Saved, But Not Delivered

“Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the Apostles hands, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” Acts 8:18-19 (ESV)

Growing up, I used to be such a mean girl. I just didn’t care about the feelings and emotions of others. I preferred to hang with the boys, the boys were hard and tough and the girls were soft. They were so emotional, constantly getting in trouble and they loved to complain! With the girls, there was always something going on, some confusion about who said what. If I had something to say, I would just say it, I had no filter as it related to my words. I had such dark thoughts, I remember that my brothers used to call me evil, when I said some things.

In Acts chapter 8, Simon the Sorcerer did what was familiar to him. While he gave his life to Christ, he continued on the same path. Simon was saved, but he still needed deliverance. As believers in Christ, we too need to be delivered from our earthly nature. We serve and function in ministry with our old nature knowing that we need to be delivered from some ways and things that we know don’t please the Lord. While we may be quick to condemn Simon, if we’re honest, there’s a little bit of Simon in all of us. Just like there is a little bit of Egypt in us, and we wonder why we are meandering in the wilderness for such a long time, living a cycle. It’s because of our sinful ways that don’t please the Lord and grieve the Holy Spirit.

Isn’t it interesting though, how much we talk about the power, gifts, and function of the Holy Spirit, but don’t place enough emphasis on how important it is not to grieve Him? We don’t talk about the importance of the fruit of the Spirit and the evidence of or lack of them in our lives. As a believer, I lived like this for years until I had an encounter with the Lord that changed the trajectory of my walk with Him. I saw how much I grieved Him, how I was such a mean Christian. The Spirit of the Lord showed me myself, I saw someone who broke His heart by how I lived. I saw someone who on the outside was beautiful, but my heart was ugly and contaminated by what I allowed to come out of my mouth. I saw a mean girl who grew up to become a mean woman. I hated who I had become and my heart was broken, I repented before the Lord.

I prayed and cried out to the Lord to forgive me. I prayed for a heart of compassion like His, I prayed for His heart, and I wanted to just love like Jesus despite how others felt about me. When you’ve had an encounter with Jesus, where He pours His love in your heart, soul, and Spirit, when He lavishes His unconditional love upon you, nothing else matters, no one else matters. It’s like you see from His perspective and the petty behavior of others makes you feel pity for them. You want others to experience the love you feel bursting out of your heart. You feel full of His grace and mercy. The love of Jesus is not superficial but it’s supernatural. You need His divine grace to first receive it and then extend it to others.

Daughters of Fire, I want to encourage you to anchor your souls in Jesus. Open up and be honest with your Lord. Tell Him about your day, tell Him how you really feel about the situations of life. Ask Him to change you and to help you to be like Him, and take the necessary steps to change with the power of the Holy Spirit. Daughters, life may sometimes be unkind, but we don’t have to be. People may treat us in a way that doesn’t please the Lord, but we shouldn’t do the same. You don’t have to be friends with someone to be kind or compassionate to them. Jesus knew what was in the hearts of many, yet He didn’t change His nature. You will be rejected but so was Jesus. You will be talked about and laughed at but so was Jesus.

Daughters of Fire, I encourage you to forgive and extend the grace and mercy of Jesus. Yes, the same grace and mercy He extends to you daily. Daughters of Fire, who are we to decide who should be the recipients of what the Lord freely gives to us? To whom much is given, much is required, and that is in all aspects of our walk with the Lord. Daughters of Fire, others can only make assumptions about us, but the One who truly knows us is the One who created us. I am praying for you, it won’t be easy, but you can do it. The Lord is with you. The Lord is kind to you. The Lord is counting on you to share His love with everyone you come into contact with. Yes, we are saved, but it’s time to get delivered. I love you, but Jesus loves you more than you can imagine.