I spent an incredible weekend watching God bring new perspective to His children. I got some for myself.
There are a lot of things in life that try to swallow us up. Things like: curses and words of destruction spoken by people we have trusted and loved; the painful wounds of injustice, abuse; unforgiveness for ourselves and others; and incorrect teaching that we’ve embraced as truth.
As I prayed with a couple yesterday, I saw the beauty of what it must look like to God when we finally embrace the truth of Isaiah 25:26. “He will swallow up death in victory; He will abolish death forever. And the Lord will wipe away tears from all the faces; and the reproach of His people. he will take away from off all the earth; for the Lord has spoken it. ”
That’s what God did through Jesus’ death and resurrection. And he did it for each of us, for ALL OF US!
Like the ones I prayed for, our heads are sometimes bowed with guilt, shame, and all the things in our life that make us feel less than who we are in Christ. We embrace the place of “less than” and allow ourselves to be overcome by feelings of victimhood and despondency. With every lie we believe about ourselves and our life, our heads hang lower and lower toward the ground.
Yet Jesus said three very important words as He hung on the cross for us. It is finished!
As I prayed yesterday I heard God’s whisper, tell them it’s time to lift up their heads. As I encouraged the husband to look up and lift his hands as a sign of surrendering the old stuff to God, I saw a literal transformation. It was awesome to see his whole countenance change.
I haven’t known him long but his head was always bowed, he never looked people in the eye and rarely spoke. Before I left church he was full of gratefulness and joy, and like a new man.
That is what God has brought us. It’s up to us to accept it. If you are tired of holding on to something that is keeping you from freedom and life, you get to choose.
I hope you’ll embrace the words of Jesus and look up. Give it to Him and say “It is finished.” I’m done with this. I’m not going to be undone by this. I’m done with a victim and less than mentality. I am God’s child and I am ‘more than a conqueror’. I am victorious through Christ and fear, doubt, and insecurity is finished in me. Guilt, shame, and unbelief is finished.
I choose to look up to behold the Lord of glory and the lifter of my head. Psalm 24.