A brother recently sent me a text quoting Peter in 2 Peter 1:4 which reads;

“…seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. ”

Our discussion was concerning there being no depression, anxiety or fear in divine nature! What a wonderful encouragement of truth that is for us human-types who are in Christ!

I don’t know about you (though i think you’re not much different to me), but I have noticed more obviously recently, that from the second I am consciously awake in the morning, even with eyes still closed, my mind gets going. First thing that comes in is condemnation, guilt, accusation in the form of thoughts such as “you should get up and pray….you should have gotten up earlier to spend time in prayer…you should have prayed with your husband…you should have been kinder yesterday to that person…you should have…you should…you didn’t…you’ve disappointed God…” and so on it goes.

Subsequently, following closely behind come the feelings of guilt, shame, confusion. And finally, coming in third but not by any means the least, comes the naval gazing, the focus on me – my hopelessness, my slackness, my pathetic-ness, my failings…me, me, me. Then feelings of sadness, depression, heaviness, defeat.

Generally, this all goes on for as long as I let it and the pattern repeats on any subject at all that is thrust into my mind. So I end up feeling as though I weigh an extra 10 kilos before even getting the doona off!

The cycle continues until I force myself to deny my obsession with the storm that is now gaining momentum in my mind and take action to speak the name “Jesus”.  –  Jesus   –   Jesus    –   Jesus. Even in my mind, this name begins to lift my head metaphorically speaking. My unseen gaze slowly turns away from the debris of the internal tornado and onto Christ.

And so the war has begun….the day has begun…the spirit waging war against the flesh and the flesh waging war against the spirit.

But that name! Oh, what a name! It carries with it that divine life that our brother and the apostle Peter spoke of – that divine nature that is now mine of which I partake freely!

This morning, washing up at the sink, being reminded that it is divine nature that is now given to me, I find faith enter my heart and the raging winds begin to die down and I have a much clearer view. I see again, that in reality, I am in the eye of the storm and the storm cannot touch me.

I realise once again that I am not of this world. I am a citizen of another kingdom. I have been crucified to this world and it has been crucified to me. The enemy backs off…he’s been reminded of his powerlessness on this sacred ground of who I am in Christ.

Thank You Jesus. What a name! You are Divine Life! You are my life!