by: Pastor Lonnie Phillips
Pestilence, Riots and Looting, Lockdowns, Censorship, Mask or no Mask, Vaccine or no vaccine, Loss of trust in Elections, capitalism vs. socialism.... There is a growing list of things shaking us and causing us to withdraw, react, take up a cause or find an escape.
Where is Christ in our lives in the midst of this shaking? Is Jesus on the throne and is He the one settling our hearts and minds? In the midst of the shaking is there a surrender to His will vs our will?
I believe we as Americans, now more than ever, can identity with the Jews during Jesus' day wanting a Deliverer to come and restore Israel back to its glory days. Yet, Jesus came not to return Israel back but to die on the cross of Calvary for our sins. Jesus was more about the New Jerusalem than the Old. We sin when we are in control. The cross of Jesus is all about surrender. Jesus surrendered His will to obey His Father's will so that you and I would not be separated from God but with Him.
To follow Jesus is to deny our self, take up our cross and know Him in the midst of saying "no" to our will and "yes" to His. Does Jesus have your "Yes" today and every day? This nation is in His hands and he causes nations to rise and fall. We need His peace and His guidance in these times we are living. In order to have his peace and His guidance, He needs our surrender.
Pestilence, Riots and Looting, Lockdowns, Censorship, Mask or no Mask, Vaccine or no vaccine, Loss of trust in Elections, capitalism vs. socialism.... There is a growing list of things shaking us and causing us to withdraw, react, take up a cause or find an escape.
Where is Christ in our lives in the midst of this shaking? Is Jesus on the throne and is He the one settling our hearts and minds? In the midst of the shaking is there a surrender to His will vs our will?
I believe we as Americans, now more than ever, can identity with the Jews during Jesus' day wanting a Deliverer to come and restore Israel back to its glory days. Yet, Jesus came not to return Israel back but to die on the cross of Calvary for our sins. Jesus was more about the New Jerusalem than the Old. We sin when we are in control. The cross of Jesus is all about surrender. Jesus surrendered His will to obey His Father's will so that you and I would not be separated from God but with Him.
To follow Jesus is to deny our self, take up our cross and know Him in the midst of saying "no" to our will and "yes" to His. Does Jesus have your "Yes" today and every day? This nation is in His hands and he causes nations to rise and fall. We need His peace and His guidance in these times we are living. In order to have his peace and His guidance, He needs our surrender.