Are you feeling stressed out? It’s hard not to break under the demands of life. Christ has more in store for us then to break under the many pressures we are under.
I know as I am feeling a little stressed too. There are so many daily demands. More than there is time for. It feels like we are constantly being bombarded in this crazy complicated world we are in.
A broken people
As I was reading scripture today, something jumped out at me. The Gospels talk about Jesus’s ministry where He encountered many hurting people. The people He met were desperate, broken, and ready to receive Jesus when they encountered Him. The weight of their sin or illness was too much to bear.
As I was reading about this, I noticed that He would usually say to them something like “Arise, your sins are forgiven!”. They would be healed, rise up, and go away rejoicing while telling others about their miracle. It was that simple!
The bondage
Have you noticed something about the body of Christ? The church has seemed stuck. Do we after accepting Jesus, run away healed and rejoicing while telling others about Him? I feel many believers are still living as sinners, wrapped in the stress and lies of this broken world. But Scripture tells us that when we accepted Christ, we became a new creation in Him. That means the old is passed away and we are made new.
When we truly repent, our sins are forgiven never to be remembered by Jesus againClick To Tweet
If that is the case, then why are so many still living oppressed and stressed out?
The enemy is constantly clamoring to keep us stressed out. To keep us distracted from experiencing the fullness of Christ.
The desperation
Do you feel like you have been going through some really tough stuff right now?
I believe God is calling us to let go of the world right now. He needs us desperate enough to fully surrender our will and our plans to His. To begin to fully trust His promises He gave us in His word. To rise up and be brave in His strength. To overcome this day because He has overcome the world. He is calling us to lay all of our worries of this broken world at His feet and focus on Him.
He is calling us to lay all of our worries of this broken world at His feet and focus on HimClick To Tweet
I feel like the Lord is allowing us to feel a little shaken so we become desperate for Him again. Because when we let go and trust Him, we become set free from the stresses and bondage of the world.
The good news!
The good news is we have freedom! We have been given the most incredible free gift ever made! We have been given the keys to the kingdom!
In scripture it says Jesus is the key to eternal lifeClick To Tweet
This means if we have accepted Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, we have been given the freedom keys to the kingdom of heaven.
We need Jesus to be our key because of our sin and brokenness. We cannot even enter the presence of God because He is so Holy. We need Jesus’ blood to wash us clean and forgive us to enter into His presence. It is in His presence we find freedom from sin and death. And we have the promise of His word to help us live life in His fullness. And guess what? It is a free gift!
You are a new creation in Christ
When you gave your life to Jesus, you were washed clean from sin and death. You became a new creation in Him. An heir to His throne. This means you don’t need to worry as the rest of the world does.
We have hope for tomorrow! We will spend eternity with Jesus. This life is not all there is. It is but a vapor. His promise in stands true that He will never leave us or forsake us. His promises in His word are for us. They will keep us steady every day if we trust and stand on His word. He is working everything out for His glory for those who love and serve Him.
When you received Christ, the past was gone and you became a new creation in Him (2 cor 5:17).
Have you fully received this freedom before? Are you ready to now?
The keys to the kingdom
As my daughter’s bible teacher described it; picture you have been given the keys to the most fantastic car ever! But you have actually never driven the car, or maybe it’s been parked for a very long time. How could we let this amazing free gift just sorta sit there? Ready for some truth…?
I believe it’s because we have been afraid… and a little too comfortable… until now.
Jesus is calling you for more. He is calling you to live life in His abundance. He is calling you to use your unique gifts that He created you for. As I heard this week; Each person has its own unique viewpoint, own experiences, and own personality that makes you, well… you. And you are needed to reach others with the message of hope using your unique story.
You have the power of the living God flowing in you. It is Him who gives you strength because you believe in Him. You are enough because Christ is enough. You are worthy because He is worthy. No experience or mistakes you have made are wasted when you live for Christ. He uses your story all for His glory (teehee, I rhymed :)) You are being called out for more. He created you for exclusively for this day, this hour, you are needed.
No experience or mistakes you have made are wasted when you live for Christ. He uses your story all for His glory (teehee, I rhymed :)) You are being called out for more. He created you for exclusively for this day, this hour, you are needed.
It is time to lay down your fears and the stress of this world. It is time to lay down your hurts at His feet and turn away from the sin that ensnares you. It is time get a little less comfortable and trust Jesus. It is time to stand firm in the word of God. It is time to grab your freedom keys and go!
HOW?
- Have faith in Jesus. It is your faith in Him that saves you. He alone is worthy. He alone is the only one to give us eternal life and victory over our sin and mistakes. It is time to let go of the past, ask the Lord for the forgiveness of sins you have been carrying with you, and move forward in Him. Trust and live out the promises He gave us in His word. God’s word is God-breathed. What else are you going trust if you don’t believe it to be absolute truth? He wrote it for you.
- Spend time with Him by reading the bible and pray daily. Just like a road map or GPS, the word of God shows us to where we need to go. If all we do is listen to this cranky world, but never open the word of God, we will quickly take the wrong route or crash. We need our GPS for direction to get to our destination. What is our destination? Heaven in eternity with our king while inviting those we encounter to the place of eternal freedom too.
- Spend time in Worship with Christ. We need to stay in a place of worship and thanksgiving no matter what the circumstances are. Scripture says that the power of the living God lives in who believe in Him. That is powerful! So Just like filling up gas at the gas station, we regularly we need to stop and spend time worshiping and listening to the Holy Spirit. That’s, why the church is so important as something powerful, happens when we meet corporately. We experience the power of Christ together. Scripture tells us that iron sharpens iron. Worship builds our faith and fills our tank with the Holy Spirit. We do need to spend time in worship alone as well to grow in our personal relationship with Jesus.
- Be obedient and serve others. You may or may not know what the Lord is calling you to do, but He is calling you to serve in your gifts. Pray about where He wants you to serve. If you see a need that feels interesting to you, try it. The Lord will equip and lead you where you need to be. It takes our eyes off of our stress and circumstances and helps us to grow in our faith. It also brings the truth and freedom to others as well.
- See a counselor or have someone pray with you. Sometimes we need help to know our identity in Christ. A Christian counselor or a person with the gift of prayer who is walking in faith may be able to help you walk through to find freedom in Christ.
Are you ready to take up your cross and follow Him? Are you ready to finally take those freedom keys and go?
Give Him the wheel and trust Him to take you day by day to where you need to be. He knows exactly what you need each step of the way. And while you are on this journey called life. He will give you the strength you need to serve where He is calling you because where you are weak, He is strong.
It is in trusting the word of God to be true, knowing our savior in personal relationship, walking out our faith by serving, and knowing who we are in Christ that we become set free from the stresses of this world. They just sorta… fade away.
He is inviting you to this journey called faith!
He has an amazing journey for you as you follow Him. It can be a bumpy ride at times, but the peace He brings through His word makes the journey all worth it. Welcome to a beautiful adventure free from the fears of tomorrow.
Let’s go together beautiful one….
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