"Overcoming Sin and Shame"

by Anyssa Almendarez

 

“I, am the one who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I’ll remember your sins no more. -Isaiah 43:25

 

Dictionary.com defines “overcomer” in these words: “to get the better of a struggle or conflict; conquer; defeat: to overcome the enemy.” The truth about being an overcomer is recognizing that our adversary, the devil, is not always the enemy in the equation.

 

Sometimes, the enemy is us.

 

I can honestly say that one of my biggest fears in life has been what others think about me. “What will they think about me when they find out I used to be this person, or used to go here, or used to do this?”

 

For a few years of my life, I wrestled with an addiction to pornography. Yes, you read that correctly, I wasn’t addicted to photography, or philosophy, but pornography. And let me tell you, I can honestly say that typing out that one big word has been one of my greatest fears in life, but I overcame it by telling all of you! So, what does that make me? An OVERCOMER. Not only was I set free from that trap of a sin and portal from hell, but I was also delivered from shame, which is a type of fear that keeps people in bondage. By freely telling my story, sin and shame have no power over me any longer.

 

After the Lord delivered me from that addiction, I learned to really look at sin with a new pair of lenses. I learned to see all sin for what it really was… just powerless sin. You see, most people would categorize an addiction to things like, drugs, alcohol, or porn, as one of the WORST sins, compared to that of lying or cheating or even stealing. We have a tendency to compartmentalize and place different sins on their own separate shelves, while God simply asks us to confess our sins, repent, and just move forward in right standing with Him. He wants us to see sin for what it really is: DEAD and without power!

 

Think about your greatest fear right now. After you’ve thought about that fear, try looking at it through God’s lenses as you recognize that it doesn’t matter WHAT you have done in your lifetime-- it wasn’t too big for Jesus when He carried the heavy cross, and it isn’t too big for Him to wipe away right now.

 

You know how some say, “It takes a real man to (fill in the blank)?” Well, I say, “It takes a real man or woman to confess their sins and struggles to one another.” A true man and a true woman is one who stands up and speaks out, when everyone else sits back and stares. It takes true courage to be a true overcomer.

 

Being set free from the entanglement of sin and shame allowed me to taste deliverance and freedom. This, friends, is the joyous life God calls each of us to!

 

Want to know a little secret? If you are stuck in shame and sin, you’re allowing that sin to have power over you. The first step in overcoming sin and shame is confessing your sin. Say it aloud, “I did (fill in the blank)”. Once you have confessed your sin, ask Jesus to forgive you, repent, then remain pure. Congratulations! You have just overcome.

 

Now, one thing to keep in mind about overcoming sin and shame, is that it gets easier to be unashamed, the more you tell your story. You are not the only one who has dealt with sin and bondage before! Tell your story and keep telling it. Not only will this allow you to experience true freedom, but it will give other people an opportunity to see that there is hope and always a way out of bondage.

 

My middle name, “Victoria” means, “overcomer” and “triumphant in spirit.”

It doesn’t matter WHAT your name is, if you know Jesus and He lives in you, then you have the power through the strength only He provides, to overcome anything you face.

 

Fear is a poison that kills dreams, steals joy, and wastes TIME. Feeding into fear is never something a Christian should give into. Fear can lead to poor decisions and keeps things hidden and covered up. Being afraid of something is never a reason to say, “I’ll get back to it later.”

 

Let me ask you something, WHEN IS LATER? We’ve all heard the famous quote, “There’s no time like the present.” There truly is no better time to overcome your fear, your struggle, your addiction, than TODAY!

 

I believe that when Jesus Christ hung on that cross for every single one of us, His blood is what paid for our sins and our iniquities, so that we could understand that because of His selfless and reckless love for us, we have the opportunity to live a life of freedom and deliverance. Since He overcame and put sin to death, we are overcomers with him!

 

*If  you are a SAGU student struggling with any kind of addiction, please know SAGU's Counseling Center is a resource available to you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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"The Word became Flesh"

by Rennae de Freitas

 

With John I am walking with Jesus, seeing Him through this one He called “the Beloved.” John introduces His Savior by describing him as Creator, there with the Father speaking a perfect world into existence, and he calls him “the Word.” My Spanish Bible calls him “the Verb” and I love that, the action word, the doing word--not all talk, but action.

 

I see John baffled at the thought of what he has witnessed as a disciple, how the created could not even recognize their Creator. He was in the flesh before them, walking in sandals through the muck of what once was perfect. Jesus, the Verb, coming, walking, listening, eating, fishing, saving, redeeming, healing, restoring what we have made a mess and I think of the mess that is outside of my window.

 

From my window I see the shacks, and I hear the racket of the barrio; it is so close yet so far away. Everyone tells me not to go there. “It’s dangerous.” “It’s difficult.” “It’s messy.” So, I ignore that barrio outside of my window; it is easy to ignore. Until the day comes when I hear that girl, that tiny little beauty that has stolen my heart, her small voice whispering from the barrio, “Help me!” So, her mama takes me into the messy.

 

We walk across a bridge that is not there. Three iron beams that cross 15 feet above a river that is only a creek now, filled with mud, garbage, and pigs scrounging for leftovers. I cross with the help of a fearless six-year-old. We climb stairs through narrow alleyways and I see what is beyond my window. We pass men playing dominoes in the middle of the day (no jobs), shoeless children running on concrete, teenage mamas with pregnant bellies, gamblers playing cards, until we arrive at the tin shack where my girl lives.

 

And I realize that it is not I who needed to walk into that barrio, it is Jesus. The Verb that takes on flesh, even white gringa skin. There we are in that barrio walking, listening, eating, saving, redeeming, healing, restoring and I feel like a journey is beginning but instead of sandals, Jesus wears Converse sneakers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Depression"

by Valerie Gomez

 

On January 29, 2018 my parents could have received a phone call that I overdosed and ended my life.

I thought pills were the answer to my emotional pain. I didn’t feel like waiting on God, I wanted a “quick fix” to take away the deep hurt. Little did I know that one more quick fix could have ended my life for good.

If it was not for a couple of good friends that reached out to me that day to take me to the hospital, I would not have survived. Some people said I was lucky, but it was God who intervened.

 

After spending 5 days in the hospital and nearly being sent to an in-patient facility, I fell into a depression as I came back to school; I was drowning in darkness. I didn’t feel God anywhere. I yelled in anger, asking where he was and how could he let me feel this way. I never thought depression would attack me.

 

Depression is a form of mourning for yourself. One day you wake up, and you ask yourself “How did I get here?” and “Who am I anymore?” I didn’t recognize the broken girl that stared back at me in the mirror. She didn’t smile like she used to. She didn’t laugh like she used to.

 

At first, I disqualified myself of God’s calling on my life because of what I had done and walked through. If we live in depression, we will never be able to live out our calling in life and live in the freedom and peace that Christ died for.

I learned that Satan uses depression as a weapon against those he sees as a threat. However, the same reason I disqualified myself is the same reason God had qualified me, while I wanted to be that smiley 16-year-old I used to be in high school, God told me he was transforming me into someone new.

 

One thing we must know about darkness is there always an end to it, but in the middle of it that is all we see, and we think that is all there will ever be. Darkness took me as a prisoner, but I was set free by the light of Christ Jesus. Satan snatched me up at a moment of weakness, then God took me back and said, “No, she is mine.” Pain is an inevitable part of life. God never promised us an easy life, but He did promise us that he will never leave us when we walk through the darkness. He will be that light for us that directs our steps.

 

Now that I have walked through this dark season, I can now minister to others who have been through similar situations. Yeah, it may have not been easy, but I can say that it was all worth it if I could impact at least one life because of it. Not only that, but once I took my eyes off my pain and focused on God’s promises he started changing me from the inside out.

 

Psalm 126:5 says “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.” I spent weeks crying, but now I am filled with joy because of Christ’s deliverance. I am filled with joy because He is a God that cares for me and loves me more than I can imagine. I am filled with joy because he never left me and never will. I have a purpose on this earth. Satan cannot touch me because I am a child of the King

I can now proudly walk in the light of His promises every day of my life. He took my pain and is still turning it into a divine purpose. He took my brokenness and made me brand new. He took my captivity and I am now set free. I know I have a purpose on this earth.

 

Life is full of pain and despair, but that is just proof our lives are not meant to be lived out on this earth forever. As Revelation 21:4 says when the day comes “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will pass away.” My home is in Heaven, and one day I will be sitting at the feet of Jesus and it will all be worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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"Deception"

by Trenton Smith 

 

Have you ever done something that was unhealthy just because you wanted to? It could be like spending your last $3.00 on a double cheeseburger from McDonald’s—even after your doctor warned you that you were at risk for a heart attack!

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I can honestly say there have been times when God, talking like my doctor, has told me, “Everything that looks good to consume and devour is not true.” Jesus Himself said in Matthew 16:26, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” We can be led astray by what we want in the moment, and feed our flesh instead of our spirit.

 

From the top of our heads to the soles of our feet, you and I have been made new creations in Christ Jesus. According to II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

The Bible speaks of humanity to love and tells us seek the Lord with all of our hearts. There is no God before nor after Him. So what we want is not what is best. Temptations can distract us from what is really good for us!

 

So, tell the world to close its mouth about what is culturally acceptable. Idolizing the fame. Idolizing the glamour. It worships so many idols, when in actuality, there is nothing real to them, so that makes them counterfeits.

So understand, my friend, the things of this world are temporary, but the Word of the Lord will stand forever. If we are to serve God, then we can’t see the world as our ruler. Don’t be like the world while trying to imitate The Anointed One, The Messiah, and The King of Kings.

 

The deception of the enemy is perversion of the small things, so we may never start the mission or race God has set us to sprint. But fear not because Jesus came for our unsettled spirits. Never will we know everything, but by his spirit we discover some things.

 

So this journey is not about legalism but legitimacy. As God’s creation, we can only be truly filled by the living spring. So just surrender, just let go, just release, just break down the walls and just drop your guard.

I beg you not to be spiritually blind and perceive you are a sheep and not a goat. Don’t graze and venture away to get taken by the wolves. Don’t let your heart of righteousness be turned into a heart of greed, but walk over the bridge of death to life. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

 

Lord,

As I’m searching deep down inside of my soul, I can identify that peace rules in my heart, even though there are worldly appeals to my nature. My nature tries its best to cleave away the world’s perversions. For I confess some days my heart and being are discontent, but Lord, I don’t want to be ashamed or embarrassed. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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"Forgiving Evil"

by Alyssa Sumner

 

I could feel the cold water dripping off of my clothes as I sat in the shower trying to think of how I was going to respond to a nine year old lie. I was always told that my mother died of Anoxic Brain Damage, but that wasn’t the whole truth about my mother’s death.

 

When I was eighteen, my biological father told me in an email that my mother was drugged by her doctor continuously, which caused her to become a drug addict. I decided to open the unread email a few weeks ago, in curiosity of what my father had to say. Suddenly, a few sentences seemed to bring me back to the deep grief I thought I surpassed years ago. As the tears poured out, my heart became baffled about how to respond. I could write him a long letter cussing him out, telling him what a coward he was for introducing my mother to the addiction that killed her. But, that wouldn’t represent the God I serve or the lifestyle that I claim to live.

 

I sat there puzzled for hours, then I began to realize that I failed to ask for guidance from God. So, I wiped the tears from my face and went to my secret place, alone with the Lord. It was in the secret place that the Lord began to calm my heart and comfort my spirit.

 

He brought me back to the place where His son was nailed to the cross and mocked by religious leaders, teachers, and elders. His innocent Son, that he loved so dearly, was being killed. I believe that when Jesus was being crucified, God began to cry and mourn for His Son. God not only mourned for Jesus, he forgave those who beat him, mocked him, and denied that he was His Son that came to pay the price for their sin.

 

Just like God forgave them, I was to forgive the man who drugged my mother. It wasn’t going to be easy, but the Lord reassured me that the cross that Jesus died on is still just as powerful today, where we can sit all our burdens down at the feet of Jesus.

 

Forgiveness is apart of walking through the narrow gate and being a follower of Jesus. It requires us to forsake our fleshly desires and walk in the ways of Jesus.

 

Bible Verse Reflections

 

Matthew 27:39-44 (NIV)

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”  In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

 

Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 

Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

 

Micah 7:18-19 (NIV)

Who is a God like you,

   who pardons sin and forgives the transgression

   of the remnant of his inheritance?

You do not stay angry forever

   but delight to show mercy.

You will again have compassion on us;

   you will tread our sins underfoot

   and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.