Zombies!

I Am Who I Am #11

I AM the Resurrection and the Life

John 11

Focusing on zombies probably doesn't seem like a topic most Christians would want to read about, and yet, that's where we're headed right now. (I've only watched one zombie movie in my entire life and that was World War Z. Not too bad, actually.)

Picture the setting...a marsh deep in the swamps of Louisiana. Spanish moss is hanging thick off the trees, steam eerily rises from the water, and an acidic musty smell permeates the swamp making it difficult to take a deep breath. A full moon casts creepy shadows...and, and, and then - oh no - those shadows begin to move. It's a horde of the walking dead wandering aimlessly and soullessly through the swamp. Their pitiful moans can be heard for miles.

Metaphorically, that is a picture of us before we gave our hearts to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We were spiritual zombies, dead in our sins and hopelessly lost. We had a lot to moan about, for sure.

Right before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead He said to Martha, "I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though He may die, he shall live." (John 11:25) We indeed were spiritually dead but now, because we've given Him our lives, we have been resurrected by the power of God.

Lord, when You raised Lazarus from the dead You declared, "Loose him, and let him go." That perfectly describes the transformation You made in my life which miraculously took place when You raised me from spiritual death.  Spiritual death could not hold its power over me. Thank You for the resurrected life I now live. I am now alive in You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Personal Application
The best way I can describe spiritual death is that it's a separation we have from God. We are separated from God because we are all sinful beings (Romans 3:23). Let's be brutally honest here, we've all done things that are wrong. It's part of our selfish nature.

The separation started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when they disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit. I don't want to be too hard on them because that could easily have been me. (For the full story see Genesis, chapter 3.)

God created human beings for relationship. That's why He came to the Garden every evening to meet with Adam and Eve. He loved them and loved hanging with them.

Up to that point, death hadn't entered the picture. Not only did Adam and Eve and the rest of humanity have to face a physical death, their sins separated them from God causing a spiritual death as well. That was their punishment.

However, that's not what God intended. God still desired fellowship with His greatest creation...human beings who were created in His image.

Long story short (it would take the entire Old and New Testament to tell the story), we still deserve death - physical and spiritual - because we are sinners. When Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross what He did was take the ultimate punishment for our sinful nature (Romans 6:23; Romans 5:8) . Why? Because He loved us. It's that simple.

You know, we really are eternal beings. Our bodies may die but our spirits and souls live forever. We have a choice where we spend eternity. It will either be with God or eternally separated from Him. He desires for it to be eternity with Him.

What must I do, you ask? Pray. Admit you are a sinful being. Ask the Heavenly Father to forgive you for your sins. It's okay to be specific about some of them, if you want. Give your life to Jesus. Live for Him. The resurrection from spiritual death to life is immediate. (Rev. 3:20; 1 John 1:9, 10).

The above is just a quick overview. If I can help you further with any of this, please leave me a message. I suggest you to seek out a pastor or a friend who is a Christian who can encourage you further in this new, resurrected life.