“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
—Romans 8:11

Reflection

You’re the apple of Father’s eye. God’s elect will not be defeated. Whatever has happened in your past, whatever has wounded you or tried to hold you, the power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in your life.

That which victimized you in the past is not going to hold you forever, even as the grave couldn’t hold Jesus. The power that raised Jesus from the dead, the power that conquered everything, is at work in you. You’re going to get through it. You’re going to get over it. And you’re going to get beyond it.

But it is important to realize that sometimes Father will bring us through seasons and circumstances that cause us to become weak. Paul experienced this with the thorn in his flesh. He kept praying for Father to take it away, but the Lord showed him that His power was being perfected in weakness.

As Paul was made weak, he was left with no choice but to reach out to God for strength. And as Paul reached out to God because he had no power left of his own, the resurrection life of Messiah Jesus was imparted to him, and through that he was made supernaturally strong.

Sometimes the Lord brings us through trials, wilderness seasons, times of weakness, and even times of pain so that we will call out to Him in a deeper way. In calling out to Him, we receive the resurrection power of Messiah, and that makes us strong, not in ourselves but in His eternal Spirit.

Sometimes we take a step backward to go five steps forward. We trade in the power of the flesh for the power of the resurrection life that is in God’s Spirit.

This power that raised Jesus from the dead is a present reality. Father has given us the One who conquered death, the grave, and all the power of the enemy. Messiah Jesus, the conqueror, the exalted One, lives in you and me.

So even when you stumble, even when you feel weak, do not measure your future by your present weakness. Reach out to God. The resurrection life of Yeshua is at work within you, and you are destined to reign with Him for all eternity.

Application

• When weakness, pain, or discouragement leaves you feeling powerless, reach out to Father and depend on His strength rather than your own.
• Refuse to let what wounded or defeated you in the past define your future. Remember that the resurrection life of Messiah is at work within you.

Prayer

Father, thank You that the same Spirit who raised Yeshua from the dead lives in me. When I am weak, help me reach out to You and receive strength from Your eternal Spirit. Bring recovery to the wounded places in my life, and keep the past from holding me captive. Teach me to trade the power of my flesh for the power of resurrection life. Give me confidence and courage because Messiah Jesus, the conqueror and exalted One, lives in me. Amen.