Day 20- Courage to Live

Bible Reading: John 10:1-10; 1 John 5:11-12

In my first few days at the University, I found a few things fascinating. One of them was a then 200 Level political orator on campus. I remember how I would listen to him speak to groups of freshers so audaciously about the school we are now in, that I sometimes wondered whether he was one of the founding fathers of the University. 

I remember hearing him warn guys against stealing, because when anyone was caught stealing, the punishment was that the person would be given what he called ’SMS- Severe Maximum Shishi’. He always said these things so boldly and authoritatively like it was the position of the university authorities. Because his audience was largely freshers, we all swallowed it all so passionately. I will never forget the description that he gave us of SMS: 

‘We will beat you so much that you will want to die, but death will not collect you; and living- you’re not living. You’ll be hanging in between…’ Maybe it’s not about a beating, but Jesus makes it clear that there’s a real enemy that wants to ‘steal, kill and destroy’. He really wants to take away from us every sound and sense of life. The thing with it is that it’s not just about our breathing or physical life. There’s a way that we can be breathing, but can be mere active corpses- going through the motions, empty on the inside, passionless, and so on.

That is far from Jesus’ desire for His followers. Jesus makes it clear that He came so that we can have a full, overflowing life!  

I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. John 10:10 MSG

Flowing out of the ‘eternal life’ that Jesus gives His followers is a courage to live in the now. I believe that because of Jesus and the promise He gives us, we are not to be a people that merely go around sloppily, passionlessly and all that, but we are to be a people that overflow with a sense of life.

If I could put your heart or your core in front of a mirror, does it look like it’s tilting more towards that devilish sense of losing your essence and vibe about living- complaining and negative about everything, ranting, losing hope and enthusiasm, going through the motions and all that; or does it look like it is in a healthy rhythm of living in the overflow that Jesus calls you to.

Jesus is not just a Saviour that gives us a promise of life in the world to come. He is a Saviour that comes to us right where we are. Truly, we live in a fallen world, but as Christians, we are gifted with the same life-giving Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead!

Yes, God raised Jesus to life! And since God’s Spirit of Resurrection lives in you, he will also raise your dying body to life by the same Spirit that breathes life into you! Romans 8:11 TPT

As we round off this season of waiting on God, let’s believe to really live this year! We’ve got a Spirit of life within! We’re not merely going through the motions- we’re alive!  Let’s believe that our heads are lifted up in courage to face life and to live it. Let’s believe to make everyday count with an enthusiasm and passion that overflows. Let’s believe God to really light up our hearts with an odd-defying spark of life.

When it comes to living a full life, the human tendency is to postdate it- you feel it’s when this or that happens, then you’ll really have life. But God calls us to backdate it- the cross happened! And that’s all that it took to give us life.

Have you got the courage to really live this year?

Something To Pray
Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord, keeping your passion toward him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let him fill you with excitement as you serve him. Romans 12:11 TPT

Would you pray this enthusiasm and passion into yourself today.

A Few Things…
Can you believe it’s Day 20 of Surge?! 

We’ll love to know who joined in for Surge this year. Please take 30 seconds to let us know at bit.ly/Surge2022. Please do, it’s important to us and takes just 30 seconds.

If you have a story around Surge to share, we would also really love to hear it! Was it your first time or not? What was seeking God like for you? What did you love or struggle with? How did God encourage you? Please click  bit.ly/SycStory to share your Surge story 

…And then Vision Weekend!
I am so excited about our Vision Weekend! We’ll get some time to pray around this season of our church at our Mega Prayer Night by 6:30 pm WAT this evening (Exclusively Online), and then we’ll have our Vision Sunday 2022 tomorrow by 9 am WAT, both onsite and online. I look forward to sharing a special weekend with you.