We were guilty, sentenced, and doomed to a life of slavery to sin, ruled by satan and demons, headed to hell and the lake of fire for eternity. We abode in darkness, such horrible tortuous darkness without hope, without light, rejected, depressed, oppressed, vexed and tormented. We were sinners that just “know” there was no way out. There was this deep ache deep inside that we could not explain, but it was if there was actually something crying out for help…something looking for a way out…a hunger for something better…a hunger for LIFE. We felt rejected and hated as we found ourselves involved with the dark side of things…and truly we rejected and hated ourselves for the place we found ourselves in.

Turning a “new leaf”, as they say, was out of the question and self help programs were laughable, so where would we “EVER” get the help we needed, and we didn’t believe there was any “help” for us…we felt too bound by sin, darkness and demons. Time didn’t stop, of course, so we found year after year only growing worse and worse.

Endless nightmares that intermingled with reality to where we couldn’t tell the difference sometimes whether things were real or illusion. Things became gray. We felt more and more hopeless to the point that we despaired of life and gave up on any hope of a “NORMAL LIFE.”
Just when thoughts of suicide were as abundant as the breaths that were taken we heard someone speaking about someone who came to this earth from heaven who identified with us in our sins by taking ALL of our sins in His body as people spit on Him, and mocked Him and put a crown of thorns in His head and whipped His back until it was one bloody mess….His visage was marred more than any man. He was bruised by their beating Him for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him.

To show you that HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR YOU OUT OF HIS GREAT LOVE FOR YOU, when they came to arrest Him[for saving the lost, healing the sick and casting out demons He said: “Who do you seek”? They said: “Jesus of Nazareth”! He said: “I AM HE.” When He said that about 500 soldiers fell backward flat on the ground as the POWER OF ALMIGHTY GOD HIT THEM!! So Jesus “LET” them arrest Him so He could lay down His life for you so that when you were bound by “death, His blood shed for you would break the power of death and give you ABUNDANT LIFE.

Jesus took your and my sins and punishment for sins in His body on the tree, and took our place so we could identify with Him as He raised from the dead in resurrection power. Now the “old man” is crucified with Christ and we are risen to new life in Jesus free of sin, free of the shackles of darkness.

So someone shares Jesus and you scratch your head thinking: “O.K., but how do I translate that to my life?”  Then as we called out for help from Jesus, the Holy Spirit showed us, for the first time in our lives, what “MERCY” really was.  We couldn’t save ourselves …we were bound, but Jesus came FULL of MERCY AND GOODNESS. And when He died on that cross, when His blood poured out all over that cross down to the ground…it was MERCY pouring out. Mercy that would rewrite our lives. MERCY, that there was nothing we could ever do to earn it or deserve it. MERCY, that said the past doesn’t matter or how deep in sin we were. All of it covered by MERCY!! MERCY that said to you “NOT GUILTY.”
The mercy seat in Old Testament was in the holiest of holies in the tabernacle…it’s where the Glory of God was. People would drop dead if they didn’t go in the way God said go. It was symbolic of the Mercy Seat of God in heaven that when Jesus shed His blood , the way was made to go right to the throne of God and find MERCY to help in the time of need.

Blind Bartimaeus knew something. He knew that he was bound and blind and an outcast and that the only way to be free was to CRY OUT FOR MERCY. They told him to shut up and not to bother the master for after all he was a beggar outcast of society, and a reject. “JESUS HAVE MERCY ON ME!” It stopped Jesus and He told them to bring him. See, we needed people to help us over to Jesus to receive the Mercy, we were so bound and blind. But see there we see God’s Love and Mercy flowing though people who received Love and Mercy. Blessed are the merciful for they SHALL RECEIVE MERCY.
So they led us over to Jesus and there was this “strange” feeling…was that Peace? Yes, it was PEACE AND MERCY, but we had never experienced anything like that before and thought we were beyond all that with no hope.

Then Jesus spoke these words: “WHAT DO YOU WANT?” The moment of truth. Jesus was letting you know right there and then that HE IS NOT a slave driver. That He did not come to “force” anything. That now it was you that would make a choice by your will to decide what would happen for the rest of your life and for eternity.

When you said “Lord that I receive my sight by your Mercy” it was like lightning…in a FLASH…MERCY  saved you and flooded your spirit with Jesus!! You were now a child of God and NOT a child of the devil!! LIGHT CAME IN…AND THE darkness left!! HOPE WAS ALIVE INSIDE YOUR SPIRIT!!
You said I want MERCY!  I want you JESUS! You chose abundant life and you passed from death to life instantly!!  Heaven is your home!! Now you don’t have to listen to the devil or his cohorts at ALL because of MERCY!!
Your eyes were opened and suddenly you realized how blind you had been and things you were blinded to became very clearly seen!!  You had become “born again”…born of the Spirit of God.Bartimaeus was healed of both kinds of blindness when he cried out for mercy…physical and spiritual blindness for after that he followed Jesus!! Jesus is the way.

Because of Mercy we were saved and because of MERCY we will continue to walk with Jesus and make heaven our home.
“How can I be not guilty when I know I did those sins in the past?”  I’m glad you asked that!  When you came to Jesus you are justified by His blood[where the MERCY is.] That means it’s just as if you NEVER sinned. He says you are a new creation…NOT the old one made over. MERCY!
SO FOR YOU TO BELIEVE THE demons of guilt and false condemnation, you are ignoring what Jesus went through and how he died for you on the cross and the blood He shed and mercy.

There is NOW therefore NO condemnation to them in Jesus who walk NOT after the flesh, but after the Spirit. So here’s what you do. BIND ALL demons of guilt  and false condemnation, for they are the ones giving you thoughts about the past that are contrary to the Word of God, and tell them to SHUT UP AND GET OUT IN THE NAME OF JESUS. Then if there’s ever any reminders, INSTANTLY SAY” NOT GUILTY BY REASON OF THE BLOOD OF JESUS AND GOD’S MERCY, FOR I AM A NEW CREATION AND THE OLD THINGS HAVE PASSED AWAY AND ALL THINGS ARE BECOMING NEW. I WALK IN THE NEWNESS OF LIFE IN THE SPIRIT OF GOD NOT BY guilt of the past. God has mercy on me. Thank you Jesus for MERCY. MERCY has given me a brand new life and the devil has NOTHING to say about it.

The prodigal son took his father’s inheritance given and spent it all on riotous living. He ended up in a pig pen eating pig’s food. He finally came to himself and realized the servants back home had it better than him in this state. So he headed back home. He felt he didn’t deserve a thing from his father but went back willing to be a servant.  When his father saw him coming a far off he RAN TO HIM HUGGED HIM AND PUT A ROBE ON HIM AND A RING ON HIS FINGER AND CALLED FOR CELEBRATION TO CELEBRATE THAT HIS SON THAT WAS DEAD WAS ALIVE AGAIN. MERCY…MERCY…MERCY.
AND SO IT WAS WITH US….WE WERE THAT PRODIGAL SON.  WE WERE DEAD IN OUR SINS AND TRESPASSES AND WHEN WE MADE THAT JOURNEY TO COME TO JESUS HE RAN TO US WHEN HE SAW US FAR AWAY AND THREW HIS ARMS AROUND US AND TOLD US HOW MUCH HE LOVED US AND PUT A ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ON US AND CALLED US HIS OWN AND THERE WAS GREAT CELEBRATION IN HEAVEN AND GREAT JOY THAT WE HAD COME HOME.

FRIENDS, YOU HAVE PASSED FROM darkness to LIGHT ..now receive God’s mercy and stop condemning yourself. Mercy has given you a brand new life and the old is passed away…now stop holding onto it by guilt or condemnation. Say out loud what the blood of Jesus does for you. The blood of Jesus has justified me so it is as if I never sinned and He has given me MERCY. I have been delivered from the darkness by God’s GREAT MERCY AND AS I COME IN PRAYER I FIND GRACE AND MERCY TO HELP IN THE TIME OF NEED. THANK YOU JESUS FOR YOUR GREAT MERCY FOR IT IS EVERLASTING MERCY AND INDEED IT IS REWRITING OUR LIVES AND MAKING US WHOLE.