Finding Heaven When You're Walking Through Hell

What’s your identity? Is your identity your profession or your perfection? How do you portray yourself to others? For the believe in Christ: “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

When He died, you die. When He was buried, you were too: When He rose, you rose. Every real believer has this experience: “having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12).

Have you personally embraced Christ by faith? When He comes back again, you’re right there alongside Him. Don’t be a Roy Halladay – you don’t have to be perfect to be accepted. Don’t make your identity your profession or your perfection. Make Christ your identity – wrap your life around Jesus Christ.

1.3 Disconnected to Jesus

How should you think of your relationship with Christ? Don’t think of your relationship with Him as a truck and trailer linked together. A truck is linked to the trailer for a short time but you disconnect the trailer when you don’t need it. The trailer stays united to the truck as long the trailer benefits you. Too many people think of a relationship with Christ as you’re united only when it benefits you. If you think Christ isn’t helpful at the moment, you disconnect from Him … thinking you’ll reconnect when you need Him.

1.4 Past, Present, and Future

Again, think of your life as wrapped up in Him. Consider your life, His life and His life, your life. Hide yourself in Him: “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Casey Kasem was the radio host of American Top 40 on Sunday afternoons when I was a kid. Casey would end the show with these words, “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.” Well, I’m not sure how this can be done – you might kill yourself stretching! What Casey didn’t say, believer must look back while looking ahead at the same time.

Let me tell you how: Jesus’ death and resurrection is YOUR PAST. Your present is wrapped up in Jesus. Your future is hidden, safe, and secure in Christ. You have been raised with Christ in the past (Colossians 3:1). You are hidden with Christ in the present (Colossians 3:3). And you will be revealed with Christ in the future (Colossians 3:4).

If you’re going to be secure in a time of great insecurity, you need to be rooted, invested, and wrapped up in Christ.

1. See a Different Way

2. Adopt a Different Mindset

To move through tumultuous times with purpose, you need to adopt a new mindset. God commands you to adopt this new mindset, a new disposition: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).

The Bible commands you to form a new opinion of yourself and your future. Your mind has a thousand million distractions every single day.

TV, podcasts, and WIFI ALL offer you their opinions to change your mindset. The airwaves are filled with the distractions – telling you pay attention to this. Social media and the office gossip tell you to spend your brain cells on this subjects for this really matters. Against all this, you are going to need to take a side. Determine how you will live; determine your mindset. In fact, you are to seek, pursue, track and chase down the right mindset. Continually look to Christ throughout your life.