Your Refreshing Daily Devotional

Positive response to divine instruction is often the precursor to restoration. David sought the face of the Lord after he lost his base at Ziklag. He was instructed to pursue the enemy, and when he obeyed, he got everything back. Mary knew the place of taking heed to instruction. So she warned those who needed replenishment of wine to do whatever Jesus told them to do. It was also on the heels of following instruction that Lazarus came back from the dead.

Positive response to divine instruction is often the precursor to restoration…Many of the acts of God will only make sense in retrospect. Those who are wise will push to follow through even when they can’t make sense of everything momentarily.

Let’s be clear of one thing: divine instructions may not be in line with conventional wisdom. Jesus’ method defied several orthodox approaches. He healed on the Sabbath contrary to the law of Moses. He dined and wined with commoners and sinners. He made wine from water and not grapes. In our text, He mixed clay with spittle and plastered blind eyes! If you argue with God’s method, you may end up missing His miracles and blessings. Mixing clay with spittle wasn’t decent, to say the least, but that was the divine approach at that time. If we fully know how God is doing some things, we would probably rebel. Imagine if God didn’t put Adam to sleep before ripping his side open! Many of the acts of God will only make sense in retrospect. Those who are wise will push to follow through even when they can’t make sense of everything momentarily.

A profitable walk with God is impossible without persuasion. The writer of Hebrews makes this clear: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 NKJV. It is of no use calling on a God you don’t believe exists nor has the power to come through for you. It is this issue of persuasion that we mentioned in our previous meditation when we learned about the leper. He was persuaded about the ability of Jesus that He could cleanse him. Abraham, too, did not take delivery of the promised son until he got to the point of persuasion. “And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.” Romans 4:21-22 KJV

Effective prayer is preceded by full persuasion in the heart… Those who come to God with strong persuasion will never be disappointed.

Effective prayer is preceded by full persuasion in the heart. So, when Jesus taught on the Mount, He tried to shore up people’s persuasion in God. He told them to ask and they would receive. He went further to appeal to their senses. If children ask their natural fathers for bread, they won’t answer by giving them a stone. Neither will they give serpent to those who ask for fish. He then concluded with the thought in our text. If natural fathers know how to give good things to their children, the Heavenly Father, who is without any constraint, will do much more. Those who come to God with strong persuasion will never be disappointed.

An incontrovertible statement from the Bible is that power belongs to God. “God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.” Psalms 62:11 NKJV. Celestial worship testifies to the power of God where He is described as the Omnipotent. “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” Revelation 19:6 NKJV. The fact that God is known as the Omnipotent connotes that He has unlimited power and influence. From God’s standpoint, there is nothing He cannot do.

Anyone who wants to enjoy God’s miraculous intervention must believe that He is able and willing…When we bring ourselves to that point of accepting that God wills all good things for us and has the power to deliver, we will see more of His intervention in our affairs.

This leads us to a question: If God can do anything, why do we see people with so many unsettled issues around them? What we need to understand is that in the things of God, terms and conditions apply. From our text, we have two critical things that must be settled before we can tap into the power of God. The leper that came to Jesus said that if He was willing, he knew He could make him clean. Anyone who wants to enjoy God’s miraculous intervention must believe that He is able and willing. The leper had no problem believing in Christ’s ability to heal, but he wasn’t sure if it was the will of God. There are those who think God is willing but not able; others believe that He is able but not willing. When we bring ourselves to that point of accepting that God wills all good things for us and has the power to deliver, we will see more of His intervention in our affairs.

Provisionally, all believers have been given the privilege to cast out devils. By this we mean that believers can demon-proof themselves. However, there are things to do to make this a reality. One of them is to live a holy life. One day, Jesus entered into a synagogue where there was a demon-possessed man. He had not so much as spoken a word when the demon started screaming. “Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” Mark 1:23-24 NKJV. Jesus lived such a holy life that it was evident to all the hosts of hell. He testified in a certain place that the prince of this world came but had nothing in him. You couldn’t trace anything of the devil to Jesus. Such a sparkling life is a terror to the devil. The devil cannot survive a holy atmosphere.

Jesus lived such a holy life that it was evident to all the hosts of hell…You couldn’t trace anything of the devil to Jesus. Such a sparkling life is a terror to the devil. The devil cannot survive a holy atmosphere.

Our text points out another weapon necessary to subdue the devil. When the people brought the demon-possessed to Him, the spirits were cast out with His word. The word of God does not just have power, the word is power. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, Satan came to tempt Him on three different occasions. He obtained victory in each round with the word of God. If you want to win over the devil, the word of God must never depart from your mouth.

In John 10:10, Jesus summarized the mission of the devil in three words – steal, kill, destroy. He goes about this threefold mission in a wide variety of ways. Primarily, he lies. Jesus called him a liar and the father of all lies. Through syndicated lies, he sweeps many people off the path of destiny and throws them into chaos. It is interesting that the peace envisaged during the millennium will be made possible because Satan will be chained and put under lock and key for the whole period. When that time is fulfilled and he is loosed temporarily, deception will resume.

Satan blocks passage…I often say that if we don’t cast out devils they will cave us in. Refuse to be caved in by devils as you rise up by faith.

In our text, we can learn another means by which Satan carries out his mission. We are told of two demon-possessed men who were so fierce that no one could pass by the way where they operated. Satan blocks passage. Many people may have found themselves stuck in life without being able to find any reasonable cause for their predicament. Such people may be confronted with one of Satan’s wiles. This is why believers must learn the importance of resisting the devil. Apostle Peter taught that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. As part of his final instructions, Jesus told the disciples to cast out devils. I often say that if we don’t cast out devils they will cave us in. Refuse to be caved in by devils as you rise up by faith.