Devotions

The book of Revelation tells us that in the last days, Satan will rise up in anger and make war “with the remnant.” This remnant, of course, is the Body of Christ, comprised of all “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17).

We in the church of Christ talk often about spiritual warfare; the war that is described in Revelation is a worldwide attack Satan has launched against the Body of Christ: “It was granted to him to make war with the saints” (13:7).

Every believer is enlisted in the great army of the Lord and Satan is waging his demonic war against this army. The apostle Paul states that on every battlefront, “We do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).

There are many “war zones” around the globe. In America, Satan’s war against the church is in the continual flood of sensuality and materialism. His weapons in this war are love of money and addiction to pleasure.  But there is another battlefield in this war: the private war of individual children of God.

Every believer on earth faces his or her own private war. The Bible states, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven … A time of war, and a time of peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8). Right now you may be enjoying a time of peace. I thank God for such seasons in life, when joy springs up. When your time of war comes, it may involve struggles known only to you and God.

We are all familiar with the story of King David, a righteous man who served God faithfully, yet fell into the sin of adultery. David repented with bitter tears and cried out to God in anguish; you can read his confession in Psalm 38 and especially in Psalm 69. He found that God’s grace truly was sufficient.

In every private conflict you face, keep your eyes and your thoughts fixed on this: God’s mercy and lovingkindness are never failing.

Job asks, “What is man, that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart on him, that You should visit him every morning, and test him every moment?” (Job 7:17-18, my italics).

Hebrews 12:1 tells us that the world is encircled by a cloud of witnesses who are with Christ in glory. What does this great cloud bear witness to — and who is their witness meant for? They speak to our generation, by their lives and their words as recorded in Scripture. I believe they say three things to us:

1. They are witnesses that God’s heart is still set on saving this lost world. God is still at work, pouring out his Spirit on all flesh and moving on men and women in every nation.
2. God’s heart is still set on loving and preserving his church. Even with rampant apostasies and backslidings, the Lord cherishes his Body.
3. God’s heart is still set on every child of his. The Lord will never leave a single servant of his behind. The Scripture tells us, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12).

The apostle Peter is among this cloud of witnesses and he understands why God is so patient. He cursed Jesus, swearing he never knew him. Peter would say that God withholds his judgment on this generation, even though there are multitudes still who curse and deny him, just as he did. 

The apostle Paul is also among this cloud of witnesses and he bears witness to God’s unlimited love. Paul cursed the name of Christ — he was a terrorist, hunting down God’s people and dragging them off to be jailed or killed. But he did it all in ignorance. Paul would say to us that God is being patient with this present generation because there are many who sin in ignorance, just as he did. They have not yet been exposed to the gospel message.

How reassuring to know that God’s eyes are ever on us and his heart is set on loving every child of his.

God is doing a new thing in his church today. This great work of the Spirit cannot be found in a single location. It is happening worldwide, yet you do not have to travel far to behold it. Indeed, God’s “new thing” may be as close as a nearby church.

God is raising up ministers and people who will lay hold of his true blessing. This blessing has been misrepresented and defiled by the modern church, and now the Lord desires to renew it for the people he is calling forth. God told Moses that there was only one formula for his blessing (see Numbers 6:22-27) and other methods of blessing are unacceptable to him. The blessing he describes to Moses is threefold:

• “The Lord bless you and keep you” (Numbers 6:24). This speaks of the keeping power of Christ. It is the beginning of all blessings: the knowledge that we are kept by Christ himself. God’s last-days people will lay hold of his covenant promises to give them a new heart, a holy fear.
• “The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you” (6:25). This describes a church with a clear conscience, not a seared one. After all, God cannot show you his “face” — that is, the glory of his grace — until you are secure in him. This implies favor; you are no longer a stranger to God but favored in his eyes.
• “The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace” (6:26). This speaks of an increase of God’s presence. Here is a mark of the new thing God is doing: a prostrated people who receive God’s touch of love and assurance. That intimate touch keeps them prostrate in prayer and they hear his voice clearly. All the while, a pure ministry is being birthed in them. 

Servants who have been in God’s presence are not restless or driven. They are gifted with great peace, and because of that peace, they bear the very countenance of Christ. How wonderful to know that we can enter into his presence freely. 

When we consider our lifestyles as Jesus followers, most of ours do not fit the New Testament model. Christ sent out his twelve disciples to proclaim the good news, heal the sick, and be willing vessels to bring about his kingdom on earth (see Mark 16:15-18). Later, he sent out seventy disciples with the same instructions (see Luke 10:1-16). He told each of these groups, “Everything I have taught you to do — preach the gospel, heal the afflicted and bring about my kingdom — you are to do in my name. Now go into all the world and do as I have commanded.”

That is the New Testament model. But the gap between it and the way we live our faith is vast. At one end is God’s wonder-working power, and on the opposite end is our lifestyle. What keeps us from doing the works of Jesus? I believe it is this: we need a baptism of his love.

One barrier more than any other keeps us from loving boldly as Jesus did. This barrier is fear! When we imagine doing the works of Jesus, we are afraid of people, of what they might think, and of failing. The apostle John addresses this directly: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 John 4:18).

Paul enumerates the gifts that come from being freed from fear: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Nothing in our human ability can fill us with a spirit of power and love and a sound mind. These are gifts of God, and he gives them to all who ask. When he frees us from fear, we are able to love people with his love and minister to their deepest needs. His love changes everything!

We need to distinguish between aloneness, loneliness and solitude. Aloneness is a state of being physically separated from other people. At times family, friends and other persons are missing from our presence, but just because we are alone does not necessarily mean we are lonely. We simply take these times in stride and recognize that life cannot always be filled with people.

Actually, we can accomplish a lot when we are alone. We can spend time with God and deepen our fellowship with him. The psalmist David wrote: “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly moved” (Psalm 62:1-2).

“Loneliness is the single experience most common to all of us, yet is also the most misunderstood” (Ira J. Tanner, Loneliness: The Fear of Love). Loneliness is universal; every person alive experiences it in some measure. Loneliness, you see, is not caused by our circumstances but is a state of mind. It is a feeling that no one and no thing is responsive to our deep hunger for support and love.

And then we have solitude, the act of intentionally withdrawing from others for the purpose of being alone. This is the time when we can be refreshed spiritually and restored emotionally — a time of renewal and creativity. Jesus Himself needed these times of solitude with His heavenly Father. “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone” (Matthew 14:23).

The superficiality that characterizes the modern Christian is due largely to the lack of solitude. We rush here and there to concerts, rallies, Bible studies, crusades, retreats, conferences, and services of every description thinking we are “filling our cup” — all the while wondering why we feel so empty and, yes, lonely, even in the midst of a crowd of people. But Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor … and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

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.