Did you know that water baptism as Jesus instructed is a very visual representation of what happens when we accept him as our Savior? Who we once were is to be washed away, and we are to rise up with Jesus in living a new life. Have you been rising up from how you used to live, or have you been struggling with some of those old thought patterns and routines? A new person has no business wallowing in their old ways. Christ changes us from the inside out, therefore our lives simply can’t stay the same. Colossians 3:1, “You have been raised to new life with Christ …” What does this mean? To understand, we should look at how Christ lived when he himself rose from the grave. After his crucifixion, he was buried for 3 days, then Easter came and the stone was rolled away. For 40 days, Jesus walked the earth again on his mission before returning to Heaven. The question is, how did Jesus live in those 40 days after arising? He’s showing us how to live this new life! * Jesus left the tomb. Yes, he walked on out of the darkness that had held him, and so should we! You can’t stay stuck in your struggle and wallow in that darkness. A girl who has been raised to new life gets out of that pit, out of that cave, out of that prison, out of that tomb. Honey, whatever has been hurting you, whatever has been threatening you, whatever has held you back in darkness, absolutely MUST be left behind. There’s a song called “Ain’t No Grave” by Bethel Music that gets me all fired up. You should listen to it today. There’s a line sung on repeat at the end, growing with intensity each time. It says, “Oh, if you walked out of that grave, I’m walking too! Oh, if you walked out of that grave, I’m walking too! Yeah! Oh, if you walked out of that grave, I’m walking too – I’m following Jesus!” The girl who has been raised to this new life with Christ walks right out of old graves, and she doesn’t go back! If you’ve walked out, don’t you dare go back! That’s not where you belong. That’s where the enemy wants to hold you captive again. Don’t go there. * Jesus spent time with his disciples. He blessed them, and allowed them to bless him. As God’s chosen girls, raised to a new elevated life, we can’t do this alone. When our whole world becomes hyper focused on what we’re going through, our world suddenly gets so much smaller … and darker. But when you become “others focused” and see there are others going through things too, suddenly you’re not so darn overwhelmed with your own issues. Even Jesus didn’t make it all about himself. When he came back to spend time with people, he showed up on the shore of a lake and had breakfast waiting for his friends who had been out all night fishing without any luck. Literally, this is what he did! Quit thinking you don’t need anyone, and no one wants you. That’s a lie from the pits of hell. We were each made for community. We are designed for connection. If you are suffering the best thing you can do is get to serving. * Jesus lived in supernatural power to do impossible things. Jesus didn’t rise up out of the grave to then play little. No, he showed up with power and intention to make things happen! And this same power has been given to you and I through the Holy Spirit. When we play little and assume a position of anxious overwhelm, we are forfeiting the power Jesus has offered us. We have settled for living far below our Spirit enabled potential. We have sacrificed impossible things for the smaller possible things and dismissed ourselves from stepping into t...