In Fellowship discussion

"Standing Up For Righteousness"

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:10-12).

Remember that it is never you that others are persecuting, but rather Christ in you. Your destiny is too great to be distracted by people who are not supportive of you. Shake it off, run your race, and be an overcomer with forgiveness. Bless those who curse you; pray for those who spitefully use you; and God will honour you!

If a person truly understands the message of the cross, then he understands grace. Jesus did not just make a token sacrifice for us. He paid it all. Jesus’ finished work on the cross did not just secure you a place in heaven, it also delivered you from darkness into light, and qualified you to enjoy God’s goodness. Hence, there is no sacrifice that we can make that will add to or replace the sacrifice of Christ.

Luke 2:40 says that the grace of God was on Jesus. The Bible also says that where sin abounds, grace abounds much more (Rom. 5:20); and when you put the two together, you may find yourself asking, if the grace of God was on Jesus, does it mean that He sinned?

Let me declare that Jesus did not sin (2 Cor. 5:21). Therefore, there must be another explanation as to why God’s grace was on Jesus. There must be another explanation as to why someone can abound in God’s grace even when they have not sinned. Looking at the word ‘grace’, it is first mentioned in Gen. 6:8: “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”. Noah’s name means ‘rest’. In other words, rest found grace; or when you rest, you find grace!

Grace was on Jesus because His life was a life of rest and trust in His Father. He said “The Son can do nothing of Himself. He can do only what He sees His Father doing” (John 5:19). Likewise, grace comes on you when you rest and trust God! Jesus can and will do a perfect work of taking care of anything for you! Live a life of rest. Have this attitude and tell the Lord, ‘I can do nothing of myself. I just rest in You Lord and I trust You’.

What you will see and experience is the grace of God on you in every situation of your life!

Satan has always used an ungodly anxiety or dread to harass godly people. As a born-again believer you should have no panic or scare towards God unless you are planning to renounce your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. We have a covenant that guarantees us acceptance with God (Eph. 1:6), as long as we hold fast to our profession of faith in the atoning blood of Christ Jesus. For an unbeliever, the fear of the Lord is a great deterrent from sin. However, for those of us who have received the grace of God, it is His goodness that causes us to fear Him and depart from sin.

Come and worship Him as you are. Come into God’s presence being Jesus-conscious, forgiveness-conscious and grace-conscious! Come into God’s presence bringing only Jesus the spotless Lamb of God as your offering.

Why not take time out for love breaks, being time you set aside and take to enjoy and feed on the love of Jesus for you. Do this by finding a quiet spot and feeding on the love of Jesus by taking a moment to talk to Him. Say to Him, ‘Thank You, Jesus, for loving me. Nothing is going to happen to me that You do not already know about. Jesus, when I could not save myself, You died for me. You gave up Your life for me. What else will You not do for me!’

Today, you are a priest to God (Rev. 1:6) and Jesus is our High Priest. Spend time feeding on the love of Jesus for you, and see yourself nourished, strengthened and sustained by His love. He enjoys loving us and is also “nourished” by His love for us. As you feed on Jesus’ love for you, see Him loving you at the cross, with His outstretched arms. This picture in your mind will remind and reassure you of how much He loves you! When life around you is not going well, do not allow the devil to say to you, ‘If God loves you, how come these things are happening to you?’ but rather interpret God’s love for you based on the cross, and not on your present circumstances.

During the day, while you are hard at work, when demands are placed on your time, when obstacles set in or when discouragement comes, just stop everything you are doing and take a love break with Jesus! Let Jesus love you. Let yourself enjoy being loved by Him. Lean on His bosom, abide in His love and be nourished by His love for you!

When Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 14:27, He did not use the English word ‘peace’, but rather the Hebrew word ‘shalom’ as associated with His native tongue, saying, “Shalom I leave with you, My shalom I give to you…”. The disciples must have been excited when they heard that Jesus was leaving them His shalom. They must have known that to receive His shalom was to have His health because they had never seen Him sick. To have His shalom also meant never being in lack because He was never broke. The disciples also understood that having Jesus’ shalom meant having His abundance because they had seen Him meeting the needs of thousands.

Jesus wanted His disciples to know that His peace was different from the peace that the world offers. His peace would change whatever trying circumstances affected them. This same peace, Jesus has given to you. Therefore, believe that His shalom which He has left with you will change all your difficult situations, bringing you from sickness, lack and mental anguish to health, prosperity and total wellness!

When you forgive, forgive by faith, not by your feelings. We walk by faith, not feelings (2 Cor. 5:7). You cannot wait to forgive someone who hurt you until you feel warm and loving toward that person. That ‘right emotion’ may never come! You have to forgive while you are still hurting, when forgiving is the last thing you feel like doing. Forgive by faith, and do it once and for all. Spend time in prayer, saying “Father, I bring this person before you. You know what he or she did to me. Father, as You forgave me through Jesus’ cross, even though I did not deserve it, by faith, I now forgive this person and I let my anger against him go in Jesus’ name. Amen!”

By forgiving that person you are placing yourself in the ‘God league’. You are placing yourself squarely on the road that is ‘narrow’ but leads to the way of life (Matt. 7:14). You are placing yourself on the road that Jesus Himself travelled on. Do not forget that one of the last things He did was forgive someone who did not deserve forgiveness, and He did it while hanging on a cross and being crucified (Luke 23:43). Once you forgive by faith, you will see the sting of bitterness removed from your heart. You will experience the peace and joy of God filling your mind, and see a greater measure of wholeness in your body!

David wrote: "Remember that it is never you that others are persecuting, but rather Christ in you. Your destiny is too great to be distracted by people who are not supportive of you. Shake it off, run your race,..."

Amen

The passage in 1 Samuel 5 explicitly illustrates the power of God’s Word. Neither Satan, nor any of his demons can stand before it. Only the stump of what the devil was is left to remind us of our vanquished foe. He has already been conquered! Jesus used God’s Word to defeat the devil in the wilderness (Matt. 4:4-10; Luke 4:4-12). Anything Christ said would have been Scripture, since He is God. Yet He quoted the same written Word that we have, because He could not come up with anything more powerful.

God’s Word is powerful! The written Word of God that we have is infinitely more powerful than most of us realise. We have that same power that made Dagon fall prostrate before the Ark; there is no substitute for the written Word of God. God tells us that we will find life and health if we give our attention to His Word and keep it in the midst of our hearts. Put God’s Word inside you today, and watch your problems bow down!