Head-to-Toe in the Full Armor of God
Note from Jesus Dear Faithful Follower, Some of the churches in your day are skilled at drawing big audiences. Many more congregations, both large and small, need to focus more on equipping a spiritual army. My disciples are facing an all-out spiritual war. I’ve got the marks on My body to prove hell’s fury toward the Father and His desire to redeem humankind. Hell has a way of insidiously seeping into politics, government, religion, and personal relationships and too many of my followers are ill-equipped and unprepared. When Satan gains a foothold, then it is literally “hell on earth.” Look at the book of Revelation in your Bible and you will see this war story: War in heaven. War on earth. War with religion. War with government. War through false teaching. War because of weakness. Yes, My disciples are at war with Satan and hell. This war has casualties and cost. That’s why I need real followers. I don’t need Twitter® or Instagram® followers or Facebook® friends. I’m looking for genuine disciples. I’m looking for friends who won’t run out on Me even when hell breaks loose against you. That’s why I’ve never been very excited just to get a big audience. If you don’t believe me, ask those 5,000-plus folks I fed with 5 loaves and 2 fish and who wanted a sardine sandwich Messiah (John 6:1-29). When I wouldn’t be their kind of Messiah, these “followers” flaked out on Me (John 6:41-71). My audience dropped to way below 5,000 pretty quickly! Paul understood. He knew My disciples were under attack. He had smelled the breath of hell’s fury in the form of religious haters and government lackeys. He had lost people he loved to hell’s fury, people into whom he had poured his heart, his hopes, and his time. He also knew faithful friends who were so committed to My cause and his mission that they voluntarily shared his imprisonments and hardships. Paul knew the difference between an audience and an army! His army was willing to pay the price to prepare for the battle, to stand alongside him in the battle, and to give their lives with him in battle if it was required. Why? Why would they pay such a high price? Why would they take such risks to share Paul’s worst moments? Simple. They were called to be part of the army. They never considered settling for being like internet followers or faux friends to Paul. They enlisted in My army to fight a war against hell, sin, death, and Satan. Read Paul’s words in the verses below. He wrote them to the brothers and sisters in Ephesus along with other believers throughout Asia Minor. He was preparing them for spiritual warfare. More specifically, he was telling them to prepare themselves for the warfare that had already begun. They lived in the place where religions collided in the Roman Empire. Wealth and power came with many of those religions. Superstition, black magic, and immoral acts went with others. Dark clouds were gathering on the horizon. These storms would crescendo into the emperor cult in Asia Minor, a pseudo-religion that thrived in the same cities that received Paul’s words about spiritual warfare. This cult with its political power would propel the persecution of My followers. The war between hell and My disciples would lead to My Revelation to John, the vision he received and recorded in the book of Revelation. Paul wasn’t looking for just an audience; he was trying to awaken an army. Today, as you read Paul’s words, please know that the Holy Spirit is working to use these same words of Paul to awaken an army in your day. I don’t want just more audience; I’m looking for a committed army. I don’t need more Twitter® or Instagram® followers; I AM looking for genuine disciples. I don’t need Facebook® friends; I AM looking for real friends. I AM looking for friends who do what I ask them to do. I am looking for genuine disciples who will follow even when they don’t understand all I am doing in the world (John 15:9-15; 1 Corinthians 13:9-12)! There’s a war going on right where you live. Follow Me. But don’t come unprepared. Pick up the weapons and the armor that win the war and be ready — because there’s a war going on right where you live. Verses to Live Paul’s words about those who see you as their enemies are powerfully descriptive and one hundred percent true. You don’t need to be afraid, though; you just need to be prepared for the battle. Your ultimate victory is assured when you are committed to Me. Finally, brothers and sisters, draw your strength and might from God. Put on the full armor of God to protect yourselves from the devil and his evil schemes. We’re not waging war against enemies of flesh and blood alone. No, this fight is against tyrants, against authorities, against supernatural powers and demon princes that slither in the darkness of this world, and against wicked spiritual armies that lurk about in heavenly places. And this is why you need to be head-to-toe in the full armor of God: so you can resist during these evil days and be fully prepared to hold your ground. Yes, stand — truth banded around your waist, righteousness as your chest plate, and feet protected in preparation to proclaim the good news of peace. Don’t forget to raise the shield of faith above all else, so you will be able to extinguish flaming spears hurled at you from the wicked one. Take also the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray always. Pray in the Spirit. Pray about everything in every way you know how! And keeping all this in mind, pray on behalf of God’s people. Keep on praying feverishly, and be on the lookout until evil has been stayed. And please pray for me.
Your Daily Worship
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, In yesterday’s note, I urged you to display your Father’s righteous character and gracious compassion. Today, I apply that principle more fully to your personal daily life. Follow My example in living out the Father’s character and compassion in your daily work, in your other activities, and in your relationships with friends and family — in all that you do. I submitted Myself to your needs and to the needs of the lost world (Philippians 2:5-11). I submitted to your needs to serve you and redeem you (Mark 10:45). Similarly, I want you to commit to a life of submission to redeem those in the world around you. Much of what Paul wrote to the Ephesians in today’s verses centers on seeing your daily life, including with those closest to you, as worship. Paul wanted the Ephesians to know, and I want you to know, that proper living in a Christian household, in Christian relationships, and in whatever a Christian does ultimately comes back to Me, Who I AM, what I have commanded, and the manner in which I did what I did. (In the verses below, the bold text highlights implications that your commitment to Me has on how you live and how you interact with others.) Many documents that were written by the apostle Paul’s contemporaries on virtue and proper living concluded with what were called “household codes” or “household rules.” The important standard household in Paul’s day consisted of husband and wife, parents and children, and often slaves (including household servants) and masters. Paul used this familiar form and filled it full of new meaning. He used this format to focus on Me as the motivating center, the key example, and the moral authority for the behaviors he commanded. My disciples were to follow My example, were to be moved by My sacrifice to do the right thing, and were to honor Me by obeying My will. This focus elevated Paul’s words from admonitions to live the cultural norm to living a life of submission and worship empowered by the Holy Spirit. Also, Paul added another principle to his household rules, the principle of reciprocal submission. The flow of responsibility went both ways in Paul’s teaching: Wives to husbands and husbands to wives. Children to parents and parents to children. Slaves to masters and masters to slaves. Those in the stronger position (husband, parent, master) were given specific instructions to live out their form of submission in challenging ways, just as I lived Mine as the Son of God (Philippians 2:5-11). This reciprocal submission was unheard of in Paul’s culture. Culturally and legally in these three relationships, the husband, parent, and master had all the authority. The “lower” person in their culture and in their laws — the wife, the child, or the slave — had all the responsibility to submit, obey, and serve. Not so with Paul or with Me. The point of all of these principles, My beloved disciple, is that you must learn to live for others. I AM calling you to serve others before you benefit yourself. Follow My example of submission to the Father’s will. Be willing to submit even at great cost. Learn to live this way depending upon the Holy Spirit for your power. Seek to follow My example as you obey My will. Offer the way you live and the way you consider and serve others as your worship to the Father (Romans 12:1-2). As you do, you begin to redeem the very situations in which you live these principles. Verses to Live What Paul wrote to the Ephesians in the verses below was said in the language of worship: “submit humbly to one another out of respect [holy fear or reverence] for the Anointed,” Christ Jesus — Me. Early in this section, Paul gave the command “let God fill you with the Holy Spirit.” Then Paul gave five ways the Holy Spirit is energized in the life of My disciple as that disciple lives a life of worship: “speak to each other in the soulful words of pious songs.” “sing.” “make music with your hearts attuned to God.” “give thanks to God the Father.” “submit humbly to one another.” In this way, Paul moved the way My disciples were to relate to their families and others from a set of rules into making their home life and interpersonal relationships part of their worship. In other words, Paul gave much more to the Ephesians than a standard set of household rules. He called on My disciples (1) to follow My example in these daily relationships, (2) to live by the power of the Holy Spirit in these relationships, and (3) to recognize that the way they lived in their relationships was an important aspect of their worship. I hope you recognize these same truths as well! So be careful how you live; be mindful of your steps. Don’t run around like idiots as the rest of the world does. Instead, walk as the wise! Make the most of every living and breathing moment because these are evil times. So understand and be confident in God’s will, and don’t live thoughtlessly. Don’t drink wine excessively. The drunken path is a reckless path. It leads nowhere. Instead, let God fill you with the Holy Spirit. When you are filled with the Spirit, you are empowered to speak to each other in the soulful words of pious songs, hymns, and spiritual songs; to sing and make music with your hearts attuned to God; and to give thanks to God the Father every day through the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed for all He has done. And the Spirit makes it possible to submit humbly to one another out of respect for the Anointed. Wives, it should be no different with your husbands. Submit to them as you do to the Lord, for God has given husbands a sacred duty to lead as the Anointed
My Promises for You!
Note from Jesus Dear Precious One, The events that led to Paul’s journey to Rome and his shipwreck and other problems along the way began in Jerusalem. Some Jews from Asia Minor stirred up the crowd: “Help! Fellow Israelites! This man is an enemy of our people, our religion, our law, and this temple! He travels around the world subverting our holiest customs! He is at this moment desecrating this holy temple by bringing outsiders into this sacred place.” (Acts 21:28) The crowd went berserk, seizing and beating Paul until a Roman commandant intervened. Paul asked the commandant if he could speak to the crowd. Paul gave his testimony about becoming My follower. His testimony included My commissioning him to go to the Gentiles. That part further incensed the crowd and it went into another frenzy (Acts 22:1-23). The crowd was so angry that Paul had to be rescued from them once again. The commandant then took him into protective custody after being told by Paul that he was a Roman citizen (Acts 22:24-30). This citizenship gave him special rights and privileges under the Roman law. The commandant arranged for a legal hearing for Paul before the Jewish ruling council called the Sanhedrin. This time, Paul capitalized on differences within the Sanhedrin and caused such a stir the commandant had to intervene again and have his soldiers rescue Paul from the hostile leaders’ fits of anger (Acts 23:1-10). Paul faced intense conflict after he was arrested. His enemies planned a murderous ambush during his transfer as a prisoner (Acts 23:12-35). So I came near Paul during the night and spoke to him to give him courage and remind him that I would not forsake him or abandon him. I assured Paul that he would reach his goal: “Keep up your courage, Paul! You have successfully told your story about Me in Jerusalem, and soon you will do the same in Rome.” (Acts 23:11) Paul would fulfill My purposes for him in Rome! After a series of trials before different government officials (Acts 24:1-27; Acts 25:1-27; Acts 26:1-32), these officials honored Paul’s appeal to Caesar (Acts 25:10-12; Acts 26:32). They sent Paul to Rome as a prisoner to stand trial. Paul then began his incredible journey to Rome (Acts 27:1-44). This voyage included terrible storms, mutinous actions by the crew, Paul’s redemptive influence, and eventually a shipwreck. Paul spent the winter season on the small island of Malta with the crew, the Roman soldiers, and other prisoners before sailing on to Rome (Acts 28:1-11). As Paul’s journey to Rome neared its end, believers along the way began to join his group as they traveled to the capital city (see the verses below). They were not afraid to be identified with Paul even though he was a prisoner! They offered hospitality to him and his entourage. They came at personal risk to support, encourage, and accompany My passionate apostle on his journey to Rome. Their hospitality, fellowship, and accompanying him were sources of needed encouragement for Paul as he reached the city of Rome: We set sail from Malta and stopped first at Syracuse. After three days, we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium. We waited there a day, and then a south wind sprang up and sped us to Puteoli. We found some believers there, and they invited us to stay with them for seven days. Then we reached Rome. The believers from Rome heard we were coming, so they traveled out to meet us at the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns. Paul thanked God and felt encouraged to see them. Once inside the city, Paul lived under house arrest by himself, with only one soldier to guard him. (Acts 28:12-16) Please notice four realities of discipleship that I demonstrated during Paul’s trip to Rome. These four realities will also help sustain you in difficult times. My enduring presence in your life to bring you home to Me. My willingness to be near you and to hear your prayers. My encouragement to you through the partnership and presence of other believers. My work in your life to bless and empower you. Just as I sustained Paul, I will sustain you! Verses to Live I will provide you these four realities of My grace if you look for them and seek them. Notice how these four are emphasized in Paul’s letter to the Philippian Christians: Reality 1: My enduring presence in your life to bring you home to Me. Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, Who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:3-6 NLT) Reality 2: My willingness to be near you and to hear your prayers. Most of all, friends, always rejoice in the Lord! I never tire of saying it: Rejoice! Keep your gentle nature so that all people will know what it looks like to walk in His footsteps. The Lord is ever present with us. Don’t be anxious about things; instead, pray. Pray about everything. He longs to hear your requests, so talk to God about your needs and be thankful for what has come. And know that the peace of God (a peace that is beyond any and all of our human understanding) will stand watch over your hearts and minds in Jesus, the Anointed One. (Philippians 4:4-7) Reality 3: My encouraging you through the partnership and presence of other believers. Whenever you cross my mind, I thank my God for you and for the gift of knowing you. My spirit is lightened with joy whenever I pray for you (and I do constantly) because you have partnered with me to
Filled with the Holy Spirit
Note from Jesus Dear Child of Glory, The world is filled with many beautiful and precious people. Unfortunately, so many of them miss their greatest opportunities. Many miss these great opportunities because they do not have their lives tuned to the Holy Spirit. We — Father, Son, and Spirit — want you to “Make the most of every living and breathing moment because these are evil times.” So much of the world is held in the grip of the evil one. Under the premise of “fun” and “freedom,” the evil one gains hold of people little by little. He snuffs out the life that We intended for them; he addicts them to what is fleeting and cannot provide meaningful fulfillment. As Paul wrote in Ephesians: As for you, don’t you remember how you used to just exist? Corpses, dead in life, buried by transgressions, wandering the course of this perverse world. You were the offspring of the prince of the power of air — oh, how he owned you, just as he still controls those living in disobedience. (Ephesians 2:1-2) However, when you are filled with the Spirit, you experience the delight of the Father. You live the life that reflects and shares My grace. In the verses below, Paul ties five spiritual blessings to being filled with the Spirit. These activities are the result of the Spirit’s presence. They are also the way you can release the power of the Holy Spirit into your lives. (See the verses below and Ephesians 5:15-21 in the NIV as an alternative translation.). Notice these traits — these five blessings and activities — that both fill you with the Spirit and are also a result of being filled with the Spirit: “Speak to each other in soulful words of pious songs, hymns, and spiritual songs.” “Sing.” “Make music with your hearts attuned to God.” “Give thanks to God the Father every day through the name of our Lord Jesus”, i.e., through My name. “Submit humbly to one another out of respect for the Anointed”, i.e., out of respect for Me, your Lord and Christ. The Holy Spirit gives you the power to enjoy life as you were intended to live it. The “law of the Spirit of life” means that you are not under condemnation, but the Spirit “breathes into you and liberates you from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-4). This same Spirit works to transform you, day-by-day, to be more and more like Me (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). These are exactly the opposite effects of living under the false freedom of the world. You were filled with My spirit from the moment you were born from above (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7). And you can seek to be filled ever more completely with the Spirit (Luke 11:13; Acts 4:29-31). The Spirit will guide you as your dance of life keeps in step with Me (Galatians 5:18; Galatians 5:25-26). The Spirit helps you put to death the vestiges of the flesh. The Spirit empowers you to get out of the evil one’s life-sapping grip on your life. The Spirit enables you to live fully as the Father’s beloved child and My co-heir of all the blessings of the Father’s grace (Romans 8:13-17). Verses to Live The following words are from the apostle Paul. They were written to people living in a place fascinated with spiritual power. They are a great reminder of the Spirit’s importance to you. As you read these verses, intentionally submit your heart to Me. Ask for the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to fill you and transform you. So be careful how you live; be mindful of your steps. Don’t run around like idiots as the rest of the world does. Instead, walk as the wise! Make the most of every living and breathing moment because these are evil times. So understand and be confident in God’s will, and don’t live thoughtlessly. Don’t drink wine excessively. The drunken path is a reckless path. It leads nowhere. Instead, let God fill you with the Holy Spirit. When you are filled with the Spirit, you are empowered to speak to each other in the soulful words of pious songs, hymns, and spiritual songs; to sing and make music with your hearts attuned to God; and to give thanks to God the Father every day through the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed for all He has done. And the Spirit makes it possible to submit humbly to one another out of respect for the Anointed. (Ephesians 5:15-21) Response in Prayer Abba Father, I thank You for not only adopting me as Your child but also for filling me with the Spirit. I thank You that I live in the Spirit to experience Your true freedom of grace. As I am led by Your Spirit and filled with Your Spirit, bring Your righteous character and gracious compassion to life in Me. Transform me to be like Jesus as I wait for my full adoption as Your child and as a full heir with Jesus to all that You intend for Your children of grace. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Focus on What Is Core
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, I walked the streets and footpaths of Galilee, Samaria, and Judea two thousand years ago. I came as God incarnate and gave Myself as a sacrifice for your sins and everyone else’s sin (1 John 2:1-2). The ultimate validation of Who I AM and of the efficacy of My sacrifice was My resurrection (Acts 13:26-33). Through the years, those who believe in Me and commit themselves to Me have come together to form My church. However, Satan has consistently used a tried and proven method to sabotage My disciples’ work to build My church. The evil one gets people arguing about religious things that are not that important. If he can distract My followers with useless, foolish, and selfish arguments, he knows that they will lose their focus on the core truths of their faith. Paul’s letters of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, as well as the letters of 2 Peter and Jude, speak directly to these problems. In today’s verses from 1 Timothy and Titus, Paul addressed similar issues with Timothy who was in Ephesus and with Titus who was in Crete. Paul spoke in lofty words about “God’s family” to remind My leaders and those to whom they ministered that My church is precious. My church is not just a thing or an idea. The church is the blood-bought family of people who have the purpose of being My blessing and bringing My redemption to their lost world. However, to do the work of redemption, the people of My family have to remain focused on the core truths of the gospel. Without this focus, their fellowship can devolve into personality clashes. If this primary focus is lost or if there are arguments over inconsequential semi-religious issues, My people can be trapped by immorality in all of its forms. In today’s verses, you see Paul as he addressed the issues that were distracting My beloved disciples in Crete (where Titus ministered) and in Ephesus (where Timothy served). He pointed these disciples away from the distracting issues of false teaching, “worldly fables,” and “sensual cravings and pleasures.” Paul encouraged Timothy and Titus to point My beloved disciples in Crete and Ephesus in the direction of the core gospel and the life-change that true faith puts in place of the world’s foolish and destructive counterfeit approaches to life. Notice that some of the core teachings involve the following subjects: My identity as the Christ, Son of God, and Savior God’s promises about Me and My fulfillment of My mission on earth The validation of My resurrection and return to glory The proclamation of the gospel all over the world The importance of godliness in all things My return to completely redeem and save you The Father’s great grace, mercy, and loving-kindness toward you when you were living in sin Your rebirth through faith and the power of the Holy Spirit The significance of baptism The importance of living a humble and holy life full of good deeds Verses to Live My beloved disciple, I want you to focus on the core things of your faith. To the delight of the evil one, many people want to distract you from these core things. You can always find a way to argue about religious ideas. Instead, stick to what is core. Refuse to get distracted by what is not essential, by false teaching, or by the lure of immorality. I called you to be salt in a world of decay and light in a world of darkness (Matthew 5:13-16). Paul urged Timothy and Titus to teach the people to whom they ministered to be the same! I [Paul] am writing all this to you, hoping I can come to you before too long; but in case I am delayed, you will know how one ought to behave as a member of God’s family — the assembly of the living God, the pillar and foundation that support the truth — and I think you will agree that the mystery of godliness is great: He was revealed in the flesh, proven right in the Spirit; He was seen by the heavenly messengers, preached to outsider nations. He was believed in the world, taken up to the heavens in glory. But even so, the Spirit very clearly tells us that in the last times some will abandon the true faith because of their devotion to spirits sent to deceive and sabotage, and mistakenly they will end up following the doctrine of demons. They will be carried away through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences have been branded with a red-hot iron, saying, “Don’t marry. Don’t eat such-and-such foods.” But God created all these to be received with gratitude by people who hold fast to the faith and really comprehend the truth. For everything God made is good. That means nothing should be rejected as long as it’s received with a grateful heart, for by God’s word and prayer, it is made holy. Place these truths before the brothers and sisters. If you do, you will be a good servant of Jesus the Anointed, raised and fed on words of true belief, trained in the good instruction you have so clearly followed. Reject worldly fables. Refuse old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself toward godliness. Although training your body has certain payoffs, godliness benefits all things — holding promise for life here and now and promise for the life that is coming. This statement is worthy of trust and our full acceptance. This is what we work so hard for! This is why we are constantly struggling: because we have an assured hope fixed upon a living God Who is the Savior of all humankind — especially all of us who believe. (1 Timothy 3:14-16; 1 Timothy 4:1-10) Be ready to do what is good and honorable. Don’t tear down another person with your words. Instead, keep the peace, and be considerate. Be truly humble toward everyone because there was a
Essential Unity
Note from Jesus Dear Member of My Body, Paul emphasized in several of his letters to churches that My church is My bodily presence in the world (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-30). When I lived on earth in a physical body, I brought the touch and truth of the Father to a broken and confused world. Now, as My body, you are called to do the same thing. You are a member of My body. The concept of being a member of an organization called a church is foreign to the New Testament. Such a concept is also foreign to My teaching. When My apostles used the term “member,” they were talking about a member of a body. Each member is a vital part of a living body. How you treat others in My family, what you believe, and how you use your gifts impact My church in significant ways. How you live these dynamics either helps or hinders the church to live and serve as My bodily presence in the world. When Paul wrote the verses below, he used the emotional leverage of his imprisonment. In this way, he reminded My disciples in Ephesus and Asia Minor of the importance and urgency of three things: Living with a definite character that reflected My character, Agreeing on essential doctrinal truths centered in Our — Father, Son, and Spirit’s — nature. Using their spiritual gifts to help My body to impact the world with My character and compassion. As My Asian disciples applied these three principles, My body on earth reflected and continued My ministry. These three things would help them resist false teaching and would restore My presence to the world through their lives as My church. However, these three practices were most effective as each member — each “body part” — did its work based on faith in a shared doctrinal core and lived with gracious compassion for each other. Verses to Live Paul wrote Ephesians to give My disciples a glorious view of the Father’s intention for the church. In today’s verses, Paul emphasized that essential unity among My disciples must have three dimensions. My people need to have unity based on gracious character (paragraph 1 below), unity rooted in faith essentials held in common (paragraph 2), and unity as My bodily presence through using their gifts (the remaining verses). As in all things in My church, love — which Paul mentioned three times in these verses — is to be the overriding principle for everything you do. Unfortunately, the evil one can give My life, My message, and My church a bad name when My followers emphasize only one or two of these principles to the exclusion of the others or when the motivation is not love. Please know that all three are important if you are to be My presence to the world through My church! As a prisoner of the Lord, I urge you: Live a life that is worthy of the calling He has graciously extended to you. Be humble. Be gentle. Be patient. Tolerate one another in an atmosphere thick with love. Make every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit has already created, with peace binding you together. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were all called to pursue one hope. There is one Lord Jesus, one living faith, one… washing through baptism, and one God — the Father over all Who is above all, through all, and in all. This God has given to each of us grace in full measure according to the Anointed’s gift as the Scripture says, When He ascended to the heights, He put captivity in chains; And in His triumph, He gave gifts to the people. (Well, when it says “He ascended,” then that must mean that He had descended earlier to the lower levels, that is, to the earth. The One Who descended is the same One Who rose from the dead to ascend far above all the heavens so that He could fill all things.) It was the risen One Who handed down to us such gifted leaders — some emissaries, some prophets, some evangelists, as well as some pastor-teachers — so that God’s people would be thoroughly equipped to minister and build up the body of the Anointed One. These ministries will continue until we are unified in faith and filled with the knowledge of the Son of God, until we stand mature in His teachings and fully formed in the likeness of the Anointed, our Liberating King. Then we will no longer be like children, tossed around here and there upon ocean waves, picked up by every gust of religious teaching spoken by liars or swindlers or deceivers. Instead, by truth spoken in love, we are to grow in every way into Him — the Anointed One, the head. He joins and holds together the whole body with its ligaments providing the support needed so each part works to its proper design to form a healthy, growing, and mature body that builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:1-16) Response in Prayer Father, forgive us. We have been short-sighted children. Sometimes we grow weak on truth and end up compromising Your will. Sometimes, dear Father, we’ve gotten so hung up on our version of doctrine that we’ve forgotten to treat each other with gracious compassion. Other times, Father, we’ve forgotten to use our gifts and have gotten caught up in just going to church and being a member of a religious group. I am sorry that we so easily forget that each of us is a vital body part of Jesus’ bodily presence. Open our hearts to recognize the importance of being the second incarnation of Jesus to the world, this time through the church. Please forgive us — and please forgive me in particular — for our short-sightedness, our contentious spirit, and our lack of involvement in Jesus’ body, the church. While I cannot speak for everyone,
Power and Praise
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, One of the most remarkable gifts you have as the Father’s child is the gift of your intercessory prayer for others. When the apostle Paul was in prison, his confinement prevented him from being with his beloved brothers and sisters in Ephesus. So as Paul was praising the Father, he seamlessly moved from praise into a prayer. The focus of Paul’s prayer was for the Father to release the presence and power of the Holy Spirit into the lives of these Ephesian Christians. This same Spirit-power tore Me from the clutches of death and raised Me from the dead. Rather than spending a lot of time talking to you about what Paul said in the verses below, I want you to pay special attention to the two prayers in these verses. As you do, notice these three dynamics in Paul’s prayers: Paul moved from praise in prayer to intercession in prayer. This movement from praise to intercessory prayer was natural for Paul as he prayed led by the Holy Spirit. This kind of prayer carries great power. Paul told the Ephesians what he prayed for them. Intercessory prayer is often most powerful when you share the specific petitions in your prayer with those for whom you are praying. In other words, don’t just tell folks that you are praying for them; tell them what you are praying for them! Paul prayed for the Ephesians to experience the Spirit’s power at work within them. The Holy Spirit, the same One Who intercedes for My disciples when they pray, also releases the Father’s power into their lives. Spend more time in praise to the Father, and as you do, you will find more of the Holy Spirit’s power being released into the lives of your brothers and sisters in My family. Verses to Live Paul’s life and letters are full of his prayers. These prayers helped him stay connected with My disciples scattered all over the world. As you read two of Paul’s prayers, let the Holy Spirit help you remember brothers and sisters for whom you need to pray. Pray for these dear people, and then let them know what you prayed for them. Paul’s first prayer is in the first part of his Ephesian letter. The other prayer comes at the middle as he shifts from talking about the truths of the gospel to talking about the ways the disciples must live out those truths. Your power as a disciple to live with My character and compassion comes from knowing the truth and having the power to live it. You can release this power through your prayers of praise and intercession! To God be all praise and glory! This is why, when I heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus that is present in your community and of your great love for all God’s people, I haven’t stopped thanking Him for you. I am continually speaking to Him on your behalf in my prayers. Here’s what I say: God of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, Father of Glory: I call out to You on behalf of Your people. Give them minds ready to receive wisdom and revelation so they will truly know You. Open the eyes of their hearts, and let the light of Your truth flood in. Shine Your light on the hope You are calling them to embrace. Reveal to them the glorious riches You are preparing as their inheritance. Let them see the full extent of Your power that is at work in those of us who believe, and may it be done according to Your might and power. Friends, it is this same might and resurrection power that He used in the Anointed One to raise Him from the dead and to position Him at His right hand in heaven. There is nothing over Him. He’s above all rule, authority, power, and dominion; over every name invoked, over every title bestowed in this age and the next. God has placed all things beneath His feet and anointed Him as the head over all things for His church. This church is His body, the fullness of the One Who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:14-23) It is for this reason that I bow my knees before the Father, after Whom all families in heaven above and on earth below receive their names, and pray: Father, out of Your honorable and glorious riches, strengthen Your people. Fill their souls with the power of Your Spirit so that through faith the Anointed One will reside in their hearts. May love be the rich soil where their lives take root. May it be the bedrock where their lives are founded so that together with all of Your people they will have the power to understand that the love of the Anointed is infinitely long, wide, high, and deep, surpassing everything anyone previously experienced. God, may Your fullness flood through their entire beings. Now to the God Who can do so many awe-inspiring things, immeasurable things, things greater than we ever could ask or imagine through the power at work in us, to Him be all glory in the church and in Jesus the Anointed from this generation to the next, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21) Response in Prayer I praise You, gracious Father. I praise You, Lord Jesus. I praise You, powerful Holy Spirit. I praise You for Your greatness, power, and sovereignty. I praise You for the plan to redeem the mess we have made. I praise You for entering our world and planting redemption into it through Jesus. I praise You for the power of the Holy Spirit that tore Jesus from the clutches of death and raised Him from the dead. I praise You for saving Me through My faith as I shared in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection through baptism. I praise You for living inside Me through the Holy Spirit. And I ask that my spirit be
Antidote to Uncertainty: Thankfulness
Note from Jesus Dear Child of Grace, You have been blessed with grace because of the Father’s love (John 3:16-18; Colossians 1:12-14). That grace was embodied by My coming to earth in human flesh, My life of service, My atoning death on the Cross, and My victorious resurrection (Colossians 1:15-23) and continues to be yours through the Holy Spirit that has been given to you (Ephesians 1:13-14). You shared in this grace through your baptism because of your faith (Colossians 2:9-15). Your future in glory is secure in Me as I reign over all things (Colossians 3:1-4; Ephesians 1:18-22). So rejoice! Be thankful! Praise your Father in heaven for His bountiful grace that has brought you to a life full of love, hope, and peace in Me! The Colossian Christians had forgotten the importance of being thankful. So in his short letter to them, Paul began by giving thanks for them. He called on them repeatedly to be thankful. As important as prayer was to Paul, he reminded these Colossian brothers and sisters to always “be thankful when you pray.” In fact, Paul wanted all of their lives to be lived “sending thanks” in My name to the Father! So why is thankfulness so important? There are many reasons. Thankfulness reminds you that you receive all your blessings from the Father. Thankfulness reminds you of all that you have been given so you are not constantly greedy for more. For the Colossians, however, thankfulness had an added purpose. This purpose can also apply to you. False teachers slip into My people like wolves disguised as sheep. Their smooth sounding words and their claim to special knowledge can create an itch of concern in the hearts of My people who can become uncertain because they are concerned that they may have missed something important. They can be enticed by new teaching that sounds special and especially spiritual. On the other hand, thankfulness roots you in the things you have received from the Father through My death, burial, and resurrection. Thankfulness reminds you that life’s most important grace, My sacrifice for you, is sufficient to bring you to My glory. As Paul warned the Galatians, anything added to the simple gospel about Me is not gospel; it is false teaching and must be opposed (Galatians 1:6-9). Paul wanted the Christian brothers and sisters to follow this important exhortation about thankfulness: Let your roots grow down deeply in Him, and let Him build you up on a firm foundation. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always spill over with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:7) So, dear child of My Father, give thanks! Praise God for what you have received. Be filled to overflowing with thanksgiving because you have received grace and the assurance that life ahead of you will be glorious! Verses to Live The following verses are the thread of thankfulness that Paul wove into the tapestry of his letter to the Colossians. Read these verses several times. Pause after each section and ask the Holy Spirit to help you receive, incorporate, and display the principles you find in that section. Be blessed! Most of all, learn the grace of being thankful! As always, we’ve been praying for you, thanking God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, ever since we heard of your faith in Jesus the Anointed and your love for His holy ones — faith and love that emerge from the hope you have heard about in the word of truth — the gospel — the very hope that awaits you in heaven. (Colossians 1:3-5) Since the day we got this good news about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We ask: Father, may they clearly know Your will and achieve the height and depth of spiritual wisdom and understanding. May their lives be a credit to You, Lord; and what’s more, may they continue to delight You by doing every good work and growing in the true knowledge that comes from being close to You. Strengthen them with Your infinite power, according to Your glorious might, so that they will have everything they need to hold on and endure hardship patiently and joyfully. Thank You, Father, as You have made us eligible to receive our portion of the inheritance given to all those set apart by the light. You have rescued us from dark powers and brought us safely into the kingdom of Your Son, Whom You love and in Whom we are redeemed and forgiven of our sins [through His blood]. (Colossians 1:9-14) Now that you have welcomed the Anointed One, Jesus the Lord, into your lives, continue to journey with Him and allow Him to shape your lives. Let your roots grow down deeply in Him, and let Him build you up on a firm foundation. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always spill over with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:6-7) Since you are all set apart by God, made holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a holy way of life: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Put up with one another. Forgive. Pardon any offenses against one another, as the Lord has pardoned you, because you should act in kind. But above all these, put on love! Love is the perfect tie to bind these together. Let your hearts fall under the rule of the Anointed’s peace (the peace you were called to as one body), and be thankful. Let the word of the Anointed One richly inhabit your lives. With all wisdom teach, counsel, and instruct one another. Sing the psalms, compose hymns and songs inspired by the Spirit, and keep on singing — sing to God from hearts full and spilling over with thankfulness. Surely, no matter what you are doing (speaking, writing, or working), do it all in the name of Jesus our Master, sending thanks through Him to God our Father. (Colossians 3:12-17) Pray, and keep praying. Be alert and
I AM Enough
Note from Jesus Dear Believer, When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he was imprisoned and facing hardship because of his work for the gospel (Colossians 1:24-29; Colossians 4:18). He was content even facing this suffering (Philippians 4:11), but he desperately wanted the early churches to remain committed to Me and to the pure message that they had heard. As a result, Paul’s suffering was made more trying by those who kept stirring up discontent and doubt because of their false teaching. Epaphras, who personally was from Colossae (Colossians 4:12), had originally taken My message to the Colossians (Colossians 1:7). Paul had never even visited there (Colossians 2:1). People’s respect for him as a great leader, teacher, disciple maker, and apostle gave him significant influence in the lives of many church leaders as well as other Christians. The Colossian Christians were part of this group that deeply respected Paul. He wrote the letter to them to combat false teachers who were saying that they had not received the full gospel because Epaphras had taught them. From the critics’ point of view, Epaphras was a “nobody” from Colossae and not an apostle or a well-known evangelist; the false teachers were saying that the Colossians had received inferior teaching. False teachers were trying to convince My new disciples in Colossae and nearby Laodicea (Colossians 2:1; Colossians 4:13-16) that they needed special new teachings shrouded in mystery. Paul used the phrase “the elemental spirits of the cosmos” to describe part of this erroneous teaching. These new false teachings also insisted on special ascetic practices of denying the body through extraordinary fasting and other more extreme practices (Colossians 2:16-23). These false teachers tried to convince My disciples in Colossae that they could arrive at the Father’s intended “fullness” only through these special practices. To combat these false teachings, Paul used a form of the word for “fullness” or “full” six times in the short letter to the Colossians — four of those times were to tell the Colossian Christians that all the fullness they needed is found in Me (Colossians 1:19; Colossians 2:2; Colossians 2:9; Colossians 2:10), one was to remind them that his message had all the necessary fullness (Colossians 1:25), and the other one related to Epaphras’ prayer for them (Colossians 4:12). Throughout his letter to the Colossians, Paul repeatedly spoke against the false teaching they were receiving. If he had given a succinct summary of his teaching, it could have been “Jesus plus anything is less than Jesus — it is no gospel at all” (Galatians 1:6-9). Paul centered his life, his mission, and his message in this truth. He declared this purpose to the Colossians: I am a servant appointed by God to preach the Word of God until it is known to you and all over — what I am talking about is nothing less than the mystery of the ages! What was hidden for ages, generations and generations, is now being revealed to His holy ones. He decided to make known to them His blessing to the nations; the glorious riches of this mystery is the indwelling of the Anointed in you! The very hope of glory. (Colossians 1:25-27) My imprisoned apostle Paul was adamant that the truth of the gospel is centered on My death, burial, and resurrection. He insisted that the Colossians needed not only to hang onto the original teaching they received, but that they also needed to root themselves in those truths: Now that you have welcomed the Anointed One, Jesus the Lord, into your lives, continue to journey with Him and allow Him to shape your lives. Let your roots grow down deeply in Him, and let Him build you up on a firm foundation. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always spill over with thankfulness. Paul told them that their lives were joined to My life in a realm far above any earthly power or any spiritual power other than My own and that their future was now caught up in My future glory: Your new life is now hidden, enmeshed with the Anointed Who is in God. On that day when the Anointed One — Who is our very life — is revealed, you will be revealed with Him in glory! I have “disarmed” all spiritual authorities, realms, entities, and powers (Colossians 2:15). Through the Colossians’ participation with My death in baptism and their faith in the power of God demonstrated by My resurrection, they had “died” to those powers (Colossians 2:12-20) and were “raised up with Me” and “enmeshed” with Me and will be fully revealed when I come in My glory. This same glorious reality is true for you as My disciple! Paul’s teaching must be your passion. The truth is centered in Me. Remember what I told My first disciples on the eve of My Crucifixion: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6-7 NIV) Verses to Live Paul’s words in these two passages from his letter to the Colossians reminded them that I AM the One in Whom are hidden all “the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” You don’t need something more. You don’t need secret wisdom tied to other spirits or powers. You need to root yourselves deeply into Me. In your baptism and because of your faith in Me, you joined My death on the cross and My victory and new life through My resurrection. Your future is secured to Me. No other powers or spirits can have you now because your life is “hidden, enmeshed” with Me, far above any rule, power, or authority. Root yourself in Me! This battle [with suffering and imprisonment] I am facing is huge. And I want you to know I do it for you, for all those
Grace, Glorious Grace
Note from Jesus Dear Child of Grace, Paul powerfully tells the truth about where each of you was before grace: You were the offspring of the prince of the power of air — oh, how he owned you, just as he still controls those living in disobedience. Many of the people to whom Paul was writing had been worshipping idols, “living in disobedience.” Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome that their prior spiritual failure was not just a problem of too little effort or ineffectual worship of the one true and living God. People had failed even in the proper religion of Israel. No one kept the law perfectly. All, even the most zealous for the law, failed to measure up to the righteous character and gracious compassion of the Father. Paul reminded these Roman disciples that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV). Everyone needs the Father’s grace! Today’s short passage on grace is one of Paul’s most powerful statements of reversal and redemption based on the Father’s great love: But God, with the unfathomable richness of His love and mercy focused on us, united us with the Anointed One and infused our lifeless souls with life — even though we were buried under mountains of sin — and saved us by His grace. You are a recipient of grace. Your Father in heaven treasures you. Your life is now united with My life. Your future is now salvation because of grace. You did not earn it. You did not deserve it. There is no room for bragging about your good deeds because they could not achieve this new life of salvation: For it’s by God’s grace that you have been saved. You receive it through faith. It was not our plan or our effort. It is God’s gift, pure and simple. Verses to Live Read and then re-read this passage. Let the wonder of grace sweep over you. Let the promise of salvation undergird you. Remind yourself of the Father’s great love. Remember My great sacrifice. Trust in the transforming power of the Spirit. Then let your praise to the Father flow out of your heart. You are saved by grace. You are alive in Me to accomplish the Father’s will. You are made new and empowered by the Holy Spirit. As for you, don’t you remember how you used to just exist? Corpses, dead in life, buried by transgressions, wandering the course of this perverse world. You were the offspring of the prince of the power of air — oh, how he owned you, just as he still controls those living in disobedience. I’m not talking about the outsiders alone; we were all guilty of falling headlong for the persuasive passions of this world; we all have had our fill of indulging the flesh and mind, obeying impulses to follow perverse thoughts motivated by dark powers. As a result, our natural inclinations led us to be children of wrath, just like the rest of humankind. But God, with the unfathomable richness of His love and mercy focused on us, united us with the Anointed One and infused our lifeless souls with life — even though we were buried under mountains of sin — and saved us by His grace. He raised us up with Him and seated us in the heavenly realms with our beloved Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King. He did this for a reason: so that for all eternity we will stand as a living testimony to the incredible riches of His grace and kindness that He freely gives to us by uniting us with Jesus the Anointed. For it’s by God’s grace that you have been saved. You receive it through faith. It was not our plan or our effort. It is God’s gift, pure and simple. You didn’t earn it, not one of us did, so don’t go around bragging that you must have done something amazing. For we are the product of His hand, heaven’s poetry etched on lives, created in the Anointed, Jesus, to accomplish the good works God arranged long ago. (Ephesians 2:1-10) Response in Prayer O Father, thank You for Your glorious and amazing grace. Thank You, Jesus, for paying the price to give me this grace. I thank You for this new life of purpose and meaning. I praise You for the power of the Holy Spirit to make me new and empower me to a lifestyle like Yours. I long for my future of eternal glory with You. I praise and thank You. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.