DAY 16

LETTING GO

NIKKI CATHERINCCHIA, TEACHING PASTOR THE WOODS CHURCH

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. —Galatians 2:20

I once heard pastor, author, and founder of A21 Christine Caine say that we should never forget what it was to be lost and what it means to be saved by Jesus Christ. Think about it. What was your life like before you knew Jesus as your Savior? Maybe you are like me and you vividly remember what it was to be lost in this world, lost in sin. Maybe those memories are a little more fuzzy for you. Or maybe you are currently on a journey of discovery. Discovering that you are lost and in need of a Savior. Regardless, every person, when faced with Jesus, must make a choice. Do we choose to stay lost in this world or do we receive the free gift of salvation that Jesus died on the cross to give us? Whichever you choose, the choice is wholly and fully yours.

The religious affiliation of your parents does not get you into heaven. Being raised in the church or sitting in a pew or row week after week does not guarantee your salvation. No! Only one thing gains us the glorious riches of heaven: saying “yes” to Jesus. But that “yes” comes at a price. Singer-songwriter Stefany Gretzinger often says “our ‘yes’ to Jesus won’t cost us much, just everything.” When we say “yes” to Jesus there is an expectation that we are letting go of all the things that once had our yes when we were dead in our sin.

Yet, that is sometimes easier said than done.

The Apostle Paul, the one who wrote the above Scripture passage, often points out that we were once dead in our sin. But God! By His grace alone, when we choose to make Jesus the Lord of our lives, He redeems us to new life. Here and now and for all eternity. However, the transition from death to life is not always easy. So often we struggle to let go of our death baggage as we try to walk in the newness of abundant life. Just like every earthly relationship we have, we also arrive at our relationship with Jesus with baggage. The behaviors, the attitudes, and the inner dialogue that have become a part of who we were when we were dead in our sin. Through our choices, our experiences, and the environments we have lived in we have developed or have even been conditioned to have certain mindsets and actions that Jesus is waiting for us to nail to the cross. Mindsets and actions that were never God’s intention for our lives. These are the indicators of life that is still operating in the death of sin and believing the lies of this world. In this very letter to the Galatian church, Paul does an extraordinary job of letting us know exactly what some of these behaviors and attitudes are:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. —Galatians 5:19-21

These are the things we need to nail to the cross when we say “yes” to Jesus. However, these are also the things neatly packed up in our death bags. Things, that if we are honest, we sometimes try to sneak into our new life with Christ. I mean what harm is there in overindulging at the bar occasionally? A little flirtation with your married coworker isn’t really hurting anyone, right? It’s ok to be hostile toward the people who think differently than you and vote differently than you because they are blind and need to know the truth. There is nothing wrong with harboring anger toward the person that wronged you because they don’t deserve your forgiveness. But my friends, don’t be deceived. Not only is this way of thinking not God’s best for our lives, it also keeps us in the bondage of sin. Operating from our flesh. When Jesus went to the cross, He did so that we would let go of the sin that has entangled us for far too long so that we might know the fullness of freedom. So that we would let go of the heartache and trauma that has left us bitter and broken so that He can bring healing. So that we would let go of our pride, our ambition, and our selfish desires to receive the fullness of what He has created us for. Jesus went to the cross so that we would let go of every lie of this world to walk in His truth.

Letting go isn’t always easy but it is absolutely necessary. Saying “yes” to Jesus won’t cost you much, just everything you have and all that you are. Jesus didn’t go to the cross for a part of you. He went to the cross for all of you. He wants you to let go of everything that doesn’t honor Him, everything that draws you away from Him, everything that gives the enemy a stronghold in your life. The reason we should always remember what it was to be lost is because it should be just that, a memory. Who we were when we were lost should not be our reality now that we are the disciples of Jesus, sons and daughters of the Most High God. We have nailed it all to the cross with Jesus, no longer living for ourselves but now living for Him. Maybe there is something you need to nail to the cross today. Jesus is longing for you to let it go.

PRAYER

Today Jesus I want to let go of any part of my life that is not of You. I lay down my whole life in total surrender to You. To be sourced by Spirit. To live in the fullness of the freedom that You died to give me. Holy Spirit, source me and sanctify me. As I pursue holiness, may You empower me to become more and more Christ-like. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.