Wisdom Tool Kit For Daily living (Day 229)

MESSAGE

The Christian life begins with a finished work, not an unfinished struggle. One of the greatest sources of spiritual frustration is the attempt to achieve what has already been accomplished in Christ. Many believers pray as though the cross only started something that they must complete through effort. But Scripture clearly presents a different reality: Jesus finished it.

John 19:28 tells us something profound before the final declaration: “Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished.” This means the crucifixion was not a random tragedy; it was a carefully fulfilled assignment. Every prophecy, every requirement of justice, every shadow in the Old Testament was reaching its completion in that moment.

When Jesus said, “It is finished,” in John 19:30, the phrase does not mean failure ended or suffering stopped. It means a legal, spiritual, and redemptive transaction was fully completed. The Greek term carries the sense of “paid in full.” Nothing remains outstanding.

This truth is reinforced in Hebrews 10:12–14 (NKJV): “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”

The image is powerful. Under the Old Covenant, priests stood continually because their work was never complete. But Christ “sat down,” not because He was tired, but because the work was finished. Sitting is a posture of completion and authority.

Many believers still live as though Christ is still standing, still working, still trying to secure their redemption. But Scripture says He sat down because the sacrifice was final.

This misunderstanding often produces a life of spiritual exhaustion. People strive for acceptance, struggle for forgiveness, and labor for victory. Yet Ephesians 2:8–9 (NKJV) clarifies the foundation of salvation: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Salvation is not a reward for effort; it is a gift received by faith. When this truth is not deeply understood, believers begin to treat Christianity as performance rather than relationship.

Jesus also invited humanity into this truth in Matthew 11:28–30 (NKJV): “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me… For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Notice the contrast: labor versus rest. The finished work of Christ transfers the believer from striving into resting. This rest is not inactivity; it is confidence in completed victory.

To understand the finished work is to understand identity. You are not trying to become accepted by God—you are accepted in Christ. You are not trying to earn forgiveness—you are forgiven. You are not trying to defeat the devil—you are enforcing his defeat.

Romans 6:10–11 (NKJV) says: “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The word “reckon” means to consider as fact. The believer must align thinking with what Christ has already accomplished. Spiritual maturity begins when revelation replaces assumption.

A powerful illustration is found in the story of the Israelites at the Red Sea (Exodus 14). When they stood trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the sea, they believed their end had come. But God had already prepared a way of escape. The victory was not created at the moment of panic; it was already secured in God’s plan. They simply walked into what was already made available.

In the same way, the finished work of Christ means the believer is not asking God to create victory in the moment of crisis. Rather, we are stepping into what was already secured at Calvary.

One of the reasons many believers struggle in prayer is that they pray from uncertainty instead of assurance. But 1 John 5:14–15 (NKJV) says: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us… we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

Confidence in prayer is rooted in alignment with finished work, not emotional intensity.
Even spiritual warfare must be understood correctly. We do not fight to win; we resist because victory has already been established.

James 4:7 (NKJV) says:
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Resistance is effective because authority has already been granted, not because strength is generated in the moment.

A believer who understands this truth begins to pray differently, speak differently, and respond differently. Fear loses its grip because uncertainty is replaced with revelation. Anxiety weakens because control is surrendered to Christ’s completed work.

The finished work of Christ is not a doctrine to admire; it is a reality to live in. Every day, the believer must consciously return to this truth: the work is done, the victory is secure, and the enemy is defeated.

Reflection Questions

1. Where have you been trying to earn what Christ has already given
2. How does “It is finished” reshape your prayer life?
3. What areas of your life still reflect striving instead of resting?

PRAYER SESSION

1. Father, I thank You for the completed work of salvation through Jesus Christ, in the name of Jesus Christ.
2. Lord Jesus, deliver me from every mindset of spiritual striving, in the name of Jesus Christ.
3. Father, help me to fully understand and walk in the finished work of Christ, in the name of Jesus Christ.
4. I receive grace to rest in Your promises and not in my efforts, in the name of Jesus Christ.
5. Every burden of self-condemnation in my life, be lifted, in the name of Jesus Christ.
6. Father, renew my mind with truth that sets me free, in the name of Jesus Christ.
7. I reject every lie of the enemy that says I must earn God’s love, in the name of Jesus Christ.
8. Lord, teach me to pray with confidence in Your finished work, in the name of Jesus Christ.
9. I declare that I am accepted in Christ Jesus, in the name of Jesus Christ.
10. Father, let Your peace rule my heart in every situation, in the name of Jesus Christ.
11. I receive strength to walk in spiritual rest, in the name of Jesus Christ.
12. Every form of anxiety and fear in my life, be destroyed, in the name of Jesus Christ.
13. Father, align my thoughts with Your Word daily, in the name of Jesus Christ.
14. I declare freedom from every form of spiritual oppression, in the name of Jesus Christ.
15. Lord, help me to resist the devil with confidence, in the name of Jesus Christ.
16. I walk in the assurance of victory through Christ, in the name of Jesus Christ.
17. Father, let my life reflect the reality of redemption, in the name of Jesus Christ.
18. I declare that I am seated with Christ in heavenly places, in the name of Jesus Christ.
19. Father, strengthen my faith in every season of life, in the name of Jesus Christ.
20. I receive the grace to live daily in the consciousness of Christ’s victory, in the name of Jesus Christ.
21. Father, let the revelation of the finished work transform every area of my life, in the name of Jesus Christ.

St. Matthew 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. St. Matthew 10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

Loneliness because you belong to Jesus Christ is the price you pay to build yourself up, and the greatest thing you can build is yourself in Him, with you decreasing and Him increasing in your life that His glory in you may be made manifest.

Truth is, “The mind does not fear the truth first. It fears the life the truth will demand. That is why denial feels calm. It postpones a decision, not a consequence.” No wonder we get the wages of sin, which is death.

Believers should understand that sometimes our prayers are answered but the answer is No!

In other word, “You cannot think your way into becoming the person only your actions can introduce. When the storm beats the tree, many birds fly away—but the one that remains through the thunder is the one that truly calls it home.”

Is sin not attractive to you?

Sin keeps inviting you, “Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further, for you are a magnet for success and opportunities.”

Beloved, all that ends in this world. You will soon discovered, albeit too late that all that gilliters are not gold, and that vanity upon vanity, is a life lived without Jesus Christ.

Remember that one day you will wake up and do things for the last time without knowing it’s the last time. The sleep or that going out or coming in, eating, fighting, quarrelling etc will look normal, yet will be the last time! Nothing extra ordinary except that you would have said good night on the earthly side and find yourself woke up on the otherside of the terrestrial. There you have welcome to your eternity in heaven or hell, on the right or left side of Jesus who you obeyed or betrayed, condemned, rejected and ignored when you had the opportunity to accept on earth.

Unfortunately, you cannot and have not the luxury of a repeat journey! Then you will remember the saying that, “Most betrayals begin long before trust is broken. They begin the day curiosity ends. The moment someone believes they no longer need to understand you, they begin speaking to a memory instead of a person.”

Accept and follow Jesus now.