God is in control
As we all can tell by just looking at the headline news in the newspaper or looking at the top stories on the local news, it can be confirmed even the more that the devil is on the loose, going to and fro through the earth as a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour (I Peter 5:8). We must be self-controlled and alert as the apostle Peter reminds the Bible readers and doers here and as the apostle Paul lets us know, we should not be overtaken by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14). Now is the time more than ever for every saint of God to know that despite the things going on around us, GOD IS IN CONTROL. There is a part we must play and it's having a five letter word active in our lives every day and that word is faith.
Hebrews 11:1 states, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" and then verse 6 declares, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." We have to have faith in these last and evil days and declare to every situation and mentality not of God that comes forth that even though it may not "feel good" being in such a trial or tribulation, we must remind ourselves that it is working out "for our good." Thanks be unto God for His grace and mercy that only comes through Christ Jesus our Lord and through the power and presence of the Holy Ghost. The word-of-God declares that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ (Romans 8:31-19)! I want to take the time out to share with you a story that really blessed me in the Gospel according to Mark chapter 9 verses 14-29 (New American Standard Bible, NASB):
14When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him. 16And He asked them, “What are you discussing with them?” 17And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; 18and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” 19And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” 20They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. 21And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22“It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” 23And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” 24Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” 25When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.” 26After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” 27But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up. 28 When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?” 29And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”
What we see in this passage is Jesus returning from the mountain-side with Peter, James and John who have just witnessed the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ and with that they were commanded not to release what they had seen until the Son of man had arose from the dead (v. 9). Then what we read in verse 14 is that there was a man, who had brought attention to the scribes and many in the area, in the debating of whether or not the men before them who could not cast the demon out of his son were really Jesus' disciples. So Jesus asks them what is going on and that is when the man, who is not named, speaks up and says that his son has been possessed with a demon that tries to kill him through drowning him, throwing him into the fire and by seizing the boy and having him foaming at the mouth (vv. 17-18).
Watch the wording in verse 17, the man stated that he had brought Jesus his son, but with reading this text in all simplicity, Jesus was nowhere around (He was walking up to them with Peter, James and John from the mountain-side), so really what this is saying is that the man's faith was so radical that he brought his son to the disciples of Jesus Christ of Nazareth who represented the ministry of Jesus Christ. Since he could not find Jesus, he found those closest in connection with Jesus. This right here prompts a question, "Can people see and really discern within their spirit that you are a child of God?", meaning can they say, "that guy or girl; man or woman is full of faith and the Holy Ghost and since I see it in their actions I'm going to ask him or her to pray for me and/or my family!" Or, "They have a way about them that is different and I know it is the spirit of the Lord living within them!" This is quite profound in its giving, but we must go deeper into the text.
From there we now see the father of the demon-possessed son talking to Jesus, the Son of the Living God. Take note of this, he had strong faith at first but begin to doubt when the disciples could not cast the demon out of his son. It can be felt in the text that even though he was looking at the Son of the Living God who has been given all power from His Father to bind and loose; heal and deliver; and above all save, he begins to doubt even if Jesus Christ could help! Now, isn't that something? Read through verses 19-22 and see how the father then tells Jesus, "But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” Now what type of comment is that? He was basically telling Jesus that He did not have much power to do what he was seeking to have done; but look at what Jesus says to the man with much authority given to Him from His Father in verse 23, "And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Then that is when the father cries out in verse 24, "I do believe, Lord help my unbelief".
I believe that this is what we as saints of God should declare in times of trouble, trials and tribulations, "Lord, help my unbelief". Yes, it may be hard and you may feel like giving up and don't think God is going to answer your prayers, but keep the faith and know that God is in control. From there we read that Jesus asks the father to bring Him his son and with that Jesus commanded the spirit to come out of the boy and, of course, it did! Watch what happens in the following verses, the people standing around thought that the boy was dead, and it really was because they only recognized him while the demonic spirit was within him, but now that it had been casted out, they could not recognize him.
Think about it! When you're going through you know how you look at the house praying before God, and I mean literally. There are many tears flowing down your face sometimes, you may even find yourself just letting loose and begin stomping on the enemy throughout your place of residency or you may even find yourself just moaning and singing hymns and spirituals because of the concerns of this life. Others don't know this though! I believe that whatever brings the breakthrough for you is what is necessary. Anointing yourself with the oil and binding and loosing. But when those that are being controlled by a spirit or mentality, others can in most cases discern that they are. You may hear a concerned individual say, "You're not yourself today!" or for people they don't know after discernment and spiritual battles, they will just simply say "Something is not too right about that person!"
Furthermore, when we are being controlled by a spirit or mentality not of God, people see us and see us as we are at that present time. The thing that we as disciples of Jesus Christ must understand is that when that controlling spirit or mentality is casted out, i.e., through the laying of hands from the man or woman-of-God or even through you anointing yourself with the oil and laying your own hands on yourself, when happens it that when one becomes delivered and set free through the blood of Jesus, guess what, they will not look like themselves anymore! They become a new person than when that spirit or mentality have overtaken them (II Corinthians 5:17). Once again, everybody thought that the boy was dead because he had now become a part of the I Peter 2:9 movement, "But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;"
From there comes the best part of this entire text, in my opinion, and it's in verse 27, "But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up." Isn't it "just like God?" Doesn't God through His Son Jesus pick us up out of our situations that others said we would never get out of? Doesn't God promote and sponsor us from the Heavens above, when others did not want to support our vision (Genesis 12:2; Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 23; Psalm 24)? Doesn't God give us confidence in knowing that He will be a Father when father has walked out and a Mother when mother has turned her back and others are saying that we will never be anything because of our father or mother's wayward reputation? Be reminded, my friend, that through faith we can and will receive those things we ask God for, on His timing (John 14:12-15; Matthew 7:11)! For God is in control! It does not matter what we go through, it is only for a moment. David lets us know that in Psalm 30:5 (NASB),
"For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning."
I decree and declare that your morning is coming more sooner than later, but while you're waiting for the Son to rise even the more in your life and for His Glory to rain down, ask the Lord as the father in the above text did to "Help [your] unbelief!" When it seems like your goals and dreams are never going to become a reality and that God seems to be so far from bringing a deliverance, healing or even salvation for a loved one or close friend, and those thoughts must be cast out. Change is right around the corner! It's yours for the asking! All I need to do now is just declare to you, "Go and 'receive from the Lord'" (Psalm 24:5)!
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