EVEN THE LAWFUL CAPTIVE SHALL BE DELIVERED

MEMORY VERSE: Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. Isaiah 49:24-25

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 21-22

Certain important decisions were made for you and me before we were born. For instance, we didn’t choose our parents, the year we were born, our gender, our genotype or our complexion. God made those decisions for us for His pleasure. Revelations 4:11 says; “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” He is a God of purpose and He has a good reason why you were born in Zimbabwe not in Switzerland or in Pakistan not in New Zealand. You may not have had control of how you started life but you do have a control of how it will end. You may not have had an input in how you began; you do have an input in how it will end. Many would have loved to start their marriage in grand style – fairy tale wedding followed by honeymoon in the best resort in the world – but due to lack of resources, they started in a little box room. The fact that they started in a little box room does not mean the marriage will not end well.

It is a fact that how one starts matters. The bible even encourages us to start with the Lord. Ecclesiastes 12:1 says: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.” However, it is not always the case that if you start badly you will end badly. The way one starts doesn’t always determine how one will finish.The bible is littered with several examples of people who started badly not as a result of their own doing and ending up very well. Esther is an example that comes to mind. She started as a slave girl and ended up as a queen. How you began will not determine how you will end. Job 8:7 says: “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.” How you started may have informed your current position but it will not determine your end. There is a God who is able to turn lives around. According to 1 Samuel 2:8, He can raise up the poor out of the dust, and lift up the beggar from the dunghill and set them among princes. I don’t know where you are but where you are today will not determine your tomorrow. Even if your mistakes of the past or carelessness have informed your current position, the merciful God will help you and turn your life around. Isaiah 49:24-25 says; “Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.” As far as you have Jesus in your boat and you make up your mind to be diligent in all that you do, you will end well.

CONFESSION: My future is determined by Christ, not by my current situation. Because I have Christ in me, I will inherit glory.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world