Object Lesson: This morning the object lesson is a song which aptly captures the message of this morning’s devotion.
Song Title: “I Won’t Go back” (Artist William McDowell)
Romans 12:2
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”
Many people ponder the words of this text, yet the song that you would have listened to captures much of the intended message of this bible text.
The key lines of this song that I would like to extract and discuss in this devotion are:
- In the presence of the lord, I have been: Healed, Freed; Delivered;
- All my shame, Guilt, Sins, They’ve been forgiven
- In the presence of the lord: I’ve found joy, Peace, Grace; And favor;
- I won’t go back, can’t go back, to the way it used to be
Healing, Freedom & Deliverance
This song reflects an individual who has been touched by the Holy Spirit of the Most High God and someone who allowed God to enter their lives. It’s important to understand, that within the presence of God, there is a natural outflow of blessings and virtue (think about the woman with the issue of blood who touched the garment of Jesus Christ – Luke 8:43-48), as such, every individual should see it as being very critical to constantly be in the presence of God or stated otherwise, have the presence of God in their lives continually.
However, the obvious question that arises is how can we ensure that the presence of God is continually within (not around) our life?
According to James 4:8, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
The answer is simple, draw close to God, and invite him into your life daily through genuine prayer and communication and by spending time in his word. Furthermore, our communion with God should have a positive impact upon our way of life.
Conversely, it is important to acknowledge that God is a Holy being whereas we are unholy and sinful by our very natures. Holy and unholy cannot dwell together. So to draw near to God and have Him present in our life requires cleansing of hands and purification of hearts as indicated in James 4:8.
Our hands reflect our actions and our hearts reflect our thoughts, hence in the above scripture we see that God expects there to be a transformation in the way we live our life, based on our actions/ choices in addition to requiring us to also transform the way that we think.
The bible rightly describes God as righteous, whereas we as human beings are inherently sinful and unrighteous (i.e. all our [mankind’s] righteousnesses are as filthy rags; – Isaiah 64:6 KJV).
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Consequently, it means that we as human beings do not have the power to transform ourselves but require external assistance straight from the throne room of the Almighty Creator. Thus, once again referencing the song, it is only when an individual allows God’s presence to enter their life would they experience:
- Healing
- FreedomHealing
- Deliverance
With healing, freedom & deliverance from both sin, and some of the maladies of sin, God now creates a spiritual buffer that places us at a distance from sin, to make it easier for us to make better choices that are God-inspired which will have a positive impact upon our Character which is an indication of the change that is being wrought in our life through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit of God.
Hence, regardless of your situation there can be healing; regardless of how much you may feel captivated by your circumstance you can experience freedom; moreover it doesn’t matter how deep in sin you think you may be in, God can deliver from all situations where one was ignorant of His presence and voice.