Rebuking Deceptive Spirits with Powerful Prayer

Jude 1:17-25

A Call to Remain Faithful

17 But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said. 18 They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. 19 These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.

20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, 1 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.

22 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

A Prayer of Praise

24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

—

1. Some forms of deceptions in the end time are people who make fun of what;s right, as if it were a joke, and can make people think things that should be honored and taken seriously is a light subject. They put their ungodly desires above God’s will because they don’t have God’s Spirit in them and they create divisions [verses 18-19].

2. According to verse 20, it’s important for me to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit so we can help to keep ourselves safe in His love and not fall away.

3. To the people whose faith is in shaking, I should show mercy, but hate their sin and try to rescue them. Practically speaking I should pray for them, encourage them in the faith and try to pull them away from their old sin while at the same time also being careful so I’m not tempted to do what they do.

Jude 1:17-25

A Call to Remain Faithful

17 But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said. 18 They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. 19 These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.

20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, 1 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.

22 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

A Prayer of Praise

24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

—

1. Some forms of deceptions in the end time are people who make fun of what;s right, as if it were a joke, and can make people think things that should be honored and taken seriously is a light subject. They put their ungodly desires above God’s will because they don’t have God’s Spirit in them and they create divisions [verses 18-19].

2. According to verse 20, it’s important for me to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit so we can help to keep ourselves safe in His love and not fall away.

3. To the people whose faith is in shaking, I should show mercy, but hate their sin and try to rescue them. Practically speaking I should pray for them, encourage them in the faith and try to pull them away from their old sin while at the same time also being careful so I’m not tempted to do what they do.

Praying and Planning

Nehemiah 1:1-7

1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said:
“O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

Nehemiah 2:1-8

1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”
I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?”
Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.

—

1.    When Nehemiah faced problems, he cried out to God, confessed his sins and interceded for others and confessed their sins. He then spoke with someone of influence, the king.

2.    Self reflection: When I am faced with problems, I have ended up blaming others before if I felt they influenced or pressured me to sin or they did something selfish which lead to this. From Nehemiah, I can learn to not blame others but to intercede for them.

3.    To involve God in all of my plans, whether they are big and/or small, I need to pray and be alert and take care of any unresolved issues and read, hear, meditate and get direction from His Word.

Praying and Working

Matthew 9:35-38, 10:1

35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

10

1He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

—

1.    I think I am able to notice the needs and weaknesses of those around me, but those times that I’m not I’m unaware of. Although sometimes I do need to take time to not be too busy to notice the needs of other people, like if they are hurt, sick, falling away from God, or heavy burdened.

2.    As a disciple of Christ, my part in helping the needs of people is to help out where I can in the ways I can – with whatever talent or skill God has equipped me with.

3.    To involve God in everything I do [studies, work, ministry, recreation], I need to always be connected to Him who is the vine. I am His branch!

Great Impact

2 Timothy 1:1-7 >>
Greetings from Paul

1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I have been sent out to tell others about the life he has promised through faith in Christ Jesus.

2 I am writing to Timothy, my dear son.

May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.

Encouragement to Be Faithful

3 Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again.

5 I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

—

1. From the verses read, the people that influenced and disciplined Timothy are Paul, his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois.
2. Reflecting upon myself personally, the strongest influence in my life are my parents (mentors too and strong women of God that I respect…but a LOT of influence is from my parents). They influenced me to hae a love of God and His people, and to not go with the flow but hear and obey God’s voice. The fruit of it is that I serve the Lord enthusiastically and love Him dearly! I am becoming closer to God by that influence.A fter I finish meditating on today’s devotional I should apologize to my grandma if I was being disrespectful this morning!

Replace Your Bad Habits with Good Habits

Numbers 33:50-53, 55-56 >>

50 On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho the LORD said to Moses, 51 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, 52 drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. 53 Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.

55 ” ‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. 56 And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.’ “

—

1. God commanded the Israelites to throw out and abandon the lifestyle of the Moabites [verses 55-56] so that the inhabitants do not influence them negatively and so that they won’t give them trouble in the land. It was for the Israelites own good.
2. Self-reflect: Some bad habits of mine include procrastinating and staying up really late – I did these things I think partially from environmental influences so I want to get myself away from negative influences and practice good habits instead.

Family Transformation: Developing Family Prayer Time

Joshua 24:14-15 >>

14Then Joshua told the people:

Worship the LORD, obey him, and always be faithful. Get rid of the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. 15But if you don’t want to worship the LORD, then choose right now! Will you worship the same idols your ancestors did? Or since you’re living on land that once belonged to the Amorites, maybe you’ll worship their gods. I won’t. My family and I are going to worship and obey the LORD!

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 >>

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.

7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

—

1. The commitment made by Joshua and his family was that despite everyone else around them (the norm) serving idols and false “gods,” Joshua and his family would serve the Lord! The spiritual condition of my family at this time is that we serve the Lord but I should spend more time with them and build unity. My family tries to put Jesus first, but I think we should evaluate regularly so that we can improve upon things (grow) and not stay stagnant. I care about the spiritual condition of my family.
2. God’s Word must continually be taught and/or discussed in a household of believers to encourage one another and because it is so important. We need to be always reminded and meditate on His Word so that it becomes a part of who we are and we think Biblically (on Biblical principles).  Praying together with my family is so important also [Deuteronomy 6:6-9]. The benefits are that it will unify us in the way we think and act and I believe our discussions would also please the Lord.

Going Against the Current

1 Peter 4:1-5 >>

1Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. 2As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. 5But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

—

1. Sorts of conditions and/or situations I’ve found myself in the past easily influenced – first I wanted to follow God’s will, but because of pressure I failed in doing the right thing – are when the pressure is continuous for a long period of time and I don’t do anything else but say “no.” I don’t change the way I respond and they don’t change the way they pressure me so little by little I start to feel the pressure! So in the past I’ve found what works for me is to immediately do something different, not just say “no.” That’s only a temporary solution. I need to either get away from the problem or really do/say something to change their minds.

2. YES, I have experience what happened in verse 4, when my friends or the group of people I hang out with criticize or belittle me when I try to do the right thing or good things. It’s happened before in my group of friends and even at work!
3. I want to adhere to the will of God, not man (verse 2)! I will make a new commitment!

COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION: BECOMING CHRIST’S DISCIPLES

John 13:34-35 >>

34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

John 15:8 >>

When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

Luke 14:26-27 >>

26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

—

1. From the verses above, characteristics of Christ’s disciples are that they love one another and love God (hate everyone else in comparison). And they produce much fruit! We also have to carry on our cross.
2. Self Reflecting on whether or not I have those characteristics, I would say yes, but sometimes no. For example, if I hold on to something too long without being open and communicating and resolving an issue, I’m not acting in love because then bitterness can come up. To become Christ’s disciples, the kind of lifestyle I should cultivate is one of openness, intimacy with God so I know His will and get energy from Him, and willingness to pick myself up by the bootstraps and carry my cross.

Community Transformation: Building an Altar Wherever We Go

Psalm 133:1-3 >>
A song of ascents. Of David.

1 How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!

2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down upon the collar of his robes.

3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.

Joshua 24:14-15 >>

14Then Joshua told the people:

Worship the LORD, obey him, and always be faithful. Get rid of the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. 15But if you don’t want to worship the LORD, then choose right now! Will you worship the same idols your ancestors did? Or since you’re living on land that once belonged to the Amorites, maybe you’ll worship their gods. I won’t. My family and I are going to worship and obey the LORD!

—

1. Declare Joshua 24:14-15 and continue to meditate on the verses.
2. According to Psalm 133, the blessings that lay in agreement and unity are happiness, anointing (?), even life forevermore.
3. To establish agreement and peace in my family, especially in the midst of conflict, I can not be passive but be active in being a peacemaker, not judging or gossipping but being an advocate for open and honest and kind communication.

Family Transformation: Developing Family Prayer Time (2)

Joshua 24:14-15 >>

14Then Joshua told the people:

Worship the LORD, obey him, and always be faithful. Get rid of the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. 15But if you don’t want to worship the LORD, then choose right now! Will you worship the same idols your ancestors did? Or since you’re living on land that once belonged to the Amorites, maybe you’ll worship their gods. I won’t. My family and I are going to worship and obey the LORD!

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 >>

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.

7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

—

1. The commitment made by Joshua and his family was that they would worship the Lord and not the gods and idols of their ancestors!

2. God’s word must continually be taught and discussed in a household of believers so that we remember and also to honor God and the importance of His Word and will in our lives. It is good to talk about it because we can also encourage one another by discussing how God is involved in our everyday lives. Praying together with my family is also important because we show God how important HE means to us in our lives, and also we can lift up any conflicts we have with one another there. We are also sharing an experience together where our focus is not on our problems but on God and His love. And strife will cease to exist. We’d be unified in Christ and stronger together than if we were separate. And we’ll be an impact to our community!