Seeds of the Kingdom Devotional 19th January 2021 Message By Ellel Ministries, Australia
TOPIC: We Can’t Win A War Without Fighting A Battle
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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 of 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 God. – Ephesians 6:14-17, NIV
Are we finding life a bit difficult just now, with all its anxieties, loneliness and uncertainties? Are we struggling to stay on top, in touch with God, during this difficult time? The Bible tells us ‘my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:19). Is this our experience? David the psalmist wrote, ‘the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.’ David knew His God. He didn’t just know about Him, but knew Him as his Lord. He trusted Him and depended on Him, as his sheep would trust and depend upon their shepherd.
Jesus said, ‘this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent’ (John 17:3). Do we know our God? – That is, to receive Him, serve Him, trust Him and allow Him to be Shepherd of our lives.
God will supply all our needs ‘in Christ Jesus.’ We have to be ‘in Him’ as He is in us. ‘Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me’ (John 15:4). To be in Him we must allow Him to be in us and acknowledge Him as Lord by the Holy Spirit.
Christ fought for our lives on the cross. He prevailed over all the powers of darkness, and won a victory that we all can share. We too are called to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12). But He is our sword and our shield, and we must never let them drop from our grasp.
We can’t win a war without fighting a battle. ‘In the world you will have tribulation..’ (John 16:33). But we’re called to put our trust in Him, because He has overcome the world. ’Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding’ (Proverbs 3:5). We must hold on to Him with all we have, and not let go. He is with us in all things and will never leave us. Of this we can be sure.
Peter called out to Jesus as he began to sink under the water, “Lord, save me.” (Matthew 14:30). Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him, at the very point of his sinking. Not before.
It’s a difficult road we’re walking, in testing times, with the enemy lurking In the bushes. This is all the more reason why we need to put our trust completely in God and hold on. He knows the end from the beginning and as we trust Him He’ll see us through, because He loves us.
‘In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path’ (Proverbs 3:6)
Prayer: Father, I know You are with me always, but sometimes I forget and look to my own understanding. Draw me closer to You I pray, so that in these difficult times I become more aware of Your presence and Your peace. Lord, I put my trust in You completely and am confident that You are guiding my path. Thank You, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Seeds of the Kingdom Devotional 19th January 2021 Message was written by Ron Scurfield. He’s with his wife Jill, are part of the Associate Ministry Team at Ellel Grange and occasionally Ellel Scotland. Ron enjoys walking and writing and meeting interesting people, but his greatest joy is seeing God transform lives, setting people free to live the abundant life that Jesus intended.
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