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"Has the Devil Tried to Convince You That You Are Beyond Hope?"
by
Doris Wagner
Web: www.globalharvest.org
As
I work along in the field of deliverance, I find that over and over again there
are Christian brothers and sisters who fall into sin and feel totally stuck there.
I have also observed that these folks seem to fit into two categories - those who
are very sorry and who want to get things right, and those who don't seem to care
or feel that they are beyond help.
A couple of years ago I was teaching at a week-long seminar in the Heartland, and
because I was teaching only in the evenings, I had some time on my hands (a rare
occurrence, indeed). As I was preparing for some teaching, the Lord took me to a
number of passages concerning David, and I found myself in a fascinating study.
David, A Man of God
I began to list all of the positive qualities of this great man of God. Without
referencing them, let me just list some of what I found. David was described as:
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A man after God's own heart
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Well beloved
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Handsome
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Strong
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Chosen by God
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Had wise behavior
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He strengthened the kingdom
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He struck down pagan nations
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He brought back the ark
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He worshiped and wrote psalms
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He organized worship
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He was a musician and organized musicians
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He blessed the people
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He received an eternal covenant
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The messiah came from his family
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He was a prophet and patriarch
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He was an inspired man
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His heart was loyal to the Lord
He was named as a man of faith in Hebrews 11. These
were those people who subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises,
and were valiant in battle.
Then one day a very unfortunate thing happened to David. It was the spring of the
year, the time when the kings should have gone to war, but David decided not to
go to war that year. I have heard some outstanding preachers say that David disobeyed
the Lord and that is where his troubles began. He saw a beautiful woman, he lusted
after her, and committed the sin of adultery.
Fallout of a "One Night Stand"
I began to list all of the fallout of this "one night stand," and was really sad
at all I listed. Scripture says in I Kings 15:5 that David pleased the Lord "in
all that he did except in the matter of Uriah." Uriah was the husband of Bathsheba
with whom David had sinned. So David had displeased the Lord whom he loved so much
and served so well.
Then the prophet Nathan came and rebuked David to his face and the story is told
in II Samuel 12. The fallout of David's sin included:
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Adultery
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Attempted cover up and deceit (David tried to get
Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba after she knew she was pregnant with David's child)
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Murder (David ordered Uriah to be placed in a battle
where he would likely be killed, and he was)
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The nation thereafter was in constant war
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There were many adversaries against his house
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In an attempt at damage control, David married Bathsheba
and she bore him a son
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This whole episode displeased the Lord
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Thereafter there was constant war in his home and
the nation
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These events caused the pagans to blaspheme and David
lost his testimony
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The innocent child, who was unnamed, died
David was forgiven, as II Samuel 12:13 says. He penned
the famous Psalm 51, pouring his heart out to the Lord and lamenting his sin. He
had lost his joy and begged God to restore his joy back to him. Commentators tell
us that he wrote the Psalm one year after this happened. So he was probably pretty
miserable for quite some time. Things were never the same for David or his nation.
What a dreadful price to pay!
"But Such Were Some of You, But You Were Washed, Sanctified, and Justified..."
We who live in "New Testament times" have the advantage of being able to appropriate
Christ's atonement for our sins. The teachings on sex sins are numerous and clear
and Christians have a blueprint for forgiveness and restoration.
Sex sins have quite extensive fallout and often severe damage is done on many fronts.
Scripture says much about sex sins. I Corinthians 6:9-20 is a good example. Here
the sins are listed and Paul is drawing attention to the problems of the pagan temple
prostitution used as idol worship which was part of the culture in Corinth. He shows
that Christians sin against their own bodies and defile the temple of the Holy Spirit
when they join their body to another's in an illicit sex act. Paul goes on to pen
a beautiful verse when he says "But such were some of you, but you were washed,
sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God."
Hallelujah!
God Has Made A Way...
I have observed the ravages of adultery as I pray for people. The innocent person
has seen damage done to the marriage because of broken covenant, broken trust, sometimes
a broken home, and often there are feelings of severe rejection, betrayal, emotional
damage, depression, loss of self respect and self image, and feelings of emotional
abandonment. There is simply not room for more than two in a marriage!
Meanwhile, the guilty person has probably acted out of selfishness and lust. That
person then often has misplaced affection, withholds sex, finances, time, has a
divided mind, often lies, covers up, creates conflict in the home, is filled with
guilt and shame or possibly arrogance, becomes crippled spiritually, risks sexually
transmitted diseases, and is usually covetous for more. He or she has created an
ungodly soul tie.
Often things are never the same as before, but God has made a way to repair the
damage. Jesus died for all sins, and forgiveness is available. I suggest the following
steps might be useful in the process of repair:
1. Repent, both to God and involved persons.
It is the first step in fixing things up. Often forgiveness is involved somewhere
along the way.
2. Get delivered where needed. Usually there has been an opening for a spirit
of lust to really dominate the person. Accompanying problems frequently involve
anger, rejection, guilt, and others. If there is repentance and a desire to change,
the spirits can be cast out. Life becomes much easier when lust does not dominate
a person's thoughts, affections, and activities.
3. Break soul ties. Burn bridges. Clean house both physically and spiritually.
Literally remove items connected to the sins and destroy them, as an act of obedience
to the Lord.
4. Rededicate your life anew to Christ and
your family.
5. Walk in forgiveness, purity, holiness, and humility. These four qualities
are weapons of spiritual warfare that defeat the devil.
The devil often tries to convince people who have
fallen into sex sins that either they are beyond hope and nothing can be done, or
that they should remain silent because it really doesn't matter after all. Both
are lies. There is hope. There is help. All a person has to do is to declare war
on the enemy who is lying and get help.
by Doris Wagner
www.globalharvest.org
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In an effort to meet this need where no help is available, in September we will
be holding a conference specifically aimed at helping people who want to clean up
their lives from sex sins. The teachings will also be of great benefit for pastors,
counselors, youth ministers, and others who want to learn how to minister to those
in need. Many resources will be available. The title of the conference is "Breaking
Sexual Bondages," and it will be held in Wilmington, Delaware. Check our conference
page of this bulletin for details, visit our website at
www.globalharvest.org and click on conferences,
or call 1-8.8.8-965-1099 for information and registration.
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