One-a-Day...for the Heart: Plan A
Father God never intended to leave man hopelessly stranded in a pool of sin. He never intended to leave Adam and Eve shamed and exposed when they challenged His authority in the Garden of Eden. Our Father never intended to leave us burdened by disease. He never intended the chains of demonic torment and oppression to hold us captive. And He certainly never intended to push us away and keep us out of heaven.
God’s Plan A for relieving us from all of this was fully accomplished through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5 ESV).
Plan A more than adequately addresses the problems listed below. Our Father has never needed a Plan B, and here’s why:
1. The problem of our sin--1 John 1:7-8 (ESV) But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from ALL sin.
2. The problem of our black cloud of shame and guilt-- Rom 8:1 (ESV) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The MESSAGE Bible says, With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud (Romans 8:1-2).
3. The problem of our diseases--1 Peter 2:24 (NLT) He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed. Also, Jeremiah 30:17 (NLT) reminds us, “I will give you back your health and heal your wounds," says the Lord. Finally, Jesus said, in Mark 16:18 (ESV) “In My name…they [those who believe in Jesus] will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
4. The problem of demonic oppression-- Mark 16:17-18 (NKJV) The words of Jesus, “In My name, they [those who believe in Jesus] will cast out demons." Why do we tolerate them when we can eradicate them entirely by the name of Jesus? The disciples learned this exciting power, as evidenced in Luke 10:17 (NLT) When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use Your name!”
5. The problem of our separation from God--John 14:6 (NLT) Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” The only way to have an audience with Father God is through His Son, Jesus.
6. The problem of our eternal salvation-- Acts 4:11-12 (ESV) This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
What a great, all-inclusive plan! Why do we bother with our self-made Plan B or C to:
Hide sin from the Lord?
Ease guilt and shame by medicating and numbing ourselves?
Hopelessly surrender in defeat to long-standing illnesses?
Curb our erratic behavior by counseling demons instead of calling them out?
Avoid intimacy with God by living a life of busyness?
Get into heaven by our own methods and good deeds?
God’s Plan A is flawless. We can’t change or improve it, so let’s ask His help to embrace it fully! Father God, we ask You to help us abandon our meager Plans B and C for controlling our lives and destinies. Give us the wisdom and courage to implement Your marvelous Plan A. When matters trouble us, whether sin, guilt, diseases, demonic oppression, separation from You, or our salvation, remind us to stick to the only Plan that works—Yours! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Copyright 2023, Chris Werre