The Resurrection Changed Everything

Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and every Christian has a lot to be thankful for. We know that Jesus died on the cross to pay the debt for every sin committed in the past, the present and in the future and because of Him, believers will spend eternity with our heavenly Father. We worship Jesus because He is alive and that He has risen. We know this in our head but have we really taken it to heart? Have you actually thought about what impact the death and resurrection has on your personal life? Are you living your day to day life as a child of God who has been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ? Redemption cost Jesus His life. Therefore, our lives should be lived with a purpose and should reflect the new man or woman you have become. You are a vessel that God’s love flows through. You are a light that will dispel darkness where ever you go. You have been set apart to raise the standard against evil all because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The resurrection changed everything. Not only was death defeated but that same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead resides in every person who knows Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. If you are saved, you are no longer just an ordinary person. You are now an extraordinary individual who is able to defeat the enemy of your soul no matter what fiery darts he throws at you. If you believe in the resurrection you have hope. You know that nothing is impossible with God and your eyes have been open to see what the non-believer cannot see. A non-believer is limited by the natural but now the natural becomes the supernatural and that supernatural dimension exists only because of the resurrection.

Where would we be without the resurrection? Jesus Christ rose from the grave and life will never be the same. Make it a point to serve the King of Kings every day. Reach out and touch someone who might not know what you know. There are a lot of hurting people in this world and a smile, a hug or just a  ‘hello’ to a stranger might be the game changer for a lonely soul. The resurrection was not for just a certain group of people but it is for every one. Every one deserves to be happy, to have peace and not live in fear. Share your testimony and let God do the rest.

Keep The Faith

Have you ever found yourself in a despairing situation where it looked like there was no hope? Many times no hope circumstances involve delays orchestrated by God in preparation for a great miracle.   We can’t see what God is doing behind the scenes. To our natural eye it seems God is taking his time when we want Him to move swiftly. Remember the story of Lazarus in the Bible? He became sick and his family sent for Jesus, but by the time Jesus arrived Lazarus had been dead four days. Jesus could have arrived earlier but he continued to be about his Father’s business and arrived exactly when he was supposed to. God does not need to explain Himself to us. When God doesn’t make sense, keep trusting Him. He is working in ways you can’t see to accomplish what you can’t imagine. This is the kind of faith the Lord is looking for in your life. He wants us to come to the end of our own abilities. He wants us to come to the place where we know that we can’t, but where we believe that He can!

There will be many times when our faith is small and weak, but our faith must always be in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus is faith that will always be honored by God. Mark 9:23 says “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”  Faith in Jesus may start out very small, but it will not stay that way for long. God has a way of growing our faith as we walk with Him through the days of our lives. We need our faith to be constantly growing because God doesn’t run on our schedule. God is not bound by the constraints of time and space. It may surprise you, but God does not possess a clock or a calendar and this is the cause for much unnecessary worry in our lives. The delays of life are designed to increase our faith. Think about Joseph and how he was thrown into a pit, then into slavery, then into prison; and out of that delay God gave us the Prime Minister of Egypt and a strong man of God.

When God doesn’t move as quickly as you might like, trust Him anyway for there is nothing impossible with Him. That lost spouse or family member can be saved. That impossible situation in your life can be resolved. That incredible need that you think is so great, it can be met.    Jesus cares about your situation and he is able to handle your situation no matter what it is. Believe that you will be victorious because your faith is not in what you can do but it is in the Lord Jesus Christ and what he can do!

Need A Friend?

A friend can be defined as a person that you are fond of; someone with whom you talk or spend time with; a person on the same side in a struggle; is helpful and a person who you trust. True friendship is based on love, because only love will endure the tests that friends experience as they go through life together. Proverbs 17:17 tells us that a faithful friend “loves at all times.” A loving friend is someone who knows all about you and likes you just the same. A faithful friend loves you and is also someone you can count on and will not let you go or turn his back on you. He or she is dependable. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better than one. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” We do fall or get knocked down at times, don’t we? And how wonderful it is when we have a friend who cares enough to lift us up, dust us off, and help us continue on. A true friend is one who helps you become who God has made you to be. Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Someone once said, “A friend is one who knows you as you are, understands where you’ve been, accepts who you’ve become and still gently invites you to grow.” We all need friends who will sharpen us by giving us advice and counsel.

Psychologists tell us that the quickest way to get rid of our troubles is to become involved in helping someone else because begin to forget your own problems. We seldom realize that. We think that when we are having trouble, we need to do something for ourselves, but that’s not the answer. If we spend all our lives trying to accumulate more and more possessions, we will never truly be happy and fulfilled. On the other hand we can decide to focus on building relationships, trying to make friends and to be a friend. While we can’t pick our families, we can select our friends. What’s important about selecting friends is we must be careful about the kinds of friends we choose. The reason we need to be careful is because we often become just like the people we hang around with. It has been said that we are known by the company we keep so choose friends who you trust and who have proven themselves to you. Choose friends who will be with you through thick and thin and who will be there when the going gets tough. As you journey through life you will discover that you will have many acquaintances but only a few true friends. Acquaintances come and go but a friend is someone who over time has remained steadfast and loyal throughout the years. When Howard Hughes was worth approximately 4 billion dollars, he reportedly said, “I’d give it all for one good friend. Money can buy you a lot of things but never a friendship.

Are you in need of a friend? Do you desire to be known and to know someone who would not hesitate to lay down his life for you? His name is Jesus and he is “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” His friendship has no limitations and it can never be broken. Jesus will never leave you or forsake you. When you put your faith and trust in Jesus, you become a part of the heavenly family that goes on into eternity for not even death can separate you from Him. This friendship can be obtained just by calling on his precious name and accepting him as your Lord and Savior. Seek him and you will find him. He will be the greatest friend that you will ever need.

Trust God

We serve an unlimited, omnipotent God. Mark 9:23 says “all things are possible to him that believes.” What’s important is the ‘all things’ is limited to only those items that can be believed. Jesus is saying, “If you can believe it, then it is possible.” The limitation is on our believing.  If you can believe it, it will happen.” God is saying, “I have no limitations, if you can believe in me, I can do it.” The difficulty then is not with God, but it is with us, our getting to a place of undeniable faith. Faith is the ability for man to trust what God can and will do. It is trusting God’s faithfulness and His character and being fully assured that what God had promised, He is able to perform. God’s promises are His will, so we should know what is available to trust in and believe for by reading the Word of God.

Trusting God is not a spectator sport – it is something that all Believers are to do every day. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” The key part of that verse is not to lean on our own understanding. It’s impossible for man to fully understand the mind of God because God’s thoughts are so much higher than ours. After all, He is the creator who called everything into existence. Our part is to trust Him whole heartily and believe that He is able to do far more than what we can ask or think.

Trusting God should be as natural to us as breathing.  Sadly, many Christians get into doubt and unbelief when they believe the lies of Satan.  John 10:10 tells us that ‘the enemy comes to steal, and to kill and to destroy.”  We must get to that place where we are totally dependent and confident in God.  God wants us to have a relationship with Him and a major part of any relationship is trust.  Trust God all the days of your life and you will never have to fear or worry about anything you face in life.