God is a Redeemer

GUEST BLOGGER NAVONTAE HAMP

First, I would like to thank Ms. Ruth for this opportunity to write a blog for her podcast; I truly enjoyed myself and consider this an honor.

If you tuned into the latest episode of Out of the Darkness with Ruth Hovsepian, you heard me tell my testimony of being molested at a young age, and ultimately, this led me down a path of sexual perversion. At my lowest point, being suicidal after being exposed in the church at the age of 17, I had an encounter with God where I told him, Lord, I don’t want to kill myself, so take me instead.

He didn’t do as I had requested. He, in return, gave me a tangible embrace on the floor of my teenage bedroom and simply said I never called you that; these words brought a freedom I had been looking for my whole life at that time.

If you don’t take anything from this story I want you to take two things away, number one what you are going through is not who you are. What your children are going through is not their identity it could be a drug addiction, sexual bondage, shame, insecurities whatever it could be, God does not identify you as your weakness or your struggle, he identifies you with your origin.

Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” This tells us that God knew us from the beginning and created us for a purpose. What happens is satan comes in and tries to distort what God intended to happen, this could be through any means a negative word that a peer or even a parent calls you that opens you up to rejection or insecurities or like in my story to a sexual identity that God did not give me.

It is Satan's plan for you to walk beneath what God has called you to, for you to forfeit your calling or your assignment. He wants to, as scripture says, kill, steal, and destroy in your life. God is calling you to come out of the false labels and false desires that satan has placed in your life. Look at Jeremiah. God, his creator, is telling him his purpose, and he tells God, “Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.” Jeremiah 1:6 KJV. God then comes back and says, “But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. 

Jeremiah 1:7 KJV Jeremiah couldn’t see past a spirit of insecurity and believe what God said, so God had to correct this way of thinking.

Now, we don’t know when, but satan planted this seed in Jeremiah’s thinking to abort Jeremiah’s purpose. You know you’re dealing with an Identity stealing demon when you can’t do or can’t believe what God says about you.

The last thing I want you to take is God is a redeemer. He is a redeemer of time, possessions, family, your soul, and also your identity. There is no dark room that God cannot illuminate; there is not one soul God can’t heal. Look at the prodigal son. He was in his father's house, left, and spoiled what he thought was all of his inheritance. He was then found in a pit, but (and I feel the anointing on the word but, because I’m told it cancels out everything that was said before it), God found him in that pit. It's not said in the text, but the scripture says he came to himself or had a revelation; a lightbulb went off in his head. This revelation made him say I don’t have to be where I am because my Father can restore me, and I’m paraphrasing.

Only God causes us to come to ourselves, and only God can put a “but” in the plan of the devil because he alone redeems. Here’s a prophetic word from the Lord: “And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.”Ezekiel 16:6-7 KJV.

God is telling you to live; he’s breathing his Ruach or his spirit upon you and saying wake up and dream again because he can redeem you. When I was polluted in my blood in a homosexual relationship as a teenager with an adult minister in the church, God saw fit to pass by me and say live; that’s not who I called you to be. 

We are in good company my friend look at Gideon, Jeremiah, Moses, Mary Magdalene, the disciples, and Rahab, all these people had a moment with a redeeming God that changed their lives. For the person who needs practical steps to restore your identity,

1.     Believe that he can redeem you.

2.     Spend time with God, in this time he reveals himself and deals with the lies of the devil. This is where he cleanses us.

3.      Obey whatever God tells you to do. Action is the proof of your faith, and it causes chains to break because you made a choice.        

I declare God is giving you a “but” moment that will completely cancel out satan’s plans for your life.

Go forth and Dream Again.