Daily Devotion by Ray Stedman

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 7TH​

Demolishing Strongholds​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 10:4

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
2 Corinthians 10:4

Paul uses in this passage the word strongholds. This is the only place in the New Testament that this word is found, but it is an easy word to understand because it is made up of root words which literally mean a place of strength. It is a place where evil is entrenched, where it is fortified, protected behind strong defenses. It is not out in the open easily exposed and overthrown, but is well defended, a fortress with walls and moats and turrets, difficult to attack.

Do we face situations like that today? Are there situations in your experience as an individual or in society in general, where evil is entrenched like this? Long-standing evil, protected and defended by a segment of society, resisting all attempts to overthrow it, persisting in holding thousands in bondage, darkness, misery and despair? Are there places like that? You know there are — on every side today.

America is full of such strongholds. Racism is that kind of a stronghold. Bigotry seizes the minds of people and discrimination against individuals because of the color of their skin impacts everything that is done. Often such discrimination is defended in the name of Jesus, despite the clear pronouncements in Scripture against it.

Materialism is another. Materialism is the love of things. If you read thoughtfully the passages in the New Testament that deal with the Christian's attitude toward things and the world, you will discover how the love of things blinds, debases, and blunts the capacity for life. It reduces human beings to nothing but comfortable animals, living for pleasure and for the fleeting moment. It ends in life becoming shallow and superficial, filled with expressions of greed.

Pride is another stronghold. Pride can erect a barrier between people who live together. Husbands will not speak to their wives; wives shut their husbands out of their lives. They will not communicate because of an impassable gulf created by pride. Parents are isolated from their children, and children from parents, by gulfs of non-communication stretching wide between them, impassable and impossible to cross.

Immorality is a similar problem. Here is a stronghold of evil. Sexual perversion! What a terrible thing it is and what a despairing cry is going up from people today who are in the grip of perverse practices, and who are looking for help. Surely here is an area where the church ought to be speaking, where these weapons of righteousness should be turned loose.

Lord, please give me eyes to see the strongholds all around me, including in my own family and my own heart. Give me a heart to pray for evil to be defeated in these entrenched places of evil.

​

Life Application​

What evidence of strongholds do you see in your own life? How are you fighting to have them uprooted?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 8TH​

The Weapons of our Warfare​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 10:4

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
2 Corinthians 10:4

The Christian is the only one who is adequate to deal with strongholds of evil. Therefore, let us not waste our time with things that proved their inadequacy long ago. We have adequate weapons. There are four weapons of the Christian by which we can face the battles of life. With these, not only will he win in his individual life, but he will also be a tremendously powerful factor to solve them in society.

First, truth is the chief weapon of the Christian. The glory of Christianity is that it reveals reality. Jesus Christ let people know the facts about life. He unveiled reality and tore away the illusions and delusions under which men labor. You can watch him exposing the faulty thinking of the Pharisees, and all the other groups with which he came in contact, including his own disciples. Here, in the Word of God, in the truth as it is in Jesus, we have a powerful weapon.

The second weapon is love. I am not talking about the Hollywood slush that passes for love, nor of the bleeding heart tolerance of anything that comes along. I am talking about biblical love, the kind that requires no return from the individual loved. We must begin to show acceptance, courtesy, and concern without partiality or merit, without regard to the background or the color of skin or anything else about an individual, except that he or she is a man or woman loved by God for whom Christ died. That is love, and it is a mighty weapon. That is the way the early church won their way against kings and edicts. They won it by the demonstration of a warmth of acceptance that made their meetings such glorious occasions of fellowship that the whole world hung around, drooling, wanting to get in.

The third weapon is righteousness. It is what we call integrity. It is the refusal to yield to expediency. Paul writes to the Ephesians, You must no longer live as the Gentiles do (Ephesians 4:17b). You cannot go on excusing your weaknesses. You have all that it takes to be all that is needed. You must stop lying, stealing, cursing, and being harsh toward one another. But in its place, because righteousness is never just negative, you must show tenderheartedness, acceptance and forgiveness for Christ's sake.

The fourth weapon is a compound one: Faith-prayer. I put these together because they are almost indistinguishable. Faith is reliance on the direct activity of God in human life and Prayer is the request for that activity. These two things link together. Faith is the expectation that God has not dismissed society, nor does he exist remote from it, but he is involved in it, and is active in it. He is moving; he does things; he changes; he arrests; he thwarts; he overthrows; he builds up and exalts; and he does all this in answer and through the medium of prayer. What a mighty weapon is put in our hands in these days through this means!

Lord, I believe that you answer prayer, and that you alone are the One who is able to demolish strongholds and conquer the evil that is so insidious in our world and in my own heart. Help me fight the battle tirelessly, utterly depending on you.

Life Application​

Which of these four weapons are you currently using to fight evil? Have you forgotten any particular weapon?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 9TH​

Mighty Weapons​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 10:4

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
2 Corinthians 10:4

The weapons of our warfare are mighty. I wish I could thunder those words in such a way as to capture your imagination and help you to see how wrong is the terrible attitude of pessimism and despair that exists among Christians these days. Many act as though all we can do is to hang on to what we've got and wait for the Lord to come. That is wrong! We are called to attack these strongholds, and weapons are placed in our hands that are able to subdue and break down these strongholds of evil.

The Bible is full of examples of this for our encouragement. We have an example in the case of Jonah, where the weapon of truth is used to set a whole city free. Nineveh was a pagan city, doing things that were destroying the life of its people. Jonah was sent there to preach. When Jonah finally fulfills his call to preach to them, what was the result? The result was that from the king right down to the most common person in the city, they all repented, and the city was spared for over a hundred years. That is the direct thrust of the weapon of truth against a stronghold of evil.

You can see how the weapon of love prevailed in many places in the Scriptures. There is the story of David and Jonathan, that wonderful story of friendship between two men who were on opposite sides of the political fence. One was the son of the king, and the other was the greatest threat to that king's throne. By all rights these two men should have been at one another's throats, but they were friends. They loved one another deeply. As a result, when David became king, Jonathan was delighted and did nothing to withstand him. The threatened breach between these two families was healed, extending even to Jonathan's son and his son's sons. What could have been a deadly feud that would have severed a country was healed by love.

Take the weapon of righteousness. Read the book of Daniel. Remember those three young Hebrew men who resisted the proclamation of the king to bow down before the great idol erected on the plain? They refused to do so even though threatened with the fiery furnace. Because of that, ultimately, the king himself became a believer and issued a proclamation that the God of Daniel must be honored and respected throughout the whole of the kingdom.

These things are evidence of how these weapons of our warfare can prevail in the midst of human society. These are mighty weapons. They are mighty forces with which we can attack the strongholds of evil of our day. This is what the Word of God calls us to. Let us learn what these weapons are, and how to use them, and then deliberately move to the offensive. Refuse to accept the status quo, this attitude of Nothing can be done. A great deal can be done. We need to repent of our barrenness, of our blindness, and take up weapons that work.

Lord, train me, make me, shape me. Put in my hands, as you have, these weapons of truth, love and righteousness, and teach me how to use them effectively. Amen.

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Life Application​

To what degree have you succumbed to an attitude of "Nothing can be done"? Where must you be more intentional in attacking strongholds?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 10TH​

The Mighty Weapon of Prayer​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 10:4

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
2 Corinthians 10:4

Let us believe in our weapons. Let us take renewed confidence in what God has given to us. It is the only way we can be strong again in the strength and the power of the Lord. Let us remember that faith-prayer is a mighty weapon, directly attacking the source of the problem, bringing into play spiritual forces superior to those dark spiritual forces that are behind the manifestations of evil in our day.

Remember the many exhortations and promises in Scripture that relate to this matter of prayer. You do not have to understand all about prayer in order to pray — you learn what prayer is by praying; you learn as you go. It is only as you obey what God says that you begin to grasp what God means. As you begin to pray, you will learn to pray. To that end we have great exhortations and great promises to encourage us.

The Lord Jesus said, And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:13). The Father loves to be glorified in the Son, and the Son's whole purpose in coming is that he might glorify the Father. And, Jesus says, this is the way it is done: You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it (John 14:14). He said, too, If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move (Matthew 17:20). Those are great words, great promises. If you have faith… It must be faith in response to what God has said, not merely a blind leap in the dark. Faith is never a groundless hope that God will do something. That is not faith. Faith is based upon what God has said he will do, and consists of our counting upon it. If you have faith even as small as a grain of mustard seed, you shall ask what you will and it will be done unto you!

All the apostles also confirmed these promises. The Apostle John says, This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him (1 John 5:14-15). The Apostle Peter says, The end of all things is near. If Peter could write that two thousand years ago, having begun the last period of history before the Lord was to come again, how much more can we say it of today, when we see so many prophetic aspects of the Scriptures being fulfilled? The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. (1 Peter 4:7). Prayer is the weapon by which things are kept in line until God's purposes are fulfilled.

Also, how many examples we have in the Scriptures along this line, examples of how the prayers of God's people have actually intervened directly in the affairs of government, politics, or normal life, the working out of the normal operations of a nation. Father, help us to take these things seriously. Surely we can see how seriously the apostles and the early Christians took them, and what mighty results were obtained as they believed and acted.

Forgive my unbelief, Father, and forgive my refusal to take seriously your encouragement to pray and to act upon them. Amen.

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Life Application​

Have you taken up the mighty weapon of faith-prayer? Are you preserving in prayer, despite setbacks?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 11TH​

Know Your Enemy​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 10:5

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5

One of the chief rules of warfare is, know your enemy. You can never be successful as a soldier if you do not know something of the tactics of the enemy. This is true in military conflict and it is true in spiritual warfare as well. What makes these strongholds so strong? Where does the enemy derive the strength that enables him to remain entrenched in human society? Why is it so difficult to eradicate these pockets of evil in our social structures?

The answer lies in the two elements which Paul describes for us. Here are the pillars of strength of evil, revealed to us: First, they are arguments. The Greek word means reasonings. Second, their strength derives from every pretension. Pride, in other words. Literally, it is every high thing which exalts itself, i.e. every point of pride which expresses itself in conceit or self-praise, self-exaltation, and whose final ultimate thrust is against the knowledge of God. That is where evil derives its strength. It is from these two things: reasonings and the independent pride which insists that man does not need God. These are the pillars from which evil derives its ultimate strength.

There is a relationship between these two things. Reasonings (arguments) are the outward expression of the inward attitude of self-sufficient pride. This is where evil derives its strength. It produces plausible sounding arguments which make their appeal to man's self-sufficiency, his unlimited capabilities, his lack of any need for God. These things appeal to man's independence, so compellingly, that millions are deceived by them and follow them. That is why evil is so entrenched in society.

In Scripture it is made clear where these reasonings come from. Paul calls these doctrines of demons. They arise from seducing spirits, using the minds of men as their instruments, to present to humanity what are really lies. They are reasonable-sounding lies, but they are indeed lies. Why is it that universities, dedicated to the pursuit of truth, should become places where evil is most powerfully disseminated? How else can you account for this, except that Paul has correctly analyzed the situation and that these ideas come from demonic spirits working through the minds of men, teaching wrong ideas in a very logical and plausible manner.

Every movement has its reasonings to support it — the good as well as the bad, the true as well as the false. Each has its philosophy, its defenders, its explainers, who are constantly justifying and explaining why things happen. But you can tell the difference between the good and the bad, between truth and error, when you see what is at the heart of it. In the good, it is always the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus himself said, No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (Matthew 11:27). That is what the knowledge of God is: it is knowing the Son of God, for it is through him that we know the Father.

Father, thank you for the glory of the gospel. Help me to see that it is the only means by which people can be set free from these plausible, reasonable-sounding arguments which enslave people and create the problems of our lives.

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Life Application​

In what ways are you susceptible to the proud reasonings that are against the knowledge of God? Are you growing in the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 12TH​

How Christians Attack​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 10:4-5

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5

These weapons find expression in the gospel of Jesus Christ. When the Apostle Paul came to Corinth, he found in it men and women who were in the grip of all the problems that we know today. What was his approach? He says, For I determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified (1Corinthians 2:2). That is what you need, that is the message that can help you.

In declaring that message, he was declaring the truth about life and about God. Jesus Christ and him crucified stands at the very heart of life; nothing can be understood properly apart from it. It is tremendously important for us to see that the Christian approach to these arguments, by which evil is entrenched in society, is not to try and destroy the arguments with counter-arguments. Paul says: I did not come to argue with you, or to discuss philosophy. I did not come to bandy about the wisdom of the world, or to argue with you on the basis of one viewpoint versus another or one human authority against another. I came to introduce a new element.

Here is where the Christian must see the uniqueness of his position. Each of us is capable of introducing a totally new element into any situation in which we find ourselves. There is a radical difference about the gospel; a unique element is introduced into life. Paul puts it in one phrase: it is the truth about the cross of Jesus Christ. The word of the cross is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). It was the word of the cross that did the trick in Corinth, and it is the only thing that will do the trick in our world today. On every hand you find leaders of thought who are sick and tired of the empty panaceas that men have been trying for centuries. They do not work.

How, then, does the gospel attack and destroy arguments? Paul says, We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. The gospel destroys arguments and pride. But it does this not by an overwhelming counterattack against these arguments, but by a process of undermining them. Instead of destroying the philosophy directly, the gospel captures the philosopher. It does this by addressing itself to the vacuums created in the heart of man by the very arguments with which he supports his false ideas. It is to these hidden hungers that the gospel speaks. It makes marvelous appeal, reaches behind the arguments, and addresses lives that are shallow, lacking the depth and richness that God alone can give. The biblical view of the relationship of man and God is expressed in one short phrase from the 47th Psalm, Deep calls to deep (Psalms 42:7). That is what man is to be in relationship to God: The deeps in man are to cry out to the deeps in God and find fulfillment and satisfaction. The lack of that is creating the restlessness and surging agony of life we see around us on every side today.

Father, thank you for the power of the gospel. May I become an intelligent purveyor of this mighty message, and see a mighty overturning of the hearts and lives of men and women. Amen.

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Life Application​

Do you have absolute confidence in the power of the gospel to address the deepest needs you see around you?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 13TH​

Every Thought Captive​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 10:5

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5

It is necessary, in capturing a fortress, after you have destroyed the walls and moved into the center of the fortress, to root out all the remaining pockets of resistance. There will be enemy soldiers who have hidden away in the depths of the fortress, and these must be rooted out and taken captive or else the whole job will have to be done all over again very shortly. This God does as we take every thought to make it obedient to Christ: we must pursue each vagrant thought and capture it for Christ.

This is all done in the battleground of the mind, the thought life. That is why your thinking is very important, and why you must learn to confront your thoughts as a Christian, examine what you are thinking, pass judgment upon it, and act in line with that judgment, either positively or negatively. You cannot allow your mind to give itself to anything it wants to; it must be disciplined or your whole Christian relationship will crumble and be weak.

It is necessary to do this if you want to have permanent victory. Allow these sub-Christian thoughts to remain unconquered and you will soon have to take the fortress all over again. They will creep out of their hiding places and take over, and you will find that that which God has delivered you from has taken control once again. You must capture every thought obedient to Christ. This is nothing but the practical acknowledgment of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your life. The intellectual life is often the last part of a Christian to be yielded to the right of Christ to rule.

Somehow we love to retain some area of our intellect, of our thought life, reserved from the control of Christ. Sometimes this is manifested by permitting ourselves an inward indulgence while repressing the outward expression of it. Many play lustful thoughts over and over on their mind, but do not allow themselves to engage in the immoral acts involved. That is a refusal to bring captive every thought to the obedience to Christ.

Sooner or later we shall find ourselves in a situation where the act that we thought we could avoid has been committed before we know it. Others manifest that reserve by allowing jealous thoughts and resentful attitudes to take over the thought-life.

Though they outwardly appear to be friendly and cooperative with people, inwardly they are filled with hostility and resentment against them. But that is a direct refusal to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. It is refusing to bow to the right of Jesus Christ to be Lord over that area of life.

Father, I confess how many sinful thoughts I have indulged in. Teach me to bring every thought captive to you.

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Life Application​

What specific areas of your thought life do you need to yield to the Lord?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 14TH​

The Purpose of Punishment​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 10:6

And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
2 Corinthians 10:6

Paul is dealing here with the role of punishment in correcting the problems of the individual life as well as those of society. In effect what he is saying is, when you have bowed to the right of Jesus to be Lord over every area of your life, then I'll be ready to punish your disobedience! This is clearly an ironic statement. The Corinthians viewed him as being eager to punish them right now.

But he is saying, No, it isn't that I want to punish you. I will if I must. But I prefer not to punish you. I want you to learn to obey on your own. When that obedience is complete, then you'll find me ready to apply whatever punishment may be necessary. But of course, when obedience is complete you do not need any punishment. That is what Paul is saying in an ironic way — it is easy to minister to a heart that is subject to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

The apostle is showing the utter inability of punishment to produce obedience. Notice he does not say, When I come, I'm going to punish you until you start obeying. It is quite the opposite. He says, When you have learned to obey, then I'll punish you. In other words, punishment does not produce obedience. After all, the obedience that God wants is not outward conformity; he wants obedience from the heart. That is what he wants. You cannot compel that kind of obedience.

What, then, is the place of punishment? Punishment makes people realize there is a problem, and therefore it has an important place. If your children will not take you seriously, you punish them. Why? Because you enjoy watching them writhe and squirm? No. You want them to face up to the fact that there is a serious problem which cannot be taken lightly. And that is also the place of punishment in the Christian life: it is to make us realize that certain things need to be taken seriously. God chastens us as a Father because he loves us, and he wants us to listen.

When punishment makes you take things seriously, then the light has a chance to shine upon your life and show you what is wrong. Then if you will bring every thought into obedience to what he is saying and refuse to permit that which he does not approve, you will find that the healing of the Lord Jesus begins to spread throughout every area of your life: your family, your home, your relationships at work, at play, wherever you may be; and you become a healing entity in society.

Lord, make me a willing and obedient child, bowing to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, acknowledging his right to be Lord over every area of my life. Amen.

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Life Application​

In what areas might the Lord be chastening you? Is your heart obedience such that you are ready to listen?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 15TH​

The Power of a Changed Life​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 6:4-10

Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way … in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left.
2 Corinthians 6:4a, 7

The gospel destroys arguments and humbles pride by presenting the indisputable record of changed lives. It produces righteousness in people. Here are weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left (2 Corinthians 6:7). The gospel has demonstrated that it works, that it changes people. That record of changed lives has power to break down arguments and to humble pride. The Scripture uses a beautiful phrase to describe the consistent life of a believer: the beauty of holiness (1 Chronicles 16:29). There is no beauty like it; that marvelous charm in a life that is right, balanced, wholesome, dedicated to the Son of God. The beauty of holiness! There is nothing else like it. It is powerfully compelling to unbelievers.

An illustration of this powerful appeal of the gospel is in the experience of Dr. H. A. Ironside. For years he was a captain of the Salvation Army in San Francisco. Frequently the Salvation Army would march down Market Street and hold open-air meetings down by the Ferry Building. At one of these meetings, young Harry was challenged by an atheist as to the truth and power of the Christian gospel. He spoke very eloquently, answering the claims of the gospel in an intellectual way. But Harry stopped him by proposing a challenge.

He said, Look. You say that our message is not the truth, and that we're teaching people a lie. I'd like to propose something to you: Next week let's meet here again on this spot. You bring with you an individual who has been a drunkard or a prostitute or has known evil in some open, flagrant form, but who has been changed by your message of atheism. Bring him with you, and let him bring testimony to the change that has come by believing the teachings of atheism. For everyone you bring, I'll bring a hundred with me who have been set free by the gospel of Jesus Christ. The man said. I'm sorry, I can't meet you on those terms. Surely that is the power of the gospel.

We must open our eyes to the power of a Christian in today's society. Surely the bankruptcy of other approaches is increasingly apparent in our day. Leaders of various other approaches to society's ills confess openly their failure and their inability to solve these problems. We must see that this good news of Jesus Christ is the only hope for society. It always has been, and it always will be. Surely we need to declare this in a world that has gone wrong at its very base.

Father, how desperately the world needs the healing remedy that flows from Jesus Christ! Thank you for the light that streams from the cross, and I ask that I may declare this message in its full power. Amen.

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Life Application​

Who has God brought into your life with whom you can share the message of the cross, substantiated by a changed life that displays the beauty of holiness?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 16TH​

On Binding Satan​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: GALATIANS 5:19-26

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.
Galatians 5:19-21a

The most common cause of spiritual weakness in a Christian, or a church, is a failure to recognize the flesh in its disguise of religious zeal. Like Peter flashing a sword in Gethsemane, the fleshly Christian thinks he is doing God's will and fighting God's battles for him.

Perhaps one of the most common expressions of this misguided zeal is the practice of binding Satan before Christian ministry is attempted. The Word of God gives no justification for this practice. None of the apostles utilized this approach and no Scripture commands us to practice it. It is a non-biblical performance, arising from the desire of the flesh to look committed and powerful in the service of God. Christians are told to resist the devil but never to bind him. Resisting the devil is done by putting on the whole armor of God, as Paul describes in Ephesians 6. The binding and loosing mentioned in Matthew 18:18 refers to the agreement in prayer of believers in line with the promises of God revealed in his Word.

Another form of this same error is to ascribe the manifestations of the flesh to the work of demons, which then are ostensibly cast out of an individual through a deliverance ministry. But Galatians 5:19-21 clearly tell us that lust, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, envy, immorality, and the like are not the work of demons but of the flesh. It is impossible to cast out the flesh during this lifetime; rather it is to be subdued by recognizing its evil character, refusing to yield mind or body to its impulses, and turning immediately to Jesus for the supply of his strength. Romans 6:13 clearly outlines: Do not offer any parts of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as instruments of righteousness.

It is the work of pastors and teachers to help Christians identify the flesh in themselves, by means of the Word of God, and to follow the pattern the Word describes to keep the flesh in subjection to the spirit and the individual free to live as the Lord has already made provision for him to do.

Father, help me see the manifestations of the flesh for what they are, and to fight them not with religious zeal but with the provision of your Spirit.

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Life Application​

How will you discern what is the work of the devil and what are the manifestations of your own flesh?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 17TH​

The Stronger One​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: LUKE 11:21-22

When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.
Luke 11:21-22

Here is our Lord's reaction to the challenge presented to him as he was casting out demons. Certain ones said that his casting out demons resulted from his relationship with Beelzebub, the prince of demons, another name for Satan. They said it was by Satan's power that he was casting out demons. Jesus said, No, you are quite wrong, and the reason you are wrong is that if that were true, then obviously Satan's kingdom would be divided against itself. His argument is simply this: Satan never does that. He never fights against himself. He's too clever, too cunning, far too astute ever to divide his forces in that way, for if he did, he knows that his kingdom would fall. Jesus suggests that any man who is under the control of Satan has no possibility of deliverance apart from an outside, intervening force.

That is very revealing, for our Lord is putting his finger on the reason for the continual failure of the usual methods human beings employ to correct evils and wrongs. They fail because they do not come to grips with the essential problem. All our methods of trying to correct the evils we see in human life are simply rearrangements of the difficulties. We succeed only in stirring them around a bit until they take a different form. But our methods never can solve the central problem of evil because they do not come to grips with the power of Satan.

Here our Lord points to a someone stronger who overtakes him and divides his spoil. Who is this stronger one? It is Jesus. He is speaking of himself. He says when a strong man, fully armed, guards his palace, his goods are at peace and nothing can be done about it. But when one who is stronger comes, he breaks the power of that strong man and frees his slaves. Here Jesus declares that his victory, made personal to an individual by faith, breaks the power of Satan. Here is the good news of the gospel. In the mystery of the cross of Jesus and in the power of his resurrection, applied by faith, those who have been born into a society under the control of the satanic mind discover that the force which ruins them is broken, its power to grip them is loosed, and they are set free. There is no other power that can do it. This is why Christians are perfectly justified when they say there is no other answer to the problems of man. There is only one stronger one who has come into the world and come to grips with the power of this dark spirit and broken his power over human life.

The gospel is that Jesus Christ has come to set men free. John says Jesus came into the world to destroy the devil's work (1 John 3:8). This is what the gospel is for. Mankind is in the grips of a power which it is helpless to do anything about. The only one who can deliver us from it is Jesus Christ. He has already done so in the mystery of his cross and through the power and glory of his resurrection. When a man or woman believes that, he discovers that the whole thing becomes practical and actual in his experience. This is what we call conversion. And that is the beginning of the battle.

Father, I ask that I may never forget that I have been set free, that Jesus did this for me when I could do nothing for myself.

​

Life Application​

Do you see that the power of evil around you can only be overcome through the power of the "stronger one" and his work on the cross?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 18TH​

The Struggle​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 6:10-17

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:10-12

It is clear that Paul's view of the basic characteristic of life can be put in one word: Struggle. Life, he says, is a conflict, a combat, a continual wrestling. This is confirmed by our experience. We would all like to think of life as romantic idealism, for most of us would like to think of ourselves as living in an idealistic world where everything goes right and we can spend our days in relaxation and enjoyment, with just enough work to keep us interested. It is not wrong for us to dream these dreams.

These romantic ideals are the vestigial remains of what was once God's intent for human life and, in God's time, will be once again possible to humans. But the Apostle Paul is not dealing with that kind of life. He is coming to grips with life as it really is now, and he says life is a struggle, a conflict, a combat against opposing forces. If we attempt to draw aside, to get away from the struggle, we continually find ourselves being jarred back into reality. Some unpleasant fact intrudes itself into our beautiful world and refuses to go away.

The apostle also says that this conflict is not against flesh and blood, i.e., it is not a struggle of man against man. It may be a struggle within man, but it is not between men. I wonder what we would answer if we were asked, What is the thing that gives you the most difficulty in life; of what does the struggle of life consist? Many would feel that it is against flesh and blood. But the apostle says that you cannot explain life on that level; you must look deeper than that. There is set against the whole human race certain principalities and powers, world rulers of darkness, wicked spirits in high places. There is your problem, Paul says. Those are the enemies we are up against. And it is not just Christians who are opposed by these, but every man, everywhere. The whole race is opposed by the principalities and powers, the world rulers of this present darkness. This is Paul's positive explanation of the struggle of life.

We cannot understand life unless we begin here. We cannot understand history if we reject this proposition that behind the problems and the evil which manifests itself in mankind, there is an organized kingdom of principalities and powers at various levels of authority who sit as world rulers of the present darkness. The world says to the Christian: Why talk about this kind of thing? Why do you not talk about something relevant? Why don't you get busy and do something that will be meaningful today? But what could be more relevant than this teaching which puts its finger on the basic problem? What good is it to keep rushing around curing fevers, but never stopping to analyze the disease?

Thank you Lord, for a word of reality which speaks to me in the midst of my complacency and lethargy and stirs me up to see life as it really is.

​

Life Application​

In what ways have you been foolish enough to think that the real struggles you face are against flesh and blood?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 19TH​

The Devil's Schemes​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 6:10-17

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
Ephesians 6:10-11

Let us realize something about the cleverness and cunning wiliness of the forces against which we are battling, and we will begin to appreciate the armor with which we have been provided. The first step for any soldier in training is to be introduced to the strategy which the enemy will use against him. Paul refers to the the devil's schemes. The devil is a very cunning and wily strategist. How is it that he keeps the world in such bondage and such powerlessness? The only one in all history who has ever defeated the devil is the Lord Jesus Christ. He put his finger squarely upon the strategy and the tactics of Satan when he said, The devil is a liar and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). The strategy of the devil is to murder, and the tactic by which he accomplishes this is to lie. If we consider these phrases carefully, we will see how accurate they are.

The devil opposes the work of God in the world by murdering, by destroying. One of the names given to the devil in the book of Revelation is Apollyon, the Destroyer. Here we have the explanation for the whole tragic story of human history: A destroyer is at work among men. Our God is a God of beauty, harmony, order, perfection, love, light, and grace. But into this scene a destroyer came. What are the tactics the devil employs to accomplish this destructiveness? By deceiving, by lying, by distorting, by counterfeiting, by masquerading.

The majority of the attacks of the devil against Christians are not direct but indirect. That is why they are called schemes. A direct attack of the devil upon a human life is an obvious thing, but this is something devious, something difficult to detect. This indirect approach comes largely through two channels. One is what the Bible calls the flesh, and the other, the world. When the Bible speaks about the flesh, it uses it in a symbolic sense. It is not our bodies, not the meat and blood and bones of our physical life. Rather it is a term that describes the urge to self-centeredness within us, that distortion of human nature which makes us want to be our own god, that proud ego which is the seat of willful defiance and rebellion against authority.

The world, on the other hand, is the corporate expression of all the flesh-centered individuals who make up the human race. When the Bible addresses itself to Christians it says, Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold (Romans 12:2, JB Phillips). Why? Because the world is flesh-centered. So this is the world — that human society which insists on satanic value judgments and is guided by satanic pride and philosophy. It is totally unaware of it, yet nevertheless it is under the control of satanic philosophy.

Father, awaken my heart and mind, and tear away the delusive veils by which I have allowed myself to be defeated and weakened in this great battle.

​

Life Application​

How aware are you of the devil's schemes? Take a few moments and think through challenges you are currently facing in light of this truth.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 20TH​

You Are A Target​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 6:10-17

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
Ephesians 6:10-11

This battle is not something remote from us, nor something which occasionally comes to a certain few Christians. This is a battle in which we are all engaged, every moment of our lives. We will never conquer in it unless we understand that and see it not as something reserved for Sundays, but something in which we are involved Mondays through Saturdays as well.

But someone says, I thought that when one became a Christian, Christ set you free from the kingdom of Satan. The devil can no longer touch you. Nothing could be more wrong! When you become a Christian, the battle only begins. It is true that the devil can never totally defeat a Christian. Those who are genuinely born again, who have come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, are delivered from total defeat. The devil can never get us back into the position of unconscious control which he once exercised over us. But he can demoralize the Christian. He can frighten us, he can make us miserable, he can defeat us in many ways. He can make us weak and therefore barren and unfruitful in the things of God. It is possible to be more unhappy and miserable as a Christian than you ever were before you became a Christian.

The devil is especially interested in defeating Christians. After all, the unredeemed are not a problem to the devil. All the quite sincere but rather pathetic efforts of unbelievers to solve the problems of their lives through legislation, education and a change of environment do not bother the devil in the least. He is quite content to let them go on rearranging the pieces of the puzzle without ever solving it. But the presence of every Christian in this world bothers the devil greatly. Why? Because each Christian is a potential threat to the solidarity of the devil's kingdom, to his rule over the rest of mankind.

If Spirit of God has his way, any Christian will be a powerful force to destroy the devil's kingdom of darkness. Every Christian will be a corridor of liberty, a center of light, dispelling the darkness and ignorance of the world around him. The devil cannot let that happen if he can help it, so he attacks the Christian, especially and particularly. He marshals all his forces against you, coming sometimes as a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), in some catastrophic circumstance that seems to knock you off your feet so that you cannot stand, or else coming as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), alluring and appealing, offering something that seems to be just the right thing for the right moment. The devil takes over in direct control of human life whenever he can. But most often the devil comes in disguise, through the channel of the flesh, with silken, subtle, suggestive wiles.

Lord, grant to me a willingness to listen, to give careful, thoughtful, and continued attention to the way of victory provided through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Life Application​

How can you maintain balance in your thinking, understanding that you are the target of the enemy, yet not every one of your problems is his doing?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 21ST​

Strength In Weakness​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 6:10-17

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:10-12

We are subject to the influence of these world rulers of present darkness through our mind, our feelings, and our deeds. We need to understand how this works: Through the channel of the mind the devil makes his appeal to human pride. We regard our reason as the greatest gift God has given to man — and not without justification. Obviously it is our ability to reason, to hold abstract concepts and relate them one to another, which makes us superior to the animals and separates us from the rest of the creation. We take pride in this ability to reason. It is through appeal to our pride that the devil influences us along the channel of the mind.

Through the emotions, he works on our fears. Emotion is really our most human characteristic. We like to think it is through our logic and reason that we govern ourselves, but this is not true. We are really governed by our emotions, our urges, our desires, our deep-seated, sometimes subconscious wants. It is through these that the devil makes his appeal to us by playing on our fears. We are so afraid we will miss out on life in some way, or will be hurt by some sacrifice for God's sake.

In the realm of deeds the devil makes his appeal to pleasure, for the body is essentially sensuous, i.e., it is designed by God to respond to stimuli. We learn early in life that there are certain stimuli which are very pleasurable, while others are unpleasant. We learn to seek the pleasant and reject or avoid the unpleasant. So the body is constantly seeking after that which thrills or excites or pleases in some way, and turning away from that which hurts or injures or causes some degree of unpleasant reaction. Thus the devil makes his appeal through the realm of our deeds.

Perhaps this makes you ask yourself, Who can hope to win against such a variety of ways of attack that we don't even recognize are wrong? Who can even grasp, let alone answer, these subtle and powerful attacks against human life? Does it leave you feeling rather discouraged? If it does, then let me say you have not understood what Paul is saying here. His word to us is to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. There is a provision made. Perhaps the most healthy attitude we could have in the face of this revelation is to be overpoweringly aware of our sense of weakness. It is when we recognize we are weak that we're ready to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might, and we are ready to give intelligent consideration to what that is, and how to do it.

Forgive me, Lord, for trying to fight his battle in my own strength. Teach me to be strong in you as I face the powerful attacks of the enemy. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Have you learned to rely on, and appropriate, the provision made to fight the enemy with the strength God provides?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 22ND​

The Belt of Truth​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 6:10-17

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.
Ephesians 6:13-14a

The officers in the Roman army wore short skirts, very much like Scottish kilts. Over them they had a cloak or tunic which was secured at the waist with a girdle. When they were about to enter battle, they would tuck the tunic up under the girdle so as to leave their legs free and unimpeded for the fight. Girding the loins was always a symbol of readiness to fight. That is why this command is first: You cannot do battle until you first gird your loins with truth.

When you are threatened by discouragement, coldness, and similar moods, how do you fight back? You remember that, when you became a Christian, you girded up your loins with truth. That means to remind yourself that, in coming to Jesus Christ, you found the truth behind all things; you found him who is in himself the truth. He is the truth, he is reality, he is the key to life.

Well, someone says, how do you know that? How do you know you are not performing an act of blind faith without any supporting evidence at all? That is not what a Christian does. Christian faith is not blind faith. We believe Christ is the truth because he demonstrated he was the truth.

How did he demonstrate that he was the truth? First, by what he said. Read the things he said. Incomparable things! He gave the clearest insights into what human life was about ever given in the hearing of men. Even his enemies say so. No one ever saw as clearly as he, no one ever probed so deeply or put his finger so precisely upon the elements which make up human life and thinking.

But not only that, he demonstrated the truth by what he did. The New Testament record is an amazing account of mighty deeds. Miracles? Yes, there are evidences of the intrusion of the spiritual kingdom into the visible realm. He capped it all by showing that he had solved the one problem which is insoluble to every other man — the problem of death. He rose from the dead!

What other philosopher or thinker has ever done anything like that? That is why I know Jesus Christ is the truth, because he solved the problem of death.

But it is not only by what he said and what he did, but further, by what he is. Bring this into the present. What has he been to you and to others? Look back at your own Christian life and its beginnings. Did he deliver you? Has he set you free? Has he been your friend? It has been pointed out that through the centuries, men have been calling on others for help. You may lack courage and call on a great contemporary hero to help you, but nothing happens. You may lack wisdom and call on one of the great philosophers of the day, but no help comes. Yet for twenty centuries, men and women in desperate plight have been calling out: Lord Jesus Christ, help me, and help is given! Deliverance comes! That is how we know he is the truth.

Remember that when you feel defeated, when you are under attack, when doubts come flooding into your mind. Remember that you have girded up your loins with truth; you have found him who is the solid rock.

Thank you, Lord, for the provision you have made for me to gird my mind with the best of truth. Thank you that you ARE the truth, and that you live in me. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Have you tried to do battle before girding your mind with his truth? Think of a few specific truths that will help you fight the enemy today.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 23RD​

The Breastplate of Righteousness​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 6:10-17

Therefore put on the full armor of God … with the breastplate of righteousness in place.
Ephesians 6:13-14

Now look at the second piece of armor, the breastplate of righteousness. Have you put that on? What does that mean? That is Christ as the ground of your righteous standing before God, your acceptance before him. If you have that breastplate on, you can rest secure that your heart and your emotions are securely guarded and adequately protected against attack. This is perhaps the most frequent ground of attack against Christian faith. Christians often feel they lack assurance. They feel unworthy of God.

They feel they are a failure in the Christian life and that God is certain to reject them, that he is no longer interested in them. They are so aware of their failures and shortcomings. Growth has been so slow; the first joy of faith has faded, and they feel God is angry with them or that he is distant. There is a sense of guilt. Their conscience is always stabbing them, making them unhappy and miserable. They feel God blames them. This is simply a satanic attack, a means of opposing and destroying what God intends to do.

How do you answer an attack like this? You are to remember that you have put on the breastplate of righteousness. In other words, you do not stand on your own merits. You never did. You never had anything worthwhile in yourself to offer to God. You gave all that up when you came to Christ. You quit trying to be good enough to please God. You came on his merits, on the ground of his imputed righteousness, which he gives to you. You began your Christian life like that and there is no change now. You are still on that basis.

This is why Paul begins his great eighth chapter to the Romans with the words, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). No condemnation! You are believing a lie when you believe that God is angry with you and that he rejects you. Remember, you stand on Christ's merits. Further on in that chapter, Paul asks, Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies (Romans 8:33). Christ, who died for us, is the only one who has the right to accuse us, and he loves us.

Lord, I often walk through life with a vague sense that I am a disappointment to you. Help me to put on the breastplate of righteousness, knowing that my righteousness is a gift bestowed on me by faith in Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, and that you delight in me. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Take a few moments and talk to yourself: Remind yourself that you stand completely in Christ's merits and are completely righteous.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 24TH​

Feet Fitted with the Gospel of Peace​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 6:10-17

Therefore put on the full armor of God … with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Ephesians 6:13, 15

Shoes are absolutely essential to fighting. Imagine a soldier clad in armor from head to foot but with no shoes on, a barefoot soldier. Imagine how quickly the rough ground would tear his feet and bruise them. Soon, despite the fact that he had all the equipment he needed otherwise, his feet would render him unfit to fight. But with a stout pair of shoes he would be ready and equipped, able to fight. That is what this phrase means. Equipment here is really the word readiness in Greek: your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

It is peace in the heart that makes you able to fight. What does this mean? It is Christ as our peace, our source of calm and well-being. Notice the relation of one piece of armor to another and the importance of the order. The first piece of armor tells us that Christ is the truth. This is something for the mind to understand and grasp and believe. Then we put on the breastplate of his righteousness. We come on the basis of what he has done and not what we do. And what is the result of that? Our hearts are at peace! Paul says, Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Calmness, courage! To use a modern term, we have good morale. We are ready for anything. No ground can be too rough for Christ — and we have Christ. Therefore we have good morale.

In the dark days in England, when they were going through the blitz and bombs were raining down all the time, the situation was really desperate. But Winston Churchill would often come on the radio and speak to the English people when their hearts were filled with defeat and discouragement. At times they would be almost ready to quit. But that one man's voice would ring out and the nation would take heart again, and their morale would be strong. This is what Christ does. He is able to speak peace to our hearts.

A word of warning: Do not try to start with peace. When you get troubled, when attacks come, do not try to start with making your heart feel at peace. This is a mistake many people make; they try to conjure up some kind of feeling of peace within and succeed only in upsetting themselves more. Do not start with peace. Start with truth. Christ is the truth. Work your way back down through the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness, and you will come out at peace.

Father, make these words clear, practical, and helpful to me. May my heart be lifted up by the consciousness that the One who is in us is adequate for all things. Amen.

​

Life Application​

What is keeping me from knowing the peace God gives through the gospel? How can I let God's truth overcome my doubts and fears so that I may know his peace?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 25TH​

The Shield of Faith​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 6:10-17

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Ephesians 6:16

Notice that he did not say the shield of belief. We have already reminded ourselves of our belief when we recall that we have put on the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and our feet are fitted with the gospel of peace. That is our belief in what Christ is to us. But faith is more than that. Faith is acting upon belief. Faith is decision, action, resolution. Faith is saying, Yes, I believe Christ is the truth. He is my righteousness, he is my peace. Faith is working out the implications of belief. Faith is particularizing. It is taking the general truth and applying it to a specific situation and saying, If this be true, then this must follow. That is the shield of faith.

Have you learned how to take the shield of faith when doubts come? Do you say, Christ is the truth. Therefore, I cannot believe that Christ is the truth and that this thing is true, too. I have committed myself to Christ because I have been persuaded that he has demonstrated truth fully. I stand on that ground. Therefore I must reject this insinuation. Do you say these things? Our problem is that we have become so accustomed to believing our feelings as though they were facts. We never take them and look at them and ask, It this true? We simply say, I feel this way. Therefore it must be true. So many are defeated because they accept their feelings as facts.

Using the shield of faith means a refusal to feel condemned or to feel guilty: God loves me. He says so. Nothing will change that. Nothing will separate us. Nothing I do or fail to do will separate us! I will believe that, and therefore I cannot believe this thought that God does not love me and want me.

This is what James calls resisting the devil (James 4:7b). This is refusing to believe the lie that if you have doubts you cannot have faith. That is a lie. Doubt is always an attack on faith. The fact that you have doubts proves that you have faith. They are not opposites at all. Therefore re-examine the ground of your faith and reassert it, and remember that feelings are not necessarily true at all. And James says that, if you keep on resisting the devil, he will flee from you (James 4:7c). Think of that! He will flee from you. You do it again and again every time the thought comes back. You resist it on that basis. You refuse to give up your position. Sooner or later, inevitably, the doubts will clear. Your feelings will change, the attacks will cease, and you will be back again in the sunshine of the love and joy of God.

Father, help me to be a person of faith, to realize that your word has brought to us the truth as it is in Jesus.

​

Life Application​

Have I confused feelings with faith? Have I confused doubt with unbelief?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JUNE 26TH​

The Helmet of Salvation​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 6:10-17

Take the helmet of salvation…
Ephesians 6:17

The figure of a helmet suggests that this is something designed to protect the mind, the intelligence, the ability to think and reason. This helmet can keep our thinking straight and preserve us from mental confusion and darkness. As you look at the world in which we are living, is there anything more desperately needed than this? Was there ever a time when men were more bewildered than they are in our day, or when statesmen were more openly confused and honestly admitting it?

What is this helmet, this protection, which keeps our thinking straight in the midst of a very confused world? It is the helmet of salvation. He is not talking about the salvation of the soul. He is not referring to salvation as regeneration or conversion. He is not speaking of salvation as a past decision which was once made, or even as a present experience, but he is looking on to the future. He is talking about a salvation which will be a future event. It is exactly what he is referring to in Romans 13:11 when he says, our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. This helmet is further defined for us by the apostle in his first letter to the Thessalonians, But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet (1 Thessalonians 5:8).

Here, salvation is a hope, something yet in the future, something as yet not possessed or entered into fully. Paul is talking about the day of resurrection, the day of the coming again of Christ, the day when creation will be delivered from its bondage, when Christ returns to establish his kingdom. This helmet is the recognition that all human schemes to obtain world peace are doomed to fail. But through these failures, Jesus Christ is working out his own plan which will culminate in his appearing again and the establishment of his own reign in righteousness on the earth. That is the helmet of salvation which will keep your thinking straight in confusion and darkness.

The Christian has a helmet of salvation. He has an understanding that God is working out his purposes, and therefore he is not disturbed when human programs go wrong and everything fails. The Christian has learned to expect wars and rumors of wars to the very end. He expects false teachings and false philosophies to abound. He knows also that we are living in a mad world, a world which is deluded by silken, subtle, satanic lies which are deliberately designed to end up in the mangling and mutilating of the bodies and souls of men.

Father, thank you for the certainty that I stand in the power of God and in the strength of his might, and that my hope is not in the flimsy constructions of men but in the eternal purposes of a living God.

​

Life Application​

Do I see salvation as something purely in the past, or do I recognize that it is also something I look forward to? Take time to consider the salvation to come.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.