Deliverance through the Storm

About two weeks ago at least a billion+ people across the globe celebrated Easter. Wishes were sent through Facebook, WhatsApp, emails, twitter and phone calls were made to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. But today everyone has moved on with their life, the celebration is over and many have forgotten that, “Christ is risen!”  A question that we may ask, is Easter to be celebrated just one day in a year?

Before we answer that question, let me share about a journey that God took me over the past 3-4 years. About three years ago, I came to a point in life where my life came to a standstill, when every area of my life was negatively affected by other people’s actions and behaviors - my work, my family, my friends, my activity at church & ministry and my own self esteem. It seemed like I was in the middle of a perfect storm.

I had done nothing wrong to be in it, nor could I do anything to get out of it. In midst of that I started asking - When will this end? What did I do to deserve this? Why is everyone forsaking me?  Why am I alone? The timing of all these events seemed weird, since all of them started happening at the same time, as if it was part of a perfectly planned event by a Master Planner. Almost everything around my life was going topsy-turvy and every thing that I loved to do seemed to be moving into a limbo.

However, in midst of this I was getting emotionally hurt. The hurt became so deep, that I started crying, getting depressed, losing confidence and life started becoming meaningless. In midst of this storm I asked God for help and he seemed silent and far away. After many months God spoke to me through his word in Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV) Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” It seemed like God was saying, I know what you are going through and I am there with you.  It encouraged me for a short time, but I was not fully satisfied with that answer. Something seemed amiss. I wanted to run away from all these issues, leave town, leave the people I knew and wanted all these issues to come to an end. At some moments I even asked God for justice for all the injustices against me. I continued to ask God to get me out of it, but God did not answer.

A few month's later, the Holy Spirit brought me into a new understanding. I realized that unknowingly I used to take offence when people hurt me. This pattern had continued for 30+ years. When people used to put me down with their words, actions or other ways that were bad or destructive for me I was hurt. In my ignorance, I had stacked them up at some deep corner of my heart. Today, as I was hurt again, I was in no position to deal with it. The current issues were spilling out of an already fill bucket of offenses, since I had not dealt with my past offenses and now it was creating a mess in my life.

After being in the storm for about 2 years, God asked me to write down every person’s name from my past, by whom I was offended for the past 30+ years. It was a long list. The ironic thing was that I remembered many of them, and did not realize how the hurts had piled up in my life and I had never got rid of them. I remembered being offended by my first manager at work, offended by a priest and some pastors from my church, offended by my friends, my relatives and my family. I even came to a point where I realized that I was taking offense from people who loved me the most. It seemed like my life was caught in a Category 5 storm and I was heading for destruction in every area of my life. I even came to a point to consider ending my life, but God had a different plan.

I came to understand and accept that many of these people from my past will never be able to say sorry to me for what they did, and some may not even know that they had hurt me from their actions, even if I reminded them of it. So God helped me realize that my only option was to “let it go!!” by forgiving them. Just like Jesus said on the cross, Luke 23:34 (NIV) Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.  So I went ahead and forgave all of them, since many of them did not know what they were doing but I was hurt in that midst. The only way for me to be healed was to forgive them and let them go from all offences I had towards them. This did not mean, I begin to trust all these people. Many of them were simply arrogant and evil and I had no way to help them see the light, so I left them in the hands of God. I needed deliverance, to be in the will of God, so I let them go!!

Today, I am on the road to freedom. I no longer allow offenses or disappointments to rule my life. I started realizing how taking offense was clogging God’s purpose and blessing in my life. This did not mean that I was not susceptible to get hurt again or I don’t take offense. But the Holy Spirit helped me know how to deal with it, that is, immediately forgive people and train my mind not to take any offence but let it go to Jesus (2 Corinthians 10:5… take every thought captive to obey Christ).

During this time I realized that God had taken me into this storm, so that I could become stronger emotionally and spiritually, so that I can increase my trust in Jesus. Even though I did not like the journey, but what I learned far greater than what I would have learned in any top university. I realized that all people no matter what their background, color, sex, caste or creed, they are all broken and their brokenness will negatively affect our lives every day and some of us will get hurt.

In the book of Revelation 5:6 (NIV) Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The slain lamb show here is Jesus who died on the cross for all mankind, but now he stands at the center of the throne, which is the reflection of the resurrected Christ who continues to live every day. 

If we have to find victory from our deepest struggles or issues, like I did, we need to recognize that this is impossible by our own abilities, our experience, our wisdom, our knowledge and/or by any other person or gods. There is only ONE God who has conquered this life and death. Only one who has the answers and deliverance for you. There is only one person who has resurrected from death and continues to stay alive. He is seated in heaven for you and me. That is Jesus!!

Today I live, because Jesus still lives. I have freedom, because Jesus lives. I have a way for deliverance, because Jesus lives. There is no other god who has the ability or power to do this healing in our life.  This is why we need to celebrate the resurrection of Christ every day, rather than just one day in a year.

Do you want deliverance from the storms of your life? Do you want freedom? Then chooses wisely?