“It is finished” was the final cry of Jesus from the cross, and it means, “It is finished”
It’s an extraordinary cry, a victory, and hope.
Although the word is often a part of sermon on the Passover message of salvation, there are still many questions about it.
Some people are surprised to find that this life as a follower of Jesus is not a cakewalk. In fact, it’s a conflict. It isn’t a playground, it is actually a battleground.
As a follower of Jesus we have to realize we are in a spiritual battle. But the question is whether we will win or lose this spiritual war. Will we advance or retreat? Will we gain ground or lose ground? There are no other alternatives.
If we truly belong to Jesus, we can’t just sit this battle out. We can’t just choose to be a pacifist or we will find ourselves crushed on the battlefield.
The day we commit our lives to Jesus, the day our spiritual eyes open, the day we turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that’s the day Satan declared war on us. Before that time, he had us right where he wanted us, and was happy with that arrangement. But when we decide we are not happy with this arrangement and turn to God, Satan wasn’t happy.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “That satan has blinded the minds of the unbelieving…” Scripture tells us that in the days before we put our faith in Jesus, we were taken captive by Satan to do his will. I believe a time will come when people will get sick of being ripped off, and choose faith.
Satan will never be happy about any one of us turning to Jesus, and he isn’t going to take it lying down. He will do everything he can to mess us up, discourage us or defeat us on the battlefield.
I’ve seen people tell others their life will get better when they choose to follow Jesus, while that is true on some levels. I think you need to be aware that choosing Jesus comes at a cost. The battle between righteousness and unrighteousness is going on. And choosing Jesus will show you how true that is.
In Matthew 5:12 Jesus tells us, “Great is your reward in heaven.” This is Jesus’s promise to believers who endure persecution, insults, and hardships for His sake. This life is temporary and we need to realize eternity is forever. I would rather suffer on this earth, and have great rewards in heaven for eternity, than have rewards on earth and suffer for eternity.
Most of us don’t like fighting. I understand that. But some things are worth fighting for. There are times when we just have to step up to the plate and fight.
Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:3, “Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier for Christ.” We are called to fight the good fight for true faith.
The spiritual battle we are in I see as a good fight, and each believer needs to stand up and enter the battle. Jesus never said it would be easy to follow Him, but He did say it would be worth it.
We as believers are being attacked like never before -around the world and in America. Today’s entertainment, media news, and politics mock every believer, marginalize us, and dismiss us as lunatics. People overseas are being martyred by those who hate the message of the gospel. It’s enough to make us discouraged.
But the good news is we win in the end. Communism won’t win, secularism won’t win either. God will prevail, and that’s something to be encouraged about.
Ephesians 6:19-13 tells us, “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” We do not fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, and against rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts and wickedness in heavenly places.
Satan doesn’t want us to know that he was already defeated at the cross. He is already a defeated foe. But he will fight like hell to get us to take his side. He will try to discourage us or wear us down every chance he gets. He knows he’s running out of tune.
Remember to choose to live by choice, not by chance. To be motivated, not manipulated. To be useful, not used. To make changes, not excuses. To excel, not compete. To choose self-esteem, not self-pity. To choose your inner voice, not the random opinion of others.
Be a warrior who fights the good fight.
From Pity to Praise 