KNOWING AND BELIEVING (PART 2)



Welcome to Women Of Valour
which is about
YOU

experiencing your freedom in Christ, being set free,

experiencing the love of God, and opening your blinded eyes

Isaiah 61:1

RECAP: Exodus 8 - Pharoah was the King of Egypt and his nation was being plagued by frogs. Moses is the person God used to deliver HIS people from slavery (prison). Pharoah asked Moses to pray for the frogs to leave his nation. Moses asks, “When do you want me to pray?” Pharoah answers, “Tomorrow”. In today's reading, we take a look at what happened after the prayer.

When Moses prayed, the frogs died. Pharoah was happy for a moment because the frogs were gone. But he soon fell back into his foolish stubborn ways again and again. God sent 8 more plagues in order for Pharoah to obey. The last plague caused his son to be killed. Then Pharoah surrendered and let God’s children go free. I did the exact same thing time and time again being stubborn. I would pray and ask God to help me out of my immediate crisis. God would help me because I am HIS child. Just as any parent would help their child if they got into trouble and asked for help.

I was in pain and just wanted it to stop. But, I did not REALLY want to change my ways. I was miserable just like Pharoah. Pain was what I was used to in my life. Pharoah had gotten used to the plagues. He knew he could ask Moses to pray and God would stop that particular plague. I knew I could go to the Church building and something would happen to me. I would go to the front of the church for the altar call and "rededicate my life" to the Lord. I would leave different than I came.

What happened during the different times? Someone happened to me. HIS name is JESUS CHRIST!!! When I prayed for deliverance, things and situations began to dry up in my life. They dried up because “I believed JESUS CHRIST died for me and God raised HIM from the dead and I am saved.” (Romans 9:10) I would get excited about the Lord and Church. I had been given a new life. (II Corinthians 5:17) My desires/appetites changed from looking for love in ALL the wrong places to wanting to find the One who had loved on me. I did not want to hang out with the same people. I did not want to do the same things. When I did, it did not feel the same, something had changed. These good feelings I had would last a little while and other times longer.

I was on a rollercoaster with my salvation up and down and all around. Sometimes I would still feel just as lonely, confused, hurt, unloved, etc. as I did before I went to church. My poison may not be your poison. It could be drugs, alcohol, men, wrong relationships, etc. but the same principle applies. You are hurting and want the pain to stop. Many times when we are delivered from a crisis situation we go back to it.

Why do we go back? We do not understand that our feelings and thought processes must be delivered as well. We must get “a new way of thinking” (Romans 12:2) You have been doing the same things over and over again expecting different results. But you cannot change the behaviors and thought processes by doing the same things you have done in the past. I am a witness that it does NOT work. You must do something different to get different results. I challenge you to study God’s LOVE LETTER to you. You can start with John 3:16, Psalm 139:13-16, II Corinthians 5:15 -17, and II Timothy 1:7, and Jeremiah 29:11

There are 2 parts to total deliverance. God's part and your part. God did HIS part when you asked for deliverance. He introduced you to HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST. Now your part is to spend time with HIM studying God's Words. You have been in control of your own life for so long and where has it gotten you? I dare you to let God be in control for just one day and see what happens. This is the only way you will begin to understand this new life you have been given.

Is God asking you what it will take for you to fully surrender to HIM? What is your answer? Things will continue to happen because God is drawing you by HIS HOLY SPIRIT to come back home to HIM. Let me encourage you to surrender.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, help to see myself as My Father, God sees me. Open my eyes to see and my ears to hear Your voice through GOD’S LOVE LETTER to me. Change my negative thoughts and feelings.