4/9/23 – I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Good morning, Father. Thank You for this day, thank You for the rest You provided for our family last night and waking us up with breath in our lungs this morning. Thank You for giving me this day, my daily bread. I believe You have given me everything I need to thrive wherever You place me, and I ask that You open my eyes to see You more each day! I ask for Your help, to navigate me through everything that I do today, that it would all magnify Your Name, and that everything I do would be glorifying to You! Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to provide us with an awareness of what it looks like to be holy and set apart for You. Thank You, Lord! Praise You, Lord! Bless You, Lord! In Jesus’ mighty, holy, and precious Name, Amen.

Happy Easter! He is risen! There are many things I’ve learned about Easter, but I think the most important thing about Easter that I have learned so far is that there is a beautiful allegory that resides within the story told of Jesus, the Nazarene, the King of the Universe. Jesus, the body of a man, the mind of God. Jesus, that sacrifices His will, to the will of the Father. I cried out to Jesus, and He reached out His hand to me, inviting me to join Him on the cross, to crucify what I perceived as my will, to live for the Father. Jesus takes my perceived sin, guilt, and shame and brings it to hell where it belongs, or because I let it go it ceases to exist because I’m no longer keeping the idea alive. I have no idea which one it is, and it doesn’t really matter to me at this time, as I know it is no longer with me. If you’re reading this and thinking to yourself or out loud that this man that claims to be a humble spiritual warrior doesn’t sound very humble, he makes this sound like the sunny side of the truth. I can certainly appreciate if this what you’re thinking, but I need to tell you that I am far from perfect from this process. However, I have an awareness of the process, which I and perhaps others didn’t have before I surrendered. I began to crucify my will in different areas of my life, and what I thought a situation was supposed to look like. Expectation has been one of the fiercest tools for the enemy of my soul. The enemy has attempted to attack me and restrict me from bringing Heaven to earth, from experiencing Heaven on earth, the new earth, the life of abundance that Jesus came to provide for us. “…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” -John 10:10-11 ESV. Now, each day I wake up and I surrender my will to the will of my Father. I ask Him to teach me. I ask my Father to help me unlearn anything that no longer serves me in building my relationship with Him. Through this process, He has resurrected the areas of my life that I have crucified. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because of the promises in the Bible that state that the same power that rose Jesus from the grave, that same power lives within me. And Jesus said we will do greater things than He did. What does that mean? I was taught that Jesus did some pretty miraculous things, and not only that, He was perfect, He was without sin. How could I expect that I could do greater things than Jesus? It was at the moment that this question was asked that I realized it was due to the shame and guilt of sins that I haven’t fully let go of yet, that I felt unworthy of His love. The beautiful story of the Gospel shows me that because of Jesus Christ, and His sacrifice, that I have been provided with an awareness that God doesn’t view me like I view myself. When He looks at me, He only sees Jesus, He sees me as perfect, I am worthy of His love. I didn’t do anything to deserve His love and I can’t do anything to earn His love. He gives me His love, freely, all I have to do is accept the gift that He’s given to me. The goal I have now in this life is to sin less, not because I need to in order to earn His love, as I’ve mentioned there is not one thing I can do to earn His love. However, when I perceive that I have sinned against my self or another, I have feelings of shame and guilt that shield me from experiencing the love that He so freely offers me. I hope and pray that today’s journal entry helps someone see the truth of the Gospel and how much your Father loves you. I’m not talking about some “sky daddy” or policeman in the sky. I am speaking of something that needs to be experienced to be understood. If this entry confuses you, ask your God what He wants you to see, what serves you, and dump the rest if you must. Makes no difference to me what heart changes occur in you from reading this, or not, but it could be a game-changer in your life if you experience what I am sharing. Living this way has certainly been a game-changer for me. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. I didn’t realize it until today, but every day is becoming a celebration of Easter in my life. Jesus, thank You for showing me, for giving me an example, for modelling the behaviors of a human being that is holy, and fully set apart for the Father to use for His will. I ask that You help me to unlearn what no longer serves me and to show me what it means to follow You. I ask that You open my eyes Lord. I ask that You show me more of You and to see all of the ways You are constantly working in my life. You are faithful, no matter what. I ask that You quiet the mind of the readers You lead to this journal. I ask that You speak to them, that they would release any expectations that they have regarding what it looks like when You speak. I ask that You show them how You speak, when You speak, but most importantly for me, that You still speak. I ask that You place a hedge of protection around the reader, wrap them in Your love. Remove, destroy, and obliterate the enemy of their soul. I ask that You give them the peace that You promise, the peace that surpasses all understanding. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. -A humble soldier and God’s army

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again. Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” -John 11:21-26 ESV

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever, Amen. -The Lord’s Prayer