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February
10, 2005
 I
AM -- THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE
"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes
in me will never die. Do you believe this?'" John 11:25,26 NIV
When Jesus says, "I Am," it is of tremendous significance. Just a few examples include,
"I am the bread of life" in John 6:35; "I am the light of the world" in John 9:5;
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," in Revelation 1:17; "Before Abraham was born, I
am," in John 8:58; " I am gentle and humble in heart," in Matthew 11:29; and, "I
am the gate for the sheep," in John 10:7.
The Lord makes provision both physically and
spiritually for those who hunger and thirst; for those who are oppressed and in
darkness; for those who question his eternal presence, power, and knowledge; for
those who are anxious about the future; for the tired and weary, or whose hearts
ache with loss. We are made complete in Christ. In all that we are not, Jesus is
our All-Sufficient One, the Great I Am.
JESUS WEPT
"When Jesus saw her (Mary) weeping, and the Jews who
had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
'Where have you laid him?' he asked.
"'Come and see, Lord,' they replied. Jesus wept.
"Then
the Jews said, 'See how he loved him!' But some of them said, 'Could not he who
opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?'" John
11:33-37 NIV
Once again, the Scriptures remind us of the depth of Jesus' compassion as He wept
over the death of Lazarus, the sorrow of the sisters, and the other mourners. Jesus
weeps with those who weep. Likewise, He rejoices with those who are filled with
joy. The Lord is not malevolent towards us in our misery. He responds in compassion
to our tears and releases miracles onto the earth, with the power to heal and totally
transform lives.
Jesus could previously have gone to Lazarus and prevented his death, but He did
not. Instead, as the resurrection King of Glory, Jesus was about to demonstrate
to Martha, Mary, Lazarus, and all the onlookers that He is not only able to heal
us in life, He is also able to completely heal us in death!
He is the Resurrection and the Life and, when
we walk with Him, the power and penalty of death and sin is broken. Child of God,
death has no hold on you! Sin has lost its power and penalty through the blood of
Jesus! Jesus is the Cure. He provides completely for us in every way, caring so
much about us that He gave His life for us.
JESUS' BLUEPRINT FOR RESURRECTING SHATTERED LIVES, HOPES
AND DREAMS
"Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It
was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 'Take away the stone,' he said.
"'But Lord,' said
Martha, the sister of the dead man, 'by this time there is a bad odor, for he has
been there four days.'
"Then
Jesus said, 'Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of
God?'
"So
they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, 'Father, I thank you that
you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit
of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.'
"When
he said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came
out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
"Jesus
said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes and let him go.'" John 11:38-44
NIV
1. TAKE AWAY THE OBSTACLES THAT KEEP YOU FROM JESUS
"TAKE AWAY THE STONE." verse 39 NIV (emphasis
mine)
Jesus wants to remove every obstacle that would
stop us from hearing His voice and responding to His call on our lives.
Devastation has a din; catastrophe and confusion release a cacophonous sound that
pounds weary hearts and ears and clamors for attention to drown out the life-giving
voice of God.
"Father, by Your Spirit, we ask that You
remove all the things that would hold us back from responding to the loving voice
of Jesus."
2. UNDERSTAND THAT JESUS DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE SMELL!
"But Lord . . . by this time there is a bad odor, for
he has been there for four days . . . " verse 39 NIV
Martha is concerned that the Lord will be overcome with the smell of rotting flesh
within the burial cave. Jesus is not concerned with the smell, because He is much
more concerned with our hearts than He is with our circumstances.
He will go to any lengths to reach us and comfort
us in our affliction and save us from our sin. Such is Jesus' compassion as He reaches
out to us in His magnificent love. There is no hellhole that can hold or intimidate
Jesus, for the Lord has literally gone to hell and back to release grace into our
lives.
We must not allow difficult or even "impossible"
situations to bully and/or control us, for nothing is impossible to God. He will
not abandon us.
"Father, help us to know the width and length
and height and depth of Your incomparable love that we might yield our lives completely
to Your healing touch."
3. ONLY BELIEVE
"Did I not tell you that if you believed, you
would see the glory of God?" Verse 40 NIV
The Lord wants us to exercise faith to believe He is speaking to each of us personally,
to revive the dreams and desires of our hearts.
When our hearts have been broken it is often
difficult to trust again. In grace, the Lord asks that we choose to trust Him and
give Him our pain. When the Lord takes us by the hand, He leads and guides our footsteps
into resurrection glory.
"Father, help us to trust You completely.
We will not allow pain to become an idol in our lives. We give You the first place
in our hearts."
4. TURN YOUR FACE TO FATHER AND SEE JESUS
"So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said,
'Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but
I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that
you sent me.'" Verses 41,42 NIV
We mustn't focus on circumstances. Rather, we should be like Jesus: turning our
faces to Father, as we look towards heaven [and not earth] for our miracle!
All of Jesus' actions and divinely inspired
efforts are for our benefit and for God's glory. There are so many things that clamor
for our attention and affections in life, but it's important that we put all distractions
and preoccupations aside and concentrate on Christ.
"Father, by your Spirit, help us to choose
Jesus first and foremost in our day-to-day affairs. We turn to You in humility and
in faith, and seek Your face."
5. LISTEN FOR YOUR WORD!
"LAZARUS, COME OUT!" Verse 43 NIV (emphasis
mine)
Jesus had a specific word for Lazarus that spoke to His spirit and released resurrection
anointing from heaven onto the earth. Jesus made a way where it seemed there was
no way.
Father's provision came in the powerful voice
of Jesus Christ. With authority, the proclamation by the Prince of Peace raised
the dead man Lazarus to life.
Similarly, the Lord's words hold power and
authority in our lives today. We simply need to learn (or re-learn) how to listen
when Jesus speaks His sovereign word to us. The Lord longs to bring hope where there
is no hope, and restoration and revival through His saving grace, to YOU. There
is nothing and no one beyond His saving grace. Jesus is the Way. The Scriptures
are life to us.
"Father, give us ears to hear your Resurrection
Words of Life and to respond to them with surrendered hearts."
6. RESPOND TO CHRIST
"The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with
strips of linen, and a cloth around his face." verse 44a NIV
Lazarus responded to Christ's command. The Lord told him to "come out," and Lazarus
did exactly what Jesus told him to do. The result was breathtaking.
To each and every believer, Jesus has a perfect
word that will bring transformation at the deepest place. Lazarus' resurrection
profoundly affected his life, that of his family, and also the whole community.
Many were saved because of his miracle. What a word of holy hope to us today, that
we might affect our neighborhoods in like manner!
"Father, we ask that as we share Your love,
and experience Your miracle-working power in our lives, that we would be used by
You to transform our families and communities for Your glory."
7. TAKE OFF THE GRAVE CLOTHES AND THE BURIAL CLOTH
"Jesus said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes and
let him go.'" Verse 44b NIV
God wants us to see things with His perspective. Jesus instructed helpers to assist
Lazarus to remove the grave clothes and burial cloth from his face.
We cannot see if our vision is clouded, nor
can we pursue God's call on our lives if we are spiritually restricted by past conflicts,
anxieties, doubts, or disappointments. There are times when we need a little bit
of help to re-focus on God and concentrate on His word for our situation. At such
times we may need the help of another human being to lift our weary heads. What
joy to reach out selflessly in God's love to another.
The Lord wants us to take off the grave clothes -- all of the things that would
keep us from a life rich and full in Christ. Perhaps for some this is old ways,
old habits, or perhaps it is a fresh wound or the loss of a loved one, a sickness
or a disappointment. Perhaps for others it is self-condemning lies or a false burden
of shame? Whatever the grave clothes, they belong in the grave and not on a child
of God.
"Lord, help us to remove every hindrance
to the fullness of life in the Spirit."
"NOT SOMEHOW, BUT VICTORIOUSLY"
Christ calls us to believe His Word of Knowledge for our lives. He calls
us to faith, to believe that He is the God of miracles.
In our whispered prayers, he wants us to know
that Father always hears. He says to us, "In nothing be anxious."
When my mum died a number of years ago, a friend
sent me a card that said, "The Lord will bring you through this, not just somehow,
but victoriously." Those words lifted my spirit to a new place of faith.
Jesus doesn't live in vague promises of "somehow."
He is the Resurrection King of Life that says, "I will carry you victoriously above
your situations and trials, despite and because of your frailty and your smallness."
There is not one ounce of meanness in Jesus. His love is extravagant, abundant,
and uplifting. He is beautiful in every situation.
A TIME OF OPENING
Lazarus' community was impacted in a mighty way by his resurrection by Jesus. Many
came to salvation through one life changed. God wants us to live daily in the reality
of His peace and joy. God is opening up new Kingdom opportunities and windows of
grace. He is opening portals of glory to release His miracle anointing. He is opening
His heart and His Word to us and is pouring out an anointing to pray to and praise
Him in untold measure.
The Lord is lavishing blessing from the abundance
of His heart. We have access to the treasury of heaven -- the presence of Jesus
-- in our every breath and heartbeat. God waits to receive our petitions, and loves
us unconditionally, desiring to provide for our every need.
"Holy Spirit, help us to open our hearts
afresh to Jesus today. I pray for resurrection anointing to be released in mighty
power upon every person who reads this article. May you, Lord Jesus, have the last
word in our lives. For your Names' sake. Amen."
Lovingly,
Catherine Brown,
Founder, Gatekeepers Prayer & Mission
www.gatekeepers.org.uk
Director, Million Hours of Praise
www.millionhoursofpraise.com
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CATHERINE BROWN'S ITINERARY:
March 17, 2005
Pray on St Patrick's Day
www.prayonstpatricksday.com
March 17-20, 2005
Conference: Embrace Nos Coers, Paris, France
April, 2005
California, USA (dates and venues to be confirmed)
May 15, 2005
J2 - A day for children to pray (Sheffield, England, UK)
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"Written
in an amazingly transparent style, Catherine Brown's book The Normal, The
Deep and The Crazy adds a much needed gem to the prayer and prophetic
movements in these days. I have had the joy of interacting with Catherine over
the Internet over the past few years and meeting her in person. I appreciate,
immensely, her humility and genuine heart for Jesus.
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