| Original Date: March 3, 2010 |
| Email Subject: Conquered or Conquering? |
Dear Friends,
Often I run into Christ followers who are "Under the pile" so to speak. They seem to be weighed down with the pressures of this world, the hardships that are thrown out at them, the entanglements that trip them up, you know the kind of thing that just keeps getting heavier and heavier and we don't know how we are going to go on.
Well, I just got done reading one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, chapter 8 of the book of Romans. I am not going to write it all out, but note vs. 1, "There is therefore now no condemnation (guilt, shame from past confessed sins) for those who are in Christ Jesus." Yet so many allow their past to haunt them instead of walking in the freedom of His forgiveness that He provides. Then note vs. 31-39, again read the whole chapter for your encouragement, joy and strength for the daily battles, but see with me that "Nothing, absolutely Nothing" that the world, the flesh or the devil has to throw out at us can separate us from the love of Christ! It goes on to say not "tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword, nothing can take His loyal, steadfast, covenant keeping love from those of us who know Christ as our Savior. Now that is truth to stand on friends!
But why do so many seem to be living as "Conquered" believers instead of ones who "Conquer?" Might I suggest that we try to walk down life's path in our own strength, using our resources, relying on people and circumstances to meet our needs and when those fail we find ourself feeling overwhelmed with the heaviness of the load. We get our eyes off of Christ and onto areas He never intends us to focus on causing us to stumble under the load of disillusionment, discouragement and doubt. Friends this should not be, for when we fix our eyes on the One and only One who can deliver us from the weights that the World, Flesh and Devil throw out at us we are not only delivered but are "Overwhelmingly conquerers through Christ who loves us and will never leave or forsake us!"
So, if this note finds you or one you care for deeply kind of under the pile of life, join me in "Fixing your eyes on Jesus," the One who gives us the strength, power, joy and deliverance we need to handle whatever life throws out at us. Read with me the close of Romans 8, "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Have a Conquering day my friends,
Pastor Doug |
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