Why Jesus

 

Jesus Discovered

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4.15 NASB).

Jesus truly understands us because He has experienced the sin of the world. He took all of humanity’s sin, illness, pain and weakness, exchanging it for His holiness and perfection. We don’t have to fear our God not understanding us. The Bible says Jesus “has been tempted in all things as we are.” We can come to Jesus in prayer with our struggles and temptations, knowing that He has already overcome every trouble that the world throws our way. Even though we are weak, He is strong. We must claim defeat in our own strength, relying solely on the resurrection power of Jesus Christ in our lives. Jesus has already overcome our every battle. We simply need to rejoice in our victory by faith. It’s not about what we need to do. It’s about what Jesus has already done for us. We can walk victoriously in each area of our lives because the grace of Jesus Christ extends to the places and situations where we have need.

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16.33 NIV).

 

Contemplative Questions

1. Are you struggling with something that you think Jesus either can’t handle or doesn’t care about?
2. What temptations should you avoid because you don’t have the strength to overcome them?
3. Jesus only wants to correct you, not condemn you. Will you open yourself up to His correcting hand, so he can restore, heal and protect you?

 

Faith Recovered

 “The essence of temptation is the invitation to live independently of God.” – Neil T. Anderson

When we stop relying on God, we take ourselves out from under God’s shade of protection. God is moving in the perfect pattern for our best life, and we must lean on Him every day in order to stay aligned with His will and under His protection. When we stop relying on Him, we will begin to go places we don’t have the grace for and do things that will leave us exhausted. No matter how good our actions look on the outside, if they are not submitted to the Holy Spirit, we will never have His abundance and ease in that area. Temptation begins when we stop seeking God. An easy way to guard against temptation is to go to Him every day – even when we feel rushed or we feel we don’t need to spend that time with Him. Making God our lifestyle will ensure that we stay in the peace and prosperity of His protection.

Meditation Moment

Imagine that God’s best way is like railroad tracks lining the length of your life. You might have enough fuel to leave those tracks for a while, but eventually you’ll get lost and run out of power. If you get rooted to Him every day, His unceasing energy will take you everywhere you need to go with unlimited peace and stamina. Make sure to connect with Him each day, but if you get off track, go quickly back to the source.

 

Holy Spirit Uncovered

 “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53.6 NIV).

People like to categorize sin from least to greatest, but the ultimate sin is our desire to walk our own way, which is pride. Pride prevents us from coming to God and submitting to Him. The truth is, though, that we are nothing without God. He created us and gives us His value and purpose. If we knew the great and wonderful things that He had in store for us, we would realize that our meager offerings look like nothing compared to His. God gives us His Spirit in our imperfect state and in a corrupt world. This is the mystery of grace. This is the undeserved gift of friendship with God. The Holy Spirit came at a high price – the death of Jesus – and walking away from such a prize is a travesty. Let us not think ourselves higher than God. Let us listen and obey the Holy Spirit. His ways are always perfect.

Professing Prayer

“Holy Spirit, I know how easy it is to go my own way. I understand that it starts with little compromises until I finally see how much off track I’ve gotten. Expose areas in my life that are not submitted to You. Let me quickly repent and bring those areas back under your authority.”

 

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