Theme: Redeem
Redeem means to buy back. Have you ever sold something and later regretted it? You realized the possession belonged in your home or family. And then you go on a quest to buy it back. In a similar way, when we sin, we sell something. We sell our purpose or the purpose of something in our life to the enemy. This area of life literally becomes the property of the Devil. Later, we regret it because we realize there is nothing we can do to undo what we did.
This is where redemption comes in. God says, "I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment" (Exodus 6:6). We have to realize that God does the redeeming, not us. God is always reaching to us and initiates the process of redemption. In Wesleyan theology, it is called prevenient grace, a grace that goes before. Before time began, grace existed. From the beginning, the grace of God through Jesus Christ was headed to the cross to purchase back what our sin let go. On the cross, Jesus paid the price to return every part of our lives back to the right place.
We will often make decisions to let go of what we should have never let go of. Maybe it is integrity in a relationship, purity of thought, financial honesty, self control, love, patience, kindness, faith, or any other good thing. And when we do, God will judge us and let us know our need to be redeemed. Pray this week that whatever area of life you have sold to the enemy, God would redeem. It may take some time, but God can take what is wrong in your life and make it right.
Scripture: Exodus 6:6 (NIV)
" I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment."
Prayer: Redeem
"Redeem me, oh Lord. I confess that in my life I have sold things I never should have sold. And because of my choices, things in my life are out of place. I have sold my integrity, purity, honesty, peace of mind, trustworthiness, self control, identity, and many other things. I realize there are areas of my life that need redeemed. Jesus, you paid the price with your life so all things in my life could be put back in the right place. Redeem my relationships, mind, finances, work, and most importantly my relationship with You. You are my redeemer and all of my hope is in you. Thank you for redeeming every area of my life. You are a good, loving, Heavenly Father. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
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