As far as the east is from the west

If I Had a Hammer

Have you ever done something you were ashamed of? Something you wish you could forget or never did in the first place? Well, congratulations, you are a part of the world wide club of “Everyone That Ever Existed.” Of course knowing this doesn't make me feel any better, I would prefer to be the one who handles every situation with grace and perfection.

    One of the strongest weapons the enemy uses against us is guilt and condemnation. This relentless duo keeps us feeling ashamed and defeated, resulting in a failure to recognize God’s grace, love and forgiveness.

   The devil knows exactly what buttons to push; he is the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10). All he has to do is drop one single thought in my head or bring up a memory I have worked very hard to get rid of and -Bam! - I have become my own worst enemy. I guess you could say I am my own personal bully.

    I have a friend who explains it like this, “The Devil has a hammer and he beats us over the head with it, but we come along and take that hammer from him and beat our self over the head doing a much better job than he did in the first place.”

   I have to remember that God loves me and is not shocked by what I do; He knew exactly what He was getting when he sent His Son to die for my salvation.

   Memorizing scripture and putting it into practice has become one of my most successful defenses. Revelation 12:10 and 11 tells us the accuser of the brethren has been cast down and we over come him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

     Realizing the devil is a liar and refusing to help him in our own destruction gives us hope and courage. We need to realize how precious and cherished we are to our Heavenly Father.

     We can choose to move on, leaving past sins where they belong, forgiven and in the past. When you find that hammer in your hand remind yourself that there is nothing that the blood of Jesus has not already washed away and you are forgiven.

Psalm 103:12

  As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

2 Corinthians 5:17

  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old has gone, the new has come!