Body of Christ

A New Take on Love for our Children

November 24, 2017 By Eva Conner 2 Comments

I received a beautiful gift from God on our love for our children and am sharing with each of you.

Yesterday morning I was outside with Leo, one of our two dogs. My heart was touched three years ago by this little fur baby when we adopted him from a pet rescue outfit. We’ve had a couple pets in the past but I was never really an animal person so they never worked out.

I acknowledge my newfound love for pets is a gift from Christ and part of my transformation to become more like Him; therefore, He gets all the glory for changing my heart. We now have not one but two dogs in our home and they are both the greatest blessings from God.

So yesterday morning when Leo and I were outside, God spoke directly to my heart. He showed me how much love I have in my heart for Leo and He didn’t just leave it there.

He went on to show me that my love for my dogs is absolutely unconditional.

I have no expectations for how either of them should “grow up” and I have not planted any of my dreams in their hearts. No “suggested” thoughts or opinions on their choice of friends, careers, clothing, or anything else.

They are simply allowed to be who GOD created them to be.

We do not hold them to the standard of who their “parents” think they should be. They are not measured horizontally against peers or anyone else in this world.

As God was speaking to my heart, I was standing in our backyard in the morning sunlight with the crisp dew covered grass at my feet. It was very early and all was quiet in our neighborhood. That is, all was quiet outside.

But on the inside, my heart was dancing with joy over this revelation.

It is pure freedom for a mom. And this is exactly what Christ wants for each of us. Freedom. Release. Rest.

The Apostle Paul understood freedom possibly more than any other human being ever.

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. Listen! I, Paul, tell you this; If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you.
Galatians 5:1-2

Before Paul became “Paul,” he was Saul and he persecuted Christians. He was so completely sold on the law that he could not see that he was in slavery with no hope for true freedom. That is until he had a personal encounter with Jesus. When he had that personal encounter, he understood freedom and until his death, he shared the message of freedom – GRACE – with everyone.

God gave me a deeper revelation of this message of grace yesterday morning.

I have three children who are all young adults finding their way in college or starting careers. It’s so hard to step back and not interject what I think is best for them. But I must step back.

I need to lay down all ideas and thoughts I might have about their future. Their future doesn’t belong to me. It doesn’t even belong to them.

Their future belongs only to God and only God can direct as He knows best.

Only God is truly in control of anything ~ and everything.

Only God knows the beginning from the end.

Only God is Sovereign.

Only God.

If you are a parent reading this, my hope is that you will also get this deeper revelation of love for our children. Love God’s way!

As a parent, it is so easy to interject ourselves as God in our children’s lives. It is also dangerous. And it is linked back to what Paul mentions in the verse above, those things that keep us in slavery. In Paul’s case, he was in slavery to the law. The law was the Mosaic law of do’s and don’ts that the Jewish people followed. The purpose of the law was to protect and guard the people until Jesus came to make us right with God. However, the law could not save us and make us right with God.

Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.
Galatians 3:24-25

We know from Scripture that Jesus came to fulfill the law. He took our place and set us free from the bondage and trap of all the rules and regulations that have no power to set us free.

Freedom is only found in Jesus.

So why do we put slavery back into our relationship with our children? What do I mean by this? When we impose OUR dreams and plans on our children, we are putting our children in bondage. We know from the Scripture above that the law was to protect and guard people until Jesus came. This is what we are trying to do too – protect and guard our children. However, when we do this, we are telling God to back off because we can do a better job at managing their lives than He can do. OUCH. I know that hurts but it is truth.

Let me put it another way. Do you worry about what your kids are going to do in their future? If your kids are in college, do you worry obsessively about how they are doing? Do you worry about them finding the right job or how they are doing if they have a good job?

When you are with your children, do you feel the need to always offer advice? Do you think that if they are not doing things the way you think they should then they are doing them wrong?

How is your well-meaning advice received and does it cause tension and stress in your relationship?

I think I can take a guess at the answer to this last question. I’ve seen it in the relationships with my own children. So how do we change things?

We have to stop playing God in their lives. Period.

To do this, we must keep our focus on Jesus. We must abide in Christ and let Him guide us in ALL areas of our life, including our love for our children. He will nudge us when we need to speak and also when we need to stay silent. We need to take all of our worries and concerns for our children to God working them out in our prayer closet.

The only way to do parenting is God’s way.

God has big dreams and plans for each of us, including our children. Whose dreams and plans are best? Ours or God’s? Let’s vow today to get out of God’s way and let Him place HIS dreams into our childrens’ hearts.

Here is a prayer full of powerful Scripture for all of us to pray for ourselves as parents and for our children:

Dear Father,

Thank You for being Sovereign and in control of all things. We thank You for all of our children and lift them each up to You and ask that You bless them and keep them, make Your face shine upon them and be gracious to them, turn Your face toward them and give them peace.

We thank You for making them strong and courageous and helping them to not be afraid or discouraged and for being with them wherever they go. Thank You for never leaving them nor forsaking them.

Lord, we ask that You protect our children, keep them from all harm and watch over their coming and going both now and forevermore.

Please surround them by so great a cloud of witnesses, let them also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let them run with endurance the race that is set before them, fixing their eyes on Your Son Jesus.

Father, let our children only fear You and serve You faithfully with all their heart. Let them consider what great things You have done for them. We ask that You surround them with those who are wise so they will become wise and we ask that You keep fools far away from them. Place people in their lives who will speak Jesus, love and life.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Your love, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with each of them at all times.

And Father, for us parents, let us be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Keep us in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because we trust in You. And as we trust in You with all of our heart, help us to not lean into our own understanding and to submit all our ways to You as You make our paths straight.

For we were called to freedom but help us to not use our freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love to serve one another. We know that in the Body of Your Son Jesus, we are called to encourage and edify one another. Help us parents to pray for and lift one another up to You for Your strength and wisdom.

We thank You that Your Words says all our sons will be taught by You, and great will be our children’s peace. Please let Your blessings, love and Presence be with our children and family, as we lay down our own agenda to honor and surrender all to You.

In Jesus’ Name we pray.

Amen♥

Stay in the Love and the Light Always,

Eva

Scripture used in prayer above: Numbers 6:24-26; Joshua 1:9; Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 121:7-8; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Samuel 12:24; Prov. 13:20; 2 Corinthians 13:14; James 1:19; Isaiah 26:3; Proverbs 3:5-6; Galatians 5:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Isaiah 54:13.

Visit my store for handmade cards and t shirts that will help you share God’s love.

Are You Tangled in a Web?

November 11, 2017 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

Understanding what we have is key to getting detangled!

I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, 5 because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. 6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. 7 Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.
Philemon 1:5-7

Paul understood fellowship.

He knew the power and the importance of building one another up in Christ and he was continually doing so on his travels. We need to take a lesson from him.

Yes, we are called to go out to the lost souls and share Christ; but, we also have a responsibility to those who are already in the Body of Christ. We need to help one another stay untangled so that we are a stronger force of light going out into the darkness.

Imagine a flashlight whose batteries are dying. The light is dim and flickers. What happens when you put a new energy source in the flashlight? The light is restored and it can now penetrate the darkness much more powerfully!! This is what we need to do within the Body.

We need to untangle and empower one another.

Last year God showed me a body that was unable to move. It was lame not only in the legs but also in the arms. There are so many people in the Body who are tangled in a web and unable to get free. This is the Body of Christ and this is exactly where Satan wants us. Satan knows he can never take us from Jesus but he can sure get us tangled up in webs of self-pity, jealousy, insecurities, lack, fear and doubt. He can do a number on each of us through our own thinking – through our own self-condemnation!

The battle is real and it is in our minds.

Key to getting untangled is knowing that the battle is within our own minds. It is in our thoughts, our strongholds and our beliefs. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He often quoted scripture. He knew the Word (which is not surprising because He is the Word). Jesus knew that we needed to strengthen our minds in Him. Let’s look at two scriptures: 1) Mark 12:29-31 and 2) Deuteronomy 6:4-5.

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
Mark 12:29-31 (emphasis mine)

Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Do you see the little difference in these two scriptures? Jesus added some words when He repeated the most important commandment. He add three little words – “All your mind.” Jesus knew how the enemy would attack His Body. Paul knew this as well. Repeatedly Paul tells us to renew our mind.

We need to take note of anything that is repeated in Scripture.

Jesus taught by repetition. It’s a powerful teaching tool and we need to not be so quick to move on after reading these verses below. Read, re-read and read again. This is powerful Truth that will free our own hearts and also allow us to help others in the Body to get free!

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8

Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.
Ephesians 4:23-25

We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5

Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
Colossians 3:2

Let’s pray this together united as one in the Body of Christ. Our power is in prayer!

Dear Father God,

Thank You for showing us everything we need to live life victoriously is in Your Son Jesus Christ. Jesus is not just our Provider but He is our Provision. He is sufficient and more than enough for all areas of our life. He came to set each of us free so that we could be Your powerhouse on earth. It is Your will that we bring heaven to earth.

Father, show us the darkness so that we can be the light to take it away.

Show us those in pain and isolation who need comfort and love.

Help each of us to love the stench of the world. Change our five senses to see differently, to hear differently, to smell differently, to taste differently and to feel differently. Thank You for Your ways being so much higher than our ways.

Thank You for choosing to co-labor with us to do Your work.

Thank You for being the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We praise You for Your great love for us. Fill our hearts with YOUR LOVE. Fill our sight with only what YOU WANT US TO SEE. Fill our ears with only what YOU WANT US TO HEAR.

Father, let us discern deep soul wounds so that we can minister Your great love and grace. It is our desire to share Your Word. Plant it in our hearts. Seal it in our minds. All of You in all of us! Thank You for Jesus.

In His great name we pray.

Amen♥

Stay in the Light and the Love Always,

Eva

Knowing Our Assignment

October 15, 2017 By Eva Conner 2 Comments

This is the last post in the series titled “Set the Captives Free ~ Be Free Today!” We’ve been exploring how to walk in the freedom that Jesus Christ died to give us. Today’s post is about knowing our assignment. In this series so far we’ve looked at:

This last post will explore what our assignment is ~ The Great Commission.

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-19

We are to share Jesus with everyone. But how do we do this? Sharing Jesus is done through our living.

As we become intentional about our walk with Him, He will grow in us the things necessary to share Him with others.

Do you see how beautiful His ways are? Let’s not make it any more difficult. It is beautiful in its simplicity. Spend time with Him, allowing Him to transform your life. As your life is transformed, Christ starts showing through you. Let’s look at Scripture to see how this works.

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

Galatians 5:22-25

As we make an intentional choice to know God in our lives, He will produce in us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Many of us have desired these traits – or fruits – for so long. We’ve tried to obtain them in our own strength. When we realize that they are GIVEN to us by the Holy Spirit as we spend time in His presence, we obtain freedom.

We need to stop striving and contending for the fruit in our own strength.

As we spend time in prayer with Jesus and as we spend time getting to know Him in His Word, the Holy Spirit produces the goodness of Christ in us. This is how we share Him with those around us.

In my own life, I can attest to this being the very way that drew me to God. It was through the life of a dear friend. She exhibited peace, love and joy no matter what was shaking all around her. I was drawn to that even before I realized it was Jesus. We are each created to have Jesus as the very core of our being. Without Him, we are lost with a deep void in our being. We stumble around in the dark trying to find our way. When we see another person who may be dealing with the same things that we are dealing with but who are so much more in control and in peace, we can’t help but to gravitate towards that person.

One thing that I never knew before was that we don’t seek God. He seeks us. He will seek us through the lives of others just as he did through my friend. He sought me through my desire to find out more about her peace and joy. Each of our lives are so closely intertwined in His master plan, we will never fully understand our importance and our impact in this world. But when we grow in obedience to Him and when we allow Him to transform us, He will use us to draw others close to Him.

He will seek others through our living.

His ways are so much higher than our ways and I thank Him daily for that truth.

Another key way that we share Jesus with others is by sharing how He is working in our lives.

When we tell others of the things that He is speaking to us, the dreams He is giving to us and the other ways He is working in us, it encourages and uplifts them as well as us.

So get to work sharing Jesus! After all, it is what we are called to do!

Here is my prayer for each of us today:

Dear Father,
Thank You for this Word. Thank you for seeking us even before we know of our need for You. Thank you for surrounding us with just the right people who will share Your Son Jesus. Jesus, We praise You and adore You. Father, we ask that You bless Jesus as He stands in intercession for each of us. Guide us and direct us and give each of us a deep, deep desire to never stop seeking the depths of Your love.

We ask that You create in each of us pure hearts and clean spirits. Cleanse us as we read Your Word. We ask that You give us dreams and visions as we sleep. Speak in new ways and empower us to share what You are doing with everyone.

In Christ Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen♥

Stay in the Love and the Light Always,

Eva

Knowing Who We Are in Christ Jesus

September 25, 2017 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

Let’s look at 5 keys to anchoring our identity in Christ.

This is the 5th post in a series titled “Set the Captives Free.” We’ve been looking at how we can walk in the freedom that Jesus died to give us. Life is hard when we live in our own strength and when we focus on ourselves and our problems. But when we live in Christ and set our focus on Him, we can rest, have peace and enjoy life. He did all the work for us to live victorious lives.

6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
John 10:6-10

In Christ alone we find our salvation. When we remain in Christ, He will take care of us. In the Scripture above, Jesus uses an illustration of the shepherd and his sheep. Sheep follow their shepherd because they know his voice which brings us to the first key to anchoring our identity in Christ Jesus.

Key #1 – Know His voice.

As we dig into the Bible, we will gain knowledge and understanding. When we read the Word, God will give us revelation and understanding and plant it in our hearts. When we know the Word, we will not be led astray by the enemy whose main purpose in life is to steal, kill and destroy. The enemy wants to keep us in bondage of regret, fear, shame and anything else you can think of that keeps us locked up inside. When we are in bondage, our focus is inward making it impossible to see all those around us who are desperately in need of Jesus.

In the book of John, we see that Jesus Christ is the Word. Pause just one minute and think about what this means. When we dig into the Word, we are digging into Jesus. The more we read the Word, the more we get to know who Jesus Christ really is and the more permanently etched His voice within us becomes.

In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
John 1:1-5

And John goes on to tell us that the Word lived among us.

14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
John 1:14

God’s ways are so much higher than our ways.

Not only do we have an incredible book of instruction for all areas of our life, but the Word is the very heartbeat of Jesus Christ. This book reveals to us Jesus from Genesis to Revelation. Reading the Word is how we learn to hear His voice. When you read the Word, start looking for Jesus in every single book and chapter. You will find Him throughout. It truly is amazing grace!

Key #2 – Know that He is in us.

13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.
1 John 4:13-15

God has given us His Spirit to live within us. When we declare Jesus Christ is the Son of God, we have His very Spirit living within us to guide us and teach us and comfort us. It is the Holy Spirit within who gives us the revelation of the Word. He opens it up in our hearts and allows it to take root within us.

If you are interested in learning more about the Holy Spirit, you can click this link to receive a free e-book that I’ve written titled “Holy Spirit – True Transformation”.

Key #3 – Know that we are in Him.

Key #2 is that Christ is in us. Key #3 is that we are in Christ. We are protected from the inside out.

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
1 Corinthians 12:27

Christ is the Head of the Body and we are the Body. Together we are the Church. This is a powerful truth. The Church is not four walls and a steeple. It is a living, moving, breathing, active Body of believers who are tucked away in all corners of the world to share the light and love of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit within us gives us the boldness to proclaim His name.

Key #4 – Know how He is, we are right now.

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
1 John 4:17 (NKJV)

As He is, so are we. Repeat a few more times. As He is, so are we. And how is He? In the verse right before this verse we see that God is love. It goes on to say that perfect love casts out all fear. There is no fear in Christ. There is no condemnation in Christ. Only love. How He is, so are we!

God is love ~ 1 John 4:16 ~ We are love.

He is the light of the world ~ John 8:12 ~ We are the light.

Key #5 – Know we are free from our past.

The final key we’ll look at in this post is that we are no longer defined by our past. When Christ died on the cross, He redeemed our past so we no longer have any legal ownership of it!

So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you— 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Peter,[f] or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
1 Corinthians 3:21-23

Paul tells us what belongs to us and he specifically mentions the present and the future. Take note that he does not mention the past. We do not own our past. When we allow things in our past to tie us down in regret, shame, fear, condemnation or the like we are perverting the work that Jesus did on the cross. The only way we can look at our past is through the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ. To look at it any other way is to view it in a distorted manner which leads us to distorted beliefs. Put the past in the past and let it stay there.

If you would like to read the past posts in this series, here are the links:

The next post, and last post, in this series will help us understand what is next in our walk. We’ll talk about our assignment in Christ.

Here is my prayer for all of us:

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your written Word which became flesh to live among us. Thank You for the Word being alive and active in our lives. As we read Your Word, please give each of us discernment and knowledge. Help us tuck it away in our hearts so that we can stand strong against the enemy. We thank You for Jesus Christ. We thank You for Your ways being so much higher than our ways. Help each of us fully realize that You are in us and we are in You. For this and for so much more we are forever grateful and humbled. In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Amen♥

Stay in the Light and the Love Always,

Eva

Knowing the Finished Work of the Cross

September 5, 2017 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

The Cross This is the 4th post in a series titled “Set the Captives Free.” We’ve been talking about walking in the freedom that Jesus died to give us. So many of us in the Body of Christ get caught up in personal bondage that takes our focus off of God.

The enemy slips in and catches our attention with insecurities, lack, fear, guilt, shame, and condemnation. He tries to steal our identity. If we don’t know who we are in Christ, we can get caught in his trap and it’s there that we neglect our call from Him.

We’ve talked about ways that we can get free and set others free. After the initial post, the second article is about knowing God. It’s important to know who He is. Here is a link to that article. The third article is about knowing His great love for us. Understanding His love is critical to the transformation that He longs to do in each of us. Here is a link to that article.

Today we’ll explore what truly happened the day that Jesus died.

To walk in freedom, we need to have a better understanding of the power of the cross and how it relates to our walk.

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18:20

In Matthew 28:18 above, Jesus tells the disciples that He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth showing us that He took the authority back from Satan the minute He died. Satan gained authority when Adam and Eve handed it to him in the Garden of Eden. In the two verses in Genesis below, we see that it was God’s initial plan for man to govern the earth and reign over all created things.

27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Genesis 1:27-28

But we know that it wasn’t long at all that Satan slithered in and conned them out of that authority. He could not steal the authority but he could con them into giving it to him and that’s just what they did. And only Jesus could regain that authority from Satan. Thank You, Jesus!

Jesus was fully man as well as fully God.

When He came to earth to walk with us, He chose to leave His divinity and walk in the flesh as man. He showed us a perfect picture of how we would walk in our flesh after His resurrection and ascension.

Jesus walked IN the power of the Holy Spirit and He has given us that same ability today. How do we know that He walked in the power of the Holy Spirit? Let’s look at the Word:

16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
Matthew 3:16-17

32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. 33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”
John 1:32-34

As soon as Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit settled on Him.

We have further confirmation in the Scripture that records His temptation in the desert.

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
Luke 4:1-2 (emphasis mine)

So Jesus had to walk among us as fully man to be the One who could truly walk without sin. Also He did this to give us a role model to set our sights on imitating. Because He walked without sin, God’s redemption plan is absolutely beautiful. He fulfilled the totality of the Law.

The Father’s love for us is so great, He couldn’t stand to leave us in spiritual darkness.

From the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, He had this redemption plan in mind for us. Only a loving Father can save us when we do not deserve to be saved. Only a Father with such compassion and empathy for His children can put this plan into place. He loves us that much. Believe it. This is truth!

For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.
1 Thessalonians 5:9

When Jesus died on the cross, He took our place. I know we all have heard these words before. But let’s stop a minute and focus on what that means.

Jesus had to be spiritually separated from His Father.

He had to be spiritually separated from His Father so that we never have to be separated from Him. Even though He wasn’t separated from His Father for long, for a brief time, He knew the pain of that separation so that we never have to know that pain.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39

The cross holds the very power of God.

When we stake our belief in the work Jesus did on the cross, we are believing God for so much more. The cross is the very power of God.

18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18

When Jesus died on the cross, we died with Him. When He rose from the grave, we rose with Him. Understanding this is vital to walking in freedom. Our flesh and sinful nature died with Jesus. And we were resurrected with new life in Christ!

14 As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. 15 It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. 16 May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.
Galatians 6:14-16

When we live by the power of the cross, we are new people of God.

The only other time in Scripture that we see a new people of God is in the Garden of Eden when God created Adam and Eve. But we are no longer children of Adam and Eve. Because of the work Jesus did on the cross, we are new creations – a new race of people – in Christ.

I’m going to stop here with this powerful truth. We are no longer the sinful man. We are a new creation in Christ Jesus. IN CHRIST JESUS. In Christ. Please spend some time focusing on what this means.

Allow this knowledge to become heart knowledge.

When it does, it will transform your life.

We’ll continue with this series of setting the captives free with our last two posts:

Knowing who we are in Jesus.
Knowing our assignment.

Here is my prayer for all of us today:

Dear Father,

Thank You for Jesus Christ. Thank You for Your great love for each of Your children. Help each of us obtain heart knowledge of the powerful, life-saving, life-changing work of the cross. We ask that You pour truth into each of us to replace those things that are not of You such as fear, guilt, shame, condemnation. We know that You sent Jesus to die for us so that we could be free from these things.

Teach us what that freedom is. Continue to work in each of our hearts. Create in us pure hearts and enable us to live holy lives that are pleasing to You and You alone. Surround each of us with friends and family who will encourage and love us. People who will help us become the people You desire us to be. For all this and so much more we are forever grateful. To You alone goes the glory.

In Christ Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen♥

Stay in the Light and the Love always,

Eva