Out of...Into..., Pt. 5 - No. 128
Psalm 40:2-3, “He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 40:2-3)
“God brought me out…” This was David’s testimony. He couldn’t do it by Himself. You can’t do it by yourself either. It is all His doing. No matter how big the hole you have dug for yourself, God is able to pull you out. No matter how deep the mire you have sunk into, it is not too hard for God. No matter how impossible the way ahead seems, God will pull you out and up and set your feet upon the Rock.
Let’s look at one more thing that God delivers us out of to bring us in to His glorious life.
OUT OF SELF INTO GOD
“And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” (2 Corinthians 5:15)
This is perhaps the greatest deliverance of all. Jesus Christ not only died for our sins and to deliver us from the seductive power of this evil age, but to save us from our inherent selfish nature.
To be a slave to self is the biggest bondage of all. The basis of all sin is the middle letter of that word - I. How wonderful that Jesus died to free us from the slavery of self and bring us into His freeing life.
There is only one place to be free of self, and that is at the cross. At the cross Jesus gave up His God-head, His life and His desire to have His own way. It is at the cross that we die to self.
The Scriptures tells us that when Christ died, we died with Him. When he was buried, we were buried with Him. When He rose, we rose with Him to a new life in Christ. Our old life is dead and buried. We now have a new life. This is truth, but you have to acknowledge it and walk in it by faith. When “I” starts to take over, which it will try to do continually, confess these words, “I am dead and buried. I am no longer serving self. I serve the living God.” The more you acknowledge this truth, the more it will become part of your life.
“Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Jesus I come to Thee.”
NEVER GO BACK AGAIN
Deuteronomy 26:8, “The Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders.” God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt with a mighty and outstretched hand. He bared forth His mighty hand as he sent the plagues upon Egypt. He brought them through the red sea on dry land. He delivered them utterly from the ensuring Egyptians.
We have also been delivered by God’s mighty hand. Jesus Christ not only died a painful death and shed His precious blood for our sins, but he broke the chains of death and hell. He delivered us from the clutches of the enemy. He did not suffer this death for us to go back to the old kingdom again. No.
Egypt speaks of the world and Satan’s kingdom. God told the people of Israel, “You must never return to Egypt.”17:16 NLT) He did not even want them to remember Egypt any more. They were to forget about it completely. Sadly, when things got difficult, the children of Israel forgot the hardships they endured in Egypt and wanted to return. This grieved the heart of God. Read Exodus 13:17; Numbers 14:2-3 and Ezekiel 23:27. God did not deliver them “with great terribleness, and with signs and with wonders” for them to go back again. Never! Jesus has also delivered us, never to go back to the old way of living again.
You have been brought out of into! Live your new life. It is “Christ in you the hope of glory.”
PRAYER:
“Thank you, Lord, for delivering me from the power of self and the kingdom of darkness. Please save me from being tempted to ever go back to Egypt again. I now live in a new kingdom. Help me to live life to the full in your glorious kingdom. Amen.”
AFFIRMATION:
I will not remember Egypt any more!