DOWN BUT NOT OUT

Before you were a Christian, when something sad or bad happened to you, you cried until you had no more tears left. Your heart simply broke into pieces, and you felt trapped, depressed and totally defeated.

But after having become a Christian, when something bad happens to you, you may still cry, but you feel comforted inside. You are sad outwardly, but your heart isn’t heavy. You don’t understand why, but deep down inside you, there is something lifting you up. That something buoyant, which is rising from the inside of you, is the life of Christ in you!

You cannot be completely distressed because Christ in you is the Prince of Peace (see Isaiah 9:6) who says to you, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

Yes, it may be a bad situation and you are in a tight spot, but Christ in you is the way, the truth and the life (see John 14:6), and He says to you, “It will all be all right. I will provide a way out for you.”

You know you are not defeated because Christ in you is your victory (see 1 Corinthians 15:57) and He says to you, “You are not fighting for victory, but fighting from victory because you already have the victory in Me.”

Before you knew Christ, when you were down, you were out. But now, when you are down, you are not out because Christ in you is the hope of glory (see Colossians 1:27). “Hope” in the Bible means a definite, positive expectation of good.

So Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of a glorious marriage! Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of a glorious family! Christ in you is the definite positive expectation of glorious health! Christ in you is the definite positive expectation of a glorious life!

My friend, Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of all the glories of God revealed to you. No bad circumstance that you are in can or will ever cause you to be destroyed or forsaken by God!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries used with kind permission).

BRING JESUS INTO THE PICTURE

So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.  Exodus 15:25

Jesus makes everything beautiful in your life. I want to encourage you to see Him in the midst of everything that you do and learn to bring Him into the picture. When you look at your past, the scars of yesterday may still be throbbing in your memories. Perhaps you were emotionally hurt by someone you trusted. Perhaps you grew up in a dysfunctional family. As you look back now, you may still feel angry, frustrated, and disappointed all at the same time, and the hurt still pierces your heart. But in the midst of your pain, start involving Jesus. See the Lord holding you, gently healing your wounds. Jesus is right there restoring you, putting courage into your heart and taking away all the sense of shame and guilt.

Beloved, He wants you to know that your past will not determine the future that He has for you. Once you involve the Lord and put Him into your bitter waters, He will turn the bitterness into sweetness. That is what the Lord did for the children of Israel. When they came to a place called Marah, they could not drink its waters because they were bitter. Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree, which Moses cast into the waters. When he did that, the Bible says that “the waters were made sweet.”

Why did the foul-tasting, undrinkable waters become refreshing and sweet? The answer lies in the tree that was cast in. The tree is a picture of the cross on which our Lord Jesus hung, bearing every broken heart and every sting of betrayal. When you bring Jesus into your situation, He can cause every bitter experience to become sweet! Talk to Him and allow His presence to restore you to wholeness today!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries used with kind permission).