So many times in the lives of Christians who struggle, we dream of the day when deliverance will truly come. When we can push beyond our flesh and get back to "when we were first enlightened". We cry because we know this is not God's plan for us, we get angry with ourselves because we know we can do better, we are ashamed of ourselves because we want to do this; we want to continue in this undesirable behavior. Again back to Paul, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death..." His question was rhetorical, he knew the answer; he knew who his deliverer was.
Right now you know who your deliverer is. You talk to him on a regular basis; you speak to him after every indiscretion, promising not to return to that place again. In your heart of hearts you realize that you just lied to God, again.
Then it comes !!!!! That moment when you know that God has delivered you. That you have been freed from the pain and pangs of living through the spiritual stronghold that had you bound for years. That moment is wonderful, crucial, and liberating. Make no mistakes about your deliverance, keep the doubt that the enemy will try to plant away by giving him the word of God. Paul said "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". Trust in the word of God and hold fast to what you believe is true. God promised to be your strength. Don't let anything come between you and your renewed faith that God has brought you to a place of renewal. Don't let anyone stand in the way of you making it to the goal. God has given you all you need to be successful in this fight. Paul says to put on the whole amour of God to withstand the wiles of the devil. Use the arsenal that he speaks about in the scriptures, especially the sword of the spirit. By the word of God the enemy will flee, by the word of God spirits are put under subjection, by the word of God the devil trembles.
You have waited a long time for this moment; it is finally here. Don't entangle yourself with people who practice that thing that had you bound. Cling to the church members who have the mind of Christ, to those who have witnessed your struggle, and who will rejoice with you in your new freedom and fresh anointing. Every chance you get to tell God thank you, do it with your whole heart. The enemy will use those closest to you to try to trip you; recognize who he is and rebuke him with all the authority that God has given you. Don't let go; don't give up! This is that moment!!!!
Read:
I Peter 5:6-10
James 2:19
Romans 7:11-25
Ephesians 6:10-17
Philippians 4:13
We remember the bible stories we learned as children. We remember the first time we came in contact with the presence of the Holy Spirit. We remember the first answered prayer from God. We remember the first time the enemy brought doubt to our hearts that God's presence was real then we remember the reassurance we received that our God indeed exist and our desire to press on remains intact.
Lately over several television shows and commentaries I have seen and heard the suggestions and implications that God does not exist. They say the word of God, the Bible, is only myths and fairy tales. One commentator reduced the events in the Garden of Eden as "the talking snake"; as a way to dismiss that it was actually Satan that was present. I admit that to believe what we read in scriptures takes faith, and at times an abundance of faith. We should apply the same confidence that we had while learning history in school to the reading of the Word of God.
We learned by reading history books the events that occurred in establishing this world; and for the most part we recite them as fact. Christopher Columbus stumbled upon America. Julius Caesar was once a great ruler of Rome. The Civil War did happen. Africans were stolen from their countries and enslaved. Lincoln gave one of the greatest speeches of his career in Gettysburg. We accepted those as facts and heard those facts again as our children went to school and learned them for themselves. Yes, over the years with research some of those facts that we accepted were challenged. But for the most part they have held their integrity. I know that people questioning the authenticity of the Bible is not a new concept, it just troubles me that people are listening to this hype all the time. And in doing so doubt has a chance to enter into the minds of those seeking truth and righteousness. So, whenever we have a chance to answer the critics, we should do just that and reaffirm our belief that the Snake did talk. The Bible encourages us to be ready to answer every man regarding the hope we have in the gospel. (1Peter 3:15)
The word of God has gone forth for more than two thousand years and we believe that a time will come when people will believe in Man and not God. That the time of the end will produce more confusion and spiritual death to this world. The "talking snake" dialog is setting the stage for the anti-Christ. When man will be lifted above God and souls will be lost while clinging to hope that is promised by a man.
The faith that we have in God enables us to believe that the Word of God stands true, and we hold on to that faith no matter what this society believes. Since the beginning people have tried to denounce and destroy what we believe but we hold on to our faith in Jesus Christ. We feast off the Word and the rich history that is found in the Book of Life. It is because of that history that we hold on to the fact of faith that God is a deliverer, a Saviour, and a healer. That through his name, Jesus Christ, we have a promise of eternal life!!
If anyone of us are questioned about our hope in the word I challenge us to continue to stand up for what we believe and never let a chance to defend the gospel go unanswered. Continue to teach our children and families about our experiences as Christians and reinforce the hope of our calling.
THE SNAKE DID AND CONTINUES TO TALK
Love ya
Sis. Laverne
