We have an enemy. His name is Satan and his one goal is to destroy you, discourage you, hurt you and keep you from experiencing the freedom we have in Jesus. He has been at this since he convinced Adam and Eve to disobey God in the garden. 

In John 10:10 we read, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may  have life and have it to the full.” That is the vast difference between the objectives of the evil one and Jesus. Satan is called the Father of lies and a lion waiting to devour. He hates you with an intractable hatred.

You might ask, why does Satan hate us as he does? The answer is simple. He hates God and wants to destroy God but he cannot. You and I are made in God’s image and so Satan tries to destroy God and His work by destroying men and women made in His image. He is seeking to destroy God in effigy by destroying us. 

In fact, Satan had once been an angelic being who along with those who are now called demons had conspired to usurp the place of God at which time, he and his minions were cast out of heaven. When God created the earth and mankind, Satan saw his opportunity to strike back and how effectively he did.

That is the bad news. The good news is that Satan’s fate is sealed. Think about this. On the night of the crucifixion of Christ, Satan was convinced that he had one. The Son of God was crucified and killed. His enemy was gone, done, finished. Satan was victorious. But he didn’t count on the resurrection, when Jesus conquered death and sin and evil. On Easter morning, Satan’s fate was sealed. He had lost.

In Romans 16:20 Paul says “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” I love how he describes that. Satan is a person of evil, conflict and chaos. But our God is a God of peace and the God of peace will soon crush Satan under our feet. This will happen when Jesus returns and Paul says that is soon.

You and I can also crush Satan’s influence by resisting it. Every time we say no to evil and unrighteousness we defy him, embrace Jesus and in a small way remind Satan that he is done. That small defeat for him is simply a reminder of his future and final defeat. Today, don’t allow Satan to steal your joy, move you from your followership of Jesus but instead embrace the One who came to give you life and life to the full. 

Father: I thank you that Satan does not win. I thank you that Jesus wins and I pray that even today, in my life I would resist evil and embrace Jesus. Thank you that Satan will soon be crushed forever and thank you that I no longer need to live under his sway. Amen.

You have influence. More influence than you probably know because wherever we have relationships we have the ability to influence others. In fact, relationship is influence, as one life rubs off on another. As I look back on my own life and growth I can point to many individuals who have influenced my life and there are many who do so today. They probably would not know the role they play in my life because it isn’t intentional on their part but they do. Often, it is the quality of their lives and commitments that challenges me to be better and to do better. 

The writer to the Hebrews spoke to this when they wrote “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

The Christian life is a team sport, not an individual one. We need each other. The quality of our own spiritual walk and life is as dependent on who we hang with as it is on ourselves. Relationships matter in our Christian walk.

Why? Because we need the encouragement of fellow pilgrims and they need ours. As the writer says, “Let us encourage one another.” Further, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” In my experience the best way we can help others grow in their love and good deeds is through our own example. My own life has been profoundly influenced by other believers whose life has challenged mine to do better and to be better.

We need each other to live our faith well. This is why the writer says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” 

At least in the west, we have become lone ranger Christians and it has hurt us. We consider things like attending church optional and many resist being in a fellowship or small group. The thinking is, I know Jesus, whether I meet regularly with others doesn’t matter. But, going it alone as so many do today is to miss out on the magic that comes when believers are together and when my life can influence another life and theirs mine. Here is the truth. I need you and you need me. As we spend time together we are encouraged and others by us. 

I have yet to meet lone ranger believers whose life is as rich and full and productive as those who have a community of believers around them. I know that is true in my life. 

Father, I thank you for all those whose lives have touched mine and encouraged me to be better and to do better. Help me to find ways to encourage others in their faith to love better and to do better. Amen.

Sometimes we need to be reminded of things we know and the passage in today’s devotional is one of those. 

Paul writes in Romans 13:11-14, “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”

I am often asked if we are in the “last days.” My answer is always yes because the last days have been with us since Jesus returned to heaven and said, I am coming soon. We are closer to that event today than we were yesterday. As Paul says, “our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, the day is almost here.” With that in mind, let's live today as if we were going to see Him tomorrow.

I love how Paul starts this passage. “And do this, understanding the present time.” What is the “this” we are to do? Very simply, to behave decently, to get rid of sin in our lives we have been hanging on to and instead clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and what we know He is pleased with. 

Let's be honest. We all get lazy about certain things in our lives that we know in our heart of hearts God is not pleased with. And our sin can be sin of omission or commission: not doing what we should be doing or doing what we should not be doing. Paul says, wake up my friend. Knowing that we will see Jesus soon, “put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” He says. “Do this”....Today!

He is challenging us to focus on the Jesus life and not on the desires of our sinful nature. It is a choice we always have. If we just go with the flow of our own desires we become sloppy in our Jesus life because many of our desires are sinful. My underlying anger, my unkind words, my jealousy of others, my cutting words, my lack of generosity. Whatever it is, Paul says, wake up, the Day is near. Don’t live on autopilot gratifying the desires of your lower nature but put on the clothing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Father, remind me often that you are returning and help me to live life in light of eternity. In fact, help me to wake up from my slumber in those areas of my life where I know my life does not please you. Amen.

There is a great deal to be pessimistic about in our world today. We are bombarded with bad news, we live in the age of Covid which has changed everything, there is tremendous conflict and ill will politically that spills over into relationships and it all can be exhausting to our minds and our souls. There are days when I choose not to watch or listen to the news and stay off social media because my heart is tired and my emotions exhausted. Can you relate to that?

There is a general malaise of hopelessness in society today. An underlying depression if you will and I suspect that much of the ill will and anger that surfaces can be attributed to a spirit of pessimism. Frustration easily gives rise to anger and unkindness as an outlet. 

That is why I love Paul’s words in Romans 15:13 where he says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” 

Our God is the God of hope. Why? Because regardless of the circumstances our world or our lives find themselves in, He is active and at work around us. As the prophet Isaiah says, He neither slumbers or sleeps, and if we could see the unseen world around us today we would realize that God’s hand and fingerprints are all around us. He is active, He is involved in the affairs of our lives and our world. W e would be amazed if we could see the spiritual dimension of our world. 

And what does the God of hope do? He fills us with all joy and peace as we trust in him so that our lives overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. While many around us live in depression and sadness, we can live with joy and peace as we trust in him. Placing our trust in Him is the key to hope. As Jesus told His disciples, in this world you will have trouble but I have overcome the world. The source of our hope is a God who actively intervenes in our lives even when we don’t realize it. And that fact can bring hope and hope brings joy and peace and that joy and peace is sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

Paul invites us to choose to live in hope. The hope that comes from trust in God and that is sustained by the Holy Spirit. This is a gift from God but the choice as to whether we will accept that gift today is up to us. He is hope and therefore we can have hope. We must choose to accept it and along with hope will come joy and peace. In a world where life is hard and hope is scarce, that is a word I need to hear today and I suspect you as well. Choose to live in hope today!

Father, I thank you that you are a God of hope. I claim that hope today and ask that you give me joy and peace as I keep my eyes on you rather than on all the news around me. Amen.

Think for a moment of someone you love very much and what it means when you see them and a smile breaks out on their face, their eyes sparkle and you know that you are in the presence of someone who loves you deeply. It is something we cherish because all of us want to be known, to be loved and to have those who care about us.

Even better, what if the Father of the Universe, Abba, the creator and sustainer turned His face toward us? How would it change our day? In Psalm 4:6, David says, “Many are asking, ‘Who can show us any good?’” Then, like now, good was in short supply. The news was mostly bad and people were discouraged. But in answer to that question, David says this: “Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord.” 

In the Old Testament there are several passages that speak of the Lord’s face shining on us. For instance, in the great blessing that the Levites were to speak over the people, it says “The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 7:25-26. Whenever God’s face turns toward us and whenever his face shines upon us good things result. His smile on our lives is the best gift we could ever receive and the thing is that we are told that as His children, his face is always turned toward us. His face is always shining on us. We may not know it, but it is. It is a measure of His love, His regard and His great concern for us. In fact, right now, His face is turned toward you and shining on you.

As David considers this fact, he says “You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” It fascinates me that there is a correlation between God’s face looking toward us, shining on us and peace in our lives. We long for peace in a world filled with threats, frustrations and issues we cannot control. When we realize that God’s face is shining on us, says David, we can have peace. After all, what is there to worry about if the God of the universe is looking our way? More than that, if His face is shining on us with love and concern.

Today, remember this. God is watching you. God is watching over you. God’s face is shining on you with love. That ought to fill us with joy and give us a profound peace regardless of the circumstances we face. And His desire is that we live in joy and peace, knowing that He has our lives, our situations and our worries in His gaze. 

Think of those things that cause you a lack of peace right now. And then remind yourself that your Heavenly Father has his face turned toward you and although you cannot physically see it, His face is shining upon you. And then relax, knowing that whatever issue you have, He sees it and He is blessing you with His divine smile. And His smile on your life is the most important smile we will ever have.

Father. I am always amazed that you would pay attention to me. That you would be watching me in love and concern and that I can rest in the peace of your presence. Give me that peace today and remind me that your face is always shining on me. Amen.

The Christian life is a life of pilgrimage in following Jesus. That word pilgrimage is a significant one for believers. A pilgrimage can be defined as a “prolonged journey, often undertaken on foot or on horseback, toward a specific destination of significance. It is an inherently transient experience, removing the participant from his or her home environment and identity.”

I find that definition fascinating because as Christ followers, this is not our true home and we are on a journey toward a better destination. We are often transients in that journey with only God to rely one.

Scripture calls us pilgrims. One of my favorite passages about pilgrimage is found in Psalm 84:5-7. “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion.”

This is a very interesting passage. Pilgrimages are not easy. In fact, sometimes you have to go through places like the Valley of Baca which was a valley in Israel that was hot, dry, barren with bandits who were ready to relieve you of your possessions. It was a place of desert, of parched lips - an unpleasant place. If you think about your own journey you can think of places or times like that. Maybe you are in one right now.

Yet, it says blessed are those whose strength is in God and who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. When our strength is in God, when we are walking in faith in Him, even when we pass through places like the Valley of Baca, in our life experience, God makes it a place of springs and we go from strength to strength till we reach our destination which is life with God.

So what is the difference between those who travel through places like the Valley of Baca in joy and those who do so in pain and parched hearts? It is whether we have set our hearts on pilgrimage, finding strength and sustenance in God and walking in faith, knowing that our lives are pilgrimages toward Him. Then we go from strength to strength regardless of the valley we are in. It is all about a heart that is set on God. And He is able to make that journey through tough times joyful rather than arduous. 

Today, be reminded that your life is a pilgrimage. We are transients on this earth, always moving toward God. And with hearts set on Him, we can transit the most difficult situations in life and He can make our dessert experiences a place of springs and peaceful pools.

Father. Thank you for going with us at all times and in all situations. Help me to have a heart of pilgrimage with my strength and faith in you. Help me today to go from strength to strength as you bless and sustain me. Amen.

What is your concept of God? And, how do you relate to Him or believe that He relates to you? There is no adequate way to describe Him. In theology, “God is traditionally described as a being that possesses at least three necessary properties: omniscience (all-knowing), omnipotence (all-powerful), and omnibenevolence (supremely good). In other words, God knows everything, has the power to do anything, and is perfectly good.” Then there are words like Holy, Righteous, Wise, Immutable, Infinite, Eternal, Redeemer, above all earthly powers, and the list goes on.

Given this, how do we relate to Him and how do we understand Him to relate to us? In one sense we don’t have the categories to know how to relate but in the incarnation. When God chose to be with us everything changed. On the night of His betrayal and subsequent execution, Jesus made an astonishing statement to His disciples. “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15).

Jesus says to us, He is our friend. Our friend! That statement by Jesus changes the whole equation in our relationship to God. A friend is someone who loves us and is always in our corner. A friend wants the very best for us and loves us dearly. A friend forgives, thinks the best, is patient with us, carries our burdens with us, doesn’t desert us when times are tough. A friend is one who knows us, our good side and shadow side, and loves us still. A friend believes in us, encourages us, walks with us and prays for us. You talk with friends and they talk to you. You are candid with friends because it is safe. 

Jesus says, I am your friend and you are my friend. And everything listed above and much more is true of Jesus’s friendship with us. Jesus is a friend of sinners and He is a friend of us. 

This is the amazing result of the incarnation. In His incarnation, God became accessible to us in a new way through Jesus. The creator became one of us, lived in time and history, experienced all that we experience and then on the eve of his crucifixion he says to His disciples, I call you friends. My friends. I, God, am a friend to you. The unreachable and unknowable God is now accessible as a friend. Having walked in our footsteps we can be sure that he understands the issues we face and so as the writer of the book of Hebrews says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) Not only is He our friend, but He understands us and our issues.

Father, thank you for the amazing statement that you see me as a friend and that I can see you as a friend. That the creator of the universe would consider me a friend is an amazing gift and a truth that I need on a daily basis. Amen. 

It feels like our world is becoming more crass, harsher, divided and intolerant of others. This is not just the case among unbelievers but it is true among believers whose treatment of their fellow Christ followers leaves much to be desired. Often over things like politics and vaccinations, ethnic differences, and differing world views. Even Covid and whether one should mask or not have become issues that engender anger and disagreement.

The Apostle Peter addressed the issue of our attitudes, words, and actions in 1 Peter 3:8-12. “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Those words of Peter describe a different way. A very different way! In a day of broken relationships and harsh treatment of one another, here is the different way. Being like-minded, sympathetic, loving, compassionate, humble, a person who blesses, goodness, peaceful, speech that brings blessing, while avoiding evil, unkindness, insults and deceit.

This isn’t easy. Our natural responses are to repay insult for insult, nurture bitterness over offenses, find subtle ways to undermine those who we don’t like, share opinions about others that hurt their character and feel fully justified in doing so because, in our opinion, we have been wronged.

How do we live out these instructions of Peter? First we need to discipline ourselves and take charge of our words, actions, and attitudes. Peter literally says, “rid yourselves of all malice and deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind.” 1 Peter 2:1. We have a responsibility to, as Peter says, “grow up in our salvation, now that we have tasted that the Lord is good.” 

He also tells us to “have sincere love for your brothers” and “love one another deeply, from the heart.” 1 Peter 1:22. Love doesn't treat people badly. Love is sympathetic, compassionate, humble, peaceful and avoids evil, unkindness, insults and deceit. It is literally a different way to treat those around us. It is the Jesus way, not the world’s way.

Our world has plenty to divide over. Christ followers are called to unite rather than divide and to treat one another as Christ treats us - with love and respect and kindness.

Father. When I am tempted to say harsh words, think unkind thoughts or harbor anger and bitterness, remind me of Peter’s words. Help me to unite rather than divide and love my brothers and sisters from my heart. Amen.

Surveys among those who call themselves Christians reveal that many believe there is more than one way to God. We live in a day when it is politically incorrect to say that Jesus is the only way to God or to Heaven. After all, if someone is spiritual and sincere, how can we assume that they too will not get to heaven if they don’t know Christ?

Yet, Scripture is very clear on this point. In Acts 4, Peter is speaking before the Sanhedrin after he had been arrested along with John for proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. In his own defense, Peter said this: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).

In John 14:6, Jesus made the same claim. He said, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This claim was not popular in Jesus’ day and it is not popular in ours. We like to think that I can get to heaven and to God my own way, whatever way that is. But it is not so. It takes the death and resurrection of Jesus who came to pay for our sin and adopt us as His kids to know the Father and receive eternal life. 

Think of the implications of this truth. If Jesus is the only route to a relationship with God, all those in your life who don’t yet know Him have no hope for eternal life. They don’t live in freedom today and won’t for eternity. This is reality. No wishful thinking can change that. 

Too often we are reticent to share our faith. We don’t know how our words will be taken. Yet, if we don’t share the greatest gift we have been given - a transformed life and hope for eternity -  we are withholding the greatest gift any individual could ever receive. There is no need to be obnoxious. We just need to freely share the hope that we have. We should want to depopulate hell and populate heaven. 

I would encourage you to simply pray for opportunities to share the good news with those around you. We are the representatives of Jesus and just as someone introduced us to Him, we want to introduce others to Him. Sharing the good news is the greatest gift you can give to those around you. If you have an opportunity, never waste it. 

Peter wrote this about the salvation we have: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” (1 Peter 1:3-6)

I want that for everyone around me!

Father. Thank you for the transformation you have brought to my life. Give me a deep concern for those around me who don’t yet know you. And give me the courage and boldness of Peter to share what you have done in my life. Amen.

If I could know one thing it would be the special, unique name that God has given me, which only He knows and which I will know when I see him. In Revelation, we read about this special name in chapter 2:17. “To him who overcomes, I will give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.”

That God has a unique name for us says a lot about Him and His love for us. My guess is that this special name, tailored for each of us who know Him, will embody His deep love and regard for us, the unique way that He wired us, but most of all the intimate relationship that we have together.

That new name will be presented to us on a white stone by the God of the Universe and will be known only to us and God. Think about that for a moment. So special and so intimate a relationship we will have one day with God, that he will bestow on us a name of His choosing, that only we and God will know. Every time we hear Him use that name we will be reminded of the depth of His love, the grace that saved us, and the special and unique relationship we have with Him. It is the ultimate sign of intimacy.

No one knows us more thoroughly than God. He knows our strengths, weaknesses, the redeemed and unredeemed parts of our behaviors, our struggles, our fears, our love for Him - and desire to serve Him. There is nothing about us that He doesn’t know. Nothing.

The fact that He knows everything about us often leads us to feel deeply inadequate and unworthy. What we forget is that He has made us worthy. He has made us clean. Our worthiness is bestowed not because of our goodness but because of His death and resurrection for us.

And get this: God has a stone with your new name inscribed on it today. He sees you today in the same way He will see you in heaven. Your special name exists today. You just don’t get to know it until you see Him. 

I think we all struggle with the concept that we can be intimate with God, that we can know Him well, or that He regards us deeply. Your white stone with a new name, known only to you and to Him, ought to put that to rest. Knowing everything about us, He still bestows on us a special, unique, one of a kind, full of meaning name that epitomizes His relationship with you. 

The next time you spend time with Him, meditate on that white stone with a new name that you will receive one day. And then be encouraged by His love for you today. 

Father. Thank you for your amazing and crazy deep love for me. I look forward to receiving that white stone with my new name. May that stone be a reminder of your love for me today. Amen.