Friday, October 11, 2019
READ:
When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said: “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. But he knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. “When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.”
–Luke 11:15-26
REFLECT:
The enemy is more powerful than we are alone. With our own merits, we cannot stand up to him and defeat him, let alone avoid harm. And he doesn’t have to possess us to harm us, he just had to get us to sever our relationship with God through sin.
Thankfully, God is more powerful than the enemy. If we stick close to Jesus, we have nothing to fear. We may experience pain and evil, but Jesus will not abandon us, and if we persevere with Jesus’ help, we will have everlasting peace.
RESPOND:
How does the enemy tempt you? How does he try to get you to sin? What are the ways that you commonly fall to sin, and in what situation does it happen? Consider how you may be tempted, and seek to fortify yourself against that temptation and avoid the situations in which you fall.
Today’s Health Challenge: Resolve
Consider the virtue opposite to the sin that you most commonly commit, and intentionally seek opportunities to build up that virtue.
