Missionary Esther Thornton, Oregon
GOD'S FREEDOM
I. We have freedom over
Smith Wigglesworth, who was a great man of
faith and saw healings and even people raised from the dead, woke up one night
and the devil was standing at the foot of his bed.
The Hebrew word for “God is able” is “Yahu”.
Sometimes I just feel like shouting “Yahu” to the
devil; stating my victory in
II. When we are free, we can
rejoice:
The Bible says that a merry heart doeth good like a medicine
but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (Prov. 17:22)
III. A Bruised Reed He
(Mt. 12:20-21) “A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax
shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in His name
shall the Gentiles trust.
Isa. 42:3 “A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking
flax shall he not quench; he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
This presents the image of the weak and depressed in spirit, the
lowly and dejected.
Where the flame of devotion burns at all, however feebly, and
dimly, He will take care not to quench it. Rather He will tend it, and trim it,
and give it fresh oil, and cause it to burn more brightly.
The smoking flax was actually the wick that floated in an open
lamp. If the oil is used up or the wick is not trimmed, it will smoke, giving
no light, but rather soot up the lamp. It was made of linen. The illusion is to
a wick that is burning with feeble flame from the absence of oil, and being
ready to expire. The ease with which the light of such a wick can be
extinguished is referred in this passage.
The bruised reed referred to a certain type of hollow stalk that
grew in abundance in
They were quite fragile, so could be damaged easily. They were so
plentiful that when damaged the child would simply throw it away, and cut
another.
Jesus said, and using the bruised reed and the smoking flax as an
illustration, that He would not break the bruised reed but would attempt to repair
it, nor extinguish the smoking flax, but instead replenish the oil and clean
the wick (flax), so it could continue to be used.
He was referring to Christians who are weak or else have a
continued problem that seemingly gets the best of them.
A Christian is like a tea bag - you can’t tell how strong it is
until it has gone through hot water.
This type of people, He would handle gently and kindly, making
every effort to nurture them along, in order to bring them to a place of
spiritual strength that they might bear fruit. As well, He would continue to
use patience as long as there was a flicker of spiritual life.
Isa. 61:1-3 says, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me;
because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath
sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives (or,
to set at liberty them that are bruised); and the opening of the prison to them
that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of
vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that
mourn in Zion; to give unto them beauty for ashes; the oil of joy for mourning;
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called
trees of righteousness; the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
(1) God is going to bring you out of
(2) God is going to destroy the advances of the enemy so that you
can come forth.
The Bible tells us in Num.
(3) You will inherit the promises of God
And, though
You may have been like
You are not a weak person, but a continual situation that you don’t
know how to avoid has kept you in a position of weakness, where you are
hindered from moving forward.
In Lu.
Prison bars are sometimes not the issue but it is prison that a
person is in without bars. In
Every fifty years, the Jews celebrate the year of Jubilee, (Lev.
25:9)
And, this is the scripture that
And, going back to the similar scripture
in Isa.:
Isa. 61:1-3 says, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me;
because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath
sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives (or,
to set at liberty them that are bruised); and the opening of the prison to them
that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of
vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that
mourn in Zion; to give unto them beauty for ashes; the oil of joy for mourning;
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called
trees of righteousness; the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
1. “Beauty for ashes“: Wood ashes placed upon the head expressed
mourning, a nuptial garland signified gladness. So, those who come to God will
receive beauty for ashes - a beautiful nuptial crown.
2. “The oil of joy for mourning” - Oil was employed on occasions of
festivity and gladness (Ps. 45:7) but was done away in time of public calamity
or grief.
3. “The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” - speaks of
a glad heart inclined to praise God instead of a heavy one inclined to despair.
4. “Called trees of righteousness” - literally means “oaks of
righteousness”, or strong and enduring trees in the
5. “The planting of the Lord” - Means because they are planted by
the Lord they will but will be everlasting.
6. “That He might be glorified” - He has planted and therefore the
results glorify Him.
God will take the hurts of your life and turn them into that which
will glorify Himself.
“Father in the mighty name of
And, Jn.
And, now, Dear Father, for those today who need healing in their
bodies, I speak healing in the name of
You can choose today to be a “victim” or a “victor”. God is on your
side and will strengthen you. And remember that no weapon formed against you
shall prosper and every tongue that rises against you
in judgment you can condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.’
(Isa. 54:17)
This is your time and your season. Read Psalms, Chapter 1. God is
planting you by the rivers of living water and you will begin to become
fruitful. God is turning your life around for the good, even now as I speak.
Contact us and tell us if you have prayed these prayers today or if
this message today was for you. We want to help you and stand with you that the
power of God might be in your life today. God bless you and remember that you
are loved; you are valuable to God and to us. Be blessed today in
________________
Global Evangelism Fellowship, Inc.
(503)728-3388
Lay down the past, the good and the bad - and receive all that the
spirit of God has for you. He is waiting to bless you and move you on as never
before in the things of God.
Isa. 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was
bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and
with his stripes we are healed.”
God wants to make a divine exchange with us. He was bruised that we
might have peace.
