The Truth Will Set You Free

There is a street fight scene in the movie Rocky V. Rocky had been knocked down and was bleeding, and his enemy was walking away. Then Rocky got up, called out his enemy’s name, and said, “I didn’t hear no bell. One more round.”

I think we should take those words spiritually and let the devil know, “I didn’t hear no bell. One more round. Because greater is He who lives in me than he who lives in the world.” (See 1 John 4:4.)

I want to share the powerful testimony of a precious man of God named William Cowper. He was born almost three hundred years ago. He was considered a great English poet in his time, but he became mentally unstable. His mother died when he was a young boy, and William was sent away to school. He struggled with depression, or what was called “melancholy” at the time, from then on.

When he was only thirty-two years old, like many of us today, William found himself unable to deal with the things that were happening spiritually. He decided to commit suicide. The devil was up to something in his life, just like he is in your life today. But God always has the last laugh, and together you will laugh in the devil’s face.

First, William planned on poisoning himself with an overdose of opium. When that plan didn’t work, he ordered a coach to take him to the Thames River, intending to throw himself into the water. He was going to jump off, but the water was too shallow, and a man was sitting nearby “as if on purpose to prevent” the suicide. The following morning William took a penknife and tried to stab himself two or three times, but the tip of the blade was broken, and nothing happened. Then he tried to hang himself—three times in a row. His third attempt caused him to lose consciousness, but he ended up face down on the floor—and still alive.

William was placed in an asylum for eighteen months. But God had a plan for him, just like He has a plan for you, and put him under a Christian doctor. Then, after William had spent months living in the asylum, one day God opened the windows of heaven, His pantry, and sent bread his way.

Near the window of William’s room was a Bible. He opened up to Romans 3:25 (KJV): “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.” Those words pierced his heart. He received the strength to believe at that moment and received Christ as his Lord and Savior. He shook off his shame and started to feel free. The mercy of God set him free. He wrote, “Immediately I received strength to believe it, and the full beams of the Sun of Righteousness shone upon me…I could only look up to heaven…overwhelmed with love and wonder. But the work of the Holy Ghost is best described in his own words. It is ‘joy unspeakable, and full of glory.’”

The man was in a nuthouse, but he was filled with joy. The devil was after this man because of the treasure inside him. The devil is after you for the same reason. He thinks he has you on the run, my brothers and sisters, but what a fool he is. As William Cowper wrote, “And Satan trembles, when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.”

You can go to Jesus in your darkest hour. He has everything you need. As Thomas Keating said, “The only way you can fail in prayer is not to show up.”

William Cowper later penned the beautiful words of a hymn people still sing today, “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood”:

This was part of the treasure inside that man. The devil tried to kill it—but God. Let me share a spiritual nugget with you. I think we miss God’s best because by the time we see the enemy, we’ve already put a name on him and it’s too late. You need to cast the devil out before he even sets foot on the battlefield so that you can have the upper hand on him. Don’t let the devil steal your victory.

To learn more about John Ramirez’s latest book, Exposing the Devil’s Playbook, visit MyCharismaShop.com