Sin Recovery is submitting our wills and lives wholeheartedly to God.
Message Magazine’s Online Devotional for Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Audio Link: http://bit.ly/ThoughtsinWorship
Today’s Scripture Focus: Psalm 61
I can attest to the fact that God’s ears are attentive to the prayers of those who love Him. He is ready, willing and available to answer us when we call. The problem is that too many of us neglect to call Him. Too many of us put God last on our call list.
Let me tell you a story.
A Different King of Healing
This past Saturday I was in a meeting with various church leaders. After several minutes, there was a knock at the door. It was one of our elders. In my faith tradition, an elder is a servant leader who supports the pastor in facilitating relationships and spiritual growth among the membership. This particular elder said two people down in the sanctuary appeared to need emergency medical attention. Once we got to them it was evident that they were oppressed and possessed by demonic spirits as seen in Mark 5.
A Psalm 61 Anointing
Immediately, a group of us armored up, prayed, and confessed our sins to God. We did this so that no sin within us could stop the Holy Spirit from delivering these two people. We needed to intervene on their behalf under the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of Jesus Christ. And so, we asked God to forgive us of the sins inside of us. To make an incredibly long story short, these two people were in fact under the direct oppression of evil angels. I will not share all that happened that night, but as we prayed, read Scripture, and sang hymns we chose to read Psalm 61 over them while anointing them with oil.
I asked God to hear my cry. My heart was overwhelmed as I called on His name for assistance. I asked Him to be jealous over His honor and to get glory in the situation by breaking the yoke and setting these captives free. Praying fervently, I asked the Lord to forgive them of whatever they had done. I pleaded with the Lord to loose them from whatever foothold they created within their lives. In the spirit of verse seven, I asked God to protect and reign over them. And I had full faith and assurance that God wanted to and would deliver these two souls.
Deliverance is Sweet
I am delighted to report to you that God came through! I watched Him deliver those two souls with my own eyes. He manifested His love for them by using us to pray over them. What a beautiful thing to see God free people from the Devil’s binding grip; from his efforts to force them to do his evil bidding.
What is crucial about this story is that the key to their deliverance is the divine authority of Jesus Christ. These two people are able to experience spiritual freedom today because of the sacrifice and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. We were simply servant leaders fully submitted to Him, ready and willing to step on that battlefield and be used to deliver His children.
But guess what else I asked God to do? In the spirit of verse eight, I asked Him to teach these folks to praise Him for His goodness to them, and for them to dedicate their lives in service to Him. Whenever God is so gracious to descend in the Spirit and free us in such a way, we must be certain to thank and praise Him!
Victory Comes Through Submission
We may not be spiritually oppressed to the extent that these two people were. But many of us find ourselves addicted to all sorts of sins. For some of us, pornography is our demon; lying is our demon; pride is our demon; gossip is our demon; violence is our demon; drugs and alcohol are our demons. There are so many sins and vices that oppress us on a day to day basis. And what this experience has taught me is that victory comes through submission. If I want to partner with God to participate in the freedom of another my life must be wholly submitted to Him. And if I find myself in need of victory and salvation then I simply need to surrender and confess to God my desire to be wholly submitted to Him.
Victory is is truly ours! Like the song says I want you to know that you can say with confidence “Satan, get thee behind! Victory today is mine!” I want you to ask God to teach you whole life submission, and encourage you to make this verse your life’s motto:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9
If God could deliver those dear children from the chains of Satan’s angels, then what in your life is too difficult for Him? Absolutely nothing.
