This year, as a church family, we have been reading through the New Testament together! It's been such a joy, and I hope that you're reading along with us! Getting God's Word inside of us is a vital part of flourishing. Aligning our thoughts with the Word of God is one of the first steps toward renewing our minds. Why do our minds need constant renewal? Because our minds are constantly bombarded with the things of this world and the "lies" of the enemy. These things can be harmful, unhelpful, and even detrimental to our spiritual flourishing. We can absorb content through our eyes and ears, intentionally or unintentionally. We must guard what we allow into our "gates." This is something that I have had to learn over time - to be cautious of what I allow into my mind, by being around people, listening to something, or watching certain things.
Everyday we are in a state of complete dependance upon God to renew our minds and that starts with getting God's Word inside of us! God's Holy Word can fill us with His truth, His will, and His ways and can refute the "lies" that we so easily believe, as well as push out the junk that we have allowed to fill our minds. We need God's cleansing power - the Word of God! Ephesians 5:26 tells us that He can "...sanctify and cleanse her [the church] with the washing of water by the Word..." The Word of God has washing and cleansing power that we need to pour over our minds to allow Him to renew and refresh us. Just by simply reading God's Word, something supernatural is taking place, because the Bible is unlike any other book. The Bible is God-breathed and divinely inspired. It's His love letter to us, His special message to a lost and dying world. It's a supernatural, living, and powerful "Sword" that can cut strait to the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
"For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than
any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit,
and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart."
A few weeks back, we read 1 Corinthians chapter 1, and verse 18 really spoke to me. The Apostle Paul is writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to the Church at Corinth. He is reminding them of the power of the cross of Jesus Christ, and how it seems foolish and ridiculous to those who do not believe. But to us that believe, the cross of Jesus is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
What makes the cross of Jesus powerful? A cross at the time of the Roman empire, was a symbol of death, torture, misery, and a way to inflict pain on Rome's worst criminals or enemies. It would be similar to a guillotine or an electric chair. Before Jesus died, the cross was a symbol of the worst kind of pain and suffering a human could endure. Instead of the cross defeating Jesus, Jesus used the cross to defeat the evil forces of darkness, death, and hell. Jesus' blood was poured out, paying for our sins in full on the cross. The sin debt that we owed was wiped out, and our charges of guilt were nailed to the cross. And Jesus didn't stay dead, He rose again on the third day.
Colossians 2:13-15
"And you, being dead in your trespasses... He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it."
Jesus changes everything- even the very instrument used to cause His death, a cross. The symbol of the cross has been changed because of Jesus' power over death, and His resurrection. Jesus' life wasn't taken from Him. He willingly laid down His life on the cross for us, submitting to God's divine plan, to take away the sins of the world. This was a painful submission; the torture, suffering, and mockery, that Jesus endured at the hands of the Roman soldiers was among the most painful ways to die in human history. Before Jesus died, He told His disciples that He would willingly lay down His life, and that He would rise again. At the time, they didn't understand.
John 10:17b-18
“...I lay down My life that I may take it again.
No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.
I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
Only Jesus can take a cross, an instrument of cruelty and torture, and turn it into an iconic symbol for the ages of hope, life, power, and freedom. Since the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the cross has become something we cherish. It's a representation of our faith, our hope, our future, and eternal life in heaven because of Christ. Because of the cross, we can truly believe that the best is yet to come. No matter what this world throws at us, we can look to the cross and know that our future has been secured by our Savior who willingly laid down His life for us. For those of us who have put our faith in Jesus, the cross is the power of God!
Prayer Tip #9: Flourish Through the Power of the Cross.
The Gospel message is a paradox: The cross now equals power; Jesus' brutal death now equals life; weakness equals God's strength; instead of pain and suffering, the cross is a symbol of hope and redemption. The enemy thought he had won at the cross, but God flipped the script and provided a way for us to know Him, and the power of His resurrection!
For those who do not believe in Jesus, the cross doesn't make sense. It's confusing, and "foolish." They cannot understand unless the Holy Spirit illuminates their minds to see the beauty of the cross and the power that it holds. (1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 4:4)
When you're feeling hopeless, look to the cross of Jesus. When you're discouraged, look to the cross. When you sin, look to the cross and remember that your sins have been paid in full by Jesus. When you think that nothing will change, look to the cross. When you don't feel forgiven, look to the cross. Remember that Jesus changes everything, and If He can change the symbol of the "cross" for all of human history, He can change your situation too. He can bring beauty from ashes. He can make something beautiful come out of the worst of situations. He can take a hopeless story, and fill it to the brim with life. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the One who endured the cross for you.
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Prayer Points:
Jesus, help me to flourish through the power of the cross in my everyday life.
Lord, I praise You that You took my place on the cross, and endured that pain for me.
Jesus, only You could transform the cross from a symbol of death and pain, into a symbol of hope, love, life and freedom!
God, help me to look to the cross when I am feeling defeated, discouraged, hopeless, and helpless.
Lord, help me to believe the truth that my sin debt was paid in full on the cross, when you poured out Your precious blood for me. I am fully forgiven.
Personal Prayer:
Father God,
I am so overwhelmed by the beauty and power of the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus, I praise You for taking my place on the cross, and for willingly laying down Your life for me. I am in awe of Your transforming power, Jesus. I thank You for what the cross now represents to me: hope, life, freedom and the power of God. Thank You for paying for all my sins, and redeeming me with Your precious blood. I praise You that I am forgiven and redeemed.
I pray all this in the victorious and conquering Name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
In Christ,
Michelle Staubs
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