You are mine!

    I recently listened to a song by Bethel Music entitled: Back to Life.  I actually heard it quite by accident. I was watching one of those YouTube shorts which was based on a few lines of this song. The video showed examples of people whose lives God had miraculously spared. The examples were so extreme that it seemed that there was no other reason that they were spared than the fact that God had stepped in and saved them. 
    But what drove these testimonies making them even more powerful was the lyrics of the song:
    The enemy thought he had me
    But Jesus said:“You are mine!”
The lyrics were like a victory chant and the driving music made them even more so! It brought me to the point of being thankful. God has spared us time and again - some of us more than others - and we need to be thankful for His goodness and faithfulness to us. I, for one, know I need to be more thankful. It can be so easy to get caught up in the challenges of the day but the reality is, those challenges will never be bigger than the God we serve.
     In recent times I have been hearing words to the effect that we are fighting from a place of victory not for victory. It’s a reminder to me that Jesus has already done it! When you think about His finished work on the cross, it’s a reminder that the devil is indeed a defeated foe. Jesus fought and won battles for us on that cross. We don’t have to fight as if we are defeated. Rather, we need to remember that Jesus who won the victory on that cross, has already won the victory for us.
    No longer I who live but Christ in me
    For I’ve been born again, my heart is free
    The hope of Heaven before me, the grave behind
    Hallelujah, You brought me back to life.
The very first line of this song is a reminder that Christ is the One living in us. Our Defender is living in us and instead of living with the fear of defeat, maybe we need to live with the confidence that it is already won. Yes, we will have to go through the process. Yes, there may be pain and stress and suffering at times. But it is through the process that we learn, that we are strengthened, that we grow. At the end of the day, God is working a far greater work in us through it all, than we could ever dream or imagine.
    It’s difficult to be thankful when faced with difficult circumstances, but it’s not impossible. It’s a choice actually, not a feeling. It’s an act of obedience: “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). When Jonah was in the belly of a whale because of his disobedience to God, he gave God a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Yes, he was in a very uncomfortable position and did not know when or if he would be delivered but he chose to be thankful to God: “For I with shouts of grateful praise will sacrifice to You…” (Jonah 2:9a NIV). Daniel and his people, the Jews, had been taken captive to a foreign land. When it was legally forbidden to worship his God, he still chose to bow his knees three times a day and pray and give thanks to his God (Daniel 6:10). Why? Because his God was still worthy even in trying and difficult times. And, let’s not forget Paul and Silas (Acts 16:16-25). They had been unfairly thrown into prison because they had brought about the deliverance of a girl in the name of Jesus Christ. Yet, although thrust into a dark prison with their feet fastened in stocks, they chose to pray and sing praises to God (v. 25). God was still worthy in spite of what they were going through!
    Thanksgiving is a choice, not a feeling. It doesn’t matter what we go through or what comes our way, no negative situation is ever or will ever be bigger than our God. Our God will always be stronger, mightier and above all victorious. And the devil will still continue to be a defeated foe! So, as children of God, when we are going through and are tempted to give up, remember to whom you belong. The enemy may think and act like he's got you, as if he has the final say but the God you serve, Jesus, who paid the price for you on that cross still says: “You are mine!”
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. Jesus did not pay the price for you in vain. He died so that you could truly live and live an abundant life through Him. After all, it’s no longer you who live but it is Christ who lives in and through you!

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