A Fight Always Follows Illumination

But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions….
— Hebrews 10:32

Have you ever received a word from the Lord that gave you the exact direction you needed? If so, let me guess what happened next. Suddenly — BOOM! It seemed like all hell broke loose! The craziest circumstances erupted, seeming to directly challenge and assault that word you had just received from God!

If I’ve just described what you’ve gone through or what you are going through right now, be encouraged! You must be right on track! A spiritual fight usually does occur when you’ve been specially illuminated to the plan God has for your life.

In Hebrews 10:32, the Bible says, “But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions.…” Today I want us to look at three key words in this verse: “great,” “fight,” and “afflictions.” These words describe what you and I might experience after the Lord has given us a word of instruction to illuminate us regarding His plan for our lives.

First, let’s look at the word “great.” In Greek, it’s the word polus, and it means a huge number or to an enormous degree. By using this word polus, the writer of Hebrews tells us that sometimes spiritual conflicts accompany a word of divine direction, and they are normally not challenges of little consequence that can be easily overcome with minimal effort. In fact, the enemy’s attacks are usually polus! In other words, they’re significant attacks — the kind of trials that require all of your determination to hold fast and not give up!

The second word I want you to see is the word “fight.” It comes from the Greek word athlesis and refers to a committed athlete. This undoubtedly tells you that when you receive a word from the Lord, it may throw you into one of the greatest challenges of your entire life! You’ll feel like you’ve just entered the ring and are competing for the prize!

Finally, we come to the third word, “afflictions.” It is the Greek word pathema and usually refers to mental pressure or to suffering that affects the mind. This isn’t talking about mental sickness; rather, it points to a war in your soul or an attack on your mind.

Hebrews 10:32 could thus be taken to mean:

“After you were illuminated, you endured an enormous ordeal that threw you into the biggest fight you ever faced in your life. But the most critical part of the struggle resulted from the unremitting assaults that literally battered your mind….”

You can be sure that if you take a stance of faith in response to a word you received from God, every possible negative thought will come against your mind. Not only will the devil try to use people and circumstances to thwart the plan, but he will also affect your mind with all kinds of negative thoughts and accusations. He’ll do everything he can to talk you out of doing what God has called you to do.

Don’t be surprised by this! You must remember that Jesus experienced this type of attack as He hung on the Cross. As He selflessly laid down His own life on the Cross, the soldiers and other criminals hurled their horrible, slanderous statements at Him. But Jesus pushed aside all the assaults that came against His soul and endured, committing His life and destiny into the Father’s hands.

So if you have received a word from God for your life, let me ask you:

Did you go through a huge ordeal yourself after you were illuminated to God’s plan?
Did you feel you were thrown into a fight that came to challenge what God had told you?
Did you find that the devil tried to assault your mind and emotions with lies, accusations, and fears?

If you have been in this place I’m talking about — or if this is exactly where you are right now — then be encouraged! This is probably your clearest signal that you’ve received a real word from the Lord. You must be right on track, because the devil is terribly concerned about what will happen if you act on what God has revealed to you.

Don’t back down. Don’t surrender to the enemy’s vicious lies in your mind, his attacks against your body, his challenges to your finances, or his assaults on your relationships. Regardless of how much resistance he tries to bring against you, don’t you dare back up on that word God gave you!

If you hadn’t received a true word from the Lord, there would be nothing for the devil to challenge! The fight you face is the greatest evidence you’re right on track! Just hang on, and don’t give up! You’re clearly headed in the right direction!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, as I take a stand of faith in response to that word I have received from You for my life, I realize that Satan may try to use negative thoughts to war against my mind. Thank You for alerting me to the fact that the devil may even try to use people and circumstances to thwart Your plan for my life. But I also thank You that Satan cannot stop Your plan from coming to pass! With Your Spirit illuminating my mind, I know I will be able to discern the attacks of the enemy and successfully resist each and every attack!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I boldly declare that I won’t back down! I won’t surrender to Satan’s vicious lies — his attacks against my body, his challenges to my finances, and his assaults against my relationships. Regardless of how much resistance he tries to bring against me, I will not back up on the word that God gave me. I will stand fast, holding tightly to what God has promised, and the devil will be the one to throw in the towel and surrender! I will resist him until he flees and leaves me!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. What are some past instances when you received direction for your life that you knew was from God?

2. Were you bombarded with negative thoughts and pressures that tried to make you doubt the direction God gave you? How did you react?

3. In the future, how can you respond according to the Word when these negative thoughts and pressures come against God’s direction for your life?

Staying Untangled from the World

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life…
— 2 Timothy 2:4

Have you ever wondered, How do I know if I’m becoming too materialistic? How do I recognize when natural possessions have become too important to me?

Today let’s answer those questions! In Second Timothy 2:4, Paul wrote, “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life…” The word “entangleth” in this verse comes from the Greek word empleko. This Greek word can be used several different ways, but it is often used to describe a person entangled in his lower garments or a person who is caught in some type of vine.

For instance, this is the same Greek word that is used in Matthew 27:29 to describe how the Roman soldiers assembled Jesus’ crown of thorns! That verse says, “And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head….” The word “platted” is this same Greek word empleko. It may be the clearest and best example of this word in the entire New Testament.

Think for a moment: How did the soldiers “plait” a crown of thorns? The soldiers took vines loaded with sharp, dangerous thorns; then they carefully wove together those razor-sharp, prickly, jagged vines until they formed a tightly woven, dangerous circle resembling the shape of a crown. It was this kind of crown that the soldiers violently shoved down upon Jesus’ head in Matthew 27:29.

What I want you to see is that this word “entangleth” describes something that has been woven together. By using this word, Paul tells us that, as committed Christians, we don’t have the privilege of getting too involved or intertwined with matters that are relatively unimportant in light of eternity.

The word empleko was also used to describe a runner whose garments become entangled in his legs. Although the runner was running a good race, his floppy, dangling garments have now become ensnared and entangled in his legs — and as a result, they break his pace and hinder his race. So here we find that the word empleko Paul uses in Second Timothy 2:4 can also describe someone who has become ensnared or entangled in something and thus hindered.

This means that Second Timothy 2:4 can be translated:

“No one serving as a soldier permits himself to get entwined, ensnared, and entangled in the affairs of this life.…”

But now let’s go back to the question about materialism. There is nothing wrong with owning nice things. In fact, God wants to bless us with nice things. But we are not to allow material possessions to become so ingrained in our hearts that they become the central focus of our lives. Our souls, emotions, and desires are not to become so ensnared, entangled, and caught up in the things of the world that we become meshed together with them.

How do you know if you’ve become materialistic? How do you know if natural possessions mean too much to you? Well, could you give them up if the Lord asked you to? Or have they become so woven into the very fabric of your life that you are now entangled in them? Only you and the Holy Spirit know the answers to these questions.

Do everything in your power to keep the temporal things of this world in the right perspective. Keep them in your hands but out of your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas of your life that need to be “untangled” and brought back into balance. Then after He speaks to you, it’s up to you to STAY untangled from those natural affairs of life!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I ask You to help me keep my heart free from the things of the world. You have called me to be a committed and focused Christian soldier. I cannot permit anything to ensnare and entrap me, thus distracting me from the good fight of faith You’ve called me to fight and win. You are the revealer of the secrets of men’s hearts, so today I am looking to You to reveal to me any areas in my soul where I have allowed something to entrap me so greatly that it threatens to eliminate me from the fight.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I boldly declare that my heart and soul are free to follow Jesus Christ! My worldly possessions are in my hands, but they are not in my heart. I will remain free of materialism, worry, and other worldly concerns, and I will stay focused on the task Jesus Christ has assigned to me!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. What are some of your past victories that you can encourage yourself with as you fight your current fight of faith?

2. In each of those past struggles, what helped you to stay in the fight until you won?

3. List some examples of people in your life and in the Bible who held fast to God’s promises as they faced great difficulties until their victory was finally won.

You Are Never Alone!

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses.…
— Hebrews 12:1

At times you may have wondered, Has anyone else ever experienced the kinds of problems I’m experiencing right now, or am I out here all alone?

No, you’re not alone! Hebrews 11 records the remarkable feats of faith accomplished by various people in the Old Testament. These were people who had to fight and struggle as they waited for the object of their faith to manifest. Their walk of faith was a great, great challenge.

Because these Old Testament saints stayed with what God had told them to do and never gave up, they eventually saw His blessings begin to operate in their lives. Nevertheless, nearly all of them endured great, difficult hardships and challenges before their victory came.

To let us know that we’re not alone in our own walk of faith, the writer of Hebrews says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

Notice that it says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses….” The phrase “compassed about” is taken from the word peikeimenai, which is a compound of the words peri and keimai. The word peri means around or to be completely encircled by something. The second part of the word keimai means to lie down. When these two words are compounded into one word, they mean to lie around, as if something has been piled high and is lying all around you on every side. This is the portrayal of being completely encircled by something that is stacked high on every side!

Therefore, this verse carries the following idea:

“Wherefore seeing we have lying all around us on every side.…”
“Wherefore seeing these biblical examples are piled up and lying all around us….”

The Bible is piled high with examples of people — people just like you — who stood in faith and endured difficulties in order to do the will of God. You are surrounded on every side with powerful examples of people who were challenged in their faith, yet who held fast to the Word of God. And as a result, these godly people saw God’s promises come to pass in their lives!

You are not alone!

Look at Noah and the fight he endured.
Look at Abraham and the fight he endured.
Look at Sarah and the fight she endured.
Look at Jacob and the fight he endured.
Look at Joseph and the fight he endured.
Look at Moses and the fight he endured.
Look at Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets and the fight they all endured.

Take some time today to read some of these examples from the Old Testament — and then turn to the New Testament to see the many examples of faithful people who are also listed there. The Bible is packed full of examples of those who heard from God, who took His Word deep into their hearts, and who refused to stop until they saw the fulfillment of what God had promised them. Like you, they faced hardships and challenges. But no matter what obstacles stood in their way, they kept going and never stopped until God’s plan for their lives was accomplished.

According to Hebrews 12:1, there are so many people who fit this description that they are literally lying all around you. And don’t think you can only look to the Bible for these godly examples. If you look closely, you’ll see that there are huge numbers of these “never-give-up” kind of people living on this earth right now as well. You are not alone in your walk of faith!

Don’t let the devil tell you that you’re the only one who has faced this kind of circumstance, because many have gone before you who have faced the same battles and won great victories. If you’ll commit a few minutes of your time to read Hebrews 11, I believe you’ll find that your battle isn’t worse than the battles these saints fought and won. Reading these verses will encourage your heart!

Don’t give up and throw in the towel! Hard times will pass, and you will see the Word of God bring you the victory you desire. When you’re tempted to get discouraged, just remember the many examples piled up all around you of people who endured and later won their prize!

My Prayer for Today

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Have you allowed any of your material possessions to ensnare or trap you? Why don’t you make a list of these things?

2. What steps can you take to get untangled in your heart from these possessions?

3. Do you trust God enough to release all your worldly possessions into His hands?

How to Be A Spiritual Billionaire

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…
— Colossians 3:16

When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house. Grandpa was an immigrant fresh from Germany. Before his life in America, he had always known poverty. Grandma had also known many hardships and had always had to scrape by to survive financially.

Every afternoon, Grandpa and Grandma would go into their living room, turn on the television, and take their seats; then with great pleasure, they would watch the television program called “Let’s Make a Deal!” When the program concluded, they would always spend a few minutes daydreaming about what they’d do if they suddenly struck it rich and inherited a large amount of money.

I loved to listen to my grandparents as they fantasized about paying off all their bills, purchasing a new house, contributing huge sums of money to the church, and bequeathing money to their children and grandchildren. They’d also talk about how they would show extraordinary generosity toward people who were disadvantaged in life. For Grandpa and Grandma, the supreme dream was what life would be like if they suddenly struck it rich!

If you are also among those who dream of striking it rich someday, I want to tell you that you don’t have to fantasize about being rich anymore! If you are a child of God, you’ve already struck it rich! You have been given a treasure that will make boundless wealth accessible to you for the rest of your life. You are already a spiritual billionaire; however, for you to derive benefit from what God has provided, you have to learn how to tap into these vast resources.

In Colossians 3:16, the apostle Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” Today I want us to look at the word “richly” in this verse. It comes from the Greek word plousios, a very old Greek word that describes:

incredible abundance
extreme wealth
enormous affluence
great prosperity
immense riches
magnificent opulence
extravagant lavishness

Paul uses the word plousios in Colossians 3:16 to let us know that if we will receive the Word of God in the right way — if we give it a warm reception and make it feel at home in our lives — it will enrich us spiritually. Thus, the word plousios means that the Word of God can make us spiritual “billionaires”!

Colossians 3:16 conveys the following idea:

“Let the Word of God dwell in you richly! Throw open the doors, roll out the red carpet, and give it a grand reception! If you’ll let the Word dwell in you in this way, it will produce an amazing amount of spiritual wealth in your life…”

You may ask, “How can the Word make us spiritually rich?” Paul continues to tell us what the Word can produce in us if we allow it to do so. He says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).

These words describe people so full of the Word of God that their entire being is affected. Their hearts are full of joy; their minds are flooded with wisdom and understanding; and their mouths are singing songs to the Lord. This describes people who have struck it rich spiritually!

It is a fact that when the Word of God really comes to feel at home in you, dwelling lavishly inside your heart, it enriches you with the wisdom, the gifts, and the power you need for today. You become so filled with the riches of God that you automatically find yourself admonishing and encouraging other people in their faith. When the Word dwells in you richly, there’s always a song of rejoicing in your heart! When you are filled with the Word to this extent, those inward spiritual riches will easily flow out of you to bring life to everyone around you.

By using the word “richly” in this verse, Paul is painting a picture of what the Word of God will produce for you if you allow it to take up residency in you and become a vital part of your life. So if you’re tired of striving with no results — if you’re tired of feeling spiritually weak and worn out with nothing to offer — stop right where you are today. Don’t take another step without making the decision to let God’s Word play a more important role in your life.

As you do, the Word of God will enrich you with spiritual wisdom and insight. It will put victory in your heart and a song in your mouth! It will turn you into a spiritual billionaire! It will enrich your life so much that you’ll always have something spiritually to donate, to bequeath, or to freely share with someone else!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I ask You to help me become so full of the Word of God that my entire being is affected by its life-giving truth. As I dwell on Your Word and let it live inside me, my heart will be filled with joy, my mind will be flooded with wisdom and understanding, and my mouth will be filled with songs. Lord, I know that Your Word will take me to the richest spiritual place I’ve ever known in my life. So help me make Your Word feel at home in my heart so I can start living each day like I’ve struck it spiritually rich!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that the Word of God enriches me with spiritual wisdom and insight. It puts victory in my heart and a song in my mouth! As I meditate on the Word, it enriches my life, and I always have something spiritually to donate, to bequeath, or to freely share with others. I am so filled with the riches of God’s Word that I automatically find myself admonishing and encouraging other people in their faith.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. How can you roll out the red carpet and give God’s Word a grand reception today?

2. Do you want the wisdom, gifts, and power of God to be more active in your life so you can minister more effectively to those around you?

3. What can you do differently in your private times with the Lord to “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly”?

A Time to Forcefully Speak the Truth in Love

And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire…
— Jude 1:23

What does the Bible say about how we should respond to believers who continue to practice sin? If you are personally aware of individuals like this, what steps or action should you take to rescue him or her?

What attitude does God expect you to have regarding these people’s sin?
What kind of action does God expect you to take to see them delivered?
What approach should you take regarding the sin they are living in?
What is the proper outlook for you to have concerning their situation?

The answer to these questions is found in Jude 1:23. In this verse, Jude compellingly tells us, “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire….”

First of all, Jude tells us to “save [them] with fear.” This word “fear” is the Greek word phobos. It suggests a fear or a strong dose of respect for something that is life-threatening, dangerous, or alarming. Because Jude uses this key Greek word, it tells us what kind of attitude we should have regarding sin. Sin is dangerous, alarming, and even life-threatening to a person’s spiritual life. Therefore, sin must not be tolerated, nor should the effects of sin be watered down. In short, we should have no stomach for sin.

Next, Jude 1:23 tells us what action we must take when we find a fellow believer who is getting caught up in sin. This verse tells us that we must act fast to “pull them out of the fire.” The word “pull” comes from the Greek word harpadzo. This is an extremely strong and aggressive word that presents the picture of snatching someone out of a dangerous situation. In fact, it would be better translated to seize.

The word harpadzo is the very word used in Colossians 1:13 when Paul writes, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son.” That word “delivered” is also from the Greek word harpadzo.

In Colossians 1:13, this word portrays that moment when Jesus Christ broke Satan’s power over our lives and snatched us out of the kingdom of darkness. One Greek expositor says the word harpadzo in Colossians 1:13 carries this idea: “He grabbed us by the back of our necks and snatched us out of danger, just in the nick of time.…” This Greek word harpadzo contains passion, fervency, urgency, and action.

Because these words are used in Jude 1:23, it could be translated:

“Because of the alarmingly dangerous state that some believers are in, I urge you to take immediate and fast-acting measures to see them delivered and rescued. And if they don’t quickly respond, don’t stop! You need to keep up your sense of urgency until you are convinced that they are rescued and snatched out of the fires of destruction. If you must, go all the way to grab them by the back of their necks and jerk them out of those flames.…”

Jude uses the word harpadzo to tell you that sometimes people are so deceived about what they’re doing, they don’t want to change. Even if you tell them that they are headed for trouble, they may not believe it! In these cases, your sweet words and tender pleading with them may not work. That means you may have to get forceful in the way you tell these people the truth. Your words must reach out and seize their hearts.

Think back for a minute to Lot, the nephew of Abraham. Lot got so caught up in the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah that when the angels told him the two cities were about to be destroyed, he wanted to stay anyway! The angels had to take him by the hand and make him leave! They had to forcibly remove him from that situation; otherwise, he would have been destroyed. The angels literally dragged Lot out of the city against his will (Genesis 19:16).

Likewise, we must do everything within our power to snatch people from spiritually dangerous predicaments. Although they may not feel the heat of the fire at the moment or realize the seriousness of their spiritual condition, we must speak forcefully and truthfully to them in order to seize their hearts and set them free.

We’re not in the business of kidnapping people or taking them out of situations against their will. But we are to pray for fellow believers who are caught in sin and don’t realize the dangerous nature of their situation. We must also go to them and do all we can to “pull them out of the fires” of destruction they’re about to release into their lives.

If you know someone who is drifting away from his relationship with the Lord, pray for a door to open that will allow you to speak the truth in love and pull him out of impending destruction. Just think about it — if you were the one about to make a major spiritual error, wouldn’t you want your true friends to speak the truth in love to you? So believe God for an open door. He’ll show you how and when to speak the truth.

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I ask You to give me Your heart for brothers and sisters who are living in sin. Forgive me for the times I have been insensitive to the dangerous nature of sin. Help me to be passionate and fervent in prayer for them and to keep praying for them until their deliverance is complete and they are fully restored. Help me consider the way I would want others to pray for me if I were in the same situation.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that I will do everything within my power to snatch people from spiritually dangerous predicaments. Although they may not feel the heat of the fire at the moment or realize the seriousness of their spiritual condition, I will obey the Word of God and speak truthfully to them in order to seize their hearts and set them free. I believe that God will open a door and show me how and when I am to speak the truth.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Is there anyone in your life right now who comes to mind as someone who is in danger of being consumed in the “fire” of sin?

2. Realizing the seriousness of sin and deception, how would you want someone to confront you if you were in that person’s situation?

3. In what ways could God use you to bring the truth in love to this person in order to set him or her free?

Whose Side Are You On?

…A friend of the world is the enemy of God.
— James 4:4

When a Christian who has walked with God and knows the things of the Spirit decides to step back into the world — intentionally or unintentionally — this is a very serious matter to God. When I say serious, I’m talking about a situation so grave that it eventually causes God to take an aggressive and antagonistic stance toward that believer! This is why James 4:4 says, “…A friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

Notice that James refers to believers who have become a “friend” of the world. The word “friend” is from the Greek word phileo, a word that has many different facets, including the ideas of fondness, friendship, or love. This is the Greek word someone would use if he wanted to express affection or even romance. And when used to depict friends, this word is the picture of very close friends who are fond of and familiar with each other.

From the word phileo we get the word philema, which means to kiss. In the ancient world, a kiss was a form of greeting that was reserved for family members, friends, fellow church members, or any other esteemed and cherished people in one’s life. A kiss like this would never be given to a stranger, but to someone for whom a person felt deep affection or with whom he had some kind of relationship.

This leads us to the next usage of the word phileo. In some places, it portrayed a person who was under some type of commitment or obligation due to a relationship. This relationship could be family-related, business-related, socially-related, or friendship-related. Regardless of the basis for the relationship, it is one that includes obligations, such as the obligations that exist in a marriage, between business partners, or even between friends. These relationships carry responsibilities. The word phileo could be used to describe these types of relationships and the obligations that result from entering into them.

So when James talks about believers who have become “a friend of the world” (the Greek word phileo), he is talking about Christians who have drifted so far back into the world that they now feel close to the world; they have affection and fondness for it. The connection and sense of familiarity they have with the world is so intense that they feel an obligation to the world or to their worldly friends.

These believers have exchanged their once-deep affection for the Lord for a renewed allegiance to the world from which they were rescued. Because they now have a strong affection for the world, it lets us know that these believers have been drifting for a long time. Backsliding like this doesn’t happen overnight. It is clear that a slow, methodical, seducing process has lured them away from Christ and back into a relationship with the world. Now their sense of obligation to the world is greater than their sense of obligation to the Lord.

James solemnly declares that any believer who has slipped back into this type of serious relationship with the world becomes the “enemy” of God. The word “enemy” is from the Greek word echthros, a word that appears more than 450 times in the Old Testament Septuagint to describe hate, hatred, hostility, an enemy, or an opponent. One example of its usage in the New Testament is Luke 23:12, where it portrays the animosity, antagonism, enmity, rivalry, and competition that existed between Herod Antipas and Pilate. These two men were definitely not on the same side!

What does this mean to you and me? It tells us that God is jealous when a believer transfers his devotion back to the world. In fact, this creates strong jealousy in the heart of God for that believer. God sees that believer’s relationship with the world as a violation of His own relationship with him. Just as a spouse would feel violated if he discovered that his mate had secretly carried on an intimate relationship with someone else, God feels betrayed when a believer transfers his affection away from Him and back to the world. In these cases, God takes an antagonistic view toward the improper relationship and begins to set things in motion to see that relationship end!

Because God wants that believer to refocus his affection where it ought to be, His grace moves in to intervene. It may not feel like help at the time, but God, who is intensely jealous for His people, sees Himself as a Contender for that believer’s affection and devotion! He will therefore do what He must to get the attention of His wayward child so He can turn him around and bring him back to where he ought to be!

Backsliding is serious business! When you try to split your heart between the Lord and the world, it simply won’t work! There’s too much animosity between a holy God and the world from which you were rescued. So don’t let yourself head back in the direction of the world, because God won’t just sit back and watch it happen. He will come after you like the most serious Competitor in the whole universe!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I pray that my passion for You will grow stronger and stronger and that I will remain untainted from the world. Please show me if there are any places in me that are drawn to things that displease You. It may be hard for me to hear, but if there is anything in me that seeks to slip back into the life from which You delivered me, please reveal it to me. If my affection for anything else in this world is greater than my affection for You, please show me!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I declare by faith that I am more deeply in love with Jesus Christ today than at any previous moment in my life. My affection for Him is so deep that I will never turn back to the life from which I’ve been delivered. I have no relational obligations greater than the sense of obligation that I feel for Jesus Christ. He saved me, redeemed me, delivered me, and changed me — and I vow to serve Him for the rest of my life!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

Can you think of any areas in your life where your devotion to the world is greater than your devotion to the Lord?
Have there been times recently when you have felt the “pull” of the world trying to seduce you back into the life from which you were delivered?
What do you need to do to reject that “pull” and stay free?