The glory of God’s power is that He can do what we cannot. God’s power to restore is beyond anything we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). When we put our faith in Jesus, His power works within us, restoring what is…
- Broken
- Hurt
- Lost
- Stolen
Psalm 103 says that God forgives iniquities, heals diseases, redeems life, crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies, satisfies, and renews. These things we cannot do, but He is able!
God’s power to restore us from sin’s brokenness is humbling, merciful, and a true gift of freedom.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:
“Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
—Psalm 103:1-5
The question is: Do you believe in God’s power to restore you?
The Damage of Sin
When we come to a place of honesty with God, we understand our powerlessness against sins like pride, greed, and lust. Sin causes great damage in our lives. Because of pride, greed, and lust, our marriages, families, jobs, and minds struggle. The brokenness, hurt, and loss we experience are the cost of sin.
We cannot overcome the damage of sin, but God can. God’s power to restore us from pride, greed, and lust is possible.
Once we admit we are powerless, we are free to believe God’s power. The good news is stated in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
You don’t have to “get cleaned up” to be forgiven and experience God’s power to restore you. You simply need to admit you are powerless against sin and believe He is powerful to save!
The Weight of Sin
Sin is a heavy burden we carry. We can’t stand up under it. In order to move forward into the restoration God has for us, someone must lift the weight of sin from us—someone much more powerful than we are.
This is why Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, emphasis added)
What burden do you carry?
- Addiction
- Abuse
- Anxiety
- Adultery
We carry our sins, but we also carry sins that have been done to us.
- Anger and hurt from abuse
- Lies we’ve been told
- Bitterness and resentment from rejection and abandonment
These burdens begin to add up like weights we are trying to carry on our backs. Hatred and unforgiveness settle in, and eventually, the burdens become too heavy to bear. We crack under the pressure of it all.
But God has the power to restore.
- We admit we are powerless under the heavy burden of sin
- We cry out to God, asking Him to take it.
This cry opens the door to restoration—God’s beautiful plan for our lives.
God’s Power to Restore and Lift the Weight of Sin
When we believe God is the one who is more powerful than we could ever be, the weight of this world begins to lift. This is why Jesus said, “My burden is light.”
We weren’t created to lift the burden of sin. We were created to be in a relationship with God. But when sin entered the picture, a separation occurred, and roadblocks were set up. This still didn’t change the truth that we were created to be in relationship with the Creator.
The Bridge to Restoration
God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, built a bridge and invited us to give our heavy burdens to Him so that we can be restored to Him.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). He is the only one who can lift the weight of sin. He is God’s power to restore. He is the bridge!
How the Enemy Tries to Trip Us on Our Road to Restoration
The enemy wants us to take our eyes off Jesus’ power and work in our lives. He tempts us with pride over and over again. He did this in the garden, and he does it today.
- He tells us, “Do a good deed to erase all the bad you’ve done.”
- He tells us, “At least you didn’t (fill in the blank), so you must not be as bad as this other person.”
Think of it this way: A man is convicted of murder, but his attorney stands up and says, “Yes, he committed murder, but he volunteered to pick up trash in his neighborhood and helped a neighbor unload his car. Shouldn’t that count for something?”
Does the murder still count against him? Yes!
Our good deeds don’t outweigh the bad ones. They don’t lighten the load or erase the debt. Only God can settle the debt. Jesus said, “No one is good but One, that is, God” (Matthew 19:17).
The enemy plants thoughts that God is withholding something good from us.
- He tells us, “If God really loved you, you would feel this way or that.”
- He tells us, “This thing you love to do, it’s not a burden. Keep doing it. It feels good.”
We need to believe in God’s power to restore us and stop seeking the created over the Creator.
Paul wrote about this in Romans 1.
- “…who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”—Romans 1:25
He then wrote about the result of worshiping the false gods of this world…
- Wickedness
- Maliciousness
- Full of envy, murder, strife, and deceit
- Backbiters
- Haters
- Violent
- Pride
- Disobedience
This is the heavy burden of sin. This is not how we were created to live.
- Made new
- Chosen
- Redeemed
- Loved
- Given an inheritance
- Blessed
- Holy
- Blameless
Let God’s Power Restore You
God’s power to restore is the only road to complete freedom and the only way for you to live the life you were created to live. When you think about restoration, maybe you think, “I want my sins forgiven. I want eternal life.”
Both of these are yours with faith in Jesus, but there’s more. God will reconcile you into a relationship with Him. He isn’t going to make you better. He is going to make you new.
In Jesus, your sins are nailed to the cross, and you enter into a covenant with God forever.
God isn’t looking just to heal you from your past. He wants to make you new through His Spirit in you and give you an abundant life.
