Forever Living: Help Me I'm Melting!
I have watched the Wizard of Oz numerous times as a kid, and yes, many times as an adult. The part that always gets to me is when Dorothy throws water at the fire that the witch had started on the scarecrow and it splashes on the witch herself. Dorothy didn't realize that water was the witch's greatest enemy. The wicked witch begins to melt and blurts out the words "I'm melting!" So Dorothy and her traveling companions look at each other scared that the witch's army was going to kill them because they had destroyed the witch. To their amazement, the army bows before Dorothy and shows their gratitude for being released from the evil witch's grasp.
When we do the Lord's work we are dealing with a very strong enemy and he is called satan or the devil. He is evil through and through and his great desire is to defeat all followers of Jesus. The devil is called The Accuser of the Brethren in Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth— the one who accuses them before our God day and night. The last part of that verse shows the power of God that we live our lives from and the words For the accuser of our brothers and sisters have been thrown down to earth. The devil is totally against us, but God is totally for us and He has given us the power of the Holy Spirit to live a victorious life. So why don't we?
Sometimes in the midst of our daily battles, we forget that "God is for us." Paul wrote to the church in Rome these words in Romans 8:31 Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? GOD IS FOR US! The power of God is evident in Jesus our Savior. In Acts 10:38 Luke wrote 38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. So when Jesus went to be with the Father, the Father sent a "helper" for us, and that helper is the Holy Spirit. John said it this way in John 14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
We have to ask ourselves "Do I love God?" Then I will obey God. This obedience is not taken lightly by God and God fulfills His Word by giving us the Holy Spirit as our helper. And boy do I need help!! Remember Dorothy defeating the wicked witch by throwing water on her? We can defeat the devil at every turn if we get out of the way and let the Holy Spirit fight our battles for us. You may be surprised like I am when the Holy Spirit melts away some of the weaknesses in your character and readjusts your life purpose with a heavenly attitude. When we submit to God and humble ourselves before Him, the influence of the devil in our life will "melt away." James 4:7 says So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The process of sanctification in our daily walk is a process where more of our flesh melts away and more of the Holy Spirit controls our life. Everything begins to change. Our thoughts, desires, hopes, vision, goals, and entire life begins to align with the Word of God. We don't do this on our own. This change has a "helper", a Holy Spirit helper.
There was a funny commercial I remember from the seventies and it was promoting Shake and Bake. A little girl would say the words "Momma made chicken and I helped!" What seemed like a big feat for a little girl was made easy by the magic of Shake and Bake. No magic for us, just pure Holy Spirit power to live our lives. Our message might be "The Holy Spirit made a stronger, more powerful believer in me, without my help." The wicked witch believed she was beyond the power of a little girl and wielded a big stick in the evil power she released from her fingers. Dorothy realized she was no match for the witch, but her desire to do the right thing resulted in her defeating the witch, with water of all things. Just when you begin to believe victorious life in Christ is not possible remember the Holy Spirit and that God is faithful and the impossible becomes possible.
My prayer to the Lord usually begins with the words Lord Help. The Holy Spirit responds quickly and with the strength to minister to me and show me He is working. Don't wait so long to cry out to God because we can do nothing in our own strength. When the enemy tries to defeat you let the Helper, the Holy Spirit fight your battle for you. Ephesians 5:18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, Then you will see the flesh begin to melt away and the Lord take over more control of your life. The Holy Spirit is with us and as Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. With God leading you, the flesh is melting and God is taking more and more control. Just trust God, follow His Word, and see what God will melt away from your life that is still controlled by the enemy. Victory is real and lasting and Jesus is victorious in every situation. This truth is current with me now as I am under attack and I am depending on God coming through TODAY as only He can. More of the old me is melting and the Holy Spirit is helping to enable the new me to live this life of victory. James 4:7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
The Pilgrimage Continue...
David Warren