deliverance

The God Option

August 28, 2021 by Bill Leave a Comment

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

We’ve all experienced times in our lives when we ‘ve had trouble, can I get a witness? And we’re going to run into it again. The devil is always seeking to steal, kill and destroy, (John 10:10), and he’s always trying to pressure us into believing his lies, thinking it’s too hard and giving up. The Greek philosopher, Epictetus said, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” We do have options and our main option is to trust God and believe on His word. “Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” (Psalm 50:15).

I was thinking recently about some times in the Bible when God’s people were about to give up or could have. After the twelve spies came back from exploring the land of Canaan and ten of them gave a bad report, (Numbers 13), the people wanted to rebel, “And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” (Numbers 14:4). They thought it would be too hard to conquer the giants and wanted to give up. They did not consider the “God option”.

Then, some time later after they had continued on after the parting of the Red Sea and Joshua taking over for Moses after his death, it seemed they had learned their lesson. As they approached the city of Jericho which they needed to conquer. God told them to march around the city once a day for six days then, “But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.” (Joshua 6:4). Does that sound crazy? What if the people had said, “That’s crazy, the people of Jericho will be laughing at us. I’m not doing it.” No, but they did what God had told them even though it seemed crazy. They took the “God option”.

Then there was the teenager David who had gone out to check on his brothers at the battle lines against the Philistines. The army of Israel was cowering at the challenge of the giant Goliath and David was appalled at their fear. What if David had joined them being intimidated by Goliath? No, he gathered his own weapon, ran toward Goliath after saying, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” (1 Samuel 17:45). He took the God option and the Philistines were defeated.

There are a few, “what ifs” in this post and I want us to consider another one. There Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had been through a lot of trouble and knew the worst was yet to come. He had options, He prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me;” (Luke 22:42a). But we are so thankful that Jesus chose the God option, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”, (42b). As I stated before, we will always have various kinds of trouble in this life but remember, we will always have options. Choose the “God option”. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1).

Lead Us

February 25, 2019 by Bill Leave a Comment

“Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13). I had an issue with this verse for a long time. I thought, “Why is Jesus saying that? God wouldn’t lead us into temptation! But wait, the Spirit led Jesus into temptation.” “So, I guess He would lead me too.” So then I would pray, “Lead me not into temptation unless it’s part of my training.” And I went with that for years. Then I heard our Pastor Wayne Hager at Zion Family Ministries preach on this in a series on prayer. He said, “Yes, God did lead Jesus into the wilderness but that was Jesus, not us.” It was part of God’s plan for Jesus and, ultimately, His plan for us. And another thing I was made aware of; the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, not into temptation. There’s a difference. Sure, there was temptation in the wilderness, but Satan took care of that part. But Jesus knew the Word and how to resist the devil’s temptations. It’s similar to the story of Job. “All right, you may test him,” the LORD said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” (Job 1:12). God ALLOWED Job to be tested but He was with him all the way.

God will allow us to be tested and, most of the time, the test or temptation will come from our own choices! “But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” (James 1:14). You know what I’m talking about! And, think about the “valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4), we are tempted there but, “Thou art with me,”. God will always be with us.

So, maybe our prayer should be, “Lead us not into temptation but when we choose to go off on our own, deliver us from evil.” I can see myself on the path with Jesus and I’m tempted to take a side path to something the devil has enticed me with. Jesus says, “Don’t go there!” I glance at Him but go off anyway as He rolls His eyes and shakes His head. Can you identify? But, secretly, Jesus goes with me into that wilderness and, when I realize my mistake and cry out to Him, He delivers me from evil! I can’t understand that kind of love but it’s there. Follow Him!

Deliver Us From Evil

April 12, 2018 by Bill Leave a Comment

Given April 12, 2018

I was praying the Lord’s Prayer this morning, as I usually do several times a day, and a thought came to me as I prayed Matthew 6:13, “…and deliver us from evil”. I thought, “How does God deliver us from evil?” The general idea, I think to answer this question, is that when we’ve been captured by the enemy, as we cry out for help, God comes to our rescue grabbing us from the chains of sin, rebuking the devil and delivering us once again into His saving grace. And that;s how it can happen. But as I thought about it, several other ways came to my mind. Let’s look at them.

First, I thought of Paul who was in prison. He and Silas were singing and praising God when an EARTHQUAKE came and released them and the other prisoners from their chains, (Acts 16:25-26).
Then, when Peter was in jail awaiting trial the next day, an ANGEL appeared in the cell and released him from his chains and escorted him out onto the street, (Acts 12:7).
Samson was threatened or bound by an enemy six times and the POWER OF GOD came on him and he was able to subdue the threat or break free and defeat the enemy, (Judges 13-16).
The last example that came to me of how God delivers us from evil was of Jesus in the wilderness. He used THE WORD OF GOD to confound and defeat the devil and was delivered from him, (Luke 4:4, 8, 10, 12, 13). “It is written!”

So from this, I realized that God not only comes on the scene Himself and snatches us out of the clutches of the enemy but He may and will use many other methods of delivering us from evil. We do not have to put up with the lies, temptations and devices of the devil! “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (! John 4:4). “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). “Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7). Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished.” (John 19:30). We have the victory, we have been delivered from evil! Claim it, speak it, receive it! #Godisincontrol

Take Your Own Advice

January 1, 2010 by Bill 1 Comment

Given January 1, 2009
My wife and I had a good discussion this morning. We talked about our aspirations, dreams, and goals and how they might align with God’s plans for us. We concluded, which we both already knew, that God has a plan for us, (and everyone), and we needed to submit ourselves to His plan, increase our focus in that and decrease in our own plans. In the new year, we want to be what God wants us to be, do what He wants us to do, and have what He wants us to have.

This all reminded me of some of the things I’ve been saying to my staff recently. At the Workforce Center, we have been going through re-organization and getting away from the way things were done in the past and updating policies and procedures. I frequently will hear, “That’s not the way we used to do it.” So I have been stressingtot my staff, “Forget how it used to be done and do things the new way!” The Lord reminded me this morning of this and that I should take my own advice, forget the past and look to God for the future. I think it’s good advice for all of us today: If we want to see real success in 2010 and beyond, we must operate in God’s plan. And, make no mistake, He has a plan for you and I! I may have had some ideas or plans for my future but they may not have been in line with God’s plan for me. I want to be right in the middle of God’s plan whether I can see any sense in it or not. I know He’s already started things in motion with me and I am taking my own advice and taking my eyes off my little piddly plans, looking up with out-stretched arms, and saying, “Father, not my will but Yours be done.” Luke 22:42. Paul said it this way, “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14. Amen!

We are in a constant battle between our flesh and our spirit. I want to consentrate in 2010 on building up and training my spirit to react according to God’s will for me in every situation. Whatever He has planned for me personally, in my family, at work, in ministry, or whatever, I’m with Him! And it’s going to be good! He said, “Call on Me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou know not.” Jeremiah 33:3, and God told Moses to tell the people at the Red Sea with Pharoah’s army behind them, “Stand and see the deliverance of the Lord.” Exodus 14:13. I’m standing and I’m expecting. How about you?

QuickPoint – Lead Us Not

October 11, 2009 by Bill Leave a Comment

Given September 10, 2009

“Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Matthew 6:13. I often wondered about this passage. Surely God wouldn’t purposly lead us into something potentially bad. So why did Jesus say that? The Holy Spirit gave me an answer on this today. He said it means the opposite of what is seems; “lead us not into” means lead us AWAY from, and that’s what He does. Does that make sense?

So here’s how I view it: We’re walking down a path, God and me, and I hear an invitation off the path to come take a look. God says, “No, don’t go over there, come this way.” That’s leading me AWAY from temptation. So I go with God but the demons who were tempting me run on up ahead and confront me. Of course, God tells them to “git” and they run off. This time, He has delivered me from evil.

That helped me to better understand this passage. What do you think about it?