The 40-Day Challenge : Day 20
- 15
- Feb
- 2013
“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, with which the dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel. (Luke 1:76-80)
Here’s a prophecy about John the Baptist, who would go before the Lord Jesus to prepare His ways.
Maybe you are worried about your family or someone you want to rescue, but you have no idea how to prepare the way for the Lord to reach them.
How can you prepare the way?
When you solve the problem that is inside of you first.
Many women are so desperate to save their children, their husbands, etc., who do not know the Lord Jesus, that they are overcome by anxiety.
Little do they know that in order to prepare the way, they must be prepared as well.
“… to give knowledge of salvation…”
If you are not saved, how can you give knowledge of salvation to someone else?
The secret is to prepare ourselves first, and this does not happen overnight. It takes perseverance. Many times, because of anxiety or the many responsibilities we have, we forget to prepare ourselves.
What’s this preparation all about?
“… the remission of their sins…”
The knowledge of salvation sets us free from the sins we have committed — whether consciously or unconsciously.
The angel did not speak much, but the Spirit revealed many things to Zacharias… Perhaps what we are saying right now is not exactly what you need to hear, but the Spirit will use these words to reveal something else to you.
We speak about the knowledge of salvation because it happened to us. The Word of God set us free.
You may ask, “What do you mean by ‘set free’? Were you addicted or demon-possessed?”
John said, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31,32)
In other words, if you put what you’ve learning into practice, you will become a true disciple. Those who know the Truth will be set free by the Truth.
When we say ‘knowledge of salvation’, we mean, ‘knowledge of the Truth’, which is Jesus Himself. He is the Truth.
Many people face a lot of opposition to their faith at their workplace, others are plagued with evil thoughts and feelings, and they end up being overcome by them. Why?
Because they do not have knowledge of the Truth; some of them read the Bible but do not put it into practice, e.g. they can’t forgive others. If they carry on like that, they will not be saved.
In order to be free from the dominion of sin, you must have knowledge of salvation. You have to meditate on the Word of God and tell Him that you want to be free, you want to be saved, you want to understand why you behave the way you do… Tell Him that you want to know the truth about yourself.
We must cut the problem at the root; we should not worry about what others will think, because when we do, we lose our focus.
“… through the tender mercy of our God, with which the dayspring from on high has visited us…”
Regardless of your past, if you pay the price and deny yourself, God will be merciful to you and His light will shine upon you. Then, you will be able to overcome sin.
“…to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace…”
When you have light inside of you, you have direction and peace, and you are able to give light to your work colleagues, family and friends.
Ada
20th January 2018 at 12:47
For today’s word I understood that nothing comes easy, even my salvation and Can’t joke with it, God want to see a sincere commitment from me first.
Thanks
Esther
15th July 2014 at 8:56
It is true that we can freely and boldly speak about our Lord:about our salvation if we have encountered it already.
Christian who doesnt put the Word of God into their actions have many doubts, that’s why, they are not proud to share His words.
I have learned that, in order to rescue others, I must rescue myself first. I must know salvation, Jesus, to save others.
Thank you for this message Mrs Viviane. God bless you and your family:)
Siphosethu Cpt
19th June 2014 at 6:13
Thank you for the post Mrs Vivi
I have noticed that one passage leads to the other and the fulfillment of the prophecy didn’t start from the end but it all happened as the prophet stated. The same applies to me today. I cannot ‘give light to those who sit in the dark’ if I have not prepared my inner self by the ‘remissions of sins’. It is true indeed that we can’t speak or teach others about what we don’t know or have encountered. #Doing my challenge 20#….I’m growing stronger and bolder day-by-day and these challenges are helping me in this 40days of Jesus.
Norma
29th August 2013 at 15:58
i can only win souls to Jesus if i myself is saved and the secret to win our loved ones is to start myself and receive my salvation first then i can win others.When i have light inside of me i have peace and direction. In order to be free from sin i must have the knowledge of salvation.Thank you