Prior to my becoming a Christian I was a love sick puppy chasing after love in all of the wrong places. The theme of my life was a repetition on my tongue and in mind, “I will die for love.” Perhaps you have never voiced your yearning quite as I did but we are all searching for love in someone or something.
The theme of my life is still very much the same, only now the meaning is different. I have learned that “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) and I now know that the maker of the heaven and the earth loved me so much that He sent His Only Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins. How awesome is that? Someone died for me so much that He didn’t allow me to die in His place but took the punishment I deserved before a Holy God and placed it upon Himself! So today my “I would die for love.” translates to “I would die for God.” because of His having loved me so much, because of His dying for me, because of my belief in what He did 2,000 years ago on the cross. I love Him because He first loved me (1 John 4:19). Oh how sweet it is to know Him. Amen.
“And He said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)
Lord we thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your Only begotten Son Jesus Christ to submit to the punishment and to pay the penalty for our sins. We thank You for loving us so much that even while we were rebellious against You, You chose to make a way to restore our relationship with You once and for all time. Lord I will die daily for You and if it comes to it for me to die one day forever for my faith I would do so. Lord help me to be able and ready to die daily for You and to pick up my cross and follow You knowing that as I do I am not left alone for You are always with me. This life is a struggle Lord and You never promised that it would be easy but You did make the promise that You would be with me always even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Thank You Lord for all the times that You have proven yourself so faithful. Lord I want to know You better this day, teach me Your way, show me Your Salvation, and lead me on the way everlasting. In Jesus name. Amen.
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5)
6 “The night before Herod was going to bring him out to the people, Peter was sleeping between two guards. He was tied with two chains, and there were guards on duty at the prison gate. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood there, and a light shone in the cell. The angel shook Peter by the shoulder, woke him up, and said, “Hurry! Get up!” At once the chains fell off Peter’s hands. 8 Then the angel said, “Tighten your belt and put on your sandals.” Peter did so, and the angel said, “Put your cloak around you and come with me.” (Acts 12:6-8)
God is a breaker of chains. I have a testimony to share from my life recently and a journey that I invite you to embark on with me if you feel led by the Lord. This past Friday into Saturday I fell into a pit of despair and depression that was so deep that I felt no light could get past it but oh, how wrong I was. I know the Word of God and I stand by God’s Almighty authority that His Word is faultless and true, but at times I have my struggles the Lord knows. The Word of God tells us in psalm 139:11-12,
“If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, And the night will be the only light around me,” Even the darkness is not dark to You and conceals nothing from You, But the night shines as bright as the day; Darkness and light are alike to You.”
The Lord led me to pray to Him by the power of His Holy Spirit, to make a declaration to have enough with the lies of the enemy, and to stand on the authority of the Word of God which tells me that He came to give me life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). I cried out to God to give me His living water so that I might live and not perish any longer. The Lord shined His light into my life and a healing in my heart began, one that I had tasted but had never experienced in its entirety before, like the Samaritan woman at the well.
“Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you-I am he.” (John 4:4-26)
I went to sleep soon after the prayer was spoken and at 2am I was woken up by the Holy Spirits whisper to my soul. I heard “40 days” and “March 1st”. I inquired as to what that meant and decided I would head off to sleep but then images began to flood into my head. I saw myself doing a video on Facebook and taking pictures of myself and of my wedding ceremony. I heard a call from God inviting me to get out of my comfort zone and the shackles of shame I had allowed to take hold of me. I tasted the freedom that the Lord promises and so graciously provides but tried to go back to sleep thinking how ridiculous this idea was, laughing at the thought like Sarah laughed when the Lord told her that she was going to have a child in her old age (Genesis 18:12). I realized my error, confessed and repented to the Lord, recognized the blessing of answered prayer, and accepted His calling on my life.
Anyone who knows me can tell you why this was such a miraculous event. I don’t take pictures of myself, I have so many times refused to do a video even to give a testimony of the goodness of our Lord, and because of my overwhelming shame of myself I even refused my own husband the blessing of a wedding day photo. The Lord was freeing me as He so graciously does. I was terrified and excited. I went to the “Life Mission” church app and was going to watch their latest sermon entitled “The Battle” but when the pastor began to ask the hard questions about the battles that we face I knew that I wasn’t ready to receive the word. On Sunday morning however the Lord made me to be ready to listen and to receive. I was blessed with confident hope and trust in the Lord that in Him I could be victorious, and in turn help those who are suffering and in need of the only truth in Christ that will set the captive free.
“The [captive] exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the dungeon, nor will his food be lacking.” (Isaiah 51:14)
So as all of you know today is the first day in March, which I was at the onset unpleasantly surprised by since I thought I had much more time in Christ to prepare. Now I know experientially as I have seen before, that God’s time is always right on time and perfect. Today I posted my first live video ever in life on Facebook for all to see, speaking of my testimony, the 40 day calling and inviting others along with me, to Salvation in Christ, and onward to His promise of freedom.
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)
So I am telling you all of this to say that God in Christ wants you to be free and to find joy in His gift of Salvation. Perhaps you too are struggling too with shame, despair, fear, or depression. Perhaps you are shackled in by sin in your life, the shame of regret, or are finding a lack of peace from the worry and the stress of life. God wants to meet you where you are and the perfect thing about it is that if you allow Him in He will go above and beyond everything you could ever hope or imagine. I invite you to let Him in and if you don’t believe in Him, give Him a chance. If He can give me victory and invite me of all people to lay down my own selfish intentions, He can and He will free you from your cuffs so you can lay your shackles down. Trust in Him and you will never regret it. My own journey deeper in God has just begun. Won’t you call on the name of the Lord with me? What have you got to lose but your enslavement?
You can watch the video itself on my facebook page and I am inviting everyone to put #cuffsoff and share your testimony for the day. Please leave a comment on this post or send me friend request on Facebook: Crystal Spence. I would love to hear from you, to pray with you, to fellowship with and support you, and to see people set free through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Let us pray:
Lord we thank You that You are inviting us to be free in You. Thank You for Your Word which proves the truth that You have come to set the captives free. Please help me to trust You in this process and the plan that You have laid out for my life before time began. I admit that I am a sinner and I repent of my sins. I believe that You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins, so that I can be reconciled in blissful and blessed relationship to God the Father. I believe that on the 3rd day Jesus Christ rose from the dead in fulfillment of the Scriptures all so that I might be saved and live my life through Him. I offer You my life in sweet surrender. I am all in. I give You my life, my heart, and my spirit to be conformed into the image of Your Son. Set me free Lord. I have been weighed down by the shackles and cuffs of lies that I have bought into. You are the Word, the Truth, and the life and I am trusting in You for a breakthrough. Heal my heart Lord. Lift me up and see me through all to Your honor and glory. Watch over me and open my heart to see my shackles so that through You I might lay them down these 40 days if it is Your will that I partake, and into Your life everlasting. Save me. Recommit me to Your love. I honor You and I worship You and I bless Your Holy name. Thank You for Your love, the graceful gift of Salvation, and for freedom. Yes! For freedom. I believe and receive that the truth has set me free. Hallelujah! In Jesus name. Amen.
“He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine.” (Psalm 33:19)
The Lord sees to it when we place our faith in Him to protect us and to provide for us in our need while we are yet alive here on earth. Spiritually speaking, the Lord preserves our lives or our souls from eternal death and damnation apart from Him while we abide in Him, hope in Him, and yet believe. He will not allow us to fall into spiritual famine, need, want, poverty, or deprivation. He will keep our spirits nourished and well fed on the things of a Spiritual nature as we continue to seek Him and to respond to His calling.
“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I go up to heaven, you are there;     if I go down to the grave, you are there. ” (Psalm 139:7-8)
The Word of God says that God is with us wherever we go. That means that He is with us right now and forever, even in death. As believers He will be with us forever and in that our spirits can find rest for our souls, protection even in death, and while we are here on this earth. So in that sense He protects us from death; not that we are immortal but that at the end of our life we can have hope in life everlasting with Him.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father sometimes I doubt that You are the protector of all who believe as I watch so many believers struggle and suffer. At times I admit that I even doubt Your Providence as I watch this pandemic going on around me and believers and non believers alike dying and in mourning for those near to them that have passed on. I ask You to forgive me for my faithlessness and I thank You for Your forgiveness and Your loving mercy. Please help me to see that You are the Protector of my soul and my blessed Provider in the land of the living and that You are intimately acquainted with my ways. Please help me to live in the love of Your light and to know that You are protecting and guarding my soul and my heart through the blood and righteousness of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank You for fulfilling my needs and for providing for all those who know You as their Lord and Savior. Please save the souls who have wandered away from Your love. Thank You for providing for their needs. Please forgive us all for not baring witness to Your love and Your protection when we see it and while we get the chance. Please comfort all the sick, the mourning, the grieving, those being abused, those treated with injustice, all those who are being persecuted for their faith in You alone, and please strengthen our faith that You are just, that You are in the midst of what we see, and that You are at work in all we don’t see. Help us as believers to bless others through the blessing You so graciously share for us and to share the Good News of Your Salvation with all who we come in contact with. Lord as You promised Abraham that all nations would be blessed through him help me and help us to be blessed to be a blessing to all of Your children under the sun. We love You Lord and we ask all of these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” (Exodus 33:13)
You are my Salvation Lord You have said, “You my child have nothing to fear.”
You are the one who protects me and saves me from my troubles,
If I only would hear.
Teach me to listen and teach me to see
Help me to seek Your face,
So that in Your Spirit I’m free.
Free me. Free me.
So in me Your freedom might reign
Heal me. Heal me.
In my suffering, so I might be a light through the pain.
“Take care brothers and sisters, that there not be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But continually encourage one another every day, as long as it is called “Today.”, so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3: 12-13)
As brothers and sisters in Christ we are blessed to serve the One true God the living God who is spirit and intimately acquainted with all of our ways. We also have a physical symbol which is real, bold, and powerful to hold onto the one on which Christ died for us for the cleansing of our sin; the cross of our Salvation. In Hebrews we are taught by Paul that we need to be continually clinging to our faith on a daily basis and be steady in encouraging one another in our faith knowing that although we are saved there are all sorts of temptations of the world and from the enemy set on leading away from our first love, that is Christ.
“Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. “(1 Peter 5:9)
“For we have become partakers of Christ, if only we hold firm our newborn confidence until the end, while it is said, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your heart, as when they provoked me.” For who were they who heard and yet provoked Him? Was it not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose dead bodies were scattered in the desert?” (Hebrews 3: 14-17)
In the book of Exodus we are told of how God led His people Israel through the wilderness and out of their slavery in Egypt under the rule of Pharaoh. The Israelites watched God protect their children by the presence of blood on their door posts, they saw Him rain down judgment upon judgment upon Pharaoh in the form of plagues, gnats, frogs, and a river turned to blood. They saw His provision for their needs when the Egyptians offered them their gold and their own possessions, when He caused the sky to rain down manna for them to eat, when He caused water to flow from a rock to quench their thirst, and when
“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to given them light…” Exodus 13:21
Yet after every miracle and after everything that God was continually doing for them to protect them and to get them to place their faith and reliance on Him they complained, they didn’t believe in Him, and they even wanted to return to their bondage of slavery. Paul pleads with us not to go that route. In this message to the Hebrews Paul is speaking with the Jewish converts to Christ encouraging them to hold onto their faith instead of going back to the Law and to the religious rites that can’t save them and yet he is speaking with all of us today, starting with me. I encourage all of us here to hold fast to the cross of our salvation no matter what it costs us in this lifetime because the prize so often is greater than the effort and the trials it took to gain it. We have a lot to hope for and we have One who we can without any doubt place our trust and our faith in. So today if you find yourself wavering, hold firm to Christ and let us hear the voice of Paul encouraging each one of us to reach out to one another, in encouragement and in love.
Facing Life In Christ 