That We May Know

     That we may know. Jesus wants us to know Him better, to be intimate with Him in prayer and in our desire to follow. With His Word, with the power of prayer, with the fellowship of other believers, we can grow in our faith, in our knowing.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.  Ephesians 1:17

     I want that. How about you? Let’s pray today that the Holy Spirit will reveal more to us of God’s wisdom so that we may know Him better.

Lord,

We ask for new insights, for new revelations, for more wisdom. Open our hearts to know You more and more.

Amen

That We May Know

     That we may know. That we may know God. That we may believe He is the Lord. That He has chosen us. That we can be His witnesses. There is no other God.

“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. Isaiah 43:10

     That we may know the treasures available to us when we have Jesus. He calls us by name.

I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel who summons you by name. Isaiah 45:3

Lord,

Help our unbelief. Help us to know the hidden treasures of Your heart. So that we may know and be Your witnesses. That You are He, the sovereign Lord.

Amen

The Battle

     The final battle between evil and good will be won when Jesus returns. Evil will come to an end. The end times will not be easy. But Jesus has overcome the world. When it seems as if evil is winning, don’t believe it for a minute. God will allow it to run its course. Satan is on a leash and our sovereign God knows the end from the beginning.

     His plan of redemption was written before time began. We won’t understand all of it until one day we are with Him in the new heaven and on the new earth. As Paul reminds us in 2^nd Timothy, “Perilous times will come.” Don’t be alarmed.

“I have told you these things so that in Me you have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Revelation 22:13

     The battle has been won. The end has to play out and all things will become new.

Jesus,

You are the First and the Last. You have the whole world and the heavens in Your mighty hand. Give us peace in the midst of turmoil. Give us joy deep within our souls. The battle will one day be over and it’s all about You.

Amen

The Battle

     Obviously, Satan works hardest to destroy the believer. When the world is looking in all the wrong places for lively pleasures, they are right where he wants them. He would love to remove Christ’s followers. He wants to take away our testimony. He wants to take away our courage. He, most of all, wants us to doubt our God.

     Don’t allow him to destroy the trust you have in Jesus. Our deep faith is our greatest weapon in the battle against evil. Believe God above all else. Believe Him above what your circumstances tell you. Believe Him when the path ahead is scary. Believe His promises for your future. And turn away from the devil and his schemes.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10;10

     Be strong in the Lord. Do not let Satan destroy and steal your dreams. Jesus promises life to the full, the abundant life that overflows with joy. Believe Him!

Jesus,

You promise us real life. Develop in us a faith filled with trust and obedience. You have given us all things through your life, death, burial and resurrection. Show us how to die to the life we knew and accept the new life in You.

Amen

The Battle

     The greatest spiritual battle may be the one within our own mind. Satan loves to deceive us with worry, doubt, fear and false guilt. The world around us says we need to look different, strive harder, to compare and compete. God’s will for you is to believe you are precious in His sight. You have what it takes to live a life filled with joy and peace.

     Do not listen to the world. Listen to the Word. It is filled with promise and hope. It is filled with love and purpose. Transform your mind.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

     God’s will for our lives is good, pleasing and perfect. It fits us. It is made for us, each life unique and well-loved. Fill your mind with God’s hope and love and allow His will to work. Renew your mind in Jesus.

Lord,

We work so hard to fit in, to be heard, to make money, to look better, to achieve more. Lead us into Your will. It may not look like the rest of the world, but we want to serve You. Guide us into renewing our minds in order to find Your perfect, pleasing and good will.

Amen

The Battle

     Each part of our armor is vital. Let’s take a peek.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of Gd. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.  Ephesians 6:14-18

     Have confidence in God’s protection. Our hearts are covered with the righteousness of Christ. Our feet walk in the peace of the Gospel. Our belt is tightened with God’s truth. And always, we are filled for salvation. Our faith in Christ fights the arrows of Satan. And our one offensive weapon is God’s Word! The Word of Christ has great power. In fact, Jesus used the Word when he was tempted by the devil himself. (see Matthew 4)

     And finally, we have the power of prayer. Pray continually.  Truth, faith, righteousness, peace, salvation and prayer. He has us covered. Walk with confidence in our redeemer.

Jesus,

Your armor covers us and clothes us with Your mighty power. Remind us to place Your armor tightly around us every single day as we resist the flames of the arrows of Satan. With You we can do all things.

Amen

The Battle

     Our battles from within and from without are spiritual. Satan knows our weak spots and plays on them. Our flesh fights against the Holy Spirit. And those without Christ are under Satan’s spell. Let Christ fight for you.

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. 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 6:12-13

     Our victorious lives can only come through the power of Christ and His angels. What a gift we have in Jesus and His resurrection power! Tomorrow we will look at the specific elements of our spiritual armor. For now, pray against the evil around us and stand firm in the faith.

Jesus,

You have overcome the evil powers of the world and we stand firm in You. Protect us and remind us daily that our battles are not against flesh and blood, but against the wiles of the evil one. We pray for our enemies today.

Amen