This Changes Everything

~ by Cristina Baker

I was an outcast. Worthless. Surviving and escaping. My life was hopeless — until I met Jesus, just like the woman at the well. Like her, I wasn’t exactly sure what had happened; I just knew I believed.

I knew something was different, and I wanted to tell everybody about Him. From one day to another, I received revelation in my heart that everything revolves around Jesus. All my life, I had pursued the wrong things for all the wrong reasons. Yet He had been there all along, following me through life, knowing a day would come when I would run into the arms of my Savior.

A moment of surrender made every trial and hard place worth it, because they prepared me to meet Him. In the blink of an eye, I realized that He had actually been with me all my life, loving me in ways that I couldn’t see, protecting me from dangers I didn’t know.

• It was always Him; it was always Jesus.

Instantly, He lit my heart on fire for Him; I wanted everybody to taste the living water that had at long last quenched my thirsty soul. The thought of Jesus giving His life for me wrecked me. I was overcome by the power of God moving in my life. Others told me that I would probably end up dead, not even see my thirties, because of the road I traveled. But in one moment, when Jesus stepped into the room, everything changed. That afternoon, I came face-to-face with Jesus — a Man with fire in His eyes who wanted me, chose me, and loved me.

• One encounter with the living God, the King of the universe, King Jesus, changed me forever.

Jesus wants to redeem every moment you have lost in life. He specializes in taking the most broken, lost cases and making them brand-new. Set your eyes on Him today. Trust Him to restore every broken area of your life and the lives of those you know and love. His very presence changes us from the inside out. You don’t need to have it all figured out before you come to Him. By faith, come boldly before Him, reaching out to the One who created you and loves you.

You may believe Satan’s lie that God can’t restore and redeem the past because of the gravity of your sin. Let me remind you that God specializes in turning the most lost and hopeless situations into a masterpiece of redemption that reflects His great glory. If you’ve reached the end of your rope and aren’t too sure how much more you can give, this moment may offer a blessing in disguise. Coming to the end of ourselves and surrendering gives God the opportunity to step in and do what we can’t: the impossible.

The day I walked into that break room, I was broken, suicidal, strung out on drugs, confused, and lost. This didn’t stop God from pouring out His Spirit on me, nor did He have any prerequisites for me to meet before I came to Him. He just wanted me.

• With arms wide open, I ran into the arms of the Father I had been looking for all my life.

Right where you are right now, open your heart to the Lord and pray this prayer out loud:

Father, I run into Your arms today. Thank You for every divine appointment You have ever created for me. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for sending people to me at the right place and time to bring me hope. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to be hope for me — my everlasting hope and my reward. Lord, I receive Your gift. I accept Your Son as my Savior and Lord. I call on His name now, Jesus Christ, and invite Him to live in my heart for eternity. I open my life to You. Order my steps and use me as a vessel for Your presence to bring hope to others. God, bring me to my knees; give me eyes to see and ears to hear what You are doing and saying. This is the hour for revival. Fill me with Your Spirit and make my life a witness to those around me. I long to drink from the living water You gave to the woman at the well, the well that never runs dry. Touch me and make me whole. Fill me with the fire of the Holy Spirit and draw others to Yourself through me. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray, amen.

Join Cristina in Prayer - Watch the Video 

Excerpted with permission from Hope in 60 Seconds by Cristina Baker, copyright Cristina Baker.

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Your Turn

If you're praying for someone who seems far from God, keep praying! God chases after His children and He sends people to them at just the right time and place to bring them hope. If that's you today, run to Him! Set your eyes on Jesus today! ~ Devotionals Daily