Remember Who Delivered You

Remember Who Delivered You

By Dave Pound

       The Bible tells amazing stories of deliverance. The Hebrews rescued from Egyptian slavery. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego delivered from the fiery furnace. Daniel saved from a den of lions. Those are just a few of many.

       However, the deliverance described in Romans is beyond any instance of deliverance we can imagine. We read in Romans 3:23-24, "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." And Romans 6:22-23, "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

When we were trapped in sin and completely helpless to rescue ourselves, Jesus came to save us and give us a life of meaning and purpose - both in this life and for eternity. 

One of the most famous or dramatic examples of conversion that we read about in the Bible is that of Saul of Tarsus. In Acts chapters 9, 22, and 26 we read the narrative of Paul's testimony from living a life of a pharisee to that of a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. I would like to share four principles we can draw from Paul's testimony and apply to our own so that it will have the maximum impact on those who need to hear.

       First, do not be intimidated by the testimony of others. Paul definitely had a powerful pre-conversion story, he was the modern day equivalent of a hit man, responsible for the deaths and imprisonment of many innocent Jewish believers in Christ. Of course, he thought he was doing the work of God (Acts 26:9; 1 Timothy 1:13) but it was dramatic nonetheless. Those of us who were raised in church environments do not have such dramatic stories to tell, and we think our testimonies are less important or interesting than others. Nothing could be further from the truth! Every lost sheep that is found by the Good Shepherd has a story that results in praise to His grace. Every testimony is important, including yours, if you truly know Christ as Savior. We can get anxious about how to express ourselves, what reaction we will get, and whether we will be able to answer questions adequately. We are responsible only for planting and watering the seeds: the Lord will take care of the growth (1 Corinthians 3: 6-9).

       Second, do not get lost in the details. Remember the three parts of every testimony: what you were, how you met Christ, and what you are now - the basic elements of any "before and after" story. Those three points provide an excellent outline for anyone's testimony and can help a person stay focused and on track. The people who are listening do not need to know all the details, as there is nothing new under the sun. The truth is that "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23). Expressing that fact about ourselves conveys the sense that we know what is important for others to hear.

       Third, do not forget the details of your salvation experience. No one evolves into being a Christian. The basic process of salvation happens with everyone the way it happened with Paul: at one point we were not a Christian, and a few moments later we became followers. Becoming a Christian happens at a specific point in time. The events leading a person to accept Christ might have been a process, but the moment at which anyone makes a conscious decision to place his or her faith in Christ and submit to His Lordship as Savior is the moment a person becomes a Christian.

       Fourth, Do not let the enemy persuade you that your story is unimportant. Satan would love to convince each of us that the story of our salvation is insignificant or irrelevant to the rest of the world: "You are not a famous person...You were not a bad person before meeting Christ...You are a terrible public speaker" - and so on. Here is the secret to remember; Satan is not trying to keep people from hearing about us, he is trying to keep people from hearing about God! If we are the channel for the message of God's grace and forgiveness, then Satan wants to shut that channel down by trying to convince us to remain silent. If we yield to the pressure not to speak about the grace of God that saved us, the people who need to hear of His grace may never hear. Do not let the enemy persuade you that your story is unimportant. Be sure to give the glory to God.



       God wants us in heaven with Him, but our sinfulness is a terrible barrier. That's why He sent His perfect Son to earth. Jesus came to suffer for our sins and to open the door for us to have a relationship with God and the eternal life that goes with it. You can have a part in reducing the number of people who may experience the judgement of God. Having such a gift, I don't know why we are so hesitant to share it with people who are still trapped in sin. Rather than shake our heads, let's extend an invitation to change. Let's illuminate a path forward, free from despair. The reason God has given us breath is so we can tell how Jesus rescued us from the pit of our own sin. 

Every one of us has a story of deliverance to tell. What are you waiting for?

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son to save me from the curse of sin and death. I praise You that, through His sacrifice, I have been made righteous, I have received life, and I have entered into blessing. Empower me with courage so I may boldly go and tell others of all You have done for me and have made available to them. In Jesus name. Amen.

References:

World Outreach Church., Pastor Allen Jackson devotional 6/19/25

David Jeremiah Study Bible

Turning Points devotional 6/27/25

In Touch devotional 6/27/25