When God speaks: 40 Days and Nights of His Promises
But
if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who
raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
His spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:11
Here in the Northeast where I live, spring is
awaited like a bridegroom for the bride. After a long hard winter of battling
freezing cold, snow and ice, the warmth of sunshine defrosts body and soul.
Buds form on trees, flowers burst into life, and children are seen playing
outside once again. The icy grip of winter is replaced with glorious life.
For the believer, this new life is available every
day. The resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead is the same Spirit
given to us. Think about that. Jesus suffered terrible physical and emotional
pain that led to a torturous death. Yet, evil’s kiss of death could not stop
God’s astonishing resurrection power. And we who are children of God have that
same life in us!
Christian, lay down your burdens of sorrow and
despair and do not look for the Holy One in the tomb. He is no longer there.
Christ has conquered death so that you may
“have it (life) more abundantly.”John 10:10.
Are there trials and sorrow in life? Surely so, but
we do not need to be destroyed by them for Christ has given us the victory. “Yet
in all these things (tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness,
peril and sword), we are more than conquerors though Him who loved us”
Romans 8:37.
As a young Christian I liked to think of myself as
a conqueror, though I was riddled with envy, self-pity and pride. I didn’t even
know I felt this way until I started facing difficulties, which brought all of
these feelings to the surface. As I began to endure some fiery trials of
loneliness, rejection and near poverty, I learned how to walk, step by step, in
victory. During this time I buried myself in the Word of God and prayer. I
learned about the true nature of God, not what others said about Him, and what
He wants for me.
It is God’s love that brought me through. Like
Paul, I became convinced that nothing “shall separate us (me) from
the love of God” Romans 8:15. We cannot only endure our furnaces of
affliction, but come out on the other side with pure gold. For these challenges
are not intended to kill us, but to burn off the waste products or dross in our
lives.
If we can have this view of trials, then
bitterness, envy, malice, hatred and strife can be put to death, for these are
the enemies of resurrection life. It is these among others, our sin nature,
which nailed Christ to the cross. Yet God did not allow sin to keep His Son
buried, neither does He want that for His other children. The power of God’s
love is strong enough to reach down into our tomb where all our secret sins lay
hidden and expose them. Sons and daughters put your sins on the cross where
they belong, and allow God’s life to quicken your mortal bodies.
Arise and throw off the
grave clothes of depression and despair. Spring has dawned upon the land, and
new life will burst through the ground. Behold the first signs are already
there. The seed has taken root, and it’s pushing through the earth. The first
rays of sunshine can be felt.
Gather your strength
Christian, aided by the Son of God, and pick up your head, seedling. A new
world full of His Son-shine awaits you!
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