Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(Matt 5.3-10)

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death…. You .. are not controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit.. and he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who lives in you.. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children… in the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

(Rom 8. 1&2,8,11,15&16)

One of the most wonderful things about being a believer in Jesus, a follower of the Master and precious to Him, is that we are fully equipped against our old accusing enemy, the Satan who continually desires to distract, disable and drag down God’s people by asking, “Did God really say?”

It is a favourite ruse of our enemy to whisper so closely in our ears that we mistake his words for our own, and are thrown into distress and confusion! And when the whispers are telling half-truths, they are even harder to differentiate from the actual glorious reality of God’s true words about us. This situation calls for wisdom, and also humility: wisdom to weigh the words before we react to them; and humility to recognise that any assault by our enemy necessitates an immediate call for help from our great and victorious elder brother, Jesus. God has promised that He will always be with us, and that He is greater than our enemy – that implacable foe is losing; every day, in every way, he is losing ground to the true King of Kings. In Jesus, we find all the help that we need – his peace, his all-sufficient atonement for sin, his wisdom and his power to keep us and bring us safe home to glory.

As I contemplated this, I wondered whether we sometimes make it easier than it should be for our enemy to mislead us. When a soldier takes their eye off their commanding officer, off the goal and off the instructions which they have received, it is much easier for their enemy to take them unawares, to injure and disarm them. As a follower of Jesus, I have a clear view of my commander – in – chief, and I know what he has called me to do. But sometimes I get confused about how to work it out in practice, and then I hear that insidious whisper that turns my attention inward, away from Jesus and towards my own weakness, errors and disobedience.

If my focus is on the ways that I remain prone to sin – that weakness which will only finally pass when my mortal body is destroyed – then I am playing into my enemy’s hand, and he can tie me up in knots of regret, unproductive mourning over my state, and unhealthy self-preoccupation. Yes, it is true that sin is going to remain part of my life until I die… BUT, that is not the whole truth!

The bigger picture, the full and glorious truth is that I am completely forgiven, and that an incredible, abundant, merciful love has paid completely for all that I will ever get wrong, and I am free to live without guilt or shame. The accuser cannot use my past or my current failures as means to bind me in the darkness – Christ’s death and resurrection has broken that power.

Heavenly Father, I rejoice today in your grace and mercy. I stand in Christ alone, the object of your redeeming love, and praise you.

I choose to focus not on my sin, and all the negativity which so readily drags my eyes from Jesus. I choose to focus on your love and abounding goodness, shown to me for His sake. Let my theme not be of my own weakness and failure, but Jesus’ beauty and power. When I am aware of letting you down, may I not fall into misery, or self-condemnation, but rather turn that awareness into an eager embracing of your grace; into praise for my sufficient Lord and Saviour, and into joyous abandonment to his loving care. To His Name be all the glory, Amen!