The Biblical meaning of oppression is “to exercise power over; to tire down with toil; exhaust with labor; afflict”, according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary. When Israel was in Egypt and being cruelly treated, Scripture declares that God saw their oppression and heard their cry for help.

For those of you who are oppressed, I have great news. God has a promise especially for you in Psalm 9:9, which reads: “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” The Lord also promises to arise on your behalf. Listen to me; you may indeed be under a tremendous load today. That load may be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual. What Jesus did on earth, He is still doing today.

Allow me to encourage you today to take some time to get alone with the Lord. Speak to Him in prayer. Pour out your heart to Him. He really cares about you. Spend some time reading the Word. His Word brings healing, joy and rejoicing.

When the devil sinks his venom of oppression into you there is a tendency to either humanly try to fight your way out, or fall flat on your face and give up. Either response is in the flesh. You must tap into those “heavenly weapons” that are guaranteed by God to shoot down every one of Satan’s scud missiles. Oppression is spiritual, not chemical. If it weren’t, Jesus would have built a pharmacy and not a church. (Please understand, I’m not knocking medicine; I’m just placing Scripture in its right place!)

Oppressive thoughts such as, “There’s no way out for me”, “This is impossible”, etc., are the product of “carnal thinking” feeding on devilish philosophy. I don’t mean that in a condemning way. We all know what it’s like to go through the ringer, so to speak. Do not accept that your condition is permanent. Do not believe the “greener pastures myth”. By all means, do not allow the seeds of oppression to give birth to self-pity.

There IS help in Jesus Christ today. For whatever is oppressing you today, find a corresponding passage of Scripture and when that dart comes, quote that verse out loud and let God’s Word assure you that everything will be okay. Don’t put God on a time schedule. He doesn’t wear a watch!

Seeds of oppression grow into weeds of mental anguish. Let Jesus pull out those weeds of doubt and oppression, and replace them with the flower of hope; that is, “the Rose of Sharon”.