Sin Has Not Separated You From God
“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2 KJV
Because each one of us is aware of our weaknesses and failures, it makes us believe that God will not be able to move in our lives with miraculous power. This is the mentality that many believers operate with and it could be why you are not experiencing the victories in your life that are yours through Jesus Christ. You may say, “But the verse above even emphasizes this fact, why wouldn’t I feel unworthy of God’s favor?”
We need to remember that Isaiah wrote this to people that who were living under a different covenant than we are today. The sins of the people that Isaiah was speaking about were only covered by the insufficient (in a spiritual sense) blood of animals. The sacrifice of animals could not remove the stain of the sins. The people had no direct access to God for the forgiveness of sins either. They had to rely on the Priests who would enter the Holy of Holies on behalf of the people. Under that Old Covenant, the sins of the people did separate the individual from God. But what was true for them is not true for us. We live under a vastly superior covenant. According to Hebrews the blood of Jesus atoned for all of our sins, every single one. They are removed and do not stand between the Father and us. Isaiah even understood this in Isaiah 59. If you look at verse 16 you will see that God spoke through the Prophet recognizing the need of one who would be able to intercede on behalf of the people and that it would have to come through His own strength (in other words through the coming sacrifice of Jesus His Son).
We no longer live under the Old Covenant, and as such should not live under the bondage that came with it. We need to live like New Covenant believers who know who they are in Jesus Christ. How about you? Do you find yourself not going to God because you are so aware of your faults and sins that you just know He will not respond or even hear your prayers? You are missing out on the glorious victories and favor that are yours because of Jesus Christ and who you are in Him. You need to change your thinking in this area! All of us have heard or even sung the verse from Romans chapter 8:35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
It is time to realize that nothing separates you from the Lord and His favor and overcoming power! Armed with that knowledge and assurance you can change your attitude toward prayer and your needs. Rather than timidly hoping that the promises of God will come to pass in your life because you know you are unworthy, you can boldly go to the Father with the promises of His Word and know that He will fulfill His Word. That is why the author of Hebrews instructs us in 4:16: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Be bold in your knowledge of who you are in Jesus and go to the Father in the strength of His Word and watch Him move on your behalf. Not because of your goodness or righteousness, but because of your relationship with Jesus!
J Todd Hostetler