“The devil is your greatest opponent and his goal is to make sure you miss yours (your goal). The greatest hindrance to being used by God… is to simply believe that God can’t use you. If the devil can get you to believe that [lie], he can basically… hold you back from that life that Jesus died for you to have.” – Kyle Winkler

Please click the video, Noose or Nails from this link to watch the teaching:

http://www.kylewinkler.org/about/schedule-an-event/

In the above video, Kyle Winkler’s teaching is a reminder on how we miss out on God’s plan and purpose for our lives when we think that there is no hope for us when we fail or fall, when we think that we have been disqualified in God’s eyes, when we are stuck with guilt and self-condemnation, when we forget that Jesus already died for our sins (falling short of God’s standard of holiness).

God knows we can’t earn righteousness on our own  even by trying our supercalifragelistically best effort to be good by obeying all the commandments.

• When we allow Satan the Accuser‘s voice (Rev 12:9) to accuse us of how we’ve failed and messed up yet again, when we hear through others’ mouths or our own minds “And you think you’re a Christian.  Look at what you’ve done. You failed. You’re no good. You’re not worthy,”
• When we forget there is now no condemnation for those in Jesus Christ…

• When we forget God knows we are sinners and we are defined as sinners. We do not need to hide it.  We make God out to be a liar if we pretend we are not sinners.  But in the middle of that sin sandwich (verses 8 and 10) is how we can be made clean again… confession:

1 John 1:8-10 (NIV) 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us

we are hindered from living the abundant life Jesus dies for us to have.

Andy Stanley talks about how past mistakes and failures and having an imperfect life “make you an even better vehicle for communicating…”  the power and love of Christ, not to continue living in sin or to take God’s grace as a license to sin since God looks at the heart, but to recognize that we are human, that the grace of God is available precisely for us, that we need Him.

Thank You, Jesus, that You already died for my sins.  Thank You for Your grace. Thank You for the forgiveness and cleansing You give with my confession. Thank You for Your grace.  How I need it!