13/01/2017 - FROM THE BELLY OF HELL

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And he said: “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He answered me. “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice. Jonah 2.2

It is good to cry out to the Lord when temptation arrives; this way it won’t have a chance to achieve its purpose.  It is a dangerous weapon used by the devil, to remove us from the presence of the divine and to place us in its claws.  Never play with or provoke the tempter.  Samson, for instance, exposing himself to danger saw his willfulness turn to disgrace when Delilah discovered his secret and turned him over to the Philistine.

Those that notice temptation coming but do not cry out to God, show that He is no very important in their lives.  This is sad because when the need for assistance arises, the Almighty will not be able to help.  The Lord neither tires nor wearies, so every time you need Him pray with faith and believe He will answer because He cannot deny himself (2 Timothy 2:13) God takes pleasure in helping all those that seek Him.  

The person that doesn’t pray faces great tribulations.  This is what happened to the Apostle Peter who even having been advised by the Master, denied Him three times.  He did not believe in Jesus’ warning, thinking he could defeat temptation by himself, and for this reason cried bitterly to obtain forgiveness after his failures. To be certain don’t think that it can be different with you.  This tactic has been used by many who ended up submitting to the devil.

When Jonah saw that there was no chance he could save himself, having spent three days inside the fish he understood that the fact that he was alive was proof sufficient of God’s love for him; so he decided to pray.  On doing this, he reached the mercy of the Lord and was saved.  If you are in a situation where you see no more hope for being saved, do the same and watch how much God can help you.  The Almighty will deny nothing to those who walk in righteousness (Psalm 84:11)

Jonah summed up his predicament saying he was in the belly of hell, because his suffering was great and there was no escape. Since he remembered the promises, the power of God entered his heart, as he offered his prayer to the Lord, He was heard for believing what the Almighty had affirmed, although he was not doing His will.  However, when faith returned to his heart, he appropriated it and set out to execute his mission.

It doesn’t matter where you are or how long you have allowed yourself to be led by the enemy.  What does matter is to have the light of God at work in your being and for you to cry out to Him. Certainly you will be answered and you will be delivered.  This recourse enabled the Lord to hear Hagar and to attend to her need (Genesis 21:17). The Omnipotent promises to answer to all who plead to Him.

The Most High will order the fish that swallowed you to vomit you.  Then you will be able to correct any error and carry out the plan that the Almighty has for you.  Don’t let the devil deceive you again.  Fearless of all his threats, decide to fulfill the complete will of God.  Cry out to Him and be saved.

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares