Category Archives: Rescue

Bible, Darkness, Deliverance, Light, Rescue, Scripture

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT

COLOSSIANS 1:13

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,” 

Don’t you just love this verse? The imagery Paul uses is so good. You would think he had help writing this. Oh wait, he did! The Holy Spirit guided his thoughts and words as he penned each letter. It is my prayer each morning as I write these devotional blogs that the Holy Spirit guides me. I am not saying my writing is inspired. Far from it. But I only want to write what agrees with His Word and the truth He gives. Amen?

Look at what Paul said here. God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, rescued us from the devil’s grip (domain of darkness) and then transferred us to His kingdom. Wow! The word Paul uses here for “rescued” is rhuomai, which is the same word Jesus used when He gave us the Lord’s prayer and said, “deliver us from evil.” That’s the domain of darkness! Jesus saved us from that! Hallelujah!

APPLICATION

But the Deliverer didn’t stop there. He didn’t just deliver us out of darkness. He also transferred us to His kingdom. The Greek word for “transferred” is methistémi, which means to change a position of something. Jesus literally changed our position, from one of damnation to one of glorification. We were moved from slavery to freedom.

If that is true (and it is), why do we still walk around with a dark cloud over our head? Why do we not walk like we belong in His kingdom? Many believers walk around like they are still in that domain of darkness. They sound like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, who was always gloomy and sad. No! We have been set free and now live in His light!

Here we are a few days after Christmas when we should all be looking at the light! That star that pointed the Wise Men to baby Jesus is still pointing the way for us today. Choose to walk in the light of His kingdom and shun the darkness. He made a way for us. Enjoy the light!

Father of lights, shine down on us today and remind us of the light of Christmas every day.

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Accursed, Bible, Captivity, Circumcision, Darkness, Deceit, Decisions, Evil, Flesh, Light, Rescue, Scripture

ONCE UPON A TIME

EPHESIANS 2:11

“Therefore, remember that previously you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision” which is performed in the flesh by human hands—”

“Once upon a time” has been used to start a lot of stories. Some of those stories ended well and some didn’t. But those first four words told you that this happened in the past. It doesn’t specify exactly, but you know it was back then and not now. Isn’t it sad, though, that so many people live back then in the “once upon a time” period? They are slaves to their past.

Paul reminds the Ephesians today that “once upon a time” they were just considered the “Uncircumcision.” They were looked down upon by the “Circumcision,” the Jews. They were pagans who had no hope of redemption. That little Greek word, pote, is the difference. It means “at one time or other, at some time, formerly.” One definition given is “in the old time.” I like that one. Paul tells the Ephesians (and us) that that was then. Things have changed though because of Christ.

APPLICATION

Think back to how you were before Christ. Aren’t you glad He has changed you? Paul says a few things about our former life in this letter to the Ephesians. In Ephesians 2:2 we saw that we “formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.” In 2:3 we “all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.” We walked. We lived.

Paul goes on in verse 13 (which we will see in a couple of days) to say we “formerly were far off.” And Paul uses pote one more time in this letter in 5:8 and says we “were formerly darkness.” Look at what we were: we walked in sin, we lived in sin, we were far off in sin, we were in darkness in sin. Sin had that grip on us.

But praise be to God, He has rescued us from this former life. He has given us a new life in Christ. We walk differently. We live differently. We are near to Christ and are in the light. Wow, what a change! Is that you today? Are you brand new in Jesus?

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, since Jesus came into my life.

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Allegiance, Bible, Circumcision, Covenant, Faith, God's Will, Grace, Heart, Rescue, Salvation, Scripture

ALL OR NOTHING

GALATIANS 5:3

“And I testify again to every man who has himself circumcised, that he is obligated to keep the whole Law.”

A common cheer or motto among team sports is “All for one and one for all.” That implies that if one falls, they all fall. It means they must all stick together. The team has to stick together and is stronger together than separate. That is a good thing. However, our verse today is talking about a negative side of that “all for one” mentality.

Circumcision was the distinguishing mark of Jews. Since Abraham, this has been done to the male children. It was and still is a physical sign of allegiance to God for them. This rite was being forced on the Gentile believers in Galatia. There were Jewish believers who believed that they had to continue to follow the Mosaic laws, which included circumcision. Paul correctly points out that if they were going to keep this one law, they should keep them all (which was and still is impossible). Circumcision was not bad. It just did not prove their faith.

APPLICATION

What are the things in your life that you do to show you are saved? I bet it is that big Bible you carry to church each Sunday. Perhaps it is the way you wear your hair or refrain from alcohol. You wear these as a badge of honor to prove your faith. Like circumcision, there is nothing wrong with a big Bible, short hair or not drinking, but none of those things will save you.

Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 22:25-26, “‘25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean.’” This still applies to us today. It’s not about what the world sees we are doing. It’s all about our heart. We cannot keep all the laws and we cannot keep all the traditions. We will fail.

I have met lots of people who have said, “I could never become a Christian. I am too bad. God could never forgive me.” That is exactly why they need a Savior. There is nothing we can do to gain His favor. We can’t be good enough. That is what Paul is saying to the Galatians, and that is what is still true for us today. All we need is Jesus. Let’s make our motto “All to One.” How about that?

O Lord, thank You for rescuing me and always being there for me. I give You my all.

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Battles, Bible, Enemies, Enslavement, Freedom, Oppression, Rescue, Salvation, Scripture, Slaves

IT WAS FOR FREEDOM

GALATIANS 5:1

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

Why do people fight wars? Most of the time it is for freedom. One group is trying to force another group to live a certain way, to surrender to their army, to deny their beliefs in favor of another. It’s almost always one group trying to force their will on another. We will see in today’s verse that spelled out so clearly.

Paul is emphatically stating that freedom is ours. That is why Christ died – to set us free. But from what? Well, he states that in the second part of the verse. He says, “do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” Here he is referring, of course, to the slavery of the law. The law was forcing these young believers to follow the old Mosaic law, which Christ has set them free from. He was the final, perfect sacrifice for all mankind. They were free.

APPLICATION

All over the world today, Christians are facing the loss of their freedom – freedom to worship, freedom to share Jesus. Check out The Voice of the Martyrs website (www.persecution.com) to read some of the stories they share about these saints. We often think this sort of thing doesn’t happen in the 21st century. How wrong we are.

What else does God’s Word say about our freedom? Jesus explains it so well in the gospel of John. John 8:31-36 says, “31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ 33 They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, “You will become free”?’ 34 Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 Now the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.’”

There is really nothing else to add to that. Jesus said it all. The Son sets you free. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Aren’t you glad? No longer slaves. We’ve been set free! Sin has no more power over us. The penalty of sin has been removed. Praise His holy name.

Lord, I give You praise for the freedom You have given me in and through Christ. 

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Bible, Captivity, Chains, Conviction, Deliverance, Devil, Escape, Freedom, Judgment, Prison, Rescue, Scripture

NO ESCAPE

GALATIANS 3:23

“But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, being confined for the faith that was destined to be revealed.”

Click! Click! That is the sound you hear as you enter the jail. I served as a Chaplain for our County Sheriff Department for a while. Part of my duties was to visit the officers in the jail. You see, my role was not chaplain to the prisoners. My role was to the officers. And even though they were innocent of any crime, they were locked behind those bars every day also. On the other hand, the inmates remained behind. They could not just walk out. They were condemned to serve their sentence.

Paul continues the idea of the Law being restrictive and confining in today’s verse. In fact, he uses two words that point to that. He says “were kept in custody.” That’s the Greek word phrouréō which means “to actively display whatever defensive and offensive means are necessary to guard.” (HELPS Word Studies). The other word Paul uses is sugkleió which means to enclose or shut in. Paul is saying the Law held us captive until Jesus could be revealed.

APPLICATION

Well Carl, I’m not held captive by anything. I am free as a bird. Are you really? If you are in Jesus, you are free (as we discussed over the past few days), but even then, we can put ourselves back up under Law by thinking we have to do certain things to earn “brownie points” for heaven. There is nothing you can do, outside of surrendering to Jesus, that will get you through those pearly gates.

Acts 16:26 is a great picture of our salvation in Christ. Paul and Silas are sitting in prison for preaching about Jesus and then this happens. “and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened.” That’s must be how it looks to God when we finally give our lives to Him. Bam! The chains fall off.

In stark contrast to our freedom in Christ, we see Satan, that ‘ole deceiver chained by God. Revelation 20:1-3 give us a great picture of that. “1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he took hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.” Praise be God, Who is the chain breaker and chain maker.

O Father, You have promised freedom for me and imprisonment for the devil. You are the all powerful Judge.

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Bible, Evil, God's Will, Rescue, Safety, Salvation, Scripture

RESCUED

GALATIANS 1:4

“who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”

We’ve all heard stories of people who have been rescued from a life-threatening event. Some were rescued from a near drowning. Others may have been pulled from a wrecked vehicle. Each and every rescue had at least two things in common – the rescued and the rescuer. Today’s verse is the same. Let’s look.

Paul says in verse 4, speaking of Christ, “who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us.” It is always good to look at the original language of a passage if you can. The Greek word for “rescue” means a complete and total rescue. Jesus completely rescues us, not just half-way. When God does something, He does it perfectly, wholly, completely. Our salvation is no different.

APPLICATION

What does this mean for us? The very fact that He rescued us means we have value to Him. He willingly died for us. We are important to Him. Psalm 139 tells us that. Verse 17-18 say, “17 How precious also are Your thoughts for me, God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.”

Did you know that? God is always thinking about you. If He never gave a thought about you, would He have sent His Son to die for you? I don’t think so. John 3:16 tells us what He did for us. You know that verse, right? And how about Luke 12:6-7? “‘Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.’”

So, my friend, believe God when He says He loves you. He completely rescued you from this “present evil age” through His Son. You and I may still have to live in this world right now, but we have been set free from its grips. Sin no longer has power over us. We have been rescued. We have been delivered. We are free. Praise the Lord!

You are my Rescuer, and I am eternally grateful.

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Bible, Compassion, Faithfulness, Family, Goodness, Rescue, Scripture, Suffering

THE COMPASSION OF A FATHER

MALACHI 3:17

“‘And they will be Mine,’ says the LORD of armies, ‘on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will have compassion for them just as a man has compassion for his own son who serves him.’”

I have one son whom I love dearly. I would do anything for him and his family. I believe he knows that. A few months ago, while our daughter-in-law was out of town, he got sick. He called me and said, “Dad, I might need you today. I’m not feeling well.” I, of course, said, “If you need me, I’ll be right there.” We hung up, but he called back within a few minutes and asked if I could come right then. My wife and I dropped everything and took off. I would have done anything right then to get to him. He needed me.

The Lord compares His compassion for the people with that of father to his son. I can relate to that. God’s love for us runs deep. The Hebrew word for “compassion” is chamal, which can mean to spare or have pity. But here, it is best defined as compassion. The Lord knew their need and came to them, much like I did for my own son.

APPLICATION

I love what Lamentations 3:22-23 says about His compassion. “22 The LORD’S acts of mercy indeed do not end, for His compassions do not fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” And we have David writing in Psalm 51:1, “Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithfulness;

according to the greatness of Your compassion, wipe out my wrongdoings.”

Do a word study on the Lord’s compassion. You may be amazed how that word is used throughout Scripture. In the Old Testament, the word is used over forty times. One of the greatest demonstrations of our Lord’s compassion is found in John 11:35 where it simply says, “Jesus wept.” We see the outpouring of His compassion for his friend, Lazarus.

God shows His compassion for His children every day, just like we earthly fathers do our children. When we see our children suffering, we are quick to respond, right? Well, God is even quicker because He knows what’s coming. Don’t you wish you could see that far in advance. Well, maybe not. Let’s leave that up to Him.

You are a compassionate God, and I thank You. Your compassions are truly new every morning.

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Allies, Battles, Bible, Defeat, Defense, Deliverance, Demons, Devil, Enemies, Protection, Rescue, Scripture

THE DEVOURER

MALACHI 3:11

“‘Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruit of your ground; nor will the vine in the field prove fruitless to you,’ says the LORD of armies.”

One thing I have learned from ministry is that we are in constant need of protection from those who want to devour, eat up and destroy what we are trying to do for the Lord. The enemy does not want us to be successful in God’s work. He will do anything to destroy it. He will use anything at his disposal. So, I pray for His protection all the time.

In verse 11 of Malachi 3, God promises the people that as a result of their obedience in giving, which have discussed the last couple of days, He will protect them. I love what Matthew Poole says in his commentary about this verse. “The devourer; all kinds of devourers, the locust, the canker-worm, caterpillar, etc., pests of those countries very often; though they are in mighty armies and incredible multitudes, yet a rebuke from God will check them all at once as if they were but one.”

APPLICATION

Did you catch that last phrase in the above paragraph? “yet a rebuke from God will check them all at once as if they were but one.” Even if the devil sends hordes of demons against you, one rebuke of God will send them all scattering. Woo-hoo! Just one little flick of His finger! We have an all-powerful God watching our back. Who ‘ya gonna call? Not Ghost Busters. I am going to call on Jesus.

We are promised God’s protection today just as suredly as the Old Testament believers were. God is still God. He hasn’t changed. He still loves His children. He still gives His protection when needed. He still moves in and destroys those incoming volleys of the devil.

Look at these verses in Psalms 3. “1 LORD, how my enemies have increased! Many are rising up against me. 2 Many are saying of my soul, ‘There is no salvation for him in God.’ Selah 3 But You, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.” As a friend of mine used to say, “If that don’t light your fire, your woods wet.” Glory, Hallelujah! We serve a living Savior.

“I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today; I know that He is living, Whatever men may say; I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer, And just the time I need Him He’s always near.”

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Affliction, Bible, Children, Innocent, Protection, Rescue, Scripture

THE INNOCENT

ZECHARIAH 14:15

“And just like this plague, there will be a plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey, and all the cattle that will be in those camps.”

Most people want to protect the innocent. We don’t like to see them suffer for someone else’s choices. What immediately comes to mind for me are the unborn, those babies still in the womb. They are the ultimate innocent. Yet, we slay them mercilessly year after year in the womb through abortion. May God forgive us for this.

In today’s verse, we see the animals owned by the enemies of Israel suffering the same fate as their owners. How sad to know that thousands of innocent animals will die just because they are the property of these people. Now, understand something. I am not an animal lover to the extent that I want to rescue every stray cat or dog. But I do recognize in today’s verse the severe loss of these animals.

APPLICATION

So, how do you apply this verse to your life? Look out for the innocent. Protect them if you can. I’ve already mentioned the babies. How about the children? What did Jesus say in Luke 17:2? “‘It is better for him if a millstone is hung around his neck and he is thrown into the sea, than that he may cause one of these little ones to sin.’” That is what I call swift justice.

Jesus also said in Mark 10:14, “But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, ‘Allow the children to come to Me; do not forbid them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’” The innocent! We must protect them. We must see that they are brought to Jesus.

I have a five-year-old granddaughter that I pray for every day. I pray that she will come to Jesus. It burdens my heart. I want so desperately for her to love my Jesus and realize what He has done for her. That goes for every child, every unreached people group. Will you look out for those who are in need? The Lord can use you today.

Father, show me those to whom I must go. Help me protect the innocent.

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Advocate, Allies, Battles, Bible, Covenant, Defense, Enemies, Fighting, God's Will, Guard, Opponents, Protection, Rescue, Safety, Scripture

THE LORD IS ON OUR SIDE

ZECHARIAH 14:3

“Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.”

Everybody remembers the childhood games when kids gathered outside and picked sides to play a game. Whether it was baseball, football or red rover, getting picked last was the worst. No one wanted to get picked last. Getting picked first was the sign of being one of the best, if not the best, players. Get picked anywhere – just not the last.

Well, in verse 3 of chapter 14, we find the LORD getting picked to fight on the side of Israel. Woo-hoo! They just scored the best and most powerful player. When all the nations of the earth turn against Israel, the LORD will jump in. Those nations have no idea what is about to hit them. They don’t see the LORD, but He is there. They will feel the full force of the Creator of the universe.

APPLICATION

He is on our side, as well. Did you know that? The same God who will defend Israel has joined us in our daily battles. Deuteronomy 3:22 says, “‘You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.’” How about this one? Joshua 23:3 reads, “‘And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you.’”

You are probably saying, Carl, those are Old Testament verse about God fighting for Israel. That’s just like our verse today in Zechariah. Okay, how about this one? This is one I have referenced before. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 tells us, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” We have God’s armament!

We have nothing to fear. God is on our side. He is fighting for us. All we have to do is yield to Him. Then He can unleash the forces of heaven against our enemies – in His time. We have to wait on Him. He will come through. Never doubt that. He may seem to be late, but He is not. He is always right on time. He will fight for us!

Thank You, Lord, for fighting my battles daily. I may not see You, but I know You are there.

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