Under the influnce

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Day 2

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: When I was a kid my grandmother had an old and very large bible that sat in the middle of her living room coffee table. I would often find myself picking up this bible and looking at all the illustrations that were throughout this bible. It wouldn’t be long before I would flip to a page with a red man type figure with an arrow point on his tail and horns on his head holding a pitch fork. And this illustration represented satan. I always wonder “does satan really look like this? “But as we look in scripture we recognize this description does not exist. I think because of the perpetuation of satin has made him unbelievable along with mysteries sounding the enemy have brought people to question If satan is even real? the short answer is ,yes satan is real .
We know from Scripture satan is a rebellious angle that was cast down from heaven, along with other angles, when he coveted the very throne of God. Satan desired to rule the universe. Satan opposes everything that God loves and that includes you and me. In John 12:31 we see that Satan is called the ruler of this world. We see evidence of this in Daniel 10. In this chapter Elijah was given a vision from God that he did not have he meaning of. Elijah prayed and asked God to reveal the meaning of the vision. Elijah waited 21 days for the answer from God . Gabriel the messenger of God explained that the minute Elijah prayed Gabriel was sent to reveal the meaning of the vision but he was held back by the prince of the Persian kingdom for 21 days. Although this was not Satan directly it seems that the prince of the Persian kingdom is a spiritual power commissioned by satan to work against the people of God. There is also more evidence of Satan existence from Jesus Himself. Jesus said that he saw satan fall like lighting from heaven. This moment in scripture proved that Satan exists and is real. We also see in Revelation 20 that God will not allow Satan to walk this world forever that one day Satan will be caste into the lake of fire. This is also about a real being that is real and is on limited time.
the narratives depicting Satan are thoroughly historical in nature. Just as Adam and Eve were real persons, so the serpent was a real serpent, really speaking. The dialogue from Jesus about Satans fall is also indicative of a real being.
Satan want more than anything for you not to believe he is real. Satans reasoning for this hiddenness is like that of a criminal. Criminals wear mask and hide their face while they commit crimes. Their hope is that if they don’t get recognized they can continue to be free to break the law. Satan wants to continue to cause turmoil .
With all this being said followers of Jesus need not fear Satan for several reasons. Firstly, We know that God is all-powerful and sovereign over all creation, including Satan. As believers, we trust in God's ultimate authority and protection, knowing that He is in control of all things. Secondly, the Bible assures us that Jesus Christ has already triumphed over Satan through His death and resurrection. Through our union with Christ, we share in His victory and have been given authority over the enemy. Finally, we are reminded that Satan is a defeated foe, destined for eternal punishment. Our focus should be on living out our faith, spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, and trusting in God's unfailing protection. By understanding these truths, we can confidently face any spiritual battles, knowing that we have the power and assurance of God on our side.
Ask God to open your eyes to the reality of Satan and the spiritual warfare that fight against you.
Yield : God, I thank you today that you have reveled the reality of the enemy to me today. Lord help me to recognized his schemes and places he tries to hid and conceal himself . I know today that the enemy is real and he wants to work against me. let me have courage in you and in the power of the holy spirit that you have placed in me.
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