“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,” (1 Peter 3:18 ESV)

The righteous for the unrighteous

What Christ did for us on the cross is referred to by many as “the great exchange,” because He exchanged His righteousness for our unrighteousness.

Therefore

“But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence” (Col. 1:22)

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

Good Friday is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday and is the day Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross.

Jesus bore our sins, shame, and burden on the cross

We can celebrate on Good Friday because Christ's death was a sacrifice so that we could receive the gift of eternal life.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5)

The results changed the course of humanity

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Rom. 5:6-10)

Therefore

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isa. 61:10 ESV)

“Be anxious about nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” (Phil. 4:6)

The above passage is a command filled with great hope and promise. And if you examine each part of it, you can see that it’s a great passage to meditate on. One way to do this is to define each word and then read all the definitions one after the other. So, let’s do that below.

The primary words in the above verse defined

“Be ANXIOUS (Uneasy and apprehensive about an uncertain event or matter; worried.) 

…about NOTHING (No thing; not anything.)

…But in EVERYTHING (All things or all of a group of things.)

…by PRAYER: (A spiritual communication between man and God.)

…and SUPPLICATION: (A humble petition; an earnest request; an entreaty.)

…with THANKSGIVING: (The act of giving thanks or expressing gratitude for favors or mercies.)

…LET: (To give permission or opportunity to; allow.)

…YOUR: (Belonging to you.)

…REQUESTS: (The act of asking for somethng.)

…be KNOWN: (Proved or generally recognized.)

…unto GOD”: (The perfect, omnipotent, omniscient creator, originator and ruler of the universe, the principal object of faith and worship.)

Therefore

The very next verse following the one at the top of the page gives you the promise that will happen when you obey that command: 

“and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:7 NKJV)

Amen to that!

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 6:12 NIV)

The people problem

Someone said the world would be perfect if it weren’t for people being there. You can say the same thing about your government, your city, your church, your neighborhood, and even closer to home, your marriage—about that, someone said, “I thought I was perfect until I got married, then my mate set me straight.”

It’s true for all of us! 

The Bible says every person is born with a sinful nature and is imperfect (Eccles. 7:20; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 3:23). Therefore, all of us suffer from being self-centered and impossible to please one hundred percent of the time (Prov. 14:12). If you have been born again and have new life in Jesus, you will still remain imperfect this side of heaven (Phil. 1:6). Therefore, since we’re all basically self-centered and imperfect by nature, there will continue to be misunderstandings and conflicts between human beings. But there’s another problem we must deal with! 

There’s something else going on, too!

Not only do we need to deal with sinful people, but we also have evil spiritual forces to contend with! The passage at the top of the page explains that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood (people), but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” So, when you’re struggling with others in some way, understand that you are actually dealing with two things: sinful human nature and the evil, invisible spiritual forces fighting against you behind the scenes. But don’t despair; having this knowledge of what’s going on will give you the upper hand and help you find a path to victory.

Here’s what to do

Pray with the understanding that the battle is spiritual and must have a spiritual answer.

“Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your waist girded with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, having your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace, and above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the fiery arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph. 6:19-17 MEV)

“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (Psalm 50:15)

Don’t you hate it when you need something urgently and you call the number of the company that has it, but instead of getting someone on the line, you have to work your way through a frustrating answering system, selecting one number for this and another number for that, but you end up getting shuffled into someone’s inbox and hearing a recorded message, “We’re busy right now; leave your number and we’ll get back to you.”

God is never too busy to help you!

The promise passage at the top of the page says that God will come to your aid when you call on Him. This is a very good deal for us, and a wonderful promise. God will help you when you need him. Why? He loves you, and it brings him glory.

Therefore

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16 ESV)

  “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7 ESV)

How to pray and receive

·      Pray according to His will: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” (1 John 5:14)

·      Pray in faith: “He replied, ‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.’” (Luke 17:6)

·      Pray in His name: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13)

·      Believe that you have received it: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24)

Therefore

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful .in it with thanksgiving.” (Col. 4:2)

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

You are free indeed!

Don’t allow the devil to lie to you and say you are still in bondage. You’re not! The old self is dead and set free from the sin to which we’d been enslaved.

“We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.” (Rom. 6:6 NLT) 

Believe it!

“For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Rom. 8:2) 

Therefore

You are free of unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, rage, lust, and pride. You can still experience temptation (even Jesus did), but you are not obligated to give in to it!

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.” (Gal. 5:1)

“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today.” (Exo. 14:14)

In the Book of Exodus, there is a powerful story about the Israelites, who had just been rescued by God’s mighty hand from slavery and oppression in Egypt. But then they saw the powerful Egyptian army bearing down on them with their mighty chariots and horses. In terror they cried out to Moses, and he answered with the following words from the Lord:

“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (Exo. 14:13-14).

Therefore

If scary and impossible looking problems come your way, don’t fear, stand firm, and to turn to God.

“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” (2 Thess. 3:3)

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31)

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” (Matt. 25:21 ESV)

Faithfulness to little beginnings

It’s easy to dismiss your morning routine as not that important because it’s made up of so many little things; you wake up, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, go to work, or to whatever else you normally do every day. But thinking differently about small daily routine could greatly impact your life, and in big ways, here’s how.

Refocus them!

Instead of absentmindedly beginning your day, use each part of your routine as triggers to refocus your thoughts towards God’s Word and to remember what He has created you for, which is what He put you on earth to do.

·      Each morning, when you wake up, say, “Good morning, Lord!” This is a small yet powerful thing to do because you are putting God first at the very start of your day. And you are doing exactly what Jesus said you must do, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33) 

·      Each morning, when you take a shower and brush your teeth, remember what Jesus did for you on the cross to cleanse you from sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

·      Each morning as you put on your clothes, remember that you have put on Christ: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Gal. 3:27)

·      Each morning as you eat breakfast, remember that you need more than physical food; you need God’s Word every morning, too.“ But he answered, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matt. 4:4)

·      Each morning, as you leave for work or school, remember that you’re actually representing Him in whatever you’re doing. So commit it to Him! “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,” (Col. 3:23). And to “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” (Prov. 16:3).

Therefore

Even though the daily things listed above are small, they really do have great potential to change how your day (and future) goes for you!

And don’t forget, little things often grow into big things!

“He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (Matt. 13:31-32 ESV)

“Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.” (James 3:4 ESV)