Dear Precious Friends,
On this Magnificent Monday, I pray you are embracing the gift of a new day, and a new week remembering the truth of what Jesus did for us on the cross and what it means in our daily lives.
I love this image.... Our adversary, Satan, seeks to usurp God’s power and thwart God’s purposes in our lives. But the Bible is clear, Satan will not win his war against God. The last word belongs to God, and God alone. Look at this image... we see the darkness that comes from living life without Jesus and staying in darkness... BUT GOD!!!! Look what happens... Jesus came to set us free!!!!
Satan cannot defeat God, for God is all–powerful. And the day will come when Satan and all the demons will be thrown into the place of eternal torment God has prepared for them, a place called the lake of fire. But until then, Satan will do all he can to hurt God by attempting to destroy that which God loves. God loves us so very much He sent Jesus to die for us to pay the price of our sin... he took the death we deserve so we could live with Him forever...
He took every single sin on the cross and our response to Him is to receive this gift and live with gratitude and a life changed and filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control...
Jesus paid the price for us on the cross. We have been redeemed and set free into a spacious and victorious life. He didn’t sacrifice His life for us to remain bound to sin and defeat. Yes, there will be challenges and difficulties in life (that’s a certainty), but we do not go through them as defeated soldiers but as victors in Christ Jesus because THE SAME SPIRIT THAT RAISED CHRIST FROM THE DEAD LIVES IN US!!
My prayer for us is that the Holy Spirit will reveal and illuminate God’s Word to us so that we may live a victorious and fruitful life that brings honor to God as we are transformed into the image of Christ from glory to glory.
The final book of the Bible tells us of a day when Satan will be cast into a lake of fire forever. In that same book we learn that after Satan is vanquished, God will “wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
What a day that will be! We long for it... a day without suffering sorry or death. According to God, not only is it possible, it is certain. From our current vantage point, particularly if the place we’re in is filled with pain, it may be hard to even imagine such a day. But God sees what we cannot see. He has a different vantage point.
Consider this illustration. Tapestry is a form of textile art, where many threads are interlaced or woven on a loom. If you look at a finished tapestry from front side, it may depict a beautiful design or scene. But if you turn the canvas over to the backside, the yarns will often look completely chaotic. It may appear to have no resemblance at all to the image on the front side. The backside can be ugly.
The world we live in can at times resemble the backside of a tapestry, appearing to make no sense at all. And when pain and suffering dominate our view, the world can even seem ugly. But God is weaving a beautiful tapestry. And if you could see the finished image on the other side of God’s design, you would realize that He has a plan, and that the result is something perfect and beautiful. God’s eternal plan is not hidden. He has given us His plan in the Bible. It is a good and perfect plan – one we can be certain of.
The Bible promises that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). God has a plan for us and not even Satan has the power to alter God’s plan. Opposition will almost surely come, but for those who follow God, the Bible says “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Now let's live in this incredible truth and show the world our hope in Him!
Who will join me?
