or even want to listen to the message that God placed on my heart. I just felt completely unworthy and hopeless. But the Lord reminded me that He calls those who feel unworthy. He doesn’t want someone who is prideful. He wants the broken, and the hopeless. We have to cry out and let Him lift us out of this bad thinking and let Him turn it around for good. I now know that He is for me and not against me. He loves me and I am worth dying for. I am redeemed, chosen, called, priceless, and worthy. My Jesus is loving, and He calls me to a higher way of living. Amen!

Speak life over yourself and others. This is something that I have been doing more and more of lately. I am careful with the words I say. I know that the Bible speaks of life and death are in the power of the tongue. And what I think is what I will say. So if I change the way I think I will change what I say. It is really simple. We have the power to control our thoughts. God NEVER gives us what we cannot handle and He will never put us in a situation that we cannot get out of. He always gives us a way out, it is up to us whether or not we choose to get out. Making sinful decisions is a choice we make. We can always say no to sin and turn back to Him. The power of His blood washes over us and makes us clean. Each day is a battle between Spirit and flesh. Our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak. So we need to make our spirits stronger so we can overcome the flesh. The flesh is dirty and sinful, but our spirit draws us to Him.

Make your spirit strong! Read your word daily, pray, and seek His presence. He longs for you to be with Him. Fall at His feet and let His blood run over you and let it wash away to sins in your life. Remember who you are in Him! He loves you! He died for you! Remember that as you approach Passover this year… Remember all He did for you. You are chosen for a reason. Be blessed.

Written by Olivia Mancini