{"id":243,"date":"2017-04-17T11:04:04","date_gmt":"2017-04-17T11:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/nextsteps\/?p=243"},"modified":"2017-04-17T11:04:04","modified_gmt":"2017-04-17T11:04:04","slug":"5-empty-tombs-you-can-walk-out-of-because-of-easter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/nextsteps\/2017\/04\/5-empty-tombs-you-can-walk-out-of-because-of-easter.html","title":{"rendered":"5 Empty Tombs You Can Walk Out of Because of Easter"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When Jesus walked out of that empty tomb on that first Easter morning, he not only secured our pathway to eternal salvation, he also secured our victory in this life through the coming of the Holy Spirit. Paul reminded Timothy of this life-changing truth when he wrote, “For the\u00a0Spirit\u00a0God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us\u00a0power,\u00a0love\u00a0and self-discipline”<\/em> (2 Timothy 1:7). Because of the empty tomb of Easter, here are five empty tombs you can walk out of:<\/p>\n

1. Fear<\/strong> – There are many things we can<\/em> be afraid of (future, illness, uncertainty), but there’s nothing we have<\/em> to be afraid of anymore. The greatest thing to fear, death itself, was conquered and vanquished by Jesus when he rose on the third day. Because Jesus made good on his promise of eternal life, what’s left to be afraid of? Fear is an empty tomb from which Jesus is calling you to walk out.<\/p>\n

2. Hatred<\/strong> – The victory of the cross was the victory of love over all. By his selfless sacrifice, Jesus demonstrated God’s love for all the world to see (John 3:16). That Spirit of love now resides in us through the Holy Spirit. Hatred is a dark tomb threatening to snuff out the life of its occupants. Through the power of Jesus, hatred has been robbed of its power and has become and empty tomb from which we can now exit.<\/p>\n

3. Loneliness<\/strong> – You don’t have to be alone anymore. Jesus’ resurrection paved the way for the Holy Spirit to come, God now residing in us who believe. Loneliness no longer needs to be our companion because Jesus provided a better way when he walked out of that empty tomb. Alongside the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ resurrection paves the way for a new spiritual family on this earth, those united by our belief in Jesus. Loneliness is an empty tomb that has no power over you anymore.<\/p>\n

4. Defeat<\/strong> – Paul summed up the victory of Christ when he said,\u00a0\u201cWhere,\u00a0O\u00a0death, is your victory?\u00a0Where,\u00a0O\u00a0death, is your sting?\u201d<\/em> (1 Corinthians 15:55). The life of a believer is a life characterized by victory and power. If you’re settling for defeat, then you’re accepting the hollow taunts of an empty tomb. Jesus proved victorious over death and the grave when he walked out of that empty tomb on Easter morning. And his Spirit now resides in you. Jesus provided victory for you. Live like it.<\/p>\n

5. Mediocrity<\/strong> – This transitory life has incredible purpose\u00a0because of the resurrection of Jesus. Even the mundane is infused with meaning because of what Jesus did. The resurrection proved the existence of eternity, and now every action we take can have an impact on someone’s eternal destiny. It doesn’t matter if you’re standing in front of crowds or sitting in a cubicle buried under mountains of paperwork. It doesn’t matter how rich or famous you are in the eyes of the world. Because of the resurrection, every believer has the ability to influence souls for eternity. Mediocrity is an empty tomb waiting for you to exit.<\/p>\n

When Jesus walked out of that empty tomb on Easter morning, it not only paved the way to your eternity, but it infused your everyday life with fearlessness, love, fellowship, victory and purpose. Choose to walk out of those empty tombs today, dear Christian.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Jesus walked out of that empty tomb on that first Easter morning, he not only secured our pathway to eternal salvation, he also secured our victory in this life through the coming of the Holy Spirit. Paul reminded Timothy of this life-changing truth when he wrote, “For the\u00a0Spirit\u00a0God gave us does not make us…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":607,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[128,127,125,109,65,129,61,130,132,126,124,131],"class_list":["post-243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-next-steps","tag-defeat","tag-easter","tag-empty","tag-fear","tag-jesus","tag-loneliness","tag-love","tag-power","tag-purpose","tag-resurrection","tag-tomb","tag-victory"],"yoast_head":"\n5 Empty Tombs You Can Walk Out of Because of Easter - Next Steps<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Jesus walked out of that empty tomb Easter morning, he not only secured our salvation for eternity but also our victory in this life.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/nextsteps\/2017\/04\/5-empty-tombs-you-can-walk-out-of-because-of-easter.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Empty Tombs You Can Walk Out of Because of Easter - 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