Trapped

Philippians 4 : 13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. NKJV

As a pastor for more than twelve years, I have seen many Christians fall into the traps that were set by Satan, the adversary of their soul. To fall into a trap of Satan simply means we believe a lie about ourselves, and we, therefore, remain in bondage to a demonic stronghold. A lie of Satan becomes a stronghold the moment we believe what he is telling us about a situation or a condition we are facing instead of standing on the Word of God.

In the natural, a trap brought on by a lie may be an addiction, an emotional wound, a crutch, or anything that forces you to believe or think that you can’t get past a certain issue or vice. If you think that you can’t overcome a problem or an addiction in your life, then you are bound in your walk. Christ didn’t come to save us from sin so that we could die in bondage to its power. According to Luke 4: 18, He was sent and anointed to set us FREE!!

I, myself have fallen prey to Satan’s lies in recent years and thought I would never break free, but God was faithful. Satan had me blinded and convinced that things would never be any better. For a while, I believed his lies because I was weary from the battles. Nevertheless, through prayer and continued obedience, Satan has lost the strangle hold on my life that was brought on by fear.

Like many others, you may be in a trap of Satan today. Are you fighting a battle against something in your life that won’t seem to let go? Then you need “MORE GRACE." This is not a cliché. Instead, it is a truth that can set you free so that you can begin to walk out of the trap. You must not accept defeat. If you are a Christian, then Christ will cause you to triumph ALWAYS. The key is to turn to the Lord and submit yourself (including any doubts, fears, or unbelief) you may be holding onto in your heart. God is for you. However, you must be willing to believe and accept this truth before He can give you the power to come out completely.

Just because you have a stronghold in your life, it doesn’t mean that God has abandoned you. The Lord has promised that He would never leave or forsake us. Even so, we must give Jesus our full attention and cooperation in this matter. When the Holy Spirit instructs you to make the first step or to take action, you have to obey His voice and let Him take care of the details. This will require you to submit to Him and trust His instructions at all times. As you take the initial steps, doubt, fear, and unbelief will begin to scream out, “You can’t do this." Nevertheless, don’t worry; once you obey God’s voice, it’s not you doing the work. It is God’s strength and grace flowing through you.

With each act of obedience and faith, you will find that it will become easier to obey because of the new grace that has been given to you.  "You" have gotten out of the way, and grace has taken over. Remember, before grace, you couldn’t even attempt to walk out. However, now that you have submitted, God’s grace is moving you forward to freedom. You can walk out of the trap and never look back. Before I leave you today, let me share the verses that God gave me for you:

James 4 : 5 – 7, What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, jealously longs for us to be faithful? He gives us more and more strength to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, "God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble." So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. NLT

The more we submit by faith to God’s will and His Word, the more grace He will extend to us so that we can come out of the traps of Satan.

Walking in Freedom through More Grace,
Pastor Asa Dockery