Strip me...

You might be thinking, “Wait a minute!  I think you’re getting a little off track and carried away with the title, aren’t you?”

You may even be asking yourself, “What is the title saying, exactly?”

I know it sounds a little off-color and out of left field compared to most of my other writings, but stay with me.  Although you may be interpreting the title as heading into some unsavory territory, please rest your mind.  All is well.  I’m not talking about a strip search, stripping down, or anything of that sort.  I’m not even referring to stripping off old paint down to bare metal in order to repaint a car.

I’m talking about the day when God stripped me of the old nature I was walking in and blessed me with a fresh, new coat of Holy Ghost primer and paint, while clothing me in a garment of praise.

God stripped my soul of the sin and degradation that were keeping me enslaved—bound to the enemy of my soul.  The Lord set me free to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

I suppose I could have used a title like “Cleanse Me,” but I wanted to catch your attention with the title I chose.

Cleansing—or stripping, in this context—is referring to the amazing gift that God, the Creator, gave to lost and dying people who needed a Savior: you, me, and all of humanity.

How many of us would give our only child to be tortured, beaten beyond recognition, and nailed to a cross in place of sinners who hated us?

But this is exactly what God did for us because He loved us as we were—sinners without any hope whatsoever of making heaven our home.

Jesus cleansed me from all sin when He stripped away the old habits, the old nature, and the old person I had become, replacing them with newness of life after I bowed my knees before Him in prayer and asked Him to forgive me of my sins.

He stripped me clean—fresh as the driven snow.

The following statement is more than a metaphor.  When Scripture says that we are cleansed from sin by the shedding of blood, this is true because God says it is true.  No one can be saved without the shedding of blood—the blood of the Lamb.

Jesus, and Jesus alone, bought our freedom when He died for our sins.  And because He was resurrected from the dead, we have the hope that we, too, will be resurrected should we go the way of the grave.  We will meet the Lord in the sky when He returns for His bride—all born-again believers.

This will happen because He stripped us of all unrighteousness when He saved our souls from corruption.  He cleansed us when He shed His blood on the Cross of Calvary.

So, yes—“Strip Me.”

Strip away everything that keeps me bound.  Strip away the old nature, the old habits, the sin, and everything that separates me from You.

Then clothe me in Your righteousness, fill me with Your Spirit, and give me that garment of praise.

Because when Jesus saves us, He doesn’t simply cover up the old life.  He makes us new.

Written by,

Papa Boyd