Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. – Hebrews 4:16
We serve a good God. He is merciful, full of grace, and perfect in every way. This is what drew us to Christ. The fact that He died for us and forgave our sins even though we don’t deserve it. However, too often when we mess up or feel ashamed of what we have done, we fall prone to what Adam and Eve did. They tried to run and hide from God. God wants us to draw near to Him, not pull away. We need to draw near to His throne of grace.
Jesus wants us to call out and ask for the forgiveness He desires and died to give us. We all need Jesus because none of us are perfect. We will mess up. We just need to choose the right response when we do. On our own we are weak and can only do so much, but with Christ all things are possible. We need Him all the time!
Satan desires us to believe the lies he whispers in our ears. The enemy wants us to believe we are unloved, that we messed up too badly to be forgiven, that we don’t need God because we can do it on our own, and that we need to hold onto shame. The devil, the father of lies, wants us to feel defeated and hopeless. We need to cast those lies out of our minds and hold firmly to the truth. Romans 8:37 says “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”. Romans 5:20b states “but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” When we mess up there is more than enough of God’s grace for us. We need to choose to draw near, not pull away. Jesus understands what we are going through. He is not a distant God. He is with us always. He is fully man and fully God. Therefore, he knows and understands what we are experiencing and feeling.
I think often we forget this. Hebrews 4:14-15 says, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” What stands out to me the most in this is “hold fast”. We need to tightly hold onto our confession. With every ounce of strength and will power we have, we need to hold onto what we say we believe and don’t let the lies of the enemy and the cares of this world or even our sins and failures loosen that grip. We need to be as the woman who pressed through the crowds to grab hold of Jesus’ clothes for healing (Mark 5:25-34). Grab hold and don’t let go. His grace and mercy brings peace and healing to your heart and mind.
Let your faith in Him make you whole. Today and every day set your mind and heart to draw near and hold fast to Jesus. I pray that we would all hold fast to our confession, that we would allow His mercy and grace to pour over us, and that we would walk confidently in Him knowing He has overcome the world. We are truly loved and forgiven and that light would shine so brightly that all those around us would come to His saving grace as well and that we would come alongside them discipling them in the word of God.
Written by Rebecca Murzin
