Devotions

The very first message Jesus delivered after he emerged from the temptation in the wilderness was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). He called people to repent even before he called them to believe!

The word “repent” is rarely mentioned in most churches today. Pastors seldom call for their congregations to sorrow over sin — to grieve over wounding Christ by their wickedness. Instead, the message we hear from many pulpits is, “Just believe. Accept Christ and you’ll be saved.” The text used to justify this message is Acts 16:30-31. The apostle Paul was being held in jail when suddenly the earth shook and all the cell doors opened. The jailer immediately thought all the prisoners had fled, which meant he faced execution.

In despair, the jailer drew his sword and was about to kill himself when Paul and Silas stopped him, assuring him that no one had escaped. Seeing this, the man fell down before the apostles and cried out, “‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household’” (Acts 16:30-31). It’s important to remember that the jailer was on the verge of suicide, with sword in hand. He was already at the point of repentance — on his knees, broken and trembling before the apostles. So his heart was truly prepared to accept Jesus in genuine faith. 

Jesus promises that your godly sorrow, your repentant heart and your renewed love for him will lead you to life. So, pray to him right now: "Lord, give me a truly repentant heart. Take me back to who I was when I was first in love with you. Yet, this time take me farther, deeper in you, than I've ever been before!"

Jesus promises that your repentant heart and renewed love for him will lead you to life.

In a letter to the Christians at Thessalonica, Paul speaks of a future event he calls “the day of the Lord.” He writes, “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,  not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, NIV).

Some theologians believe the "day of the Lord" Paul refers to here is the final judgment. However, I believe with most scholars that Paul is speaking of Christ's second coming. And Paul states that Jesus' return will not take place until two things happen:

1. Many who once knew God will fall away from the truth of the gospel they’ve known.

2. The Antichrist, or man of sin, will be revealed.

It should be obvious to every lover of Jesus that a “falling away” is already taking place. Many believers, as well as Christians throughout the past few decades, have grown cold in their love for God. In a scheme to pervert Christ’s gospel of grace, Satan is convincing masses of believers they can indulge their sins without paying any penalty. This turns Christ’s gospel into a message of licentiousness! Tragically, many lukewarm Christians are succumbing to this spirit of lawlessness, making them ripe to accept the man of sin (the Antichrist) when he comes on the scene, working miracles and solving problems.

You may think, “I would never be fooled into following the Antichrist.” But Paul warns that people will be blinded and deceived by their own sin (2:9-10). Satan will convince the world, just as he convinced Eve, that God doesn’t punish for sin (2:11).

Beloved, it doesn't have to be this way for any of us. God has made a covenant promise to remove all delusion from us and give us victory over sin, through the power of Christ's cross. All he asks is that we declare war on our sin, saying, "I won't make peace with this habit. I refuse to abide it. Deliver me, father, by your Spirit!" When he hears this prayer, he'll send such Holy Ghost power and glory from heaven, the devil won't stand a chance!

Pray right now that God implants in you a great reverence for his word. Ask him to help you be disciplined in your reading of the scriptures. And ask the Spirit to help you take to heart what you read — to believe that God means what he says!

"We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth" (2 Thessalonians 1:3).

What a great compliment Paul paid the Thessalonian Christians! Here's the full essence of what he was saying: "It's incredible to see how much you've grown, both in your faith in Christ and in your love for one another. Everywhere I go, I brag to others about your spiritual growth. How I thank God for you!"

In this short passage, Paul gives us an amazing picture of a body of believers growing in unity and love. Both individually and corporately, the faith and love of the Thessalonians outshone that of all other churches. It is obvious that they were learning, moving, growing — and their lives offered evidence to that fact. According to Paul, they were the talk of every church in Asia.

Apparently, the preaching these believers heard was provoking them to an even deeper walk with Christ. It was melting their fleshly ambitions and convicting them of habits that were not like Christ. And the Holy Spirit in them was tearing down all ethnic barriers and color lines. They were discovering how to embrace any person, whether rich or poor, educated or uneducated, while they offered great love to each other, preferring one another in love.

A most important feature of this church was that they highly honored and revered God’s Word, nor did they allow false teachers to come into their midst and lead people away with new religious fads.

Do you want to grow spiritually? If so, ask the Holy Spirit to shine his light on an area of weakness or sin in your life. God is watering your spirit, feeding your soul, putting down his strong roots in you as you seek him.

In Acts 12, Peter was imprisoned by King Herod. Thousands in Jerusalem were getting saved through the mighty works of God, with reverberations throughout the city—and Herod felt threatened. Of course, whenever God moves supernaturally through his people, it enrages the enemy. Satan had already stirred Herod to kill James, a leader in the church alongside his brother John and Peter.

Now Herod leveled his sights on Peter. “When (Herod) saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. He planned to make a point by executing the boldest believer right at Easter, the church’s most sacred observance. He thought he could frighten the Christians into silence. “[Herod] put him in prison … intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people” (12:4). Herod was going to martyr Peter in a public display.

Peter’s story reveals the kind of spiritual prison Satan uses to lock down God’s people. The word “seized” in this passage doesn’t just mean “grabbed,” it signifies a power far beyond our own. Peter was not just under the arrest of a governmental principality, he was locked down by a spiritual power that was manipulating a powerful man for demonic ends.

Perhaps you are familiar with this kind of spiritual prison; you may even be in one. You think, “Lord, I’ve prayed a thousand times but nothing ever changes. How will I ever be free?” Or you may be praying for a loved one who is in the grip of bondage or addiction.

But in the very next verse we see something that changes everything! “Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church” (12:5).

A small band of humble men and women held a prayer meeting and the thickest prison walls didn’t stand a chance against their prayers. With one whisper from an angel, the enemies of God in the prison fell so deeply asleep that they didn’t hear Peter tiptoe through the open cell door (see 12:6-7).

Fervent, effectual prayer moves God to open iron gates and set captives free. I urge you to keep praying earnestly — for your loved ones and for everyone you meet. Jesus is ready to amaze us all with his saving, delivering, transforming love!

Through human effort and strength, a good high jumper can leap to about seven and a half feet. But the pole vaulter is different. He carries a pole that he fixes into a hole in the ground. He puts all of his trust in that pole not only to hold him, but to lift him higher than he could ever go on his own. In fact, he may go three times as high as the high jumper.

You can leap on your own and do Christian high jumping but you only get so high. However, when you reach out and then lean all your weight on Jesus and his Word, he takes you higher and over things you could never get over in your own strength.

Romans chapter 11 tells the story of Elijah, who got caught high jumping when he should have been pole vaulting. He was depending on his own strength and insights instead of the counsel of God. Paul recounts that Elijah said during a tough time in his ministry, “Lord, they have killed your prophets. They have torn down your altars and I alone am left — and they are seeking my life!” The divine response came, “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed their knee to Baal” (see Romans 11:3-4).

God told Elijah, “You have not accurately defined your situation. It’s not true that you are alone. There are no-nonsense people just as committed as you who do not compromise.” God was telling Elijah, the high jumper, “I know a lot of people who are sold out to me. You are off on your response by six thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine.”

This is what happens when you try to assess situations with fear, anxiety and your own perception. We need to always ask, “What does God have to say about this situation? Is there something in his Word I can hold on to that will get me over this?”

Always seek a response from your heavenly Father and you will never fail to go higher!

^{Pastor Tim pastored an inner-city congregation in Detroit for thirty years before serving at Brooklyn Tabernacle in NYC for five years. He and his wife Cindy presently pastor in Lafayette, Louisiana.}