Today we continue our new series entitled, “Press through it!”
We have been walking our way through the following passage for quite some time now. Let’s go back to it today.
“We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us. We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We often don’t know what to do, but we don’t give up. We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed. So we constantly experience the death of Jesus in our own bodies, but this is so that the life of Jesus can also be seen in our bodies. We are alive, but for Jesus we are always in danger of death, so that the life of Jesus can be seen in our bodies that die.”
(2 Corinthians 4:7-11 ERV)
Today I will continue to focus in on this line: “So we constantly experience the death of Jesus in our own bodies, but this is so that the life of Jesus can also be seen in our bodies.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God must be experienced.
a) It is unfortunate, but many believers just know God from a book. God does not live in a book. He lives inside of our hearts. However, many fail to truly experience Him and to welcome the experiences.
b) If you only know God on paper, from the Bible, then you are going to struggle to make Kingdom impact in this world. The words from the Bible must jump off the pages and come alive IN us and THROUGH us.
c) The Bible is not a textbook to study, it is a LIFEBOOK to live. Your learning must turn into living. The information you receive must turn into application as you seed to walk out the will of God in the earth.
d) If you don’t know God through experiences, then I would venture to say that you don’t know him at all. Open your heart to experience God today and every day.
f) Walking and living by faith is exciting. When you start opening your heart to see the invisible, believe the impossible, and attempt the improbable, you will experience God in the way you were destined to experience Him.
g) If you never attempt anything that is beyond your ability, power or strength, then I would tell you that you are not walking by faith yet. Faith will call you beyond your limits into the realm where, if God does not do it, it won’t get done. This is the way we are supposed to live.
2. Our experiences with God put His life on display.
a) If order to truly experience the life of Jesus in our own bodies, the text says that we must be willing to experience the death of Jesus in our own bodies. When the world starts treating us the way it treated Jesus, and we respond the way Jesus responded, then we put Jesus on display for all the world to see.
b) Your life can be a testimony in good times. However, many of the people who are truly searching for Jesus are not experiencing good times. They are struggling and they want to see someone who is facing what they are facing, but doing so in a different way. They want to see something in you that they don’t have. They want to see you go through what they went through, but to do it in a different way. What makes you different is Jesus. They need to be able to look at you, in the middle of a difficult situation, and still see a smile on your face, a spring in your step and a song in your heart. When they ask you how to do it, you tell them that it is only because of Jesus.
c) Your life and your experiences should put Jesus on display. Do be afraid or ashamed to go through challenges. Your testimony will speak to people much more effectively than a sermon ever could!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for saving me, calling me, and now preparing me for my destiny. I declare that I launch out into my divine assignment on a daily basis. I am ready to experience You every day. You are not a God I just know from a book. I know You from the daily experiences I have with You. My life puts Jesus on display every day, as I seek to see the invisible and perform the impossible. When people ask me how I do it, I tell them the truth about Jesus. He lives in me! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
