Devotional for June 7

Praise God For His Everlasting Lovingkindness

105 O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
3 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
4 Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
5 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
7 He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth. Psalm 105:1-7 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Self-help is no help at all. Unbroken belief is a hallmark of the spiritually fit. Fight the good fight of faith and enforce the victory over anything that would spark unbelief in the heart. Be diligent. It is so easy to become distracted by our current circumstances, and thereby take our eyes off Jesus Christ. Without constantly reminding ourselves of the truth of His word and promises, we are likely to forget them at just the times when we need to abide in Him the most. Worry can sometimes seem like a 2,000 pound gorilla jumping up and down on your back. Only by the grace of Jesus Christ are we more than conquerors, and that takes faith which works by love. Take it to Lord in prayer and be confident in His ability as the Good Shepherd to care for you. Dare to believe always.

Question

How do we fight the good fight and resist the devil?

Answer

Not all spiritual influences are of God (1 John 4:1). Any that would inspire fear, worry, uncertainty, or doubt rather than exalt Jesus Christ is not of God (1 John 4:2-5; 2 Timothy 1:7). Saturate your mind with the Word of God (Ephesians 6:12), then it will be easy to identify what imaginations, plausible reasonings, and everything else that needs to be rejected by re-calling the Word of truth (2 Corinthians 10:4-6; Hebrews 10:38). The only time the good fight of the faith can be won is when we have to completely rely on faith in God in the face of the tempter ‘s enticements to distract us with what we see and how we feel (1 Peter 5:6-7; James 1:2-4). Thoroughly soaking the mind with the Word of God as a daily habit is necessary for us to grow beyond having to be led around by bit and bridle like a spiritual baby (1 Peter 2:1-2; Psalm 32:8-11; Proverbs 3:4-8). Do not pray to avoid these times of testing (Romans 8:22; Luke 22:31-32). Temptations to engage in wrong thinking are the very stepping stones on the narrow pathway of all the saints (1 Peter 1:3-7; James 1:12-13; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Peter 5:8-10). Victory is assured as long as we are willing to fight (Romans 8:35-39). Stand fast in the faith (1 Corinthians 16:13-14). And with each battle won (Nehemiah 8:10), faith will grow stronger bringing sheaves of increasing joy with it (Psalm 126:6; Isaiah 61:3; Psalm 89:52). 

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Holy Father, creator and sustaining wisdom of all that is, both in heaven and on earth, take from me those thoughts, actions and objects that are hurtful. Give me instead those things that are profitable for me and all who seek rightly to praise you. I ask this grace in the company of all believers and through the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who is, with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.