Verdict: NOT GUILTY

Greetings All:

I do hope everyone is staying prayed up. My friends, this life is getting harder and harder, meaner and meaner, Satan is very busy, much more busier than he has ever been. You know why?? Jesus is on His way to rescue us. I don't know when that will be, but I know for a fact that Jesus will be returning soon, very soon. The Bible tells us, the day the Lord comes again will be a surprise, He will come like a thief that comes in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2). However, my favorite apostle, Paul, reminds me that it will not be a surprise for me because I am no longer living in darkness. Thank you Lord. How many of us will be caught off guard? How many of us will pull the old shotgun? How many of us will be in the middle of something we had no business doing? How many of us will be with someone we had no business being with? Oh, I tell you. So, as your friend, I am telling you, we MUST be prepared for our Lord's coming.

Let me tell you how I have been preparing for my Lord: I had to let God in my life, simple as that, no ands or buts about it, I just had to let God be the ruler supreme in my life. I had to get serious about my life and about my Christian walk. My friends, I am so happy I have found my way out of darkness, which was only by the grace and mercy of God. Thank God.

As I was getting ready to get into the Word, the Lord took me first to Minister Max Lucado's devotional Bible study on Guilt. I said, "Lord, how ironic, just the other day the message was about how I got free of my bondage." Thank you Lord. Minister Lucado writes that sometimes our shame is private, for example, pushed over the edge by an abusive spouse; sometimes our shame is public, for example, branded by a divorce you didn't want. Wow. Now, you know this study was for me. Thank you Lord. Minister Lucado says whether it is private or public, shame is always painful, and unless you deal with it, it is permanent; unless you get help, the dawn will never come. Remember, I was just telling you that after many, many, many years of silence, I am finally healed because I sought true help, and you know I am not talking about the craziness I did by going to man; I am talking about going to God. I sought God's help. I was brought to my knees, I called out to Jesus.

Minister Lucado encourages us to take Christ with us to our canyon of shame. He encourages us to invite Christ to journey with us; he encourage us to let Him stand beside us as we retell the events of the darkest nights of our souls. My friends, you see, to get out of our darkness, we must talk to God, we must ask Jesus to intercede on our behalf, we must ask God to to release our bondage in Jesus' name, and to protect us. Minister Lucado says if we listen, and we listen carefully, we will hear God telling us "I don't judge you guilty.". Hallelujah. Minister Lucado says, God's message has two words for us, NOT GUILTY. Thank you Lord.

My friends, unless we deal with our guilt, we will remain in bondage. My friends, when we ask God for help, we must believe, we must stay still, we must listen, we must let God work in our lives, and we will be free. When we ask for God's help to release us from the bondage of shame, from the bondage of being labeled a divorcee, from the bondage of being a ho, from the bondage of being an adulterer, from the bondage of the abortion(s), from the bondage of prostitution; bondage of being a drug addict; bondage of being an alcoholic; bondage of low self esteem, bondage of heart brokenness, bondage of financial woes, whatever your bondage may be, we must believe, we must let God enter our lives; we must trust God, we must listen and hear God telling us our sins are forgiven. My friends, when our bondages have been released, we must let them go; we must leave those bondages at the feet of Jesus and leave it up to Him. When our bondages have been released, we are not guilty of those things we did in the past; God promises us that our finances will be restored, our family will be restored. My friends, the only label we have on us when God intervenes is that we are children of God. When we become children of God, we are Not Guilty.

You know the woman caught in adultery? No, not me, oops, no not you-- go to John 8:1-11. That woman I am talking about. I will let you know what verse 11 says: Jesus told that woman, the adulterer, "I also don't judge you guilty. You may go now, but don't sin anymore." My friends, whenever you are in doubt, or whenever some hater tries to make you feel guilty or shameful for things you have done, you just need to sincerely ask God for His forgiveness and know that He is a forgiving God and that because Christ died on the cross for our sins, we are redeemed. My friends, when God forgives us and we begin to live the life that God wants us to live, we are free. No one can judge us, no one can tell us we are guilty. When we come across haters and those who keeps reminding us of our past, we just need to slap them with John chapter 8:1-11.

My God has found me NOT GUILTY because I have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus!

Thank you Lord.

Be blessed,

Ta ta,
Therese from Belize