“The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” (John 11:44)
Symbolically, Lazarus is like many Christians. The Bible speaks of us passing from death unto new life when we get born again. But it is also true that in the physical and emotional realm, we bring our “grave clothes” from our old life with us (i.e. habits, attitudes, depression etc.), …and we need to be “loosed” to fully enjoy our life as Christians.
Our emotions and attitudes follow what we think. When we focus our attention on our problems, they are magnified out of proportion. When we neglect our problems and think on God’s provision, the answer is magnified and the problem shrinks. Whatever we think upon is going to dominate us. If we think on depressing things, we’ll be depressed. If we think on uplifting things, we’ll be uplifted. If we think, “by His stripes, we are healed”, we’ll be healed. If we think on sickness, we’ll be sick.
Godly contentment isn’t dependent upon circumstances. That is totally opposite of the way most people think today. No one really desires depression but very few feel any responsibility or authority to maintain positive emotions in the face of negative circumstances. They think emotions follow circumstances. That’s not true. Emotions follow the way we think, and we can chose to think on things that are lovely, true, of good report, and so forth regardless of our circumstances. As we think, is how we respond emotionally.
Focus your attention on the invisible truths of the spiritual realm that are eternal, instead of the visible things of this physical world that will pass away.
“We all have a measure of faith. It’s what we choose to put our faith in will ultimately guide our decision making, our perspective and the course of action for our lives.”
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Thank You for the love You have shown me through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Help me to hold firm to this Truth so that my faith will continue to grow. Fill me with Your Spirit daily so that I will stop hearing the lies from the enemy. Protect me and help teach me that I can have real hope. Encourage me to focus on Your written word when You feel distant in my life. Also help me share with anyone who needs to hear the Gospel message. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Put your faith and trust in Jesus! If you do not know Him personally please read below.
Jesus Christ says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him” (Revelation 3:20)
The Bible promises eternal life to all who receive Christ: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13)
If you have not asked Jesus into your life you can receive Jesus Christ right now by faith through prayer. Please click here to learn more. 4 Simple Steps to Jesus
Rob Lavallee
Scriptural Seeds Ministries