This month's view finds me rejoicing with you who have received Christ as your righteousness, but sad for those who trust in their own good works, instead of Christ's finished work on the cross for their salvation. "God, our Savior, showed us His kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit."1

Awake, O Sleeper

Recently, a poll showed that only a small percentage of Christians read the Bible. Matter of fact, it showed that atheists and agnostics knew the Bible better than most. No wonder the apostle Paul paraphrased the prophet Isaish, saying: "Awake, O Sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light."2 It is the light of God's word that is a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path.3

Welcome to the aboundinglove.org website. Our prayer is that you may experience God's love, and let it flow out through you to someone else. We'd love to hear from you, so we can add your comments to What People Are Saying. As you respond, we are able to determine the effectiveness of this outreach.

A Sense of Lack

Many hurting people respond to this website, saying they have no spirituality, but desire to know God. One young lady said she just wasn't getting "it," asking: "Am I a lost soul?" Another woman asked for "a word of wisdom," while seeking a closer walk with God. They all share one thing in common -- a sense of lack.

One man wrote about the many "atrocities of life." I reminded him that man's problem is sin. In the beginning, God crowned man with glory and honor,1 but he chose to turn against God and do his own thing. As a result, all these atrocities begin to rule the lives of mankind. "When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone."2

This month's view asks the two most important questions concerning your future and hope that you need to consider. It is extremely important to "...always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear."1

Two Important Questions

A dear friend, named Lyle, recently shared in a letter how he felt led to ask his neighbor this first question: "Have you come to a place in your thinking where you know for certain that when you die you will go to Heaven?" His neighbor wasn't certain, like many who I have shared with over the years.

Here's another question: "Suppose that you were to die today and stand before God, and He were to say to you, 'Why should I let you into my heaven?' What would you say?"

It is wonderful when you visit our site for a word of encouragement. It is important for us to remember that in these troublesome times, "The Lord is our strength and song, and has become our salvation...This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it...Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."1

Rejoice in the Lord...

It could be that you find very little to rejoice about these days. Maybe you have not experienced your deliverance the way the above verses depict; but rejoice anyway, because the provision for your salvation was given 2000 years ago through the finished work of Jesus Christ. He died and rose again for your salvation, freedom, and rejoicing.

It is such an honor to have you return to the site once again. I will be reporting on the death of a dear Christian brother who went home to be with Jesus. In light of his passing, I will share the importance of believing in Jesus for eternal life. As Jesus prayed, "...this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."1

Norman Ezell's Passing...

On May 8, 2010, Norman Ezell stepped into the arms of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. "For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down--when we die and leave these bodies--we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself and not by human hands...For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies...Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord."2

I met Norman in 1966, where he and four other men played in a rock band known as the "Five Americans." They were riding the wave of Beatle mania, with their forty hits like "I See The Light" and "Western Union." Then, in 1977, a couple of years after we were both saved, we met again when he visited the prison chapel with Teen Challenge as a music minister. It wasn't long until we were best friends. In 1979, he was my best man.

Welcome to this month's view. I'm glad to hear that you enjoy not only the views, but the entire web site. As you read, I pray that God's love will be revealed to you by the Holy Spirit.1 Remember, "We love God because He first loved us."2 We are beloved by God!

KLove.com

Do you find it hard to stay focused on your relationship with the Lord throughout the day? If so, one way to focus is by listening to contemporary Christian music on KLove. com. As you do, God's word of love and grace will renew your mind to the finished work of Jesus, producing a sense of righteousness and perfect peace.3

"Therefore by Him [Jesus] let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."4

Serenity Prayer

My mother's favorite prayer was the Serenity Prayer. Often, she would pray it out loud to overcome as things got too tough for her to handle. I recall her cry:

It is always exciting to hear that you look forward to each month's view. I pray that God may always be glorified, and not myself, because of what He has done in my life. Jesus made it quite clear that "...apart from Him, we can do nothing."1

Sharing God's Grace

As a follower of Jesus, my purpose is to share God's grace, which is His favor and ability working through me to do what I can't. The apostle Paul provides an example: "...whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favor on me--and not without results. For I worked harder than all the other apostles, yet it was not I, but God who was working through me by His grace."2

It is so exciting to share God's abounding love through the monthly view. I'm so thankful for your response. If you would like it placed on the website, make the subject: What People Are Saying. It is my prayer that what you say will be a blessing to others around the world.

Study Chart Booklet

Update: August 2014 - This booklet is no longer available in black and white. We are working on a new download in color. When this is ready, we'll add a link to it. Thank you!

Praise Report

"My name is Jeremiah, and I'm a graduate student at Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C. I'm getting my Masters in Performance Studies, and I'm in the processing of preparing for my graduate recital speech. I just wanted to contact you and let you know that your story greatly impacted my life so much so that I'm going to share it as part of my recital speech.

What a blessing it is to share another monthly view, affirming God's love for you. An affirmed person knows the love of Jesus and expresses God's abounding love even in an emotional way with something as simple as a hug or a kiss. The apostle Paul commanded the church at Rome, Corinth, and Thessalonica to "Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss."1

The Unaffirmed Person

An unaffirmed person has never felt genuine care and concern from a mature adult. Can you find yourself in this partial list of characteristics of an unaffirmed person?

It is such a joy to know that you are reading the monthly view. It is my prayer that while viewing this site, you will be affirmed in God's abounding love. A dear saint, Anna Terruwe, M.D., says: "God's love in Christ Jesus is the ultimate affirming love that heals human wounds and patiently awaits our graced response." May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you.1

Affirmation of God

Webster's dictionary defines affirm as "to validate, confirm, state positively, assert as valid or confirmed," and affirmation as "the act of affirming, something affirmed: a positive assertion."

As you read this month's view, let us declare a mighty move of God in our lives for 2010. In the book of Exodus, the Lord used a mighty strong west wind to blow a plague of locusts from Pharaoh's land into the Red Sea.1 For 2000 years, the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit has been blowing from the throne room of God to remove the sin and darkness from our lives. By faith, all we have to do is be willing to call upon the Lord for deliverance.

Call Upon Me

The Lord says, "Call to Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know."2 One way to call out to the Lord is to simply cry "HELP!" He promises to answer you and to show you great and mighty things which you don't know. He is waiting for you to respond.

Another way to call out to the Lord is to proclaim what God's word says about the blood of Jesus. We over come the world, the flesh, and the devil by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of our testimony, while laying down our lives.3 That is, we overcome by confessing what God's word says about the blood of Jesus.

The blood of the old Testament sacrifices cleansed the temple, so the Holy Spirit could dwell therein. In the same way, the blood of Jesus cleanses our sin, so the Holy Spirit can dwell within us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit.4 We are not our own, for we are bought with the price of Jesus's blood.5 The Lord "...loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."6

After Jesus' death and resurrection, He told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, until they would be clothed with power from on high.7 Fifty days later (on the day of Pentecost), "...there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."8

From the Mailbox

This same power of the blood and of the Holy Spirit is still available today. You may be in a similar situation as Jessika, a young woman who wrote, saying: "I happened to come across your web site today, and I'm really impressed! I'm so glad you've embraced the Lord. You are an inspiration to me. It's really hard for me, but I'm trying. Sometimes, well a lot of the time, I wonder if God really could love me. Have you ever felt like that?

My mom says she can always feel the spirit of Jesus with her. I wish I had that feeling. How can I get there, you know? I'm so lonely. I have friends. I know men who want to be with me, but this isn't fulfilling to me. I want something real. I want to be happy. Are you happy? What if I'm just a lost soul for good. Is is possible? Love, Jessika."

Today, the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit is flowing from the throne room of God to fill our hearts to overflowing. The Lord is no respecter of persons.9 He loves us all the same, and stands ready to bless us [make us happy] through faith in His precious blood and righteousness. As King David wrote, "Oh, how happy are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Happy is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute [charge] sin."10

Proclaiming the Blood

I encouraged Jessika to print out The Blood of Jesus Christ Scriptures from the home page Study Chart Galleries link. This chart not only offers the Scriptures, but instructions to meditate, recognize, confess, pray and praise God for Jesus' precious blood. Jessika agreed to give it a try, but she said, "To be honest, I'm kind of scared to do this, and I don't know why." I think I know.

First, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."11 Satan is the author of deception, which brings fear and confusion, hindering us from understanding the revelation of the blood of Jesus Christ. Secondly, worldly leaders, even religious ones, can bring deception. "...the rulers of this world have not understood it [the wisdom of God], if they had, they would never have crucified our glorious Lord."12

This is the wisdom of God's love: "He alone made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus. For our benefit, God made Christ to be wisdom itself. He is the one who made us accepted to God. He made us pure and holy, and He gave Himself to purchase [with His blood] our freedom."13 This is foolishness according to man's wisdom.14

As you slowly meditate on the blood of Jesus, recognize that you are bought with a price, and brought into the presence of God. Confess each Scripture with your mouth daily. God's glory and presence will follow. Pray from your throne room position in the Name of Jesus Christ. Praise God that because of the blood of Jesus, you are seated with Christ in the heavenly places.

Confessing the Blood Scriptures

It is important for you to find a quiet place to prepare for a time in God's presence. Be sure to have your Bible, along with the Blood of Jesus verses. Confession means "to say the same thing that God says," concerning who you are in the precious blood of Jesus.

Begin to speak to your Heavenly Father, acknowledging His Word, His blood, and the Holy Spirit. Simply say, "Father, I am so thankful for the promises of Your Word. You say if I call on You, You will answer, and show me great and mighty things that I do not know. I do not know Your presence right now, but I believe You will reveal it to me if I will just call. So I call on You by faith to enter into Your presence with the blood of the Lamb.

Your Word says: I am loved and washed from sin by Jesus' blood, Who made me a king and a priest. I am blood bought for Your purpose, causing me to reign as a priest in Your kingdom. I overcome the devil by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony. I am purchased from the slave market of sin with the blood of Jesus. I am justified by grace, redeemed by Christ and declared righteous by faith. I am made right in Your sight by the blood of Christ and saved from Your judgment. I am bought with a high price, therefore I glorify You in spirit and body, which is Your temple. I am blessed, because I share in the benefits of the blood of Jesus Christ.

I have in remembrance who I am in Christ, because of the blood of the New Covenant. I am purchased by grace, free through the blood of Your Son and my sins are forgiven. I am Your property, once far away from You, but now I'm near to You by the blood. I have peace with You through the blood of the cross, and I'm reconciled to You. Jesus took His blood into heaven's Most Holy Place, securing my salvation forever. His blood purified my heart from dead works to serve and worship You, the true and living God. I am forgiven of my sins, which would be impossible without the shedding of blood.

I have boldness to enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. I have a new and living way to enter into Your presence, open to me through the death of Jesus. I have come to Jesus, the mediator of the New covenant, and been forgiven by His blood. I am set apart unto You and made holy by the blood of Jesus, Who suffered for my sin. I have an everlasting covenant, signed in Jesus' blood, the Great Shepherd of the sheep. I am made holy by the Spirit, because I've been cleansed by the lifeblood of Jesus Christ. I am paid for with the precious blood of Jesus, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. I have fellowship with You, my Father, because the blood of Jesus cleanses me from all sin. Amen."

Praise God for His Presence

Begin to praise God for His presence in your life. "With Jesus' help, let us continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God by proclaiming the glory of His name."15 If the works of the flesh [bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, retaliation, fear, anger, hatred, violence, lust, and etc.] are quenching the Spirit in you, continue to praise your way through the blood verses, until your soul is freed to experience the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit. It is time to press in with fervency and faith.

When I first came to the revelation of the blood of Christ, it took me twenty or more minutes to break the darkness from my soul. I was born-again, but I wasn't aware of the revelation of the blood of Jesus. I needed to take authority over the enemy of my soul by overcoming him through the blood of the Lamb and by applying the word of my testimony. As I confessed Jesus' blood and yielded my life to God, the Holy Spirit began to flow freely through my soul. The truth concerning the blood of Jesus set me free to experience God's love, peace, and joy.16 As the Psalmist proclaimed: "In God's presence is fullness of joy, at His right hand are pleasures forevermore."17

The more time I spent meditating the blood of Jesus, the less time I needed to enter in into His presence. Before long, I experienced the presence of the Lord by just mentioning the blood of Jesus. As a result, the Lord used me to help others enter into God's presence. The Lord can use you to help others enter into God's presence through the blood of Jesus. Will you strive for God's presence, so you can be effective in ministering to others?

A Prayer For You ...

"When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources, He will give you mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now, glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May He be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever. Amen."18

Scripture References:

1 Ex. 10:19
2 Jere. 33:3
3 Rev. 12:11
4 1 Cor. 3:16, 17
5 1 Cor. 6:19, 20
6 Rev. 1:5, 6
7 Luke 24:49
8 Acts 2:2-4
9 Acts 10:34
10 Rom. 4:7, 8
11 2 Tim. 1:7
12 1 Cor. 2:8
13 1 Cor. 1:30
14 1 Cor. 1:17-28
15 Heb. 13:15
16 John 8:32
17 Psa. 16:11
18 Eph. 3:14-21

Acknowledgement: A special thanks to Sherry for transcribing this months view!

It is always so wonderful to share my monthly view with you, especially as the Christmas season approaches. According to the Merrian-Webster dictionary, Christmas is "a festival or holiday commemorating the birth of Christ." A virgin brought forth a child, and they called his name Emmanuel, meaning "God with us."1In last year's December view, I shared the Biblical view of Christmas. Click Here.

From the Mailbox

The following is one of the many letters that arrives each month. This one brought tears to my eyes.

"I have written you a couple of times before, and I'm writing to you again for advice. My mom went back to prison for the third time, and this time it really hit me hard. It was literally like a shot in the chest. I'm probably the only kid in the world who has lost their parents three times.

It is such a privilege to take the message of Jesus Christ around the world through the Monthly View. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Gentiles. For in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'"1

Mailbox Testimonies

Last month's letters drew a wonderful response. Here is another one that came my way:

Green Bay, WI - Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I felt moved by the Holy Spirit to write this letter in hopes that it will lift your spirits to know that you have lifted mine! I was reading your story on the internet, out of idle historical curiosity, when I came across the part where it said that you had a conversion to Christ many years ago, and have taken up your Cross to follow Him as a fellow minister of the Gospel. This brought me great joy!

Welcome to this month's view! It is my prayer that you are in the best of health; in spirit, soul, and body. As the Apostle John writes, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."1 In other words, our prosperity and health depends upon the condition of our soul [our thoughts, choices, and emotions].

Tell A Friend or Foe

This website proclaims the prosperity and health of the spirit, soul, and body, flowing through a personal-loving relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. We were privileged to share the Good News of Christ with tens of thousands of individuals who hit this site hundreds of thousands of times during last month's 40th anniversary. The response was amazing!

Since Christ came into my life thirty-five years ago, I am surprised when people write, only now hearing of my salvation. This enforces my belief that the power of Christ's testimony to save even a former Manson family member is important in order to foil the belief that the devil got the last word in my life; "...because greater is God in our lives than he that is in this world."2

Will you work with us to tell your loved ones about the power of God to save the lost? This ministry started in the late '70s, when the Lord revealed to me that He desires for the Good News about my salvation to be shared more than the bad news the media publishes concerning the Manson family murders.

If you agree with this vision, please pass along our web address to your family and friends. This can be done through a praise report by e-mail, through Facebook, Twitter, or however you desire to spread the Gospel message. Let us proclaim, "That we may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all the Lord's wonderous works."3 Amen!

From the Mailbox

It's my privilege to share a few excerpts from the letters of those whose souls are prospering and in health, as well as other exhortations, so that you may rejoice with us in the Lord.

Malta, MT - I thought about you all day as I drove the tractor, so when I came home, I knew I needed to write you a letter. You are in my prayers, and I am so happy to have you to write to and have you as a friend. Through you, I see "THE MOST HIGH GOD" clearer, and that makes me happy.

This month, I encourage you to celebrate the joys of Thanksgiving with family and friends no matter what has happened in the past. The Scriptures say, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."1

Manson Documentaries

Many of you have contacted us regarding the recent Manson documentaries. In fact, over forty thousand have visited our site with more than one and a half million hits during August and September. I cannot get cable, so I was unable to view the History channel, but I did receive several comments by letter; one will be shared later.

I understand that one documentary is named after my book "Will You Die For Me?" It features Catherine Share, a former Manson family member, who is now a born-again Christian. I hear that she verifies the facts in my book, confirming its truthfulness. I feel this is why viewer comments are more favorable towards this program than the one called "Manson," where I am told the actors are unrealistic.

It is always a joy to share my view each month. This joy comes from the Holy Spirit, who is leading me to suggest a few testimony links to remind you of the ministry mission, to reaffirm the apology for my actions in 1969, and to encourage you to keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.1

Suggested Links

This may be your first time to visit us. You may need a little help finding your way around the site. Here are a few links that share the testimony of Jesus Christ in my life:

Our Ministry Mission

Our mission is to enlighten others to the need for prison outreach. We seek to help build the church behind prison walls that will not only affect the way prisoners see God, but their families as well.

It is always a joy to share a monthly view from my prison cell. The thought that these writings can go around the world is amazing. It is even more amazing, plus it humbles me, to think that anyone would show concern for me after all these years of incarceration. I am so grateful for your kind and loving response, which I believe flows from our God in heaven.

Most often asked question…

“What is your day like?” My days are routine, but that can be healthy. We’re not forced to get out of bed, but must if we want to eat. After breakfast, those who do not work or go to school are free to go back to bed or to the yard. I’m awake by 5 a.m. for an hour of devotion and prayer before breakfast.

With two hundred and forty other prisoners, I live in one of five large buildings on the yard. There are double cells around three sides of the building, except for forty men, who are double bunked on the central dayroom floor. Because of overcrowding, the gym is also filled with men on triple bunks.

The purpose of the monthly view is to share how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. He shows His great love for us by having sent Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from His eternal wrath.1

Links For New Visitors

Shadow Steal Interview
Miracle of Forgiveness
Love is All You Need

The purpose of the Monthly View is to remind you how the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob sees things, because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Long ago, the prophet Micah cried: “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity…because You delight in mercy…You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”1

Dealing with Memories

On a recent doctor’s appointment, the physician said, “Can I ask you a personal question?” I agreed, so he asked: “How do you deal with memories?” I let him know of my faith in the blood and righteousness of Christ. I explained to him how I take authority over thoughts, reminding myself that I am a new man because of Christ and that old things are passed away,2 now an entirely new identity from God’s word rules my mind.

As the analogy goes, “Birds may fly over your head, but you don’t have to let them build a nest in your hair.” It is the same with thoughts. They will come up, but you don’t have to let them rule your mind, emotions, and actions. “Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts…and let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise.”3

The secret is simply to cast down foolish thoughts and to replace them with God’s word. The Apostle Paul explained how a war is going on for our mind, saying: “We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods. We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds. With these weapons we break down every proud argument [imagination] that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons, we conquer their rebellious ideas [even memories], and we teach them to obey Christ.”4

Be Covenant Minded

Dealing with memories is not easy, unless you receive a new heart and mind from God. The prophet Jeremiah spoke of a new covenant, saying: “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people…for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD, For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”5

As I reflect upon my life, there are many more good memories than there are bad ones. Besides, if God does not remember my sins, why should I. It is understandable to remember your sins if you have not received pardon and forgiveness from God, but “…if you confess your sins to God, He is faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you from every wrong.”6

After you receive Christ, it is your responsibility to renew your mind from bad memories with God’s covenant. I pray that you may “…be filled with joy, always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God’s holy people, who live in the light. For God has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and He has brought us into the Kingdom of His dear Son. God has purchased our freedom with His blood and has forgiven all our sins.”7

In Remembrance

Many of you took communion last month at the Easter service. You may recall the words of Jesus, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Let me refresh your memory: “And Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it and gave it to them saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ Likewise, He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’”8

It is very important to take communion in remembrance of Jesus, not in remembrance of your sin. The Apostle Paul teaches: “For if you eat and drink the cup unworthily [not understanding the Lord’s body], you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some even died. But if we examine ourselves [in Christ], we will not be examined by God and judged in this way.”9

Next time you take communion, do not examine your sin, but remember your righteousness, because of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”10 The Apostle Paul says, “Examine yourself to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is in you, it means you have failed the test. I hope you recognize that we have passed the test and are approved by God.”11

Receive A Pure Heart

As you see, memories can be thoughts of past sins. We overcome them by remembering our identity with Christ’s righteousness, because of our new covenant with God through the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Similarly, the law of God brings a sin consciousness to mind, whereas the Holy Spirit brings a righteous consciousness. Jesus taught, “…when the Holy Spirit comes, He will convince the world of sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.”12

The Psalmist David is an example of one who cried out to God in his sin, saying: “For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me…Purify me from my sins, and I will be clear, wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh give me back my joy again, you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me.”13

The Lord desires to give all of us a pure heart, clean of guilt, shame and past memories of sin. David was “Under the old system [law and ordinances], the blood of goats and bulls…could cleanse people’s bodies from ritual defilement. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our hearts from deeds that lead to death [sin consciousness] so that we can worship the living God. For by the eternal Spirit, Christ offered Himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.”14

A Prayer For You ...

Father, Your Son, Jesus told us that if two of us agree down here on earth concerning anything we ask, that You would do it for us. I agree with Charles that Christ’s body and blood cleansed my heart from past memories of sin. I take authority over these memories in Christ and declare that I am right with God because of the blood of Christ. I commit to remembering moment by moment that the body and blood of Jesus Christ provided my healing and forgiveness of sin. I thank you Father for my freedom from sin’s penalty. I rejoice in my salvation. Thank you Jesus and Holy Spirit for living in and through me! Amen!

Scripture References:

1 Micah 7:18, 19
2 2 Cor. 5:17
3 Col. 3:15, 16
4 2 Cor. 10:3-5
5 Jere. 31:33, 34
6 1 John 1:9
7 Col. 1:11-14
8 Luke 22:19, 20
9 1 Cor. 11:29-31
10 2 Cor. 5:21
11 2 Cor. 13:5, 6
12 John 16:8
13 Psa. 51:5-10
14 Heb. 9:13, 14

Acknowledgement: A special thanks to Sherry for transcribing this months view!

The purpose of the monthly view is to reflect God’s love and glory. As Christians, we are mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more.1

Click for Larger Image

My Latest Photo

Sometimes it isn’t appropriate to reflect God’s glory in prison. For instance, we are asked not to smile in our mug shots, because we’re supposed to be a hardened criminal. I comply, but I’m smiling on the inside because the Holy Spirit lives in me.