It is Finished

"It is finished."

In my opinion, those three words are the most important that have ever been spoken. It is those three words that set me free. Those three words that redeemed every ounce of wickedness in me. Those three words that taught me love, grace, and peace.

Jesus spoke the words "it is finished" in his last moments on the cross.

As a kid, I loved the story of Jesus going onto the cross to die for my sins and save me. But the story  turns cliche over time because its told so often in religious settings, and told with utter lack of passion (most of the time). So throughout my journey with God I never took time to focus on the story of the cross. It got boring for me. (And even today, when telling people about Jesus I focus more on his love and what he's done in my life then the fact that he died on the cross for me) But during and after high school I went through a period of time when I let the devil speak lies over my life. I let myself get washed with things like "You aren't ever going to be enough. You aren't pure. You aren't whole. You have nothing to give anyone. etc." I was struggling with a newfound love for God and not knowing how to balance my relationship with him and my relationship with the world. (Which I will never figure out, because I've only been called to live in one!) I let Satan drag me into the pit of hell, all the while, going to church and spending time in a homegroup. I didn't understand why I felt so down all the time if I was spending so much God-centered time.

"Isn't God supposed to make life easy for me? I give him time and he gives me whatever I want? Isn't that how this is supposed to go? Shouldn't I be one of those "happy" Christians that never complains now?"

The answer to all of those questions is no.

Throughout highschool when I was letting Satan speak lies over and into my life, God called out to me. I started feeling like it was time to read that redundant story of Christ going to the cross for my life, so I did. When I read the phrase "it is finished", I felt God saying "all of it, Hayley. Every ounce of sin. Done."

I believe that the phrase "It is finished" is the most important thing ever spoken into human history because it truly does save. It means that the second Christ died ALL of my sin (past, present, and future) has been accounted for.

What that phrase does is makes clear that your sin does not define you. You are not the decisions you have made. You are not unclean, impure, unholy, unrighteous, or unworthy.

In Christ you are pure (Is 1:18), you are pursued (Hos 2), you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps 139), you are known personally and intimately (Ps 139), you are called by name and redeemed (Is 43:1), and you are loved more than you know (Jer 31:3, 1 Cor 13)