Under the influnces

Memory Verse

James 4:7 NIV

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Intro

Welcome to todays devotion called Under the Influence. It is a reality that we have an enemy who hates God and His people. He wants more than anything to destroy all that loves and that includes the people of God. We all will experience spiritual war against the enemy but we don’t have to fear him. Because we can find victory in Jesus.

Pause

I enter Prayer by taking a moment to pause….. to breathe deeply and meditate on God's truth, allowing it to travel through my mind, will and emotions. As I slowly inhale…. I refocus on the goodness and faithfulness of God and….. exhale….. I release anxieties, worries and fears that have already entered this day. (pause)

As I steal my mind I pray James 4:7 for the Lord is the spirit (that lives in me), and wherever the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom (pause)

Reflect

It’s important today that we remember that it is Jesus who has set us free. We are not free by our own power, our skills or by change of our habits, it is Jesus who frees us. This means that until we surrender our lives to Jesus we are held in bondage. In Luke 4:18-19 We find that there are 5 Foundational ministries of Jesus. The first one is Salvation. For thousand of years mankind was looking for a savior. It is Jesus of Nazareth that declares He has come to save humanity. It is Jesus the Son of God who came to bring forgiveness of sins. This is the Gospel, This Great news that through Jesus we can have true life , forgiveness of our sins and Freedom in Him. Second is the Spirit. We need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And we have access to the Holy Spirit through Jesus. It is through the work of the Holy Spirit that we are made new but we also need the power of the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us on the Journey God has set before us. Jesus say in John 15 that He would send the helper who is the Holy Spirit and on the day of Pentecost , in Act 2, the people of God received the Holy Spirit. Third is Healing. One of the signs of Jesus divinity is healing. In Mark 8 we read that Jesus healed a blind man in Bethsaida. Jesus is a healer. With that being said, the healing Jesus bring is not limited to just physical healing. Jesus is about wholeness healing to our bodies, our mind, emotions, our will and our soul. Forth we see deliverance in Jesus ministry. From the fall of man in the Garden of Edan mankind has been in bondage. Before Jesus our master was sin. But is it through Jesus death and resurrection that we are able to have a new master in Jesus. Fifth is emotional healing John 8:36 is one of the most inspirational phrases in all of Scripture. Because Jesus declares that if you are Free, you are Free. There are no chains on you any more. Our old life of sin made promises of freedom when to its very nature can only bring destruction, control and death. But what we find in Jesus is real life and true freedom. Because of Jesus we can have the emotional peace that we are Free.

As we look at the ministry of Jesus it brings a beautiful reality to view. This is that Jesus truly loves us. Jesus gave all to bring us all that is found in the 5 foundation ministry of Jesus and died so we could have freedom.

Ask God what areas of His ministry have I forgotten were for me.

Ask God to show you how His ministry proves His true love and wiliness to give all for our to set us free

Yield /Prayer

I yield today that you have given me Salvation and I am free. And as a believer I have the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit help me to see the reality of all that has been given to me through Jesus. That through you Lord I have healing physical and emotional. Jesus you have given me the gift of liberation and I thank you.