Good Morning Friends,
Well, the anthem, “Praise His Holy Name,” our choir at Moorings Presbyterian Church sang yesterday was difficult but it came together and was well received. It hopefully will be on our YouTube channel in a week or so or you can go to the Moorings Presbyterian Church Website and view the worship service from there which includes the anthem at https://mooringschurch.org/watch-worship/ . It is about 34 minutes into the video. But you know, it does not really matter what others think. It only matters what the God thinks, and the Bible says God is pleased by our faith. I am glad we stretched to reach out and try something new. Whether we are overjoyed with the results or suffer through them, God encourages us when we depend on Him. The key is to be released from the evil of the world and have a personal relationship with Jesus that cuts through all the clutter and helps us to have a heart for God that we share. We are to have the mind of Christ in unity with what is good. The likes of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel and the prophets should guide us in preparation when it comes to faith, but practice helps too to release us from our fears. So, Has Your Faith, Meditations, Bible Study, And Prayers Sung Set You Free?
Scripture: And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.
Hebrews 11:32-40 (NRSV)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NRSV)
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him anymore, even with a chain; for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the shackles he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and bruising himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him; and he shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he had said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion; for we are many. “He begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now there on the hillside a great herd of swine was feeding; and the unclean spirits begged him, “Send us into the swine; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and drowned in the sea. The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. But Jesus refused, and said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.
Mark 5:1-20 (NRSV)
In the shelter of your presence you hide them from human plots; you hold them safe under your shelter from contentious tongues. Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was beset as a city under siege. I had said in my alarm, “I am driven far from your sight.” But you heard my supplications when I cried out to you for help. Love the Lord, all you his saints. The Lord preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.
Psalm 31: 20-24 (NRSV)
Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”
Matthew 4:10 (NRSV)
But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
Mark 8:33 (NRSV)
Message: Today we focus on how we face the tests and temptations and evil that are part of our everyday lives and survive. And the thing is that as we live in the reality of God’s kingdom and seek to live out God’s will, it is not always easy to overcome the temptations and evil that we encounter. But claiming that the Devil or Satan made us do it when we fail is no excuse. Claiming it is our nature does not help much either. We need to put on the full armor of God when the battle is spiritual in nature. Reading the Bible helps us to better understand how to take the offense in our encounters and prayer is a wonderful defense. Paul explains them more fully in scripture and might prompt us to pray for our leaders more for they are always targets of evil. In the gospel story Jesus addresses “Satan” directly by that title twice. We have Jesus’ rebuking of Satan in the temptation narrative in Matthew 4:10, and again when Jesus is rebuking his closest associate Peter in Mark 8:33 for resisting God’s strange plan. The target of Evil was the leaders of the Movement to change the world. And the thing is that the line between good and evil is clear at the level of God, on the one hand, and the personified evil of Satan, on the other. It is much, much less clear and not a fair comparison as it passes through human beings, individually and collectively. If there is an enemy at work on a cosmic level, it is a subtle, cunning enemy, much too clever to allow itself to be identified with simply one person, one group, or one nation on a permanent basis. It passes in and out of people so quickly that only Jesus can succeed. It is always easy to think of ourselves as more like angels and our opponents as demons. We can make the fatal flaw of thinking evil cannot use us at all. Discernment here is critical for the experience can be either something that seeks us to fail or a test with the hope that we will achieve something of worth and glory to God. Because we all seek comfortable lives, we would prefer to avoid the trials and tests of life. Such desires though are unrealistic. We know that they will come, and when they do, we pray that we will make good on the opportunity we have been presented. We are praying that we will live faithfully and obediently in God’s kingdom of love and grace and not fail to be faithful. Frequently, we are too narrow in our understanding of temptations. We focus on not cheating on our income taxes or forgiving our neighbor who throws loud parties and allows his dogs to poop in our front yard. There are greater temptations than these. Not only do we pray that God would not lead us into temptation, but also that we would be delivered from evil. Perhaps the most poignant story of being rescued from evil is that of the deliverance of the demoniac in today’s text. Meditate on what is happening here. That man was a danger to others and himself. He was excluded from society and considered unclean. But friends, we are to see ourselves here as well, for each of us can be a toxic presence. What is interesting here is that whatever separated the man from others did not separate him from Jesus. Friends, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus—not even the evil of this life. If fact, we might find that our demons already know Jesus and that our relationship with them might be caught up in a false impression of love. Though the Bible presents the Devil as a powerful and cunning opponent, the supreme spirit of evil, the Bible also tells us that Christians can have victory over this enemy. To gain this victory it is important to learn who we are and to be intentional about understanding our identity in Christ. We are to awaken to our purpose and mission and commit to growth, seeking wise counsel and choosing to connect with the power of God.
And So, over the years I have gathered with other Christians in a faithful time of prayer as a way to give up my demons, so I could embrace the dream more fully. Singing in a choir helps too. I think at some basic level of existence regular action in faith helps people to be freed for a mission purpose that brings spiritual success. Here, by faith, we abound in triumph of what God has planned for us. But whether abiding in faith or abiding in trial we are still freed. Either way we are approved in time by God. You see, ultimately the critics do not count. The credit belongs to the person who is doing the work and even in the failing, striving valiantly counts for something. Friends, we can face impossible odds and meet the challenge, but we have to believe and have faith and live with a renewed mind through prayer. We are to pray for God’s kingdom to come and God’s will to be done. And here abiding in the faith we might just remember how God provides us with our daily bread and how humbling that is. Then we might be reminded that this truth helps us to be thankful and to cultivate lives of gratitude. At the center of it all is the reality that God has already forgiven all our sins—past, present, and future, and expects us to share that forgiveness by being forgiving of others. But the devil and demons are in the details. We need to be released from the evil of the world and have a personal relationship with Jesus and cut through all the clutter and have a heart for God that we share. We are to see the great victories of faith and believe in the enduring virtue of faith.
Pray thatwe are not our own worst enemy. Pray that the Holy Spirit keeps us from despair, unbelief, or false belief. Pray we embrace the abundant life that we have been given through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Pray not for easy lives but for meaningful ones. Pray we live in a way that honors God and bears witness to God’s steadfast love, unconditional forgiveness, and overwhelming grace. Pray we share with others, facing trials and evil, how we have been able to face the tests of life and walk in the strength and encouragement of Jesus. Pray we are freed from addictions with the drive, principle, and intention of glorifying God. Pray we abide to glorify God through faith. Pray we realize that a life of Faith is not something reserved for a few elite saints but is possible to all kinds of believers in all kinds of situations for all of God’s children. Pray we put on the full armor of God in our spiritual battles.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 