It ain’t over till God says it is over! #2

In the last message God revealed one of His manifestations as the Finisher, the Closer! No matter what the devil may be attempting to do in your life and it may look so bleak, it is not over till God signs off on it. He is not going to sign off on your destruction, but your promotion.

In 2 Kings 6 v. 5, an axe head fell into the water and the situation looked hopeless. It looked like it was over! It looked like the axe head would never be retrieved but the Finisher had not come onto the scene. God told the man of God to cut down a stick and throw it into the water and amazingly the axe head swam to the top. Some people don’t know how to swim but here an axe head swam! God finished an apparently hopeless situation with victory!

In 2 Kings 6, the city of Samaria was surrounded by the enemy and all hope was gone. There was a famine and nobody could leave the city. It looked like their lives were over. People started eating their children, but in the eleventh hour God moved. God spoke to Elisha and said that the famine would be over in 24 hours and it was! You see the enemy wanted to finish the attacks and take the city but God had other ideas. Four lepers said to themselves that they should surrender to the enemy and at least they won’t starve to death. They went towards the enemy and God made their feet sound like a whole army and they ran away scared and left all their goods. Truly the famine was over! You see God finished what the devil started and gave His people complete victory. He didn’t sign off on the devil’s plan of destruction but on His plan of complete victory. Not only was the famine over but His people got the enemy’s goods (spoils).

In Isaiah 35, God prepares His people for an attack by the enemy and tells them not to be afraid but that their sorrow would be turned into joy!(v.2) The enemy surrounds them and tells them to surrender, that it is all over. But God says that it is not over till He says! The enemy tried to paint the picture that all hope was lost. They tried to say that the gods of the other people who they destroyed couldn’t help them. They even said that their God, the One true God had told them to attack and take the city! The enemy tried to use the circumstances to talk to God’s people. He may try the same with you: "God can’t help you, He doesn’t love you any more, you sinned and He’s turned His back on you and He can’t help you because the circumstances are too big. He might say that your Christian friends believed God and looked what happened." You just have to reject the devil’s picture and see the true picture from the Word of God where He says that you are more than a conqueror through Jesus (Romans 8 v. 37) and that He always gives you the victory through Jesus(2 Cor. 2 v. 14). God said in Isaiah Chapter 37 v. 33-35 that He would defend the city for His Name’s sake and that the enemy would not come near. He then assigned one angel to kill 285,000 of the enemy and they fled home. Some relatives of the enemy leader killed him when he got home. So, what looked like an apparent defeat was turned into a victory for His people. The devil wanted to finish off God’s people but the Finisher finished them off. Isn’t that just like our God?

In Acts. Chapter 27, Paul was put on a ship as a prisoner and it was heading for Rome. A great storm arose and everybody feared for their lives. God sent an angel to reassure Paul (v. 24) by saying that he would go to Rome and even though the devil was trying to finish him off, God would not sign off on it but sign off on him getting to Rome! Even after this the skies were still stormy and the wind raged. It didn’t get better, it got worst! Have you ever been in this situation: God made a promise and things started to be just the opposite in the natural? God told them to cut off their lifeboats which they did. They could not escape. God may be telling you to abide in a situation even though it looks hopeless and as a far as the natural is concerned, it is over for you. But God didn’t sign off on your defeat! The devil always moves where you can see, but God is under his plans and destroys the foundation from underneath. You fear because the devil is talking loud and you can’t see or hear God, but you need to know that God is moving and in one split second He will destroy all the plans of the enemy. The enemy can’t win unless you allow him to do so. God intends that whatever the devil or his two-legged helpers are throwing against you will come back against them. God just uses the devil’s attack to bring you closer to Him and to show forth His power and glory! God always gets the victory if you stand with Him and not be moved by the enemy or the circumstances.

In this story, God delivered Paul and the others safely to shore on the island of Melita. Here the devil had a snake bite Paul and when it seemed to everybody around that the devil had finished off Paul, Paul was unhurt and shook off the snake! (28 v.5) Where the devil wanted to finish Paul off and prevent Him from getting to Rome, Paul not only made it to Rome, but was now a free man dwelling in his own rented place preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, with confidence and no man forbidding him. (v. 30, 31)

You see God is the Finisher and finished escorting Paul to Rome and even had the Roman authorities pay his way! Isn’t God amazing? He uses the devil and his crowd to do His will for your life, promote you and get you where He wants you to be!