The Cross - the place of New Beginnings
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those
who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is
the power of God unto salvation."
1 Cor 1:18
As an intercessor who seeks to know, feel and hear the heart of God, I stand in the gap and I gather these that I love and that God has called me to pray for; my family, my church, my city, my nation, and even this world, and I gather them in as a mother hen would gather her chicks. (Matt 23:37) I gather them in around the cross, and I bring them by the power of the Spirit to a place of surrender and deliverance. And along with them I bring all the lying demons of torment and control that have held them bound; all the demons of fear, anxiety, depression and oppression, the antichrist spirits of atheism, doubt, and unbelief, the spirits of pride, rebellion and self will, the perverse spirits of lust and pornography, the spirits of addiction, jealousy and anger, the spirits of poverty, lack and greed, sickness and infirmity. And I bring them all to the cross, applying the blood of Jesus over them, letting it run down over their minds and bodies. It's here at the cross where the demons are disarmed. It's here where their powers are broken and where the captives, the ones that I love and that God loves, are set free. And it's here where Jesus disarms those spirits and makes an open show and a public display and spectacle out of them. (Col 2:15) The power is in the blood of Jesus. It's at the foot of the cross. It's at this place of surrender and receiving by faith all that Jesus did for us 2000 years ago and continues to do for us everyday. It's here that the demons lose their hold and that the new resurrected life that's found in Christ Jesus takes place. And it's here that a person receives deliverance from the bondages of the old and the grace, anointing and empowering for their new life to begin again.
In my defeats and failures I always find comfort and strength at the cross. In the exchange of my brokeness, weakness, fears, doubts, disappointments and sins of my yet unsanctified carnel nature, I take comfort and strength in the repenting, crucifying and disarming of these things and the receiving of the new, refreshing and empowering of the Spirit of the living God that is resurrected once again on the inside of me through Christ Jesus. It's here at the cross that I come to know Him in a fresh, deep and intimate way, that I come to know and feel the depth of His love for me and for the world and the sea of lives and souls that He gave His life for.
It's so easy to get distracted and covered up in the cares of this world, so easy to let the old habits, behaviors and attitudes of my old carnal nature creep back in and allow the distractions and cares of this world to pull me away from this precious place of seeking God's heart and the face of Jesus that I treasure so dearly so that I may truly know Him. It's times like these that I know how easily and quickly I am set off course unless I purpose to guard this place as the treasure that it is, and unless I guard and prioritize my time with Him, reading and meditating on His Word and lifting my heart and voice in praise and worship to Him. As lovers of God He needs to hear our love and adoration for Him, but SO DO WE. You and I need to hear our soul pouring out its love and passion to the Lover of our soul. Your relationship with Him is strengthened and focused as you share your love for Him through your worship. Praise says "Thank You". Worship says "I love You." He needs to hear "I love You" more often through our worship and sacrifice of praise.
So if you have missed out on this, if you have gotten off course and lost your joy, if you have known the Lord and given your life to Him but have somehow missed the mark, it's at the cross that this new life and victory can begin again. It's at the cross where you can begin to experience the new life of freedom in the Spirit that you were created for.
Do you need a new beginning? Do you need things to change in your life? Do you need to start over? I invite you to come to the cross. I invite you to come and receive the healing and restoration that is yours through Christ Jesus at the foot of the cross. It's the place of total surrender, the place of new beginnings, the place of starting all over again, the place where the new life - the resurrected life of the Christ in you has its new beginning.
Bring your defeats, your failures, your disappointments, your broken heart and the broken pieces of your life that don't seem to make sense anymore, and lay them at the cross. Then wrap your arms and life around the cross, drawing upon its life and power, and let the exchange take place. Feel the washing, cleansing, and empowering of the cross. It's here that there is a supernatural tranference of God's life giving power that takes place, where He breathes new life into you replacing the old with the new, replacing the brokenness with His healing and the old life with the new life of the Spirit. And bring with you those tormenting spirits of fear, anxiety, depression, oppression and addiction. It's here at the cross that those powers are broken off your life. Jesus disarms them by the power of the blood that was shed from His body upon the cross. As you receive what He did for you through the cross by faith, you receive the delivering power of His blood and it's here that He makes a public display and spectacle out of them and triumphs over them and you receive the victory that is yours through Christ Jesus. (Col 2:13-15)
It's supernatural. It's only something that He can do, but it's yours to receive.
It's supernatural. It's only something that He can do, but it's yours to receive.
The power of the cross.....it's the place of New Beginning.
