The Christmas story with prequel and sequel

The woman and the Dragon - Rev. 12 (Artist unknown)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Revelation 12-13; Psalm 44

TO CHEW ON: "She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to God and His throne." Revelation 12:5


After our Christmas focus during this month, do you recognize the Christmas story in today's reading? John skips telling the story of the Nativity in his gospel, but he gives his version of it here in Revelation. As we read, we see that he puts the events of Jesus' birth into a far larger story.

It's a story told here in apocalyptic literature style using lots of symbols. But they're not hard to unlock. Even common readers like us can get their meanings.

• The woman (Revelation 12:1 and on) is Israel ("garland of twelve stars" = the twelve tribes of Israel).

• The child to which she gives birth is Jesus.

• The fiery red dragon is Satan.

• Revelation 12:7-9 is a flashback scene (the prequel) of Satan being cast out of heaven to earth. (Remember Jesus' words: "'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven'" Luke 10:18?)

• Satan's current battle is with Israel and her offspring (Christians) - Revelation 12:7.

This view of history explains so much. It helps us understand:

• The persistent persecution of the Jews and their survival (Revelation 12:13-16). 

• The force behind all the evil on earth—the bloodshed, hatred, natural disasters, sickness, interpersonal conflict in wars and terrorism etc. Our world is in its desperate state because it's under the influence of Satan "… who deceives the whole world; he was cast to earth and his angels were cast out with him. … For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath because he knows that he has a short time" - Revelation 12:9,12 (emphasis added).

• Where we fit in. This story isn't finished. We are right now part of the sequel of the Christmas installment, involved in the thick of the battle of the last verse: "And the dragon was enraged with the woman and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" - Revelation 12:17 (emphasis added).

However, victory over this red, angry, teeth-gnashing, tail-lashing dragon is possible. How?
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" - Revelation 12:10 (emphasis added).

Our weapons are the blood of Jesus painted on the doorposts of our hearts that keeps out the death angel and the word—God's plan in history and our own involvement in it ("the word of their testimony" in both the Bible and our lives). When we find ourselves in the thick of any battle, let's not forget what our weapons are and not cease to use them.

 
PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for giving us this behind-the-scenes glimpse of history. Help me to keep this big picture in mind and my weapons in hand when I'm in the thick of battle. 


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 44

The Bible Project VIDEO: Revelation - Part 2 of the Read Scripture series





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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sin—not exactly as shown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 3-4; Psalm 26

TO CHEW ON: "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:12-13

I remember how, when we were little, my siblings and I begged our parents to buy cereal because of the prize inside. Almost always, though, we were disappointed by that prize. For the large, sturdy toy pictured on the outside of the box turned out to be a fraction of the size and often broke even as we were trying to put it together.

Sin is like that. It looks attractive, desirable, must-have, must-do. But it never ends up as good as the picture.

Sin and deceit

• Satan's deceitful depiction of sin's consequences (he said there were none) convinced Eve to disobey God and put us on the sinful road we're on (Genesis 3:13).

• Deceit drags others into its net (2 Timothy 2:14).

• Deceit multiplies (2 Timothy 3:13).

• The deceived life is one of dissipation and selfishness (Titus 3:3).

• Continuing to live in deceit results in corruption (Ephesians 4:22) and death (Romans 7:11).

• We are to exhort our Christian brother or sister if we see them being deceived by sin (Hebrews 3:13).

The reason identifying sin's deceit is so important is because being fooled by it is the first step down the road that leads away from God. A footnote in my Bible says it well:

"Unbelief is caused by a hardened heart, which is caused by the deceitfulness of sin. The result is apostasy, departing from the living God .... Constant encouragement in the midst of a caring fellowship will help believers remain faithful" - Guy P. Duffield, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, notes on Hebrews, p. 1733.

I vaguely recall that often there was, beside those cereal box pictures, a disclaimer that read (in very small print) "Not exactly as shown." Next time we're tempted by sin's attractive image let's imagine those same words beside it: "Not exactly as shown."

PRAYER: Dear God, please open my eyes to sin's deceit. Help me to see past the pretty picture to the lie it represents. And give me the love and courage to exhort others when I see them being deceived. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 26

MORE: "Sin lives in a costume..."

"Sin lives in a costume; that’s why it’s so hard to recognize. The fact that sin looks so good is one of the things that make it so bad. In order for it to do its evil work, it must present itself as something that is anything but evil. Life in a fallen world is like attending the ultimate masquerade party.

Impatient yelling wears the costume of a zeal for truth. Lust can masquerade as a love for beauty. Gossip does its evil work by living in the costume of concern and prayer. Craving for power and control wears the mask of biblical leadership. Fear of man gets dressed up as a servant heart. The pride of always being right masquerades as a love for biblical wisdom. Evil simply doesn’t present itself as evil, which is part of its draw.

You’ll never understand sin’s sleight of hand until you acknowledge that the DNA of sin is deception. Now, what this means personally is that as sinners we are all very committed and gifted self-swindlers . . . . We’re all too skilled at looking at our own wrong and seeing good." - Paul David Tripp, Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy, p. 32 (quoted in The Glorious Deeds of Christ, "Why Does Sin Look So Good?")

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A guard against deception

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Thessalonians 1-3; Psalm 18

TO CHEW ON: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive a love of the truth, that they might be saved.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9,10


In this interesting chapter of 2 Thessalonians, Paul gives his readers (who are confused about whether Jesus has already returned) some signs to watch for that will precede “that day.”

• It will be a time of “falling away”—people losing their faith in Jesus and the gospel - 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

• A charismatic leader will come on the scene. He will demand everyone’s allegiance, even worship. He will work miracles by Satan’s power - 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4,9,10.

• People will be gullible because restraint has been removed - 2 Thessalonians 2:6,7. (There are varying opinions about “what is restraining” [vs. 6] and “He [or he] who now restrains” [vs. 7] is—the Holy Spirit, the church, human government. I think it is safe to say whatever that restraining power, God is behind it being in place and then being removed.)

• People will be ripe for deception because they’ve rejected the truth. Paul’s words are explicit here: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteousness deceptions among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

What we can take for our lives from this passage is that a love of the truth is a guard against deception. This is more than just a head knowledge or intellectual assent, though. John Piper expresses it well in this sermon on 2 Thessalonians 2:

“Notice: it is not merely an issue of knowing or believing in a merely mental sense: it is an issue of loving….Therefore the only defense against this appeal (signs and miracles of the man of lawlessness) will be a deeper desire for God. If Christ is our portion and our treasure, if he satisfies our longings, and if we love the glory of his gospel, then the mystery of lawlessness will not overcome us, and our love will not grow cold and we will endure to the end and be saved”  

- John Piper, quote from message on the DesiringGod website (emphasis added). Read or listen to entire…

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to know, love, and live by the truth of Your word. Please make me sensitive to deception in whatever form it comes. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 18

The Bible Project VIDEO: 2 Thessalonians (Read Scripture Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Passing through foreign territory

Image: Pixabay

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ephesians 1-2; Psalm 8

TO CHEW ON: "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience." Ephesians 2:1,2

Do you sometimes feel like the society in which you live is against many of the things you value? Marriage and the family are under attack. Public education removes any reference to God. The people most honored, admired, and influential are the beautiful, wealthy, and entertaining who charm and excite through movies, music and sports.

Feeling like we're misfits, traveling through a foreign land shouldn't surprise us. One of the reasons why is found in Ephesians 2:2 where Paul talks about a character, "the prince of the power of the air," who directs these things. The writer of my Bible's study notes describes his influence:

"The mood and manner of society is shaped by the prince of the power of the air, a title for Satan as he exercises influence globally and within each culture" Jack W. Hayford,  New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1646.

We see Satan referred to as a princely ruler in other places:

• He tempted Jesus on the basis of this position: "'And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish'" - Luke 4:5,6.

• Jesus predicted, and God the Father agreed, that Jesus' death would "'cast out'" the "'ruler of the world'" as He (Jesus) would " '…draw all peoples to Myself'" John 12:28-32.

• Satan and his system had no claim to or presence in Jesus - John 14:30.

• Jesus, before He died, told the disciples of the Holy Spirit who would come to them after He left. One of the Holy Spirit's functions would be (and is) to "…convict the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment …. of judgment because the ruler of this world will be judged.'" John 16:11. In other worlds, through the Holy Spirit we understand that God will someday judge this world's ruler and the system he oversees.

• Satan has power over the minds of those locked in his system - 2 Corinthians 4:3,4.

• And in our passage—Ephesians 2:2—Paul describes those in the clutches of this prince as "dead in trespasses and sins."

So maybe we should view our discomfort within our society and our sense of living at enmity with it as a good thing. When we feel like "strangers and pilgrims" it's a sign that we are really citizens of a different tribe, traveling through this earth system to a "homeland" and "heavenly country" - Hebrews 11:13-16.


PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to know how to conduct myself while I'm in this world system controlled by the "prince of the power of the air." Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 8

The Bible Project VIDEO: Ephesians (Read Scripture Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A Cautionary Tale

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Ezekiel 28-30; Psalm 39

TO CHEW ON: “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.” Ezekiel 28:15


This part of the “Proclamation Against the King of Tyre” (the title given this chapter in my Bible) sounds a lot like a description of Satan and his fall. Like Lucifer’s (Satan’s) fall is described within the prophecy against the King of Babylon in Isaiah (Isaiah 14:12-21), so it seems to be described here in the prophecy against the King of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:2-19).

We can learn several things about Satan from this passage:

1. He was beautiful, gifted and favoured:

“You were the seal of perfection
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” - Ezekiel 28:11,12.

2. He was created for a special purpose and assignment:

“The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
You were the anointed cherub who covers’
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God” - Ezekiel 28:13,14.

My Bible’s study notes explain:

“'Anointed cherub who covers' indicates high office with authority and responsibility to protect and defend 'the holy mountain of God,' an illusion to God’s throne. The high order and specific placement of Lucifer prior to his fall afforded unique opportunity to bring glory to God. Verse 13 suggests his role included leading heaven’s choirs in worship of the Most HIgh” -  Howard M. Ervin, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1086.

3. His fall came because of pride, unchecked ambition and self-will:

“How you have fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!…
For you have said in your heart:
I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will sit on the mount of the congregation…
I will… I will…” Isaiah 14:12-14.

and

“By the abundance of your trading
You became filled with violence within
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God
And I destroyed you, O covering cherub …
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor
I cast you to the ground…” Ezekiel 28:16,17.

The sobering part of this is that the sins that caused Lucifer to be expelled from God’s presence and thrown out of heaven—pride, ambition, self-will—are no strangers to us. They are what drive many in our society and so easily and readily infect us. Can you say that you are a stranger to them? Neither can I!

Let’s take this sobering account of Lucifer’s fall as a cautionary tale, a warning about the end of pride, personal ambition, and self-will (Isaiah 14:15; Ezekiel 28:17-19; Revelation 12:7-9).

Instead of being captive to these things, let's give ourselves to lifting up and making big the One who is truly praiseworthy and good. Not ourselves but our creator God and all HIs works and ways.


PRAYER: Dear Father, please help me to detect all whiffs of pride, selfish ambition, and self-will within me. I know their origin and I want no part of them in my life and destiny. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 39
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Thanks for reading! This year we are using The Bible Project "Timeless Reading Plan" to read through the Bible in 2018. If you'd like to read along in your own Bible, you can download a pdf of the reading plan HERE.

Accuser

"Inter filios die affuit etiam Satan 
Job 2 6 1967 " by Salvidor Dali

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Job1-3; Psalm 135

TO CHEW ON: "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.
And the Lord said to Satan, 'From where do you come?' So Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.'" Job 1:6-7

Here we get a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of cosmic persons—God and Satan—in conversation. God draws attention to Job and what a unique, upright man he is.

We recognize the sly, cynical tone in Satan's response. It's the same voice we heard in the Garden:
* Satan to Eve in Eden: "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?'" - Genesis 3:1
* Satan to God about Job: "Does Job fear God for nothing?" - Job 1:9.

Who is this Satan? A Word Wealth article in my Bible explains him in terms of the meaning of his name:

[Satan - satan - means an Opponent or the Accuser; the hater, adversary, enemy; one who resists, obstructs and hinders whatever is good. Satan comes from the verb which means to 'be an opponent,' or 'to withstand.' - Dick Mills, "Word Wealth - Satan" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 648.]

Where did Satan come from? Wayne Grudem says of the origins of Satan and demons:

"When God created the world, he 'saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good (Genesis 1:31). This means that even the angelic world that God had created did not have evil angels or demons in it at that time. But by the time of Genesis 3, we find that Satan, in the form of a serpent, was tempting Eve to sin (Genesis 3:1-5). Therefore sometime between the events of Genesis 1:31 and Genesis 3:1, there must have been a rebellion in the angelic world with many angels turning against God and becoming evil" - Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 412.

Though no human witnessed Satan's fall, God gave Bible authors insight into it: 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6, and Isaiah 14:12-15.

Satan, as the hater, is the polar opposite of God who is love (1 John 4:7,8). And we align ourselves with one or the other. John says that we prove we are either children of God or children of the devil by the way we live and love - 1 John 3:10-15.

When I read this beginning of Job passage, I often wonder, what would God say about me? Would He recognize me as one of His own, demonstrated by my family trait of love? And how would Satan reply?

Finally, my response to pressure and temptation can change if I realize I am in the fire of a test that God allows because of His confidence that I'll pass that test—as my Bible's commenter on Job explains:

 "God does not allow trials to see if we will fail; He allows trials to strengthen our faith. The trial is, in fact, a statement of God's faith in our faithfulness and integrity" - Charles E. Blair, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 648 (emphasis added).

PRAYER: Dear God, when I am tested, help me to remember that there are bigger issues at play than my comfort and well-being. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 135

The Bible Project VIDEO: Job (Read Scripture Series)




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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Original Exorcism

Lucifer of Liége, Liége Belgium (Image: Pixabay)

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Isaiah 13-17; Psalm 112

TO CHEW ON: “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!” Isaiah 14:12

Here we have the interesting account of what is believed to be Satan’s casting out of heaven. My Bible’s notes explain the double application:

“These verses … are part of the proverb against the king of Babylon. The language, however, shows that he is a type of Satan” Nathaniel M. Van Cleave, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 891.

There are several other accounts of Satan’s fall:
- Jesus, when debriefing the disciples on their return from ministering in His name and excited that they could perform exorcisms, told them this was no surprise for Satan was a long-ago defeated foe. He said: “‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven’” Luke 10:18.

John in his Revelation vision tells it again:
“So the great dragon was cast out, the serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast to earth, and his angels were cast out with him” - Revelation 12:9*

It is interesting to notice the details in Isaiah’s telling. Lucifer’s pride and self-will are on display in his “I will” statements:
“I will ascend to heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation…
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High” - Isaiah 14:13-14.

God responds to him:
He will be brought down
He will be the object of stares
He will be the object of ridicule.
He will be cast out by even the lowest place, the grave.
He will be alone (Isaiah 14:15-20).

What particularly makes me sit up and take notice in this account is the reason for Satan’s fall: pride and self-will, attitudes with which I (and perhaps you too?) am all too acquainted.

PRAYER: Dear Father, by Your Spirit help me to recognize, repent of, and root out the satanic qualities of pride and self-will that so readily take root and flourish in my life.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 112

* Some eschatologists interpret this as a future and final casting out of Satan. different from the one described in Isaiah; others see this as a flashback to that first casting out.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Thanks for reading! This year we are using The Bible Project "Timeless Reading Plan" to read through the Bible in 2018. If you'd like to read along in your own Bible, you can download a pdf of the reading plan HERE.

Do we have "high places"?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Micah 1:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "For behold the Lord is coming out of His place;
He will come down
And tread on the high places of the earth." - Micah 1:3

"Prophecies of Christ make Micah's book glow with hope and encouragement," says Willard Elijahson in my Bible's introduction to Micah (New Spirit-Filled Bible, p. 1202). It's a great book to read as we look forward to the season of Advent that begins in a few weeks' time.

Micah, the man, prophesied alongside Isaiah. Historians date his writings between 704-696 B.C. during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. His message is directed to inhabitants of Samaria and Jerusalem.

He begins his message by announcing the coming of the Lord. We get the picture of someone coming from elsewhere: "...the Lord is coming out of His place; He will come down..." - Micah 1:3.

The place God chooses to visit is noteworthy—the "high places of the earth." Though we might read this as elevated land masses (mountain peaks perhaps, which would give a good view of all the surrounding area) the people of that time would probably have understood high places to mean elevated pagan altars. God was coming to check out their disloyalty—the places they compromised, flirted with, and gave in to idols. Awkward! Embarrassing! Incriminating!

The picture of God coming down to check out the high places of Judah prompts me to ask, what if I applied this image to my society, my life? What would God find?

Dennis McCallum in his book Unlocking the Mysteries of Satan explains how, at the fall, Satan took charge of the world system or kosmos. He says:

"Perhaps the definitive passage on kosmos is 1 John 2:15-17.

'Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.'

Accordingly the kosmos is primarily a system of values. The lust of the flesh refers to living for ungodly pleasure. The lust of the eyes refers to owning beautiful things or gaining control over beautiful people. The boastful pride of life refers to the way humans try to establish identity and importance by competing with each other for attention, power, and admiration" (Kindle Location, 871).

McCallum goes on to suggest that the church and we as individual Christians have gone easy on many of these attitudinal sins:

"Many Christians think of 'worldly' things as gross sins like wanton sex, for example .... Many of the same Christians, however, would never recognize the world-system when looking at the Harvard University green or the Sears Tower. A glossy magazine advertisement showing a family luxuriating in a hot tub in Tahiti or a shiny new SUV would not ring the kosmos bell in their minds" - KL 887.

Are we in these ways building our own high places? As I imagine God coming to me, I ask, what high places is He finding in my life? Is He finding some in yours?

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to see my attitudes from Your point of view. Show me where I have bought into the world system and perspective. Amen.

MORE: Throwing down 'high place' attitudes

"Instead of arguing with Satan, Christians must learn to share the Word of God with him, like Jesus did. To match up with someone this smart, we need the help of someone even smarter, and God is infinitely smarter than Satan" - McCallum, K.L. 767.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Players in the drama of light

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Philippians 2:12-30

TO CHEW ON: "Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." Philippians 2: 14-15 (ESV)

The story of light is woven through the Bible.

• God created light (Isaiah 45:7).
• He lives in light (1 Timothy 6:16).
• He is clothed in light (Psalm 104:2).
• His sight penetrates darkness (Psalm 139:11-12).
• His light is our life (John 1:4).
• His word gives light (Psalm 119:130).
• The Gospel is called light (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
• God's people are called children of light (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5).
• A person's way of seeing and interpreting life (the eye) demonstrates whether one is a child of light or darkness (Luke 11:34-35).
• We are blessed when we walk (live) in the light of His face (Psalm 89:15).
• Crafty Satan, knowing the power of light, disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14)
• We battle him wearing the armour of light (Romans 13:12)
• And we are to be a light to those around us by our good works (Matthew 5:16, Luke 8:15, Ephesians 5:8-9) and by refraining from grumbling and complaining (Philippians 2:14-15).

That last—"refraining from grumbling and complaining"—seems like a paltry item on the list of grand light sightings in the Bible. Who of us hasn't done it—perhaps even today, in our minds if not out loud.

However, going against our natural instincts/tendencies to grumble and complain is the outworking of an attitude that is deep-rooted and affects all of life. It proves that we accept God's sovereignty in little and big circumstances. It demonstrates our trust in Him and His ability to deal well with us. And it is one more bit of evidence that we are players in the eternal story of light.


PRAYER: Dear God, please help me make the connections between my behaviour and living as a child of light. May my thoughts, words and actions today be thoughts, words, and actions of light. Amen.

MORE: A thought

"...we either add to the darkness of indifference...or we light a candle to see by..." Madeline L'Engle (quoted in Patches of Godlight - Jan Karon)

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Scriptures marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV® Text Edition: 2011. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Spiritual weapons for spiritual battles

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 12:1-14

TO CHEW ON: “‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.’” Exodus 12:12

What I find interesting in this passage is that this night was to be a night of judgment “against all the gods of Egypt.” God’s pronouncement here reminds us of the war between God and Satan declared in Genesis 3:15 when God told Satan:

"'And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise your head
And you shall bruise His heel.'”

I believe that spiritual battling continues to be present in the conflicts around us in greater measure than we realize or like to admit. From petty arguments between individuals to national riots and international wars, there is a “gods of Egypt” (read ‘spirit of whatever country and age we’re in with its accompanying deities’) element involved.

God judged these spiritual “gods of Egypt” with spiritual weapons—a slaughtered animal, blood, food prepared in a prescribed way, eaten within a time frame, and then the leftovers burned. Who would predict victory from this? It makes no logical sense.

Are there spiritual weapons we can use to oppose the “Gods of Canada” (or whatever place you live)?

Yes there are. Here are some of the verses that speak of the weapons we use to confront the spiritual foes in our lives and the world system around us, collected from the “Victory” section of my recipe card verse collection:

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”- 2 Corinthians 10:4,5

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" - 1 John 5:4,5.

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts" - Romans 13:14

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  Ephesians 6:10,11,13-18.

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  James 4:7,8

And finally, here’s one that takes us right back to today’s passage:

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" - Revelation 12:11

PRAYER: Dear Father, please open my eyes to the spiritual battle behind the conflicts in my life and world. Help me to habitually pick up spiritual weapons to fight these battles. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Would Jesus call your words satanic?

"Get thee behind Me, Satan" - by James Tissot

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 16:21-28

TO CHEW ON: "Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, 'Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to you!' But He turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God but the things of men.'" Matthew 16:22,23


What a shock Peter must have felt when Jesus called him "Satan" and described his words as an offense (trap). Perhaps he thought, But Jesus, I was only trying to encourage You and draw You from these pessimistic thoughts about death.

Jesus, however, recognized the oily tone, the sneaky lie in Peter's words. (Compare what Peter said to what the serpent said to Eve way back: "'You shall not surely die…'" - Genesis 3:4.) Jesus scolded him for being unmindful of the things of God while mindful of the things of men. What are those things?

A word the Bible uses for the "things of men" is "carnal." Some things that characterize the carnal mind are:

• Preoccupation with this life - Psalm 49:11.

• Unwillingness to acknowledge God or bow to Him - Romans 1:28; 8:7.

• Living by our intellect alone - Ephesians 4:17.

• Pursuing different forms of spirituality - Colossians 2:18.

• Allowing the outlook of the world to taint and sully our thoughts and consciences - Titus 1:15.

• In Peter's case here it was denying the necessity of Jesus' death and resurrection—a temptation to abort God's plan of salvation.

Jesus told Peter he should be mindful of the "things of God." What are those things? They include:

• Preoccupying ourselves with God's word—what it says and how we can live it out - Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:99.

• Recognizing and being thankful for God's "lovingkindness" - Psalm 48:9.

• Viewing ourselves realistically and through eyes of faith - Romans 12:3.

• Taking our thoughts in hand; directing them along routes of what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, praiseworthy - Philippians 4:8.

• For Peter the things of God in this situation would have been to hear what Jesus was saying, and grasp the necessity of God's big plan and Jesus' role in it. With these insights he might have been better prepared for what was coming.

As I compare my thoughts and words with the two lists, I see that I often have a carnal, Satan-influenced mindset. Oh to recognize the difference and avoid these traps of thought that too often exit my mouth in words!


PRAYER: Dear God, please show me today where I am living by the "things of men." Help me to steer my focus toward the "things of God." Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The crafty gene

Joseph sold - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 37:21-36

TO CHEW ON: "So they took Joseph's tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, 'We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son's tunic or not?'" Genesis 37:31,32


The dysfunction in Jacob's family continues. To the list of favoritism, jealousy, boasting, and hatred, today we can add craftiness (deceit). Jacob's deceitful gene had not skipped his sons.

By selling Joseph not only did they rid themselves of an annoying, boastful tattletale brother, but they did it without human blood on their hands and made a little coin to boot. Lying to Jacob by implying  that Joseph had been killed by an animal absolved them of all blame.

Craftiness runs through the Bible.

• The first cunning creature was the serpent (and we know who was embodied in that crafty creature) - Genesis 3:1.

• Jacob, the father of these sons, had tricked his twin brother Esau out of his birthright and blessing (Genesis 27:16, 35).

• When Joshua began conquering Canaan, the Gibeonites, a neighbouring tribe, tricked him into signing a peace treaty with them (Joshua 9:1-27).

• The chief priests, scribes and elders "… plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him" - Matthew 26:4; Luke 20:23. However, Jesus was not take in by the attempts of the religious leaders to trick Him into saying something that would get Him in trouble with the Romans (Luke 20:23).

• In Paul's letter to the Christians in Ephesus, he explains that one of the reasons for gifts in the church is to grow Christians to maturity so they will no longer "… be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine and by trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting" - Ephesians 4:14 (emphasis added.

Though the craftiness of Jacob's sons may fascinate us, the scriptures above alert us to its satanic origin.

Let's be aware of who sows crafty thoughts and tendencies within us. Instead of crafty, let's aim to be the kind of person Jesus described to His disciples: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, harmless as doves" - Matthew 10:16.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to be alert to crafty tendencies within me and the fact that they are a form of deceit and lying. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Exposing darkness

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ephesians 5:5-21

TO CHEW ON: "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." Ephesians 5:11

Mike Leehan in his book Ascent from Darkness, does exactly that (exposes the "works of darkness"). Mad at God after his divorce, he decided to give himself to the dark side. For the next about 20 years he lived as a servant and worshiper of Satan. In his book he tells about that life:

• He describes how he repeatedly cut himself as part of his ritual and fasted to gain spiritual power.

• He discloses his mission: to sow confusion and mayhem within churches. Some of the things he did were carry copies of the Satanic Bible so he could plant them on church premises, seduce women, attend small group Bible studies to introduce unbelief and doctrinal error.

• He tells of numerous incidents when he had spiritual insight into people, sensing their spiritual protection or vulnerability.

• He describes how he felt and acted around Christians. For example, he found it impossible to sit in a worship service and often blacked out when in conversation as he channeled spirits.

• He shows us the terrifying side of spirit possession—the spooky nights filled with demonic phenomena and his ever-present depression and obsession with death. He was preparing to compose a suicide note to one of his kids the day he called out to God at a men's retreat and was miraculously delivered.

Why read such a book? Perhaps it's not for everyone, but it certainly opened my eyes.

• It showed me the fearful price that Satan exacts in loyalty, obedience and servitude.

• It showed how Satan's promises are lies.

• It illustrated, by contrast, the light, life, freedom, and joy we have in Christ—things it's easy for us to take for granted, until we've experienced (vicariously, through reading about it was experience enough for me) what life on the dark side is like.

• It provided an insight into what may be behind many of our society's bizarre and self-destructive behaviours (like rampant suicide, the prevalence of cutting, the spirit of lust that has taken down not only lay-Christians but many pastors too) and gave clues as to how to minister to demonically oppressed people.

• Mike's spiritual zeal for and commitment to the dark side put me to shame as I compared it to my zeal and commitment to Jesus.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the freedom, peace, joy, cleanness and wholesomeness  available to me because of Jesus. Help me to live with a greater awareness of darkness, and to guard myself against it. Amen.

MORE: Why share such a story?

Here, in Mike's own words, is why he told his story:

"I have learned the only thing that evil can take over is darkness. Darkness invades our lives when we shut out the light of God's love. But where there is light, there cannot be darkness. Light pierces darkness and illuminates the truth.

We must realize that we are in a world that is spiritually intertwined. There is more to our existence than the obvious. We must open our eyes to see the spiritual realm, which is very real and very powerful. And we must learn the weapons of our adversary, not only to avoid becoming ensnared by darkness but to be able to reach into that darkness to rescue others, like me, with the light. We are instruments of change. We are powerful vessels carrying an eternal cargo of either life or death.

The reason for sharing my story in this book is to demonstrate the power of God over Satan and to show how merciful a God we have in heaven. To give Him the glory and praise, and to demonstrate the power of love over fear, to show the love our Father has for us, to let God's light expose the darkness—but mainly to facilitate the hope that by reading this story, people might turn to the King of Kings!" - Mike Leehan, Ascent from Darkness, Kindle Location 3462 (emphasis added).

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Our word weapon

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 4:1-11

TO CHEW ON: “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”’” Matthew 4:4

Here in overcoming temptation, Jesus gave us an example to follow and copy. He used scripture.

The Greek word for word used here: "... by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" is rhema.

Another Greek word the Bible uses for word is logos.

Logos is the expression of a thought, a message, a discourse. In addition to referring to written scripture, it is the word John used to describe Jesus Himself, God’s communication to us, in John 1:1,14.

Rhema is that which is said or spoken, an utterance, the communication of the message.

While logos is the Bible message in its entirety, rhema is a verse or passage from the Bible that has communicated to the hearer.

In countering temptation with scripture, Jesus used the word (rhema) in an Ephesians Christian armor way against Satan: “And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word (rhema) of God” - Ephesians 6:17.

One of my favorite verses about dealing with temptation is 1 Corinthians 10:13:

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

Keeping in mind our word of God (rhema) weapon, doesn’t it make sense that one “way of escape” would be words of scripture, brought to mind by the Holy Spirit even as we’re in the thick of a battle with temptation? They are the sword thrusts we can use against Satan’s attempt to trap us in sin.

Of course we need to have  some familiarity with God’s word for that to be possible. Memorization—and Google—to the rescue. Having a verse memorized and at our fingertips is the best. But often memory is faulty.

I don’t know how many times a few words from a verse come to mind, but I’m not sure exactly what it says or where it’s found. However, when I type what I do remember into a Google search, I have the whole verse and its reference in seconds. With modern technology we have no reason to be without our “it is written” rhema word weapon.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for You, the Word, and the logos of scripture which comes alive to me as rhema and is vital in overcoming temptation. Amen. 

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Walking in the dark

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 John 2:3-29


TO CHEW ON: "But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes." 1 John 2:11

Our eyes are not well equipped to help us maneuver on our own in the dark. In darkness they no longer distinguish color. Our perception of depth and distance is altered. If we take away all light, our eyes are useless and we're as good as blind.

The Bible talks in many places about walking in darkness in a metaphorical way.

• Jesus calls it having bad eyes (Matthew 6:22-23). He is talking about how we view life. We might call it worldview.

• Jesus also talks about the Pharisees having an entrenched blindness that refuses to see life any other way than through their legalistic lens (Matthew 15:14; 23:19).

• Paul refers to the refusal to believe in Jesus and His finished work for us as blindness of mind and heart that is lifted as a result of believing ("Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away" - 2 Corinthians 3:14-16).

• The "god of this age" (Satan) can blind our minds to keep us from understanding and believing God's plan through Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:3-6).

• Paul characterizes this darkness as a downward spiral that leads to an ever-increasing corruption of understanding and lifestyle (Romans 1:21,24-32; Ephesians 4:18,19).

• And then we have our focus verse that reveals another aspect of walking in darkness: hating our brother. Really? we might ask. That's as dangerous as living in unbelief? As serious as having the legalistic, self-righteous worldview of the Pharisees? As hazardous as the determination to refuse to acknowledge God at all?

"Do not be blinded by the darkness of hatred," says a sidebar article on this passage in my Bible. "Understand that it will cause you to fall in your walk with the Lord. Turn away from hatred; ask for forgiveness for any hate in your heart. Ask God to heal you and enable you to forgive, knowing that Jesus paid the price for the wrong people have done" - Leslyn Musch, Truth-In-Action-Through 1 John, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1791 (emphasis added).

Forgiveness. Is that the switch that turns on the light from living in the darkness of hatred?

PRAYER: Dear God, I am not free from dislike, resentment, even hatred. Please show me where I am walking in such darkness. Help me to forgive and release anyone who has wronged me. Amen.

MORE: Shades of hatred

Would we recognize hatred in ourselves more readily if we acknowledged its subtle shades, its gradual growth in us from feelings of irritation, to dislike, to extreme animosity?

I was struck by this quote in Henri Nouwen's little book With Burning Hearts:

"I wonder how I would live if there were no resentment at all in my heart. I am so used to talking about people I do not like, to harboring memories about events that gave me much pain, or to acting with suspicion and fear that I do not know how it would be if there were nothing to complain about and nobody to gripe about! My heart still has many corners that hide my resentments and I wonder if I really want to be without them. What would I do without these resentments? And there are many moments in life in which I have the opportunity to nurture them. Before breakfast I have already had many feelings of suspicion, jealousy, many thoughts about people I prefer to avoid, and many little plans to live my day in a guarded way" - Henri Nouwen, With Burning Hearts, pp. 32,33.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Authority over spirits

“Jesus casts out an unclean spirit” 
Engraving by Bernard Picart, published 1728

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 4:31-44

TO CHEW ON: “Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves saying, ‘What a word is this! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.” Luke 4:36

Our society’s reaction to occultic phenomena is mixed. On one hand there is a fascination with the paranormal. (For example, stories involving occultic and paranormal themes have been a recent popular trend in young adult fiction.)  On the other hand, most psychiatrists and psychologists would pooh-pooh the possibility that some people with mental disorders could be experiencing demonic oppression or possession.

Jesus wasn’t ambivalent about the reality of dark spirits. He acknowledged their existence by speaking to them. He commanded they come out of those they tormented, often forbidding them to speak of Him and who He was. He had authority (exousia) over them.

The whole of Luke 4 is an interesting study in Jesus’ authority. In today’s reading He is recognized as an authoritative teacher. He takes authority over demons. And He commands sickness to leave a woman’s body. At the beginning of the chapter is the account of Jesus’ authority encounter with Satan after His 40-day fast.

Jack Hayford says in a sidebar article about this passage:

“Here we see the Adversary as administrator of the curse on this planet, a role he has held since man’s dominion was lost and forfeited at the Fall. Because of this, Jesus does not contest the Devil’s right to make that offer of this world’s kingdoms and glory, but He pointedly denies the terms for their being granted. Jesus knows He is here to regain and ultimately win them, but He will do so on the Father’s terms, not the Adversary’s. Still, the present world systems are largely grounded by the limited but powerful and destructive rule of the one Jesus calls “the ruler of this world.” (John 12:31; 14:30).” New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1394.

However, we don’t need to be intimidated. For Jesus, who demonstrated His authority over Satan while on earth, lives in us now by the Holy Spirit. As John reminds us, quoting Jesus' words:  “'You are of God, little children, and have overcome them (every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh), because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.'” 1 John 4:1-4

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for demonstrating Your power over Satan when You were on earth. Help me to live with Your authority in this Satan-administered world. Amen.

MORE: Spirit of the Rainforest is a powerful modern story of demon spirits and their reaction to Jesus. In my review of it you will find the testimony of a shaman and his account of how his spirits reacted when he visited his brother-in-law who had accepted Christ.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Jesus—revealed in Revelation

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! 

"I am...the Bright and Morning Star" (Pixabay.com)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Revelation 22:6-21

TO CHEW ON: " 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. … I Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.' " Revelation 22:13,16

Since back in the beginning of April this year we have been reading, from time to time, in Revelation. Today as we come to its concluding words, I recall a challenge I put out on April 4th. It was to search through Revelation to list the names and titles that describe the divine-human relationship and the redemptive work of Christ.

I started my list on that day and over the last couple of days have skimmed through the book to complete it. What an inspiring survey!

I'm going to share my list with you today (though that makes this a very long devo—sorry about that!). Several disclaimers:
- I may have missed some names.
- I included descriptive passages that were not names per se.
- I used my simple understanding of the text to compile this list (didn't go to Bible commentaries and scholars).
- Of course I found lots of repetition so didn't mention each recurrence (the name or title of "Lamb," for example, recurs repeatedly).

These titles and descriptions suggest big-picture facts about Jesus. I have organized them in this way.

In Revelation, Jesus is revealed as:

• Creator:
• "Him… who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it" - Revelation 10:6.

• Eternal:
• "Alpha and Omega" - Revelation 1:8,11; 21:6; 22:13. 
• "Beginning and the End - Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13. 
• "Who was and is and is to come" - Revelation 1:8; 16:5. 
• "the First and the Last" - Revelation 1:11,17; 22:13. 
• "Him who lives forever and ever" - Revelation 5:14; 10:6.

• Omnipotent:
• "… firstborn from the dead" - Revelation 1:6 
• "Almighty" - Revelation 1:8. 
• " 'I have the keys of death and of Hades' " - Revelation 1:18 
• "He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens" - Revelation 3:7
•  "The Lord God omnipotent" - Revelation 19:6.

• Righteous:
• "He who is holy, He who is true…" Revelation 3:7. 
• "The Faithful and True witness" - Revelation 3:14. 
• "Faithful and True - Revelation 19:11.

• Lord:
• "Our Lord" - Revelation 11:8. 
• "He is Lord of Lords …" - Revelation 17:14. 
• "The Lord God omnipotent" - Revelation 19:6. 
• "Lord Jesus" - Revelation 22:20. 
• "Lord Jesus Christ" - Revelation 22:21.

• King:
• "Ruler of the kings of the earth" - Revelation 1:5. 
• "… having on His head a golden crown" - Revelation 14:14. 
• "He is … King of kings" - Revelation 17:4.

• Communicator:
• "Jesus Christ, the faithful witness…" - Revelation 1:5; 3:14. 
• "Alpha and Omega" - Revelation 1:8,11; 21:6; 22:13 (I include this here because these are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and imply communication in writing or speech.)
• "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" - Revelation 19:10. 
• "Word of God" - Revelation 19:13. 
• "He who testifies to these things" - Revelation 22:20.

• Descended from God:
• "Son of God" - Revelation 2:18. 
• "He who has the seven Spirits of God" - Revelation 3:1. 
• "The beginning of the Creation of God" - Revelation 3:14.

• Human being:  "You shall call His name Jesus," the angel told Mary of the child she would birth (Luke 1:31). Repeatedly the name of Jesus occurs in Revelation.
• "Jesus" - Revelation 1:1,2,5 
• "Son of man" - Revelation 1:13; 14:14. 
• "her child" and "male child"  Revelation 12:4,5.

• Human being who was also called Messiah (Christos = anointed one):
• "Jesus Christ" - Revelation 1:1,2,5; 12:17.

• A Jew and source / descendant of David's royal family:
• "Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of Jesse" - Revelation 5:5. 
• "I am the Root and the Offspring of David" - Revelation 22:16.

• Sacrifice (Lamb):
• "a Lamb as though it had been slain" - Revelation 5:6. 
• "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world - Revelation 13:8. 
• "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them" - Revelation 17:14. 
• Said of the New Jerusalem: "The Lamb is its light" - Revelation 21:22.

• Ascended:
• "And her Child was caught up to God and His throne" - Revelation 12:4.
  

• Present with the Church:
• "… who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks" - Revelation 2:1. (The candlesticks or lamp stands symbolize the churches - Revelation 1:20.)

• Harvester:
• "Son of Man … in His hand a sharp sickle" - Revelation 14:14.
  

• Warrior:
• "… out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword" - Revelation 1:16. 
• "He who has the sharp two-edged sword" Revelation 2:12. 
• "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them" - Revelation 17:4.

• The Refined who is now a Refiner (Judge):
• "His eyes like a flame of fire, His feet like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace" - Revelation 1:15,16. 
• "The Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire and His feet like fine brass" - Revelation 2:18.

• Light:
• "… and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength" - Revelation 1:16.  
• Said of the New Jerusalem: "The Lamb is its Light" - Revelation 21:22.
  

• Unpredictable and mysterious:
• "Behold I am coming as a thief" - Revelation 16:15. 
• "He had a name written that no one knew except Himself" - Revelation 19:12.
  

• Majestic in appearance and presence:
• "...and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters" - Revelation 1:13-15.

• Ruler over angels and the spirit realm: 
• "The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches" - Revelation 1:20.
• "I am … the Bright and Morning Star" - Revelation 22:16. (Compare with the description of Satan's fall from heaven in Isaiah 14 where he is referred to as a "morning star" - Isaiah 14:12-15 NIV.)

• God's final word: 
• "... the Amen..." - Revelation 3:14; 22:20,21.

What an invitation and inspiration to be in awe and worship Jesus—our Saviour, the One who has invited us to call Him friend (John 15:15-17).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I worship with Revelation's thousands and thousands:
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom
And strength and honor and glory and blessing." - Revelation 5:12.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Pray!

"Sleep of the Disciples" - Alexandre Bida (1813-1895)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 22:24-53

TO CHEW ON:“And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail…’” Luke 22:31-32


If we look at the Bible as the story of the fight between good and evil, God and Satan, is it any wonder that Satan’s tracks run all through the account of Jesus’ passion, when the time of bruising heels and heads had come? Yesterday we saw how Satan entered Judas’ heart. In today’s reading that cagey serpent is working behind the scenes to “sift” Peter. Later on in the Garden, his wiles are in evidence again. Jesus finds the disciples sleeping while he has been agonizing in prayer and He warns them, “'Why do you sleep? Rise and pray lest you enter into temptation.'”

I sometimes wonder if we would be so nonchalant about our faith if we saw what was happening behind the scenes in the realm of the spirit. We can’t – and that’s probably a good thing. But we know there is a battle going on. And we have been given a means of attack and resistance. It is prayer. Telling of Satan’s request for Peter, Jesus said, “But I prayed for you that your faith should not fail.” When He finds the disciples sleeping, Jesus urged them, “Rise and pray…”

How do our prayers work to deflect, weaken, or hinder Satan’s attacks and keep him from victory in our lives and the lives of others? I don’t know. But I do know that we have our orders.

Luke 21:36
Ephesians 6:18
Philippians 4:6
Colossians 4:2
1 Thessalonians 5:17

PRAYER: Dear God, forgive my casual attitude toward prayer. Please remind and help me to use this weapon more faithfully and intentionally. Amen.

MORE: Maundy Thursday

Today the church celebrates Maundy Thursday. The day's liturgy begins with this collect:

"Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.