Scripture: Romans 8 v 10 - 11:
"And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because
of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But the Spirit of Him
that raised up Jesus from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His
Spirit that dwelleth in you."
The stresses and cares of this world weigh us down with
worry and fear for the unpredictable direction of governments, economy,
climate, career, education, image, status, health, fame and crime
statistics. Would it surprise you to
know that every one of these factors is affected by sin or righteousness?
The people who have submitted their all to Jesus and
committed their lives to following the teachings of the Holy Bible are able to
live a life without fear, care, stress and worry. We know the peace of the Lord that passes all
understanding. In the midst of chaos we have peace of heart and mind because
the Prince of Peace is alive in our hearts.
The Holy Spirit Who raised Jesus from death to life, also
raised the prophets, kings and men of renown who believed in His coming, to
life at the same time. (Matthew 27 v 50-54). They were visible, recognisable
and walking around in Jerusalem at the same time that Mary Magdalene saw Jesus
alive in the Garden after His resurrection.
Jesus said to her, Don't touch Me, Mary, for I have not yet ascended to
My Father.
He had to lead captivity (the souls now made alive by His
death and resurrection) who had been waiting in Paradise, a compartment of
Hell, for this day. This place was also called Abraham's Bosom, where Lazarus
had his conversation with the rich man who was in hell. Jesus led them out of
Paradise, where they manifested in flesh bodies in this realm before going into
Heaven.
So the last person to go into Paradise before Jesus would
have been the thief on the cross next to Him. Jesus told him, This day you will
be with Me in Paradise. I can only imagine the scenes in Paradise when this
forgiven thief arrived there proclaiming, Get ready your King is coming right
behind me!
That same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, and all
those dead people, dwells in you if you are born again. The power He can
release within you should rejuvenate every cell in your body constantly. If you have faith, boldness and courage,
there is nothing you cannot do.
The Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth
is in you to bring you LIFE.
Spiritually, mentally, physically you should feel alive. Do you possess
the mind of Christ? What are you using it for? He wants the very best, sin-free
life that rejoices in His presence, for you.
Moses at 80 and 120 years old was still full of vigour
and strength. The Holy Spirit strengthened him to lead the Israelites to the
Promised Land. Samson knew extraordinary strength because of his faith. King
David slew many thousands of Philistines who wanted to bring their pagan
influence on Israel. Today they are called Palestinians and Israel is still
protected by the Holy Spirit.
The same Spirit dwells in you to protect you, feed you
with manna, give you water from the Rock, heal your diseases, deliver you from
demons and the consequences of sin if you repent. In Revelations it speaks of
an exact number of people who will be martyred for faith in Jesus.
Like Stephen in Acts who was the first of those killed by
the Pharisees; the Christians martyred in the Colisseum of Rome for sport; the
68 million who died in the Spanish Inquisition at the behest of the Pope; those
who died for opposing the Roman Catholic Church since then - known as the
Reformers. In this present day Boko Haram and ISIS, North Korea and other
Communist nations are adding daily to the
numbers whose blood cries from the Earth for justice.
But whether we live or die Jesus is always with us. His
life is in us. He is the way, the truth and the life. Heaven, Father God,
Jesus, the Holy Spirit equal an absence of eternal death, fear, sin, sickness,
poverty, ignorance, worry and loss. So come out of dead religion, dead
churches, dead traditions, dead lifestyles, dead habits, and walk in newness of
life with Jesus. I tried it over 40 years ago and have never regretted a day of
it. What a mind-blowing adventure it has been.