Terrible things happened to Jesus on that day but we call it Good Friday. That’s because the focus is on the result, the outcome of all He suffered.
He was arrested/imprisoned – I have liberty
He was scourged – By those stripes, I am healed
He was punished – I have peace
He became a curse by hanging on the tree – Every curse is broken in my life
He was rejected – I am accepted into God’s family
He died – I have eternal life
There’s so much more. I can’t tell it all. Words are not enough. What a beautiful exchange.
He took my pain, my sin, my guilt, my shame, my curse
He took my sickness, my infirmities, my condemnation
He took my death sentence
But that’s not how the story ends!
He conquered death and the grave
He disarmed spiritual rulers and authorities – I live above their oppression
On the third day, JESUS ROSE!!! Victoriously… Triumphantly… With Authority (in the words of Kurt Carr in his beautiful song – They Didn’t Know)
Jesus is alive and all who believe in Him have access to all these benefits.
The Bible says ‘If we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved’ – Romans 10:9
If you haven’t done this already, today is a perfect day for you to be saved. If you have, then it’s a good time to rejoice in the Lord and give thanks to Him.
Jesus Is Lord Service. We call it JILS for short. It’s quite an interesting service that holds about three times a year at the City of David, Eket.
We all take time to prepare… fasting and prayer for sure… and other instructions as God directs. The testimonies are simply amazing.
One lady who attended the JILS of March 2017 shared her testimony today, June 25, 2017. Her son had been afflicted by asthma for a while. During the service, the Pastor mentioned her son’s case amongst other cases. They were all to meet him during the prayer session but being her first time at COD, she didn’t know where the Children’s Church was. She thought – Jesus is everywhere – so she asked Him to locate her son where he was and heal him. From that day till now, they have not had any episode.
Her testimony reminds me of the centurion who met Jesus about his paralyzed servant and when Jesus asked ‘Shall I come and heal him?’, he said ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed’. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go, let it be done just as you believed it would’, and it’s recorded that his servant was healed at that moment. Awesome! Great faith. Great God!
There were more testimonies – healings, supernatural provision, scholarships, and so on.
Miracles still happen.
Have faith. Dare to believe God for a miracle when you need one and if you happen to be in or around Eket during the next JILS, join us.
Right now, you can take your troubles to the Lord in prayer, ask specifically in the name of Jesus, and believe that He will meet your need. He actually gave a personal invitation in Matthew 7:7 & 8 – ‘Ask and it will be given to you… For everyone who asks receives….’
New Month! Four gone, eight to go, then we’ll be shouting ‘Happy New Year’ again. Time truly waits for no man.
A cousin of ours came visiting. Just yesterday she gained admission into the University and now she is getting ready for her fourth year which will begin in September. Where did the time go? I’m glad that I’m able to account for that time with a few worthwhile accomplishments but I see also that more traction is required for some other dreams to become a reality.
Are you still dreaming? Don’t stop! There’s never a bad time for a good idea. Light bulb moments are always welcome and where there is a will, there is a way. Have faith. Keep believing. Don’t give up.
Think, think and think again. Look over that plan, review your strategy, research, consult, discuss, meditate, and look ahead. What will you accomplish in eight months? Some of your plans may be easy peasy lemon squeezy; but there should be something in there to stretch you to a new level in capacity, or to help you discover and explore a part of you that’s been in the shadows till now. This can be really exciting.
Has it been tough so far? Don’t give up. With God on your side, you can outlast the storms. Have faith and keep pressing on. Keep praying, keep believing, keep working, and keep moving. Better days are ahead.
Hand clapping, toe tapping, hand lifting, dancing, jumping, shouting, waving, singing, playing skillfully or not so skillfully on your musical instrument – these are all acceptable forms of praise. If you don’t know how to play any of those other instruments, you can at least play the ten-stringed one, your palms… clapping, with your fingers serving as the strings. Lol.
You see, praise is a good way to stay connected to the Almighty because He lives in the praises of His people. So each time you praise, you create the right atmosphere and God invades your space. And when He shows up, light takes over while darkness and its associates flee.
Praising Him for who He is builds your faith and your confidence in Him, His character and ability, and makes you better able to receive from Him the wonderful things He’s promised. Praising Him for the things He has done takes you down memory lane as you recount the mercies and miracles you’ve experienced. Once again, your faith is built and you begin to think like Tye Tribbett sang ‘If He did it before He can do it again; same God right now, same God back then‘.
If you’re wondering why building your faith is so important, it’s simple. James put it this way: If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
I find that I’m often joyful after praising God and this isn’t surprising when you consider the fact that there is fullness of joy in His presence. (Psalms 16:11) That joy is what we need to draw water from the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3) – to draw from God those things that are necessary for our survival.
So praise will equip you with faith and joy, two ingredients that’ll help you access God’s supply for your sustenance in every season. If you are not maximizing this resource yet, you can start now.
On the average day, I am a pros and cons superstar. I delight in checking out, weighing, and evaluating options so that I can eventually make an informed decision. This works on most occasions, however, there are times when there’s more to it than you can naturally sense. Then you need a sixth sense to help you judge accurately.
I’ve also come to realize that one of the greatest adversaries of this pros and cons process is fear; fear in the heart of the person who needs to do the evaluation. Fear just shuts down the whole process and before you know it, you’re facing the consequences of a bad decision you made when you were overwhelmed by fear.
Sometimes, fear is so subtle, you don’t even notice it creep in. It’s often conveyed by words, words, and more words from various sources. That’s why we have to be careful what we listen to, and why we must continually guard our hearts. If we are to be victorious in life, we must operate with a sound mind rather than a fear crippled mind.
Therefore, we must develop the skill of neutralizing our operating space – speaking positive words to counter the negative, fear instigating ones we hear, and then more positive, life giving and hope reviving words to build faith in our hearts.
Ah, I like faith. This is the all things are possible place, the place where we know that it’s not over until we win, the place of more than enough, and the place of where there’s a will, there’s a way. I love this place, and this is where I choose to live. By the way, there’s room for more people in this place of power.
Just in case you’re facing a fear that seems to have overwhelmed you, and you can’t find the words to fight it, you could use King David’s strategy. He said: ‘Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer… when my heart is overwhelmed and fainting; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.’ God is a rock. You can find refuge in Him and He’s just a prayer away.
Picture credits: fallibleblogma.com
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