FRIDAY June 9, 2023

Delivered from Death

And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”
Acts 12:11

Notice, Peter now knew it was not his time to die. His confidence was immovable––he trusted in God. The Jews expected him to be killed, just like the Apostle James whom Herod had killed with the sword. Peter was delivered from death. God’s plans always supersede man’s plans.

In the Bible, God’s character was known to His people as the Deliverer. King David, even from a young shepherd boy, had great confidence that his God could deliver him from death. In Psalm 31:15, his trust in his God is expressed: My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

Our times are in the hands of God. God can deliver us from the hand of death. Besides, He is the One who numbers our days. As His child, you do not have to be fearful of dying, because the moment you take your last breath, immediately you are in the presence of God in heaven. The Apostle Paul wrote what to expect when we die: We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).

In heaven, for the Christian, there is no more sorrow or death. We are comforted for all eternity. That is not the case for those who do not believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. The moment they die, they remain separated from the Lord for all eternity. Interestingly, Jesus warned people about having the fear of the Lord to avoid eternal death: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

There is only one death for the believer, the death of the body; but there are two deaths for the non-believer––the second death (Revelation 20:14). Do you need deliverance from eternal death? Ask the Deliverer.

Death has no sting to a Believer. Once death was the penalty of sin-sin being forgiven, the penalty ceases and Christians do not die, now, as a punishment for their sin, but they die that they may be prepared to live!
~C. H. Spurgeon~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!