God's grace, how can it be?

Have you ever felt guilty? That is a rhetorical question because if you are able to read this you have no doubt felt guilt. At times, the Holy Spirit produces that ‘guilt’ through convicting us. However, there are other times where Satan produces that “guilt” in the life of the believer. In Revelation 12:10 Satan is referred to as “the accuser of the brethren”. If you feel guilt over something repented of and confessed, than it is under the blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit will never make you feel guilt over something under the blood. In Isaiah 43:25 God says He will remember your sins no more. Psalm 103:12 says He casts our sin away from us, as far as the east is from the west. Our sins God takes, as that theologian Buzz Lightyear says, ‘To infinity and beyond.’

Lauren Daigle is one of my favorite music artists right now. I was listening to Pandora just now as her song How Can It Be came on. I found myself resonating with the words. We all at times get to the place where we do not feel like we can enter the presence of God, that we are unworthy. Friend, even on our best day we are not worthy to enter His presence. If you feel that way and the cause is unconfessed unrepented of sin deal with it. Lauren’s song captures the idea of grace so well I wanted to look at it for just a moment.

The 1^st verse: “I am guilty
Ashamed of what I've done, what I've become
These hands are dirty
I dare not lift them up to the Holy one

You plead my cause
You right my wrongs
You break my chains
You overcome
You gave Your life
To give me mine
You say that I am free
How can it be
How can it be”

We are all guilty before God and ashamed of sin. 2 Corinthians 7:10 tells us “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation, but worldly sorrow brings death”. We recognize our sinfulness and as the song says our “hands are dirty, I dare not lift them to the Holy One.” But … I just love the word ‘but’ when you find it in scripture. Daigle writes, “You plead my cause, You right my wrongs, You break my chains, You overcome, You gave Your life to give me mine, You say I am free, how can it be.” 1 Timothy 2:5 reminds that we have a “Mediator” in the Lord Jesus Christ. He does plead our cause. He claims us as His and proclaims us free.

Verse 2: I've been hiding
Afraid I've let you down, inside I doubt
That You still love me
But in Your eyes there's only grace now

You plead my cause
You right my wrongs
You break my chains
You overcome
You gave Your life
To give me mine
You say that I am free
How can it be
How can it be

When we are genuinely ashamed of what we have done the enemy uses that often to drive us from God. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden we try to hide ourselves from God. The enemy tells us that we are not worthy, that God no longer loves us. Daigle captures this idea when she sings, “inside I doubt that You still love me.” I think the enemy has taken us all down that path at times. Daigle sings, “But in Your eyes there’s only grace now.” Hallelujah! When we confess and repent, God doesn’t see what we have done or where we have been. Instead, He sees what we can become and where He can take us. Friend our future as is white as new snow; we have not sinned in the future yet. We should allow guilt to drive us to God that we might experience His grace, but too often, we allow it to drive us from Him because of the accusations of the enemy.

Verse 3: Though I fall, You can make me new
From this death I will rise with You
Oh the grace reaching out for me
How can it be
How can it be

You plead my cause
You right my wrongs
You break my chains
You overcome
You gave Your life
To give me mine
You say that I am free
How can it be
How can it be

God’s grace is reaching out for you. He is actively pursuing you. Like the father to the prodigal sons, He stands ready to forgive and welcome you back into right standing as a son or daughter. First, you have to believe His grace is true and that it’s for you. Jesus gave His life to give us ours. The enemy reminds us of the truth of Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” And the enemy would love it if we stopped reading at the end of verse 23. However, in the New King James verse 23 does not end with a period rather only a comma. Hear verse 24, “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”. Your hands may be dirty and you may not feel like you can worship the Holy One. The good news is that His grace is greater than all our sins! Occasionally this causes me to stop and think, “How can it be?”