I love a good smack to the face. A solid punch to the gut. A round kick that leaves you breathless. I got beat up listening to Coach and Joe today, but not in a way that pushed me down. It was in a way that tore apathy from my eyes and roughed me up so that I could rise up, stand in all that I’ve been given, and to stop being so dang petty.
Something happened to me years ago when I was living in defeat. I don’t remember how it was said, but it was something along the lines of, “Your choice to stay in defeat makes light of the cross of Christ.” In that moment, I saw me standing in front of Jesus hanging on the cross, His body in absolute agony in the throes of the exact torture and turmoil that plucked me from the pit of death and what did I do? Instead of rising up and taking what He had paid such a high price to give me, I spat on Him, said it wasn’t enough and turned right back to the darkness. My choice to not walk in the victory and authority He had given me was the same as if I had laughed at Him hanging there, saying that I’d rather be a slave to darkness than walk in the victory of His sacrifice. You want to know what that did to Him? It absolutely broke His heart. It broke the heart of the maker of the world, the King over all creation, my God.
We do the same. Every time we choose to not walk in the authority He died to give us, we scoff at Him, making light of what He gave Himself for. It baffles me that we can live this way. It absolutely tears me up that we let ourselves be so defeated. That we choose this passive victimization and wear it like a shroud of humility. We live defeated saying Christ is enough, but the truth is that He went to hell and back to give us the power to be victorious. If we choose to not live in victory and authority, then we choose to say what He did wasn’t enough.
How dare we. Truly. How dare we.
I get really stirred up about this, obviously. And you should, too. He didn’t just die to save us. He died to give us something. To give us authority over darkness. To give us power in our mouths to raise the dead and tell Satan exactly where he can go.
Watch or listen to Coach and Joe’s episode on Defeating Intimidation and get a little more fire in your bones, more conviction in your heart and renewed zeal and practical tips to stand in what Christ gave you. {eoa}
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