Sin - A Deadly Trap
Hi Everyone,
I hope all is well with you and your family. Summer is certainly going by fast. And everything seems to be changing by the day. Nothing is the same as it was just a few short years ago. There is uncertainty and anxiety moving as an undercurrent all around us. Discord and disunity is universal.
Where can we find comfort? Where can we find stability and peace? It can only be found in Jesus! He is Lord over all. For in him, there is no uncertainty, for he declares himself to be God. “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’” John 8:58
“I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though you have not known Me, so that all may know, from where the sun rises to where it sets, that there is none but Me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:5-6
We can be confident in the Lord for he has told us that “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Matthew 24:35 We can trust him.
I was given two visions not long ago, which I am sharing with you today.
The Visions
The Jacket and Purse
As I was praying, I saw a person with my olive green zippered jacket and my olive green fanny pack. The person was handing them to me saying, “Here, I have saved them for you.”
The Person Upside Down
Just a moment or two passed, and I saw a man upside down with his feet caught in a snare (a noose) made of rope.
When I get two visions back to back, I usually see them as somehow related, either in contrast to each other, or having a relationship as cause and effect. Sometimes they are just two separate messages, but both important to communicate. Some visions are for me personally and some are for the church at large. These two visions are opposites. The first vision shows intimacy and friendship with God. The second shows the effects of rebellion against God and his word.
In the vision of the person saving my jacket and fanny pack (a purse worn on the hips), the message is for me, yet by sharing it with you, you will also be blessed. The person is speaking to me directly and he is holding something that I actually own. These two personal items have been missing since early this summer, and have not yet been found.
I believe that the person in the vision who had been keeping my jacket and bag for me was an angel. Angels are ministering spirits. And in this case the angel is watching over me and my personal belongings. The Lord told me long ago, “I keep my angels round about you, but you go your own way.” So I recognize that God has been gracious to me for so long—my whole life. He has watched over me to protect me from harm, but has allowed me to experience trouble just as I am sure he has with you as well. He wants us to learn from our mistakes, so that we grow and mature. He wants to make us holy. Without the Holy Spirit, there would be no holiness in us at all!
“Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14
Since these two items have been lost for some time now, I have already replaced the fanny pack, with something that is not quite perfect, but will have to do. I tried buying a lightweight jacket to replace the jacket that was lost, but I had to take it back, for it did not fit right.
It is nice to know that somewhere out there, an angel has my jacket and fanny pack. But why would the Lord give me this vision? I believe that the Lord is demonstrating the ideas of trust, friendship and intimacy. The angel is keeping these items for me to be used at a later date. I expect that the Lord will make their location known sometime in the future, when I will need them.
The Lord knows our every thought, every emotion, and every situation that we face in life. He knows when we rise and when we go to bed. He knows every hair on our heads. He knows what we have need of, before we even ask. The Lord wants us to know and believe that we should not worry or be concerned for anything, for he is the answer to every problem and every situation that we face in life. And we need to be here for him, when he calls.
I was reminded of this part of the Lord’s sermon on the mount:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34
My olive green jacket is not anything special, but I use it for keeping warm year round. The fanny pack is convenient for carrying essentials just as a regular purse functions. I used both when taking a walk. Everyday I do a prayer walk in the morning. When someone calls for prayer, I would usually grab my jacket and fanny pack and go for a walk to pray and talk with them in private. A prayer walk is also a time when we can be alone with God, to spend time with him in intimate fellowship. It is a time to speak to him of things on our minds, and to listen and wait for his response. It is a time to get insight. It is a time to draw close to God, and to hear his voice.
The Lord wants all of us to know him intimately. He wants to share his heart with us, as we do with him. Even as a child, I would talk with the Lord as I would walk home from school by myself. It was a perfect time to be alone with him, especially with a family of eight. Yet, I was always happy to walk up the steps to our house, for home was a place of refuge for me. I would thank the Lord everyday for my home, a place where I knew I belonged.
Perhaps you might stop what you are doing, and take a walk with him. Just ask and say, “Lord, speak to me. What is on your heart?”
The Man Caught in a Snare
This vision concerns all mankind, those outside the church and those inside the church. It is about becoming bound by sin. In this vision, a man is hanging upside down by his feet caught in a snare.
Not knowing much about snares, I decided to look up information about how they are made, how they function and what they do to entrap an animal. The first and only article that I read online was entitled: “The Truth About Snares”, by Dwight Rodtka, a retired provincial wildlife official. At the top of the page in this article was a quote:
“Snares are archaic and torturous devices which should have been banned years ago.”
I read the article before I saw the quote above. And after reading it, I came to the conclusion that it is a terrible, inhumane way to trap an animal. I will not go into any details. The link is above if you want to know for yourself. However, my desire was to understand God’s intention in showing a man trapped in this manner.
I do believe that the vision represents being trapped by sin and the fact that it is nearly impossible for the man to free himself. In the natural world, if a man were actually found caught by his feet, he would need to be equipped with two very important things to be able to free himself. He would need extraordinary stomach muscles to pull himself up to his feet, and a sharp knife to cut the rope.
But when speaking spiritually about the bondage of sin, there are a few very important conditions one must have to be set free. The first is having a repentant heart that turns to Jesus for salvation and forgiveness of one’s sins. And second is having a strong desire to leave the former sinful life, and to live in obedience to the Lord and his word. Many people fail to receive full deliverance because they cannot or will not submit to the authority of God and his word.
When we come to the realization that we are in bondage to sin, we must also realize that Jesus is the only way to break free. Sin is like a noose. It is the animal’s struggle to break free, that causes the noose to become tighter. The more the struggle, the tighter the hold.
Sin is not something from which one walks away easily. There is always a spiritual battle. And submitting to God is a prerequisite to becoming free. Without a full surrender to the lordship of Jesus, a person in bondage will find that he is on his own, and out of his league. Fighting the devil by yourself, without the authority of God to back you up, is futile. It is a mistake to think you can break the bonds yourself. This is like the devil telling himself to leave. Jesus saw people in the crowds use this faulty logic, saying to him: "’By Beelzebul the prince of the demons He casts out the demons.’ And others tested Him by demanding a sign from heaven.”
“Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and a house divided against a house will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? After all, you say that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.’” Luke 11:15-20
Today, our world is becoming increasingly dark. Deception and wickedness are everywhere. Our civil liberties and Constitutional rights are ignored by those in power who will do everything they can to silence those who oppose them. As Christians, we need the power of God in our lives. This is not the time to compromise with the world and take on its values. Sin is not an option. If we entertain sin and give place to it in our lives, we will have no spiritual authority and our prayers will fall to the ground. “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.” James 5:16
Going back to the vision, we see that if the man hanging by his feet were left alone, with no one to rescue him, he would die. Living in sin, will lead to death—spiritual death. Sin may have its rewards for a season but eventually one will find himself trapped.
These next few passages of scripture show how bondage comes from succumbing to temptation - to engage in sinful behaviors. Sexual immorality, pornography, lust, greed, idolatry, covetousness, deception, cheating, stealing, gambling etc. are all sins that lead to entrapment and bondage.
“Do not gaze at wine while it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will utter perversities. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas or lying on the top of a mast: ‘They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I did not know it! When can I wake up to search for another drink?’” Proverbs 23:31-35
“He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income.” Ecclesiastes 5:10
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10
Adultery: “Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths. For she has brought many down to death; her slain are many in number. Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.” Proverbs 7:25-27
We will all be tempted at some point in our lives. But we should respond quickly and decidedly to flee temptation. We are to remove ourselves from temptation before we ever get to the point of sinning. It is the devil and not God who tempts us to sin. “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." James 1:13-15
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
If we have succumbed to temptation and find ourselves in bondage to sin, then we must understand that we cannot break the bonds of sin by ourselves. We must surrender to God and allow him to change our hearts to be conformed to his perfect will. All authority rests in God. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Revelation 12:11
The key to becoming free, is submitting to God for we are told in scripture to: “Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee.” James 4:7 This is a full surrender to his lordship, holding no exceptions.
We know that when we have made a true commitment to follow the Lord and to live an obedient life, the enemy will come to test our resolve. But by standing firm in our faith, knowing that God will fight our battles, we will overcome. We choose to not back down. Using the authority that the Lord gives us, we bind the devil and his demons in the name of Jesus. Jesus rescues us from sin, helps us to overcome our weaknesses, and to live victoriously for him. “And by your blood, you purchased men for God…” Revelation 5:9
So with God’s authority, we resist the devil and he flees!
I know that this has been a heavy message, but an important one. When the Lord shows me a vision like this, he intends for me to share it with whomever will read it and take it to heart.
So let us: “Seek the Lord while he may be found. Let the wicked man forsake his own way and the unrighteous man his own thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.” Isaiah 55:6
Please share this message with a friend. God is good, and he loves you. Be blessed!
