God promises to give us back double for our troubles.
Do you believe, “Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake?” (Isaiah 54:15). Do you believe, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper?” (Isaiah 54:17). Do you believe, “The very hairs on your head are all numbered?” (Matthew 10:30);
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These are not ordinary words. They are the words of God. They are written down to give confidence to those of us who live at the end of the age.
Here is the one I want us to dwell on here. Paul assures us in the name of the Lord:
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“To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore, He says: ‘When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.’” (Ephesians 4:7-8).
What does this mean?
It means blessed is the man who has been held captive. When the Lord delivers him, he shall become a terror to his terrorist. He shall be given the authority to trouble his trouble.
Listen to this kingdom dynamic. Your blessing is in your captivity.
Samson said:
“Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet.” (Judges 14:14).
What was designed to kill you became food for you. For every instance of captivity in your life, there must be gifts of redemption from God.
Captive Captivities
When in Genesis 14, a coalition of three kings attacked and sacked Sodom and Gomorrah, taking Lot captive, his uncle Abraham raised a household army of 318 relatives, cooks, househelps and gardeners and rescued him. Abraham led captivity captive, recovered all the stolen goods, and returned with spoils, which he gave as gifts to the king of Sodom.
The Egyptians oppressed the children of Israel for over 400 years. But when the time of deliverance came, God led captivity captive and gave gifts to the Israelites.
The Egyptian army not only ended up at the bottom of the Red Sea, but the Lord also ensured that the Israelites did not leave Egypt empty-handed. He told them to ask the Egyptians for any of their property that they desired, and He made the Egyptians give them whatever they asked for.
The people of Israel did as Moses said and asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the Lord gave the Israelis favour with the Egyptians, so that they gave them whatever they wanted. And the Egyptians were practically stripped of everything they owned! (Exodus 12:35-36).
Imagine this. There was this Jewish slave whose master often made him polish all the silverware in the house. There was no job he hated as much as that one. But one day, on the day of the Passover, the Lord told him to ask for the silverware he had been polishing. The owner did not know why, but he gave them to him.
Another Israelite used to wash and iron her mistress’s clothes. The madam had a large collection of expensive lace, guinea brocade and other exclusive clothing. On that fateful day, the maid asked for the best of the clothes she had been washing and ironing, and she took them all away. God led the Israelites’ captivity captive, and He gave gifts to Israel.
In 1 Samuel 30, David returned home to Ziklag only to discover that the Amalekites had attacked it, burnt it down and taken captive all the women and children. He pursued the enemy on the Lord’s say-so with a ragtag army of only 400 men, overtook them and recovered all that had been stolen. (1 Samuel 30:18-20).
David returned with so many spoils of war that he was able to give gifts even to those who did not follow him to battle, including distant friends in Israel.
Double for Trouble
The Lord promises not only to redeem everything lost while in captivity, but also to give us back double for our trouble.
As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today, I declare that I will restore double to you. (Zechariah 9:11-12).
In effect, the man who is robbed becomes better off than the man who is not.
Double Portion
Believers are a people of the double portion.
When Elisha asked Elijah for a double portion of his Spirit, he was not being greedy. He was simply asking for the inheritance of the firstborn. Christians are the general assembly and the church of the firstborn. (Hebrews 12:23). Therefore, we are entitled to a double portion.
Thus says the Lord, our redeemer:
Instead of your shame, you shall have double honour, and instead of confusion, they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore, in their land, they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be theirs. (Isaiah 61:7).
Understand this: internalise it. Everybody and everything is working for you. Nobody can do anything against the truth, but for the truth. (2 Corinthians 13:8). This means nobody can ever do anything against you successfully. They can only do something for you.
Since Jesus is the truth, so are you. “As He is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17). Therefore, everybody and everything is working for you. God is working for you: the devil is also working for you.
All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28).
God turns all the plans of the enemy into foolishness. He turns every attack of the enemy to our advantage.
Joseph said to his brothers, who had sold him as a slave to Egypt:
“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20).
If they had not sold him into slavery, he would not have ended up in Egypt. If he had not been thrown into jail in Egypt as a result of a false accusation, he would not have met the butler. If he had not met the butler, he would not have been introduced to Pharaoh. If he had not been introduced to Pharaoh, he would not have become prime minister. And if he had not become the prime minister of Egypt, he would not have become the instrument of God for salvation from famine of the very brothers who sold him into slavery.
Blessing of Trouble
The road to God’s blessing is paved with adversity. When God is determined to bless a Daniel, that blessing will add no sorrow but will be preceded by adversity. Daniel will initially end up in the lion’s den, but then he would be delivered amazingly.
When God is going to bless a Joseph, he will first allow him to be sold into slavery and to be sent into prison. Nevertheless, every enemy attack simply takes him one step closer to the blessing. Every enemy attack is a signal that a promotion is on the way.
The counsel of God is immutable. The purpose that God has purposed for you cannot be derailed. Nothing can hinder God’s plan in the life of a man. Not even the wicked acts of your adversaries can impede you. In the end, you will discover that, unknown to them, your adversaries were all working for God and for you.
The Psalmist writes:
Man’s futile wrath will bring You glory. You will use it as an ornament! (Psalm 76:10).
God used the wrath of Pharaoh against the children of Israel to bring glory to Himself:
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My Name may be declared in all the earth.” (Romans 9:17).
Where is God when captivity is holding us captive? He is right there, watching. Where is God when the enemy is planning and scheming against us? God is right there laughing:
God in heaven merely laughs! He is amused by all their puny plans. (Psalm 2:4).
This explains why God seems to take no notice when a believer is afflicted. When the news came that Lazarus was sick, Jesus was not concerned. People were at pains to explain to Him that it was not just another Joe that was sick. It was Lazarus whom He loved.
When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4).
What shall we say to these things? It becomes clear that the God who works all things together for good has determined to work even sickness together for good. According to kingdom dynamics, sickness is no longer unto death but unto the glory of God. As a matter of fact, sickness, which is to the glory of the devil, has been checkmated by healing, which is to the glory of God.
Fighting With Foolishness
Because the devil has the audacity to oppose God, God says, “I will fight him with foolishness.” It is not a fight among equals. This is not a cold war between two super-powers. It is a war between the creator and the created. Therefore, God defeats a Goliath with a David.
“Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger.” (Psalm 8:2).
How can you put a heavyweight boxer in the same ring with a featherweight? If he wins the fight, people will say, “How could you even fight someone so much weaker than you are?” “Can’t you see that you are too strong for him?” “Do you want to kill him?”
Therefore, God says, “I will fight you with one hand tied behind my back. I will fight you blindfolded.”
It is a fight that is not merely intended for victory. It is a fight in which God taunts the enemy. The man could have knocked out his opponent in the first minute of the first round. But he allowed the fight to go the distance so that he could really punish him.
It is a fight designed to shame the opposition.
The devil was determined to kill off Moses as a child. So he instructed his servant, Pharaoh, to have all male Jewish children killed at birth. But He who sits in the heavens laughed.
God decided to provide a hiding place for Moses. But then He hid Moses in, of all places, the court of Pharaoh himself. Moreover, He caused Pharaoh’s daughter to employ Moses’ mother as his nanny. She thereby received wages for caring for her own son.
So doing, God turned Pharaoh into a permanent laughingstock.
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Stupid Devil
The devil has continued in opposition to God for thousands of years in the mistaken belief that he will one day win one significant battle at the very least. But demons are losers. They lose all the time against the children of God. They never win. Even when they win, they lose.
When a man falls into the same trap again and again and again, then you realise that his level of stupidity is enormous. The devil has a chronic inability to learn from his mistakes.
Take a look at the Job scenario, for example. Is it not idiotic that the devil actually thought that he could prevail against God concerning Job? If God says a man is righteous, is that not conclusive proof that God Himself is going to uphold him? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). A fool, that is who.
God was not relying on Job to remain faithful. God was relying on God to keep Job faithful. So, Mr. devil:
Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:4).
The fact that the devil thought he could make Job curse God, even though God said Job would not, is conclusive proof that the devil is an utter fool.
Any demonic celebration at the fact that Job lost his business, lost his children and lost his health was short-lived. Because Job lost, he gained through the redemptive principle of God’s kingdom dynamics.
Because he lost, he gained twice as much as he lost in every category.
Job laughed last because his Redeemer lives. In short, it was a big mistake to afflict Job. The devil should have left him alone. By afflicting him, the devil laid the foundation for God blessing him. By afflicting him, the devil ensured that Job received a double portion of blessings:
The LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10).
God’s Redemptive Principle
This same principle applies to all believers who are “blood-washed” and have received forgiveness of sins according to the riches of the grace of Jesus Christ:
“Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:2).
