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                    This Is Your Year For Deliverance!

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By David Wilkerson
March 2, 1991
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          Listen to the great testimony of King David: "The Lord
          is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; the God
          of my rock; in him will I trust" (2 Samuel 22:2).

          The Hebrew word for "deliver" here suggests, "He
          rescued me out of swirling, swift waters when I was
          about to be carried away." David gives us a picture of
          a man about to be drowned -- and a hand reaches down
          and rescues him: "He sent from above, he took me; he
          drew me out of many waters" (verse 17).

          Israels king described the problems of life as a
          current of swift water -- water meant by the enemy to
          sweep him under and carry him away in its powerful
          stream. David also described his troubles as if he were
          trapped in a mire, or mud, in which he was sinking.

          He prayed: "Save me, O God; for the waters are come in
          unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no
          standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods
          overflow me...."

          "Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let
          me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the
          deep waters" (Psalm 69: 1-3, 14).

          I believe we today are living amid such troubles as
          David described! They are the fulfillment of a prophecy
          given in Revelation 12:17: "And the dragon was wroth
          with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant
          of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and
          have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

          Satan is waging a war against the church in these last
          days -- and he is opening up the fountains of hell! His
          final weapon against us is a diabolic flood of troubles
          -- an on-rushing tidal wave of problems and
          overwhelming difficulties: "And the serpent cast out of
          his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he
          might cause her to be carried away of the flood" (verse
          15).

          Never before has mankind seen such devastating floods!
          In the past year one of the mightiest empires in all of
          history -- one that threatened our countrys existence
          -- died before our very eyes. The Soviet Union fell --
          without a shot being fired!

          World changes are accelerating so fast no one can
          comprehend it all:

             * Gorbachev was shoved out of office almost before
               he could resign. When the fallen Soviet leader
               went to clean out his desk, Yeltsin had already
               moved in!

             * The Communist ruler of the Soviet Republic of
               Georgia suddenly was held up in a government
               building under siege.

             * Civil wars have broken out all around. Yugoslavia
               is torn in two, with thousands being killed.

             * The two Koreas -- divided for so long -- now talk
               about uniting!

             * The United States is beginning trade relations
               with Viet Nam -- after so many of our soldiers
               died there!

             * Millions are fleeing their homelands, seeking
               asylum, food, shelter and safety. Germany
               especially is being overrun with refugees. And
               homeless people sleep on the streets of London and
               Brussels, just like in New York. Yet they thought
               it could never happen in Europe!

          Satan is creating havoc in this world as never before.
          But the Bible also makes it clear that it is God who is
          smiting the nations! A sword has gone out of His mouth,
          and He is judging cities and countries. He has torn
          down the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall, and soon
          Hell tear down Asias Bamboo Curtain as well.

          Already, Cubans in Miami have set up a
          government-in-exile, awaiting Castros fall. Christian
          leaders foresee a great revival sweeping that country.

          And right now, nearly all the republics of the former
          Soviet Union are throwing their doors wide open to God!
          Prisons, schools, radio and television are all open to
          the gospel. Russian leaders are begging for former drug
          addicts and alcoholics to come and preach Christ. These
          people are so hungry theyre making preachers out of
          any tourist who can share Jesus.

          Yet while Russias doors are now open to God, America
          is taking further steps to push God completely out of
          our society!

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                       America Is Sinking In A Mire!

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          Who would have believed our President would go to Japan
          to beg for help out of the economic mud slide were in?
          The current recession is unlike any of the past.

          Recently, a newspaper in Elizabeth, New Jersey -- one
          of the oldest in America -- closed its doors. It had
          weathered over 200 years of recession, depression,
          turmoil, civil and world wars. But it could not survive
          what is happening now!

          Beloved, America is under a dual outpouring! Our nation
          is under the judgment of an offended God -- and the
          church is drowning in a flood of troubles sent by a mad
          devil!

          While God is judging Americas sins, Satan is pouring
          forth a torrent of problems, troubles and tribulations
          such as weve never experienced. He has turned hell
          upside down, like a boiling pot of filth, and is
          pouring it out upon our society.

          Many teenagers have lost every trace of morality. They
          blaspheme, spewing out filthy language, vile curses and
          talk of violence. They have sex like alley cats and
          dogs. One report says over half of all high-school
          students are involved in pre-marital sex. And all the
          while, godless liberals applaud their wicked ways,
          passing out condoms -- and denying everything that is
          holy and speaks of God!

          The devil has created a climate of overwhelming fear,
          unrest, darkness and foreboding. He wants to weary the
          saints and carry them away with his flood. Thats why
          we need to know God as our Deliverer! We need to be
          rescued by Him -- and we need it now. It cant wait!

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                  Few of God's People, Now Or In The Past,
                   Have Trusted God As Their Deliverer.

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          David said of the godly man, "He shall not be afraid of
          evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord"
          (Psalm 112:7). Israel certainly never fixed their trust
          on God as their Deliverer. Just three days after God
          opened the Red Sea, Israel forgot about their
          miraculous deliverance when they began to thirst in the
          wilderness. Trusting turned to complaining!

          Nevertheless, by many such deliverances, God brought
          His people through the horrible wilderness to the very
          brink of the Promised Land. Moses told them, "Behold,
          the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up
          and possess it... fear not, neither be discouraged"
          (Deuteronomy 1:21).

          Yet in spite of all their great deliverances and
          victories, Israel refused to have a settled confidence
          in God. They said, "Why go in? Its hopeless. God
          brought us out here to be destroyed by our enemies!"

          "Ye would not go up, but rebelled against the
          commandment of the Lord... ye murmured... and said,
          Because the Lord hated us, he hath brought us forth out
          of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of
          the Amorites, to destroy us" (Deuteronomy 1:26-28).

          But Moses cried out to them: "Dread not, neither be
          afraid of them. The Lord your God... shall fight for
          you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt
          before your eyes" (verses 29-30).

          Moses reminded them that in every trial God had shown
          Himself to be their Deliverer. He had protected them
          from the plagues... brought them through the desert
          furnace... opened up the sea for them to walk
          through... led them by fire and a pillar of smoke...
          and given them food from the sky and water from a rock!
          And now, in this new crisis, they needed only to trust
          Him:

          "In the wilderness... thou has seen how that the Lord
          thy God bear thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all
          the way that ye went, until ye came into this place"
          (verse 31).

          Moses said, "Right up to this moment, God has never
          once failed you. Why wont you trust Him to deliver
          you? How many miracles must He perform before youll
          trust Him in your next crisis?"

          As you read of Israels experience, you may wonder,
          "How can they suddenly doubt Him and complain, after
          all theyd seen?"

          But ask yourself: Dont we react in the same way as
          Israel did? Indeed, we are no different! In fact, our
          sin is worse, because we have their example, plus
          centuries more of testimonies and a great cloud of
          witnesses. Moses could stand before the church today
          and say to us as well, "Yet in this thing ye did not
          believe the Lord your God, who went in the way before
          you" (verse 32).

          Dear saint, in the trial youre going through right
          now, would Moses say of you, "Youve known Gods
          deliverances. Youve seen His power at work. Yet in
          your present trial you dont trust Him or see Him --
          you dont believe in Him as your Deliverer!"

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                God Does Not Take Lightly Our Unwillingness
                      To Trust Him As Our Deliverer!

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          You may say, "God knows my weakness. He understands why
          I complain a little." But the Bible says this:

          "And the Lord heard the voice of your words, and was
          wroth, and sware, saying, Surely there shall not one of
          these men of this evil generation see that good land,
          which I sware to give unto your fathers, save Caleb...
          (and) Joshua" (verses 34-36, 38). Then God turned to
          the people and said, "Go not up, neither fight; for I
          am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your
          enemies" (verse 42). God says, "If you will not trust
          Me as your Deliverer -- with your future, your family
          and all that concerns you -- then dont walk with Me
          another step! Your doubt and fear are an affront to Me,
          and I will not put up with it. Now, go your own way --
          youre on your own. And dont even try to fight your
          enemies, because they will overwhelm you."

          This is why many Christians go from one defeat to
          another. The enemy has the upper hand in their lives
          and homes, because they do not really trust God -- they
          dont know Him as Deliverer!

          Does this describe you? Do you complain constantly? Do
          you worry night and day? Like the Israelites, do you
          say, "I have a right to be discouraged, because the
          future looks so hopeless!"

          Such unbelief angers God -- and it opens the door to
          every enemy in hell! Listen to the horrible end of
          unbelievers:

          "For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to
          destroy them from among the host, until they were
          consumed. So it came to pass, (that) all the men of war
          were consumed and dead from among the people"
          (Deuteronomy 2:15-18). God sent these unbelievers back
          into the wilderness -- until eventually they all died
          off!

          You may say, "What kind of God are you talking about --
          One who walks away from a people who wont believe Him?
          Thats Old Testament law. God is not that hard on
          doubters under grace."

          Not true! The fact is, God cannot do anything for us,
          among us or with us if we will not trust Him. Trusting
          Him is the only way we can allow Him to be to us all
          that He says He is.

          This is straight from the New Testament. The writer of
          Hebrews draws on this very experience of Moses and
          Israel:

          "Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will
          hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as... in the
          wilderness... I was grieved with that generation....)
          Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an
          evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living
          God" (Hebrews 3:7-12).

          Gods Word is clear:

          Unbelief is a departure from God! Paul isnt talking
          about drug addiction or alcoholism -- Hes talking
          about unbelief! God says, "You depart from Me and
          become evil when you allow unbelief to control your
          mind and spirit!"

          Hebrews proclaims Gods warning: "So we see that they
          could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us
          therefore fear, lest, a promise being left to us of
          entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come
          short of it (Hebrews 3:19, 4:1).

          Paul offers another warning, using the same Old
          Testament example: "Neither murmur ye, as some of them
          also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now
          all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and
          they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends
          of the world are come" (1 Corinthians 10:10-11).

          I cant soften what the Word makes so clear: "Saints
          and brethren, in this day of grace -- beware, lest you
          develop an evil heart of unbelief! You no longer
          appropriate God as your Deliverer. When youre in
          trouble, you turn to others for help -- you try to dig
          yourself out of your problems. But you end up sinking
          deeper into the mire!"

          Perhaps as you read this, you realize you are no better
          in your faith than the worst sinner -- because your
          unbelief is exposed by your fear, anxiety and
          restlessness. Beloved, the evidence of complete trust
          is soul peace, bodily rest and sweet joy!

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                      Trusting God For Deliverance Is
                    The Missing Ingredient In Worship.

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          Lately during our church services, the Spirit has urged
          me to offer up this heartcry: "Oh God, lead us into
          pure worship that is pleasing to You. Show us what true
          worship is -- not just what man says it is. Bring forth
          a pure, holy worship in Your church!

          The Lord answered me by speaking this truth to my
          heart: "There can be no true worship without trusting
          Me as Deliverer!"

          Indeed, this is the missing ingredient in all worship.
          Worship is not full and pleasing to the Lord if we
          praise Him only with our lips and mouth. We may lift
          our hands, weep with desire and raise our voices in
          thanksgiving. Yet this means nothing to God if we walk
          out of His house and face the world trembling and
          fearful!

          How is that some Christians go through life always
          joyful, even in trials? They never appear troubled.
          They never complain. Instead, they are happy and
          restful in spite of any sufferings in their life. Are
          they naive? Are they just good-natured or optimistic?
          Not at all! Joshua and Caleb lived that way!

          You may know a Christian who goes about his job at rest
          in his soul. He doesnt have his Bible open all the
          time; he doesnt always praise God aloud. Yet he has
          more influence on the people around him than anyone. It
          is because in his heart, he is worshipping God. He is
          at rest because he has committed all to his Father --
          and he trusts wholly in Him.

          Scripture says when a great army came against
          Jehoshaphat, he "fell before the Lord, worshipping the
          Lord" (2 Chronicles 20:18). Yet falling down isnt what
          made Jehoshaphat a worshiper. Rather, it was something
          settled in his heart: He had committed himself to
          believing God as Israels Deliverer!

          Jehoshaphat said, "In the natural, we have no chance
          against this enemy. But I believe God for our
          deliverance! I trust You, O God!"

          "Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye
          inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God"
          (verse 20).

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                    David Said, "He Delivered Me,
                     Because He Delighted In Me"
                            (Psalm 18:19)

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          "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my
          God.... He delivered me, because he delighted in me" (2
          Samuel 22:7, 20).

          Davids words hit me hard. The meaning in this verse
          is: "God takes great delight in rescuing me. It gives
          Him great pleasure when I trust Him to pull me out of
          the mire!"

          Many Christians try to please God by doing everything
          their own way. They take pride in doing without, or in
          not doing certain things. They get caught in a
          legalistic bondage -- believing if they just pray so
          many hours or read so many Scriptures, God will be
          pleased with them. They set standards for themselves
          that arent even Scriptural. And when they dont reach
          them, they become discouraged and say, "Whats the
          use?"

          Beloved, you are Gods child -- He loves you! And if
          youve given Christ your heart and trust fully in Him,
          then He delights in you! "Jesus answered and said unto
          them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him
          whom he hath sent" (John 6:29).

          There is happiness for those who have cast all their
          care upon the Lord: "Who so trusteth in the Lord, happy
          is he" (Proverbs 16:20). You should have a happy,
          joyful abandonment in your worship. And this comes only
          from a settled knowledge that your trust puts into
          motion all of Gods delivering power!

          As you read this, do you really believe God is
          delighting in you? that you bring joy to His heart?
          Settle it now, once and for all: He loves you!

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                 The Time Has Come For You To Be Delivered
                  From The Sin That So Easily Besets You!

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          "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so
          great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every
          weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and
          let us run with patience the race that is set before
          us" (Hebrews 12:1).

          This is your year to be delivered from that sin! Im
          not talking about a New Years resolution. Im talking
          about getting serious about the one thing in your life
          that never gets dealt with.

          What keeps coming up, year after year? You love God,
          but something keeps hounding you, and you know it
          stands in the way of your walk with the Lord.

          Do you have an uncontrollable temper? Does a spirit of
          anger come upon you? Do you turn red and begin to curse
          -- you, a born-again Christian? Do you spew forth words
          of hate, venom and bitterness -- or, God forbid -- you
          strike at your husband or wife, or even you children?

          Beloved, it is not just your flesh that drives you to
          strike or rail. No -- it is a spirit straight out of
          the pits of hell: "Wrath is fierce, and anger is a
          flood" (Proverbs 27:4, NAS).

          This is a demonic spirit that keeps coming back! You
          may do well for a month or two. Your family may forgive
          you and think everythings okay. Then, suddenly, this
          thing comes back upon you because youve let down the
          standard!

          Perhaps youre not seeking God -- youre into
          pornography or your TV, opening up to your mind a flood
          of filth. The enemy sees this -- and he sweeps you up
          in a flood of anger! Suddenly youre out of control.
          When its over, youre sorry -- but youre still
          smitten!"

          Jesus says a person "smites" because he does not
          believe the Lord is coming soon to judge: "If that evil
          servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his
          coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants...
          the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he
          lookest not for him, and in an hour that he is not
          aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him
          his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping
          and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 24:48-51).

          You must hear what Jesus prophesies:

          You have lost your expectation of His coming! You are
          in terrible danger -- for Jesus Himself promises that
          you have an appointed date with tragedy! The Lord will
          say, "Hypocrite! You sit in My presence and say you
          love Me -- yet you allow this spirit to continue to
          rule you. You wont deal with it!"

          Dear saint, this is your year for deliverance! It is
          your day, your very hour for deliverance! All you have
          to do is acknowledge your sin and say, "Yes, thats me!
          I humble myself before You, O God. I hate it -- I
          despise it. God, deliver me!"

          But perhaps your struggle is not with anger. Rather,
          youre plagued by a spirit of jealousy.

          "Who is able to stand against envy?" (Proverbs 27:4).
          Jealousy in a believer, especially in a Christian
          marriage, is one of the most tragic, life-destroying
          sins of all. God calls jealousy a "rage" (Proverbs
          6:34). This means "a disease of madness," an
          uncontrollable inner storm.

          "Jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are
          coals of fire, which hath a most vehement (deadly)
          flame" (Song of Solomon 8:6). God says if youre a
          jealous person, then you are cruel -- and you have a
          "deadly flame" that will kill your relationships!

          Jealousy is never "love on the defense" or "love
          offered." Scripture says love "is not jealous" (1
          Corinthians 13:4, NAS). No -- jealousy is the opposite
          of trust. It is a disease out of hell, one that Satan
          himself has. James says, "For where envying and strife
          is, there is confusion and every evil work" (James
          3:16).

          Jealousy makes you ugly and mean-spirited. Worst of
          all, it is not dealt with -- if you do not trust God to
          pluck it out by the roots and deliver you -- it will
          give birth to the very thing it fears: fornification,
          adultery, lust!

          The Bible says: "Envy (is) the rottenness of the bones"
          (Proverbs 14:30). Jealousy is a hidden rot of passion
          in the depth of your being. And because you know your
          own heart, you accuse others of what you know youre
          capable of. Jealousy really reveals this: "I dont
          trust myself!"

          You cannot be delivered from jealousy until you
          recognize it for the horrible sin it is! Paul says
          those who were turned over to reprobate minds were
          "full of envy" (Romans 1:29). If this sin isnt dealt a
          deadly blow, it will open your heart to all kinds of
          demonic activity! Youve got to confess, "Yes, thats
          true of me. But I believe my God is a deliverer. He can
          deliver me!

          How do you settle the matter? First, God has not called
          us to put our trust in people. Instead, we are to trust
          Christ in one another! Dont put your trust in your
          husband and wife -- but instead, trust Jesus in them.
          Jesus would say, "If I cant keep him or her, what
          chance do you have? Commit them to Me!"

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                  There is One Final Besetting Sin I Wish
                    to Share With You: Financial Fear!

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          If "fear hath torment," then this is one of the most
          tormenting fears in the world today. So many "what
          ifs" face us all: "What if I lose my job? my
          apartment? What if I cant pay the bills? What will we
          eat? How will we be clothed? Where will we live?

          Jesus said, "Take no thought, saying, What shall we
          eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we
          be clothed?... For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye
          have need of all these things. But seek ye first the
          kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these
          things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:31-33).

          Consider this scenario:

          About one million men -- along with two million women,
          children and grandparents -- are left in a dry,
          desolate wilderness. There is no supermarket within a
          hundred miles.

          Babies are hungry, children are crying, grandparents
          are weak. There is nothing but sand, sun and wind all
          around them -- nothing at all to support them!

          Was Moses crazy when he led Israel into such a
          wilderness? Thats what Pharaoh had to be thinking. But
          did God fail Israel? No! He delivered them by miracles!
          Miracle angel food... miracle water... miracle
          guidance... miracle protection!

          Beloved, God isnt limited by what happens on Wall
          Street. He looks only at our heart. And Hes saying,
          "Do you believe Im your Deliverer -- that I can set
          you free and see you through?

          It doesnt matter if the whole economy caves in. God
          promises, "youre not going to beg for bread." If He
          has to cause a potato truck to break down in front of
          your house, He will provide for you!

          Do you believe He is your Deliverer? Is there something
          you need to be delivered of today, this very moment?
          Then say this right now: "I commit myself to
          appropriate God as my Deliverer. I dont want just the
          doctrine of it. I want the practice of it, the
          experience of it!"

          This is the year God wants to raise up a holy remnant
          who refuse to worry or fret -- who will thrust their
          entire future into Gods hands!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771 USA.

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