The enemy may have power to divide, but we have The Power to conquer!
That’s the gist of Jesus’s message in Luke 11. He’d just cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak & when the demon was gone, the man suddenly spoke! The crowds were amazed, but some questioned the source of Jesus’s authority, accusing Him of being in cahoots with Satan.😳
Knowing their thoughts, He stated the obvious:
“Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart.”
The bottom line is that any entity will fail when it fights against itself, but what do we do when facing the enemy’s divisive attacks? He loves to work through wounded hearts to wound others, & when you’re on the receiving end of woundedness, the easiest thing is to wound back.😬
Rather than succumbing to darkness, the harder & much greater thing is to allow the light of the Lord to shine through you. That’s how Jesus ends the passage. He essentially reminds us that we wouldn’t turn on a flashlight & stick it under a bucket. It’d waste the battery & serve no purpose!
Jesus is that Light that conquered darkness once & for all. If you know Him as Lord, then let Him be Lord over darkness that presents itself to you through the hurtful words & deeds of others!
We don’t have it in us to love unconditionally, but we’ve received a love that cost us nothing, a love that conquers the greatest conquests of the enemy!
When we return pain with pardon, it makes the enemy impotent!
When we forgive with the grace we received, the paltry power of the enemy fizzles into nothing.
When facing darkness, we can let the enemy tempt us to react OR let the the Holy Spirit empower us to conquer with Light!
Father, when people hurt us, remind us that they’re people being led by darkness. It’s not THEM lashing out, it’s the enemy THROUGH them & they need saving! We KNOW The Power that saves & can wield it like a weapon against enemy operation!
Light of the World, guard us from temptation to turn to the darkside. Let the whole of our lives be radiant with Your Light! We won’t hide it under a bushel, wasting its power & serving no purpose. We’re gonna conquer the enemy by letting You shine!
April 5th One Year Bible Readings
DEUTERONOMY 28:1-68
LUKE 11:14-36
PSALM 77:1-20
PROVERBS 12:18
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