“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” —MARK 12:30

There are many verses in Scripture that talk about the love of God, but perhaps the most profound statement is found in 1 John 4:8 & 16, which say, “God is love”. Love is not one of God’s functioning attributes as is His omniscience (all knowing), or omnipotence (all powerful), but is His very being. The fact that God loves us is one of the fundamental truths about Him, but for some that may seem a distant reality. There is, however, a difference in God loving us and us experiencing His love. 

Experiencing God’s love does not come automatically. By definition, love is relational. We can love someone deeply, but if that love is not reciprocated, it only produces pain. Genesis 6:5-6 speaks of God’s own experience. “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on earth and his heart was filled with pain.” The reason is quite clear. The people did not love Him back, and that was demonstrated in their wickedness and sin.

On the other hand, to be loved by someone and not know it also means there is no experience of that person’s love. In order to experience the love of God, we need to come to know Him, which is only possible in relationship with Him. Jesus tells us to love our God with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength. What this means is that everything we do; everything our energy is engaged in and every ambition we hold, will in some way say, “I love God.”  

Jesus also said, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). Even in the best of times, we will admit that is not always easy, but our relationship with others is intricately related to our relationship with God. If we picture the cross, and envision the vertical as the relationship we have with God, it meets at the core and heart of the horizontal, which reaches outwards to the relationship we have with others. The relationship with God and with others cannot be separated. One is an expression of the other, and when we believe, as Jesus teaches, when He calls us, He empowers us. We are all loved by God, but if we do not respond to His love, there can be no experience of His love.

Dear Precious Lord, thank You for the many ways I experience your love, but especially for giving me Jesus who is my life.        

Am I expressing my love for God in relationship with others?

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” —JOHN 1:29

John was baptizing people from all over the land who were repentant and looking for forgiveness of their sins. One day, at the Jordan River, Jesus joined the line up of people, waiting to be baptized. We know from Matthew’s Gospel that this took John by surprise. Matthew 3:14 says, “John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’” In other words, “If this is a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, what are You doing in the line of sinners?” Jesus had no sin and therefore no need of forgiveness. So why was Jesus baptized? 

Isaiah 53:12 says of Jesus, “He was numbered with the transgressors.” This came to fulfillment on the cross, but it began at the outset of His ministry. Jesus lined up with everyone else to be baptized, identifying Himself with our sin and need to be forgiven. He is taking the place of the sinner, looking forward to what He later called ‘a baptism that I am to be baptized with’, which was His death, burial and resurrection. 

Our baptism is identifying with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. Going down into the water is symbolic of dying with Christ; submerged in the water of being buried with Christ, and coming out of the water being raised with Christ. The act of baptism is not something additional to the Gospel, but is a portrayal of the Gospel. The outward act was designed to portray the inner spiritual truth and reality of our union with Christ. Though we cannot attribute any virtue to the act of baptism itself as it does not unite us to Christ, it is an important event in the life of a believer, because it openly declares our union with Christ in such a way that what is true of Him becomes true of us. 

Jesus Christ stepped into the place we deserve (the place of death), so that we might step into the place He alone deserves, which is the place of being totally right with the Father. His baptism is a foreshadowing of everything that is going to become the outworking of the Christian life. Our baptism looks back on what Christ made possible, and His baptism looks forward to what He has made possible. As a man on earth, the Holy Spirit operated in Him and through Him, bringing benefit and blessing to others. God is committed to the same process in us, and the act of baptism is symbolic of our union with Christ, which makes that possible. And being united to Christ is the essence of the Gospel.

Heavenly Father, thank You for all You have done for us and given us in Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Is it time for me to be baptized?

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” —PHILIPPIANS 1:4-6

Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi in Macedonia. They had been dragged to the marketplace, stripped, scourged, cast in a dungeon and locked in stocks, but were also praising and worshipping God while other prisoners listened. Around midnight, a sudden earthquake erupted; doors swung open, shackles fell off and prisoners were free to escape, but remarkably, none did. The jailor called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:29-30)

We all need saving, and not some more than others, but all of us in the same way to the same degree. There are no ‘maybe’ salvations, no middle ground. We all fall short of the glory of God, and cannot save ourselves. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,” Paul and Silas answered. The jailor listened to the Gospel, and along with other prisoners believed. He then brought Paul and Silas home with him, washed their wounds and set a meal before them. Before the night was over, his entire household believed and all were indwelt by the Spirit of Christ and baptized. 

How do we know if the Spirit of Christ is indwelling us? Paul tells us to, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5). What would we be examining? What are we looking for? As exemplified by the jailor’s subsequent care of Paul and Silas, the way we live, our attitudes and behaviors give valid evidence to the presence of Christ in our lives. Part of what we will begin to recognize is that we now have an appetite for the things of God that we never had before, or it may be that appetite has been reawakened.

Paul is known as the “Apostle of the heart set free,” because he did not mandate rules, methods or programs, but taught freedom from them by receiving the life of Christ to be lived in us; not Christ plus various things… Christ alone. Paul looked back on his new converts with joy and looked forward with confidence, because he knew he could take himself out of the equation, and God would complete in them the good work He had started. Paul’s strategy was simply this: “I left you Jesus”, because it is Jesus alone who saves and brings us to Himself.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the precious gift of Jesus. I pray His indwelling Spirit will bring me into a deeper knowledge and experience of You. 

What was my first indication of the indwelling of Christ in me?

“Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” —2 CORINTHIANS 12:7

Contrary to what many believe, Satan is a literal being with a mind to think, a will to act and a purpose to accomplish. Paul’s thorn in his flesh was not a question of being in unfortunate circumstances, but is much more intentional, and its origin is in Satan. 

We are all subject to satanic attacks, and there are three basic things we need to know in resisting the devil. The first is that Satan requires permission from God and is given boundaries. We see this in the story of Job. God set his prohibitions, and we can be encouraged by that, but the reality is God will sometimes give permission. Paul says because of surpassingly great revelations, he was given a thorn in his flesh to keep him from being conceited. The operative word is ‘given’, and it was given by God, not Satan. 

The second thing is that God has a purpose in allowing satanic attacks. He did with Job and consequently, Job experienced God in a far richer, deeper way and he worshipped God. Another example is Jesus being led into the wilderness by the Spirit, not the devil, to be tempted by Satan. Satan asked to sift Peter like wheat. Peter was bold and outspoken, but after denying Jesus three times the night of His arrest, he was greatly humbled, and became the most powerful man in the first 12 chapters of Acts.

Thirdly, satanic attacks will empower us. James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” We do not resist what God in His sovereignty has permitted Satan, but we can resist what he attempts to do in our lives. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

We all deal with temptation, but if we are in Christ, it is controlled by God. The problem is that we get excited by the temptation, and when no one is looking, we actually look for the way in. But in looking for the way out, God’s grace is sufficient, however long standing our temptation may be. Christ’s strength is made perfect in weakness, and our security lies in a sovereign God who is at work in us. Though satanic attacks can be tough and painful, God uses them to drive us to a greater dependence on Him, so that we may experience His presence and strength in a way that will ultimately enrich our lives and bring us into a deeper knowledge of Him. 

Dear Lord, keep me mindful when faced with temptation to always look for the way out, and grant me your strength in resisting the devil. Thank You, Lord.  

What recent experiences have I had in resisting temptation?

“I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.” —REVELATION 3:1-2

In the book of Revelation, there are seven letters from the Lord Jesus Christ given to the Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos. Each letter is addressed to a different church in the province of Asia Minor, now known as Turkey. In these letters, Jesus talks about aspects within the church that are displeasing to Him, and He gives them a wake up call. 

We know from the early decades of the New Testament church that the longer a church has been around the more danger it becomes exposed to. There is the danger of moving from being outward looking to becoming inward looking; of being God-centered to human-centered; of being a living organism, that is the life of Jesus flowing through, to becoming a well-managed organization. There is also the danger of being Spirit-dependent to becoming self-sufficient, and the danger of moving our thinking from biblical revelation to human reasoning. A spiritually mature church would recognize these dangers, but a chronologically mature church may not, because they subtly and incrementally creep up on us. 

Before Jesus’ ascension, He left His disciples with the very clear mandate of going into all the world to preach the Gospel. Do we, as a church, have equal clarity in our thinking, our planning, and envisioning that going into our communities, cities and around the world with the Gospel is ultimately our goal? Is this the fundamental reason that we may grow in discipleship, and become better equipped to live lives that not only bring pleasure to God, but bring revelation of Him to those around us?

As in the early church, there are many activities going on today that can easily be explained in terms of personalities, abilities and programming, but there is no substitute for the life of Jesus Himself. When Christ is the source of life, there are much greater developments within the church in which the only explanation is that God is at work. 

As much as abilities, programming and fellowship are necessary, they need to be tools for sharpening evangelism, and not a substitute for it. It is essential we remain outward looking with our focus and dependency on the life of Jesus; His agenda, His will, His empowering; His direction in every facet of the church. The end result flowing out of our ministry and into our communities, cities and around the globe is that people will come to know Christ and become partakers of His work in this world.

Dear Lord Jesus, I pray for your church all over the world, that it is always dependent on You, and alive and fresh with the working of your Spirit. Thank You, Lord. 

Is the Spirit of Christ alive and active within the church I attend?

“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…’”—GENESIS 1:26

In the beginning, we were created by God to display His moral character, which is why God said, “Let us make man in our image.” Theologians have debated frequently as to what the nature of that image is. By deduction, we can work out some of what it is, because there are things true of God that we know are not true of us. God has what we call ‘incommunicable attributes’ which He has not shared with humankind. For instance, God is omnipotent (all powerful); omniscient (all knowing); omnipresent (in all places at all times); immutable (unchanging); eternal (no beginning and no end). These are attributes of God that have nothing to do with the image He created us in. 

What God did share with us is what we call His ‘communicable attributes’. These are things true of God, which are intended to be true of human beings. God is love and we are intended to be loving. God is just and we are intended to act justly. God is merciful, kind and compassionate, attributes we are meant to reflect, having been made in His image. To be in His image means to look at the image and see what the real thing is like. God gave the law to Moses on Mount Sinai in order to reveal what He is like, so that we may understand what we are supposed to be like.

The only person capable of revealing what God is like is Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:3 says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory, and the exact representation of his being…” The glory of God is not some kind of ultra glowing light surrounding the things of God, but it is His moral character; His goodness, righteousness and holiness. The nature of the Gospel is about restoring the goodness, righteousness and holiness of God into human experience, thereby fulfilling the law God gave to Moses. 

The law is like a flashlight. If we have a leak in our basement, the flashlight will expose the leak, but is helpless to fix it. Similarly, the law exposes our sin, but cannot solve it. Resorting to our own human capability, we are destined for failure because it requires divine capability. God sent His Son to fulfill His purpose for us, so that by His Spirit, living and working in us, we have the only means possible of attaining to some degree what we were created to be in the first place - the image of God. That is not only a liberating process, but an exciting process in which we come to experience God Himself.

Thank You, Lord, for creating us in your image, and working in us so that we may reflect your character.

Am I drawing daily on Christ to transform me into His likeness?

“Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.’ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” —LUKE 5:10-11

On a day when Jesus was teaching a crowd of people at the water’s edge, He got into Simon Peter’s boat so he could speak a little distance from shore. After he had finished speaking, he asked Simon Peter to take his boat out into the deep and let down his nets. Simon responded, “Master, we’ve worked hard all day and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:5). 

Simon was with his brother, Andrew, and out on the water were their partners, James and John, also brothers. Simon and Andrew’s catch was so great their nets began to break, and they had to call James and John to help them out. Both boats were so heavy with fish, they began to sink. It was right after this Jesus called all four to follow Him. He had given them the best catch they ever had, and then presented them with a choice; either take advantage of this enormous catch and make some good money, or leave everything behind to follow Me. They chose the latter.

Often when we have to make a significant choice of obedience to the will of God, we are presented with very attractive alternatives. The role of the will of God amongst attractive alternatives is a good test of discipleship. Ultimately, Jesus called twelve disciples whom He set apart from the rest of His followers as apostles, and the concentration of His ministry was with these twelve. They were a mixed group of very ordinary men; all of whom had their weaknesses, not the least of which was when they had deserted Jesus the night of His arrest. They were hardly material for turning the world upside down with the Gospel, yet though they were ordinary people Jesus had commissioned them to do the extraordinary. 

The invitation of Jesus was, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” He did not challenge His disciples with foolproof methods they would learn, but took the responsibility upon Himself to make them ‘fishers of men’. The source of their strength was not in themselves, but in Christ who was empowering them. The secret in ordinary people doing extraordinary things is found in their relationship to Jesus Christ. “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). To understand this lifts the pressure of performance and enables us to rest in Christ’s sufficiency. In all He has called us to do, He is the ‘extra’ in the ordinary that makes the ‘extraordinary’.

Dear Lord, thank You for being the enabler for all You call me to do. Keep me mindful to rest in your sufficiency and not my own. 

Am I dependent on Christ’s sufficiency for what He has called me to do?

“Then the LORD said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ ‘A staff,’ he replied. The LORD said, ‘Throw it on the ground.’ Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake… Then the LORD said to him, ‘Reach out your hand and take it by the tail’.” —EXODUS 4:2-4

If we are going to live a fruitful life, then it must begin with God asking, “What is that in your hand?” As precious as it may be, it takes our willingness to throw it down and surrender it completely to God. It might be something as important as Moses’ staff was to him, but in our hands, under our control, it can become a harbor for the snake.

At the burning bush, God commissioned Moses to free His people from Egyptian captivity, and He told him to throw his staff on the ground. The staff would have been indispensable to Moses as it represented his livelihood. When he threw it to the ground, it immediately turned into a snake which Moses ran from. God then told him to pick it up by the tail. After forty years of herding sheep in the desert, Moses knew picking up a snake by the tail would be extremely dangerous because it leaves the head free for attack. But he trusted God, picked the snake up by the tail, and it turned back to the staff in his hand. What God was demonstrating to Moses was that He would look after the dangerous parts, and so it is with us when we surrender everything to God. 

We may have worked long and hard at our jobs, but will we give them up to God? He may give it back as He gave Moses his staff back, but it then becomes ‘the job of God’, just as Moses’ staff became ‘the staff of God’. It will be the same job God gives us back, but under new management, new power. What about relationships, finances, studies, ambitions and dreams? Will we drop them at the feet of God, and allow Him to take control? 

Surrendering completely to God does not mean everything will go smoothly. We will more than likely be taken to the front line of spiritual warfare, but the Pharaohs will not frighten us; the Red Sea will not hold us back; the drought will not deter us; and the Amalekites will not defeat us, because we have in our hands what Moses had in his hand… ‘the staff of God’, through which many miracles were performed. 

God does not twist our arms, but if we choose to keep the staff under our control, we also keep the snake. In Revelation 12:9, the snake is referred to as the “ancient serpent called the devil”. In not submitting what we hold precious to God, we give the devil access. But we can surrender completely, giving God the freedom to work in our lives.

Lord, I know your agenda far exceeds my own. Help me to surrender everything I hold precious to You. Thank You, Lord.  

Do I trust God enough to give to Him what I hold most dear? 

“From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.” —GENESIS 13:3-4

Many people are hesitant to move forward in their walk with God because they have experienced failure, and are glad others are ‘on the job’ for God. But failure is never final. In fact, it is often a stepping stone God will use in moulding and equipping us for His purpose. 

With the exception of Jesus, all the leading characters in the Bible, including the disciples, experienced failure at some point. Before Abraham had settled in Canaan after leaving Egypt, he had failed God several times. Each time, he re-established his covenant with God and built an altar for Him. In effect, he is saying, “God, I am sorry I have strayed away.” God does not brush Abraham off or find someone else to father a nation. He upholds His end of the covenant and waits for Abraham to realign himself with His will and purpose. 

Through the many years of ups and downs, Abraham invested wisely in his failures, enough to trust God even with the call to sacrifice his son, Isaac. At the last moment, God stops him and says, “…because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendents as numerous as stars in the sky…and through your offspring all nations in the world will be blessed, because you have obeyed me” (Genesis 22:16-18).

In Abraham’s building of the altars, he is realigning himself with the purposes of God, and this is something we all need to do. We come back to the altar of our submission to God, and in doing so, realign ourselves with Him. God does not primarily call us to tasks, but He calls us to Himself. It is essential we keep the lines of communication open, and allow God to speak to us about situations we find difficult. Though the road may be rocky, as it was for Abraham, we do not need to wrap ourselves in cotton wool, afraid of failure again. Life includes failures, and we can actually invest and draw interest on them.

Abraham became the father of our faith; Moses, after killing an Egyptian, became the instrument God used to free the people; King David, despite his adultery, was known as ‘a man after God’s own heart’ and became the plumb line for all the kings of Israel. In embracing our failures, we learn humility, obedience and dependence on God, which is often a stepping stone He will use to bring us into conformity with His will and a much deeper knowledge of Him.

Help me, Lord, to never be discouraged by my failures, but to use them to realign myself with You and your purpose for me. Thank You, Lord. 

Do I bring my failures to God and trust His working in them?

“In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.” —NEHEMIAH 9:38

After 140 years of desecration, the city walls in Jerusalem have been rebuilt by the people. Then for seven straight days, they listened attentively as the Law of Moses was read and explained. They confessed their sin, praised God and worshipped Him. But what happened next? What kind of people were they going to be?  

Before the gathering, Ezra speaks to God and there are three aspects to his prayer. Firstly, he acknowledges what God has done as the Creator, and recaps the history of the Israelites, giving a comprehensive list of God’s work for His people. Then comes the big little word ‘but’, which leads to the second aspect – what the people have done. Ezra cites several ways and instances where the people had rebelled and disobeyed God.

These failings did not shock God and they should not shock us. If we are honest, we know our failures and areas of sin. This is the pattern again and again of God’s people, where they enjoy the victory He gives them, then become self-sufficient and begin to fall away again. When God works good things in our lives, often the effect is that instead of remaining in humble dependence, we get a little pleased with ourselves and become self-reliant. Our godliness cannot be guaranteed beyond this point. 

The third aspect of Ezra’s prayer concerns renewing the covenant God had with their forefathers, but he is not making this agreement in the hopes of giving it one more try or of committing fully this time and making it final. That will never work and can never work. So what does Ezra mean when he says, “in view of this, we are making a binding agreement”? In rebuilding the temple of Jerusalem, Ezra had already experienced partnership with God, as Nehemiah had also done in rebuilding the city walls. Their part was obedience, dependence and faith in God, and God’s part was to bring about the end result. It was not a passive ‘letting God do the work’, nor an active ‘we do the work’, but it is bringing these two together in partnership. 

The moment we pull out of obedience and dependence upon God, the agreement is breached on our end. This is not a start-stop situation. That was the pattern Ezra had already pointed out to the people. They had now confessed their sin, praised and worshipped God and had seen the victory. Today’s victories, however, are not tomorrow’s victories. Every day we need to meet with God in dependence on Him for a fresh daily work in our lives and this applies to every generation as spiritual health cannot be passed on.

Dear Lord, help me to live every day in dependence on You for a fresh, new work in my life. Thank You, Lord.

Am I working together with God in what He has called me to do?

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” —GALATIANS 3:28

After Pentecost, the church in Jerusalem became well established and enjoyed its stature as the central power of the Christian faith, but regrettably was mired in centuries of Jewish tradition and self interest. Favoritism was shown to local Jews over Grecian Jews, and many believers advocated that becoming a Christian involved converting to Judaism first. 

Jewish Christians seriously regarded their heritage and retained an exclusivity about themselves over and against the Gentiles. It was not until the stoning of Stephen that the church in Jerusalem dispersed into Judea, Samaria, and traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus, but it was in Antioch that the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile was broken down. Antioch in Syria became the new central authority and the first church to preach the Gospel to both Jew and Gentile. While Jerusalem became a dying church, Antioch became a dynamic church with its embracing of different colors, cultures, backgrounds, nationalities and continents.   

Acts 11:26 interestingly states, “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Only twice in Scripture are disciples called ‘Christians’. It was a nickname, meaning ‘Christ-in’, which is what characterized the disciples. Christ is in them, and they were called ‘Christians’ as there was no other way to explain them. Today, ‘Christ followers’ is a popular term, but that is not only frustrating, but impossible. The only one capable of living the Christian life is Christ, which is why He is in us, so that through Him our lives will express something of what He is like. 

We live in a different era, but we can look back at the history of the Jerusalem church and see to what extent we might be looking into a mirror. Although the details are different, the principle remains the same. Finding the church inside you is not about rules, tradition, ethnic background or any discriminatory factor, all of which violate the mandate of Christ. It is discovering the life of Christ within us, and the purpose for which we are called. 

We are not called to the Christian life to sit on the power of Christ’s indwelling Spirit, but to draw upon it. It is learning to operate in the sufficiency and strength of Christ, so that we may become missional people. Under His direction, bringing the Gospel to those around us will have a rippling effect, spanning into our communities, cities and around the globe. Finding the church inside us is about one faith, one body, one humanity, breaking down barriers and reaching the world for Christ.

Dear Lord, grant me the courage to speak of Christ living in me. 

Am I drawing upon the sufficiency of Christ in conveying the Gospel message to others?

"For in the gospel the righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’.” —ROMANS 1:17

The Apostle Paul was primarily and essentially an ‘evangelist’. The word ‘evangelist’ is the noun from the verb meaning ‘to announce good news’. Immediately after the martyrdom of Stephen, the church in Jerusalem was scattered, not only to escape persecution in Jerusalem, but as an opportunity for the dispersing church to evangelize.

It is important to recognize the general responsibility God has given to all Christians to evangelize, but God also gives specific gifts and abilities of an evangelist to some people in particular. Paul was supremely one of these. He was not a ‘church planter’, which does not have a specific classification in the New Testament. Church planting seems ultimately concerned with strategies and tactics, whereas evangelism is ultimately concerned with people. The consequence of Paul’s evangelism was that churches were founded, but the establishing of churches was the inevitable fruit of his ministry, not the goal. The goal was reconciling people to God.

In considering the role of the evangelist, we need to ask: What is the message of the evangelist? What exactly is the ‘good news’ that in Paul’s day revolutionized countless lives throughout the Mediterranean world, and has continued to do so ever since? Fortunately, we do not have to piece together Paul’s gospel from fragments of his messages, because he took time to spell it out clearly in his letter to the Romans, which has been rightly called a ‘Christian manifesto’.

In this sense, the book of Romans is unique. Most of Paul’s letters are motivated by a pastoral concern to answer questions, correct doctrines or reprimand behaviour, but his letter to the Romans does not address problems. It comes down to us as the fullest and most systematic affirmation of the Gospel we have in the New Testament. What Paul is saying in the above verse is that the Gospel is about the righteousness of God, not simply as an objective truth about God, but as something made available to us - ‘a righteousness from God’, obtainable by faith. 

The Gospel message is not primarily about salvation, but about a transition from unrighteousness to righteousness, which is received by being made alive in Christ through faith. For what purpose are we made alive in Christ? Paul writes, “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4). The message of the Gospel is to mend the broken state of humanity by the work of the indwelling Spirit of Jesus Christ to restore us to our original purpose, which is to express the moral image of God.

Dear Lord, I pray for a deeper work of your Spirit in me so that I may express a closer image of your moral character. Thank You, God.

What have I believed the message of the Gospel to be? 

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” —MATTHEW 7:21

Jesus is never outwitted by the illusion of success that great numbers of His following give. Neither is He impressed with a consumer oriented Gospel that finds out what people want and then cloaks it in Christian doctrine and jargon. Jesus was never driven by His audience or their intentions. The sole agenda of Jesus was spiritual reality.  

Only a few among the vast crowds surrounding Jesus were in tune with Him. That is why He said to His disciples, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom has been given to you, but not to them” (Matthew 13:11). What did the disciples have the others did not have? I suggest what they had was an intimacy with Jesus. And because they had this intimacy, they understood what Jesus called, “the secrets of the kingdom”. 

The word of God is designed to create in us a greater appetite for Jesus and godliness, which, in turn, produces fruit in our hearts. One of the biggest problems in the church today is that there is a popular “fire insurance” definition of saving faith, which says, “Invite Jesus into your heart and you will be forgiven of your sin and assured of eternal life in heaven.” As a result, many folks think that once they have said the right words, they can live as they please, and when the final curtain falls, they will be okay. 

Nowhere in the New Testament does it say, “Ask Jesus into your heart,” but it does tell us He will come in on the basis of repentance and faith. That involves more than simple words of prayer. Prayer is an expression of a change of heart, and if that change is not there, our prayers will be fruitless. The doctrine of assurance the New Testament gives involves the Holy Spirit bearing witness with our spirits that we are children of God. This takes place internally, and is something only the Spirit can give. It then becomes evident because suddenly we will love Jesus, and develop a hunger for His righteousness. 

The Bible warns about false securities. It is long-term growth, not the short-term response that gives evidence of a genuine work of the Spirit of God. A decision is the beginning of the response, but Jesus is not looking for short term decisions. He is looking for disciples. If we are serious about God, we cannot settle for the minimum, but we need to allow the word of God and Spirit of God to penetrate our lives, and begin to produce in us the character of Jesus.

I pray, Lord, for everyone to genuinely receive the Holy Spirit and to experience the wonder of your work in their lives. Thank You, Lord.   

How has receiving the Holy Spirit made the greatest change in my life?

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” —2 CORINTHIANS 12:10

Sometimes the very things that put us flat on our backs and leave us with a sense of hopelessness are the very things that bring us nearest to God. It is in the areas of our deepest need that God is most real in our lives.

God is never beaten, never outwitted and never out-ranked. He knows our hearts, and if we try to live a façade of “everything is fine and under control”, when it is not, we will never know the experience of God helping us in our time of need. Instead, we will remain independent of Him and left to our own resources. That is why confession is at the foundation of God’s work in our lives. If we acknowledge our situations, our need, failure and sin, Paul says in Romans 8:26, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.”

Paul suffered from what he called “a thorn in his flesh, a messenger from Satan sent to torment me.” He pleaded three times for God to take it away. The Lord answered, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The thorns in our flesh may or may not be from Satan, but either way, they provide a highway for God to navigate our way and lead us to where we truly discover His power, His grace and His strength.

Paul writes, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). If we understand how God works in this way, our dependence upon Him is reinforced, and whatever plagues us becomes a means of drawing us near to God so that ultimately we may become a blessing to others. But if we are interested merely in what God will do in me, and not through me, His purpose for us becomes sterile and dead.

We need to get over looking at our problems as enemies, because it is the place where God Himself will step, and drive us back to a fresh dependency upon Him. Our hardships and weaknesses are God’s biggest opportunity to work in our lives when we bring them honestly before Him. Flat on our backs, the only place we can look is up.

Thank You, Lord, for being my strength in times of weakness. You are the rock in my life, and I pray for everyone to experience that. 

How has God revealed Himself in my times of need?

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people….” —EPHESIANS 1:18

As Christians, we know that beyond this mortal existence our souls live on. We have received salvation in Christ and will go on living into the heavenly realm. Having been sealed with the Holy Spirit, it is good to rejoice in our inheritance, but we need to see beyond that to understand what is meant by the “glorious inheritance in his holy people”. 

We are not only beneficiaries of salvation, but as remarkable as it may seem, God is a beneficiary too. Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is that they may understand and appreciate what God has inherited in them, and so cease their tendency to selfish desire by dwelling on what they have received in Christ, and instead may seek to fulfill all that Christ has received in them. Paul says, “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5). That is an incredibly wonderful gift, to be cleansed, forgiven and saved, but what comes next in the Christian life?

Paul tells us in Romans 5:5 that “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” When we are “alive in Christ”, we begin to look at the world and the people around us from God’s perspective. One of the first symptoms of this is that we are developing a hunger and thirst for righteousness. We are then moved to be more Christ-like, and soon discover we are bringing Jesus into every aspect of our lives. It then follows that we want to serve Him, and God will place His desires for us in our hearts. Right from the initial stage of being drawn to God to accomplishing His purpose for us is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Detached from Christ we are powerless in producing fruit for Him. It is in His strength and energy we operate. In Him we have as Paul describes, “the incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:19). Drawing upon that power is the source of fulfilling what God has called us to do. Being “alive in Christ” is derived from an intimate relationship with Him, whereby we are being increasingly transformed into His likeness and become the instruments God has inherited for His work in this world. Being “alive in Christ” is what Jesus meant when he said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray I become increasingly more “alive in Christ” and that You will use me for your work in this world. Thank You, Lord. 

Do I have an earnest desire to be used by God?

“Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.” —ROMANS 5:18

Throughout the history of the human race we see an outworking of two opposing forces, one originating in Adam and the other in Christ. By the disobedience of Adam, all people became sinners, but by the obedience of Jesus Christ, all people may be declared righteous. These are two contrasting streams or paths of history; a stream that flows from Adam which results in death, and a stream that flows from Christ, resulting in life.

In Romans, Chapter 5, Paul says that every human being has inherited the negative traits of sin and death that has its roots in Adam. As a consequence of Adam’s disobedience, humankind became separated from the life of God. Romans 5:17 says, “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man...” We have inherited a state of spiritual death and death reigns in the sense that we are born physically well and functioning, but spiritually dead. In Adam, sin preceded death. As a result of his disobedience, he died spiritually, but for us, it is our inherent state of spiritual death, which precedes physical death and makes our sin inevitable. 

The stream that comes from Christ rectifies the stream that came from Adam. If Adam’s disobedience leads to death and sin, Christ’s obedience leads to life and righteousness. This means if we confess our sin and accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, our standing before God is no longer one of being guilty and condemned. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We are not only free from our sin, but we are cleansed and justified, a legal term meaning we are no longer guilty; the price has been paid and the case against our sin is over.

Getting rid of our sin is wonderful, but it is only a means to an end. It is clearing the decks of the barriers that have kept us from God, so that we may be equipped to live in the power of a new life. The stream from Christ in being made righteous is the means to life, so that the life of God which Adam lost in the Garden of Eden is restored into our experience. The practical consequence of this is that the negative forces of Adam when he sinned can be completely reversed. The Christian life is about being cleansed and made righteous – coming out of sin in order to come into new life, and enjoying that new life in the power of another life - the life of Jesus Christ imparted to us.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us your Son in order that we may be reunited in good standing with You and declared righteous in Christ.

Am I allowing the righteousness of Jesus to reflect in my day to day life?

“As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them, but they were kept from recognizing him.” —LUKE 24:15-16

Shortly after the resurrection of Jesus, two disciples were walking the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus greatly disappointed and saddened. Their hope, which had risen and grown for the past three years, now lay shattered. They said of Jesus, “We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). That hope was now in the past tense.

Only days before, they had listened to words of wisdom that came from Jesus. They had witnessed His power in miraculous acts. To the neglected and outcasts, they had seen His compassion, His kindness, His generosity. They had sat at His feet, amazed at the authority with which He spoke, and they had concluded Jesus to be the long-awaited Messiah. With all Israel, they shared the confident expectation that the Messiah would throw off the shackles of the Roman Empire and restore both the kingdom and dignity of the Jewish people. Those expectations lay dashed in ruins. Jesus was dead. They had not bargained for this. Their dream evaporated, the curtain had fallen, the show was over, and there was nothing left but to grieve.

Then Jesus, risen from the dead, joins them on their walk, but Scripture tells us “they were kept from recognizing him”. Having listened patiently to their grief, Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?” (Luke 24:25-26). Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus then explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.  

What a magnificent Bible study that must have been! This was Jesus exposing Jesus in the Scriptures. He then accompanied them to their home, sat at their table, and when He took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and handed it to them, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. After he had disappeared from their sight, they asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32) They now had a Bible that made sense. For the first time, “Moses and the prophets” came to life with meaning and significance. They had found the key that unlocks the treasures of the Bible… Jesus Christ, alive and active…just as Scripture had foretold.

Imagine walking along that road to Emmaus over 2000 years ago, and hear Jesus tell it. Would not our hearts be burning within us?

Dear Jesus, I am grateful, Lord, for the Old and New Testaments, which give the entire story, and is so vital in coming to know You. Thank You.

Do I see Christ revealed in my reading of the Old Testament? 

“These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” —JOHN 5:39-40

For many people, the New Testament seems far more vibrant and alive, because it reveals the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and all that He taught and did. On the other hand, the Old Testament seems more of a documentation of the history of the Israelite people, with little pertaining to what we know of Jesus. However, the Old Testament is supremely a revelation of Jesus Christ. From Genesis to Malachi, the Scriptures bear witness to Him, and apart from Him, cannot be adequately understood or make sense.

Jesus said to a group of Jews who were trying to antagonize Him, “You diligently study the Scriptures, because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” A few verses later, He tells them, “Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” (John 5:45-47). On another occasion, Jesus said to Jews who were trying to kill him, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). 

In all their diligent studies of the Scriptures, Jesus accused the Jews of failing to understand that the end product is a revelation of Jesus Himself. To have missed that is to have missed it all. We must read the Old Testament through ‘Jesus glasses’, interpreting it in the light of Him whom it foreshadows and to whom it constantly bears witness. Otherwise it will be little more than a record of Jewish history or an ancient message to a past era. At best it may be valuable as background to the New Testament, but apart from a few psalms and choice prophetic statements, it will only play a secondary role.

Right from the Garden of Eden, all roads in Scripture lead to Christ. There are over 300 prophecies, some written in explicit detail as many as 800 to 500 years before Christ was born. Statisticians and mathematicians state the chances of all these prophecies coming to fruition in one man exactly as foretold are so infinitesimally small as to be non-existent. But in every way, Old Testament prophecy came to fruition in Jesus Christ. When reading the Old Testament in the light of Christ, all of Scripture comes alive!

Thank you, God, for the Old Testament Scriptures in which we come to know You, and the revelation of Your Son through prophecy and His role in the history of the Israelite nation.

How much importance do I attach to the Old Testament?

“And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” —EZEKIEL 36:27

Christians live in two different worlds; one in the 21st century where we are often caught up in the currents and crosswinds of modern day culture. We also live in union with Christ, and how these two worlds interconnect is the challenge for us, especially in the area of morality and behaviour. During the last half century, there has probably never been such a phenomenal revolution of ideas as to what is right and what is wrong.  

To many people, the Ten Commandments seem old-fashioned and irrelevant to our world today. They are, however, an autobiographical statement by God about God, and were given to Moses in order to reveal to us what God is like. Wonder what God is like? He never steals; He is never greedy, never lies, does not cheat, does not murder, does not covet and does not give false witness. When God said, for instance, “you shall not steal”, the reason is not because stealing isn’t nice, though it isn’t, but because God Himself is not a thief. And God created us to be in His moral image.

The nature of the Gospel is about restoring the moral image of God into human experience, but apart from God, we are incapable. Paul says, “What the law was powerless to do, in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful men to be a sin offering” (Romans 8:3). The law is powerless to change anyone. It can demand what is right, but cannot produce what is right. What the law cannot do, God did by sending His Son; first as our substitute to pay the penalty for our sin, and then to give the gift of the resurrected life of Jesus to indwell us. 

When the law says you shall not steal, you do not steal. When the law says you shall not covet, you do not covet, not because we are more disciplined than we were before, but because the righteous requirements of the law are fully met in us by the indwelling Spirit of Christ. The Spirit begins to produce in us something of the character of God that was displayed in Jesus as a man on earth. Instead of a burden imposed on us, the Ten Commandments today become liberating promises as we allow the Holy Spirit to produce in us the righteousness of Christ.

Dear God, thank You for revealing Yourself in the Ten Commandments. I pray for a deeper work of Your Spirit in conforming me to Your likeness.  

Do I see how the Ten Commandments are as relevant today as they were when given to Moses?

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” —ROMANS 1:20

Prior to the above verse, Paul has explained in his letter to the Romans the wrath of God against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth. They are without excuse, he says, because God has made plain to them His eternal power and divine nature in creation. 

For many people, creation is what prompts their belief in the existence of God, but that alone cannot be construed as believing in God. We can acknowledge wholeheartedly that God exists and then wonder: What is He doing? Why is our world in such turmoil and strife? This seems more like doubting God than believing in Him. Believing in God is to know and trust what He says in His word. 

In the heart of the Bible is the most crucial message ever to be given to the human race and it comes from God Himself. He tells how the world began, how it will end and all we need to know about the in between, which is us…. the human race and its self-destructive lust for the carnal things of this world. So God intervenes and tells how He became a man Himself in order to restore fallen humanity into a relationship with Him that is living and everlasting and it begins the moment we come in repentance to Christ.  

The Bible is not just information for the historically and intellectually inclined. It is intended as food for our souls. Many are short changing themselves in not coming to know the richness of God’s word and the powerful impact it can make on their lives. God’s Spirit ministers to us through the word and when the word of God dwells in us richly, the Spirit of God fills us, dominates and directs our lives. John 1:14 tells us, “The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” From heaven, Jesus came to earth, not only for our salvation, but to deliver the heart and mind of God in person.

The Bible is our sovereign authority that brings us into the heart of God. God is the mind who has brought the whole of Scripture into complete conformity with His will so that we may come to know Him. And that is eternal life, Jesus said - that we come to know Him and the Father who sent Him (John 17:3). Believing in God is to live with eternity in mind, completely trusting of the God who created us. Instead of worrying about the state of this world, we will then be at peace, divinely guided by God’s hand into the role He has for us to make it a better world.

Heavenly Father, I cannot thank You enough for Your word, and I pray You will use me to help make this a better world.

Am I making time to spend alone with God in His word?  

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young…”  —1 TIMOTHY 4:12

The encouragement of younger Christians by older Christians is vital to their wholesome development and spiritual growth. Young people do not have the experience and wisdom that comes with age. They need the nurturing, encouragement and willingness of older people to step aside and make way for them.

Paul experienced this in full from Barnabas. In Luke’s account of their first missionary journey, he reports the pair as ‘Barnabas and Saul’. Barnabas was the leader and Paul, the second man with John Mark, the junior assistant on the team. They began their journey by visiting Barnabas’ home region of Cyprus, and then worked their way through the area of southern Galatia. As their journey continues, the narrative changes significantly from documenting the activities of ‘Barnabas and Saul’ to the activities of ‘Paul and Barnabas’. 

Paul’s leadership ability, preaching and debating skills were making him more prominent than Barnabas, so much so that when they arrived in Lystra, Paul was openly recognized as the chief speaker. Barnabas did not challenge it, or seek to restrict Paul so as to preserve his own reputation, but as he always did, he pushed his protégé forward, encouraging him in his gifts of ministry, and no doubt deriving great pleasure from the growth of this remarkable companion and friend.

Paul had done the same with Timothy, taking him under his wing in the church at Ephesus. Timothy was young, inexperienced, frail and easily intimidated by elders of the church who were more critical of him than encouraging. He did not have the boldness or courage of Paul, but he loved the Lord, and Paul, even from prison in Rome, knowing his days were drawing to an end, continued his mentorship with letters of encouragement and instruction to Timothy.

Sometimes the biggest discouragement for our young people comes from those who have been in ministry for years. We need to recognize underneath clumsy enthusiasm and impractical ideas is a genuine desire to serve God. Sometimes older Christians who have enjoyed being at the center of things can become defensive of their own position and fail to prepare the next generation. Young people need the protection and wisdom of older people, and the older people need the enthusiasm and adventurous spirit of the young. They are the next generation into whose hands we are entrusting the Gospel, and who, one day, will pass the same encouragement on. For many Christians creeping up in years, mentorship is invaluable and a wonderful way to serve the Lord.

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for the wonderful mentorship and support I have received. May I do the same for others when the time is right. 

Has mentorship played a key role in my work with God?

“Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head’.” —MATTHEW 8:20

Many Christians today do not believe they are actually meant to be disciples of Christ. They have this idea that discipleship is the calling of those in full time ministry or on mission fields, or even people who spend a great deal of time in volunteer work. But Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19). Every Christian, whatever our occupation, is called to be a disciple. 

The first thing we need to understand is that discipleship is not about where we are going or what we are doing, but with whom we are going. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ is to be fully caught up in His program and to live by His agenda. Being a disciple is surrendering everything we are and everything we have for the purposes of Jesus Christ. His agenda is our priority, and this may or may not include tough circumstances, but the possibility is always present. 

When a teacher of the law came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go,” Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head’.” This is not giving any kind of virtue to homelessness, but tells us that discipleship may warrant relinquishing our own well-being and comfort in order to fulfill a divine agenda. Another man said to Jesus, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father,” and to him, Jesus replied, “Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead” (Matthew 8:21-22). The man almost certainly was not implying his father lay dead and was in need of burial, but that he needed to wait until his father had died, so he could be free of family obligations before becoming a disciple.

We cannot bring conditions into discipleship or place boundaries on our obedience and still regard it as true discipleship. Our first obligation is to Jesus and we leave the consequences of where that takes us to Him. We surrender exclusively to Jesus as the first call on our lives, and all other obligations and relationships will work their way out of that primary relationship we have with Jesus. This may sound hard, but we dare not tame the demands of Jesus. We work with the eternal in mind, regardless of consequences. To be a disciple does not exempt us from hardships, but rather equips us to live securely within them, and our security in Christ is the fundamental ingredient in the life of discipleship to which we are called.  

Dear Lord, help me to serve You well by always drawing my security from You, regardless of how difficult circumstances may be. Thank You, Lord. 

Am I willing to surrender everything to Jesus for His purposes?

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand.” —EPHESIANS 6:13

In Chapter 6 of Ephesians, there is a recurring word Paul uses in our defensive strategy against Satan, and it is the word ‘stand’. “Take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (6:11). “Stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand ” (6:13). “Stand firm then…” (6:14). That does not sound like a very active role in warfare, does it? We are in the midst of a spiritual battle and we are told just to stand? How are we to interpret this?

In the battle between God and Satan, we must not get the notion they are two equal forces engaged in a dualistic cosmic fight. We cannot think God is a bit stronger and has the edge, so He will gain the victory. They are not forces of good and evil fighting equally. The differences are immense. God has no beginning, but Satan was created by God, and can only operate under God’s restraint. God is omnipresent; in all places at all times, but the devil is local in his operation and existence. Job 1:7 speaks about Satan going back and forth, roaming the earth. His movements are limited, but while he may be in one place, his demons or fallen angels can be working in many other locations, carrying out his work. 

God is omniscient. He knows everything there is to know, but the devil is clearly limited in what he knows. He certainly did not understand the consequences of the cross, or he would have fought against it rather than entering Judas to make it happen. God is eternal, but Revelation tells us Satan, along with his angels, will be cast into the lake of fire and that will be their end. It is God’s illimitable power against a limited one. It is the Creator against the created.

As Christians, our task is to stand and that is because the battle has already been won. On the cross, Jesus defeated Satan, sin and death. Satan’s future is unambiguous in Scripture. He will come to an end, but in the meantime, when under his attack, we are to stand, not in our strength, but in a strength that is supernatural. This is God’s battle and a battle that’s already been won. We are not fighting for victory, but from a position of victory, which is why our defensive strategy is simply ‘to stand’.

Dear Jesus, thank you for protecting me from the evil forces of this world. May I always stand firm in You. 

How would I respond to anything that tries to lure me away from God?

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” —EPHESIANS 6:12

Scripture clearly identifies our number one enemy is Satan. He is mentioned 53 times in the Bible and on other occasions is referred to as Lucifer, Beelzebub, the dragon, old serpent, prince of this world and god of this age.

In Ephesians 6:11, Paul says, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Notice the singular form - ‘the devil’s schemes’, but the next verse quickly moves to the plural form where Paul talks about the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil. This combination of the singular and plural is referring to the devil and his angels who are at enmity with God, and therefore, at enmity with all those who are in Christ. 

These are formidable foes for several reasons. They are not physical or visible, but are “spiritual forces”. They consist of authorities and powers we know little about, and they operate in the heavenly realms. We associate the heavenly realms with the sphere of God and His activity, but it is in this very sphere the battle takes place and is unleashed on earth. Ezekiel 28:17 says of Satan, “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendour.” And God’s response was, “So I threw you to the earth.”  

In our western world, we live and function almost entirely in the physical realm with very little consideration of non-physical existence. Scripture teaches that we need to know that the enemy exists. We greatly delude ourselves if we doubt the existence of Satan and his demons or underestimate his power. C.S. Lewis very astutely writes in his book, ‘Screwtape Letters’, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which we may fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve their existence and the other is to exaggerate their powers. The devil is pleased with either error.” 

Satan’s assault on the human race began in the Garden of Eden and continues today. One of his best tactics is to subtly cast doubt in our minds. He said to Eve, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” (Genesis 3:1). The doubt Satan inflicted caused both Adam and Eve to act in independence of God. This is still Satan’s agenda today - to get us to act independently of God, becoming the gods of our own lives. That’s why we need to know the enemy; to recognize his coming, and to realize that many attempts to lure us away from God is the unseen enemy at work.

Dear God, help me to recognize Satan’s attacks and to stay clear of anything that attempts to lure me away from You. Thank You, Lord.

Do I believe in the existence of Satan and his demons?   

“So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.”  —ACTS 26:19

Perhaps we have received a vision from heaven. We are energized by it. It is something that will benefit others, and with God’s agenda at heart, has an eternal dimension. What happens next?

When Paul presented his case before King Agrippa and the Roman governor, he first described how he had met with Jesus on the Damascus road, and was told he would preach the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles. Paul, formerly known as ‘Saul’, stated, “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.” What did Paul do after his vision? He immediately started preaching in Damascus, then for a period of time sought solitude in Arabia, but it was up to 14 years later before he realized his vision. It was not until he was in the church at Antioch that the Holy Spirit said, “set apart for me Barnabas and Saul…” (Acts 13:2). 

The key to discerning God’s guidance is not becoming skilled in discerning His will, but in walking humbly with God, which is what Paul did in the interim years. Abraham was given a vision of a nation that would descend from him and from that nation, the Seed that would bless the world. Twenty-five years later, Isaac, his promised son was born. Joseph, a man who walked intimately with God, had a vision of his brothers bowing down to him. Twenty-two years later that vision became a reality. Moses, at 40 years old, had a vision of saving his people from Egyptian captivity, and 40 years later that came into being.

God is never in a hurry. When we receive a vision from Him, the best thing we can do is tuck it away, and get on with our lives. Mary held the world’s greatest secret for thirty years, and treasured what she knew in her heart. That’s what we need to do with our visions. God will carve the path and accomplish His purpose in His time. A vision from heaven will absolutely have a life of its own. We do not have to make it happen.  

One of the wonderful works of the Holy Spirit, as proclaimed on the day of Pentecost, is that, “Your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams” (Acts 2:17). What this means is that the dreams of the elderly look to a future they are too old to partake in, but the young have visions they will partake in, and both the dreams of the old and visions of the young are implanted in us in harmony with God’s will. The Holy Spirit is always forward looking, and God’s divine purpose becomes manifested in His visions for us.

Dear Lord, grant me the patience to wait and depend upon You in bringing a vision You have given me to fruition. Thank You, Lord. 

Have I received a vision I have tucked away?