TEXT: PSALM 102:20 NKJV
[20] To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To release those appointed to death,
Discussion
There are two common realities for every human being on earth: birth and death. Everyone who is born will surely die if Jesus tarries. The only people who will escape death are the saints who will be raptured with Jesus when He returns.
However, dying before God’s appointed time is not God’s will. God did not create us merely to add to the world’s population. He created us to fulfil a divine mandate, and any attempt to take us out before that mandate is fulfilled is an illegal exit. Therefore, we refuse to leave this world without fulfilling the mandate God has called us to.
One of the ways Satan instils fear in Christians is through the fear of death. We must make up our minds that, no matter how difficult the situation may appear, our confession will be: “I shall not die before my appointed time.” Our text today says that God releases those appointed to die that is, those whom the enemy has planned to take out before their time. God steps in and delivers them all.
Jesus died at a young age (33 years), but only because He had completed His assignment. He willingly gave Himself up to be crucified. If He had not finished His mandate, there was no way anyone could have taken His life. Even the betrayal by Judas would not have succeeded.
They attempted to throw Jesus off a cliff (Luke 4:29–30), but they could not because His assignment was not yet complete. When it is not your time, it is simply not your time.
We must maintain this mindset as we go about our daily activities.
Psalm 118:17 says, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”
Whatever circumstance arises to threaten our lives, our response should be, “I shall not die.” Even when you wake up from a frightening dream, your response should remain, “I shall not die.”
Brethren, it is our responsibility to do our best to take care of our well-being physically, mentally, and spiritually but we should not live in fear.
I shall hear your testimonies, in Jesus’ name.
Declarations:
I shall not die, but I shall live to declare the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I shall fulfil my days. The number of my days shall be fulfilled. I am designed to fulfil my God-given mandate, and I shall fulfil it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Light Up Christian Fellowship
