Devotions

You cannot work effectively for Christ unless you are willing to take a few risks, and Jesus warned his followers that there would be the risk of encountering serpents.

I think it is significant that the Bible calls Satan “that serpent of old” (Revelation 12:9, NKJV), and Jesus said, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23), but in Ecclesiastes, we are warned: “…whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him” (Ecclesiastes 10:8, KJV).

Christ promised, however, that “These signs will follow those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them” (Mark 16:17-18, NKJV). 

I say this kindly, but the Bible says that the wicked are like poisonous serpents, and we must be snake handlers. This verse in Mark may refer to a missionary or other believer accidentally imbibing a poison, but there is a far greater meaning hidden in this Scripture. Just as surely as Christians drink of the blood of Christ — the river of life, divine love and beauty — we unconsciously also drink of the poison of this world when we go out to preach the gospel.

We absorb so much of the spirit of this world, and we take such deadly things into our spiritual lives that unless we receive Holy Ghost protection, I do not see how Christian workers can go where sinners are. You cannot help drinking in some of these unmentionable things into your spirit, but if you drink any deadly thing while you are going after serpents in the power of Christ, their poison will not hurt you.

When the Lord began to show me this truth, I would go home and pray, and I could feel the breath of the Holy Spirit pouring through my system. The poison would just drain out, and I could stand up cleansed and unharmed.

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ Then Jesus called a little child to him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 18:1-3, NKJV).

Jesus began a later sentence with a word that means “in the light of this.” He was about to tie his next statement into the whole context of the lesson he’d been teaching about mixing works with the cross. “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire” (Matthew 18:8-9, NKJV).

When Jesus said, “Pluck it out; cut it off,” he was talking to Jewish listeners first about their confidence in their own good works. The hand, foot and eye all represent the flesh, instruments of independence, by which man goes his own way, relying on self-will and human effort to rid himself of sinful bondages.

Christ was saying to such a person, “Your eye is focused on the wrong thing. You’re looking at your own ability and power. Therefore, pluck out your eye. You have to rid your body, mind and heart of all such evil thinking. Surgically remove it. Cut off all hope of offering to God anything of your own merit or goodness. Lust and offences must be cut off but not by your hands. It is the work of the Spirit.”

Simply run into God’s arms. Humble yourself like a child by embracing Christ’s victory on the cross. Commit to a life of total devotion and dependence on the Heavenly Father. Because of Jesus’ work at Calvary, you are no longer your own. He has bought you. His Spirit will fulfill God’s demand for holiness in you.

God wants us to know that no matter how difficult things may get for us, he will sustain all who trust in him by the power of his still, small voice, speaking to our inner man daily. This is confirmed by the prophet Isaiah. You have to understand, Isaiah delivered this word to Israel in the very worst of times. The nation was under judgment and in absolute ruin with everything breaking down.

Isaiah told Israel’s leaders, “Turn to the Lord now!”, but they wouldn’t listen. They decided they would turn to Egypt to deliver them. They thought they could rely on the Egyptians’ chariots, horses and supplies to see them through.

Despite this, God did not send all of his judgment on Israel at that point. Rather, he decided to wait patiently until the bottom fell out of every plan. Scripture says, “Therefore the Lord will wait, that he may be gracious to you; and therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him” (Isaiah 30:18).

Sure enough, everything failed, and things only got worse for the nation. Finally, when all their schemes had fallen through, Isaiah told the people, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21, NKJV). God was basically saying, “Now, let me take over! Open your ears, and I will speak to you. I know the way out, and I will direct you. I want to guide your every move, to the right and to the left, to deliver you. I’ll lead you by my voice speaking to you, telling you what to do, down to the last detail!”

What matters is that you get to know the voice of God. He is still speaking. He made it clear, “My sheep know my voice.” There are many voices in the world today, loud, demanding voices; but there is that still, small voice of the Lord that can be known and heard by all who trust what Jesus said.

Jesus died on the cross to purchase peace with God for me, and he’s in heaven now to maintain that peace for me and in me. The peace we have with God through Christ distinguishes our faith from all other religions.

In every other religion besides Christianity, the sin question is never settled. Sin’s dominion simply hasn’t been broken. Therefore, “’There is no peace,’ says the Lord, ‘for the wicked.’” (Isaiah 48:22, NKJV), but we have a God who provides peace by pardoning sin. This is the very reason Jesus came to earth: to bring peace to troubled, fearful humankind. How does Jesus maintain God’s peace for me? He does it in three ways.

First, Christ’s blood removed the guilt of my sin. In this sense, Paul says, “For he himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). Jesus made peace for me through his blood.

Second, Christ maintains my peace and joy in belief. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Third, Jesus causes me to rejoice at the hope of entering glory. “We…rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2).

Simply put, peace is the absence of fear, so a life without fear is a life full of peace. When Jesus ascended to heaven, he didn’t just bask in the glory that God bestowed on him. No, he went to the Father to maintain the hard-won peace he achieved for us at Calvary.

Our Savior is alive in glory right now, and he’s both fully God and fully human with hands, feet, eyes and hair. He also has the nail scars on his hands and feet as well as the wound in his side. He has never discarded his humanity; he is still a man in glory. Right now, our man in eternity is working to make sure we’re never robbed of the peace he gave us when he left. He’s ministering as our high priest, actively involved in keeping his body on earth full of his peace. And when he comes again he wants us to “be found by him in peace” (2 Peter 3:14).

Anytime the Holy Spirit puts something into your heart and there is a fire kindled in your soul, usually it’s because God is calling you to step out of your comfort zone in faith and move past an obstacle into a Promised Land.

Anytime that God calls you to do that, you’re going to have skeptics around you. There will usually be an outward skeptic, a demonic skeptic from Satan and an inward skeptic from your own heart. They are going to be telling you all kind of arguments against the plan that God has for you.

You see, the skeptic is always trying to move you away from the obedience to God’s plan because of difficulties, but sometimes God even uses those skeptics to make us aware that, when we cross over, the enemy nations aren’t going to lay down their arms and say, “Oh we love you, Joshua!” If you are following God’s plan, there is going to be conflict. There will be tough times, but you’re going to have to hold on to God’s promise that you would possess the land.

This is why God commissioned Joshua by saying, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9, ESV).

Maybe you are believing God for a heart change. You have been stuck spiritually for far too long, and today is your day of release into the Promised Land. There are some that are believing for a miracle in your life, a restored family relationship or the salvation of somebody who doesn’t know Jesus. There are others who are in the battle of your life in your business or finances. For some, God is calling you into a certain vocation, and you’re wondering if you’ll be able to cross into that land and possess it.

We’re going to believe today that God will break down those defenses. God will break down those skeptical ideas and help us believe in faith that he’s going to move us into that land that he’s promised us.

You will be grateful that you moved into the battle because you’re going to rise up in the Spirit of God; you’re going to take hold of the authority God has put in your heart, and you’re going to say yes to his plans.