01/27/2024
Jesus is continuing His mission to show everyone what God is like and to invite them to step into His kingdom. He’s preaching powerfully when a surprising heckler interrupts the meeting…
And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”
Luke 4:31-36
There’s more than embarrassment, rejection and, in some places, persecution that can stand in the way of me sharing Jesus with the world. There's a pretender to the throne, from a counter-kingdom that tried to resist the reign of Jesus then, and, despite the fact that Christ won the decisive battle, refuses to give up in the last throes of the spiritual war today. However Jesus was prepared for this fight. He’d denied the devil alone in the desert so, when faced with public attack, He didn’t hesitate. With one command, the demon flees. Jesus’ private desert victory led to public power and to another’s liberation.
The Apostle Paul encourages me to, ‘take everything the Master has set out for [me], well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so [I] will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws [my] way’ (Eph. 6:11, MSG). So today, acknowledging that I too am in a spiritual battle, I ask God to give me the armour Paul described (Eph. 6:14-17).
Lord, I belt Your truth around my waist - show me if there’s anything I’ve believed that is untrue.
Lord, cover my heart with Your righteousness - there are so many ways I fall short of Your standard, so I ask for Your forgiveness.
Lord, may my presence bring peace into every place I set foot. I think through my day - please go with me.
Lord, when the enemy sends doubts, lies, or other arrows aimed to wound me, shield me with the gift of faith.
Lord, thank You for saving me. Help me keep You front and centre in my mind. Holy Spirit, fill me. Give me wisdom and God’s word for every challenge I face.
Yielding Prayer
Jesus, sometimes I can be a little intimidated by the idea of a spiritual battle. Help me remember that this is not an even match; You’ve already won the war for this world. Please give me strength and discernment to fight the battles waging within me today.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I prepare to take this time of prayer into the coming day, the Lord who loves me says in James:
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7
