Advanced From Slavery

There are times when people abandon you so that you can see that God never will. It may sound strange, but people hurt you so that you can be advanced. A bad situation, no matter how traumatic or painful it is, can do things for you that your loved ones never could if you just allow God to navigate you through the process.

Pain is a unique opportunity for you to see 2 Corinthians 12:10 manifested in your life. It is one thing to hear about the scriptures, but it is totally different to have those scriptures come to life for your personally. Can you imagine loving God, but still becoming a slave? Joseph, Nehemiah, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego know that feeling all to well. These men loved God, but they had to go through some things to see that God loved them also, despite their situations. In today’s society, we may not be slaves that have to do what the people in the bible had to do, but we are still slaves in some way.

God is having to sift through the love of money, personal ambitions, social media, television, cell phones, fast food, and the love of pleasure just to get to our hearts. Ladies and gentlemen, the things that I have just named or idols. We worship them by allowing them to rob us of the time that we should be spending with God. The people in the bible had idols made of wood and other natural materials. Our idols are made of technology and have opened the door to more complex sin.

What set Joseph, Nehemiah, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego apart from others is that although they slaves, they didn’t have a slave mentality. They loved God although everything and everyone around them told them not to. These men went through various persecutions because they chose to remain faithful to God. Theses men went through the extreme trauma of being uprooted from their home and taken to strange places in order to live under rules that they knew were wrong. These men defied what was logical and decided to pursue that which was heavenly. As a result, they were advanced in both heaven’s kingdom and in earthly kingdoms.

Lord, I feel so weak even through I pretend to be strong. I feel so alone although I am surrounded by people. I have to defy all logic in order to reach your heart and I have to learn to defy myself in order to be where you want me to be in you. We can cause ourselves to sin if we are not carful. The change that God wants to work in us takes our cooperation. It’s not about a feeling, you have to intentionally act like you are free. Whom the son sets free is free in deed (John 8:36). It does not matter if things around you try to make you feel as if you are a slave. You are free in Jesus name. There is so much power in the name of Jesus if you only grab hold of it.

Your trauma is a testimony waiting to be told to the world. It does not feel like it, but trust God no matter what your environment looks like. Refuse to submit to temptation and know that your gift will make room for you. People will have no choice, but to see that the God you serve is real, true, and living.

Today, I pray for your strength in the Lord. I pray that you know that when you are weak, He is strong. I pray that you press forward, and I pray that you know that God is with you every step of the way. Remain faithful. Praise God even when it hurts. There is advancement waiting for you on the other side of this. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

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