Based on “Under His Influence—REALLY!!!” by Pastor Mark Balmer;
10/10-11/09, Message #MB392; Daily Devotional #3 - “Speak the Word of God”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): Isn’t it amazing that people of the world accept the wickedness of Satan, yet a miracle of God or His supernatural blessing is ignored or explained away? People of the world submit to Satan, living as if he were all powerful. They are totally unaware of God’s greatness. So many are deceived into believing that God is not only powerless, but most likely does not even exist. The world sees Christ followers as foolish, but who is really foolish? “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” (1 Corinthians 1:18-19). The influence of evil is practically all consuming in this world. Every day you see and hear about it. It can defeat, discourage, and even devour the weak in faith. Let that not be found among the followers of Christ.
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): The answer lies in the Christ follower being the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). Being saved and walking in the light of God’s illuminating Holy Spirit will confound, confuse, and often anger the world, but it will satisfy the thirsty soul. And God will lead the Christ follower to the one prepared and waiting for his or her Savior. It is sometimes a risky journey to reach the unsaved, but it is always a rewarding journey. God’s Word shall never return to Him void (Isaiah 55:10-11). There will be times that we may confront evil spirits, but we need not argue with them. We need only to speak the powerful Word of God, and they shall depart. For we know that the one who lives in the Christ follower is greater than the one who lives in the world (1 John 4:4). Knowing these things, it is imperative that we not allow ourselves to be pulled into Satan’s realm of evil. Remove yourself, guard your thoughts, and keep the light of God shining on your heart. We live in this world and will always be faced with evil. The influence of evil is everywhere, seen by everyone, but the influence of God is seen by a chosen few. Those who have eyes to see and ears to hear (Job 42:5) are blessed and have seen beauty, touched wisdom, walked in holiness, discovered true peace, and are able to sing with joy. They have walked under the influence of the Most High God.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): God’s glory shines brightest when His people worship in truth. Staying under the influence of God is rather like walking in a rainstorm while carrying an umbrella: you want to stay under the umbrella. Likewise, we want to stay under the umbrella of God’s protection. When we look up toward heaven, we generally lose sight of our former line of vision, which is the world around us, with all its troubles. When we bow our heads and get on our knees, humility grabs our soul, and our spirit flies free. We can’t be under God’s influence if we deliberately and consciously refuse to remove ourselves from evil influences. Flee all evil influences today. Instead, pursue holiness and fight against the things that would steal, destroy, or devour your faith, ruining your ability to bring others to the cross. Speak the Word of God and watch the power it has to change lives. Today is to be lived in victory, today is the day to take risks for God, and today is the day to stay safely under the influence of the Holy Spirit, who is committed to leading God’s people safely through the battles. What could be better than to choose today to repent of ungodly ways and secure your future in Heaven?
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Psalm 49:3; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:105; Hebrews 4:12
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