As we approach Resurrection Sunday, many of us read the passages in the Bible or watch movies that tell the story of all that took place leading up to our Lord walking the Via Delarosa (the way of suffering) as we read, watch and remember, we should be filled with an overwhelming love for Christ (Yeshua), our risen Messiah.  We should also remember how much it cost him to die so that our sins could be forgiven. But that is not all, the blood He shed was so that the curse of sin and death over our lives would be broken.  I have to take a Selah (pause and take it in) moment here.

In Luke 9:23 Jesus said to all His followers “If you desire to be my disciple, you must disown your life completely, embrace my “cross” as your own and surrender to my ways” (Passion Translation). How many of us really understand what that means? Disown your life, the world we live in has the “ I have a right to be happy” or the “It’s all good attitude” and sadly many in the body of Christ have that same attitude.  If you have a call on your life (and we all do) then Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit will call you to do some things that may not make you happy.  Forgiveness is one of those things. He will call you to forgive the parent(s) that abandoned you, He will call you to forgive that man/woman that ran out on you and left you to raise the kids alone, after he/she promised to love and cherish you in sickeness and in health, till death do you part, He will call you to forgive the haters that have been defaming your character because they hate your anointing, and on and on it goes.  When you ask Him, why Lord? Why do I have to do this? Jesus, will direct you to His word and gently remind you that walking with Him and becoming more like Him means walking the way he walked. Your own Via Delarosa (the way of suffering).

Carrying our cross means being obedient and loving and forgiving as He did.  Remember the part on Calvary when he looks up and says “Father Forgive them, for they know not what they do”? That is the part that always gets me. People seem to forget that He prayed and sweat blood in the garden asking Father to let this cup pass from Him.  He was so very aware of all He had to endure. The pain, the shame the anguish of feeling alone and being publicly humiliated. Whatever your cross is know that Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit are with you and that carrying your cross and being obedient will bring you victory over the enemy like nothing else. It won’t be easy, that is for sure, but it will be so worth it. You will be free and then Father can use you as He planned before you were formed in your mother’s womb. You will know what walking in supernatural freedom and power is and the Good News of The Gospel will be more real to you than any amount of suffering you endured.