As Easter approaches, that great Teacher, Son of God, Jesus Christ, is on many people’s minds.
Whatever your beliefs, there’s no denying that Jesus defied the status quo to inspire the world.
Jesus was a great Teacher, whose lessons were designed to help us improve our lives. Most of those lessons, captured in the biggest best-seller of all times, the Bible, are as true today as they were thousands of years ago.
Chief amongst the lessons that Jesus taught us is that, there is a God; a Greater Power, working on our behalf. What’s more, we’re not separate from God; and we can tap into our Godly nature at any time.
1 Corinthians 3:16 says, “Surely you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s spirit lives in you!” That’s why we constantly dream of doing great things; and expressing our God-like nature, just as Jesus did.
Being created in the image of God means that we have the same potential as God – we can create miracles; and we have the power to change our lives for the better.
Jesus also reminded us to, “Ask and it shall be given…” We’re all asking, all day and every day. We don’t just asking through our words, we ask through our thoughts too.
Long before the idea became popularised in self-help books, Jesus taught us the power of visualisation. He said to his disciples: “Say not ye, there are yet four months and ten come the harvest…lift up your eyes and look on the fields; for they are ripe already to harvest.”
He taught us to see our lives as we want them, because what we want already exists in the spiritual realm. Yet we need to allow it into our lives by not blocking it with contradictory thoughts.
That is how Jesus fed a multitude of 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish. That’s also how he cured lepers; he didn’t see them as sick; he saw them as well. Jesus never obsessed over what most of us would call ‘reality.’ When he came across circumstances he didn’t want, he resolutely focused on what he did want and through his unwavering vision, he performed miracles!
Jesus also promised that, “greater things that these you will do.” Yet many of us still struggle with mundane issues such as paying the rent and buying food every month. We need to start imagining; and telling, an uplifting version of the story of our lives in order to transform for the better.
We also need to cultivate faith that everything we want already exists in order for it manifest in our lives. According to Jesus, “…If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
Most of us don’t believe anything until we see it in physical form in our lives. Yet Jesus and positive psychology agree that, unless you believe it first, you will never see it!
What’s more, we must act as if we have already received what we want.
Do you remember the story of the three kings who were in the desert, with no water for their men or horses? They implored the prophet Elisha to assist them and he gave them this message: “Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain, yet make this valley full of ditches.” The kings duly dug their ditches, which were filled to overflowing!
Prepare for the arrival of what you want, even when it is nowhere in sight. Don’t wait for outward signs before you believe your life is about to change. Can you imagine if Noah had waited to see if there’d be a light drizzle before he built the ark? He would have been toast!
Watch what you say about your life too. Jesus said this about the power of our words: “My word shall not return to me void, but shall accomplish that where it is sent.” Speak of your life only in the most ideal terms, for what you say will come true.
Also, don’t expend mental energy on situations or people you don’t like. “Condemn not, lest ye also be condemned,” Jesus warned. Any energy we send out ÔÇô positive or negative ÔÇô has a boomerang effect and always comes back to us. If we judge somebody to be bad and condemn them, we’re simply drawing negative judgement into our own lives.
Instead, we are to, “love our enemies, and bless them that curse us.” This is not because people are not evil; it’s simply a reminder that we can’t heal negativity with more negativity. Internal love and goodwill can conquer any external enemy. Peace is an inside job.
Why do you suppose that even while dying on the cross, after being humiliated and tortured by his detractors, Jesus said, “forgive them father, for they know not what they do?” It’s because he understood the truth of this principle and lived it to his dying moment. That’s what makes him the ultimate super star!
Psalm 55 further reminds us that we must not carry our burdens, which include negative thoughts: “Cast thy burden upon the Lord.” Let go of any negativity from the past; and transform your life for the better.
Finally, Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” Many of us know the truth, but are we free? If we’re still struggling with bitterness, resentment and other negative emotions, we are not free. If we believe that we were created, and are destined for, great things, then we’re free!
This week, think about what Jesus taught us. Apply the lessons in your life and you will be free!
*Primrose Oteng is a Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) and the Founder of the Positive Peace Project, an organization dedicated to creating positive change through personal empowerment.
For more information please visit: www.positivepeaceproject.co.bw
