Thank you to all of you who show your support for what the Lord is doing here by reading, liking, and commenting.  It really means a lot to me.  I view this website as God‘s website, and so there is nothing I can do here without His permission because I work for Him.  Thank you for what you do on your webpages to reach out and minister to, and bless, others for Him. 

I think we know we’re in a spiritual battle constantly, and we suffer in the spiritual realms as we do in the physical for serving the Lord.  We strive to reach out and rescue people from the same prison we were once in bondage to ourselves.  We know the tightness of those chains, the pain, the torment, the lies of the enemy, and the darkness all too well to go around throughout our each and every day knowing there are literally thousands in that same place we were once at and not rescue them; if the Lord had not come for us, we’d still be living in  misery and bondage.    

I hope you realize that when we work for the Lord, He is smiling down upon us and well pleased.  You will receive His blessings and rewards in heaven when you kneel before Him; I promise you, for always speaking His truth.  You see, when we give our lives to God through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell inside of us.  At the very moment we say, “I do,” we have made a covenant with the Lord that goes far beyond marriage vows.  We have just stated that we are willingly giving up our lives, and we are allowing Him to own what once belonged to the kingdom of hell.  It’s not just about giving up “our” lives; it’s about confronting the enemy and telling him in his face, “I refuse to serve you any longer!”

Let me give you a very spiritual picture of salvation: 

Picture yourself in handcuffs and shackles kneeling before the throne of Lucifer.  You are cold, beaten, and terrified.  You hate your life, but there is no way out of it.  You are a prisoner.  Suddenly, you hear a voice behind you; a voice you’ve never heard before.  By the sound of it, you know that it is good.  You trust the voice. 

But then Lucifer takes hold of you and yanks you by the collar around your throat as if you are no more than an abused dog.  You are gasping for air, and the pain is unbearable.

His voice reeks of hatred and contempt, so much that it chills you to the bone. “You are my slave!  If you give ear to this man, I will kill you!  I will make your life hell!”  He spits on you after he drills you in your side with his foot.  You cringe and gasp for your breath, but he only mocks at you further.

The voice speaks again, but Lucifer drowns it out with his loud cursing and threats.  Angry, he yells at the man behind you, “Hurry up and be done!  I will let you say what you have to say!  This soul belongs to me!  They will  never, ever give me up!”  He arrogantly laughs.  The truth be told, he is so prideful he can’t admit that he has no power to speak; instead, having the appearance that he is ‘allowing’ this loving voice to speak to you.

You intently listen to the soft, warm, melodic voice; it calls out to you.  “My child, come with me this day.  Look around you at this life of yours.  Is this where you want to stay?  Come today and serve me instead, and I will take you from all of this.  You will become my child, and I will bless you beyond blessed!  I will give you freedom, and I will be with you in all you do.  I will keep you hidden inside of me so that your light can shine forever before mankind!” 

You think about it, and it doesn’t make sense…hide in order to shine?  But you don’t care.  Something is pulling at your soul; tugging at the chains in which you are imprisoned. 

Suddenly, you are jolted as you hear the loud, shrill voice of your master, Lucifer, laughing, “She will never, ever serve you Jesus!  She’s too comfortable here with me.  Besides, there are no restrictions on anything she does, and she’s never accountable!  If she serves You, she’ll have to change her life…she’ll have to give up things she’s used to doing and enjoys.  I don’t ask my servants to give up!  No, in fact, I encourage them to fill up on whatever they can in this world until it oozes out of their pores!”   He finishes with that same shrill laugh.

You still haven’t spoken, but Jesus speaks again, gentle yet bold.  “Yes, you are right Lucifer.  But people willingly give these things up for me, and more.  They may have their fill with you, but in the end you reward your servants with eternal damnation and separation from their creator.  The payment for your service is eternal death!”

Your eyes widen in horror.  Could it be true?  All of the promises your master has made were all lies?  Are you really going to die forever and suffer tremendously?

Lucifer falls backwards into his own seat, helpless, and his voice is drowned out until it is no longer  audible.  Jesus kneels down and looks you in the eye, and at that moment, there is nothing the enemy can say or do.   He sweeps His hand through your hair and wipes the dirt from your face.  “You are dirty, but I can make you clean.  You are wearing rags, but I can clothe you in white, flowing garments.  You have cuts, scrapes, bruises, and scars but I can replace them with new skin.  Your hair is matted and tangled, but I can comb it and place a crown upon your head so others will know you are a royal child; My child!  A child of the King of Kings!”  He trails His hand down to your hand and takes hold of it.  The chains are beginning to creak.

For the first time, you speak; your voice is shaky.  “Jjjessus???  I’ve heard of You, but I haven’t truly known You.  Is it true?  Can You make me clean and replace everything in my life with good things?  Can you heal my broken heart and bind up my wounds?”

A tear streams down your face.  Lucifer appears as if he is going to explode as he writhes about in his seat, unable to say a word or do a thing.  Jesus reaches up and wipes your tear, and then kisses the spot where it was.  “I love you.  Come.  All I ask of you is to love Me and to stick with me.  You will learn how to love Me, because I will show you.  I have come to set you free!”

Bright light bursts forth in the darkness.  You look around; Lucifer and His demons are no longer visible because the light is so intense it has outshined them!  You hear music like none other and hear voices of heaven singing a song so pleasing, you never want it to end.  You rise to your feet and look this man who came to the depths of hell to rescue you..barefooted…with hot coals and fire glowing beneath His feet.  The chains open and tumble to the ground with loud thuds and clanks; cold metal against scalding stone.

He smiles, “Yes, I would come to the ends of the earth to rescue you from the enemy.  My child, I have died for you already; I gave my life so you could be a part of My glorious kingdom, have eternal life, and blessing!  I suffered immensely so you could be blessed and happy!  So the shackles and chains that were fastened so tightly about your flesh and bone could be unlocked forever!  For I hold the keys to life, and to death.  Come now!”

You feel as if there is something you are supposed to do, but you’re unsure what.  You stand there helplessly staring as He begins to walk away.  You feel the urgency in your heart to cry out His name for some reason, so you do, as loud as you can.  “JESUS!  Wait!  Wait for me!  I want to come with You!”

He turns and smiles softly, once again reaching out for you.  “That is what I was waiting for you to say…Now you are mine.  Come, let’s flee this place…together.  You shall never again be alone…I will always be with you.   Never will I leave you nor forsake you!”  

He kisses the top of your head when all at once, you are clean and there is brightness all around you.  You hold out your arms in astonishment as you excitedly stare at your new robe.  “Lord, this is wonderful!  Thank you!  Thank you so much!”

He stops you, “Some of the scars will remain for now; but I promise you they will slowly disappear.  They are necessary for a time.  They will make you stronger and a better witness for My name; but they will no longer hurt you or bring you defeat!  Instead, they will bring you victory through the power of My name!”

You nod your head in agreement, trusting that everything will come to you as you walk with your Saviour.  “There is one more thing child.”  He places a crown upon your head that says something in Hebrew you don’t understand. 

“This is the crown of life I have placed upon your head.  Wear it well, and let all of the world see it.  From this crown shines the light of your new life.  I must warn you that you will struggle, but never turn back!  You never have to go back to serving your old master.” 

This picture describes all of us when we took Jesus into our hearts.  But what happened after all of that?

Have you strayed from the path?  Have you foolishly run back to your ‘old’ master?  Are you wearing shackles and chains again when you don’t have to?  Oh, they look like they are locked around your wrists and ankles, but they’re not.  This is an illusion of the master of deception; Satan!  You can remove them at any time, stand back up, turn around and face the enemy dead on.  You no longer have to run from him, for you now possess the power to make him flee!  When you took the crown of life, (the Holy Spirit), you were given authority to trample on ‘snakes’ and ‘scorpions’…and to overcome all the power of the enemy!

Do you see Jesus up ahead?  Cry out to Him.  He’ll stop, turn around, and wait for you.  Did He not say He’d never leave you nor forsake you?  Why, dear one, do you keep running away from His presence, and why do you keep going back to the wicked master who torments you and wants to kill you?

Scripture Reading:  Ephesians 6:10-20; Psalm 91

Categories: Christian Living, Evangelizing the Lost, Forgiveness, God's Lovingkindness, Spiritual Warfare

Tags: Christianity, God, Holy Spirit, Jesu, Jesus Christ, King of Kings, Lord, Lucifer, Satan