Once
you start stepping out in faith and walking in the spirit, the devil
will see to it that you have ample opportunity to fall flat on your
spiritual face. He’ll try to get you into some jams where there appears
to be no way out.
But
take it from me as one who’s been there, if you’ll look to God and trust
His wisdom instead of your own, He’ll always show you a way of escape
(1 Corinthians 10:13). Not only that, but He’ll do it in such a way that
He’ll get the glory and you’ll have the last laugh on the devil.
I
remember one particular Wednesday night in Wichita Falls, Texas, where I
was faced with just such a situation. I was preaching on the reality of
the righteousness of God, and the anointing was really strong. Just as
my message reached its climactic moment, a woman in the audience
suddenly burst forth in tongues. I told her to stop three times, but she
only continued to grow louder. By the time she hushed, the anointing
had gone and the message was forgotten. So I looked at that woman
sternly and began to correct her for being out of order.
Then a man sitting next to her spoke up and said, “Brother Copeland, she is stone deaf. She can’t hear a word you’re saying.”
At
that point, I had no idea what to do. Not only had my sermon been
shattered, but the whole congregation was mad at me for getting onto
that poor deaf woman. (I found out later the man next to her used her to
disrupt services and run preachers out of town. When the service
reached a high point, he’d punch her and tell her it was her turn to
prophesy.)
So, I just stopped a moment and got quiet and waited for the Lord to tell me what to do. Sure enough, He told me. He said,
Call her up and lay hands on her and I’ll open her ears.
Talk
about a turnaround! When God healed that woman’s ears, He turned that
disaster into one of the most powerfully anointed meetings I’d ever had.
Everyone was blessed!
Next time the devil tries to back you in a
corner, get quiet. Ask God to show you the way of escape. He’ll bring
you out in victory every time.
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