7/27/2017
Isaiah 42:5-7, Isaiah49:8-9, Isaiah 61:1-3, Luke 4:18-19, John 8:36, Romans 8:1-2, Galatians 5:1.
From bondage to freedom
Can you take a punch my child and stay on your feet? You need to increase in stamina and abide in my strength. Many have been hit hard by the enemy but instead of getting up they stay down defeated wallowing in pain and self pity. Yes you will get knocked down sometimes but the trick is never to stay down in defeat, get back up as soon as possible. The longer you stay down on the ground the harder the enemy hits you. He knows you are extremely vulnerable and he will hit and kick you repeatedly. He will not stop to give you some relief. No! He will keep on viciously hitting you until you either get up or give up. He will not show you mercy, he does not know mercy and he is vicious. The longer you stay down the more wounds you will sustain and the less strength you will have to get back on your feet. Children when you get knocked down do not stay down in grief for long, you must get up. You are at a very vulnerable position. Have you not seen those who stayed down for so long they do not even know how to get up anymore? They suffer from depression, paranoia and fear never getting back on their feet, always underneath the enemy’s stomping feet. They have been down so long that even if you were to get down to their level and show them how to get back on their feet they would simply nod and stay down. They have become so accustomed to staying down they do not even know what it feels like to stand on their own two feet without the chains they now bear. In fact some are so badly off that they feel helpless and hopeless without the chains the enemy placed around their necks. They have become slaves and have been slaves for so long that they do not know what freedom feels like. I am here to set the captives of defeat, depression, paranoia and so forth free. I have my sword in my hand, here I am ready and willing to cut off the chains but once that is done it is up to you to decide whether you will get up or stay down and allow the enemy to chain you once again. Here take my hand let me lift you up. I am willing to walk this path with you but you also must be willing to trust me and follow me. Trust and take a step, trust me again and take another step, take a deep breath and keep on walking, keep your eyes on me, do not look back now it is too soon. If you look back this early in your walk fear and confusion will enter into your heart and you will flee back to your place of familiarity. Fear has become a close companion to you, one that you love to hate. I am calling you out of your place of familiarity to a place not only of freedom but of comfort. Therefore like I said earlier just keep your eyes on me and keep walking, you may trip sometimes, stub your toe, even fall but still keep your eyes on me, take my hand and get up. Once I decide that you have walked far enough from your place of bondage and familiarity then I will instruct you to turn around and look back to where you came from, see how far you have come, notice how small your prison looks from here. From this distance you are not in danger of falling back into the place of bondage. Now you can not only testify to others of where you came from and how far you have come but you can also stretch out your hand to help a brother in need with understanding and compassion in your heart. You are free stay free.
Amen.
