Did you know that without the resurrection we wouldn't know if we'd truly been forgiven and made whole?

If we thought Jesus died to save us, but was still buried in a tomb somewhere, would we know if we were actually forgiven?

Let me give you a good example to emphasize what I'm talking about. One day a man was caught in the act of committing a crime. The King in that country tried him and found him guilty. The man begged to not be punished and said he couldn't go to jail or his family wouldn't be able to survive without him. So the King thought about it and said, if the man could find someone else to go to prison in his place, then he would consider the debt paid.

The man said he had a brother that had no children and was willing to serve the time for him. So the king agreed and the brother went to jail. The sentence was set for 1 year. After that year the man that committed the crime looked and looked for his brother but couldn't find him. He went to the prison where he was supposed to have been held but nobody knew anything. So the man wondered if the king was satisfied that the debt had been paid. He wasn't sure if he was really free from it.

Until that man saw his brother walking around free, he would always wonder if he was truly free.

When Jesus died in our place, it was imperative that He was seen after He died. To have risen from the grave, showing himself to the disciples, let them know that the price for sin had been paid and they no longer had to bow to it. Bondage was a thing of the past, totally set free.

If He had not risen and shown himself, they would have always wondered if or when his promise was sure.

Thinking that His death was enough is only half of the story. He is risen and seated at the right hand of God. It is finished! There is no longer any labor to be done to complete the finished work. Jesus labored and birthed our freedom from bondage to fear, to be sick, to be anxious, to be without love or acceptance. We now have the opportunity to live eternally with Him.

The moment you choose Jesus, you choose life. You enter into the heavenly realm of possibilities. Heaven on earth produces life altering results. If you can think it, it is. Nothing is withheld to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.

What are His purposes? Walking totally free from any bondage that keeps you in grave clothes. Grave clothes are nothing more than old ways of thinking. Old ways of thinking are generational illnesses, exposure to any sickness that comes along. Change your stinking thinking!

Being born again places you with a new bloodline. You've been grafted into a new family tree. Your branch stems from a healthy root system. There is no dis-ease from within, only health and wholeness. God's glory, His good opinion of you, covers you completely. You are no longer wearing the grave clothes but glory clothes. Shine forth! 

JOHN 15:5

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 

In this verse, Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” He did not say, “I am the vine, try to be the branches.” In other words, He wants us to realize that we are already the branches. We do not have to struggle to become the branches.

As His branches, we only have to abide or remain in Christ our vine. How do we do that? We do that by simply being conscious every day of our position in Christ. Because we have received Christ, we are in Christ and are accepted in the Beloved. (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 1:6) God accepts us because we are in the Beloved and He is in us. And that is how God sees us today when we come into His presence.

What the devil wants to do then is to get you to focus on your condition instead of your position in Christ. The condition you are facing could be financial lack or deteriorating health. The devil wants you to focus on your condition and forget your position—that you are the righteousness of God in Christ and that you are seated with Him in heavenly places at the Father’s right hand. (2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 2:6) He wants you to forget that you are an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. (Romans 8:17)

The devil knows that once you focus on your position in Christ, it will give you the power to change your condition and circumstances. John 15:5 says that you will bear “much fruit”. This means that when you pray against any lack, abundant supply will flow. When you pray for healing, sickness will leave.

None of these things can happen by your own doing, but by His life which flows through you. Just as sap flowing through the branches of a vine will cause them to bring forth fruit, His life flowing through you will bring forth a bountiful harvest of provision, healing and miracles. You only need to remain conscious of who you are in Christ!

So again I ask, are you focusing on your condition or your position?

There's a man higher than the angels and His name is Jesus. You don't have to wait for special seasons, circumstances or even angels for you miracle. 

John 5:6-9 says, ...He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked...

Are you also using reasons why you're not receiving your healing? Jesus has already declared you restored, so what are you expecting to happen?

Stop waiting for someone else to come along and do something for you when all you have to do is receive.

Rest in the finished work of Christ and believe what He said He would do.

Today, Jesus wants to meet you at the point of your need. You don’t need special seasons, circumstances or angels to see the manifestation of your healing. You only need the Lord, who is here right now to heal you. He is your very present help in time of need (Psalm 46:1)! 

1 Corinthians 11:27-29
Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. (1 Corinthians 11:27-31 NKJV)

What do the bread and cup represent? The bread is a symbol of the Lord's body and the cup, His blood.

His body was broken for me so that I am made whole. His blood was shed for me so that I would receive salvation. His blood was the currency used to buy my life for eternity.

Eats: verb
Drinks: verb
Unworthy: adjective, lacking worth and understanding Discerning: adjective, showing understanding

Discerning and unworthy in this context are showing me that I'm not understanding the full value of his body and blood. To understand what both represent when I partake of the communion I discern that by His stripes I'm healed and made healthy and whole. His blood is proof that He didn't give His life in vain. He paid the price for my sin so that I wouldn't have to. These are visual reminders for me. To misunderstand is not rightly dividing the word of truth.

This has nothing to do with my unworthiness, as you stated, because once I'm in Christ, I no longer live but Christ in me. Obviously the early Corinthians didn't understand the significance of what they were doing but to say we don't want to do what they did is saying we don't understand the significance either. To look to ourselves when taking communion is taking our eyes off the one we're to be looking to. But don't make the mistake by looking to the Corinthians either just because they didn't understand what they were doing by eating to much and drinking to the excess. These verses are not about what the Corinthians did or didn't do. They're about Jesus and what his body and blood represent.

The bread and cup are what hold the significance, not what they did so we don't do it either. Communion is not doing it in the right way but for the right reason. It's what the cup and bread represent and what it mean for me to take it. That's right discernment.

We are to ask ourself, "Do I understand that when I partake of a symbol of His body that I'm actually saying I'm healed? Do I understand that when I take of the symbol of His blood do I realize He willingly shed His blood to pay for my sins?". Both of these show me I have a better quality of life while I live secure in the truth that I'm saved for Him eternally living in communion with my Father.

Communion: the act of sharing, or holding in common; participation.

When I take communion I like to think that I'm sharing in what Jesus died to give me. That we have that life in common. I actually participated in His death, burial and resurrection and I am now seated with Him. 

...seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. MATTHEW 6:33

God doesn’t want you grabbing the newspaper first thing in the morning and reading all the bad news in the world. He knows that if you do that, your heart will be full of cares, anxieties and even fears.

When you are reading the newspapers, magazines, medical journals, economic reports, watching movies or surfing the Internet all the time, then you are getting your “nourishment” from these sources instead of God’s Word. Now, I am not against these things. But if you constantly feed only on earthly things which cannot satisfy, you will fill your heart and mind with cares and worries.

Jesus doesn’t want you to end up worrying about your life—what you will eat, drink or wear—as these are the things that the people of the world seek. He says that your heavenly Father knows very well that you need these things. (Matthew 6:31–32). If you're constantly seeking the same things as the world seeks, what makes you think you look any different than them?

That is why He promises you that if you would seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, ALL these things that the world seeks after will be added to you. It will not just be given but added, which means greater in quantity and quality!

If you are faced with lack, don’t pursue material goods. Pursue God your provider. If you are sick, don’t pursue the “cure”. Pursue God your healer.

Don’t grab the newspaper or call your friend first thing in the morning to talk about the latest bad news. Instead, grab your Bible and read all the good news God has for you for the day. And as you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, ALL the things that the world is running after will be added to you!

God has made you righteous through the cross of Jesus so that you can always come boldly into His presence and find a throne of grace—not judgment.

Whether you’re believing God for healing in your body or for some other provision, you need to know that God has made you righteous in His sight. Why? It’s so that you can take up His invitation to come boldly,

always expecting “to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”, for the littlest to the most debilitating symptom in your body.

Today, COME BOLDLY to the One who loves you passionately and unconditionally. COME BOLDLY to the One who knows every symptom in your body and who has the healing you need. He waits eagerly for you to DRAW BOLDLY from His mercy and grace!

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Matthew 14:27
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

What are you facing today that has you hinting it's only a matter of time before you go under? Do you feel alone, not knowing which way to turn?

Be comforted that Jesus sees what you are going through and He always comes to where you are in your darkest hour. He did that for His disciples one stormy night on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus came, walking on the stormy waters, walking on top of the problem that was threatening to overwhelm them. He is indeed the King and Lord over the storms!

When your eyes are on Christ, even though the storms are raging and the winds are blowing, you will know that you are above your troubles and circumstances. When people ask you how you are doing under the circumstances, tell them, “I am not under the circumstances. I am on top of them because my God is above all!”

Don’t be fearful. He will come to you walking on the stormy waters. Hear His comforting voice telling you, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

And as you behold Jesus, you become like Him. You will find yourself doing things you did not know you could do. You will, like Peter, walk on water. This happens when you are occupied with the person of Jesus, with His resources, love, wisdom, ability, power and majesty.

Even during the times when you take your eyes off Jesus, He never takes His eyes off you. And when you cry out to Him, He will immediately stretch out His hand to catch hold of you. You will not go under.

There may be times that you are not able to find your way back. Jesus will then hold your hand and walk you back to the boat. And like Peter, you will realize that with your hand in His, the storm will come to a standstill!

Everyday the postman brings you mail.  Some bills, some ads and sometimes a check.  We go to the mailbox and take our mail out everyday and sort through it. Or at least some of us do.

We either open the bills, or not right away, (no news is good news right?) glance at the ads then toss them, and the envelope that looks like a check, we open right away.  Have you noticed how many advertisers have started sending mail that looks like a check is inside?  Deception is the name of the game.

PSALM 107:20 says,
He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Try on this scenario.  In your mailbox you have a check waiting for you that's going to cancel all your debt.  Would ignore your mailbox or if you did, take the envelope out, let it sit on the counter unopened?  Of coarse not.

I know what you're thinking, expecting a check in the mail that's going to cancel all my debt is ludicrous, right?  But that's exactly what we are supposed to do.  Expect!

God's word is just waiting to be accepted for deliverance in every area of our lives.  He has words just waiting to be read and absorbed into our consciousness to deliver us from ill health and poverty. Poverty in spirit, soul and body.

There's words just waiting for you to receive it into your mind and sink into your spirit.  Why would you just let it sit there, growing dust and who knows what else, when it could be dusted off and grown into something so big that others will see and know that we have a Father who loves us more than we can ever imagine?

Walking into your deliverance takes nothing more than opening your mailbox, extracting your mail, believing what's written and accepting it's for you.  Your name is written in the book of life, just like its on that envelope, so pick up your bible expectantly.  Let the glory of God, His good opinion of you, wash over you.

Expect only good and good is what you'll get.  When the bills come, know that a check is already there to pay it off in full.  Whether it's sickness or poverty, the debts has already been paid in full at the cross.  But get ready!  He'll not only meet your need but go above and beyond.

If that's not good news, I don't know what is!

 Why is that everything we face in life we think it revolves around us?  If something bad happens, we think we're somehow responsible.  If something good happens, we want to take the credit for it.

What if life had nothing to do with you at all but had everything to do with Jesus?  "Come again!  Are you saying everything?"  Unequivocally yes.

Am I saying when bad things happens, Jesus caused it?  Heavens no.  Can we cause bad things to happen?  Yes, but sometimes there are other factors or people involved that have nothing to do with you.  I'm not saying we live in a "not my fault" mentality, only don't go blaming yourself or second guessing the whys of everything.

There's a reason the past is called the past.  It's past.  It can never be lived again. The now starts now.  You deal with the past by living in the now, not regretting it or trying to change it.  It's just not possible.

Let me give you an example.  Say you're overweight.  Can you wish away the pounds you gained by eating improperly or not exercising or a slow metabolism?  I wish.  So by living in the now you take the point you are at now and deal with it.  How you deal with it determines how you overcome it.

Can you diet?  Yes.  Can you exorcise? Yes.  But have you found them to be totally successful so far?  Probably not.

Here's what I'm saying.  You need to change your thinking and think like God thinks about us.  God says we are being filled from glory to glory.  Do you know what glory means?  The glory of God is His good opinion of us.  We're to be clothed in that glory.  We're to think of ourselves how God thinks of us.

Do you think God sees us as overweight, depressed, downtrodden?  The bible tells us that as Jesus is, so are we.  When God looks at us, He sees only Jesus.  If you believe this as truth then when God sees you He is looking at Jesus and sees perfection.

What does this have to do with weight loss, health or anything else?  Stop striving in your own power to gain something you already are and when you start seeing yourself as God sees you then you become what you've been all along.

The perfect weight?  No health issues?  Yes.  How?  See yourself as God already sees you and you'll find you have a desire to eat only what you should eat, walking when you could be vegging out watching the TV, or walking on a treadmill in front of a TV.

"But you don't understand.  I have numerous health problems.  How can this work for me?"  It already has!  Jesus took all those sicknesses and diseases and returned them back to the author of them when He died on the cross.  When he ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father He didn't bear one speck of it.

So when God sees you as He sees Jesus, He sees you healthy and whole without one speck of dis-ease in your body or one ounce of unhealthy fat.  Until you start seeing yourself as God already sees you, you won't walk into the realm of "I can't do what Jesus already did."

Rest in the finished work of our Redeemer.  He bought what you're struggling with today.  Don't cold turkey your medication but start feeding on the word, scriptures about healing, and you will become what God already sees you as being.  It's not about trying to get healed but understanding you already are healed.  Feeding on the word doesn't remind God what His word says, it shows you what His word says.

You want to be thinner?  See yourself thin and healthy as God sees you and your desires change to achieve that goal.  The Father places in us His love so overwhelmingly strong we can't help but become how He is.

Bad habits?  Rest in the assurance that their desire will drop by the wayside when you're holding hands with the One who has your best interest at heart.

We are more than conquerors when we only believe.  It's not about us having more faith but believing that what Jesus did is a reality.  So do you believe?  Not in yourself, but in Jesus.

So remember, it's not what you do, it's what Jesus has already done for you.

See, it really is not about you.