Click here for more on this topic and other free resources - https://www.drjimrichards.com
From childhood, most of us have heard that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” but we rarely connect Christmas to one of the most powerful truths in the New Covenant: the curse is broken. The birth of Jesus was not just the beginning of a sentimental story; it was the beginning of the end of fear, wrath, and separation from God. When Jesus came, lived, died, and was raised from the dead, He broke the curse of the law and removed the enmity that existed in our minds about God. Christmas is the announcement that God is no longer against us, that peace and goodwill toward man have been eternally established in the blood of Jesus.
Sin did more than cause bad behavior; it distorted how we saw ourselves and how we saw God. When man believed he was less than who God said he was, fear became the automatic response to God’s presence. That fear turned every commandment, every law, and every warning into something interpreted through guilt and terror. We saw God as the source of the curse instead of the One trying to protect us from it. But at the cross, Jesus became our sin, took our punishment, satisfied wrath, and established what Isaiah calls the covenant of peace: a binding, eternal commitment that God would never again relate to us through anger and destruction, but through mercy and kindness in Christ.
To say “the curse is broken” is not a religious slogan; it means your life no longer has to be defined by fear, worthlessness, shame, or the expectation of judgment. In Jesus, you are no longer a “sheep for the slaughter,” waiting for the next bad thing to happen because you think you deserve it. You stand in a new reality where God is for you, not against you. Faith becomes possible because fear is no longer your master. When you believe the report of what God accomplished through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, your heart can finally rest—and from that place, you can trust, follow, and live in the blessings of God.
Join me this week in CyberChurch as we unwrap the greatest Christmas present God ever gave us: freedom from the curse and absolute peace with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Click here for more on this topic and other free resources - https://www.drjimrichards.com
From childhood, most of us have heard that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” but we rarely connect Christmas to one of the most powerful truths in the New Covenant: the curse is broken. The birth of Jesus was not just the beginning of a sentimental story; it was the beginning of the end of fear, wrath, and separation from God. When Jesus came, lived, died, and was raised from the dead, He broke the curse of the law and removed the enmity that existed in our minds about God. Christmas is the announcement that God is no longer against us, that peace and goodwill toward man have been eternally established in the blood of Jesus.
Sin did more than cause bad behavior; it distorted how we saw ourselves and how we saw God. When man believed he was less than who God said he was, fear became the automatic response to God’s presence. That fear turned every commandment, every law, and every warning into something interpreted through guilt and terror. We saw God as the source of the curse instead of the One trying to protect us from it. But at the cross, Jesus became our sin, took our punishment, satisfied wrath, and established what Isaiah calls the covenant of peace: a binding, eternal commitment that God would never again relate to us through anger and destruction, but through mercy and kindness in Christ.
To say “the curse is broken” is not a religious slogan; it means your life no longer has to be defined by fear, worthlessness, shame, or the expectation of judgment. In Jesus, you are no longer a “sheep for the slaughter,” waiting for the next bad thing to happen because you think you deserve it. You stand in a new reality where God is for you, not against you. Faith becomes possible because fear is no longer your master. When you believe the report of what God accomplished through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, your heart can finally rest—and from that place, you can trust, follow, and live in the blessings of God.
Join me this week in CyberChurch as we unwrap the greatest Christmas present God ever gave us: freedom from the curse and absolute peace with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Click here for more on this topic and other free resources - https://www.drjimrichards.com
We all long to hear from God. Too often, we become desperate for His direction—and that desperation can lead us down the wrong paths as we search for His voice. Sadly, many in the body of Christ don’t know or trust the ways God speaks, and that confusion breeds discouragement. I often hear from believers who feel abandoned because God isn’t “talking” to them. What I usually discover is that God is speaking—but they aren’t recognizing His voice because it doesn’t come the way they expected.
The apostles John and Peter provide us with keys to hearing God that the modern church often overlooks. They describe prophecy differently than we commonly do today, and because of that, we miss personal words God longs to speak into our hearts. In Revelation 19:10, John tells us that the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. Peter draws a vital connection between prophecy and Scripture in 2 Peter 1:19-21. This seems to be overlooked in our understanding of prophecy.
This week, I’ll unpack what Peter calls a “more sure word of prophecy.” He urges us to pay attention to Scripture until it enlightens us—like a lamp shining in the darkness. That illumination is a form of prophecy—a personal word from God that can be even more sure than a human voice prophesying over us. Jesus taught this same truth through His parables about seed: truth planted in a heart will grow, produce understanding, and bear fruit!
When we read the Bible, specific phrases, verses, or images suddenly stand out. Those moments are God’s way of relating Scripture to what He’s longing to speak into our hearts now. But we must cultivate attention and focus. As Jesus taught, we must think, ponder, reflect, and meditate on the Scriptures that capture our notice. Pray this simple prayer: “Father, in light of what draws me now, what are You saying to me, and how do I put it into practice?” That prayer plants the seed in your heart—and with serious attention, it will bear fruit.
Join me this week as we uncover this beautiful, simple secret hidden in plain sight in Scripture. Learn how to recognize God’s voice in the pages of His Word so you no longer wait for someone else to tell you what He’s saying. God will show you—through Scripture—what He wants to speak to your heart. Come discover how to receive your personal word from Him.
Dr. Jim Richards
Click here for more on this topic and other free resources - https://www.drjimrichards.com
From childhood, most of us have heard that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” but we rarely connect Christmas to one of the most powerful truths in the New Covenant: the curse is broken. The birth of Jesus was not just the beginning of a sentimental story; it was the beginning of the end of fear, wrath, and separation from God. When Jesus came, lived, died, and was raised from the dead, He broke the curse of the law and removed the enmity that existed in our minds about God. Christmas is the announcement that God is no longer against us, that peace and goodwill toward man have been eternally established in the blood of Jesus.
Sin did more than cause bad behavior; it distorted how we saw ourselves and how we saw God. When man believed he was less than who God said he was, fear became the automatic response to God’s presence. That fear turned every commandment, every law, and every warning into something interpreted through guilt and terror. We saw God as the source of the curse instead of the One trying to protect us from it. But at the cross, Jesus became our sin, took our punishment, satisfied wrath, and established what Isaiah calls the covenant of peace: a binding, eternal commitment that God would never again relate to us through anger and destruction, but through mercy and kindness in Christ.
To say “the curse is broken” is not a religious slogan; it means your life no longer has to be defined by fear, worthlessness, shame, or the expectation of judgment. In Jesus, you are no longer a “sheep for the slaughter,” waiting for the next bad thing to happen because you think you deserve it. You stand in a new reality where God is for you, not against you. Faith becomes possible because fear is no longer your master. When you believe the report of what God accomplished through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, your heart can finally rest—and from that place, you can trust, follow, and live in the blessings of God.
Join me this week in CyberChurch as we unwrap the greatest Christmas present God ever gave us: freedom from the curse and absolute peace with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ.
