1 Peter 2:16

Devotional Thoughts

By David Wilkerson

God cannot answer prayer where there is no faith. And Satan will not flee where there is fear and unbelief. The fact is, we have failed to take our God-given authority over the devil and his demonic empire.

God’s Word tells us that the enemy is not in control. We have power over him!

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Yet many have let Satan run roughshod over their faith with no resistance. If this describes you, Malachi offers you a most wonderful word: “You will go forth leaping as calves released from the stall” (see Malachi 4:2).

What an interesting and incredible word to the people of God in these last days. Malachi pictures believers as calves confined in stalls. The Hebrew root word for stall here means “tied up,” “going around in circles.”

Have you ever seen spirited calves locked up in stalls? They run in circles, kicking and making lots of noise. Do you get the picture Malachi is giving us? Satan has succeeded in locking up multitudes of believers in little stalls. He has kept them shut out of Christ’s green pastures, away from His cool, refreshing waters.

Dear saint, I urge you: Do not go another day satisfied with the way things are. Your release must come by faith, and the Lord gives His Holy Spirit to those who ask. When God promises, “You will go forth leaping as calves released from the stall,” He means more than releasing from confinement. When He opens the gate of our stall, we are going to emerge from it leaping with joy. We’ll no longer have a cloud of gloom hanging over us, but will be released into a walk of hope, freedom and abundant life.