We’ve been told we are the sum total of our genome and our experiences.  We were either born that way or someone/something has bent us in that direction.   It is common to blame our parents or society for the things we do and believe.  But the passage below from  missionary E. Stanley Jones really cuts through all that mindset.  The mindset which breeds division based on things like circumstances of birth.   And the cultural baggage of our various societies. It goes to the root of the question “Am I the irrevokable result of my past experiences or is there hope for a new day of freedom from my own engrained mindset.” 

“In the genealogy of Jesus was this item: ‘Solomon was born of David by Uriah’s wife.’ Did that ugly patch in his ancestral past break Jesus or cloud him? No, for he was more conscious of his heredity from his Father God, the heredity upward cancelled the heredity backward. You can have a blood transfusion from the Son of God that will cancel the tainted blood of ancestors. You can be born from above and not be born back there.”  

There is no reason to remain tied to the past, to continue beholden to the curses of your family line or “your people”.  Whether those curses are poverty, pride or prejudice, they are all washed away in the blood that flowed down the cross on Calvary cleansing all.  Jesus has offered a new and better life for us going forward if we just accept His gift and step into who you were meant to be.

It is commonly assumed that we are trapped in what the Hindus call karma.  Forever paying the penalty or reward of our past actions and those of our ancestors.

This fear of retribution is supposed to fuel our present day actions toward the good.  Counting on our desire for reward to nudge us to proper behavior toward our fellow man.

It’s a noble thought that mankind will ultimately do good and bring peace on earth because of the rewards but millennia of the opposite outcomes sort of betrays that idea.

Man’s “innate goodness” has never overcome our innate selfishness.  No matter the system of Religion or governance it has always fallen back on a threat of dire punishment to encourage good behavior. 

The new birth Jesus introduced to us, which put us into a new bloodline, literally creating a new man in us, is the only true answer to our inborn bent towards wrong.   It’s not some new religious system setting the special “born-again” above all others.  It is an open door to a dying generation crying out for redemption from the madness of this current culture. 

Take the hand of the man who walked on water and gave his all to redeem you. 

Seek wisdom, with everything in you, chase after her

She’s on the heights above the sea, golden hair flowing in the wind

So young in appearance but with ancient eyes. So fair and pure and holy, washed with the water of life, exuding the fragrance of Love.  Ushering in the bliss of His presence she’s seen it all and knows the depths of Papa’s heart.

In her company is the joy of discovery and the wonder of revelation, so full of life and joy. 

Dancing across the fields of grace. 

Singing with the morning stars. 

Basking in the glory of creation. 

Take her hand walk along the shore.

Run together through the fields and rest in the presence of Papa’s love.

When you’ve found wisdom you can see into your ultimate fulfillment in the very heart of Papa.

The story of the prodigal is the perfect picture of grace.   The father in the story is not angry, he’s not waiting to condemn his wayward son in any way.  He’s watching and waiting for his beloved son to come to his senses and return home.  

He has given all for both his sons and just wants them to live life to the fullest in his blessings.  His acceptance is always available, open arms extended to them both.  He’s just waiting and watching for them to see his love and return from their self inflicted prison sentences. 

They have both cornered themselves in situations where they feel trapped and alone. One working the farm under the false assumption that he’s stuck always laboring and the other trapped by his rebellion in a vile situation which seems to have turned into a literal prison. 

In both cases grace is the offer extended to realize they are the beloved of their father no matter what.  He’s always waiting and watch for their return.   He doesn’t care what they’ve done or where they’ve gone he’s simply looking forward to their reunion and the joy which will follow. 

So his grace is not easy or greasy. It’s not a license to continue on their paths to pain and suffering wrapped in the false cloak of sin.  The heart of their father is continually calling them home to his love feast.  In fact is it impossible for him to deny that love because it is in his very nature to love them unconditionally.

It is clear that we humans have an innate knowledge of the Holy one.  Every culture has reached out to the God they know is there.  Our very conscience dictates a source of the truths we all know deep inside.  The similarities of the world’s religions in their desire to seek goodness and life show forth the inner knowing that God is indeed good.  

Granted, all religion has been tarnished by the works theme, the idea that we must do things to please the holiness of the divine and win personal favor.  But the core knowledge of right and wrong is most generally fleshed out in the deeds required.   Good deeds encouraged and evil deeds shunned.

The holiness of God, like His mercy, leads us to repentance.  Repentance is that change of mind which comes as the blinding light Jesus.  The truth that we are already accepted in the beloved.  We are already made whole and brought back into fellowship by the work of the cross.  No work needed on our part at all.

It is this moment of divine revelation which frees us from the chains of sin and the weight of the burden of reaching up to God in our own efforts.  It is the realization that Jesus already made the way back to fellowship with Papa an easy simple path through His finished work.

For those on the other side of that revelation we know that what was always within us, that spark of good has come fully alive in us through Jesus.   If you haven’t grasped that revelation, listen to the still small voice of conscience, that whisper from Holy Spirit that is calling you home to Papa.

The brisk morning breeze as the sun clears the horizon is a foreshadow of the refreshing that comes with every step we take with Papa in the garden.  He walked with Adam in the cool of the day and it was something they both looked forward to.   A special time of heart to heart fellowship.  A time of oneness and harmony which set the stage for the work of maintaining the garden and bringing forth the completed creation. 

Like those walks in the garden we must take the time each day to be in the garden of our heart with Papa.  Time spent in prayer, worship, questioning, listening to His voice.  Be still and know that He is God, pay special attention to what He’s showing you, what He’s saying, where He’s leading.   This is the groundwork of a relationship that we must pursue above all else.  Knowing Papa’s heart for us so that we have guidance for life is the best way to live.

For hearing the way in the cool of the day gives us determination and strength to follow through when things heat up as the day wears on.  Falling back into His arms when the day is done and the evening comes gives us the perfect place of rest.

“Religion is a veil of darkness masquerading as light but it is only a DIY system of beliefs that conform my children to slavery.  The religiously conformed mind is an illusion of having freedom and enlightenment when in reality the mind is chained and darkened. “

“Once one has broken free from the darkness of religion into the light of relationship with Me, truth makes it through that veil.  You are no longer trapped in the false fortress of endless works, always striving to be good enough.  You have been set free to walk in fellowship with me learning daily of my ways.  Do not seek the perfect set of rules to live by any more. Seek me, the perfect one, and I’ll lead you into all righteousness by my Spirit.  You will know the truth and, I AM, the truth will set you free.”

When we are in the clutches of religion our minds are trapped in a false paradigm.   We think that we are on the right path but it will only lead us to permanent enslavement to endless rules.  What we need is true repentance, just like John and Jesus talked about.  When we see repent in the New testament, the Greek word used is metanoia.  It doesn’t mean turning around and going a different way as that’s just trading one religious system for another.   It means to change our minds completely, in other words we need to renew our minds by dwelling in the presence and seeking to hear Papa’s voice directly.

Under this new covenant Jesus promised to send us the Holy Spirit to come along side us and lead us into all righteousness.  Listen to His voice and allow Him to guide you in every way.

It all comes back to free will.

Papa says, “I love you so much that I have given you the freedom to choose your destiny.  At the same time I have done everything to show you my endless love for you and my desire to spend eternity walking closely with each one of you.  By giving you free will I have given you the ability to love me back, not of compulsion but of your own volition. “

Deception came into being through the sin of pride, the true origin of all sin is pride/jealousy .  For Lucifer sought to be the ruler of this world which was a position given collectively to man in Adam. He used deception to trick Eve and Adam’s love for Eve twisted him into giving over their dominion to Lucifer. 

Thus the deception began to grow.

The real question you have is what is one’s culpability in following deception?   Where does one cross the line from being deceived to being a deceiver?  Where do we cross over to the dark side with no path back to the light?

This is where free will figures in again.  We choose to believe deception even when it is very cleverly wrapped.  The real question is what do we do when the deception is uncovered or revealed for the lie it truly is.  Do we choose to continue in the deception and even join in it to promote it or do we step into the light of truth?

Everyone will be presented with truth because I AM truth and every knee will bow.  It is the heart condition which empowers that bow which is the key.  Is it a willing submission, an act of love or a grudging submission out of fear and defeat.

Choose this day whom you will serve, Sovereign Lord or self? You’ve heard it said that if you really love someone you’ll let them decide to walk away. I’ve done everything to prove my love for you and will even let you turn away if that is your desire.  It is not my highest will for you, but I will abide by your decision. 

Hey Papa, What tempted Adam and Eve so much that they turned their backs on you?

He said, The lie that I was withholding the best from them.  That there was more for them if they’d take their life into their own hands and be independent of me.  It was subtitle at first “hath god said?”  “Why would he withhold such a beautiful tree with luscious fruit from you?”  “He doesn’t trust you to make your own decisions. “

So it was really many seeds of doubt about Papa’s character and his desire for your best that grew into the impulse to reach out for the fruit. The one thing that was withheld and that was for your protection.  It was a test of free will that man had to endure. Their failure caused untold pain and suffering and unleashed death’s reign.  

But free will also enables you to choose Jesus and reverse the curse.  I’ve always been calling from the garden for you to come home, orchestrating your circumstances to lead you back to me.  I miss those walks in the cool of the day the times of sweet fellowship sitting with you.  

You are a missing piece of Adam until you come home, a fragment of my joy that is just out of reach.  So I stand on the shore and call to you “follow me, and I’ll give you rest” “turn your eyes and heart to me and I’ll never abandon or forsake you”.

Turn off your path, which will lead you to destruction and get back on the path home to life and that life abundantly joyful and satisfying.  Papa is waiting and watching the road for you to come home.

Jesus took on everything we were in our life of sin. The record of our lives, the sentence proclaimed over our guilt, the impending doom we felt at every moment and nailed it all to the cross   All our rebellion and disobedience was erased on that glorious day. All we were in Adam, was canceled in that public display of the cross. 

In His triumph Jesus made a public spectacle of the powers and principalities of darkness, totally disarming them removing any weapon they might try to use against us or any supposed spiritual authority they formerly wielded over us.  He lead them around like the defeated prisoners of war they truly are. 

He delegated all authority and power to us to rule and reign over the works of the enemy so we are to operate from His throne of glory. We are seated with Him in heaven right now as we speak.  We are no longer prisoners of the dark one but rather we are the victorious captors of the whole kingdom of darkness.   

The idea that we are fighting an uphill battle is simply a lie which only has as much power over us as we give it.   We are truly ruling and reigning from our heavenly position of totally settled victory.   So why are we waiting to take back our rightful dominion?  Why are we giving up ground which Jesus secured for us?  We are tolerating an enemy who has no real power because that is what we’ve been taught by centuries of Church doctrine.  

Cast it all aside brothers and sisters, believe that Jesus has finished the complete work of our redemption and victory and act like it is so.