Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with song and lyrics from Zach Williams singing … Chain Breaker … powerfully singing of how we Christians must avoid potential spiritual crashes by following and relying on “The Chain Breaker,” our Savior, King Jesus.
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Highlight Verse[s]: 1Peter 5:8 [NLT] … 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
… We are warned to remain sober and vigilant because our enemy, … Christ’s enemy, … desires to devour our testimony.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1Peter 5:6-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Peter, exhorts believers to remain humble and vigilant because our enemy, the Devil, desires to bring us down.
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Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … 23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me. … “
… The best way to be vigilant in spiritual warfare is to ALWAYS follow Christ.
Reference Passage : … Romans 12:2 [NLT] … 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
… God’s warning, thru Paul, that we Christians avoid the pitfalls of the world, which would draw us away from God’s way and His will.
Reference Passage : … Ephesians 5:15-16 [NLT] … 15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
… As Paul warned fellow Christians in his day, … we too live in evil times and we must do all we can to draw on God’s wisdom and power to avoid the evil of our times.
Reference Passage : … Ephesians 6:13 [NLT] … 13 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.
… As Paul warned fellow Christians in his day, … we Christians now must be vigilant always, wearing God’’s full armor so that we can stand against the enemy.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Peterson, uses a personal reflection of a time when she let her guard down and incurred an accident because of it. The ODB author wrote … I grew up in warm southern cities, so when I moved north, it took me a while to learn how to drive safely during the long, snowy months. During my first hard winter, I ended up stranded in a snowdrift three times! But after several years of practice, I began to feel comfortable driving in wintry conditions. In fact, I felt a little too comfortable. I stopped being as vigilant. And that’s when I hit a patch of black ice and skidded into a telephone pole on the side of the road! [see photo]
Thankfully, no one was hurt, but I learned something important that day. I realized how dangerous it can be to feel comfortable. Instead of being watchful, I had gone on “autopilot.”
It’s all too easy, as the ODB entry illustrates, to let our guard down in our daily spiritual battles, which, of course, can cause us to crash. Both the Apostles, Paul and Peter, wrote to fellow Christians (see highlight and reference passages above) to exhort them [and us now!] to beware and remain vigilant, … standing firm in the faith and not letting their (our) guard down.
And we know that our enemy, … Christ’s arch enemy, the devil, … is always pursuing us to cause our testimony/witness to crash when we let our guard down. But those of us who’re born again, have God’s Spirit power to remain vigilant to do battle against Satan, the world, and even our own flesh.
So, I pray that we all do battle, following the “Chain Breaker” into battle, … as Zach Williams sings. Because when we do, we’ll be able to avoid crashes and remain victorious.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for helping us to stand firm in Your Name and for Your glory.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to do battle today wearing the full armor of God and carrying His Spirit sword. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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