DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 4.13.24

 OccupiedTerritory “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shewforth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” (1Peter 2:9) In our ongoing struggle for both survival and victory in this world, we do well to recognize that we are in enemy territory. While it is true that our Captain created the world—indeed, “all things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made thatwas made” (John1:3)—and sacrificed His life to redeem it and will reign over it for eternity, it is also true that “the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1John 5:19), occupied by “the prince of this world” (John12:31) who is “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians2:2). The fact that we are surrounded by such darkness should come as no surprise, for before we were rescued by His grace, we too were part of the darkness—indeed, we had to be called out of it. John the Baptist came “to give light to them that sit in darkness andin the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke1:79). Furthermore, as Christ taught, “men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John3:19). This confrontation overshadows mere human conflict, however, “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians6:12). But, praise God, we have been called “out of darkness into his marvellous light” as described in our text. Although we may still be in the world, our King has “delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of hisdear Son” (Colossians1:13). “In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John1:4). JDM ---------------------- BruteBeasts “But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts,in those things they corrupt themselves.” (Jude1:10) Both Jude and Peter use essentially the same terms when they speak of people who are like “brute beasts” (2Peter 2:12). Both use the qualifying adjective “natural” to draw a precise distinction between those who are only alive physically and those who have been given eternal life by the Spirit of God. Prior to being twice-born, all men are “by nature the children of wrath” (Ephesians2:3) and have not yet been given “the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2Peter 1:4). Such “natural” people are “sensual, having not the Spirit” (Jude1:19) and therefore cannot receive “the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1Corinthians 2:14). These strong pictures are not incidental for understanding the challenge to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude1:3). Jude and Peter are describing the intransigence of those who resist the truth—especially of the “tares” who have been planted by the Enemy among the “wheat” in the Lord’s field (Matthew13:24-30). The Greek term translated “brute” by both Jude and Peter is a combination of the negative particle a and the basic word for intelligent communication, logos. We must therefore expect the resistance to take form “without reason.” The unsaved cannot understand God’s message without the transformation of the new birth. Their efforts to undermine “the faith” will always be based on human (natural) reasoning. Contending for the faith will always be a “labour, striving according to his working” (Colossians1:29). May God grant us a “good fight,” having “kept the faith” (2Timothy 4:7). HMM III ------------------------- AsI Have Loved “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love oneanother.” (John13:34) No Christian could ever question the preeminent importance of love. “God is love” (1John 4:8, 16), and the greatest of the Christian virtues is love (1Corinthians 13:13). The first and second commandments of the law are love for God and love for one’s neighbor (Matthew22:37-40). Christ’s new commandment, however, gives us a definition of love! To love as He loved, we must observe how Christ loved. In the first place, His love was not ephemeral. “When Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end” (John13:1). The Lord Jesus Himself defined love this way: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John15:13). However, Christ died not only for His friends but for all sinners, including His bitter enemies. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans5:8). “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him....Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1John 4:9-11). The measure of love is the undeserved, yet gladly offered, substitutionary death of Christ for our sins. Whenever we think the love commandment is demanding too much of us, we should compare our love to His. “For the love of Christ constraineth us [not ourlove for Him, but His love for us]...that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2Corinthians 5:14-15). “We love him, because he first loved us” (1John 4:19), and we must live for Him. HMM ----------------------- TheSong of Creation “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding....When themorning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job38:4, 7) It is significant that there was singing at the very time of creation. The “morning stars” of this verse are, by Hebrew poetic parallelism, the same as the “sons of God” who were present when God “laid the foundations of the earth.” Similarly, “sang together” is parallel with “shouted for joy.” It is thus beautifully appropriate to sing of the glories of God’s creation, for angels were doing this even before Adam and Eve were created! The first actual human song mentioned in the Bible, however, was the thanksgiving song of Moses (Exodus15:1-21) composed and sung by Moses and the children of Israel after their deliverance from Pharaoh and the waters of the sea. Finally, it is significant that the last song mentioned in the Bible is “the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Revelation15:3), sung in heaven by “them that had gotten the victory over the beast” (v. 2). This presumably refers back to the original song of Moses, since the deliverance from Pharaoh was, spiritually, a type of their triumph over the beast, the great world rulerin the end times. However, it must now be combined with the song of the Lamb, probably the “new song” of the saints at the Lamb’s throne in Revelation 5:8-10, praising the Lord for their redemption through His blood, shed in substitution for their sins. These should surely be the three major themes of Christian music, for these are the main themes of the Bible’s songs. It is fitting that they should refer to the past, present, and future works of Christ—His mighty work of creation in the beginning, His graciouswork of sustenance in the present, and His glorious work of full redemption in the future. HMM --------------------- AnInvisible Army - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Then Elisha prayed, �O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!� The LORD opened the young man�s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filledwith horses and chariots of fire. �2 Kings 6:17 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/an-invisible-army/- Listen When we read about angels in the Bible, they were, on many occasions, the executors of God�s judgment. For example, on one occasion, angels brought God�s judgment, killing185,000 people. Billy Graham described angels as God�s secret agents. That�s a good description of them, because they generally operate undercover, doing the bidding and work of God. One reason we�re not personally aware of angels in our lives is because they�re doing their job properly. They remain invisible most of the time, except on occasions whenGod sends them on a special mission and they clothe themselves in human form. But when they appear in all their splendor, they are no doubt very beautiful to behold. The Bible�s description of angels is certainly awe-inspiring, especially in the visions of both the apostle John (in Revelation) and Ezekiel. If we were able to roll awaythe veil that separates the physical world from the spiritual one, if we could get a behind-the-scenes look into the invisible world of angels and demons, it would overwhelm us. On one hand it would be frightening to see the demonic powers that are clearly at work. But on the other hand, it would be exciting to see the angels that are working in thelives of believers. This very thing happened to the servant of Elisha, who was terrified by the armies that were closing in on him and the prophet. But Elisha prayed, �O Lord, open his eyes andlet him see!� (2 Kings 6:17 NLT). And in a moment, this young man had the privilege of peeking behind the supernatural veil and getting a rare glimpse into the invisible world. The Bible says that when the Lord opened the servant�s eyes, �he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire� (2 Kings 6:17 NLT). Whathe saw was the equivalent of an army. An angelic military force had surrounded Elisha and his servant. We see throughout the pages of Scripture that angels are alive, well, and working. And the Bible says they also will be working mightily in the last days. Angelic activitywill reach a fever pitch in both the holy and the unholy realms. The angels of God will be active, and demons will be active as well. Then, one day, the archangel will call all true believers to Heaven. The Bible says, �For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voiceof the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air� (1 Thessalonians4:16�17 NLT). Yes, there is coming a day when those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ will literally leave this earth in what we call the Rapture. Where will you be on that day? ---------------------------- Prayer and the Supernatural Realm - by GregLaurie � www.harvest.org But he said, �No, don�t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship onlyGod!� �Revelation 22:9 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/prayer-and-the-supernatural-realm/- Listen If an angel were to appear to you right now, no doubt you would be overwhelmed. In fact, you might even be tempted to fall down and worship him. This happened to the apostleJohn when, in Revelation 22, he saw an angel who gave him a message. John wrote, �I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me.But he said, �No, don�t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!� � (Revelation 22:8�9 NLT). Notice what this angel said: �Worship only God!� In other words, �Keep your priorities straight, John. Don�t worship me. I am but the messenger. Worship God.� If an awe-inspiring angel were to appear before us, we would be inclined to believe just about anything he said. But let�s keep in mind that the Bible says even �Satan disguiseshimself as an angel of light� (2 Corinthians 11:14 NLT). Not only do holy angels exist, but fallen angels exist as well. And a fallen angel can appear as an angel of light with a message that contradicts what the Bible teaches. This is why the apostle Paul wrote, �Let God�s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one wepreached to you� (Galatians 1:8 NLT). In the Old Testament, we find a fascinating story that gives us insight into the way angels work. The prophet Daniel was praying, and the Bible tells us that God heard hisprayer and dispatched an angel with a special message for him. But this angel was engaged in combat with a demon power for twenty-one days. The angel was unable to get through to Daniel with God�s message. But the angel went on to tell Daniel that one of the archangels, Michael, came to his aid (see Daniel 10:12�14NLT). This indicates that in the angelic realm, both holy and unholy, there are rankings. Ephesians 6 points out, �For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but againstevil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places� (verse 12 NLT). For example, the Bible refers to Michael as an archangel. Then there is Gabriel, who also may be a high-ranking angel because God sent him with a specific message for Josephand Mary about the arrival of the Messiah. Daniel�s story teaches us that delays are not necessarily denials. So, the next time you ask God to do something for you, and it doesn�t happen as quickly as you would like,don�t assume it means that God is saying no. Who knows what�s going on in the supernatural realm? Who knows what�s taking place behind the scenes on your behalf? -------------------------- A Place of Refuge - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. �Psalm 91:2 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-place-of-refuge/- Listen Did you ever have a hiding place that you ran to when you were a child? Maybe it was in a tree, a closet, or some other place where you could be alone. God wants to be our hiding place. He wants to be the One to whom we turn in our time of need or when we�re afraid. He wants to be the One to whom we go when we can no longercope. The psalmist David wrote, �From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety� (Psalm 61:2 NLT). God wantsus to run to Him for safety, just as a small child would run to a parent in times of danger. And we are living in dangerous times, aren�t we? There�s a constant threat of violence. We have a violent crime epidemic. There�s the constant threat of theft, robbery, oreven death. Then, there is a global threat as we hear of dictators and nations getting nuclear capabilities. This world is a threatening place, and it can paralyze us with fear. Yet God promises that He will protect us if we make Him our refuge if we make Him our hiding place. Psalm 91 is one of the greatest psalms in all the Bible; it contains God�spromises of protection and provision for believers. It also includes a comforting promise of angelic protection: �For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won�teven hurt your foot on a stone� (Psalm 91:11�12 NLT). When the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, this is the Scripture he quoted. But he distorted it. He misconstrued it. Show me any cult, any group today that has aberrantteachings, and I will show you people who have taken Scripture out of its proper context. Satan quoted Scripture to Jesus, but it was out of context. In essence, he was saying, �Jump! Go ahead! The angels will catch You. You don�t have to be afraid.� But Jesus set the record straight. He said, �The Scriptures also say, �You must not test the Lord your God� � (Matthew 4:7 NLT). This demonstrates that we cannot do crazy, reckless things and expect to receive angelic protection. There is a vast difference between trusting the Lord and testing the Lord. But if we walk in the center of God�s will and desire to please Him, then indeed, the Bible promises angelic protection. Psalm 34:7 tells us, �For the angel of the Lord isa guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him� (NLT). We just don�t know how many times angels have delivered us, protected us from harm, or perhaps even spoken directly to us. As Hebrews 1:14 points out, �Therefore, angels areonly servants�spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation� (NLT). Among other things, angels have on their itinerary a call to minister to us as children of God. ------------------------------ TheTrinity and the Christian �The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with youall. Amen.� (2Corinthians 13:14) The doctrine of the triune God is unique to Christianity. There is only one God yet three Persons�Father, Son, and Holy Spirit�each with His own distinct relation to mankind but each equally, fully, and eternally God. Although these truths are implicit throughoutthe New Testament, the doctrine of the Trinity is seldom, if ever, presented explicitly as a formal doctrine. There are several passages, however, where all three Persons are mentioned in the same context, and each one deals with a significant aspect of the Christian life. There is, first of all, the provision of salvation, �the blood of Christ, who through the eternalSpirit offered himself without spot to God� (Hebrews9:14). Then follows regeneration. �And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father� (Galatians4:6). Salvation and regeneration are then publicly testified in baptism �in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost� (Matthew28:19). The chief resource of the believer is prayer, and this also involves all three Persons. �For through [Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father� (Ephesians2:18). He must also continue to learn of Christ and to bear witness of Him. �The Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things� (John14:26). �The Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness� (John15:26-27). Finally, in the words of our text, we have eternal assurance in the triune God. �The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.� HMM ------------------------------ The Winning Side - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time. �Psalm 34:19 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-winning-side/- Listen From the moment we come into this life, there are all kinds of troubles. Life is filled with challenges, and it seems as though when you have one problem finally resolved,three more take its place. In fact, the Bible says, �People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire� (Job 5:7 NLT). Some people may say that if you accept Jesus Christ, then all your troubles will go away. The implication is that if you become a Christian, then your problems will be gone.On one hand that�s true, because when you become a true follower of Jesus, many troubles do go away. The issues of an ever-present guilt, an emptiness in your life, and the fear of what happens beyond the grave are resolved. But in all fairness, other troubles start once you give your life to the Lord. The moment you decide to follow Jesus Christ and seek to do the right thing, the devil willdo everything that He can to stop you. But you also need to know that God is far more powerful than the devil. And God will do everything He can to strengthen you. You are on the winning side. That doesn�t mean you aren�t going to be tempted. It doesn�t mean you aren�t going to face hardships or that you won�t have obstacles in your life. But it does mean that youwill ultimately get through these things with the help and power of God. When the disciples were afraid, Jesus gave them some words of assurance to bring calm to their anxious hearts. He said, �Don�t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, andtrust also in me� (John 14:1 NLT). We could also translate this to say, �Don�t be agitated or disturbed or thrown into confusion.� Jesus didn�t tell the disciples to mull over their problems. Instead, He told them not to be troubled. He was saying there are reasons to be troubled in life, but there isa greater reason not to be. Yes, we have all kinds of troubles in our lives: health troubles, family troubles, relationship troubles, and financial troubles. Things don�t go the way that we hoped theywould go. And there are times in our lives when things happen that we just don�t understand. Why did God do a certain thing? Or why did God not do a certain thing? When I don�t understand something about God, I try to always fall back on what I do understand. I understand that God loves me and that He�s looking out for me with my bestinterests in mind. I do understand that no matter what happens, He will get me through it. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. There is no addiction so strong that He cannot free someone from it. And there is no problem so complex that He cannot unravel it. Thereis no hope without God. But with Him, you have all the hope that you ever will need. --------------------------------------- Cain'sWay �Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward,and perished in the gainsaying of Core.� (Jude 1:11) Jude compares the awful examples of three Old Testament characters to leaders in the New Testament church who have used their influence for evil. Cain was the first child of Adam and Eve and had every opportunity to excel. Yet, he chose a �way� that not onlyended in the horrible murder of his brother but also resulted in an entire culture in rebellion against God. The murder was preceded by a flagrant disobedience that was expressed when the family came to offer their sacrifices to the Creator. Cain brought an offering of the �fruit� of his own labor from tilling the ground. Abel�s offering was a �firstling� from theflock that he kept (Genesis 4:3-5). Why did God �respect� Abel�s offering and not Cain�s? God�s commentary on this event (Hebrews 11:4) tells us that Abel �obtained witness� that his sacrifice was a righteous action that testified of his obedience.The Genesis account does not give much information, but it is clear that the first family were following instructions�likely emulating the sacrifice that God made to clothe Adam and Eve after they sinned (Genesis3:21). Cain began a �way� many years before (a lifestyle, a broad road) that turned his heart away from simple obedience to God�s instructions. Cain�s occupation (farmer) was certainly okay. He provided food for the growing world population. But when the regular sacrificecame due, Cain decided that he would �show� God his own works rather than follow God�s requirement of bringing an innocent life in sacrifice. That way, of course, is the way �which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death� (Proverbs 14:12). HMM III ---------------------------------- Balaam'sError �Woe unto them! for they...ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward.� (Jude1:11) Balaam is a very complex character recorded in Numbers 22�24. He is cited for an ability to communicate with �the LORD� and had a reputation for accurate prophecy (Numbers22:6-8). As the new nation of Israel traveled northward into the Sinai Peninsula, Balak the king of Moab became worried that Israel would subjugate his nation and recruited Balaam to curse them. Balaam �loved the wages of unrighteousness� (2 Peter 2:15) but was astute enough to know that he could not talk God into doing anything God did not wantto do! But even though Balaam was aware of the dangers of getting involved on the wrong side of God�s work, he wormed and squirmed through several interchanges with God until he was finally allowed to go. �God�s anger was kindled� at the stubbornness of thisman, and the famous interchange with the donkey took place (Numbers 22:22-31). Still Balaam persisted with his venture for Balak of Moab and �ran greedily� after the reward that he had been promised. When he arrived at the place where he planned to curse Israel, Balaam knew enough about the correct sacrifices to build the right kindsof altars and sacrifice the right kinds of animals, then he proceeded to seek God�s �word� for Israel. Three times God �put a word� in Balaam�s mouth to bless Israel, and three times Balak insisted that he try again to curse them. Instead of repenting of his foolishness, Balaam bragged about his ability to know what God wanted and �taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel� (Revelation2:14). Those who prostitute the gifts of God for their own profit will come under a �greater condemnation� (James 3:1). May God protect us from theBalaams among the churches. HMM III ----------------------------- The Believer�s Great Hope - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org So we don�t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannotsee will last forever. �2 Corinthians 4:18 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-believers-great-hope/- Listen Deep inside us, there is a sense that there�s something more in life. No matter what experiences we�ve had, no matter how wonderful they were, they were only a glimpse ofwhat is still ahead. We are homesick for a place we�ve never been to, and that place is Heaven. The Bible says that we were wired this way, that God �has planted eternity in the human heart� (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT). This simply means we have a sense there is more tolife, and that keeps us moving forward. It�s like the homing instinct we see in the animal kingdom. Our homing instinct, however, is for a place we haven�t yet seen. If you are a Christian, then you are going to Heaven. Jesus said, �There is more than enough room in my Father�s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I amgoing to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am� (John 14:2�3 NLT). Interestingly, the Bible doesn�t tell us that much about Heaven. There are some passages about it, but not a lot. For example, the apostle Paul had the unique experience of dying, going to Heaven, and having to come back to earth. Paul didn�t go into great detail about what he saw onthe other side. But he said this much: �I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell� (2 Corinthians 12:4 NLT). For us to try to understand something as glorious as Heaven would be like a six-month-old baby trying to understand an explanation about the beauty of Hawaii. It�s very hardfor us to wrap our minds around. No matter what happens to us on this earth, it pales in comparison to this great hope. Writing to the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul said, �For our present troubles are small and won�t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighsthem and will last forever! So, we don�t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever� (2 Corinthians 4:17�18 NLT). This is the hope of the Christian. There�s a better world ahead. Until that day, there is nothing that will completely satisfy our lives. There�s something greater than whatwe are experiencing now. Yet, not everyone has this hope. If you don�t have this hope in Christ, then you ought to be afraid right now. You ought to be afraid if you don�t know whether you will goto Heaven. The believer has great hope beyond all of this. We have the great hope that a place called Heaven is waiting for us on the other side.