Growing up I don’t remember being taught about Jesus’ sacrifice. As I read the Bible more, I remember little blips I learned in Sunday school about Jesus dying on the cross, but I don’t ever recall learning why. As I grew up I suffered a lot. Tragedy after tragedy, and I cried out to God only partly believing He was there, and I remember asking Him time and again why He would make me suffer so much. I didn’t understand why anyone would want to love let alone believe in a God who could leave me like that. Luke 24:46-47 was an eye-opening passage that has been a huge encouragement and has brought immense renewal to my life.
and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
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When I learned why Jesus died I’d not only been hurt, but I’d hurt a lot of people by that time and begun living life as if there was no God. I was fighting an inward turmoil of knowing what I was doing was not right but not really knowing why.
How did Luke 24:46-47 encourage me?
Everyone in my life at the time encouraged me to live in the way I knew in my soul was wrong, but I couldn’t understand the feeling. I remember being drawn to the Bible after several years of being forcibly kept from it. I went to the local bookstore and several times I went through the Christian section. I’d literally walked through it like I was just passing through.
A half dozen times later I finally built up the courage to look at the many Bibles available. Eventually, I picked out an ESV Thinline Bible with a brown and blue cover, small and discreet, I thought. ESV was basic and easy to ready. I then spent every night secretly reading it when I was alone. I don’t think I told anyone I had it for quite a while.
“What?” I remember being dumbfounded and enthralled by scripture. It humbled me so much that I cried. I finally understood that I wasn’t crazy, I wasn’t alone, and I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. I finally understood that the way I was encouraged to live was wrong. Finally, I learned that I had a choice and an ally to do what was right.
What did Luke 24:46-47 teach me about renewal?
I learned that I could be forgiven because Jesus died for me. Jesus died so I could escape the consuming darkness. He died and rose to set me free. And not just me, ALL people, all nations, all of creation.
Jesus died and rose again three days later. Christ did this to defeat the darkness we are trapped and enslaved to before we come to know, believe and accept Him. Before I learned the truth I was in darkness. When I picked up scripture and sought out the Truth I found more than I could have ever imagined. I found freedom, forgiveness, love, and light. I found my Savior, and you can too.
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Will I suffer once I’m saved?
Choosing Christ is a daily, moment-by-moment choice. Allowing Him to be our strength, our light, our guide – allowing Him to be our Savior every single day, living as though we’ve been saved, is really challenging.
The suffering didn’t all just fade away, but ever since I accepted Christ He has flooded me with light from the inside, He chased away the darkness of depression, anxiety, and healed me from the many years of abuse. He forgave me and released me from the power of sin and darkness over me, and as I continue to choose Him He continues to strengthen me against it. Life goes on, and I am stronger through it with my Savior.
Choose Christ today. Let His light fill up all the dark spaces. Accept the salvation He died and rose to give you, and let Him be your strength through the ups and downs of life ahead. Believe in Christ, His works on the cross, and resurrection from the dead for your sake and enter into His family today, forgiven and redeemed.
Dear Lord, I pray that you enter my heart today and forgive me of all my sins against You. Against You alone have I sinned, and I pray you will wash me clean of all unrighteousness. Forgive me, heal me, and strengthen me against the darkness I face every day. Today I choose to believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him as my Savior. I believe He died on the cross and rose again three days later to defeat the power of sin so that I may be forgiven and come into a relationship with You, God. I pray, Jesus, that You save me from the penalty of my sins, forgive me, and redeem me. Help me to live in a way that brings You honor and glory, giving praises to Your name always. Thank you, Lord for this incredible gift. Amen.
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For over 20 years I cried out to God not knowing if He was there, if He was real, or if He cared. I struggled to believe there could be a God who could let me go through the pain I was in. Now I can look back and see what He was doing all along.
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Jesus says “in me you may have peace”. He also tells us throughout scripture to not fear, that He is with us, that He loves us – not only did He say it, but He also showed it in sacrificing Himself for all our sake’s.
Jesus knew the world was a sinful broken place full of sinful broken people, just like you, me, and those who have hurt you. Yet, Jesus went to the cross and died for all of us anyway. He overcame the world, He took on the penalty – He defeated sin.
How does John 16:33 renew our spirits in times of suffering?
We are sinful people. Even so, we are called into the family of an Almighty God who loves us so much He gave His only Son to die on the cross. He did this so that we may accept Him in faith and be reconciled to our Heavenly Father. Now we may be saved through Him and have peace with God, who will guide us through this darkness.
All that we have is a gift from God and should be used in service for His great commission, out of love and gratitude to Him who redeemed us through the blood of His Son. Today, choose to be content with whatever you are facing.
Choose to rest in the peace that only the Lord can provide. See all that you have (or don’t have) as a blessed gift. Turn a grateful heart to Heaven and focus your attention and devotion on Him and away from the unsatisfying things of this world that will soon pass away. Give your heart to the Eternal One, who is love, who is all-powerful – who is the One True God of all creation who has overcome the world through His great sacrifice for our sakes.
Temptation. It’s a word that triggers differently for each person, yet the same for so many of us. We’re not alone in our experiences fighting temptation, nor are we alone in failing to resist it. All of us, every one of us, struggles with temptation. Mark 14:38 tells us clearly how to fight temptation and seek renewal.
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
The thing about temptation is that Satan knows what you struggle with and will exploit it, and he also knows that we so often rely on our own fleshly strength to resist it, which means we fail to resist an awful lot. Only when we trust the spirit God has given us, His Spirit He has filled us with, to fight these temptations and give us His strength can we do so.
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We must remain watchful of Satan’s schemes, and pray for God to fill us again and again with all we lack on our own to fight against temptation. Through this watching and praying we grow closer to Him, stronger against sin, and deeper in our faith. Keep watching, keep praying, keep trusting His Spirit to resist the temptations that lure you into sin.
Matthew 16:24 provides necessary instruction from Jesus that came right after Peter rebuked Jesus when He told the disciples about his upcoming death and resurrection. Jesus answered Peter in v. 23 ‘“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”’
Jesus told Peter that he was a hindrance to Him because Peter was focusing on earthly things versus Heavenly things. He was in the way because he was focused on the wrong things.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
How many times have you rebuked God for something you felt He had done wrong?
Maybe you have felt like He placed you in an unfair situation, led you to the wrong friends, the wrong spouse, the wrong place, the wrong timing, the short end of the stick.
You’ve maybe been tempted to cling to your own desires and plans instead of seeking His.
You might have put yourself before God, family, friends, strangers, or the needy.
Maybe you have sought what you wanted, only willing to make sacrifices for your own gains.
How does Matthew 16:24 teach us to react when life feels out of control?
Peter and the other disciples were told God’s plan. Instead of Peter accepting that it was God’s will he sought to take matters into his own hands as if he, a human being like you and I, could stop the plans of the Almighty God. Jesus then went on to teach them that to follow Jesus means to deny yourself, sacrifice your desires, carry the weight of your cross. It means to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and be willing to lay down your life for God’s will as Jesus was and Jesus did.
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To follow Christ, we must be willing to sacrifice all that we have to serve and follow our Savior. He must come first, and our hearts and minds must stay focused on things of God. Don’t let the troubles, temptations, and things of this world hold you captive and prevent you from following His will for your life and sharing His Truth with the world. Surrender it all to Him, and follow Him willingly, denying yourself, and you will find yourself in following Christ.
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Sometimes when I make a mistake, overreact, hurt someone, forget something, or blatantly sin I feel like a genuinely horrible person unworthy of God. It makes me feel unworthy of forgiveness from Him, or someone I’ve upset. I often feel like it can never be made right and I blame myself, overanalyze, and beat myself up. Sometimes I apologize immediately, and sometimes I stay angry and grow bitter. Other times I seek to fix it, and but occasionally I hide from it. Feeling so unworthy makes it difficult to bring it to God. Psalm 51:10 is one of my favorite verses for times such as this.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51 was written right after David had committed adultery with someone else’s wife and then had the husband killed upon finding she was pregnant. The prophet Nathan then came to David to tell David to seek God and repent of his sins.
David didn’t get offended at being called out or try to defend or excuse himself. He didn’t lash out at Nathan for warning him and didn’t try to hide his sin or hide from God.
When David realized his sin he went straight to God with a repentant heart and pleaded with God for forgiveness, asking God to “create in [him] a clean heart” and to “renew a right spirit within him.” He did what we all need to do when we’ve messed up; humbly seek God, confess, repent, and surrender to Him knowing He is the only one that can purify and renew us.
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Just as David sought God for renewal so should we.
Whatever you’re struggling to bring to God, to confess, to surrender control of, to seek His help with, to do His way… I’ve been there, and so has every other human being. Today, seek the renewal of your spirit that only God can give. Come to Jesus, accept His sacrifice for your sins, accept His salvation, and rest in the Father.
Lay it all at His feet and allow Him to fill you up and renew you by His grace, mercy, and forgiveness over and over again. Never forget that forgiveness and renewal awaits all who come to Him in repentance.
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I am a wife, mom, writer, crafter, and above all, a Child of God. I love to study the Bible, fellowship with other Christians, and serve God. I am thrilled to invite you to join me in seeking to satisfy our thirsty souls with the Living Water of Christ, which is what Water On Thirsty Land is here to do.
