“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word.” John 14:23
Do you ever struggle with shame, guilt, or condemnation? When I was a younger Christian, I didn’t understand this law of liberty. The statement by Jesus, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (John 14:23), caused me to struggle. I felt condemned by this verse. Having a sensitive heart, I sincerely wanted to be a lover of Jesus. But when I honestly assessed my life, I knew my obedience to the Lord was not flawless. Because I was not 100% obedient to every command of the Lord, I felt like an imposter, a phony. I thought my love for Jesus was genuine, but I had doubts because of this verse. Maybe I really don’t love Him because my obedience to Him is not perfect. This kind of thinking caused me to run from the Lord in shame rather than to the Lord for encouragement. And as I ran from the Lord, I was forfeiting the very presence of God in my life that I needed to empower me to obey Him.
This is a perfect example of why the enemy is called “the accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10). When sincere Christians are struggling in their obedience to God, the enemy tries to convince them they are hopeless hypocrites. He tries to paralyze them with shame to isolate them from intimacy with God. Remember Adam and Eve? Their shame after eating the forbidden fruit caused them to hide. The enemy tries to convince people that God is disgusted with them, and they are forever disqualified from being used by God.
He is a liar. I have come to realize that when sincere Christians disobey God it is more often due to weakness and immaturity than outright rebellion and defiance. The Lord is the Master at giving us victory in our struggles. He sees our desire to obey Him even if we sometimes lack the ability to obey Him.
Some would argue that emphasizing God’s mercy gives people license to be sloppy in their obedience to Him. In my life, experiencing God’s mercy has had the opposite effect. There have been times when I have been willing to obey the Lord, but I struggle in my ability to obey. At those times, I can either listen to the enemy’s lies as the “accuser,” or I can listen to the Lord, who is ever willing to be my Divine Encourager.
At times, I have been surprised by my own weakness and immaturity. But the Lord has been faithful to encourage me at the very time I needed (and still need) it. God strengthens my heart with His undeserved love, and it restores my ability to obey Him. The love and encouragement God gives me when I fail gives me the strength to keep following Him. The Lord sees my weakness and immaturity in certain areas, but He also sees my willing spirit. He knows how to help me mature in love with Him so I can mature in obedience to Him.
By the power of the blood of Jesus we declare the chains of guilt, shame, and condemnation have been forever removed from you. It is your time to experience fun and joy! We declare you are unconditionally loved by God and free to celebrate the person God made you to be. Today receive all God’s love, joy, blessings, favor, health, and life!
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