Through the cross of Christ, we have been raised up with Him. Therefore when you face difficulties or spiritual warfare, do not anxiously look around you. Instead look up. Rise up and be with Him where He is. Stay with Him. Focus on Him. Then you will be positioned to loose God’s will and His Kingdom in the earth.

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Show Notes:

We read God’s Word in Isaiah: “Do not anxiously look about you.” This is God speaking to Israel, and it applies directly to what Israel is experiencing today. We are witnesses to all the warfare and anti-Semitism that Israel and the Jewish people are suffering. Yet the Word of the Lord to them is not to look at those things but to trust Him. As Christians we need to apply this same Word to ourselves.

As we walk as believers these days, we can see many signs of the end times. They are called days of tribulation, and we know that very desperate things can take place. Yet again the encouragement from Yeshua (Jesus) is that we do not focus on the things that are happening around us. Instead, we stand up straight, lift up our heads, and look up because our redemption draws nigh. This focus is very important for us as we strive to experience the cross in our daily lives.

Taking up our cross daily to follow Him does not mean that we spend all day on the cross. It is through the cross that we are raised up with Christ and daily we keep seeking the things above where He is. In our waiting on the Lord and in our meditation and intercession, we are to be where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. If we are too locked into the world around us and our human needs and human problems, our intercession will be hindered. Our focus is on what Christ and the Father are doing so that what we see in the Kingdom of heaven we can loose here on earth.

Key Verses:

• Colossians 3:1–3. “If you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above.”
• Isaiah 41:8–14. “Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.”
• Luke 21:25–28. “When these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads.”
• John 14:3. “Where I am, there you may be also.”

Quotes:

• “The cross is not a stopping place. It really is a point of beginning.”
• “The resurrection is as important as the cross. If Christ only experienced the cross and there was no resurrection, then we don’t have what we’re looking for.”
• “If you’ve been raised up with Christ, then don’t be moved from that place with Christ. Keep seeking the things above where He is. We’re supposed to be there. We’re supposed to live there. We’re supposed to focus there.”

Takeaways:

1. We do not just go to the cross and die and then that is the end. The cross is the beginning of being raised up with Christ and moving in His presence. And if we are raised up with Him, we keep seeking the things above where He is.
2. We are to set our minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Our focus is not to be on the world around us and what is transpiring there. We are to keep our focus on the Lord.
3. We are to rise up, which is more than standing up straight or looking up. We are to rise into God’s presence and be with Him just as Christ said we could.
4. This is what makes our intercession effective. Yeshua taught us to pray, “Your Kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” And if we are beholding His will in heaven, then we are able to loose it on the earth.