The Good News
When was the last time you heard some good news? Maybe you can’t recall the last time. Maybe you can recall some good news, but the amount of bad news you’ve heard far outweighs the good. Maybe you’ve heard of the “Good News of Christ” and wondered why exactly it’s called the “good news” when there seems to be so much bad going on in our world today.
While I do appreciate keeping up with the news, I’ve learned to limit the amount of negative news that I allow myself to intake. Studies are showing that bad news can actually make you sick, and psychologists have found that when you discover something bad has happened, it can trigger your body’s ‘fight or flight’ response. When this system is triggered, it shuts down digestion, causing intestinal and digestive distresses. Negative news also raises blood pressure rates by sending extra blood to muscles around your limbs and neck, thereby limiting the amount of blood that makes it to your brain, creating brain fog and increasing the likelihood of making faulty decisions. People who suffer from PTSD and watch large amounts of news tend to have more “triggering events” than those who abstain from news watching. These same studies demonstrated that people who regularly consume negative news tended to suffer from what Pepperdine University calls “mean world syndrome”, a belief that the world is inescapably bad. Across the board, consumers of negative news tended to feel more stressed, anxious, depressed, and hopeless. Individuals also reported sleep disturbances, headaches, moodiness, and lack of productivity.
Why am I sharing these facts with you? It is to share some Good News with you, the Good News of Jesus Christ.
“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:8-11
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to prisoners.” Isaiah 61:1
When Jesus found me, I was lost, lonely, spiritually starving, suffering from bouts of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. There were days when I thought being dead would be better than being alive. I was a prisoner of my own mind. My life was one giant mess, and people who I thought would be there for me were either too busy or too distracted to help. I had no one to turn to, and I felt alone. Education, science, and medicine didn’t have the answers. Alcohol didn’t have the answers. More work, friends, clubs, partying, and social media didn’t have the answers. The happiness found from owning possessions was temporary and fleeting. No amount of “centering”, or self-improvement made any difference. The weight of it all was just too much to bear any longer. I had no peace, and I had no joy. My heart was beating, but I was dead on the inside. I had hit rock-bottom. My life would have made a great negative-news headline story.
...But JESUS
When the Lord found me, I was at the foot of my bed, down on my knees, crying out for help from Him, crying out to a God who had delivered the Israelite slaves from Egyptian captivity, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who sent His only begotten Son to die on a cross for the sins of humanity, to deliver us all from captivity and from the mess our lives can become without Jesus. And there I was crying out to Him, knowing He was the very last shot I had at making it through even one more day. And guess what? As soon as He heard me cry out to Him, He came running to my rescue. He picked me up out of the pits, wrapped His arms around me and called me His daughter, His special possession, and over the next few months, He completely restored my life. Like the Prodigal Son, He restored everything I had lost and then some. He took the broken pieces and put them back together in a way that was better than they’d ever been before they were broken. He took the old clay and molded something new and beautiful from it. He shed light on the darkness I’d allowed in, cleaned up my life, and gave me a new song, a song of praise for Him! My defeat had become my triumph. From that time on, I carried a joy unlike anything I’d ever known. I had freedom. I had a peace that surpassed all understanding, a peace that the world cannot give.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
Maybe you’re in the same space I was in back then, feeling lost, hurting, and broken. Maybe you’ve tried everything and yet found that there is no hope for your situation. I want to let you know that there is indeed HOPE for you, there is Good News, and it is found in Jesus Christ. He can turn your entire life around and give you the joy and peace you’ve been searching for.
All it takes is to simply call out His name in repentance and ask Him into your heart: “Dear Lord, I am a sinner, I am sorry for my sins, and I want to turn from my sins. I ask You to come into my heart Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. I confess You as Lord. From this moment on, I want to follow You. Give me the strength to do what is right and the strength to follow you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Maybe you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, but you’ve strayed off from the path He set out for you. Repent and call out to Him today. He will come to your rescue and restore your life.
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
God loves you and will never leave you nor forsake you. Nothing you have done could ever separate you from the love that your Heavenly Father has for you.
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:88
“After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:14-15
I hope this blesses your spirit and that it encourages you to turn to Jesus so that He can put the broken and hurting pieces of your life back together.
“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
