Deliverance from Evil

 

God is the Holy One of Israel; yet, He cares for each one of us individually, regardless of our circumstances. He is our redeemer and our strong tower (Isaiah 41:13-14; Psalm 46:1).

He actually holds our hand when we are afraid, and He promises to help each one of us. When we allow fear to overwhelm us, we fall into its trap; but when we trust the Lord, He keeps us safe (Proverbs 29:25; Psalm 34:4).

We see how Jesus calmed the storms for His disciples, and He abides within us and protects us as well (Mark 4:39-40). The angel of the Lord actually camps around those who honor God with their life, and He delivers us (Psalm 34:7).

Even if we are reviled or falsely accused when we are living righteously, God will reward us for it. Regardless of what any person says about us or threatens us with He is our defense (1 Peter 3:14; Deuteronomy 3:22).

God places His redeeming hand on our life, encourages us not to give place to fear and reminds us that He is our all in all (Revelation 1:17). He took on the form of a man in order to save us.

All He asks of us is to believe in Him (Mark 5:36). In failing to believe, we condemn our self to eternal damnation (John 3:18). In our belief, we accept God's eternal plan for our life (John 3:6-17).

Nothing we do, think or say, or anything that is in heaven or on the earth, can separate us from God's love (Romans 8:38-39). We are eternally His child and He loves us unconditionally.

Prayer:

Father God, You actually rejoice over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). We dwell in the shadow of Your wings and You give us shelter and rest. You are our refuge and fortress in this world of unrest, and we trust in You. Your faithfulness is a shield and strong tower for us. We have nothing to fear in the day or the night.

You give Your angels charge over us to keep us. Even if we fall, they are there to sustain and guard us. Since we love You, You rescue us, and You protect us when we walk in Your will and ways. We call on You and You answer us, deliver us and give us honor in any sort of trouble (Psalm 91:1-16).

Thought for the Day:

Since the Lord is with us, there is no reason for us to feel fear. Man can do nothing to us if God is right there with us, helping us and delivering us from every sort of evil. 

- Psalm 118:6-7

Nothing is Impossible in Christ

 

 

As a new Christian, our character is still flawed with sin. However, as we allow God to sanctify our carnal nature, we grow into a more mature Christian, exhibiting the fruit of God's Spirit and having the nature of God (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:4). We accept His holiness in exchange for our sin.

The Holy Spirit is not limited by time and space. Even though our perfection is not evident in this earthly realm in which we live, it is already complete in the heavenly realm.

Sometimes, fear attempts to cripple our soul and causes us to relinquish our power and hope to Satan. In our new life in Christ, God gives us power over Satan and his debilitating lies and negative emotions (1 John 4:4).

God also provides us with His unconditional love to give us confidence to live in His peace and joy. As we base our hope in God, no threatening storm will intimidate our stability in Christ.

Christ alone is our chief corner stone in God’s house made without hands (Ephesians 2:19-22; 2 Corinthians 5:1). We live, move and have our entire existence in Him (Acts 17:28). Christ is not ashamed to call us family (Hebrews 2:11).

We no longer live for our selfish pleasures, because Christ lives within us. The life that we now live in our mortal body is lived through our confidence in and the faith of the Son of God who loves us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20).

Prayer:

Father God, at times we find it difficult to muster the faith necessary to live through life’s circumstances (Hebrew 11:6). Remind us that in these trying times, we can pray, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). In doubt we accomplish nothing. In faith we have no limits to what is possible for those who trust in You.

In prayerful, peaceful confidence, Christ is our strength and our whole life (Isaiah 30:15; Colossians 3:3-4). Remind us not to make our own plans for the day, but to walk in Your perfect will for every moment of our life (Ephesians 2:10).

Thought for the Day:

We victoriously withstand any storm or trial, because our faith is built on the Rock of Christ.

Where is God in My Suffering?

God's grace is poured out into our life when we need it the most. After a loss, when someone has a prolonged illness, when a pregnancy does not go as planned, when a teenager rebels, when we inadvertently offend someone, His grace is unique, powerful and timely. His grace sustains us through the hard times, even when we do not realize it. His grace allows us to find joy even in suffering (James 1:2). His Word is full of rich comfort and wisdom, which sustains us through the lonely times and allows us to help others in their time of need.
 
We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. God justified us through our faith in Him (Galatians 2:16). His grace enables us to stand firm on the Rock of Christ through all of our storms, troubles and trials. We rejoice in our hope of the glory of God, which is being revealed in us little by little, bringing hope in the midst of our suffering. This grace produces perseverance, which gives us the power to walk in the Spirit in spite of what is occurring in the natural world all around us  (Romans 5:1-3).

When our children grow up and move away from home or when we lose a loved one or a treasure we hold dear, we lose part of our identity. We are unsure of who we are, because loss dramatically changes us. We may even doubt God’s loving kindness, because He allows such shattering events to alter our life. We struggle through the murky gloom of the trial, until we see the light, which God shines into our darkness (Psalm 139:12). Then we allow God to envelop us with His loving arms, which sustain us through all of our troubles (Psalm 23:4; Isaiah 43:2).

We find our true identity in Christ, regardless of what we lost or what we still have available to us. We do not categorize our self by the role we play in life, but by our relationship with our eternal God. He is the vine and we are connected as branches to His life-giving source. We remain in Him regardless of our struggles or losses in life. In Him we bear much fruit, and apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5-6). Even when we cannot see Him, Jesus is right there within us, giving us the wisdom, strength and grace to overcome the obstacles in our life.

Expecting God to grant the cravings of our heart is not the secret to a happy life. We find no peace, joy or contentment by getting what we want. God sees the entire forest; we only see the trees right in front of our eyes. God knows the end from the beginning, and He knows what we truly need to live fulfilled lives (Isaiah 46:10; Ecclesiastes 3:11). God’s will is for our ultimate good now and throughout eternity. Job lost his wealth, health and family all in one day; yet, God gave him more than he lost both here on this earth and also in eternity.

I have seen hurricanes sweep through a city, and all the Christians I know regained power to their home within minutes, they have minimal damage to their homes, and they do not lose a family member or suffer any great setback or hardship. However, sometimes Christians do suffer loss. God is not impotent when we do, and He is not unkind or vindictive if He allows us to feel pain and devastation (Job 2:10). We eventually come to the understanding that God causes all things, even catastrophic things, to work together for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). As in the case of Job, God will give us back more than we ever lost (Job 42:10).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for your mercy on us. We cry out to You for help, because You are the Most High God. You fulfill Your purpose in the earth and You send the Holy Spirit to help us (Psalm 57:1-3). We trust You for protection and provision. Remind us to hide beneath the shadow of Your wings until the storm is past. Remind us that the Son is always shining in our life regardless of our circumstances.

Thought for the Day:

The measure of God’s goodness is not determined by the trials in our life, but by the way He walks through them with us.





Thank you, Gracie Hill, for the use of your photo.