When Your Life is the Pits, Seek God! He’ll Pull You Out!

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Have you ever felt like the devil has tried to lower you into the pit? I’ve thought about how Jeremiah, a prophet of God was lowered into a pit. He hadn’t done anything but be faithful to God and yet here he was being lowered into a pit of deep mud! Oh how awful! Jeremiah 38:6 NLT “So the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard…. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it.”

Why did that happen to Jeremiah? Why does your life sometimes feel like its gone in the pit? Sometimes Christians put themselves in that pit. They drift from God for any variety of reasons. They no longer “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” though they know better. Instead, they drift like a boat at sea without an anchor—living their own agenda. At first they sense the pull of the Holy Spirit as He tries to draw them back to God. But in time, and after ignoring God’s cries of love, their heart becomes hard, they drift too far and can no longer hear Him. They become numb to His voice and leading. Then more wrong choices are made and sinful behavior is elevated. From there, it isn’t long before the painful consequences of sin create hurt and pain, and life becomes a pit.

What’s the solution? Repentance! A turning away from sin and drawing near to the Lord seeking His mercy and grace. And that repentance must be sincere—not just the desire to escape from trouble. Only God knows if someone is sincere. If they are, He will help direct their life back to Him. He will lead them to find a good church, read their Bible, and compel their heart to pray. They will need to get reconnected to people—to Christians whether it be serving side-by-side in church, or connected to others through a small group. Just showing up creates an accountability that will begin to immediately help them. If a person truly repents, God will lead them back to this path, He’ll deliver them from the pit they’ve been in and direct their life back on course to a life of living in God’s promises.

But what about those like Jeremiah who have been living for the Lord and yet their life has still seemed to have landed in a pit? Why did that happen? If you have been living for the Lord, then you should have grown to the place where you know Satan’s devices. 2 Corinthians 2:11 NKJV says, “…lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” Satan is your enemy. He is the enemy of all creation because all mankind was created by God. He opposes and hates all humanity and all that represent God. If you watch Jesus’ life you will see that Satan was working through men to kill Him His entire existence on earth. Satan used Herod to try to kill Jesus when He was a baby and Satan never stopped trying. Luke 4:29 NLT tells us, “Jumping up, they mobbed Jesus and took Him to the edge of the hill on which the city was built. They intended to push Him over the cliff…” Satan doesn’t like mankind but he hates devout Christians even worse. If he could put your life in the pit or push you off a cliff, he would try.

When Jeremiah was in the pit, there was someone being used of God to intercede for Jeremiah. You have someone interceding for you! Jeremiah was taken out of the pit and God wants to take you out of the pit. God wants to deliver you. Jesus paid the price so that you could be delivered. But first you need to know there is someone interceding for you. If you are a Christian, I can almost assure you that there is. First and foremost Jesus is. Hebrews 7:24-25 NLT says, “But Jesus remains a priest forever; His priesthood will never end. Therefore He is able, once and forever, to intercede and save everyone who comes to God through Him. He lives forever to plead with God on their behalf.”

I believe there is someone praying for you, but if you don’t know who that might be, then just know that Renee and I are! We are interceding for you! We just prayed for God’s deliverance and blessing for you this morning!

If you’ve been running from God and now you’re in a pit, know that He loves you, will forgive you, and wants you to come to Him. James 4:6-8 NKJV says it like this, “…God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Did you catch that? “Come near to God and He will come near to you”

If you’re like Jeremiah, then have great faith knowing God loves you! He wants to and will deliver you from this attack of Satan—from the pit you’re in as you draw near to Him. We are praying for you!

Psalm 56:13 NLT “For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.”

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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