03/12/2015 - Beware that you are not ashamed!

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They were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them, or be help or benefit, but a shame and also a reproach. Isaiah 30.5

We may be surrounded with problems and, even though we are praying, the answer does not come. Desperation befalls those who are weak in the faith. That is a tricky situation because, in moments like these there is always someone who comes with ideas that go against the Bible, insinuating there are also other sources. However, those who look for help away from the Lord will see that no good can come from such a place.

You may be pressed on every side, but always seek God’s will – repenting when needed – and you will be delivered. What brings us problems is when we slip away from God, allowing the enemy to oppress us. Beware, material help is limited and worthless for those who do not want to suffer for eternity. If the Lord is allowing the enemy to afflict us, the solution lies in seeking the face of the Most High.

Know that the ungodly has nothing to offer us, even if they are kind enough to donate some money to you because they have prospered financially. Our Father alone has the correct answer for what we need – our deliverance. If a believer is “helped” by an unsaved person in times of trouble, he will realize the devil has brought over him other evils.

We must rescue on the Sabbath the sheep from the pit (Matthew 12.11-12), because it cannot save itself. In the story of the woman who was bent over, Jesus was clear when He said that Satan held her captive for 18 years (Luke 13.11-13,16). It is worthless to treat the effects, because our wrestle is against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness (Ephesians 6.12). When you use the Word to defeat the devil, he will never return to attack you.

Those who know the Lord and live in His presence have much to offer human kind, and the most important is that they conquered with the Almighty. Seek Him until you are answered, as the persistent widow who went to the unjust judge asking that justice be done (Luke 18.1-8). We must elevate our prayers to the throne of grace and our plea to the righteous Judge to judge our cause. When our deliverance comes from the Lord, it sets an example to others who also need it.

Those who seek help outside the Gospel will be ashamed. Consider that the enemy may be afflicting you because he has found the door open. When Jesus said that foxes have holes (Luke 9.58), He taught us to look for their hiding places, attack them and cast them out. Nothing happens by chance, not even a simple pain.

We are the light of the world (Matthew 5.14) and so, we must look to God for the solution of our problems, giving a good example. If the light in us is not shining, what good will it do to the unsaved? Only those who have the Spirit of God can help those who suffer, because He knows all things, both material and eternal.

In Christ, with love,

Dr. Soares