Devotions

John the Baptist was called to prepare the way for Jesus. He did not take an individual person and tell him he had to stop doing one thing and start doing something else. No, he proclaimed that Jesus was coming for a people who were committed to the cause of Christ, a people who would surrender absolutely to him.

The Lord spoke to Zacharias regarding John, “And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous — to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17, NIV).

Jesus was coming for a people prepared — not a building or a program or even a movement. God wants a body of believers who are truly devoted to the things that bring us together — faithful servants who are filled with the Holy Spirit and the power of Elijah.

We read again of Elijah in James: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit” (James 5:17-18).

The Word of God says that Elijah was a man just like us, yet he did things that were way out of the ordinary. But we read further in James: “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (5:19-20).

Having faith to stop the rain or pray rain down, as Elijah did, is powerful, indeed. But saving someone from death is even more wonderful and, according to James, Jesus has given all, that’s you and me, who walk with him the power and authority to do just that.  

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth … You know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17).

God is the giver of amazing, wonderful gifts. But there is such a thing as our not knowing how to receive them. That was the case for me when my firstborn child, Alicia, arrived. I was still trying to figure out how to be a decent husband to my beautiful bride, Gloria, and suddenly I found myself faced with the task of being a father to a precious little girl.

Just a few years earlier a court-appointed psychologist had told me that I would never be normal because of my terrible past. He also told me, “You have a dark side … and you don’t know how to love or be loved.” Those words haunted me.

From the moment we brought Alicia home from the hospital, Gloria could tell something was wrong in my responses to her. I would bend over our daughter’s crib and brush her face with my hands but I never picked her up. When Alicia was about four weeks old, Gloria asked me why I didn’t want to hold the baby and I told her, “I don’t know how.”` “Then let me show you,” she said.

As I held my daughter and felt overwhelming tenderness and love running through my heart, for the first time in my life I understood what it meant to be a father. And also in that moment I finally understood what it means to receive an irrevocable, irreplaceable gift from the Savior.

As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have been given an incomparable gift by God — the gift of the Holy Spirit. God has entrusted to each one of his followers a measure of his power, a small piece of himself. It is a gift that none of us deserve, and one that we can never repay, yet he gives it freely and willingly to all who put their trust in him. This gift should not be taken lightly and he wants you to learn to receive it fully. 

Nicky Cruz, internationally known evangelist and prolific author, turned to Jesus Christ from a life of violence and crime after meeting David Wilkerson in New York City in 1958. The story of his dramatic conversion was told first in The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson and then later in his own best-selling book Run, Baby, Run.  

“War broke out in heaven” (Revelation 12:7).

We hear a lot of talk today about war — war on terrorism, war in the Middle East, nuclear threats from various nations. Never in history has there been such a time of war throughout the earth. And because of the instant communication we have now, almost immediately we receive reports of bombings, ambushes, death tolls.

I am convinced that Jesus spoke about these: “You will hear of wars and rumors of war” (Matthew 24:6). And just as Christ prophesied, people’s hearts are failing them for fear: “Men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth” (Luke 21:26). The wars we are seeing are causing terror throughout the earth, yet these wars are all mere symptoms of a much greater war. You see, there is actually just one war going on and this war-above-all-wars is taking place in heaven — a war between God and the devil.

This war was declared eons ago. Revelation tells us, “Michael and his angels fought with the dragon [Satan]; and the dragon and the angels fought” (12:7). While in heaven, Satan rallied all the fallen angels he deceived to rise up against God because he wanted to usurp God’s authority and take over his throne.

But the devil lost that first battle and God cast him and all the rebelling angels out of heaven. Satan had already deceived those angels and when God created humankind, he determined to deceive them, too.

Satan’s rebellion did not take God by surprise. Even before the foundation of the world, God devised a war plan to defeat the devil. The Lord created man in his own image and allowed him to have a free will — and then he sent his Son, Jesus, to redeem all mankind!

Jesus is patiently waiting for the last harvest to be brought in but until the coming of the Lord, we can live in victory: “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

Are you in a frightening place right now? Do you feel hopeless, empty, stripped to nothing? I say to you, your trial will pass but what does God expect of you now, in the midst of it?

Perhaps you are grieving, anguishing over a struggle that doesn’t seem to end. You’re bowed low, more discouraged than you have ever been. Your friends may tell you, “Don’t cry and mourn. That’s not showing faith.” But the truth is, if you have faith, you are able to cry. You can’t avoid your pain; in fact, there is healing power in your tears. Your mourning has nothing to do with whether you trust in God’s Word.

At times, you may wonder, “Lord, what did I do wrong? Is this your judgment on me?” You may even feel like confronting him, crying, “Why did you let this happen?” I tell you, God gives you time for those questions. He allows your flesh to have its tantrums.

Finally, the Lord comes to you and says, “You’ve had a right to all your feelings, but you have no reason to accuse me or doubt me. I’ve given you a promise. Indeed, I’ve given you everything you need. You are to lay hold of that promise now. If you do, my Word will become life to you and bring healing that is greater than any medicine, more powerful than any river of tears.”

Throughout the Bible, we find godly men and women who have gone through deep tremblings of soul and spirit. Over and over, the Psalmist asks, “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” (Psalm 42:5). Also in 43:6 and 11 and Psalm 43:5, we see a similar sentiment.

The Lord understands your times of confusion and doubt and he is waiting for you to look to him and trust him. “You’ve cried it all out and now I want you to trust me. Go back to my Word and I will see you through.” Trust his promises and allow him to become the joy of your life.

When God says to humankind, “Believe,” he demands something beyond reason. Faith is totally illogical and its very definition has to do with something unreasonable. Think about it: Hebrews says that faith is the substance of something hoped for, the evidence that is unseen (see Hebrews 11:1). We are being told, in short, “There is no tangible substance or any evidence at all.” Yet we are asked to believe.

The fact is, we all face challenging circumstances in this life. Yet I believe if we can understand the nature of faith — its illogical, unreasonable nature — we will find the help we need to get through.

Let’s consider Abraham. God told him, “Get up, go out, and leave your country.” Surely Abraham wondered, “Where am I to go, Lord?” But God just told him to go!

This was not logical; in fact, it seemed unreasonable. If a husband came home and told his wife they were moving immediately, she would have all kinds of questions. Where? Why? How? When? And it would not be acceptable for him not to have answers.

But Abraham had heard from God! “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). Abraham packed up his family and set out, not knowing where they would end up. All he knew was that he had a brief word from God to go and the assurance that no harm would come to him.

Faith demanded that Abraham act on nothing more than a promise. He obeyed and the Word says, “He accounted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).

The Lord says to you, just as he said to Abraham, “I give you my Word and I will answer your cry.” “This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him … The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their cry” (Psalm 34: 6, 15). Trust Him today to give you exactly what you need.