Many years ago I was in an extremely difficult position in my business and marriage. Everything in my life was just about to go down the pan.
I prayed constantly but my night times were a constant churning of fearful thoughts that stopped me sleeping. In vain I was running through everything that was happening to try and find a solution.
One night I suddenly awoke to the real source of my fears. Satan had been given total freedom to torment me because of the very real mess I was in. Here I was, constantly asking God for wisdom, but unbelief and fear dominated everything I thought about.
I got up in the middle of the night and went downstairs in the dark to get right with God.
My biggest fear was fear itself. I didn't know exactly what was churning me up because it seemed like everything was on top of me. Satan was constantly playing with "what ifs" of my unknown future. I desperately needed to know God's peace.
I set myself to do what I called "
spiritual bottom lining," or at least that's what I always call it. It means looking at the worst case scenario for every possible scenario should the $*1t hit the fan. Unless Jesus was sovereign Lord over every possible future, I was on my own and that situation needed to change immediately.
Before continuing, I need to explain a spiritual principle God showed me, using important scriptures that have been otherwise hijacked. I say hijacked because Romans10v9,10 is constantly used by evangelists to get unbelievers converted to Christ, when in fact
Paul's letter to the Romans is addressed to the saints of Rome, not the unregenerate.
Because these verses have effectively been hijacked, most christians fail to understand their critical importance for believers in need of God's deliverance.
Ignore these scriptures to your detriment.
Romans10v8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Being addressed to believers,
salvation in this context does not mean heaven when you're dead, it means deliverance from adverse circumstances.
All through the OT
salvation meant deliverance from Philistine, famine and plague. Contrary to the evangelist it did not mean going to heaven when you're dead.
Righteousness is established in a man's heart by believing on the Lord. (Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness.) However, righteousness alone does not necessarily change anything at all here on earth, that's the role of salvation.
Look at verse10.
"with the mouth confession is made to salvation".
Unless we start to confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ over all and everything we do, then we may well be righteous within, but that's where it stays. To obtain Christ's salvation or deliverance, Jesus needs to be on the throne of all that we do. That only happens as we proclaim that truth.
(Prov18v21Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.)
Many people make the big mistake of proclaiming Jesus as Lord on the basis he will do their bidding and change everything to suit them. I regret to say that he isn't Lord if you do that, you are the Lord ruling over Jesus's decisions and making him bow to your terms. It is we who must bow down and let Jesus reign and lead us through whatever route he needs in order to establish his glory in our lives. Only if Jesus is Lord can we possibly experience peace. And I speak from abundant experience after going through appalling situations in the last decade.
The following is my course of action in the middle of that night of conflict. I had no idea where to start, so I did my "bottom lining" or my list of "what ifs."
The scenarios or threats to my life were as follows.
The bank was aggressively threatening to close all our private and business accounts which would stop my business trading.
Closing the bank accounts would force us to cease trading which would certainly make us to go bankrupt.
Going bankrupt would cause the mortgage company to take our house and make us homeless.
Losing the house would cause my wife to divorce me and take the children away. (She was constantly threatening.)
In consequence, I would be brought to shame before family friends and church.
etc.
My assault on all these fears followed the worst case scenario,
" Jesus, I proclaim you as Lord and Saviour over everything in my life."
"Even if the bank closes my accounts, Lord Jesus, you will still be on the throne, and I will still worship you alone."
" Lord, even if closing all the accounts forces me into bankruptcy, then Jesus, you will still be my Lord and saviour and I will worship you alone."
" Lord, if bankruptcy makes me lose the house, then you will still reign over me and I will still worship you."
"Lord, even if losing the house makes my wife divorce me and take the kids away, I have no idea what I shall do, but you will still be my Lord and saviour."
Lord, even if I am brought low in the eyes of all my friends, family and the church, you will always reign and be my saviour, however you lead me out of it all."
As I proclaimed these statements of the Lordship of Jesus Christ over all and every last fear that had been besetting me, an amazing sense of peace and of the deep presence of the Lord fell upon me. Satan's threats melted away, and I was able to sleep like a baby. Each declaration covered the bases of possible demonic attack, and in doing so the rug was pulled from under Satan. Once Jesus was enthroned, Satan had no chance of threatening me. It was vital to let God be God, that's why I could not put conditions on his Lordship. To do so would actually dethrone him.
Salvation is massively more than heaven when we die, it is however always in the power of our own tongue.
As for my circumstances, detail by detail, the Lord led us through, and none of the above threats materialised, despite the threats from the bank.
That is how Lord has kept me at same company for 11 years now!! I have come across so many job openings with good salary, benefits and everything.. For some reason, Lord is just keeping me here itself..
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