You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which graciously forgives instead of crying out for vengeance as the blood of Abel did. (Hebrews 12: 24 NLT)

There are times that I don’t stand confident before God, as His words says we can.  I know I am a sinner, and as sin separates us from God, my guilt causes me to hang back.  

This isn’t what God wants or requires.  This is the consequence of sin.  It leaves us feeling unworthy, and less than God desires for us.  This captivity is what the devil wants. John 10:10 tells us that the enemy comes only to steal, kill, and destroy the life God has for us.

This morning I was feeling more like Cain than Abel, as I read Hebrews 11:4. (By faith Abel brought a better offering than Cain did.) For all the belief I feel in my heart, why is it so hard to trust my faithful God? My faith still struggles sometimes from giving my all. I hold back, wanting control and trusting in my own self sufficiency, which I know is not as good as God’s plan for me.

It is easy to feel less than as we read of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, where the people of strong faith were counted as righteous. These strong people of faith can be great examples to follow, but a lofty group to live up to.

But then we get to Hebrews 12, where we are told Jesus mediates on our behalf. He advocates for our forgiveness, stating he already paid it with his blood.

We are graciously forgiven!  We can stand confident, not because we are worthy, but because Jesus was our substitute.  He exchanged our blood for His.  I don’t have to live guilty, because Jesus made me free. 

So, together let’s stop carrying the backpack of guilt.  Let’s lay it down at the cross where it belongs.  Today when the enemy wants to whisper to us our mistakes and failures, let’s remember Jesus is standing before God our father saying “I died for her. She’s mine.”