More people get depressed during the holiday season than at any other time. I know. I’ve been pastoring over 20 years. I have more suicides and attempted suicides; and I have more counseling sessions at this time of the year than at any other time of the year.
Why? Because people start allowing themselves to feel sorry for themselves.
I know that is the way it is because they get their head out of the Bible. But God says, “My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee” (Isa. 54:10b).
Verse 11 continues, “O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.”
You have to have a new foundation! God’s going to build it with sapphires. That’s what we are going to build this thing on.
This is the part I like:
And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall surely gather together….
What’s going to gather together? Oppression, fear and terror. But God said, they are not coming by Him.
…But not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. (Or as the actual Hebrew says here, “the waster that destroys”).
(Isa. 54:13-16)
In other words, God says, “Now I made Satan. I didn’t make him as Satan. I made him as Lucifer. He turned into Satan. I made him and I can handle him. There is nothing he can do that I have not already thought about. There is no plan that he can come up with that I don’t already know about. There is no power that he can bring to bear that my power is not already stronger than. There is nothing the Devil can do to you because you are Mine. You belong to Me. I will protect you with My blood. I protect you with My word. I protect you with My Name. I protect you with My Spirit.”
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.
(Isa. 54:17)
It’s not about what you did, or who you are, or where you came from. It is what Jesus is, and who He is, and what He’s done for you, and where He came from. And He’s on your side.
No weapon being able to prosper is better than a new car under the Christmas tree. No weapon formed against me is better than a new suit. No weapon formed against me is better than new rings. Any weapon formed against me, I can condemn.
In other words I can say, “You have no power! Get out of here! Get behind me Devil! You have to run in the name of Jesus! I curse cancer! I curse poverty! I curse fear! I curse lack! I curse depression! Get out, in the Name of Jesus!”
God said, “I’m giving you the privilege. Whatever you condemn will be condemned. So I’m going to whip it and then leave it there powerless for you to say what is going to happen to it.”
Jesus whipped in the very pit of hell and left the Devil there powerless. Then He turns to you and says, “Now baby, do whatever you want to him. Tell him what you want him to do.”
That means you can kick him when you want to. You can put him under your feet. Stomp on him a little bit. Do the mashed potatoes on him. Do whatever you’ve got to do, hallelujah! For the Lord is on your side!
But notice, He said, “You condemn it.” So, this Christmas, if you’re singing “Chestnuts roasting,” I’d sing something different.
I’d sing: “In the name of Jesus get your hands off of my money. Get your hands off of my uncle. Get your hands off of my mama. Get your hands off of my house. Get your hands off of my wife. Get out of here in Jesus’ name.”
The Bible said, because of what Jesus did, resist the Devil and he has to run. He has to flee. He has to get out of town. He has to go. Praise God—that’s worth shouting about!
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Keith Butler has been an ordained minister since 1974. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and holds diplomas from Canada Christian College and Rhema Bible Training Center.
He serves in ministry with the support of his lovely wife, Pastor Deborah L. Butler, and their children: Pastor Andre Butler (granddaughters Alexis, Angela, and April), Pastor MiChelle Ferguson and husband Pastor Lee (grandson Lucas), and Minister Kristina Jenkins and husband Pastor Joel (grandsons Andrew and Austin, and granddaughter Alyssa).