2 Corinthians 4:8-11 "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.....always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh."
Surely we know, as we watch the activity of the enemy in this earth, as we see all the hate that is spreading in this earth, we know that a day will come when we will be persecuted for our love of our Lord; for our devotion for Him. Are you ready for this? Can you stand under the pressure today that coworkers, friends, neighbors put on you for being a Christian. Are you a Christian in name only or are you truly in Christ, in Him? If you are truly seeking to be in the Lord, be one of His own, and you are having a difficult time standing for Him in this day, you will never stand when real persecution comes; when sufferings of beatings, true persecution even to death comes. Is this you? If so, take a walk with me.
Walk with me back to the cross; that naked timbered cross, rough, splintery cross that was a beautiful miracle of our Lord Jesus. We are standing before the cross now. See on the one side, hear the thief blaspheming our Lord; now, look on the other side. The thief with the tears of recognition in his eyes, knowing he is deserving of death, but the Lord was not. Hear him ask to be remembered when the Lord comes into His kingdom? Now look at the cross in the middle. Look closely at this cross......if we have committed our lives to Jesus, to our Lord alone, we are hanging on that cross also.
We have given our all to follow Jesus, we have asked Jesus into our hearts and given Him the keys to each door there, for His cleansing, His deliverance of all that is not of Him. We have received the freedom to live in Him, and ask Him to live through us; in us. If you cannot see yourself hanging on that cross with our Savior, then you need to stay at the foot of the cross and ask the Lord to search your heart and expose what is there that is keeping you from being crucified with Him; ask Him to show you the way, the answer, the miracle of the cross.
The miracle of the cross.....this beautiful miracle; the act in which our Savior bore all our sins, all our infirmities; taking upon Himself ever evil act we ever did, every evil thought that would ever enter our mind, all sin then, now and in the future, He bore it all. He gave all so we could have this beautiful relationship with the Father; so we could be free to live in Him, live beautiful, peaceful lives in Him. It is this miracle, this beautiful act of love that will sustain us when persecutions come. It is His strength and His peace that will allow us to stand and proclaim that we are His; it is His joy that will let us look beyond what is being done to us and see that cross, and know that no matter what happens, we can see the end result of all persecution.....eternal life in Him, in Glory.
We are not our own after we are crucified to self, when we have gone to the cross and the Lord has performed this miracle in us; dying to self, living in Him. Old things are gone, the old wine skin has been replaced with a new wine skin that will stretch and conform to the sweet, pure wine of the Spirit that will flow through us. We take on the beauty of the Lord, our contenance will reflect His, and our hearts will be yielded to His will in our lives.
As you stand at the foot of the cross, searching your hearts, seeking the Lord for His touch, His precious touch on your life, to make that difference, give all to Him, all that is within you, surrender to Him. Let Him give you life in Him. It is the only way you will be able to stand in the days to come. If you are afraid, go back to the foot of the cross; if you have doubts of whether you are saved, go back to the foot of the cross. Go there and remember what happened that day, see on that cross, the Lamb of God, the Sacrifice given for our sin; remembr the resurrected Savior that reigns on High, constantly, daily pouring out His mercy and grace upon us, cleansing us each day of all unrighteousness, so we may be made one with the Father. Think on these things; search His Word, the answers are all there.
In Christ, we will not be crushed, we will not be forsaken, we will not be destroyed....We will live, we will win the battle, we will win the war. We will reign with Him on High.
Father, when we feel dismayed, when we struggle, take us, Lord, back to the foot of the cross, for a time of reflection, let us always remember the sacrifice of our Jesus; let us know that this precious miracle, the cleansing of sin from our lives, was for always. No turning back; no turning back. I have decided to follow Jesus...who will go with me.....who will go with me....
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