MEMORISE: “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” – (1 John 5:4)
BIBLE READING: John 17:9-16 (KJV)
9 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep[a] through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.12 While I was with them [b]in the world, I kept them in [c]Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is [d]lost except the son of [e]perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Read yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional here
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. – (Matthew 28:20)
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ would be considered useless if the children of God – those who come to God through Jesus Christ – were not overcomers.
Jesus achieved the ultimate victory over the devil and over the world, so that the children of God can live as overcomers. Jesus died on the cross at Calvary for you and was raised from the dead so that the devil and his agents will not have dominion over you (Colossians 2:13-15).
You may then wonder why some Christians still suffer under the oppression of the devil. Well, if a child of God does not take his place in prayer, Bible study, and holy living, he cannot enjoy the victory that Christ Jesus won for him. The Bible already states that we can only judge all disobedience when our obedience is complete (2 Corinthians 10:6).
The victory in Christ Jesus that you continually exercise over the devil, challenges, and unpalatable circumstances is dependent upon your submission to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. – (James 4:7)
Before you resist the devil and he flees, you must first have submitted to God. If you don’t submit, the devil will also not flee when you resist him. The devil is not afraid of you; he knows that he can overcome you if you are not standing in Jesus Christ. He knows that you don’t have any power to harm him whereas he can harm you. He knows all these so he cannot be afraid of you.
However, when you go under the authority of the Almighty, then he trembles at your mere presence. The centurion told Jesus that his soldiers obeyed him because he was a man under authority (Matthew 8:9). If you want the devil and his agents to obey you, you must be under the authority of the Almighty. If you want the devil to obey you, you must be under the authority of the Most High. It is as simple as that.
PRAYER POINT: It is God’s responsibility to enforce your victory over the world; it is your responsibility to remain submitted to Him.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 6 – 8
Thank you for studying today’s Open Heaven – God’s Children Are Overcomers – written by Pastor Enoch A.
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Open Heaven 27 July 2022
