I’ve always wondered about the deliverance ministry.
Of course Jesus delivers us. Period. And if you have any doubt, please prayerfully consider the following texts:
“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free . . . Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:31,32, 36 NKJV)
“. . . who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us . . .” (2 Cor 1:8-10 NKJV).
But does this mean we have no part to play?
In my contacts with Christians, I have noticed that we usually find ourselves in one of two camps: Either we believe that we have no role to play, that God will do all the work, or we believe that we must work for our deliverance, and that God will bless our efforts.
So which is it, friends? Do we simply sit back and wait for God to deliver us? Or do we ask for God’s blessing as we work out our own deliverance?
I came upon an interesting text the other day in the book of Proverbs that answers this question once and for all: “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord.” (Prov 21:31 NKJV)
Our role is to prepare for the day of battle. However once we’ve done all the preparation we can do, we must sit back and watch while the Lord works His deliverance!
In our day and age, most of us are not familiar with the idea of preparing horses for war. I have never done this either, but I have had the privilege over the past years to volunteer for a local therapeutic riding program. One of my responsibilities is to prepare the horse for riders with special needs, and it is from this preparation process that we can learn exactly what our role is in deliverance.
It starts like this: A therapeutic horse must have the right temperament. A horse that is skittish will shy away from sudden noises and movements, and this could easily unseat a rider with a handicap.
In the same way, we, too, must have hearts that are well-grounded in the Lord, unshakable in our faith in Him. Consider the following text: ” . . . if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.” (Col 1:21-23 NKJV)
You will also need to spend time training the horse on how to deal with the unknowns that arise. He needs to be conditioned to wheelchairs and built-up mounting blocks, even mechanical lifts. He needs to be trained to obey your command, and finally, you need to ensure that he isn’t particularly full of energy on the day he will be doing therapeutic riding.
This can be compared to our spiritual training. Training isn’t fun, but doesn’t the Bible say … “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” (Heb 12:5-6 NKJV)?
Of course you must also ensure the horse is healthy. This means vet and Ferrier visits, teeth grinding, and vaccinations.
We, too, must ensure that our Spiritual health is good. Our “regular vet visits” can be translated into making it a habit to spend regular time with our Lord and Savior. We need to be filled with His Spirit, open to His Word, malleable clay in His hands! “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!” (Jer 18:6-7 NKJV)
The therapeutic horse must be well-groomed to ensure he doesn’t have stones in his hooves or mud clots under the saddle pad.
We, too, must continually allow the Lord to cleanse us of sin: “Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Cor 7:1 NKJV)
Finally, the therapeutic horse must be wearing the right equipment for the rider.
In the same way, we, too, must be clothed in the right armor: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…” (Eph 6:11 NKJV)
And you thought you could just go out and put someone on just any horse!
And in the same way, when it comes to deliverance, we have a definite role to play as well!
But we must remember that our role is only preparatory in nature. Once we are completely prepared, we must then remember: “… but deliverance is of the Lord.” (Prov 21:31 NKJV)
Are you in need of deliverance? Then start preparing yourself for that deliverance. Spend time with God. Allow Him to render you sin free, perfect, grounded, well-disciplined, in good Spiritual health, and clothed in the armor of God. Then all you need to do is sit back and let Him do the rest!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two teens, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries.