By Phil Sarpong
Adam disobeyed, and God could have nothing to do with the man at all, so he sent man physically away from his presence. In the old testament, he still communicated with certain people in the Bible because he needed them to protect the covenant and the bloodline in which Jesus would finally be born. In the Old Testament, animal sacrifices were necessary by God because something has to die for the atonement of sin. God also had to wait for a specific time on earth that Jesus would be born because God needed the people of that time to kill Jesus.
If Jesus was born earlier or later, people at the time might not have killed him. God waited until the roman empire was powerful, in which Jesus was born. The new testament displayed that you no longer had to give blood sacrifices. In other words, God would make a 1 for all gift that will be enough for past, present, and future sin. Only the sacrifice and blood of a God can do that, and that’s what Jesus’s death did on the cross.
Matthew 26: 26-29
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Jesus said to his disciples, take this, eat my body (bread), and the wine represents by blood. He was trying to show the disciples that they would be under his protection from death as long as they partook in the blood covenant. In other words, the only way through life is through Jesus. And it’s through Jesus that we gain eternal life. It’s through having a relationship with Him that we can finally be with him in eternity.
We don’t have to sacrifice animals or pray 70 times a day. All we have to do is follow Him and obey His commands to the best of our abilities. When we fall short, He will cover us in his blood, His spiritual blood.
John 20: 21-22
“Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
When God breathed into Adam the breath of life, Adam failed and sinned. But when Jesus resurrected and was with the disciples, He breathed unto them and said the Holy Spirit would now take His place. Through one man, humanity died, but through one man, we can live again. This statement is a lot more personal than a God merely snapping his fingers and going against His Word. And it is unique for a reason because God wants to make it about a relationship.
He’s not just a God, He’s a God that loves you as much as Himself, and He would be willing to do anything for you if that means that you may or may not end up choosing Him. Even if one person gave their life to God, God would still die on the cross.
That means He’s willing to die for people that most likely will end up rejecting Him. When was the last time you heard of someone sacrificing their life purposefully for someone that hated them or left them? It just doesn’t make sense, but it makes sense to God. He shows that through His power, the beauty of true love.
Whatever sin and addiction your lungs have breathed in, suffocated, or caused you to cough and restricted your airways, I pray that you can go back to God. He can perform CPR on your lungs, rejuvenate your spirit, and give you the breath that doesn’t die. Take a deep breath in, now slowly breathe out.
If you’ve ever seen or taken a CPR course before, you understand that CPR is a pretty physically invasive technique that involves artificial ventilation combined with chest compressions. Artificial ventilation manually preserves intact brain function until further measures restore blood circulation by breathing into a person in cardiac arrest.
That ultimately, and amazingly can save someone’s life. I think that God is willing to perform CPR on you. I believe that he wants to spiritually preserve your brain and restore His spiritual blood circulation into your body. God chooses to create man by breathing into him the spirit of life and then Jesus breathing again into his disciples the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the one that can perform CPR on your lungs. He is the one that can rejuvenate your spirit and give you the breath that doesn’t die and keeps on living. I hope the next time you are feeling stressed, worried, or anxious, you can take a deep breath in and a deep breath out.
Not only to physically calm your nerves but also to ease your spirit and remember that the ultimate breath of life is in Jesus. It’s also not an accident that meditation is a scientifically proven tool to help those recovering from addiction or mental health. The whole physical art of breathing in meditating is to connect your physical body to its spiritual authority.
God breathed into humankind for a reason. We can’t live without oxygen. We also can’t live without God. We need oxygen just as much as we need God. Jesus knew that if He left without giving the disciples the Holy Spirit, they would die spiritually. And that is why it is so important to have the Holy Spirit inside of you. That is the one being that can help you overcome any and every addiction known to man. Why? Because it is the spirit of life, it is breath anew.
John 3: 6-8
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Acts 2:38
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 28: 19-20
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”