RESURRECTION BLESSINGS (1)

“That evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors, in fear of the Jewish leaders, when suddenly Jesus was standing there among them! After greeting them, He showed them his hands and side. And how wonderful was their joy as they saw their Lord!” (John 20:19-20 KNJV)

The death of Christ dealt a devastating blow on the apostles. They were so stricken with fear that they had to lock themselves in a house in fear of the Jewish leaders –who having killed their Master could easily swoop on them like birds of prey.  Why were they afraid? Because they did not believe the word of Jesus that He would rise again.  When Mary Magdalene brought the good news to the apostles that Jesus was risen and had appeared to her, “they did not believe” (Mark 16:11 NKJV). Our Lord rebuked two other disciples on their way to Emmaus for their unbelief. “Then Jesus said to them, “You are such foolish, foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures! Wasn’t it clearly predicted by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his time of glory?”(Luke 24:25-26 NKJV). He later revealed Himself to them at the breaking of bread and upon realising He was alive, all fear left them and they returned to Jerusalem.

The awareness of the Presence of Christ is the antidote to our fears in life. Jesus is alive and He is with us always until the end of the world. Knowing and believing this will free you from the prison of fear that has been the most reason we have not been living as we are meant to live. What are those fears that has held you captive over the years? Fear of death? Fear of failure?  Fear of your enemies?  Fear that things may not work out the way you planned them?  Name your fear and bring them face to face with the resurrected and ever-living Saviour. Realise that Jesus is present with you in the midst of your fear.

He appeared to the disciples in the midst of their fear! “That evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors, in fear of the Jewish leaders, when suddenly Jesus was standing there among them! ...” Being able to locate Jesus in the midst of your fear is one giant step to overcoming it.  Knowing He is there dispels the shadow of fear and replaces it with the cloud of glory.

Often people think that God  has abandoned them when beclouded with fear.  On the contrary, He is always there at such moments of great weakness.  When the disciples became aware of the Presence of Jesus, they lost the consciousness of fear and became filled with joy –“And how wonderful was their joy as they saw their Lord!” Notice that nothing else changed in their situation except the awareness of the Presence of Jesus. The angry Jewish leaders were still there plotting against them.  They were still behind closed doors. But rather than fear, they were now filled with joy all because of the sudden awareness that Jesus is alive after all.

In the resurrection of Jesus, heaven declared victory for you over all your fears. Anything that forced you to hide behind closed doors cannot stand the conscious awareness that Jesus is risen from dead and is alive in the midst of your circumstances. The awareness of His abiding Presence creates an atmosphere of victorious joy for you at all times.  It does not matter where fear had driven you to, Jesus will meet you there. He cannot give up on you because He paid a great price for your life.  The scare on His hands, His feet, and on His side are constant reminders to Him of how valuable you are to the Father.  When He met with the disciples in their hideout, “He showed them his hands and side.” He did that to proof that He was the same Jesus that they saw crucified on the cross.   Secondly, to remind them that He paid so great a price to let the enemy torment them endlessly with fear.

Our Lord is alive! All fear is gone! We can now face our fears and overcome them. The victory has been won and it is not in contention at all. Our Jesus is the Lord!