If you have been following the Truth and Love Ministries blog since July 2019, you may have noticed that I have written about trials. In 2018, I explained how we need to rely on God through the trials. Last year, I said that we must commit to God and rely on Him during all times – especially when life is difficult. However, what happens as a result of committing to God? After putting our faith in God, He will heal us and deliver us from our sin and eventually our earthly difficulties.
The past two years, reliance on God has been the key underlying theme. When God declared that we would have trials, He told us to have joy. Throughout the attacks on our faith, we must come into His presence and have the joy of the Lord, which is our strength. If you pray to the Lord, you put your reliance in Him and His joy, and God will empower you through His grace to live for Him – even if the situation doesn’t get better. However, reliance on God must occur when you are under the devil’s attacks and when you feel great, requiring a commitment to the Lord.
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1:2-4
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. I Peter 5:7-8
Moving on to 2020, our new theme is deliverance, but what is deliverance? According to Google, deliverance is “the action of being rescued or set free.” When God delivers us, He rescues us from some sort of bondage or tribulation. For such a case to occur, one must already be in bondage. Everyone needs deliverance in some way, and God guarantees it for the believer for specific circumstances.
The first type of deliverance is spiritual, which has two parts. When a person is born, he inherits his sinful nature from his parents. Because of this, he is already in bondage to his sin and needs deliverance from it. The Bible says that everyone is born in this state, but God sent His Son Jesus to die a gruesome death for the world so that we could be delivered from our sins. Now that Jesus has sacrificed His life and has risen from the dead after three days, anyone who believes in his heart that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead will be saved. When one trusts in God and makes that commitment to Him, God delivers that person from his sin and changes his life.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. Romans 3:23-25
But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:22-23
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9
The second part of spiritual deliverance is for those who are already saved – deliverance from temptations, strongholds, and overwhelming circumstances. In 2019, I dealt with a couple broken relationships, which depressed me. How I found deliverance from the depression was through prayer. Nehemiah 8:10 declares that the joy of the Lord is your strength, and in God’s presence, there is fullness of joy. When you have the joy of the Lord as your strength, God enables you to overcome any tribulation. As you worship God, you will enter His presence and experience His joy to overcome whatever the circumstance may be. If you are facing temptation or depression, God will deliver you from your temptation and depression as you put your reliance onto Him.
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalms 16:11
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalms 100:4
The second type of deliverance is situational or circumstantial. Circumstantial deliverance is when God delivers a person from his earthly difficulties. While God promises to deliver a us from our sin and depressions, God does not promise that He will deliver us from every earthly hardship that we will face. For many situations, God will in His timing improve the surroundings, but we must be content with the blessings that God gives us. The Lord’s deliverance starts with you before your circumstance changes, and He will always give you the strength to carry on. However, Jesus said that in heaven, there is no pain or weeping. When you enter heaven, God will deliver you from all your difficulties, but for now, trust in God and experience His spiritual deliverance no matter what God does with your surroundings!
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:11-13
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. Revelation 21:4-5
Throughout life, we must commit to following Jesus when life is difficult and peaceful. While God promises trials in life, He also promises spiritual deliverance by changing our attitudes and giving us the strength to fulfill His callings for us. Sometimes God will deliver us from difficult circumstances, but in other cases, God’s deliverance will manifest itself by spiritual growth and then deliverance from all trials in heaven. No matter what happens in 2020 or has happened in 2019, I encourage you to put your trust in Him that He will give you the strength to go through life because if you are His child, He has delivered you from your sin and will deliver you from false attitudes. If you aren’t a Christian, believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and God will deliver you from your wicked state. Even if your situation never changes for the better, look to God and pray for what He will change in you.
In short, life will be difficult, but take heart because God has overcome the world! He’ll take care of you!
Have a great day and 2020! Happy new year!
COMMITTING TO GOD’S GRACE AND LOVE,
Jeremiah Yonemura
