Devotions

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).

Believers in war-torn Iraq share, “Hard times are not coming — for us, hard times have been here for years.” They have known hardships for generations and they have learned to cling to faith. Because they have put on the whole armor of God, they are equipped to withstand evil and preach the gospel to those around them.

I truly believe the majority of godly people in the world today are under attack from hell, enduring devilish, seemingly hopeless situations. What about you? If you are not presently facing a test of faith, I urge you to be very thankful. But remain humble and be careful that you don’t boast of your own strength or faith.

Satan waits until the tested one is weary, drained of all strength and endurance. He waits until all prayers seem to go unanswered, until everything seems hopeless and we come to our wits’ end. It happened to Peter when he watched his Master being humiliated before the Sanhedrin (see Matthew 26:57-58). And it happened to Job when he was forced to ponder the loss of everything dear to him.

Questions begin to rise: “God, where are You? Why are my prayers not being answered?” Be careful, for right at that point Satan will implant his awful lie: “God has forsaken you. He does not hear you.”

Yet, God has not forsaken you — and He never will. He has instructed us to be prepared by putting on the whole armor of God and then He assures us that He will never leave us. “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Right now He is telling you, “I will never leave you.”

We must be fully aware of the enemy’s schemes and methods. The most powerful weapon in Satan’s arsenal is a vicious lie — from the master liar! What is his biggest lie? That God is not faithful to His people.

Just as he has done throughout history, Satan wants to attack our homes, our marriages, our children, our health, our jobs and careers, our very belief in the Lord. Jesus told Peter, “Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31).

You may wonder, “Exactly how bad can it get for a believer? What does God allow when He gives permission for us to be sifted?” I direct you to Hebrews 11 where we read of the multitude of trials endured by martyrs and heroes of the faith. Scripture says of them, “they obtained a good testimony through faith” (see 11:39).

The same kind of suffering and hardship these early believers suffered is happening to believers throughout the world today. Christians in the Middle East are under grave threat for their faith and many have had to run for their lives, fleeing their homes, jobs and churches. Many have even been killed — and still those that remain minister the gospel in alien nations where they have been banished by war. Through it all, they have found that God is faithful to His children. 

“But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail” (Luke 22:32). To me, this is one of the most encouraging verses in all of Scripture. Peter was enduring a severe trial and Jesus was assuring him that no matter what he might face, his faith would not fail.

Even though Peter had denied Christ, God did not forsake him — not for a moment. This once-fearless disciple, now broken and anguishing over his failure, was never for a moment on his own. And, beloved, neither are we!

No matter what your trial may be — what pain you’re suffering or what sorrow you are enduring — Jesus is interceding for you. At this very moment, in the midst of your storms, He is pleading your cause and He has never let you go.

In Luke 22:31 Jesus warns Peter that Satan desires to sift him as wheat but at the end of verse 32, He gave him this strong exhortation: “And when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

Beloved, here is assurance and encouragement for us all. The Lord of creation holds us in His very hand and He tells us, as he did Peter, “Get up! Go now! Do not focus on your failure; rather, get to work for My kingdom. Feed my sheep. Warn my precious ones about the enemy’s devices at work against them. And tell them I hold them in My hands, through every trial.”    

We have a tender, loving Father who is touched by the feelings of our infirmities. Even Jesus wept in His trying hour. He knows our pain firsthand and He has sent His Holy Spirit to comfort us and speak hope and peace to our souls.

Interestingly, the world observes us as we face challenges, and expects us to sing a song in the midst of our hardest times. We see an example of this in the Word.

“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion. We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, and those who plundered us requested mirth, saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’” (Psalm 137:1-4).

This psalm describes Israel’s captivity by the Babylonians, when God’s people had lost everything, including their homeland. Still, their captors wanted to hear the songs of victory that the Israelites were famous for. “Sing to us! We have heard about the great victory songs you offer to God so play them for us!” I don’t believe this demand was made in mockery alone; the Babylonians sincerely longed to hear a testimony. Their own religion had left them empty, dry and hopeless.

Likewise, today the world demands a song of victory from God’s people. What they really want to know is, “How are you going to react in this present crisis? We’ve heard that you think your God is faithful and powerful. So do you trust Him in times like these? Were your songs of deliverance in good times like a child’s fantasy? Or does your faith really hold up when hard times come?”

Our society is desperate to find hope and peace in these troubled days. They long to know the truth of Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.” And they will look to God’s children for a testimony.  

While on their way to pray one day, Peter and John came upon a lame man lying at the gate of the temple asking for alms. Upon hearing his request, Peter told the man to look at them. The lame man expected to receive something from them but instead he heard Peter say, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:6, ESV).

What an interesting phrase: “But what I do have.” Peter had inside of him the ability to proclaim, in the name of Jesus, “Rise up and walk!” Notice that Peter didn’t pray over the man before making this proclamation. Because he had the Holy Spirit within him, Peter knew what the Father was doing, so he could proclaim it a reality. In fact, he was so confident that he reached down, took the lame man by the right hand, and lifted him to his feet. Immediately strength entered the man’s feet and ankles and he began walking, leaping, and praising God.

There is a time to pray, “If it is Your will,” even when it comes to healing. There may be times when you are not convinced that the Lord is going to heal someone, but if you receive that sense of confidence in your spirit, don’t hold back! Begin to pray over people with faith, “You are healed in the name of Jesus!”

Extend this prayer to other situations:

“Your marriage is coming together in the name of Jesus!”

“You are set free in the name of Jesus!”

“My son/daughter is returning home in the name of Jesus!”

There is power in the name of Jesus! We need to exercise our authority to proclaim the Word of the Lord over people and circumstances because Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18).