“When He had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.'”
John 19:30
Up to this moment it felt like the adversary had won the battle, it seemed as if he had managed to overthrow his greatest rival. It was like the elections, when the exit polls are showing that the worst candidate is winning. What was happening gave Satan’s followers great reason to give him words of praise and congratulate him for the extraordinary work. Some even made sarcastic comments about how Jesus’ own Father had turned His back on Him and abandoned Him. It was as if everything was confirming that the results were already decided. However, suddenly, news came that left them speechless—when Satan’s followers heard the supposed loser say, “It is finished.” They approached the adversary to ask him, “What is he trying to say with that?” The adversary was confused and tried to avoid them, saying, “I am going to find out.”
In desperation he asked himself, “Where did I fail? Everything in my campaign was planned well.” He stood in front of the cross to examine all his actions, and was able to understand that everything he had done against Jesus’ life was in fact digging his own grave and working out his own destruction. The adversary immediately gave the order to those he was closest to, to protect the crown that he had taken from Adam, the one he had in his safe box. But the report arrived, “It is no longer there, it has disappeared.” He asked, “How can this of happened?” Later, he looked at the head of Jesus, and although he saw the crown of thorns, behind it he saw another crown, the one that had belonged to Adam.
One of his advisers told him, “Remember that the curse of the ground was represented in the thorns? By putting a crown of thorns on Jesus the curse was cancelled. Automatically, the safe box was opened and one of the angels took the crown and placed it over Jesus’ head.” “So what are you trying to tell me?” “Sir, we have lost; Jesus has total victory.”
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Everything happened so fast; I felt that just a few seconds of my life remained. I had been the victim of a street attack, where a delinquent had buried a knife in my thorax, and later took my Bible and fled. I felt my life was shutting down, although I struggled against death, I felt I had no control over it. After running for a block, I fell to the ground completely dead. Immediately, I found myself surrounded by angels that were taking me up, into the presence of the Heavenly Father. The feeling was amazing; I felt a joy like never before. During the whole experience I felt an overwhelming sense of peace, until I understood what had happened. I realized that I was dead and on my way to meet with the Lord. In that instant fear seized me, I felt that I was entering His presence with empty hands; I had not done anything big for God. Even though I had been preaching for five years and winning souls, out of all the work I had done, I had only won fifty people that remained firm in their faith. I cried out with all my heart for a second opportunity, because I felt that I had not completed my mission. The Lord heard my prayer and allowed me to come back alive.
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“May every word I say, every thought I have, every act of my life bring me closer to the divine purpose: the salvation of souls.”
Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume One.
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
Our Bible Reading Plan gives 25 daily readings per month. There is no scheduled reading for today. You can use this time to catch up on any readings you may have missed, or read through previous passages again.
