“It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—SIGNED, SEALED, and DELIVERED by the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:13, The Message)
For the last few weeks we’ve explored what it means that we are signed, sealed and delivered by Holy Spirit.
SIGNED
We have been purchased with the blood of Jesus, and are now partners with God in the everlasting covenant which He established.
SEALED
We are unconditionally loved, powerfully saved, protected from the enemy, and eternally secure.
This week we will learn what it means that we are DELIVERED. Let’s begin:
God is all about deliverance! It’s the theme of the entire Bible, in every book, almost on every page.
David testified that he had been DELIVERED from the lion and the bear, DELIVERED from
Goliath, DELIVERED from King Saul, and
DELIVERED from all his enemies.
(1 Samuel 17:37 and 2 Samuel 22:1)
David celebrated God’s delivering power in most of the psalms he wrote. Psalm 34 is just one of many examples.
● I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and DELIVERED me from all my fears.(Verse 4)
● The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and DELIVERS them. (Verse 7)
● The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and DELIVERS them out of all their troubles. (Verse 17)
● Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord DELIVERS him out of them all.
(Verse19)
But the Apostle Paul may have broken David’s record to claim the title of “God’s Most Delivered”. ust look at some of the challenges and obstacles Paul overcame through faith in God’s delivering power:
²⁴ “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; ²⁶ in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; ²⁷ in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness…” (2 Corinthians 11:24-27)
So we can see that David, Paul, and many others in the Bible experienced “multiple deliverances”.
While I was studying to prepare for this post, Holy Spirit put an exclamation mark on this topic, y showing me a scripture I’d never noticed before. Here it is:
“God is to us a God of deliverances and salvation; and to God the Lord belongs escape from death [setting us free].”
(Psalm 68:20, Amplified Classic Bible)
Notice that the word “deliverances” in this verse is plural. It is translated from the Hebrew word “mowsha’oth” and this is the only place in the Bible this word is used.
It is derived from the Hebrew root ‘yasha‘, which means “to save” or “to deliver”. And it is also the root in the name Yeshua, which is of Jesus’ name in Hebrew.
Pause for a moment and meditate on that:
Yeshua, our Deliverer, escaped from death, setting us free!
As I dug deeper, I found that Holy Spirit
DELIVERS us in at least four specific ways.
1. WE HAVE BEEN DELIVERED FROM THE POWER OF DARKNESS BY HOLY SPIRIT
“The Father has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love…”
(Colossians 1:13, Amplified Classic Bible)
God had to first DELIVER us OUT OF darkness, shattering our chains, so that satan would have no more authority or control over our lives.
He did this by releasing us through Jesus’ death, and rescuing us through Jesus’ resurrection, completely setting us free from the power of sin and death.
Then He TRANSFERRED, TRANSPLANTED, and TRANSLATED (all three words are used interchangably in various translations) us INTO the kingdom of His Son!
2. HOLY SPIRIT WAS THE AGENT WHO DELIVERED US AT THE MOMENT OF OUR NEW BIRTH
We are told in Genesis 1:2 ttat the Holy Spirit hovered over the face of the waters, as the Word of God initiated and released His awesome power of creation.
Holy Spirit also hovered over Mary, as the Word of God was conceived and became flesh in her womb.
Finally, Holy Spirit hovered over us, opening our hearts to receive the life-giving seed of God’s Word. He breathed eternal life into our spiritually dead hearts.
Holy Spirit is the active, supernatural source of God’s life in us. That life is imparted to believers at the moment of the new birth.
We are “born of the Spirit”! Holy Spirit is like a spiritual mid-wife, who DELIVERS us, ushering us into our new life in Christ.
3. HOLY SPIRIT DELIVERS US OVER AND OVER, OFTEN MOMENT-BY-MOMENT
The Apostle Paul testified that God:
“… DELIVERED us from so great a death, and DOES DELIVER us; in whom we trust that He WILL STILL DELIVER us…”
(2 Corinthians 1:10)
Notice this: The Deliverer is ever-present, and ever-ready to help, rescue, and save us!
● He “delivered” us in the past (and we have the receipts to prove it!)
● He “does deliver” us now, in the current crisis we are experiencing.
● He “will still deliver” us, no matter what hot mess we may find ourselves in tomorrow.
Often, we hear the word “deliverance”, and immediately think of exorcisms, of demons being cast out of people who are oppressed. Or we may think of major troubles that require a major rescue operation from God. Major or minor, large
or small, God is a God of deliverances, and will not fail us as we trust in Him.
But in reality, most of our deliverances are ordinary everyday events in our ordinary everyday lives.
Ask yourself: “How many times did God deliver me today?”
The answer is: “Only He knows”! He doesn’t proclaim our “everyday miracles” with a trumpet and a voice from heaven. Most of the time our deliverances are just things He is quietly and faithfully doing for us because of His love.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
◇ My electricity is on today.
◇ My finicky toilet is not overflowing.
◇ The price of gas went down just before I pulled in to fill my tank.
◇ I wasn’t struck by lightning in last night’s storm.
◇ Corporate headquarters sent a list of those to be laid off next month. My name wasn’t on it.
◇ My family came home from work/school safely today.
◇ I tripped over the garden hose and fell, but I didn’t hurt anything except my pride.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
We have quite a bit more to be thankful about than we may have realized. Maybe the place to look for the hand of God is in the ordinary, the simple things of life, that we too often take for granted.
4. HOLY SPIRIT WILL PERSONALLY AND PERFECTLY DELIVER US, RIGHT TO THE THRONE OF FATHER-GOD!
“Now, to the one with enough power to prevent you from stumbling into sin and bring you faultless before his glorious presence to stand before him with ecstatic delight…”
(Jude 1:24, The Passion Translation)
WOW! SIGNED, SEALED, AND DELIVERED, RIGHT TO MY FATHER’S HOUSE!
Father, we’ve already been signed and sealed. And one day we will be delivered to you, perfect, pure, and precious! We are yours!
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Ours is a labor of love. We have never asked anyone to support this ministry financially. We don’t sell merchandise. We don’t host advertising. We don’t solicit donations. We have never received any income through this site.
Christ is, and will always be, our sufficiency, meeting all of our needs.
But we have humbly asked, and do ask again, that our readers would generously support our ministry Partners in the Philippines, Student Life Organization, Inc.
God has given Co-Founders Ian Rustia and Anne Ruiz a clear vision and an open door to reach many in their nation, and beyond, with the love of Christ. They powerfully and faithfully demonstrate His love through outreaches to the needy, the marginalized, and the often forgotten… children and young people with disabilities and special needs, and their families.
SLOI has only been incorporated as a non-profit ministry for slightly more than a year, yet they have already produced much fruit for the kingdom of God. Grace and I consider it a privilege to share in their work, and we earnestly ask that you would join us in supporting their ministry through your prayers and giving.
PLEASE DO THESE THREE THINGS:
- Pray for the continued success of this ministry and that God would supply every need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
- Check out and subscribe to the SLOI website to learn more about their latest outreaches and ministry events. You may do this by clicking on this link:
NEWS FLASH! The SLOI Newsletter is now featured on our site! Just click on the button found on the homepage!
- Please give generously to support this ministry. You may do so through the Paypal link to their newly opened ministry account:
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/studentlifeinc2025
⁶ “Remember this: he who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly, and he who sows generously, that blessings may come to someone will also reap generously and with blessings.
⁷ Let each one give as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver whose heart is in his giving.
⁸ And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].
⁹ As it is written, he [the benevolent person] scatters abroad; he gives to the poor; his deeds of justice and goodness and kindness and benevolence will go on and endure forever!”
(2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-9, AMPC)
Thank you! We pray that you will experience God’s richest blessings as you give freely and cheerfully in Jesus’ name!
Joe and Grace
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