Redemption and Revenge

I am currently reading a great book at the moment. It's called 'Relentless' and it's written by a man after the heart of God named John Bevere. I am currently reading a chapter in which he's talking about God's authority and I came across this statement:

'God gives us the privelege of choosing to beat the enemy and in a sense to "get even" for the sinful failures we experienced before we were saved.'

I've heard a lot of saved christian people, myself most of all, say that 'the fight just doesn't seem fair'. I would agree. It isn't. The odds are greatly and overwhelmingly stacked in our favour.

I used to often get it backward and believed that the Devil was this black hole of a being and God just barely got me out alive from the darkness of my life. But that isn't so, the moment we are saved we not only unbound from the chains that held us in the dark, but our weapons, our limbs are free. We are free to start taking swings at the devil because he no longer has a hand on any part of our lives.

I get angry at the devil, and why wouldn't I? He is purposefully trying steal from me, kill me and destroy me. But not just from me, from my friends, from my family and from my church. So when I come to pray for my life and the lives of others I get furious, I get aggressive and I get violent. I proclaim the word of God, I proclaim His providence, His mercy, His love and His power. I start to threaten the devil, to shout at the devil; I imagine myself cutting of his hands then cutting off his head.

I am not a naturally aggressive person, but when God gives me power over my foe, I will have my righteous vengeance and more. I will see him flee not just me, but every single person that he tries to touch.

'Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.'
- Colossians 2:14-15

What is it I Lack?

I've always found it interesting how when things used to turn (in my perspective) to crap, I used to go straight to despair. I always prayed and wondered in those moments, 'what is it I lack?'

The answer? Nothing. I lacked nothing.

'But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.'
- James 1:4

The problem was in those moments when I felt abandoned and alone I did not believe that God
had it under his control. Don't misunderstand me, I don't regret those moments. I was young, still
learning patience, and learning to trust God with not just the small things but the things that caused me so much grief that I did not believe God could do anything with them. At that particular time I believed that this was simply the way it was. That I was to deal with these addictions, doubts and disappointments the rest of my life because this was the hand I was dealt. This I now see, was a ploy; a lie by the enemy to drive a wedge into my relationship with God.

But the enemy failed.

God never left me, nor would he. He continued to speak love and grace into my life until I finally understood the truth. God has given me all I need , I simply needed to believe and trust that his provision and grace is in every area of my life.

When I was young I expected to be changed in an instant, but time does not work that way. Time rewards patience, and God rewards faith. When we have patience, when we practice endurance and constantly come back to our relationship with God as the centre of our lives we are given the ultimate power. Freedom.

Freedom from any burden, from any need. An empowering, fierce freedom that pushes us beyond our human inability and into the unknown of God's purpose for our lives.

So we find ourselves, perfect and complete, lacking nothing.