“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) This is a fragment of Scripture that many understand in a simplistic way, considering that having revelation about the Word of God is already deliverance in itself. To these; James, the brother of Jesus, reminds us: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19). Does he call into question the words of the Lord? No, it protects us from misunderstanding. Indeed, the Truth which is the Word of God, offers us a foundation on which to found our Faith; but Faith leads us to hold firmly the hand of the Lord while he leads us to obedience: the accomplishment of his work, of his Will.
To support our point, we will quickly dive back into the Scriptures with the announced destruction of Sodom (Genesis 18:16-33)
The story of Lot and Sodom
Three “men” were going to meet Abraham, at the end of their mission, as they went towards Sodom; the Lord revealed to him: He was about to destroy this city (Sodom). Abraham heard the revelation. Did he believe it? Yes, he believed it since it came from God; Did the fate of this city change simply because Abraham learned of it? No ! He immediately had to engage in arduous intercession to try to appease the anger of God. After “tough negotiations,” Abraham was able to substantially reduce the number of righteous residents in the city, below which God would strike the city (Genesis 18:32). Unfortunately there were not 10, but only one, named Lot (2 Peter 2:6-7).
When the two angels came to Lot, in the city of Sodom. The same principle was repeated. Lot knew that they had come for the punishment of the city. But it was his responsibility to escape him with his family. The fight for his salvation was so bitter that he had to abandon his sons-in-law who believed it was a joke. Finally he just went out with his two virgin daughters and his wife; and even the latter one was finally transformed into salt because she regretted that she abandoned. The revelation that Lot had was not enough, he had to make good use of it to benefit from it; and he did so and fled, he and those of his people who listened to his voice.
Let us note, however, that as much as the Word of God comes to save us from a misery that we are already experiencing or which is imminent, it also protects us well in advance from a danger that awaits us on the horizon.
Build your house on rock
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Two things should be observed here:
- The first is, whether we build on sand or on rock, there will always come a time of trials. The quality of the ground does not determine whether or not the test comes, but just our defeat or success at the end of the test. It is therefore in our interest to build on the rock, because the test will certainly come.
- The second is, that God will always provide us with a time of tranquility so that we can use it to build. There will always be a time of trial, but before that, God will always ensure that we have a time of peace. No one can build in bad weather; on the other hand, bad weather reveals the quality of the construction that we carried out while the weather was still good. So be careful not to just use the good weather that God gives us to “enjoy life”. This time, God gives us to build our communion with Him, to strengthen our Faith while waiting for the time of trials where from which our only challenge will be to hold on until their end.
Lord Jesus Christ, I beg You to forgive me for all the times I just rejoiced after a revelation of Your Word, rather than continually praying that You would strengthen my Faith so that I would know how to use it well. I beg You to have compassion on me for all the times I just stopped at the beginning of the process.
Please come and fulfill Your Word in me through Your Holy Spirit, grant me to remain in a dynamic of intercession until Your Deliverance is complete; until my obedience is complete.
Amen!!!
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