AN ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS THE HEALER VII

Another definition of faith I love is – “forsaking all, I trust him (God)”. If there is anyone in the history of humanity who epitomized this, it is Jesus Christ. He forsook his heavenly paraphernalia and glory, condescended, took on the form of man, carried the sin of man which he never committed on the cross. He went to the cross and shed his precious blood that it might be well with man and to do the will of the Father. I don’t know of any son that can do that. 

An understanding of the stigma associated with death on the cross during the time of Jesus will make you appreciate this. It was such a horrifying thing that no Roman citizen was allowed to go through it. Cursed is he that hangeth on the cross; he became curse for us. He was not a sinner but he became sin. Remember that he lived his life in the realm of doing the will of the Father. His will was so aligned with the will of the Father that he said my meat is to do the will of my Father. At that point that he was carrying my sin and your sin, there was a disconnection. The Father could not behold iniquity and that was why Jesus cried in Matt 27:46, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Why is sin such a big deal and why should we not trivialize it? Today, many Churches no longer preach against sin and so a lot of people believe that it has become a light thing. Notice what it took God to correct the sin of Adam – one sin. That confirms how terribly evil sin is. 

God does not hate sin because it affects him, no, it does not affect him in any way. He hates sin because it demeans the image of the object of his love; he hates sin because of what sin does to you. Sin cuts short the glory of God. When the glory cover is removed, man becomes vulnerable to all manner of attacks. That was why when Adam and Eve sinned for the first time, they became aware of their nakedness. Sin results in nakedness. It removes the glory cover. Don’t forget that your greatest defence is the glory cover. Any time you commit sin, you are invariably inviting the enemy to attack you. Stop looking for the witch outside, look inwards. 

In my years in ministry, I have discovered that the greatest problem of man is man himself. The worst lie anyone can tell is the one he tells himself. If your problem is internal and you are looking outwards, that problem can never be solved. Adam abdicated his responsibility as a man; God put him in charge but he allowed the snake to deceive his wife just as many men are doing today. Some men are so weak that they don’t even know when the snake has ensnared their wife, her heart taken over by another man. It is your responsibility to fence off the snake first of all from the garden of your heart. Every garden attracts snakes. 

No curse can cross the cross of Christ. Learn to raise the cross. The world is upside down today because those that should be enforcing dominion over the snake and all his works have abdicated, they are busy preaching other things. A garden is a controlled environment but the world is not a garden, it is a wilderness. Your home is a garden, your heart is a garden, your ministry is a garden. Your business/career is a field, as you make progress, you proceed into the wilderness where you should not only worry about ordinary snakes but also pythons, anaconda, lions, tigers and other dangerous animals. You should be prepared when going for your business deals; ensure that you carry enough ‘anti snake’ with you. 

Pray –

• Everlasting and most merciful Father, I worship and adore you. Thank you for your wisdom and power that procured the miracle of salvation for man, through the death, burial, and resurrection of your dear son Jesus Christ. I raise the cross of Jesus Christ against any snake in the gardens of my life and command their total extermination in Jesus’ name.

TO BE CONTINUED……..