Tuesday, September 4, 2018

The Chains that Bind

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

I will sing a new song to you, O God!
    I will sing your praises with a ten-stringed harp.
For you grant victory to kings!
    You rescued your servant David from the fatal sword.
Save me!  Rescue me from the power of my enemies.
Their mouths are full of lies;
    they swear to tell the truth, but they lie instead.  Psalm 144:9-11
(NLT)

Driving to church this past Sunday I was reminded of the reminders the enemy uses to place doubt in our lives and service.  My bride was not feeling well, so I was alone on the hour-long drive to the first church.  About 15 minutes into the drive the familiar “catch” in my throat began to assert itself.  I describe it as a “hairy grape” stuck in the swallowing region.  It’s been there since radiation treatment last year, and it’s my new normal, something which must be either battled or endured, because it doesn’t seem to be going away on its own.  When the grape is in full annoyance mode it makes my voice raspy and I stay on the verge of not being able to get the next word out.  After two services on Sunday mornings, Elizabeth understands the man will be mute for the rest of the afternoon. 
King David’s lying enemies were his hairy grapes.  It is frustrating to deal with something that will not battle you “fair and square”.  Lies are anything but a substantive enemy; they hang out there like a hydra, the Greek mythical 9-headed serpent; the instant you cut off one of the heads, the others pop-up to remind you of the long, uphill battle that remains.  It seems the snake has 9 million heads.  Lies destroy reputations because they are insidious, seeping into public consciousness like a slithering hydra.  They destroy faith, because there is hardly a way to beat them decisively.  You just lose heart and hope.
And lies are the chief tool of the Christian’s arch enemy, Satan!
Back to the hairy grape in my throat (sorry for the image placed before you) – it is not MY hairy grape, it is a left-over sensation (so-says the doctor) from the effects of radiation on that tender area.  It is a sensation…not a real grape…it just feels like a grape clogging my throat.  That’s the lie I was rolling around in my head as I drove to church, that the grape was getting worse, and I should try to shorten my sermon, keep my voice low and not use inflection, or try to put too much energy into speaking.  In other words, opt for boring to protect my voice.
I decided just the opposite.  I decided to forget about the grape, and, like King David, sing a new song.  I decided to turn my back on the hydra and his hairy grape, and give whatever there is left of me to God.  I decided to remember that proclaiming God’s Word is not a hobby or a job, it is a calling, and God will decide when it’s time for me to stop – and I will know that time, because it’ll be the day they lower this carcass in a 6’ hole!
I would like to tell you that last Sunday a revival broke out in our congregations, and hundreds responded to the invitation, but that’s somewhat difficult in two churches that average about 35 each on a Sunday.  But what did happen is we had a pretty good day of worship, and there was something of a revival going on in this preacher.  What happened was God took the chains off that hairy grape last Sunday, and they can’t bind me anymore!
For You Today
Have you got a hairy grape?  Is there something that keeps you from doing what God has called you to be involved-in for Him?
Remember that when God calls you to something for Him, He will deal with the lie the enemy uses to discourage and defeat you.  When you turn your back on the enemy’s lies you will be facing your God, Who is the Living Truth!
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image: Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com

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