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Adjust and Adapt to the Carpenter’s Vision

We're part of His heart!

In this blog post on Latter Rain, we’ll explore the importance of obedience as to how you grow and change. A magnificently large portion of your mental health relates to your spiritual health. Purpose, lifestyle, and feelings are all connections between your spiritual health and your mental health. How you view certain aspects of life as a spiritual being impacts the way you experience life in your mental health. So, if you want to learn why you should adjust and adapt to how God calls you to live, continue reading.

Visiting the Carpenter

First of all, you must know what is a carpenter. A carpenter is someone who constructs and repairs wooden structures. They envision a wooden structure like a table or a chair, and then, they set out to build the thing. And the unique thing about carpenters is that they first start out with nothing but with some materials. At the beginning, there’s no table, no chair, there’s nothing, but, there’s a vision of a chair or table in their head.

Now, God came in the flesh as Jesus Christ and before He started His ministry with signs, wonders, and miracles, He worked as a carpenter.

Mark 6:3 World English Bible (WEB)
3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended at him.

As Jesus Christ’s ministry unfolded, the crowd in the above verse could not understand who stood before them! Unfortunately, they did not realize that Jesus Christ was a carpenter to prove a certain point.

1 Corinthians 15:46 World English Bible (WEB)
46 However that which is spiritual isn’t first, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual.

Why did He do it? I’ll tell you why, He did it to let you know that God can take your nothing and make it into His something. Moreover, God was proving a point through the natural means as a carpenter so that He might prepare them for the spiritual means. He’d shown Himself as a physical carpenter so that He might prepare them to behold Him as the spiritual Carpenter of carpenters, soon enough.

Just as a carpenter starts out with nothing but a vision and some materials to bring about something useful, God only needs a vision to make you into something glorious! That’s just the way God gets things done.

And there isn’t a single person who can get in His way until He’s done what He’s set out to do.

Isaiah 22:22 World English Bible (WEB)
22 I will lay the key of David’s house on his shoulder. He will open, and no one will shut. He will shut, and no one will open.

When a carpenter pulls up his sleeves, bears the pinches of splinters in his palms, and gets to work with his hammer, that pile of wood ought to become what the carpenter wants. In a similar but heightened manner, the Carpenter of carpenters, Jesus Christ, pulled up His sleeves, carried a wooden cross, let the splinters of hell tear at his back, and bore the flesh-splitting pinch of nails in His hands and feet. Your life ought to become what He sees in His vision for you.

A Vision and A Purpose

As a person, made in the image of God, God has a vision and plan set out for your life. You do not need to fall into depression or extreme lows, because God went to the lowest possible point of human experience to give you the greatest experience a human being could ever enjoy!

So, whatever trauma you’ve been through, whatever hell you’ve experienced, Jesus knows it all! He knows it to an extent you could never dream of imagining.

Isaiah 53:3 King James Version (KJV)
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Jesus experienced social rejection, He experienced physical pain of the highest order, and He died on that rugged, wooden cross. As a matter of fact, when you look at the above verse, they called Jesus Christ, “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.”

According to the verse, people associated grief and suffering with Jesus Christ. He suffered to such an inhumane extent that whenever people would think of the person of Jesus Christ, they’d have to think about suffering, too. But, you see…

He had a vision.

This vision was not anything to laugh at. This vision was pulling Him to embrace His suffering and to keep on going. He didn’t die on a wooden cross, humiliated and despised for nothing. I’ll tell you what He saw… It was you.

Hebrews 12:2 King James Version (KJV)
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

He saw you as you were called to be, as a victorious, blessed, joyful child of God. There ain’t a carpenter like Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 World English Bible (WEB)
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

Adjust and Adapt to His Vision

Jesus Christ died on the cross so that by His suffering, you would not have to suffer as He did. No one but Jesus Christ is perfect. We’ve all lied, we’ve all stolen, we’ve all done things which are far from moral perfection.

Romans 3:23 King James Version (KJV)
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Furthermore, the only way for a morally perfect and upright God to excuse us from the punishment that awaited us, was to unleash His fury upon a perfect individual. That perfect individual was Jesus Christ, God Himself, in the flesh as a human being!

If you still do not comprehend as to why Jesus Christ died on the cross for you, visit this post, which might shed more light on the matter.

But, for those of you who do understand, and who have not accepted Him already, I urge you to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.

Matthew 11:29-30 World English Bible (WEB)
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

For those of you struggling with depression, God deeply cares for you and wants you to listen to His plan for your life. To those struggling with suicidal thoughts, Jesus Christ died and rose again for you; His will is for you to live for Him. For those of you who can’t seem to take your mind off grief and trauma, I advise you, to think about the suffering Christ whose suffering makes you whole. And to those who are happy with their life as it is, I tell you that without Jesus Christ, your life will never be complete.

Your life is not meaningless, it is not purposeless, it is not the by-product of a purely naturalistic reality. There is meaning within you. Your life is His and His alone.

Ephesians 2:10 World English Bible (WEB)
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.

Therefore…

Allow the Carpenter of carpenters
to bring about His vision
so that the life you indeed hold
will become something glorious to behold!

By Andre Wijesekera

Posted on

Observing the Beauty of His Holiness

God shares His beauty with us!

The attraction to beauty in this modern age is undeniable. Beauty attracts eyes and ears like how lights attract flies. Humans love the act of observing the beauty of art pieces, movie cinematography, literature, and more. But, what is it that draws people to entertain their imaginations and natural delights with these things? And in this post, we’ll be looking into how beauty can help us to understand God.

The Beauty Around You

As I mentioned earlier, beauty is highly accessible in this day and age. Many embrace the thing called, “Art.” The reason that is so, is because people love to feast their eyes or ears on beautiful things. We, as a human race, adore beauty and want to see pretty things.

That is why there is a business for graphic design and advertising. Our human nature recalls beauty in its most primordial instincts and desires. The human heart loves observing the beauty around us.

As a matter of fact, you may enjoy rap songs, paintings, drawings, sketches, poetry, or anything else art-related. And I encourage you to enjoy art so as long as it fits within God’s boundaries for beauty since it can be very good for your mental health.

But, the main idea of this post is that beauty surrounds you. You don’t need to go to an art gallery to see beauty. Beauty is in the flowers of your garden or in the vastness of grand, ancient mountains. Wherever you are, there’s some sort of beauty surrounding you because at the end of the day, God’s an artist!

Psalm 19:1-4 World English Bible (WEB)
19 The heavens declare the glory of God.
    The expanse shows his handiwork.
2 Day after day they pour out speech,
    and night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language,
    where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice has gone out through all the earth,
    their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,

Every scene from nature seems to be a divine masterpiece!

Observing the Beauty of Holiness

Psalm 96:9 King James Version (KJV)
9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

The Bible says to worship God in the beauty of holiness. Now, worship, if you don’t already know, is the way or the attitudes by which we exalt God in our lives for who He is. So, singing to God out of our love for Him can be a way of worshiping Him. Or giving to the poor because of our love for God, is another way of worshipping Him.

But, the Bible instructs us to worship Him in the beauty of holiness. Why? What does that mean? First, you’ve got to wrap your minds around what holiness means.

Holiness is the way in which we set things apart for very particular purposes. In the context of the Bible, to be holy means to set apart one’s life for God.

So, when the Bible talks about worshipping the Lord in the beauty of holiness, it means to lift Him up in your life by admiring how He is set apart. He is set apart from every other individual on the face of the planet because He is God.

Taking communion’s also an act of worship!

And He, being God, came in the flesh 2000 years ago as Jesus Christ so that He may die on the cross with the punishment for your sins along with my sins; then, He rose again from the dead after 3 days to fully justify our redemption in Him. I talk more about it in this post.

So, if you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, please do so, now. When you accept Him into your heart, His life flows through you, and you can truly recognize His beauty everywhere you go. Whether His beauty manifests through the creatures He’s made or the natural laws of the universe, His beauty is there nonetheless.

Living a Beautiful Life

Furthermore, there’s another reference to the beauty of holiness in the Old Testament of the Bible.

2 Chronicles 20:21 King James Version (KJV)
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.

The verse above is a specific situation where singers were chosen in ancient Israel to praise God’s beauty of holiness. Again, there’s a beauty in the fact that He’s set apart from the rest of this world. But, this time, instead of worshipping God for that, they praise Him.

This is different because that means they’re giving thanks to God for the beauty that He’s unique. They’re not just exalting Him in their lives because of their love for Him, they’re thanking Him for the fact that He’s set apart.

So, God puts such importance in His individuality or His uniqueness. He is not like the other kings of this world who demands things from us for their selfish ambitions, He is the one King who cares for each of the people who serve Him and who loves each and every one of us.

Moreover, God has called you to be holy like Him. He made you in His image and now that you believe in Him, He calls you to live a life where your beauty is inwards not just outwards.

1 Peter 3:3-4 World English Bible (WEB)
3 Let your beauty be not just the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on fine clothing; 4 but in the hidden person of the heart, in the incorruptible adornment of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

You are set apart for God once you accept Him into your life and that means you don’t enjoy profane forms of art, but instead, art which glorifies the attributes or nature of God.

1 Peter 1:16 King James Version (KJV)
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Make His Word, your life source! Be holy as He is holy…

Therefore, live a beautiful life by following the footsteps of God. He is beautiful because He’s not like the others in this world who seek things selfishly and entertain insatiable yet carnal appetites. And so, as He is, so are you. You are holy when you live the life God paid for on the cross. You are truly at your most beautiful state, when you are holy for God. So, don’t stop observing the beauty of God.

By Andre Wijesekera

Posted on

The Life-Giving Power of Listening to Those Who Care

The Life-Giving Power of Listening

Your words have tremendous potential and impact. There’s no doubt that your words can either bless or destroy a person. But, in this post, we’ll be discussing the power of listening to life-giving words! Listening is a key part of living a life worthwhile, and if you want to experience the wonderful benefits that comes to those who listen, then, read this post as I hope this will profoundly bless you.

The Life-Giving Power of Listening to Those Who Care

Listening is etched into every single person’s life. It could be through audible words, books, or sign language, but, everyone needs to receive words or things they can interpret so that they may function in everyday life. If you have a job, you need to listen to a specific set of instructions or if you’re a student, you need to listen to what the teacher says. Otherwise, your life’d be in chaos!

But, first, you’ve got to realize the undeniable, life-giving power of words. Because without the proper understanding of what words can do in your life, there’s no need to listen to what really matters.

Proverbs 18:21 King James Version (KJV)
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

The power of life-giving words is unpredictable!

If you love life, then loving the life-giving power of words is a no-brainer. If you don’t love life, then I advise you to read this post. It concerns the One, Jesus Christ, who being God, came in the flesh as a human being 2000 years ago and received the divine punishment for your every sin and mistake; He then rose again after three days so that you may be justified, redeemed, and blessed before the judgement throne of God. He did this because He believes your life holds significant value.

Romans 10:9 World English Bible (WEB)
9 that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

There’s a power in accepting words that are meant to uplift you. Receive life, not death.

Proverbs 4:20-22 World English Bible (WEB)
20 My son, attend to my words.
    Turn your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from your eyes.
    Keep them in the center of your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them,
    and health to their whole body.

Listening to the God of Wisdom

How many of you out there, know that God thinks? God is a thinking God. He has emotions, He has a personality, and He made you in His image. Even more surprising, God thinks about you.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 King James Version (KJV)
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Seek Him!

God is thinking about you and His sole intention is for your good. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a mess of a person or a philanthropist, God loves you. And He revealed that when He came as Jesus Christ. He revealed that when He let Himself be skinned alive by whips and nails, all for your sake.

Jesus Christ did it for a reason, and I won’t be able to cover everything in this blog, but that’s why you’ve got to call upon Him, read His Word, pray to Him, and you’ll find out.

Furthermore, God is wise, He made the heavens and the Earth. He knows you inside and outside, so, if you want words that matter, words saturated with life, meaning, and hope, visit the Word of God.

John 6:63 World English Bible (WEB)
63 It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.

God is telling you, today, to listen to Him. Listen to what His Word says because what He says matters! And He has nothing but good things for you.

The Prince Who Opens the Ears of the Deaf

Matthew 11:5 World English Bible (WEB)
5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear,Isaiah 35:5 the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.Isaiah 61:1-4

Back when Jesus Christ walked the Earth, He performed so many miracles. One of the main things He did was that He opened the ears of the deaf. God’s Word has so many layers and His Word can apply to the physical and figurative senses at the same time.

So, from a figurative context, if you have trouble with listening to the Word of God, ask Jesus to heal you. He will because He never denies a prayer in search for Him. If you’re physically deaf, ask Jesus for healing, He still performs miracles, even today, including the miracle of opening deaf ears. I talk more about it in this post.

Nevertheless, listen to what God has to say. And He’ll talk through the Bible, He’ll talk through men/women of God, He’ll talk through your parents, He’ll talk through your loved ones, and more.

Job 33:14-17 World English Bible (WEB)
14 For God speaks once,
    yes twice, though man pays no attention.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
    when deep sleep falls on men,
    in slumbering on the bed;
16 Then he opens the ears of men,
    and seals their instruction,
17 that he may withdraw man from his purpose,
    and hide pride from man.

Be willing to let God change your mind…

God will try His best to speak to you, whether it be through a vision, a dream, or through people. But, don’t be like an ordinary person and ignore what He says as the above verse states. Listen to your Heavenly Father and heed His advice as any child would do.

Therefore, trust God and trust that what He says is the way to go. If He tells you to start showing more love towards others, then do it. If He tells you to be more organized, then do it, if He tells you to take a risk, then do it. Seek God and ask Him for His advice, let His life-giving words minister to you and obey them no matter whoever God uses to speak to you.

Romans 10:17 King James Version (KJV)
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

By Andre Wijesekera

Posted on

The Seemingly Endless Potential of Growth

The seemingly endless potential of a path walked with God!

Growth is life’s tool to carve you into what God wants you to become! To become mentally healthy, you must make it a goal to grow. And growth can be a wonderful thing, but, it can also be a very painful thing. The choice as to whether you’ll love growth or not is up to you and so is the decision to grow. In this post, it is my goal to clarify the importance of growth and as to how you should unlock the seemingly endless potential of growth within your life!

What’s Growth?

The quick and short definition of the word, growth, is the progress we receive as we continue on life’s journey. And the thing about growth is that it can manifest in a multitude of ways.

Sadly, many people dislike the concept of growth. They just want to stay as they are and to avoid who they’ve been made to be. Furthermore, God has left the power to make that decision in your hands. He will not force anything upon you, but, He wants you to obey His voice.

Proverbs 18:2 World English Bible (WEB)
2 A fool has no delight in understanding,
    but only in revealing his own opinion.

Some examples of when you must decide as to whether you should grow include the following…

You must decide on whether to read the Bible and to actively commune with God or to spend that time watching TV. It is your decision to focus on your job or to slack off and watch YouTube videos on your phone. You must decide on whether to study for your upcoming test or watch a movie on Netflix. It is yours to decide on whether to spend half an hour exercising or to pop open a bag of Cheetos for your hourly snack.

These are all decisions where you make the decision to grow. And God is gracious enough to leave the seemingly endless potential of growth as something which you alone must decide to pursue.

1 Timothy 4:15 World English Bible (WEB)
15 Be diligent in these things. Give yourself wholly to them, that your progress may be revealed to all.

The Seemingly Endless Journey of Growing

Now, growth sometimes feels like the end of a rainbow, but, I like to think of it more as a juicy fruit at the top of a tree. And if you want to actually grow as an individual, then, that means there is potential for you to grow. The end result of your growth is not something which you cannot obtain but something which you can obtain through the help of Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 11:1 World English Bible (WEB)
1 Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.

To grow in the best way possible, it is absolutely necessary for you to trust God. You have to have faith that God will take you to the place you want to be. But, if you have not yet taken the step to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, do so now.

God’s got your back!

When you accept Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh, the One who died on the cross as the punishment for your mistakes and sins 2000 years ago, and rose again, Jesus puts His Holy Spirit within you. I talk more about it in this post.

Romans 8:11 World English Bible (WEB)
11 But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

So, if you believe that Jesus Christ rose again from the dead and now His Spirit lives within you, what is impossible for you? The seemingly endless potential of who you can be is now a reality, as God, Himself, wants you to be who He has called you to be.

Let God grow you in your spiritual life, in your emotional life, and in your physical life. Allow Him to help you to become the best person you could possibly be and just do what you know God wants you to do. Don’t hesitate on what God tells you to do, especially, if God is calling you to do something great!

Luke 9:61-62 World English Bible (WEB)
61 Another also said, “I want to follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say good-bye to those who are at my house.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for God’s Kingdom.”

Growing in Christ

The seemingly endless potential of who you can become is only possible if you walk with God. However, I warn you to not do things by selfish ambition and through trying to build a legacy for yourself.

Philippians 2:3-4 King James Version (KJV)
3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Be active and do things for God’s glory! When you accomplish something, give the credit to Christ Jesus who lives within you. God did not create you to revel in your success but to do as much as possible for His glory. He wants you to be healthy in your mental, physical, emotional, and most importantly spiritual life.

Psalm 35:27 World English Bible (WEB)
27 Let those who favor my righteous cause shout for joy and be glad.
    Yes, let them say continually, “May Yahweh be magnified,
    who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!”

In the above Bible verse, God shows pleasure in the prosperity of His servants. This Bible verse is from the Old Testament of the Bible, so, how much more would He delight in the prosperity of His friends in the New Testament? Because now, you are His friend. Moreover, you are also His child.

John 15:15 World English Bible (WEB)
15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.

John 1:12 World English Bible (WEB)
12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name:

Above all, seek Him as that should take top priority in your life. Do what you know God wants you to do although it might be difficult. If God wants you to do something for His glory such as studying or working, He will make sure that it is nothing more than Christ in you can handle. And if the Spirit of Christ within you rose people from the dead, I doubt there’s anything in your way except yourself.

3 John 1:2 World English Bible (WEB)
2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers.

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you! – Matthew 6:33

By Andre Wijesekera

Posted on

The King Who Wipes Away Thy Tears

The King of Kings reaches out to you.

As humans, we all face times when we’re sad or just heart-broken. Sometimes, a feeling of sadness can just overwhelm you and you don’t know what to do with the rest of the day. Whether it be past memories of failures or current situations at your workplace, there are many reasons to become sad. Don’t confuse this with depression, as depression and sadness are very different in that depression is a much more severe and consistent issue than sadness (I talk more about depression in this post). But, in this post, we’ll be discussing how to overcome sadness and how to stay happy instead of sad, because of the King of Kings.

Grief and Sorrow

To start off, when you are in a time of crisis or a period of sorrow, you must first realize that God values your tears. Now, I’m not saying to cry like a wimp over meaningless issues such as a preference over a meal or a lack of time to play video games.

The sorrow that I’m talking about concerns issues which actually challenge you, such as the loss of a loved one or a rough break-up. These are all things where people tend to find it hard to move on from. And even King David, a man from over 3000 years ago, asked questions similar to what you’re asking within your heart.

Psalm 13:2 World English Bible (WEB)
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
    having sorrow in my heart every day?
    How long shall my enemy triumph over me?

And especially, if you’ve lost a loved one, it’s very difficult to move on. The feat almost seems impossible.

Job 3:1 World English Bible (WEB)
1 After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day of his birth.

Job is the book of the Bible which talks about how a guy named”Job” dealt with severe grief and tragedy. All on the same day, thieves stole his livestock (that was his source of income) and all his children died as a tornado struck their house. To top it off, he then caught a painful disease which really pushed him to the brink of his sanity. That’s why he regretted being born in the above verse.

The man was devastated, and you may be, too. But, as Job found hope even in the midst of such disaster, so also, I want you to find hope in the midst of your tragedy.

The Incredible Value of Tears in the King’s Eyes

So, what do you do when you face these feelings? Well, first of all, you recognize that God loves you. And that means a lot, because what that means is that there’s hope for the future.

A hope for the future is definitely a reason to be happy. But, as you read the book of Job, it is very hard to pinpoint God’s love until God reveals Himself to Job nearer to the end of the book.

Nevertheless, God loves you so much that He values ever tear drop that leaves your eyes.

Psalm 56:8 World English Bible (WEB)
8 You count my wanderings.
    You put my tears into your container.
    Aren’t they in your book?

He collects your tears not because He has an obsession over tears but because He values and cherishes the one who’s crying. God is a loving God. It’s intrinsic to His nature to really love you. And if you’re going through tremendous hardship, there may be only one shoulder to cry on and that shoulder belongs to God.

Jesus loves you and that’s not just some cheap phrase coined by Christians to spread a religion. It’s meaningful, it holds such purpose and whatever tragedy has set itself upon you, you’ve got to know that the King of Kings is calling you out of the sorrow and into His love.

Revelation 21:4 World English Bible (WEB)
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”

In the above verse, God is prophetically talking about those in Heaven who’d cry and how He wipes away their tears. So, if God does it over there, of course, He’s here to be with you as the King who wipes away your tears.

Showing the World There’s a Reason to Be Happy

Please, read the below passage, word by word.

Luke 7:11-15 World English Bible (WEB)
11 Soon afterwards, he went to a city called Nain. Many of his disciples, along with a great multitude, went with him. 12 Now when he came near to the gate of the city, behold, one who was dead was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. Many people of the city were with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her, “Don’t cry.” 14 He came near and touched the coffin, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” 15 He who was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.

Jesus saw this lady, crying and distressed. She had lost her husband, she had now lost her son. And the Bible says that when Jesus saw her, He had compassion on her. He knew that the son would be happy in Heaven, but, His heart could not ignore the sorrow of the grieving mother.

And so, Jesus told her, “Don’t cry.”

After that, He raised the dead man back to life because Jesus is the King of Kings.

If you’ve been crying your eyes out of their sockets, Jesus is telling you, “Don’t cry.” And I’m telling you that you ought to listen to what He says because He’s planning for a miracle in your life. For the widow, He raised her dead son back to life. For you, I don’t know what God’s planned, but He’s planning to give you a testimony.

God’s Not Done Yet

All I know is this, God loves you and He plans to bless you. Even with the catastrophe you’re facing, the King of Kings will bring about good from it. So, listen to Jesus’s plea as He tenderly tells you, “Don’t cry.”

Romans 8:28 World English Bible (WEB)
28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.

If you haven’t already and you want to show God that you love Him as it says in the above verse, then, accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Jesus Christ died on the cross 2000 years ago and rose again from the dead so that as soon as you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, His empowering, graceful Holy Spirit would live within you where you can have a relationship with God. I talk more about it in this post.

When you commit your life to God, He commits to you, too!

Therefore, come out of your grief and sorrow to witness the love of God just as Job did when He declares this in the verse below.

Job 19:25 World English Bible (WEB)
25 But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives.
    In the end, he will stand upon the earth.

God even gave Job double of what He lost and restored Him to the point of where we now read the book of Job as a testimony!

Job 42:10 King James Version (KJV)
10 And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

By Andre Wijesekera

Posted on

The Privilege to Live Eternally in Heavenly Places

You have the privilege to always be with Jesus Christ

Eternity is quite the word. It means “never-ending time.” And that word, that concept is quite the shock when you actually think about it. To believe that time will never cease can hugely affect your perspective on life. It raises a very intimidating question that overshadows your existence. The question which eternity poses, is “Where do I fit it in the context of eternity?” So, in this post, we’ll be exercising the privilege to explore eternity and what that means for you.

The Corruption of Eternity

As made clear in the introduction, time will never cease. But, when did it start?

Genesis 1:1 World English Bible (WEB)
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

And a verse from the New Testament of the Bible says…

John 1:1 World English Bible (WEB)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

So, as we can connect the two verses above, time began a very, very long time ago. In fact, God does not clarify how long He waited before making humans. God was uninterested in writing a science textbook, but, He was interested in reaching out to us through the Bible.

As a matter of fact, many of the confusions concerning the accuracy of the Bible arise from the flimsy presupposition that the Bible was meant to be a scientific journal or something like that. God was talking to ancient people who did not want to even change their lifestyle, let alone their knowledge of the world around them.

Nevertheless, getting back to the point of this blog, God created time. And so, after that point, if you read Genesis 1-3, you’ll find out that He made the Earth, He made animals, and He formed the first two humans: Adam and Eve. He told them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:17 World English Bible (WEB)
17 but you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

But, they disobeyed God’s warning by listening to a fallen angel known as the devil, and they ate from it.

Genesis 3:13 World English Bible (WEB)
13 Yahweh God said to the woman, “What have you done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

This event is when eternity shifted gears. God told them that they could eat from any tree in that garden, but they chose the one that God specifically told them not to eat from. And that knowledge of good and evil redefined the human mind, allowing for mental illness, sickness, and more. This is where hell on Earth started.

The Death of the Eternal One

Now, as humanity proceeded down the course of time with a knowledge of good and evil, every single person experienced that knowledge of evil. Knowing that there’s evil means that there’s evil. This accounts for diseases, for natural disasters, and for anything and everything that threatens human life.

So, did God leave us in this place? No, He came down to the Earth in the form of a human being.

John 1:14 World English Bible (WEB)
14 The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Word, also known as Jesus Christ, is God in the flesh. And it was this very same Word, who the Bible says was with God and was God at the same time.

So, He took on the form of flesh to experience what it means to be human. Yet, He never sinned as other humans would because unlike normal human beings, He is mature enough to handle that knowledge of good and evil.

2 Corinthians 5:21 World English Bible (WEB)
21 For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Moreover, the religious leaders of Jesus’ time were jealous of His goodness and led the people to sentence Him to a gruesome crucifixion, but, it was God’s plan.

Jesus had to die on the cross so that when Jesus, the Eternal One, the one who made time, itself, dies on our behalf for our sinful knowledge, we would receive the privilege to call God as our Father just as Jesus did when He was on Earth.

John 1:16 World English Bible (WEB)
16 From his fullness we all received grace upon grace.

Jesus rose again after three days!

The Privilege to Live Eternally

Now, as children of God, you can live forever and not fear it. You don’t have to be unsure of what’s going to happen with you in the future. You just need to trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.

When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, God forgives all your mistakes and sins because that belief in Jesus Christ credits all your evils to the punishment which Jesus Christ received.

Ephesians 2:4-6 World English Bible (WEB)
4 But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Now, you have the privilege to live together with Jesus Christ and the privilege to sit with Him in the heavenly places. That means even if you die on this Earth, you will remain alive with Christ Jesus because your spirit is safe and secure in His hands. But, this means you have all the more reason to live on this planet.

Whether you suffer from mental illness or physical infirmities, Jesus Christ promises to heal you.

1 Peter 2:24 World English Bible (WEB)
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness. You were healed by his wounds.

Furthermore, you can face eternity without worry because you’re not alone. For all of eternity and in the ages to come, He will always be by your side.

Therefore, believe what Jesus Christ says and let the knowledge of His love and grace transform you. He has given you the privilege to never cease existing and to enter a relationship with Him because He is always with you, whether that be on Earth or in heavenly places.

Jesus loves you for eternity

By Andre Wijesekera

Posted on

Freedom to Live Victoriously and Not as a Captive

Freedom to live with Jesus!

True freedom. The freedom to enjoy life is such a lovely thing and it is truly tragic when someone goes through the sways of life but is never able to enjoy freedom in its entirety. God designed human beings to enjoy freedom. It is in your nature to be free and to pleasure in the benefits of liberty. That is why I am taking the time to dedicate an entire post to the topic of freedom to make you understand its nature and enjoy the freedom to live, so continue reading.

Captivity and Its Deceptive Borders

One can live a life of normality and still live in captivity. Captivity is sometimes not as obvious as it seems. It is not always a dirty dungeon, it can be one’s fears, strongholds, and more, which makes it very hard to identify. An example of this is a rich man reaping a six figure salary yet unable to enjoy relationships out of fear that someone will take his money.

Similarly, Jesus also told a story of a greedy man and exposed the vanity of greed.

Luke 12:20 World English Bible (WEB)
20 “But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’

God reminded the greedy man when he died that his money will only stay with him so as long as he’s alive, but, as soon as he dies, he cannot enjoy that money. That man was a slave to his financial fortune.

Freedom to buy anything you want but to be enslaved by your love for money is not true freedom. True freedom as the Bible puts it, is to enjoy life and God’s gifts in the way which God knows is best for us.

And the border between captivity and freedom is very hard to pinpoint. Many have the freedom to eat anything their heart desires, but they are captive to their addiction to food. Others have the freedom to exercise like anything, yet, they remain captive to their obsession over public image.

I am not saying money, exercise, or tasty food is bad. What I am saying is that there’s a multitude of things which can enslave us as human beings and you just have to ask yourself, “Am I really free? Is there anything that enslaves me?”

Liberating the Captives

And if you know deep within your heart that you are a slave, reach out to God. Jesus offers you the promise of freedom. Freedom to enjoy your life in all its entirety.

Matthew 11:28 World English Bible (WEB)
28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 

Over 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ, being God, came in the flesh as a man and took the punishment for your sins along with the whips reserved to make you a slave, and He bought you freedom to live as children of God.

Three days after, He rose again from the dead and is now alive, forevermore. This is the gospel of freedom which the Bible is all about and I talk more about it in this post.

Luke 4:18 World English Bible (WEB)
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the broken hearted,
    to proclaim release to the captives,
    recovering of sight to the blind,
    to deliver those who are crushed,

Jesus said that He is here to proclaim release to the captives. When Jesus says that He has come to “proclaim release to the captives,” the Greek word used in the Gospel for the word, “release,” is “aphesis.”

Aphesis almost always translates as meaning forgiveness in the other verses mentioning it but in this case, God uses it to mean release or freedom from captivity.

Therefore, I believe freedom starts with forgiveness. And whether you’re struggling with addiction, pride, greed, or whatever else enslaves the human mind, you must first understand that when you turn to Jesus Christ, God forgives you.

Ephesians 1:7 World English Bible (WEB)
7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Experience His grace!

Freedom to Live a Life With God

Therefore, God has purchased and redeemed you with His blood and has forgiven you as soon as you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. If you were a slave under the slave owner named, “Pride,” or “Greed,” or “Addiction,” Jesus Christ is your new master. He alone is your Lord and your God.

When He purchased you through His sacrifice on the cross, He decided to no longer call you a servant, but as His friend.

John 15:15 World English Bible (WEB)
15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.

Even more, He not only calls you His friend, but calls you into His family where you can call Him as your Heavenly Father. God grants you the privilege to be His beloved child.

1 John 3:2 World English Bible (WEB)
2 Beloved, now we are children of God. It is not yet revealed what we will be; but we know that when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.

And so, you have the freedom to be God’s child and to be friends with Him. You do not need to be a slave to evil passions or sinful desires but now you are led by Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of God. So, come out of the darkness and into the light to enjoy your relationship with God. Freedom was never cheap. Someone had to pay a heavy price for it.

But, since Jesus already paid for our freedom, it is now free for you to access. Now, it’s up to you to experience the freedom which God has granted to you.

John 8:32 World English Bible (WEB)
32 You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Psalm 119:45

Posted on

Finding Meaning Where To Least Expect It

Finding meaning in Jesus Christ

Everyone wants to find meaning in life. Purpose is fundamental to how people work. The means as to how to do something is exponentially easier when one knows the purpose behind what’s being done. Our mental health is wired to have a purpose; without purpose, we collapse. But, what seems to be the obvious answer to many is very deceptive and can make a wreck out of the one who actually believes it. That is why this post will be talking about finding meaning, so, continue reading to find out.

Where Meaning Seems to be Obvious

I want you to ask yourself, “Where do I find the purpose to live?” Lots of people live for the sake of pleasure. Another group of people go through life for the purpose of enlightenment and finding out what’s within themselves.

Furthermore, some other examples of this mentality could be that many find purpose in their friends and friendships. Others find meaning in their spouse or children. Whereas others find meaning through helping people who are struggling and through altruism. But, to all the above answers as to how to find meaning and purpose in your life, those answers are incorrect.

The Missing Piece in Your Life

If life was a jigsaw puzzle and you were a child trying to finish it, each one of those answers which I listed above would seem to fit as the last missing puzzle piece, but, in the end, it would never really fit.

Ecclesiastes 2:17 World English Bible (WEB)
17 So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

You would find that each one of those puzzle pieces would be too round or too little or too long, yet, not one of those pieces would fit in as the last missing piece. No matter how hard you pushed them into the puzzle, it would just not fit!

And the frustrating truth is… the jigsaw puzzle never came with all the pieces. Maybe there was some defect but whatever happened, that missing puzzle piece never came with the puzzle. So, what do you do? You call the man who designed the puzzle and he delivers the last puzzle piece which was supposed to be part of the box. And he gives it to you.

That’s how life is. You will never find meaning in the things you do, in the people you love, or the pleasures you seek. Purpose never came as part of what you can do. Only the one who designed life, can give you what you know is missing.

And the one who designed the puzzle of your life, is God. When you call on Him, when you call on Jesus, He will answer and He will satisfy you with a life full of meaning! You were never meant to find meaning in yourself; your meaning is outside of yourself, it’s in Jesus.

Romans 10:13 World English Bible (WEB)
13 For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”Joel 2:32

Jesus Christ is your missing puzzle piece!

Finding Meaning Outside Yourself

So, I urge you to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and as your Saviour. When you call on Him, you will find meaning because only He can fit that purpose to live. He made you and He formed you in the womb. He knit you together and knows your strengths along with your weaknesses.

Psalm 139:13-14 World English Bible (WEB)
13 For you formed my inmost being.
    You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to you,
    for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful.
    My soul knows that very well.

God designed you and He made you for His purpose. You must accept Him if you want to find true meaning. He not only formed you but He took your sins and your mistakes and received the punishment for them when He came in the flesh as Jesus Christ. That is why He was beaten, crucified, and rose again after three days. It was all for you. I talk more about it in this post.

Above all, know that He loves you.

Psalm 139:17-18 World English Bible (WEB)
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is their sum!
18 If I would count them, they are more in number than the sand.
    When I wake up, I am still with you.

His thoughts for you are more than there are grains of sand!

And when God is thinking about you, He is thinking about how to guide you, how much He loves you, and anything good He can possibly think for you.

Jeremiah 29:11 King James Version (KJV)
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Therefore, finding meaning is only in the hands of God. Your purpose is in nowhere else other than the love of God which should drive and guide you. He is the answer to your why. And if you know your why, you can accomplish almost any how.

The Implications Behind Finding True Meaning

So, now that you know your why, let’s discuss the how. How do you go about living your life now that you know Jesus is your purpose? Well, enjoy your freedom as a child of God!

And by freedom, I mean freedom from your past, freedom from your guilt, freedom from vanity, and freedom to enjoy God as your Heavenly Father.

Romans 8:13-15 World English Bible (WEB)
13 For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God. 15 For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

The word “Abba,” which is used in the above Bible verse is a term of deep affection from a child to his or her father. It’s like the English way of saying, “Papa,” or, “Daddy,” which means God wants you to be close to Him.

At the same time, this reminds me of another Bible verse. It reminds me of one of the 2 other times, this term is mentioned in the Bible.

The Redeeming Blood of Jesus Christ

Mark 14:36 World English Bible (WEB)
36 He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me. However, not what I desire, but what you desire.”

When Jesus was at the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed to the Heavenly Father. Now, one thing to understand is that Jesus is God in the flesh. And He did this so that we could learn from His example as to how to live victoriously as children of God.

Also, prayer is not asking God for things. Prayer is communion with God. And Jesus, being God in the flesh was in communion with God the Father.

Now, getting back to the point, when Jesus used this term, He was expressing how He felt that taking the cup of suffering was too much for Him to bear. However, He did not stray away from the will of God the Father. He stuck to what God willed as His mission.

Furthermore, God did not answer His own prayer for your sake and this was so that one day when you call God as “Abba Father,” He would be able to answer your prayer. That is why as He prayed this, He sweated blood so that the blood of Jesus would redeem that promise of God to answer your prayers as your Heavenly Father.

Luke 22:44 King James Version (KJV)
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

So, now that through suffering on the cross and receiving your hell, Jesus Christ has given you the same privilege to call to God as, “Abba, Father,” you must also ask God to use you for His will. He will guide you, but, always remember that God loves you very much.

In conclusion, finding meaning is only possible if you live with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Enjoy your life with God because He is your missing puzzle piece.

Follow God’s path…

By Andre Wijesekera

Posted on

Staying Humble In A World of Idolized Pride

Don't be a proud pomeranian

The world makes it very easy to retain pride and to not stay humble. And one of the greatest temptations a person can face is to allow pride to fester in their lives. Pride is harmful and can destroy relationships, progress, and the people who hold onto pride. It is vital for the sake of your mental health, to let go of pride but that isn’t so easy. So, continue reading to find out what the Bible says about staying humble and how God wants us to forsake pride.

Why Pride is a Dangerous Game to Play

You must know that pride is a horrible and rigged game to play. You cannot expect to hold onto pride and success at the same time. You’ll have to drop one or the other in order to retain what’s more important to you. The reason why I talk about this topic is because its danger seems so subtle, but, it’s so damaging and destructive to one’s mental health in the long term.

Don’t hold onto something which destroys you.

Proverbs 16:18 World English Bible (WEB)
18 Pride goes before destruction,
    and an arrogant spirit before a fall.

But, what’s pride? Pride is when a person sees himself/herself as better than others and sets his/her value on his/her accomplishments. And as you see in the above verse, God warns us through His Word that pride is a prerequisite for destruction and here’s why.

Firstly, pride disables a person’s ability to heed to wise counsel. What I mean by this is that when you decide to magnify yourself, it creates in you a newfound hatred towards the advice of others.

Ask yourself this question and be honest with yourself. Do you find it easy to reject advice which you know to be true but you reject it nevertheless? For your own sake, do what is wise, listen to what wisdom says.

Proverbs 11:2 World English Bible (WEB)
2 When pride comes, then comes shame,
    but with humility comes wisdom.

Secondly, pride ruins relationships. People naturally hate to see pride in others. So, when the closest ones to you see that you don’t listen to them or that you demean others based on your status, this makes them upset.

Proverbs 29:23 World English Bible (WEB)
23 A man’s pride brings him low,
    but one of lowly spirit gains honor.

And finally, pride distracts you from keeping your eyes on Jesus. When you focus on your efforts and yourself, this defeats the mission God has called you to. Jesus said that to follow Him, you must deny yourself. You must deny your pride to follow Jesus.

Luke 9:23 World English Bible (WEB)
23 He said to all, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me

Therefore, God does not like pride, people tend to not like pride, and you should not like pride because it does nothing but harm to yourself.

Staying Humble Before God

So, what is God saying in all of this, stay humble. Staying humble may be one of the most difficult things to do but it’s an essential step in everyone’s life. Because God makes it clear that if you hold onto how good you are and how successful you have made yourself, you leave no space for Him.

When one hosts pride and gives it a room to stay in his/her heart, it takes the whole space. It is a poison to your relationship with God.

Psalm 10:4 World English Bible (WEB)
4 The wicked, in the pride of his face,
    has no room in his thoughts for God.

And God paid a very high price to establish that relationship with you by coming in the flesh as Jesus Christ and dying on your behalf so that you would not be condemned for your past sins. If you have not yet entered that relationship with God, then accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour which I talk more about in this post. So, don’t jeopardize your relationship with God by idolizing pride. Give glory to God and not yourself.

Jesus calls you to live in a loving relationship with Him!

When you make lots of money or get good grades or win a friendly competition, stay humble and give credit to God in Christ Jesus. In everything, do not puff up yourself and how you did it but give glory to Jesus as He empowers you with the grace to live your life.

1 Corinthians 10:31 World English Bible (WEB)
31 Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

The bottom line is to not stand in His way by living in pride but stand with Him as you stand with His humility.

James 4:6 World English Bible (WEB)
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Staying Humble Before Others

Furthermore, the Bible wants us to be humble even when we deal with people. Jesus demonstrated humility and stressed on the importance of staying humble. There’s a beauty to when you see someone who is humble. And I believe that humility is one of the reasons why Jesus is so beautiful in His personality.

Before Jesus went to bear the sins of mankind, He dealt with the issue of pride. He washed the feet of his disciples as if He was a servant and then He said something phenomenal!

John 13:14-17 World English Bible (WEB)
14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should also do as I have done to you. 16 Most certainly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, neither is one who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Jesus is our example!

Now, first get what God is not saying here. He is not commanding us to wash the feet of people, otherwise, the epistles and the letters from the apostles would have stressed on the practice of washing the feet of others. There’s no harm in washing the feet of others but the point Jesus was getting across was to be humble.

He gave us an example to be humble and He showed us that when we are humble with each other, there is a special blessing for that.

How to stay humble? It’s simple, surrender your pride to God and whenever you do something successfully, give the glory to God. When you deal with people, ask God for the grace to see them as He sees them and recognize that the same God who knitted you in the womb has knit them, too. Ask Jesus for the grace to love others and when you love others, pride will have no open door to enter your heart.

1 Peter 4:10 World English Bible (WEB)
10 As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms.

Use His gift of grace to stay humble and enjoy your life with Jesus.

By Andre Wijesekera

Posted on

Refuse to Accept Anything Less Than What He Paid For

God will make all things work out for your good!

We’ve all got bad news. Sometimes, there are headlines in the news on top of each other which overwhelm us with bad news. This can cause one to feel tired and to feel like giving up. But, the Bible will always have a solution and that’s why I trust the one who wrote the Bible so much. Your life is to be full of ups and downs, sometimes, mostly downs. But, if you want to see a change in that, continue reading this post on when to refuse to accept our corrupted reality.

What is Reality?

Reality is by definition what makes sense and what is going on in the world around you. Reality has different aspects and forms. God made reality for our good. But, once Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, mankind corrupted reality. I talk more about it in this post.

Genesis 3:13 World English Bible (WEB)
13 Yahweh God said to the woman, “What have you done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

God asked Eve, “What have you done?” God became upset that mankind brought evil into this reality, thus, corrupting it forever. And ever since then, things have never been the same. It wasn’t God’s fault that all these evils came in to the world such as mental illnesses, natural disasters, diseases, heartbreak, and more.

God hates the ills that plague mankind but mankind allowed the devil to come into reality and mess it up. The devil is the one who brought sickness and death into this world.

Furthermore, what is your reality? For some, reality is what the doctor says. For others, it is a student loan they can’t pay off. And for some people, it’s both! But, I am telling you, there is a solution. The solution is to call what Jesus paid for as your reality.

Refuse to Accept Evil

God did not leave us in this situation. He came in the flesh as Jesus Christ and He died on our behalf so that our sins, our ills would be punished on Him instead of us. Jesus Christ took the hell reserved for us. He paid the price for our healing, restoration, and deliverance.

Romans 10:13 World English Bible (WEB)
13 For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”Joel 2:32

But, to inherit such wonderful promises, you must first accept Jesus Christ. When you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, He then holds the right to save you.

Now, regarding your challenges and situations, I want you to trust Jesus with them. Whatever it is, whatever reality is underlying your issues and pains, I want you to entrust Jesus with those worries, too.

1 Peter 5:7 World English Bible (WEB)
7 casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.

You must cast the things that make you restless at night on Him. Why? Well, the Bible is simple. Because He cares for you! Even if the whole world hated you, including your family, God would love you because He’s that type of King.

People physically hurt Jesus to the point of not being physically recognizable as human. If He allowed that, there must be a reason. And the thing is that Jesus could have stopped it at any moment because He can call down angels to defend Him whenever He wants to. There’s a reason why He didn’t stop , it’s because He had to pay the price to save you and make you whole.

Isaiah 52:14 World English Bible (WEB)
14 Just as many were astonished at you—
    his appearance was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.

Refuse to Accept Reality in the Context of Faith

Reality as I said is not in the way which God first designed it. And as a believer in Jesus, there are still challenges that come our way. But, as a believer in Christ Jesus, you have to trust Him regardless of the outcome. If you believe, He will make sure that whatever bad things happens to you will only make things better.

Romans 8:28 World English Bible (WEB)
28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.

A good example of the above verse is Jesus in that He died in such a horrible way, but, if He didn’t die, He couldn’t have saved us and He wouldn’t be resurrected in such a glorious way.

Another good example of Romans 8:28, is the story of Joseph. I am now assigning you some homework to take some time and slowly read the story of Joseph which is Genesis chapter 37 followed by chapters 39-44. If you read that story, you will see how his brothers betrayed Joseph and sold him into slavery in Egypt out of jealousy. And then, as a slave, people falsely accused him and sent him to jail.

Being sold into slavery in Ancient Egypt is horrible in itself. But being sold into slavery and then being accused of something you didn’t do on top of that is even worse! Yet, read that story and see how God used that to make him become only second in authority to the Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.

Declaring the Promises Into Reality

And now, in the same way that God used Joseph’s sufferings to bring out a greater good in His life, I want you to believe God and allow Him to bring out a greater good out of your life.

You have to refuse to accept the reality of endless suffering and trust Jesus that by the price He paid, your reality will be changed for a greater good. He has healed your infirmities, He has restored your mental health, and you’ve got to declare that!

Read the promises of God and say aloud that those promises belong to you. God spoke things into being, He just didn’t think it. So, God wants you to imitate Him and speak His reality into being. Ask Him for His faith and believe what He paid for.

Proverbs 18:21 World English Bible (WEB)
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue;
    those who love it will eat its fruit.

Life is in the power of the tongue, not your thoughts. So, speak life and declare God’s promises so that you remind reality that it needs to change to what God wills.

Moreover, seek God with all your being, genuinely. When you seek Him, and you not only believe Him but you know Him, your reality is guaranteed to change! Spend time in His Word, ask Him to help you get closer to Him, and He will definitely answer. And when you’re with the King of Kings, your reality will automatically change.

Matthew 6:33 World English Bible (WEB)
33 But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.

The King of Kings always wins!

Now It’s Your Turn!

1 Peter 2:24 World English Bible (WEB)
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness. You were healed by his wounds.

Whether you’re sick from corona virus or even a mental illness like depression, say aloud, “Jesus was wounded for my healing, I am healed.”

2 Corinthians 8:9 World English Bible (WEB)
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich.

If you’re struggling with poverty or finances, declare aloud that, “Jesus paid the price by becoming poor so that I would become rich.”

James 1:5 World English Bible (WEB)
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

When you don’t know what to do in life or if you’re struggling academically, declare with your mouth that, “Jesus paid the price to make me wise and to know what He wants me to do in life.”

In conclusion, reality will change at some point when you hold onto the reality Jesus paid for. Just trust Him and regardless of the outcome, trust God that He will make it all work out for good so that your challenge(s) will become a testimony for His glory!

By Andre Wijesekera