Your Heart’s Cry

Gary Wilkerson

The Israelites groaned under the burden of slavery and their cries for help rose to their Father in heaven. God’s response to them should build our faith and increase our confidence in him: “God heard their groaning, and he remembered” (Exodus 2:24). The word “remembered” here means God was about to bring the reality of his promises to the forefront of their lives and his desires for them were going to become manifest. “He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act” (2:25). Even though Israel was in bondage, God’s promised realities were within their reach.

The promises God has given us through Jesus — freedom from bondage and slavery to sin — are beyond anything we could think or imagine. He has placed us beside himself in heavenly places and given us our identity in him. If these incredible promises don’t build up our confidence, there is something wrong with our view of God. We are not seeing his glory as fully and clearly as we should.

No complex theology is required in order for God to respond to you. All it takes is your heart’s simple cry, “Lord, I’m calling on you for help because your Word promises that you will deliver me from my enemies and give me salvation and overcoming victory in Christ.”

Jesus’ first promise to us is abundant life: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). This means life overflowing, streams of living water spilling over the riverbank of our soul. His second promise is dominion over sin, Satan and death. These no longer reign over us because Jesus does! “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace” (Romans 6:14). He has put the very power of his Spirit in our hearts, giving us victory over sin and filling us with joyful strength.  

The work of the Holy Spirit enables us to say, “He has made me holy, blameless and faultless before him. I am inseparable from his love; therefore, I am more than a conqueror against any weapon Satan tries against me.”