A CERTAIN Judgment

MY God Wouldn't do that!

I was reading the Book of Amos yesterday and my Bible's intro for this describes it as: God announcing His certain judgment on a people certain He would not judge.  What a fitting description for much of the modern day church.

There has been an extremely successful effort underway to repackage what the Scriptures call "the world" and rebrand it as being of God.  Under this brilliant marketing campaign, religion has fashioned "another Jesus" (II Corinthians 11:4).  This new Jesus provides people with an alternative to following God's ways while still being able to consider themselves "Christian".  It produces a "Christian" who names the name of Jesus, but stands diametrically opposed to everything that Jesus is.

No matter what your proclivity, there is another "Jesus" just for you (with another "Gospel" to go along with it).  If you do not personally know God for yourselves, you will be deceived into thinking that this false presentation of God is true.

Under this new Gospel, eschewing evil has been replaced with accepting evil.  Having no fellowship with darkness is replaced with tolerating darkness.  Being not of this world is transformed into being just like this world.  Salvation is no longer about conformity to Christ but appreciating the diversity of man.  Establishing judgment has been replaced with dismissing judgment.  And all of this is okay because it is done under a banner of Christianity with the name of Jesus tacked on for good measure. 

"Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph." Amos 5:15

Have you ever spoken of God only to be told by another professing Christian, "My God would not do that!"  Without any further conversation, you can know one thing for sure: you two do not serve the same God.

A co-worker of mine once said, "God simply wants everyone to know and trust each other."   I responded, "That is not true.  God says that cursed is the man who trusts in the arm of flesh.  That is not what He wants from us at all."

Do you know this man's response?  "You cannot say what God wants!"  Yet, ironically, that is just what he had been doing, saying what God wants.  Oftentimes, speaking of God does not become an issue until you speak for God.  As long as everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion about who God is, everything is lovely.  Yet as soon as you speak God's words with no equivocation, you become an offense.

Both in and outside of the church, people are making presentations about who God is, but what is the basis for these presentations?  How can anyone say with certainty who God is...and who He is not?

If God is real - which He is - then He has a distinct personality, a definite character.  There are things He likes and things He dislikes.  There is that which He loves and that which He hates.  We cannot claim to love or even serve God without understanding the nature He possesses.  This is why He has given us His words, that we might know Him and His ways (Psalm 119).

If the word of God offends us, then it is because we do not belong to the God who wrote it.  If the god we serve is at odds with the God of Scripture, it is because we serve another god.  Yet, there are many doing just that; serving other gods, but claiming to serve the True & Living God.  Because they claim to be serving Jesus, people take what is said as being in authority, often to their own detriment.

In the Book of Amos, God is not only meting out judgment on those who fight against His people, but He is judging those who claim to belong to Him, but are filled with idolatry.

"I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream." Amos 5:21-24

No stronger language could likely be used.  He hates the days they dedicate to Him as feasts.  He will not dwell in the presence of their gatherings. He does not accept their offerings, their prayers.  He turns a deaf ear to their songs.  He rejects all that they have to offer Him because there is no judgment! 

These people were certain that judgment would not come to them.  Certain that God was receiving the works done in His name.  Certain that righteous judgment was not as important as their other offerings to Him (Matthew 23:23).  But they were wrong.  God was looking at their divided hearts; He was looking at the "little leaven" polluting their sacrifices.

"All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us." Amos 9:10

Our sincerity before the Lord matters. We cannot honor Him with our lips while our hearts are far from Him. He requires us to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. It is only then that we can be sure to know Him and be known by Him.

Our Father's Love Letter to You

In a previous article, I wrote on the topic of what it means for God to be Our Father and how reconciliation with Him means a restoring of the heart of patriarchy in our lives. 

I recently saw the following poem from Barry Adams in Dr. Annie Zac Poonen's book entitled "Woman, Why Are You Weeping?"  I pray that it encourages you.

FATHER’S LOVE LETTER

The words you are about to read are true.  They will change your life if you let them - for they come from the heart of God.  He loves you.   And He is the Father you’ve been looking for all your life.  This is His love letter to you.

My Child,

You may not know Me, but I know everything about you.	(Psalm 139:1)
I know when you sit down and when you rise up.	(Psalm 139:2)
I am familiar with all your ways,	(Psalm 139:3)
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered	(Matt.10:29-31)
For you were made in My image.	(Genesis 1:27)
In Me you live and move and have your being,	(Acts 17:28)
For you are My offspring.	(Acts 17:28)
I knew you even before you were conceived.	(Jer.1:4-5)
I chose you when I planned creation.	(Eph. 1:11-12)
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in My book.	(Psalm 139:15-16)
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live.	(Acts 17:26)
You are fearfully and wonderfully made.	(Psalm 139:14)
I knit you together in your mother’s womb,	(Psalm 139:13)
And brought you forth on the day you were born.	(Psalm 71:6)
I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know Me.	(John 8:41-44)
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love,	(1 John 4:16)
And it is My desire to lavish My love on you	(1 John 3:1)
Simply because you are My child and I am your Father.	(1 John 3:1)
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could	(Matthew7:11)
For I am the perfect Father.	(Matthew 5:48)
Every good gift that you receive comes from My hand,	(James 1:17)
For I am your provider and I meet all your need.	(Matt. 6:31-33)
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope,	(Jer. 29:11)
Because I love you with an everlasting love.	(Jer. 31:3)
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore	(Psalm 139:17-18)
And I rejoice over you with singing.	(Zeph. 3:17)
I will never stop doing good to you,	(Jer. 32:40)
For you are My treasured possession.	(Exodus 19:5)
I desire to establish you with all My heart and all My soul	(Jeremiah 32:41)
And I want to show you great and marvelous things.	(Jeremiah 33:3)
If you seek Me with all your heart, you will find Me.	(Deut. 4:29)
Delight in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart,	(Psalm 37:4)
For it is I who gave you those desires.	(Philippians 2:13)
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine,	(Ephesians 3:20)
For I am your greatest Encourager.	(2 Thess. 2:16-17)
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your trouble.	(2 Cor. 1:3-4)
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you.	(Psalm 34:18)
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to My heart.	(Isaiah 40:11)
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eye,	(Rev. 21:3-4)
And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth.	(Rev. 21:3-4)
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love My Son, Jesus,	(John 17:23)
For in Jesus, My love for you is revealed.	(John 17:26)
He is the exact representation of My being.	(Hebrews 1:3)
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you	(Romans 8:31)
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.	(2 Cor. 5:18-19)
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.	(2 Cor. 5:18-19)
His death was the ultimate expression of My love for you;	(1 John 4:10)
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love.	(Romans 8:31-32)
If you receive the gift of My Son Jesus, you receive Me	(1 John 2:23)
And nothing will ever separate you from My love again.	(Romans 8:38-39)
Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen.	(Luke 15:7)
I have always been Father, and will always be Father.	(Eph. 3:14-15)
My question is, “Will you be My child?”	(John 1:12-13)
I am waiting for you.	(Luke 15:11-32)

Love, 
Your Dad,
Almighty God.


Copyright Barry Adams –1999

The Mercy of God

May God Have Mercy On Our Souls

As I listened to this message today, it so convicted me.  I realized that at times in my heart - even if I hadn't verbalized it - I had been telling God, "It is just not fair."

Hear me here.  I am not speaking of conscious thought.  I am speaking of the hidden matters of the heart.  While I was holding on to faith and pressing on in the Lord, inside I was questioning: Why God?  Why is such and such happening? Why are you allowing it?

Honestly, I know that there are times we will have questions. However, at the heart of such statements is the belief that somehow, we don't deserve "this" [whatever "this" may be].  It is an accusation against God's righteousness.

Are we God?  Have we created the Heavens and the Earth?  Have we power over life or death?  Are we wise or just in our own eyes?  Is this not how God responded to Job?

What is it that we think we deserve from God?  Is not the summation of what we deserve death and the grave (Romans 6:23)?  If it were not for God's mercy, such would surely be our end.

Whatsoever God does for us, it is because of His mercy alone, and not because we have done anything to merit it.  As Min. Pawson says:

"God will give everyone what they deserve, but He will give some people more than they deserve.  He will be absolutely just with everyone, but He will be merciful to some."

"When you are in the Kingdom of Heaven, you don't have rights. You live by mercy."

"There is no such thing as luck or chance in the Kingdom of Heaven. God and luck are opposites."

Yes, as His children, there are certain promises to which we can hold as part of our inheritance in Him.  Yet even those things are still the result of His mercies...and it is to His mercy that we must appeal in all things. 

In this video, David Pawson examines how we receive the mercy of God.

• God shows mercy to those who ask for it.
• God shows mercy to those who pass it on.
• God shows mercy to those who don't take advantage of it.

Truths I've Learned by Pastor Zac Poonen

In these series of sermons, Pastor Zac Poonen outlines some truths that he has learned in his many years as a Christian.  I was originally going to call this article, "OUCH!" and once you hear the sermon, you will likely know why. 

As always, he has a way of explaining in very straightforward terms key principles of the Christian faith which are sure to feed your spirit and encourage you in the journey.

• God loves us as much as He loves Jesus.
• God delights in honest people.
• God delights in cheerful givers and not things done by compulsion.
• We must treat every human being with dignity.
• Holiness comes by looking on to Jesus.
• What it means to "take up our cross" daily.
• The world's opinions of us - whether good or bad - are fit for the trash can.
• We must be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.
• The test which should be applied to any "truth" is does it make you more free?  Free from the world, from sin, from people, from tradition, etc.
• This world's values are the opposite of God's values.
• Nobody can harm us except we ourselves.
• Knowing God intimately is the secret to being strong.
• God has a solution for every single problem you have.
• God has got a perfect plan for each of our lives.
• The new covenant is far superior to the old covenant.  What was external in the old becomes inward in the new.
• We will be rejected and persecuted by the world.
• There is no pre-tribulation rapture.
• God will supply all of your needs.
• We must receive all whom God has received.
  

The Valley of Achor for a Door of Hope

Hanging By A Line of Scarlet Thread

"Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee." Zechariah 9:12

Have you ever felt that the burdens you carry are too heavy for you to bear?  That God was not hearing your prayers or responding to your petitions?  That you were just overwhelmed or alone in your situation?  Such things caused me to seek God for a renewal of His hope in me and a better understanding of how to hold on to it.

The Scriptures are full of references to God's love, His longsuffering, and His mercy; where His arm is outstretched to save.  The Book of Hosea is one example of this.  The word "Hosea" literally means salvation.

God had instructed the prophet Hosea to marry a harlot so that he would understand first-hand how God felt about Israel's idolatry.  He could have just given Hosea the words to proclaim, but God is more practical than that.  He often places us in tough situations to give us a personal testimony that can transform his words from being mere recitations to being spoken from the heart by the power of His Spirit.  It is the difference between talking about a God whom you believe can do anything versus telling of a God whom you know has brought you through everything.  If we never have a time of testing, then we will never have a testimony or a personal revelation of God's delivering power of which to speak.  This is how we grow from faith to faith, as we go on to walk with God and see His deliverance in various aspects of our lives.

Although an unfaithful wife must have been a painful burden to carry, this is what God did with Hosea.  As a result, the Book of Hosea tells the beauty of how the love of God can take an idolatrous harlot and make of her a pure Bride.  In speaking of the blessings God would bestow on Israel when she turned back to Him, Hosea says in part:

"And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali." Hosea 2:15-16

Sometimes, you read things in Scripture that just make you go, "Huh?"  This was one such passage for me.  It sounds like such a beautiful promise, yet as I looked more closely, it presented some questions. Why is the valley of Achor a "door of hope"?

Achor

`Akowr
trouble, disturbance; the valley of trouble where Achan and his family were stoned

The valley of Achor was a large, fruitful and pleasant valley near Jericho, on the very entrance into the land of Canaan.

The first time we hear of it in Scripture is not a happy time. God was giving the city of Jericho into the hands of Israel, but had instructed them not to take of the accursed things in the city.  Yet Achan (which means troubler in Hebrew) did just that and brought a curse upon all of Israel.  When found out, God led Joshua to do the following:

"And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. 

And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? The LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day." Joshua 7:24- 26

And so I asked the Lord, "Why is this valley "a door of hope"?  Where is the hope in this? Why is this the door through which we must enter to receive God's blessings?"

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." I John 2:15

The valley of Achor is associated with Israel's release from the world: both their captivity to it (outward bondage of Egypt in Hosea 2) and their love for the things in it (inward bondage of Achan in Joshua 7).  The valley of Achor represents our deliverance.  It is the "door of hope" that we - like Christ - can overcome the world and all that is in it, so that we may enter into the promises of the Father!

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out...Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.  All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." John 10:1-3, 7-9

Jesus Christ is the door; He is leading us out...out from the bondage of the world.  He is our hope in that He is our Deliverer (Hebrews 6:17-20; I Timothy 1:1).  He is the means by which we are freed from enslavement to the world, and thereby from the god who rules it (II Corinthians 4:4).

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Just as Israel went through this valley before they could enter into the Promised Land, so must we experience this deliverance in order to walk in the new covenant promises of God: a resurrected life.

As Hosea says above, the valley of Achor is the door of hope through which we know God, not only as our Lord (Baali), but as our Husband (Ishi).  Just as in a marriage relationship, we are brought into intimate communion with Him as His Bride and become one with Him. Such is our hope; it is not of this world and neither can it be taken away by this world.

Hope

tiqvah
a cord; a hope or expectation

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end [hope]." Jeremiah 29:11

We may have circled in the Wilderness of Sin for what seemed like an eternity as God dealt with our idolatry and taught our hands to war, but there comes a time when we have been prepared to enter into the promises.  There comes a time when we come through the Valley of Achor as we are crucified to the world - and it to us - leaving behind the dead body of the old man (the troubler), so that we can truly move on in the promise of the power of new life in Christ.  This is the beauty of the cross (of which the valley of Achor is a type).

When Jesus was on the cross, God wasn't sitting in Heaven scratching His head trying to figure out what to do.  Not one thing happened to Jesus that was not part of God's plan.  When we yield our lives to the Father's hands, we also have this comfort.  We can know that - no matter what we go through - God is working out His plan for our deliverance and for our good!

"Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel." Ezekiel 37:11-12 

The death of the cross may seem like agony, it may feel like God has forsaken us...but He has not.  Don't focus on what you are going through but where God is taking you.  It is even the joy of what lay ahead after the cross which gave Jesus the strength to endure it, and that same hope will also give us strength (Hebrews 12:2).  Jesus has come to set the captives free and whom the Son sets free is free indeed.  God is a Deliverer, and He is delivering us!  He is bringing us into His promises of new life, which requires the death of the old Adamic nature.

Sometimes it may feel as if you are hanging by a thread - but then again, sometimes that thread is all you need; for a three-fold cord is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12b).  It is this same cord, this same hope, which saved the harlot Rahab and her family.

In preparing to take the city of Jericho, Israel sent a few men to spy out the land.  They were taken in and given shelter by the harlot Rahab, who also helped them to escape their pursuers from Jericho.  In return, the men promised to save her and her family if she obeyed their instructions:

"Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee...

And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window...

And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho." Joshua 2:18, 21; 6:25

The word "line" in the above text is the same as the word translated "hope" in Hosea describing the Valley of Achor.  We are saved by hope (Romans 8:24)!

Rahab's hope allowed her to be transformed from a harlot to a woman of faith, even becoming one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5).  As we saw in Hosea, God's love is able to transform even those with the heart of a harlot into pure brides for Christ.  There is a journey that God is taking every Christian through; molding us into a Bride without spot or blemish.  This is the power of God's salvation.

Hold on to the promise...hold on to the hope...hold on to the blood-stained, three-fold cord which is an anchor to our souls and binds us to Christ, making us His own.  The valley of Achor is a door of hope for it is the path to our deliverance.

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Psalms 27:13-14

The Sovereign Grace of God

Grace is for the Undeserving

"But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." James 4:6

The key to receiving the grace of God is to be humble, which is why God repeatedly commands man to humble himself (Exodus 10:3; Deuteronomy 8:2, 12; II Chronicles 7:14; 34:27; Jeremiah 13:18; Matthew 18:4; 23:12; James 4:10; I Peter 5:6).

The opposite of this is pride, which is the root of why Lucifer fell.  It stands in stiff-necked contention against God and against His ways.  Pride hardens the heart so that we cannot receive the things of God...even His grace (Daniel 5:20; Obadiah 1:3).

We have spoken previously on the topics of eternal security, predestination, and free will.  However, in the following video, David Pawson discusses the topic of God's sovereignty and His grace.  What is sovereign, irresistible or unconditional grace? What does it mean to be "saved by grace"?  Minister Pawson examines what a Scriptural understanding of grace is so that we can truly appreciate God's gift.

To expound upon this topic, he evaluates the 5 points of Calvinism - which not only did not come from John Calvin, but also contradicts some of his own beliefs.  Commonly called by the acronym TULIP, these points include:

• Total Depravity
• Unconditional Election
• Limited Atonement
• Irresistable Grace
• Perseverance of the Saints

A great illustration that Minister Pawson uses in this discussion of grace is the story of the Potter and the clay.

"THE WORD which came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.  Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was working at the wheel.  And the vessel that he was making from clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he made it over, reworking it into another vessel as it seemed good to the potter to make it.  Then the word of the Lord came to me: O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? Says the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel." Jeremiah 18:1-6 [Amplified Version]

This Scripture is often used to justify a perverted understanding of God and His grace.  The text does not show a potter arbitrarily determining to make some vessels of honor and others vessels of dishonor.  The potter desired to make a particular type of vessel, but the vessel itself became spoiled in his hands.  Yet we know that this was not the potter's plan because had to change his intended use of the vessel and make it into another vessel.  

In the next chapter, God instructs Jeremiah to shatter the perverted vessel as an illustration of how God will deal with Israel.  Why?  "Because the people have forsaken Me.." (Jeremiah 19:4).  It is the vessel which became perverted in the hands of the potter; the potter did not willfully create it to be so.  What God had created to be a vessel of mercy, now became a vessel of judgment; not because God chose it to be this way, but because the vessel was spoiled.

The video starts off as a rather academic discussion, but soon gets into a question and answer session as he addresses common questions about God's grace and how we experience that in our lives.

I Cannot Perfect Myself

The Man in the Mirror

One thing that a religious mindset will always do is get you to focus on how what YOU need to do to change yourself.  Self-improvement, self-actualization, self-evolution, self-fulfillment, self-awareness...

Even those who profess to have no religious affiliations still display this religious way of thinking.  From the atheist to the buddhist or the wiccan, they all belong to the same school of thought: man can improve his own self. 

Have you ever considered how much time, money, and resources are wasted every day as people try to "better" themselves?  Just take a look at marketing ads as an example.  Need to obtain bigger bust lines, bottoms, or lips?  There's a surgery for that.  Need to remove wrinkles? There's an injection for that.  Need to enhance your concentration or intellect?  There's a school or conference for that.  Need to grow longer eyelashes?  There's even a drug for that.  Businesses make billions of dollars each year, by taking advantage of people's desires to mold themselves based on what looks good in their own eyes.

People spend their whole lives examining themselves in the mirror and trying to perfect what they don't like.  Yet in the end, they die in the same wretched inward condition in which they lived, because the extent of their change can only be cosmetic. 

I am not saying that it is wrong to desire to improve one's self; I am calling us to look at how this is really accomplished.  God says that He is the Potter and we are the clay.  He is the One who created us and He alone knows who we were designed to be.  If we never find ourselves in Christ, then we will never fulfill our true purposes in life (Acts 17:28).  We will seek each day to change who we are in some way or to improve, but never be satisfied.  There will always be something that is yet not right because the power to truly change the essence of who we are only comes through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Even those who have been born again often live after this same religious mindset, attempting to change themselves by the power of their own will...and experiencing the crushing weight of defeat when they cannot.  I will have more faith...I will stop losing my temper...I will be more loving...I will get over this addiction...I will change my behavior; and yet remain unable to gain these victories. 

God's answer for man is not to struggle in restraining the old man, but to no longer be a slave to him.  One of the reasons that there is freedom in Christ Jesus is because we are not responsible for perfecting ourselves.  We are not saved so that we can try, but so that we can die (to our own thoughts and our own ways)...allowing the new life - that which is created after the image of Christ - to live.  It is the mirror of God's word that changes us as we are conformed to His image by His Spirit.  All that is required from us is to yield and receive.  God does not need our effort.  Rather, He awaits our impotence when we find our true rest in Him, so that He can complete the work He has begun in us.

Don't be deceived and trapped in the frustration of trying to perfect yourself.  If you could do it, you would not need Christ.  But live a true life of victory through faith in Jesus, which only comes by a complete dependence on God...even for deliverance from yourself.