The True Test of Deliverance
Jonah 2:7 “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.”
Have you ever gotten to a point where you exhausted all of your resources in an attempt to solve a problem— and you still had no solution? If your answer is “yes,” then I want to share a testimony that should encourage you.
About a year ago, I needed a thousand dollars by the end of the week. On Monday, I began to call clients, potential clients, and anywhere else I could get some business. By the end of the day Tuesday, I had exhausted all my resources and contacts, except for the Real Source (which can not be exhausted). Once I realized my mistake, I said, “Okay Lord, I give up… I need your help.” The next day, Wednesday, I received a call from a company that needed a piece of equipment. The company’s representative gave me the specs for the equipment and told me how much they had to spend. However, after running the numbers and finding the equipment, I realized that I could easily save them, “get this,” a thousand dollars!
Just to be sure, I checked the numbers and the specs over and over again. Afterwards, I called the owner and said, “I don’t know why you were quoted so high on this equipment. I can save you a thousand dollars.” To my surprise, the owner replied, “Actually, I don’t care what you can get it for; I’ll give you the amount I was going to buy it at. I just need it ASAP!” So when all was said and done, God provided me with more than what I needed; however, a test came with my deliverance. You see, I still had to tithe off of what I made, and even after my tithe, I still had enough to take care of my needs.
For me, deliverance came when I remembered the Lord. When my “soul” fainted, I remembered Whom to call on and, as always, He came through. From our text, we see the same thing happening to Jonah. When His soul fainted, He prayed to God. The 10th verse tells us the results: “And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.” (Jonah 2:10).
My friend, your deliverance is just one call away. But the true test of deliverance is your response to the question, “What are you going to do after you are delivered?” Remember, after Jonah was delivered, God told him to go to Nineveh, and this time, he went. After I was delivered, God placed it in my heart to tithe first, and I tithed. I believe that if you are in the midst of a struggle, God is going to deliver you, too. However, the sooner you are mindful of what He desires for you to do, the sooner you will be delivered. You see, too many folk want to go to the mall after they’ve been delivered financially. Too many folk want to go to the party after they’ve been healed physically. Too many folk want to find a man or a woman instead of finding God after they’ve been healed emotionally.
As you believe God for deliverance, begin to ask yourself, “How am I going to serve God after my deliverance? When you are able to respond to that question with an answer that is in alignment with God’s will, deliverance will come sooner than you realize.