Redeemed by the Blood

I haven’t yet attained it. My flesh still resists the Spirit, but my Savior’s blood redeems me, and I will sing and shout praises to my God. 

Does this sound like what you pray each morning? Probably not. Most likely, you start your day by finding ways to continue striving. You bite the bullet, promising God you will never return to your old ways.

When you win an occasional victory, you feel good about it. You congratulate yourself, knowing that you will achieve victory by putting your heart and mind into it. You tend to feel so proud about what you have done that you judge others who aren’t victorious.

When I was younger, whenever I needed a victory over something, I would tell myself, “I am going to do this if it kills me.” A month would pass, and I would think, “Those covetous thoughts are gone now. I am free!” However, it always proved to be only a partial victory. That is when discouragement would set in. I would blame God and cry, “Oh, God, I have begged you to deliver me, but you haven’t. This thing is still in me.” 

The fact was, I was so busy striving in my flesh to be righteous that I lost my understanding of true righteousness, the only righteousness the Father accepts. Only Jesus Christ stands righteous before God, and when we stand before the Father, he accepts us only through Christ and his righteousness and victory. 

“What must I do?” you ask. Well, first, do not listen to the devil’s lies. Second, get up on your spiritual feet and start giving praise to the Lord. Declare boldly, “By faith in the blood of Jesus, I receive the righteousness of Christ. He has made me fit and qualified to worship and serve my Lord.” 

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14, NKJV). Redemption means being set free. We have been set free by Jesus’s precious blood. We have the right to stand against every accusation and say, “I’m not buying that, devil. You have accused me for the last time. My Bible says I am redeemed because I believe in what Jesus did for me at the cross. I confess my sins to him, and I am redeemed. I am free!”