By Sherma-Jacqueline Felix
Over the years I have gotten myself caught in more snares and traps than I care to remember. And then there were the ones that satan also set up for me and I fell right in. But, God got me out! I like Psalms 124:7 where King David says, “My soul has escaped like a bird out of the snare of the fowler, the snare is broken and I am free!”
I had a dream a couple of years ago, where someone that I know, manipulated me into going into a forested area to pick up a sandal that I had thrown away. I should have known better because I know that person to be a master manipulator. But in the dream, I went into the forested area to look for the shoe anyway. I should have known that this would be almost like hell; I had one of the worst times of my life trying to get out of there. There were snares everywhere I turned!
In the dream, just when I thought I had gotten the snare off my right foot, another one showed up on my left foot! Then when I got the snares off my feet, even bigger ones showed up around my waist like a thick belt that wouldn’t allow me to move.
I’m a natural born fighter, but the fighting I did in this dream felt like it was more than what Muhammed Ali, and Sugar Ray Leonard could do if put together! I fought so hard I was almost physically tired when I woke up.
Thankfully, I finally became free in the dream, but it was a long drawn out fight. Needless to say, that dream was a flashing neon sign to me, to keep my eyes wide open around the person who manipulated me in the dream, and to continue trusting God for the outcome in every situation. Psalm 91:3 says Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and the deadly pestilence. I had to stand in faith, knowing that it didn’t matter whatever challenging or troubling situation I found myself in, God had already promised to get me out!
It doesn’t matter what snare you may have gotten yourself involved in. Maybe you ignored warning signs and you’re in an abusive relationship; or maybe you lied about something on the job, and the boss found out; maybe you didn’t pay taxes and now the IRS is on your back; or you could be right smack in the middle of a lawsuit.
It could be that it’s not even your fault, but you’re caught in a snare anyway. Maybe your spouse filed for divorce and you have to raise 4 kids and pay all the bills yourself. Or your job got eliminated, the car is just too old and can’t do any more miles, or you became ill and your job is part time with no health benefits.
You may feel like you’ve been fighting all alone for quite a long time, with no help in sight. That’s just a feeling. You are not alone! God is always with you; Jesus promised you in Matthew 28:20 that He would be with you until the end of the world! He is not a man that He should lie. (Numbers 23:19) When He said it, He meant it. Because you feel like you’re all alone doesn’t mean that you are. By faith, you and I have to believe that His Word is true, and that He really is with us.
Feeling alone is just that, a feeling. Today you feel like having pizza, tomorrow you feel like ice cream. Those are feelings, they come and go every day. The relationship we have with Jesus is one where we’re not led by feelings, but by His Spirit. It’s a relationship where we know that He is with us regardless of what our feelings may say. We are responding to faith and not fleshy feelings and emotions.
Take it from me… There is a God Who gets us out of snares whether we’ve caused them ourselves or not! He doesn’t care how it happened, or why. He will get you out! It may not be in the way or the manner you would have liked, but who cares? You’ll be out and you’ll be FREE!
In Psalms 141:9 King David prayed, “Keep me from the trap which they have laid for me, and from the snares of evildoers.” We can pray that as well, and surely, He will get us out, I know He will. If He did it for me, He will do it for you. Faithful is He!
About the author:
Sherma-Jacqueline is a Bible Teacher, Conference Speaker, Mentor, and Passionate Writer. She has always enjoyed writing, and started off by keeping a diary in her teens. She began prayer journaling over 18 years ago and began teaching on Prayer 12 years ago. Her desire is to see the women of God rise up and be all that they’re called to be: Bold, Strong, Courageous and overflowing with His Word!
Visit her at: shermajacqueline.tumblr.com