Delivered!

Delivered!

For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, Colossians 1:13 AMP

The Charge:

There are kingdoms, dominions and authorities. There are dictators and authoritarians. As we have then in the physical, so do they exist in the spiritual. It will be foolish of me to think that I can decide by myself, with no external influence, the direction and focus of my life. It must be known today that both God and the devil are in it for total control and domination. None of them brooks opposition or rebellion; you are either all in or all out. There is no fence to sit on on this matter; you are either totally committed to one cause or totally opposed to the other. Remember the words of Jesus: "You cannot serve both God and mammon". God and the devil represent kingdoms and authorities. Both have eternal consequences, and I must know what both offer and where they end up, so I can make the right choice. 

You won't talk about a 'rescue' if there was no danger. For Jesus to have rescued us, we must have been in bondage. That is what the devil can offer: destruction, dominion and death. He only knows how to oppress and cannot deliver. In fact, his mission is clearly stated: to steal, kill and destroy. I also believe it is not a mistake for the verse to refer to each territory as the 'dominion of darkness' and 'kingdom of His beloved Son'. These definitions are quite important: darkness dominates, as God's kingdom invites you to come. The dominion of darkness gives you what it has, which is darkness, while the kingdom gives you what it has, which is love and light. The cross is the place of victory, where Jesus went into the kingdom of death and darkness and overcame all that could frighten us. Now, we have a standing invitation into the Kingdom of love. Would you come in?

The Conclusion:

That invitation stands for all time, until time as we know it now ceases to exist. He will not just do one part and leave out the other; if He can rescue me and draw me to himself, then He can transfer me to the kingdom of His Son. That is the personal touch available when God says He loves us. He will not let us go to waste, but there is a very important step I need to take, and that is total surrender. If I do not admit that I need help, why would I go in search of that help? If God's arms are wide open for me to walk into, I cannot turn around and blame God for the consequences that come from rejecting God. I also note that though it is a kingdom of love, it is still a kingdom with rules, loyal subjects, authority without end, and an unquestionable King. Do you belong to that kingdom? God's time of favour is here.