Forgiven, Then Rising
Light through an open doorway, a quiet picture of forgiven, then rising.
Devotional Credit: eManna, by Witness Lee
Photo Credit: Unsplash
The scene in Matthew 9 is tender and startling. Friends carry a paralyzed man to Jesus. Before anyone asks for a miracle, Jesus goes straight to the deepest need, He speaks forgiveness. Some religious leaders stiffen inside, because only God can forgive sins. That is exactly the point. Jesus is not guessing at the man’s condition, He is God in the flesh, and He knows the heart.
Witness Lee highlights this authority with clarity. Jesus reads the hidden thoughts in the room, then reveals something greater than visible healing. He declares pardon, and in doing so He unveils His identity as God with us. To say rise and walk proves what cannot be seen at first, that sin’s debt is canceled, and the captive can stand. The outward restoration confirms the inner mercy that came first.
This matters for us today. Many of us want the quick fix on the outside. Jesus aims for the root. He does not minimize sickness, pain, or limitation, yet He begins by removing the barrier between us and God. Forgiveness opens the door for real life to flow. The same Jesus still carries full authority to forgive, to quiet accusing thoughts, and to lift the weary.
Seen through our abiding life lens, this is not a private gift for a few. In Christ, forgiveness is announced publicly, and whoever comes is welcomed. Jesus sets the tone for a kingdom where pardon is not rationed. It is proclaimed, received, and then lived out. When forgiveness lands, hearts rise, and legs often follow.
Journal Entry: Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I draw near to you with kindness, and I speak first to the deepest place. I say your sins are forgiven, not as a wish, but as a finished work accomplished by the cross where the record against you was taken away and nailed there. I do not speak condemnation, for there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I know your thoughts, I see the knots of fear and the old rehearsed accusations, and I quiet them with My peace.
I am the Spirit of life in Christ, and I free you from the law of sin and death. In the Beloved you have redemption and the forgiveness of sins. I cleanse you, I wash you whiter than snow, I remove transgressions as far as the east is from the west. I make you alive together with Him, and I cancel what stood against you. I bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God, and I teach your heart to cry Abba, Father with confidence.
Stand up in the newness I give. Present yourself to God as one who is alive from the dead. Walk, not under the weight of old debts, but in the strength of the risen Jesus who lives in you. The Son has authority on earth to forgive sins, and that authority has reached you. Let thanksgiving rise, let mercy shape your steps, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you go.
When memories accuse, answer with truth. When shame tries to paralyze, remember that I have justified you and given you peace with God. Fix your mind on the things above where Christ is, and set your steps in love. I am with you, I am in you, and I will complete what I began. References: Matthew 9:2 to 5, Mark 2:1 to 12, Luke 5:17 to 26, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:13 to 14, Colossians 2:13 to 15, Romans 5:1, Romans 6:4 to 13, Romans 8:1 to 4, Psalm 103:12, Hebrews 8:12, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 4:6 to 7, John 1:29, John 20:21 to 23, Colossians 3:1 to 3.
Real-Life Analogy
Picture your banking app showing a long overdue bill. The red badge stares at you each time you open the screen. Then the creditor marks it paid in full, and the badge disappears. You are not pretending the debt is gone, it truly is settled, and your actions change because the status changed. In daily life, the indwelling Spirit of Jesus does this in you. He applies the truth that your debt is canceled, He lifts the weight of guilt, and He turns your steps toward freedom without white knuckles or self-punishment. Instead of managing yourself with rules, you trust the One who lives in you to express His life through you.
A gentle practice for today: when an old failure pops up and tries to freeze you, pause and speak from your heart, Lord, I trust You to express Your clean, settled peace in me right now, and to move my feet in love. Then do one simple thing in that freedom. Send the encouragement you had delayed. Apologize without drama. Take the next good step as someone truly forgiven.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Jesus I am forgiven and welcomed. Thank You that the record against me was nailed to the cross and taken out of the way. Thank You for the Spirit of life within me, causing me to stand as one alive from the dead. Today I rest in the finished work of Christ, and I walk in the freedom You have already given.