Have you ever been rescued physically, emotionally or spiritually?  Have you ever been rescued and didn’t know you needed to be rescued?  Is there a chance you need to be rescued now?

In 1973 Gerri and I had been married for 10 years.  Our marriage was a wreck!  With two kids and an angry, bitter and adulterous husband, a macramé business and her mother living with us, Gerri became suicidal.  She didn’t realize she needed to be rescued!  Standing on a street corner waiting for a traffic light to change so she could cross the street, a total stranger walked up and stood beside her.  Gerri’s rescue was in process and she didn’t know it!  They both crossed the street and went to the craft store.  It wasn’t open yet, so the stranger invited Gerri for a cup of coffee next door.  Over coffee the stranger, a female, revealed her multiple attempts at suicide and suggested that Jesus was a much better solution to Gerri’s pain!  The next morning, Gerri went to her home for coffee.  She lived a half a block from us!  That morning Gerri got saved and Spirit filled!  Rescue complete! She needed to be rescued from herself and didn’t know it!  The love of Jesus intervened and Love won!  What a life changing miracle!

Gerri went whole hog for Jesus and it made me very angry.  Church, Bibles, books, plaques etc. were a threat to my self-centered idolatry.  My love hunger was completely out of control and my adultery was in full swing!  Then one day in 1976, at our best friend’s invitation, our family went to church together for the first time.   We were there for the dedication of our friend’s new born miraculous son to the Lord.  I was angry!  I didn’t want to be there!  When the pressure got too great I bolted for the door!  I took one step toward the rear of the church and Jesus stuck my feet to the floor!  I couldn’t move!  Instantly Jesus came into my heart and mind!  I saw His face.  My rage left instantly and His  awesome love filled my heart!  I looked back over my shoulder and the pastor was looking at me with his arms outstretched!  My feet were released and I turned and ran to his embrace, sobbing like a little child!  Rescue complete!  I didn’t know I needed to be rescued from myself, but Jesus did and He came uninvited and saved me!  Glory to God!

Now, how many of us need to be rescued and don’t know it.  You hopefully are born again, but you may still need to be rescued!  Now you ask, from what do I need to be rescued?  Obviously, that is a multiple choice question and you and Holy Spirit will have to answer it.  However, I will suggest a few things here that are possibilities.  Self would be a good place to start!  That’s usually our biggest stumbling block in our walk with God!  To the degree we are self-centered we are in idolatry and I’m sure you know idolatry is sin and sin is a barrier between us and God, and also invites the demonic to participate in our life.  We create our own mess and suffer the consequences for it!  Self usually hinders our commitment to God.  Self is influenced by the world and the demonic!  Self struggles with love hunger, woundedness, fears of all kind, lust of all kinds, shame and guilt, anger and rage, bitterness, unforgiveness and resentment and the list goes on and on!  Is our ‘self’ caught up in the kingdom of this world and what it has to offer?  We should wake up and know that the kingdom of this world cannot offer us eternal life.   It is severely limited in its ability to satisfy human need and desire by Father’s design!  So do we need to be rescued from self’s opinions and priorities that are worldly and/or ungodly?

Some of us may need to be rescued from others!  Are we in a controlling, dominating or abusive relationship?  If so, God’s not in it!  Get help and get out now!  Father loves you and He does not require you to suffer at the hand of bullies no matter who they are or what the circumstances are!  Submit your life to Him and He will make a way where there seems to be no way!

Now, how many of us need to be rescued from the demonic and don’t know it?  You might say, “Hey wait a minute, I’m a born again child of God.  I can’t have demons.”  Well, if you have bought into that demonic lie and deception and refuse to change your belief, you’ll just have to suffer the consequences in your day to day life!  However, for those who will listen your deliverance (rescue) is available in the Name of Jesus.  All demons can be cast out!  Our freedom was purchased at the cross.  Gerri and I know from personal experience.  We were born again and Spirit filled and we didn’t know we had demons in us working against our commitment to the Lord!  The proof came in dramatic fashion for both of us.  You can read the details in our book Our Glory Stories .  It’s a free download from the website along with all our other eBooks.  Your rescue from the demonic is  assured in the Name of Jesus!

Sadly, many of Father’s kids need to be rescued from religion!  They somehow think that their commitment to religion satisfies their obligation to God!  Sorry!  No substitutes allowed!  Idolatry is sin no matter what the idol is!  Don’t you know that our enemy likes to deter, frustrate, deceive, lie to, confuse, misdirect and even attempt to destroy Father’s kids?  Of course, he does!  What else does he have to do while waiting for his final judgment.  Religion is one of his useful tools of misdirection to keep us from developing a deeper, closer, more intimate and powerful relationship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  He works at deterring our sanctification because that means that more and more of our sin goes away and it’s our sin that gives him a foothold in our lives to work against us!  Our continuing sanctification leads to the overwhelming satisfaction of our love hunger and our deepening involvement in the powerful, supernatural life Father has intended for and prepared for all His kids!  Religion divides and separates!  Just look at what we call the Body of Christ.  We are divided and separated even antagonistic toward each other!  Many of us have a ‘better than you’ attitude toward other denominations!  Is that supposed to be a Godly attitude?  Where do our divisions come from? What’s the root?  I believe that one of the major factors in our division is ungodly opinion!  Denominations are born out of man’s opinions about God and our relationship with Him! Some of these opinions are just that, opinions.  They lack experience with God, but they have become truth to those who believe these human opinions!  In a personal, intimate experience with God, He will correct our unbelief, our misbelief and our idolatry if we will allow it, because these things separate us from Him and the destiny He has planned for us!  This are of sin is satan’s playground!  He constantly stirs the pot of unbelief and misbelief and antagonism for the world to see and hear!  So called Christian leaders go public demeaning and criticizing any brother or sister in Christ who dares to demonstrate something that brings the critic’s beliefs into question!  Our sacred cows shall not be threatened by anyone!  Satan loves it!  He empowers it!

So do you see how religion is a major destructive force that is a barrier to Father’s plan and desire to bring His supernatural life into and through every born again child of God?  It’s His heavenly gift to mankind through Jesus Christ our Lord.  In truth and reality in spite of man’s flesh, strong ungodly opinions and all satan’s works Father’s powerful life-changing love is greater than all opposition!   He is readily available to all who will repent and pursue Him!  Do you need to be rescued?