Life Sentence

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.
(Romans 8: 1-3)

We've been given a Life Sentence. Locked up in our own guilt, shame, and condemnation. The shackles wrapped around our ankles have hindered us from living a life of freedom. They have hindered us from walking outside of our circumstances and have paralyzed us, sentencing us to a life sentence of misery. The shackles that hang from our necks are slowly choking the life out of us. The breath that we once took freely have been choked out by the cares and stresses of this world. We have forgotten the joy of youth, sometimes even in our youth. We find ourselves fighting to forget the guilt and condemnation, the shame that sweeps through our heads at lighting speed the moment we sit in silence. It is no wonder we have trouble sleeping at night., why anxiousness and worry plague our minds the minute we lay in the dark.  It is no wonder this world is full of noise, the sound of the TV, music, radio, Internet. The reason why, even as adults, we still need the TV on to fall asleep. We are plagued with thoughts that seek to crush our very lives, the reminders that we have been given a life sentence and there is no hope of getting out. No freedom to be found. No quietness for our souls. In search of peace, we find strife. We find ourselves desperately in search of tranquility, only to find that it lasts the length of a sunrise.

Guilt and Condemnation, the shame of the skeletons hidden in the closet, the pain of words that we once uttered that can never be taken back. These are the things that have sentenced us to a life time of misery. These are the things that Satan has placed so vividly in our minds that the moment we find ourselves in sober silence, we see ourselves for what we think we are and it cuts to the heart. We are guilty and shameful, we feel condemned and know that, although the world tells us we have the right to live any way we want, something is just not right. Satan came to bring condemnation, to bring guilt, and shame. He came to accuse you and teach you how to make excuses to nullify your pain. He came to give you a life sentence of misery with a false hope of parole. Guilt drives us from the cross of Christ in shame and condemnation, unable to see a way out. Condemnation crushes the spirit, as it causes us to bear the weight of our own sin.

And yet, according to John 3:17, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." Christ did not come into this world to place guilt, shame, and condemnation upon us. Instead, He came to take your sin, your guilt and shame, the condemnation that Satan has burdened your soul with, and carry it to the cross. Read the account of Christ on His way to the cross, in the Garden of Gethsemane, His body being marred by the Roman soldiers, the pain He endured being nailed to the cross. It was a matter of necessity. The only way in which  Christ could offer us freedom. He took upon Himself your life sentence, my life sentence, the life sentence of every person that has ever walked the face of this earth, and bore it on the cross. In short, He stood up in the courtroom the moment you were handed the life sentence and said, "I will take his place, her place." That was the day you were given the freedom to turn and walk out of the court room with no repercussions. And yet, many of us have been offered that freedom and instead have turned it down. We'd rather enjoy a life of condemnation, of guilt, of shame, of stress and anxiety. A life of shackles, simply so that we can say, "The name of Christ, His work on the cross, is not good enough for me. I'd rather live and die in hell rather than take this freewill offering." THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS. The Scripture says that, "Who the Son sets free, he is free indeed." (John 8:36) There is no reason why we need to be plagued by the Prince of this World, Satan himself, or by the deeds of our own flesh that torture us throughout this life sentence. You can be FREE. Absolutely free of worry, stress, anxiety. Free from the shackles of this world. Free from a life sentence. You can get up and walk out of the courtroom a free man, a free woman, even after the life sentence has been handed to you, because the Price Has already Been Paid. You are living in this life sentence by choice. The door is unlocked. The bond has been paid. You can walk out a free person at any time, what are you waiting for? Ponte Trucha.