Coming Out of the Pit

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:1-3 NIV

This is a wonderful passage to encourage us to be persistent in calling on God for help when we’re in difficult circumstances. There are many possible slimy pits we may find ourselves in. The devil uses all different kinds of mud and mire to keep us in bondage to sin. If we are tired of being covered in filth and really want to get out of the pit, we need to start calling on God through prayer and truly turn away from the sin we’ve been practicing. Praying and repenting (changing, turning) go hand in hand for deliverance.

As we call on God in prayer for help, we need to remember to be patient yet persistent. We need not give up after one prayer. For whatever reason, sometimes there is a delay between the prayer request and the answer. Sometimes there are things we need to do in order to be in a position to receive help from God. If there is something holding you back, dragging you down, get rid of its weight. Then you will be lifted up.

We do know that God does things that will bring glory to his name and draw people to him. When he miraculously delivers a person from bondage to sin, he does it because he loves that person AND so that it will testify to the people around that person. Do not let other persons and their problems keep you from receiving the help you need and living the way you know (in your heart) is right and good. Do the right thing. Forgive others. Rise to a firm place in the Solid Rock, Jesus Christ. The devil keeps pulling you back into the same destructive situations, but God wants to lift you up. Choose God’s way.

God has prepared a firm place for us to stand, free of bondage to sin. As you pray and seek God for deliverance from whatever you struggle with, consider how you will glorify him as a result. Who will you tell? How will your living habits and choices change? What will you do differently that reflects the mercy and love he has shown you?

Addictions can lead to a slimy existence, a darkness in the soul. All addictions can be disabling, but experience shows some are more destructive than others -- certainly drug and alcohol abuse lead the way in being being harmful to many people and their families. If you are addicted to alcohol or drugs get away from them. Flee from the devil that is in them. How do you know if it is harmful? If it is affecting your relationship with God, with family, with church, with your job or school. Just take a sober look and be honest with yourself, and with God.

People with addictions often are like a man in a pit. It is so hard to crawl out. But it can be done, with honest self-evaluation and repentance. You have to stop blaming everyone else, stop making excuses, and take responsibility for yourself. If you need help, don't be so stubborn or prideful that you do not reach out to get help. If you have all the answers, why are you failing and falling deeper and deeper into the pit?

The answer is you do not have all the answers. You need God. You need others. You need help. It starts with humbling yourself and asking for help. The Bible cries out to us to humble ourselves before God. Then He will lift you up. But not until you HUMBLE YOURSELF!

James 4:10 "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

1 Peter 5:6-9 " Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings."

The devil wants you to be prideful and look only at others and their problems and not your own. "Prov 16:18 Pride goes before destruction,a haughty spirit before a fall." Pride was at the root of the original sin and is at the core of so much human destruction.

Humble yourself and ask God for help. Then seek help with others. Repent of your sins and sin no more, in Jesus Name!