Based on “Spiritual Warfare Happens” by Pastor Mark Balmer; 11/15–16/08,
Message #2465; Daily Devotional #6 “Remember to Pray!”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): When you become a follower of Jesus Christ, you are welcomed into God’s Kingdom. Jesus sacrificed his life to save us from eternal death (John 3:16-17), but we still live in a world filled with evil. Satan starts attacking us as soon as we move from his kingdom into God’s Kingdom, and he desires simply to destroy us. While I was watching football, I was reminded of what Pastor had said: “Satan goes on the offensive – but a great defense wins championships.” God has provided all the defensive weapons we need: the Word, the Holy Spirit, and prayer. As God’s children we have power over evil because Jesus defeated Satan by shedding His own blood for our sins. Because God’s children are human beings – made of flesh and blood – Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power over the Devil, who had the power of death (Hebrews 2:14, NLT).
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): We don’t always use the power of prayer. Instead, we go about our everyday life forgetting we are royalty and can approach the very throne of God. We forget who we are when someone does something that hurts us, and we become bitter with that person. We get angry when things don’t go our way. We are tempted to put other “things” above our Lord, like money and prestige, making them our idols. We want to be in control instead of letting our Father rule the Kingdom. We forget that we have the weapons we need to fend off all of these evils by depending on our Father instead of ourselves. Remember, God loved us enough to forgive us and welcome us into His Kingdom. He desires a close, personal relationship with us. We don’t have much power in our Father’s Kingdom when we aren’t communicating with Him, and we often forget what a powerful weapon prayer is in the Kingdom of God. Ask forgiveness for your sins, and then ask God to fill you with the power of the Holy Spirit so that the next time Satan attacks you with the same old lies, you will overcome. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. (James 5:16, NLT)
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): Prayer shows our dependence on God our Father. It shows that we trust in Him for the outcome of our everyday life. Don’t forget you are royalty in your Father’s Kingdom; use this power of the Spirit to lift you above the evil of this world. “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10-11, NLT). Don’t forget: Defense wins championships! And we have all the defensive weapons we need when we are led by His Spirit and His Word and we pray. We already know the outcome – God always wins.
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Revelation 12:9-12
jej
Calvary Chapel of Melbourne; 2955 Minton Road; W. Melbourne, FL 32904; 321-952-9673
All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.
New King James Version = NKJV, New Living Translation = NLT.