Son of God, Son of man.

“6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation”. – Romans 5:6 -11.

Isaiah 53 reminded us of the fact that Jesus died because we messed up, and this passage in Romans carries on the theme. It’s all so clear; each of us are sinners in desperate need of Jesus’s heart of mercy that longs to atone for us. It was only His blood that could pay the price, bringing us back out of exile and home to God. The only way that Jesus could die was for Him to take on flesh and bone in the first place. Paul explains that it is through not only Jesus’ death (6-8) but his resurrection (9-11) that we can now stand before God, secure that the debt has been paid, that the guilt and sin has been dealt with.

But does Paul mean when he writes about us being God’s enemies? Surely that can’t be right. Well, it is. Unbelief is hostility. Choosing to reject God places us opposite Him. But Jesus’ actions were so loving, His arms so strong that He made the first move. While we were wayward children, living against Him, His death put things right. And only He could have done it. Only heaven’s Lion could have become the perfect Lamb.

Look back at Leviticus 4:1-3 and 27-35 and we see that sin – whether intentional or not – needs to be paid for. Why? God has always longed for the hearts of His people, and this complex set of rituals was designed with one purpose in mind: to remind them of all that He had done for them. Back in Romans 5, verse 11, here it makes perfectly clear what happened when Jesus set aside His crown: he bought us back. He has made the ultimate exchange and prepared the way for us to approach God.

Don’t let others limit your dreams

“What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?” – Romans 3:3.

Have the opinions of other people caused you to water down your dreams? There will always be critics in life. It’s not what’s said about you that affects your life, but what you say and believe about yourself will make a difference.

One of the most important things you can learn is that other people don’t have to believe in you, for your dreams to come to pass. Other people don’t set the limits for your life, you do. In Romans 3:3, the Apostle Paul is saying, “It doesn’t matter if other people don’t believe. Their unbelief is not going to keep me from believing in my dreams.” When God puts a promise in your heart, it’s not up to other people to bring it to pass, it’s up to you. You don’t need everyone to validate you. You have to follow the voice of God for yourself and allow Him to order your steps.

Remember, God sees the hidden treasures that you’ve had buried on the inside of you. He wants to bring those treasures out and make your dreams reality! As you get rid of old, defeated thoughts and replace them with what God says about you, you will remove the limits and live the abundant life God has in store for you.

Call out seeds of Greatness

“…God…calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” – Romans 4:17

Very often, we see potential in other people that they can’t see in themselves. When you speak vision into them, when you tell them what they can become, you can help set the direction for their life. Your words have the power to push people into their divine destiny. I believe that the reason some people are not living at their full potential is because no one has ever spoken faith into them. No one has taken the time to say, “Hey, you’re great at this. You’ve got a gift here. You’re going to do something amazing.”

I believe that one of our assignments in life is to call out the seeds of greatness in other people. Look around at who God has placed in your life. They’re not there by accident. Take time to study them. See what they’re good at. What are their gifts? What do they excel at? Don’t just think about it, speak vision into them. Tell them what they can become. Let your encouragement ignite the greatness on the inside. Help them rise up in confidence so they can be all God has called them to be.

On your Side

“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31.

Joshua chapter six tells the story about how the odds were stacked against Joshua and the people of Israel. They were standing at the massive walls of Jericho that many thought were impenetrable.

I’m sure as he was standing before the well-fortified walls and gates of the city, many around him didn’t think his future was too bright. But you see Joshua had something others overlooked; he had the promise of Almighty God. Joshua had faith because He knew God was on His side, and God had already determined the victory. Sure enough, just as God promised, the people marched around the city for six days, and on the seventh day, they shouted the victory and the walls came tumbling down!

Today, don’t look at the walls in your life; look at the promise of God. He is for you, and if God is for you, nothing can stand against you. Get a vision of victory and don’t let it go. Keep moving forward in faith and obedience knowing that when you do, the Most High God is on your side.

High Time

“…It is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” – Romans 13:11.

So many people today are living overwhelmed, exhausted and overburdened by the pressures of life. They’ve allowed themselves to live on autopilot, day in and day out, passive toward the things God has place in their hearts.

If that’s you, now is the time to get your fire back. Let me encourage you to press past the things that would try to hold you back. God is saying, “It’s high time to wake up.” Notice that phrasing. Not just time but high time. That means it’s incredibly important because you are coming into a destiny moment! You are sitting on the launching pad. God is about to thrust you to a new level! Now is not the time to be passive, sloppy or undisciplined. Now more than ever, it’s time to get focused and start moving forward!

Why is this so important? Just like the verse says, your salvation is nearer than it’s ever been. That means you are closer to seeing that dream come to pass than you’ve ever been. You are closer to meeting the right person, closer to that healing, closer to that breakthrough, promotion and provision. You may not be able to see it, but it can see you! Your victory is right around the corner. It’s high time to do what God is asking you to do so you can embrace the blessing He has for you.