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Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
For you, Lord, have delivered me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
––Psalm 116:7-9
Few words sum up large chunks of the Bible’s key themes as much as the word deliverance. God delivers Abraham from one land to another. He delivers Joseph from the pit, Noah from the flood, Moses from the Egyptians, Jacob from his enemies, David from Saul. Ultimately, it all culminates as Jesus delivers us from our greatest adversary, Satan, and into eternal life with Him.
When Jesus came and was baptized by John, the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove. From Jesus’ arrival onward, the Holy Spirit was not just a some-time visitor to His people, but a permanent resident in the lives of all believers in Jesus. In fact, our bodies are literally the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Deliverance is another one of those words that you don’t hear much these days. And in church circles, when you say “deliverance,” most folks think about freedom from oppression or deliverance from toxic habits or demonic strongholds. And all those things are biblical.
But what I’m talking about has to do with the day-in and day-out process of being and growing as God’s man. And as we’ve learned, the primary fight for “delivering us from evil” is not our own. The fight for our deliverance is the work of the Holy Spirit.
That initial and ongoing spiritual work of deliverance of God in our lives, like Israel’s literal deliverance, is the shaping encounter for how we relate to God. More specifically, it forms the basis of the Spirit-formed, Spirit-filled, and Spirit-used life. Of little consequence to God is the nature of your personal deliverances. Of massive importance to God, however, is your perception of these experiences with Him that set you free: how that deliverance shapes your own identity in Him and how the Holy Spirit seeks to use a delivered and filled man in the lives of others. As we’ll see, when God goes to great lengths to deliver His people from any Egypt, He desires that they translate their deliverances into meaningful service for Him.
God’s pioneering pastor was Moses. He had to spiritually recalibrate his troops early and often. In fact, when he needed to light a fire underneath the feet of God’s children, he had a tried and true formula to motivate, remind, and teach them about their purpose on earth. When a man uses the metaphor of circumcision to get his point across, he’s not playing nickel poker. That tone means business, and Moses certainly got the men squirming uncomfortably and paying attention. “Circumcise your hearts, therefore and do not be stiff-necked any longer” (Deuteronomy 10:16).
What motivates you to live a life of purpose and meaning? As you have been delivered, so allow God to use you in His plan to deliver others.
Father, Your deliverance of me from the pit has been powerful—use me in the precious days I have left on this earth to help others do the same.
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Matthew 3:16
1 Corinthians 6:19