The Ultimate Great Escape

Since the children have flesh and blood, [Jesus] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-15

Some look at Heaven as the ultimate great escape. In Heaven there will be no problems, no temptation, no bad weather, and no bad days. If we can just get through this life, then we will live in a perfect circumstance in Heaven.

So, here’s a little secret: many of the benefits we will experience in Heaven are available to us now. We can freely commune with God. He is always with us. Even though our physical bodies are temporary, our spirit is eternal. Eternal life happens now for believers. The power of sin has been broken. While there is still plenty of temptation around, Jesus gives us the power to overcome. The devil has been defeated.

Slaves are freed, provided they don’t volunteer to put themselves back there. Without Christ, what happens after death is quite uncertain. Now, while most people believe they will go to Heaven, the reality is that any plan to get there outside of Christ won’t get them to that destination.

For those who belong to Jesus, we no longer need to fear any enslavement by the devil. The enemy is defeated. We belong to Christ, so nothing can separate us from Christ’s love. Any time that we feel the devil might be getting the best of us, we need only turn to God, and the devil will flee (James 4:7). We cannot defeat Satan on our own, but the enemy is no problem for God.

God gives us all of His resources to live our lives successfully for Him. He gives us the ability to recover from our wounds and overcome anything that enslaves us. Even the things that seem impossible to escape like viewing pornography, chatting up lost loves on Facebook, or taking crystal meth are not beyond God’s ability. While this type of slavery requires the support of other believers to overcome, the enemy is defeated. (If you could break your addiction by yourself, you would have, right?) If you would like some help and support to overcome a hurt, habit or hang up, contact Cindy Woodside in Brookwood's Care and Support Ministry.

The things that are bringing you Hell on earth don’t have to. Living a life connected to God and the flow of His Spirit brings us Heaven on earth.