The Goodness of God

Isn't God good? His mercy is so awesome and His love never failing. If God has ever done something for you, then you know what I'm talking about.

I awakened this morning thankful that it was Friday. The close of the work week, payday and the reality that I have much to be thankful for. As I lay in bed thinking, my soul began to rejoice in all the small miracles God has done in my life. Those things like: my health and strength and that of my loved ones, keeping my rent paid, having sufficient food in my cabinets, reliable transportation, a decent paying job and working among decent individuals. Perhaps for some, these might not seem like miracles but if you've ever had the experience of struggling with any of these things, you'd understand why I deem them a miracle in my life.

I recently embarked on a 7-day spiritual fast because I needed some real spiritual muscle in my life to get rid of some carnal desires causing me problems. I'm a firm believer that alot of the problems in our human lives are spiritual and that a good dose of fasting and prayer can alleivate most of the things we struggle with.

My problem was gambling, and believe me, it had a strong foothold in my life. As a single mother, gambling is not a vice you want to become addicted to. I saw gambling as a demon in my life and indeed it was because its grip was destructive and it impacted every aspect of my life.

So many times before I had cried out to God with tears begging Him to please remove every desire to gamble from the depths of my soul. However, time and time again, when pressures overwhelmed me, I'd succomb to gambling as a outlet to deal with life's pains.

But on February 24, 2008, I wanted something different. I wanted to be delivered once and for all from the demonic grip of gambling and I knew that it would take drastic measures on my part. Somewhere in my spirit, I felt God had just been waiting on me to want deliverance so bad that I would be willing to take my deliverance by force.

I remembered reading in the scriptures in Mark 9:14--29 about the father who had a son possessed since childhoold. The father brought his son to Jesus' disciples seeking his son's deliverance, but the disciples were unable to cast the demon out. When Jesus showed up on the scene he asked them what all the fuss was about and the boy's father explained that the disciples could not cast the demon from his son. Jesus replied to the father "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me".

When the boy was brought before Jesus the demon immediately began to torment the boy and Jesus asked his father "How long has this been happening to him?" and the father replied "since childhood." Jesus said to the father "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father cried out and said with tears "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief !" Jesus spoke to and rebuked the unclean spirit, and after the spirit put up a fight, it came out of the boy. After this miracle of deliverance the disciples asked Jesus in private why they could not cast out the spirit in the boy. Jesus replied "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

This one statement "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting" is what encouraged me to get desperate about my deliverance from the demon of gambling. I knew within my spirit that gambling had been with me since childhood because gambling is a root that existed in our household when I was a kid, and my parents still gamble to this day. But I knew that if I really wanted deliverance, truly wanted to be set free, I'd have to fast and pray to show God that I meant business about being delivered.

I'll tell you, fasting is not an easy thing to do because your flesh doesn't like being deprived of food. But after you get past the third or fourth day, your flesh understands completely that you are the master of the bodily temple. God knew my heart, heard my plea seeking deliverance, and didn't allow me to fast alone. Instead he sent a friend to go the 7 days distance with me. I thank God so much for such a friend. Having such friends in your life who are willing to go on a spiritual journey with you because they want you to have all of God's goodness in your life, is yet another of God's blessings.

God is good and He's good in so many ways that it'd take me many more pages to tell of His goodness in my life. I know this deliverance was more than just deliverance from gambling. It was a deliverance from the sins in my life that had so easily beset me.

I'm feeling better these days and much closer in my walk with God. I know that He has a great plan for my life and my blessings will overtake me. My prayer continues to be "Lord, help me freely share your goodness in my life with all I encounter". Nobody has to tell me because I know without a doubt, God is good all the time and all the time God is good.

Oluwakemi