TODAY’S PROPHETIC NUMBER – September 12, 2023
Zechariah 9:12 – Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.
Life is full of unexpected turns. It’s a good thing our God remains constant throughout the ages. He is stable and able. That’s good news! As the people of God, we have hope for the future and place of safety for today. When we turn to Him, the Lord gives us a promise to restore double anything the enemy stole. So, if you lost something, rejoice! You are up for an upgrade. Our God is awesome!
Declaration: I will not cry over spilled milk because God has more. Just like my soul, what was lost in my life will be found–even a double portion.
EVIL IS JUST PLAIN “LESS”
One thing the Bible makes clear, and my experience backs up, is that evil is “less” – it is toothless, venom-less and defenseless. It is clearly less than good.
Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger and even Pablo Escobar were all feared as being unstoppable evil. They were also rounded up and shot by Texans who were not afraid to hunt them down and put an end to their reign of terror.
When the American military came knocking, Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of 9-11 which changed our world forever, tried to hide behind one of his wives. Likewise, Sadam Hussein was found cowering in a spider hole full of fleas. See my point?
Then, there is Al Capone. He was the meanest gangster bully ever, but he spent several years in the fetal position in cell 181 on Alcatraz Island. He wept so much through the night, the other inmates called him names and made fun of him. He died from the insanity and pain that syphilis and gonorrhea had brought him. His tombstone reads, “My Jesus, Mercy.”
Now with ruthless murderers like Capone, we don’t want to think about their possible redemption. We don’t sit around hoping he found Jesus and we’ll see him in Heaven. It’s natural, and I mean that word for what it is, that we want to see him punished and pay for the horrible evil he dealt others on earth.
However, no matter how evil someone has been during their life, the goodness of Jesus is greater! True power is the power to forgive and save. Evil can’t do that.
Here is an example from the book of Joshua. Waiting for the Lord’s instructions on how to take the evil city of Jericho, Joshua looks up and sees a mighty warrior with a sword standing in front of him. He asks the question we all want to ask and gets an answer none of us would expect.
Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
“Neither,” he replied, “But as commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for His servant?” – Joshua 5:13-14
Joshua asked a wise question: whose side are you on – good or evil? The reply Jesus gave dropped Joshua to his knees in worship: “Neither.”
You see, if the evil people of Jericho would have repented and asked for forgiveness, Jesus would have extended it and saved them. That’s the power of good over evil. It is a power each of us who are saved should be so grateful for, we should want to see it extended, even to the Al Capone’s of this world.
From my book: Good Overcomes Evil