Christianity ❤️
12th December 2018
Hello brethren. I greet you in the name of Jesus. This is a special message for y’all, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. It is all about Christianity.
I bet you can all testify that nowadays it is complicated to be a good Christian… It has always been but let’s be honest; as time passes by, it becomes harder. You have to pay the price, to let go.
It implies to be out of the odds, to have what the world calls “old school mentality” (the mind of Christ), to say ‘no’ to your will, to resist the desires of the flesh, to take a completely different path, to change your habits, your preferences. You have to be vigilant, cautious, wise, patient, humble, obedient, honest and kind regardless of your feelings. You have to love your enemies…
Everyday, you wake up willing to become a better person and to be faithful to your God, but who said it was going to be easy? You start the day with a smile and end it in tears. You fall into the traps of the devil. Gossip, lies… defeat after defeat. The fight is not easy but you keep on pushing as hard as you can. The burden becomes heavier, guilt and deception start then knocking on your door…
In addition to this, you’re most often subjected to all kinds of judgements. When you act christianly, they say you pretend. When you cool down and start speaking less frequently of God, they say you backslid. When you cut connections with bad company, they say you despise them unfairly. When you hang out with them, they say you’re still the same and that your salvation was vain (1 Corinthians 15:33).
You face lots of obstacles in your journey. The world tries to stop you, temptation pressures you, you start losing friends and followers. You’re getting less and less likes on your posts. It becomes evident that your life is different and the world does not validate your kind of “different”. Thus you feel rejected, opposed (John 16:33).
You’re tired of this, you’re wondering WHEEEENN Jesus will come back! You’re hurt, you’re desperate. You feel like you can’t take it any longer. You want to give up. You want to scream and shut some doors. You want to cut off with bad connections but you don’t have the power to let go. You want to be bold in Christ but you don’t want to be rejected by your surrounding.
You want to start a new chapter but your past keeps calling you back. You want to move forward but you’re looking behind, in the wrong direction. You are tripping, turning around and around, kept in deception cycles, rejection cycles, failure cycles, sadness cycles, disappointment cycles…
You want to stop that process. You want to stop thinking about your past but your surrounding keeps reminding you of who you used to be. You want to grow and dive in the deepest of Christ but mocking voices keep telling you you can’t.
Cycles 🔁
Cycles 🔃
Cycles 🔄…
You’re stuck… You’re 100% sure you DON’T want to regress but you can’t move forward. You don’t know the behavior to adopt… You want to say ‘no’ but “mocking voices”… Jesus is telling you to follow Him but “mocking voices 🗣”, “cycles 🔄”…
You want godly friendships, brand new relationships but you’re having trouble letting go the old self. You feel unworthy… You’re lost… You don’t know what to do, how to pray…
Beloved, if this is your feeling right now, I am here to tell you not to panic.
I STRONGLY believe Jesus is the solution to all your life issues. This Man knows everything, every situation. He is the answer to all your queries.
Indeed, Jesus knows how it feels like to be rejected by the world and so He can help you overcome this. Throughout His life, we could identify mocking voices, criticism, judgements, hatred and rejection.
Despite the fact that He spoke the truth, mocking voices would always discourage Him. Inspite of the fact that He brought good news to the people of Israel, they would say He was out of His mind (Mark 3:21).
He would exhort! teach! preach! plead! but “Mocking Voices”. He would fast, pray or simply share a meal with sinners but “Judgements”. He would walk in righteousness and fulfill His ministry but “criticism”. He was kind though hurt. He loved although He was hated. He came to save but was fiercely killed. He tried His best…
He had so many reasons to give up, so many reasons to quit. A lot of voices discouraged Him. He was insulted, humiliated, offended for no reason. He was chased away, His presence was undesirable…
“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”
~ John 1:11 NKJV
Is there a rejection bigger than the one He endured ? No, and neither is there a love greater than His (John 15:13). Oh Emmanuel, He who loves inspite of the hatred. He had so many reasons to quit but He did not give up.
Jesus has not been stopped by the words of people.
Not because He was deaf.
Not because He was careless.
Not because He was heartless.
But simply because *HE KNEW HIS IDENTITY* ever since He was a kid.
“So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?””
~ Luke 2:48-49 NKJV
He knew He was the Son of God. He knew He had been sent on earth by YHWH. He knew He had to fulfill His mission “no matter what”. He knew what was His destiny, what was His life’s motive. He focused on who He was, on His purpose and that’s how He was able to accomplish His task. Because He knew His identity, He won the victory.
People did wrong to Him but He did not pay attention. People spoke lies on Him but He did not listen. People hurt Him but He did not back off. Yet He was tender, He was human; even though He was also God at 100% (John 1:1, 14); He could feel the pain but He did not make room for it. He did not make room for insecurities, for discouragement, for lies, for depression. He did not let His emotions rule His heart, He was led by the Truth, motivated by His mission, i.e “Salvation”.
Him being able to overcome the negative feedback of people did not require any Godly miracle or super power. It only required some faith and self-consciousness of His identity.
The life of Jesus teaches us a lot. It teaches us not to give up no matter the situation or circumstance. Despite the rejection, He kept on pushing. The Bible shows us that He continued to preach the gospel even when He knew He was about to die (Luke 18:31-33, Luke 19:47). He went on working for the good of the people despite the opposition because He ‘knew’ His identity.
God calls us to be like Jesus, to follow His path, to imitate Him (Romans 8:29). It does not just mean to be humble, obedient and loving. Being like Jesus also means knowing YOUR IDENTITY and focusing on YOUR CALLING no matter what people think or say. It means to guard your heart, your eyes, your ears, your life as a whole from all that can stop you. It means to refuse to listen to mocking voices, judgements, curses, criticism and to focus on your purpose.
Today, Jesus tells you not to give up! Don’t let people stop you! Don’t let words stop you. Don’t let nasty comments smash you down. Don’t let criticism wreck you. Don’t let your eyes convince you that it is over.
No one could have imagined, while watching Jesus at the cross, that He would rise from the dead and reign forever more. Don’t let your current situation condemn you! Don’t let today’s storm impede you to see tomorrow’s sunshine.
Instead, know your identity! Jesus gave you everything you needed. The Bible is clear about this. In Romans 8:17, it is written : “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…”
You are co-heir with Christ. He made you that privilege. By His blood, you who once were far away have been brought near (Ephesians 2:13).
By His blood, Jesus gave you an identity similar to His :
⁃ He is the child of God; so Are You!
⁃ He had a purpose, a mission on earth; so Do You!
“So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.””
~ John 20:21 NKJV
And the verse (Romans 8:17) continues by saying “…, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory”.
Ephesians 2:16 says “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus…”
If Jesus did not give up, you have no reason to give up. At the cross, He said IT IS FINISHED! He paved the way for you. All you have to do is to focus on your identity and move forward. God is with you, never will He leave you; never will He forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).
And whenever you feel like giving up, ask yourself what would have happened if Christ had given up on us.
Be strong.
May the Holy Spirit empower you !
Amen.
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