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God isn’t going to chastise you for something Jesus has already been punished for… 

Ride with me here… 

The prophet Isaiah foretold- centuries before His birth- that Jesus would bring healing by His death. In fact, he says, “He was wounded for our transgressions. He was pierced for our iniquities.” Then- “By His stripes we are healed” (see Isaiah 53:3-5).

Notably, Isaiah speaks about all of the in PAST tense- as if it’s already DONE- even though he lived a long, long time before Jesus’ birth. 

That leads us to two New Testament authors that directly reference Isaiah’s declaration. Notably, one of them, Matthew uses Isaiah’s passage to explain WHY Jesus healed so many people on the way to the Cross.

In effect, Matthew says, “Yes. Jesus was going to die for all of these people. And He was purchasing their healing… So, He healed them throughout His ministry, because of...

 For some of us, it’s time to “get over it” and “move on” from the past.

Let me explain...

It’s easy to get stuck looking in the rearview mirror- gazing in the reasons WHY you can’t move forward...

If some of the clutter in your past was your fault, you might feel like you “owe it” to others (or even yourself) to STAY stuck… 

If you’ve hurt others, they might actually be more comfortable with you being stuck, right

Here’s the deal- we live in an age of grace. It’s an era in which God doesn’t hold the past against you. In fact, He distinctly declares that He’s NOT holding your past over you. He’s FORGOTTEN it (see Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 8:12).

It’s hard for us to forget sin and the junk of the past, so we assume God can’t, either. He tells us clearly, though, “We don’t think the same way” (Isaiah 55:8). 

Furthermore, God not only forgets...

 In this talk, we continue the conversation on shame… and how it, left unchecked, can become our identity. Here, I shift the focus from what I’ve learned “by the book” to what I’ve gathered from experience.

It was a huge eye-opener for me when I learned that we could be radically affected by others sins against us. Sure, most of us understand this on a childhood level (that person took my toy, this friend called me a bad name, etc.). The lesson seems to take on an entirely new level of significance, though, when we place the concept in the world of #adulting. The stakes get higher, the sins get bigger, the harm becomes more lethal. 

It was ANOTHER level of insight altogether for me when I realized we could be affected by some of these sins that weren’t our fault… things done against us that require cleansing but not necessarily forgiveness (i.e., we bear no guilt, but we’re wounded). Sure, it sounds simple looking in...

Continuing the discussion on the Redemption… and focusing on shame (Jesus bled inside Himself to free / redeem the clutter inside of us), we stumble upon the story of the prodigal son. 

Turns out, there wasn’t a plan to talk about the son… or his older brother. But, here we are…

You see, shame causes us to choose to wear a mask rather than wearing our identity. It prompts us to be someone- or something- else, rather than being comfortable in our own skin. 

Such is the story of the younger brother. 

And, get this… it’s the story of the older brother, too.

Some of us choose the rebellious mask. A lot of us choose the “good deeds,” earn-my-way, show that I’m valuable and worthy mask. This last one… is the mask of the older brother.

Here’s the truth: your worst moments don’t define you. Nor do they disqualify you from the Father’s love. 

On the flip side: your greatest successes all...

Fresh off the Advance, we walk into the subject of hiding. It’s something men are good at. Something, if we’re honest, we’re all good at. 

We all hide the secret parts of us. The dreams we have (for fear others will make fun of them). The wounds of the past (for fear that others will think less of us). The things we think and feel in the moment (for fear we’ll be judged). 

When we walk into the light, though, we can be fully known AND ACCEPTED by others. And, in fact, we can’t find that acceptance until we walk into that light…

I saw lots of walking in the light at last week’s Advance. Huge glimpses of transparency. Radical doses of grace and acceptance.

The strange thing about transparency… 

Well, it can’t exist where there’s shame. And shame can’t exist where there’s transparency. At some point, we have to choose one or the other. 

In this episode we talk through the theological basis of...

As He approached the Cross, Jesus said a few important things- things completely relevant to how we often feel about how we relate to God. Whereas we tend to think God is out to “get us” or “judge us,” Jesus said- 

“Now is the time of judgment. The ruler of this world will be cast out. And when I am lifted up, I will draw all ________ to myself” (see John 12:31f.). 

What was Jesus drawing to Himself? Judgment. 

And when was it happening? 2,000 years ago. 

Understanding that Jesus said judgment is about to happen AND remembering that, on the Cross He declared “It is finished” empowers us to live in freedom. You don’t have to tip toe around, wondering if you might step out of line… you don’t have to worry that you’re so far gone that you’re out of the reach of God’s grace. 

Nonsense. 

Judgment happened. And you weren’t the one being judged; you were the one being...

Many times, we envision God as being anxious, stressed, or angry… 

Or we see Him as Holy. As a Judge. As Righteous. 

The Bible tells us that God is also joy, though. In fact, one third of the Kingdom of God is joy (Romans 14:17). And, we learn that the One who sits in Heaven laughs (Psalm 2:4), rejoices over His people with singing (Zephaniah 3:17), and empowers us to lean into His joy- as that is our strength (see Nehemiah 8). Indeed, the sound of the throne is one of joy (Psalm 89:15).

When Jesus came, it was a message of great joy (Luke 2: 10), and He communicated deep truths to His disciples so that their joy would overflow (see John 15:11). He even tells us to enter into the joy of our Master (Matthew 25:21). 

Did we miss something? 

We often equate tears, mourning, and seriousness with spirituality. And, we equate happiness and laughing with… well… irreverence (if expressed in a church service). 

Listen in… and see, sense,...

I grew up in a constant state of anxiety, believing that if I didn’t keep up with my sins and then confess them that God wouldn’t be able to hear my prayers- that I would be distanced from Him. 

The truth is that grace isn’t restrained and your Heavenly Father’s love isn’t contained by a few words- or a lack of words. God has not only forgiven your sins- and forgotten them- He’s also determined that He won’t hold any future sins against you (see Romans 4:7-8).

In addition, when we look at the place of confession in the Bible we discover that confession is a gift to us. Through it, we learn the  incredible transformative power of relationships. 

More info?

You can learn more about this topic in lesson 5 of The Next Best Step video class. Access free at www.TheNextBestStep.info  

I also mentioned the Advance weekend workshops for men. Learn more at www.EatSleepAdvance.com  

Listening +...

 I bet you can fill in the blank of this Bible verse: “All have ________ and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Problem is… well… we tend to focus only on the first part of the verse- the “falling short” part. When we do, we miss the second part, the beautiful message that declares who we really are.

You see, we were created- YOU were created for glory. For greatness. To carry the presence + power of the Kingdom of God.

Yes, something happened. Sin. And it was ugly.

But the message of redemption is that all things are restored. All things are made new. There’s nothing left outside of the scope of God’s greatness that can’t be put back together to its intended purpose…

More info?

In this podcast I reference the Emotional Wholeness video class, which you find at https://www.overflowfaith.com/p/emotional-wholeness-free-offer 

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