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I never watched 'The Passion of the Christ'. The movie came out in my Before Christ (BC) days, so unsurprisingly, I was uninterested in the subject, Jesus. I also didn't feel the need to devote over two hours of my time. Mind you, I had the markings of Christianity - I identified as a Christian, prayed regularly, and had a mini Bible in my bag at all times. Yet, I wasn't interested in learning about Jesus through the film or, frankly, through any other means.
As the years passed, I saw outtakes from the movie illustrating the great degradation and trauma Jesus likely went through as He made His way to Calvary. As someone who now appreciates His sacrifice, I am very grateful that He died on that cross and went through all He suffered for my sake. He suffered injustice, nakedness, thirst, hunger, and abject poverty, so I never need to go through these things to become a child of God.
A few months ago, some scripture got me thinking about the exchange that took place that day - a sinless man suffering and dying so sinful people, like myself, could walk free from the consequences of their iniquity. It was an uneven exchange because I paid no price for this freedom. Jesus bore the consequences of my sins so I could enjoy the fullness of life promised in John 10:10. He went through so much, and it all worked out in my favor. Not every believer has been so fortunate. The early church was targeted, and the cost of their faith was often death. Even now, many suffer discrimination and are massacred for believing in Jesus. God's word teaches that I must intercede for my fellow believers and, where legally possible, support their freedom to worship the Lord and live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness (1 Timothy 2:1-4). I also realize that I cannot take my freedom to do so for granted.
It is striking that through this uneven exchange, I get to witness God's power via the Holy Spirit. I have been blessed to see God move in not only my life but increasingly in the lives of others. I have seen Him answer prayers, and He proves Himself more than able to do the impossible. All this is because of that uneven exchange from several millennia ago. An exchange that guarantees I, and countless other faithful, enjoy the privilege and benefits of a covenant with God that we didn't have to physically die for. Instead, the Lord wants us to let His Spirit help us die to sinful desires so we remain free from the product of sin - death in hell.
As I walk with the Lord, He has revealed that there are burdens I've carried that were never His plan for my life. These are issues I wasn't meant to wrestle with, things that had to go for me to get closer to experiencing freedom in my mind, body, and spirit. He didn't create me to deal with the wounds of betrayal - my wrong choices led me into that trap. Certain types of grief were not to happen to me, and if I'd sought His wisdom, His word would have navigated me away from the events and persons that brought that into my life (Hosea 4:6). He didn't create me to be angry or petty - those were the wrong responses to the problems I'd faced. Problems He never intended for me to tackle. He helped me not hold on to guilt or shame, reminding me through His word that I was made to receive His love, compassion, and forgiveness. Always.
For these changes to happen, I had to confront what Christ achieved on the cross, accept His sacrifice, and the resulting rewards. I am still learning and will likely continue learning for the rest of my life. That said, I now understand that, like myself, many who believe in Jesus don't fully understand what His sacrifice means. Hence, we are getting bogged down by certain situations that should never have been able to hold us. We've gotten used to shackles we weren't meant to wear, even seeing them as jewelry instead of what they are. We've ignored the distinction between God taking us on a challenging journey for our good, versus our sin keeping us from His best. We've forgotten that we might need to fast and pray for discernment because Jesus said certain issues will not be overcome without both (Matthew 17:21). We struggle to praise, forgetting it ushers us into God's presence where His perspective and freedom are available. And we dismiss intercession, spending to spread the gospel, and helping the needy, though doing so pleases the Lord and unlocks the closed spiritual doors.
We have to acknowledge and take advantage of the uneven exchange made for our benefit. In so doing, God will usher us through experiences designed to grow us and prepare us for His plan for our lives. God's Spirit and His Word make these possible. May He help each of us to fully leverage the freedom purchased for us on Calvary's tree, IJMN, Amen. See you at Noon EST for fellowship.
You take what was broken
You make it beautiful, beautiful
Your cross rewrites my story
Oh God, You're wonderful, wonderful
Hallelujah
My Redeemer lives
All praise to You
My Redeemer lives
FINAL MESSAGE
As Mother's Day is right around the corner, I want to celebrate all the women who have made this thread a blessing over the years. Each of you has mothered others with kind words and prayers that have touched my heart. Many of you have also shown great care to our fellow Peppers in other intentional ways. May the good Lord bless you richly.
I pray for each of you that you will flourish in God's will for your lives. I pray you will rest in His favor. May your soul prosper as your very body prospers in Him. I pray for your children - those born by blood, adoption, and those to come - that they will rejoice for having you in their lives. That they will praise the Lord on your behalf. I pray for the men in your lives that as you are blessed so shall they be blessed and by God's grace, they will continue to stand with you through it all and to the glory of the Lord. IJN, Amen.
I use this opportunity to also pray for all the mothers in our lives. God has blessed me with great mothers who have stepped in one way or another when I needed them. If this has been the case for you, join me in lifting up this praise for them -
Great God, thank You for the mothers in our lives. Please cover them in Your grace and protection. Hem them in from everything intent on harming them. No weapon formed against them will prosper per Your word, Father. Instead, every attempt by the enemy to cause them pain will miraculously become a victory for You, God. You will deprive the devil of all its victory where it concerns our mothers and turn it all around for their good. Bless these women with long life and good health. May we continue to enjoy them as they serve the role You want them to fulfill in our lives. Thank You, good Lord. Thank You so much. IJN we have prayed. Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER
Praise be to You, oh Lord, for this opportunity to honor You with praises and petitions on behalf of others. Thank You for being the God who sees and knows all. As the heart is a lamp unto You, You will answer those petitions that please You and do Your will. Thank You in advance for these answered prayers, God.
Take all the glory, Father. I look forward to meeting with others next week to once again put Your will first by praising You and interceding on the issues and people You will direct us to.
Lord God, remember Your people for acknowledging that uneven exchange at the cross. I pray that as they have done so, they will step into the more that You have for them. That in body, in spirit, and in mind, they will experience the fullness of life Jesus paid for. Everything standing in the way of this falls and is destroyed at the very root because Jesus came to destroy the works of satan, and the devil fell long ago. Hallelujah! It is less than nothing by Your word and will.
Praise be onto You, Mighty Redeemer. Our Salvation. Our Giver and Defender. The Almighty God who was, is, and is to come. Our Alpha & Omega. Thank You. It is in Jesus' name I pray and say, Amen.
I am going forward
Forward ever.
For the Lord has gone ahead of me
To make every crooked way straight
It is forward ever backward never
I carry grace (His grace)
I carry favor (His favor shield surrounds me)
It's my season of increase
Forward ever backward never
He's my Rock and Salvation (Salvation)
He's my Helper (My Helper and my Anchor)
It's my season of increase
Forward ever backward never
I say
We move (x7)
It's my season of increase
Forward ever backward never
LAST 10 MINUTES
Jesus died to set us free. If you are yet to formally acknowledge that sacrifice, why don't you do it right now? Just tell Him thanks.
Lord Jesus, thank You for dying in my place on the cross so I could become God's child with ease.
Now, if there are aspects of your life that don't seem to be free, then today is also the day to seek God's help on this. What are you struggling with? What sins are keeping you bound? What struggles are you unable to overcome on your own? There is no issue too small for God to step into and fix completely. The key is to submit the issue at His feet and not pick it up anymore. Then, wait for Him to work things out. He might instruct you to do something or not. Regardless, all you have to do is wait while living according to His word.
Why not ask Him for help, reminding Him of the uneven exchange made for your benefit?
Heavenly Father, You chose Jesus to die for my sake so I could be restored to You. God, remember that sacrifice and the great benefit it creates for me. There are aspects of my life that do not reflect the freedom that Jesus died to bring. I ask for the full benefits of the blood price paid for me, and I submit to You so I can receive them. IJMN, Amen. Thank You for Your grace and the changes I see from this day forward, IJN, Amen.
Take a few moments to just worship the Lord. Lift your hands, kneel, or bow before Him in acknowledgment and gratitude. He is the prayer-answering God, and as He has heard our petition, He will surely answer us. It is well.
From JIR - Lord I pray for those in communities in where Bibles are scarce. I pray that those who are blessed enough to have Bibles share them with those within those communities. I pray that those with Bibles read them everyday to help strengthen their faith, relationship and love for You so that You can use them as Your vessel to spread the Gospel of the kingdom through the Holy Spirit. IJMN. Amen.
Lord, still the turmoil of the nations. There are countless wars and rumors of war all over the globe. People suffering because of the choices of others spurred by ego, greed, murderous intent, and more. Remember the children, the women, the old, the men who do not desire war but want peace. Have mercy, Almighty King, and bring about a turnaround that removes the instigators and agitators from the equation. Make them powerless, IJN, Amen.
Father, have mercy upon our nation. Have mercy upon leaders and the common man. Prognosticators have declared a downturn but I pray for blessings upon the land IJMN Amen
In Your faithfulness, You established me
And You guard me as the apple of Your eyes
Not a word You've spoken about me
Returns empty
You are God and You do not lie
You are not a man, oh
You are not a man, oh
Covenant Keeping God
From JIR - Lord, please bless all expectant mothers with smooth and healthy pregnancies. Please bless and protect the wombs and the babies in those wombs to be healthy. Please bless all expectant mothers with safe and healthy deliveries and bless them to deliver healthy baby boys and healthy baby girls. IJMN. Amen.
Glorious God, thank You for being the God who cares for all. Thank You for You are He who makes the sun shine on the good and evil. You allow the rain to fall on the wicked and upright (Matthew 5:45). praise be to You, kind Father.
Lord, God, I want to pray for those experiencing housing insecurity. God. You are He who does not deprive His children of any good thing per Psalm 34:10. Thank You, God, that housing is a good thing and just as You ensured that Elijah was taken care of even in the wilderness not allowing him to be exposed to the elements (1 Kings 19:9), I look to You to provide for Your people in need of housing. That none will be homeless but always have a safe and secure roof over their heads.
Remember Your word in Isaiah 32:18 - My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. Grant Your people peaceful dwelling places, secure homes, undisturbed places of rest. For Thine is the glory, the honor and the power, IJN, Amen.
Sovereign Lord, You are the Creator of heaven, the earth, the seas, and everything in them. Hallelujah to You, my King. All glorious God, I give You all the praise.
Heavenly Father, the Bible teaches that Jesus died to set every captive free from the chains of satan, sin and death.
Given that Christ already paid this price, I stand on that knowledge and the authority in His name to declare the freedom of those who continue to be bound in any way by the devil. I pray into their lives that the blood of Jesus speaks and I pray that their eyes will open to the ransom paid for their souls. Father, lead out those with eyes who are blind, who have ears but are deaf to what has been done for them (Isaiah 43:8). Every soul is precious to You and so I cry out for the deliverance of those that the enemy is rubbishing due to a lack of knowledge of the freedom that has been paid for on their behalf, IJMN, Amen.
PRAYER TIME
And now, it is time for us to intercede for others.
Pick someone you know and lift their needs up to the Lord. If you can't think of someone, pray for your nation, for leaders, the poor, the oppressed, the orphan, the widow and other underprivileged people.
Remember to put your needs to the side and cover others in prayer. Pray big - as if you were praying for yourself. Truly commit the person's issues to the Lord.
Thank You God, for grace. Thank You for mercy. Thank You for Your kindness. Thank You for Your love.
Words will never express all we need to be grateful for but I thank You for granting the opportunity to cure the deficit of thanksgiving that we owe.
Glory be to You now and forever more.
God, I want to praise You for bringing us all together today. I look forward to fellowship with Your people and thank You for the privilege. May Your Presence be tangible in our midst and may You get all the glory, IJMN, Amen.
Meditation
Many things dey mind wey i wan to talk
I go need articulation
Kini ma fi so ore re baba laye mi
Na the revelation
Oh cool oh cool my temper right in the midst of the tribulation
Eh eh
I guess all I am trying to say is Lord me I am grateful
Many many things done sup
But I judge you faithful
Many people come and go
But I’m so glad you stay true
So nothing fit disturb my salamaleku
Anu mo ri gba, Baba Saanu
May your blessing flow to me like a river
From JIR - “Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven! Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness! Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise him with the lyre and harp! Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes! Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals. Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!”
Psalms 150:1-6 NLT
The Upright One.
The Exceptional King.
The Immortal King.
The Only God.
The Holy One of Israel.
The Unflinching God.
The Father of the Heavenly Lights.
The King of the nations.
The Unfailing God.
The Faithful God.
Glory be to You!
From JIR - Lord You are Who I yearn to look to and depend on for all things. I yearn to be 100% obedient to You and do Your will. I am indebted to You because You loved me so much that You sacrifice Yourself for my sins to be forgiven. You also graced me with freedom I never thought I could have. I praise and magnify Your name. You are good. You are great. Thank You for all that You have done, do and will do. IJMN. Amen.
From JIR -
Surely, surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me (Psalm 23).
Thank You, God for this covenant promise that I stand under through the uneven exchange.
To You be all the glory!
From JIR - Thank You Lord for giving Your all for our sins to be forgiven and our freedom to be had. You are so merciful and gracious. Your sacrifice can never be forgotten. We are grateful. Who is man that You delight in us? We are nothing but dust yet Your love for us goes beyond words. Thank You Lord for Your kindness and humility. We are not worthy. We praise You and worship You. It is the greatest honor and privilege in life to serve You. Thank You. IJMN. Amen.
I join all of creation to express the praise given in Revelation 5:13 - ...“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
Hallelujah!!!
Father, I worship You!
PRAISE TIME
Hebrews 13:15 - Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
See what the word says? We've got to bring a sacrifice of praise continually!
We've only got 25 minutes so let's get to praising God. Imagine how much catching up we have to do. No seriously, they praise Him all the time in heaven. Meanwhile, we don't do it enough.
So, let's not waste any more time.
3, 2, 1...
From JIR - Thank You Lord for waking us all up this morning and guiding us into P&P fellowship for today’s message, all by Your grace.
Thanks for today’s powerful message sis @FFJ. The Owner of the universe, God, sent His Only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our sins to be forgiven. I ponder on that often. Then, we, mankind, tortured Jesus to suffer such a horrific death. My goodness. Jesus could’ve sent all of His angels from heaven to remove Him from the cross but He went through with the sufferings to do the will of His Father and because of His unfailing love for us. We are not grateful enough as a whole.
In my BC days the Lord gave me a couple of signs to show that my boyfriend at the time had a baby on the side. I didn’t pay attention to the warnings then but now I see that they were warnings clear as day. If I had listened, it would’ve saved me years of heartache and pain. Since then, in my AC days, my eyes are more opened and I see that shouldn’t have been my portion. I am healed of that pain by the grace of God but it took many years to let go of all of the shame, pain, jealousy, depression etc. I was in shackles during that time but thanks to today’s word it is clear to me that Jesus didn’t go through all that He did on the cross for me to be in shackles and accept that as my life. Now by God’s grace, I am living my life free of those burdens and the freedom that I am experiencing feels so good. It was completely an uneven exchange at the cross. His love for us and superior blood has granted us that freedom.
Thinking about this makes my sacrifices seem like nothing in comparison. God deserves all praise. He loves us so much that He gave us the responsibility of all that @FFJ mentioned in the op. Spreading the gospel, intercession, prioritizing the Bible, giving to those in need, protecting the widows and orphans etc. I understand that we have it easier here in America and all persecutions are not equal depending on where you live in the world but they all still pail in comparison to Jesus sacrificing all that He had for us, so that we experience liberty and eternal life for those who do His will.
Everything that He requires is predicated off of love and I pray that we all see this and realize that our sacrifices are also transforming us to think and be more like Him. How amazing is He!?! Thank You Jesus!
From AW - Amen! Thanks for the word @FFJ!
I graduate on Sunday! Thanks so much to all of you who kept me uplifted in prayer. I'm on my way to pick up my friends and family members to celebrate.
Happy Mother's Day to all of you!
From EC - Amen and good morning ladies!
From CD - Happy Mother's Day to My Sisters in Christ
From M22 - Thank you so much for today's word sis @FFJ . I first watched Passion of the Christ when I was 8 and I bawled my eyes out but then I still didn't know as much as I am learning about Jesus now. Even in our imperfections, we find our perfection in him. I agree with it being an uneven exchange because logically we didn't deserve his sacrifice but Jesus rose above logic, tradition and religion and sacrificed his life for us. If we had to do so, we would protest. I pray God forgives us for any form of ingratitude we have indulged in and for us to to truly appreciate his son's sacrifice on Calvary!! May he continue to strengthen us as we walk with him every day! IJMN Amen
ALTAR CALL
Learn more about the uneven exchange and how to take advantage of it below -
If you watched the video to the end and say that prayer, then welcome to being a child of God! I pray you receive the Holy Spirit and are led in the ways of the Lord. Be sure to let me know you said the prayer and I'll send you more materials so you can grow as a new creature! Congrats and God bless you!