Devo Week 14 - Discerning the Unseen Realm
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” Matt.10:16
Cleansing the Temple - From a Place to a Person
To bloom wherever you are planted brings worship and geography together, just as God intended. Indeed, He has determined the specific times and places where we live and is not far from any one of us. (Acts 17:24-28) We worship God everywhere, but specifically in the place He has put us. There, our roots grow deep and in time we produce fruit. This is also where we are the greatest threat to the kingdom of darkness.
WHO IS FOR US
In the shift from the Old Testament (OT) to the New Testament (NT), Jesus has poured out His Holy Spirit upon all flesh. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit may be the biggest difference between the OT and NT. (John 14:16-17) God is for us – body, soul and spirit -- in this transition from the Old to the New.
Under the OT, God’s presence was revered in the Holy of Holies and the ark of the Covenant. In the NT, God has chosen humanity to be His dwelling place. Jesus has poured out the Holy Spirit to indwell and make us His temple, both individually and corporately. (Eph. 2:19-22; I Cor. 6:19- 20) We worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24), and our center of worship shifts to the person of Jesus. And so, we can see God is fully committed to His presence among all nations. (Rev. 5:9-10)
WHO IS AGAINST US
Our adversary wants us to focus upon material things and to think that church buildings are the dwelling place of God. None of the structures we build are the habitation of God. God made all nations in His image and to be His dwelling place by the Holy Spirit. God inhabits His people, not temples made by human hands, as Stephen reminds us in Acts 7:48.
This is the battle of discipleship: to cultivate and guard the presence of God in our lives. It is important that we do not grieve, resist or quench the work of the Holy Spirit. The key to overcoming in this spiritual battle is our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. We can overcome the work of the enemy in our lives by simply ‘keeping in step with His Spirit.’ (Gal. 5:25)
PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL BREAKTHROUGH
Lord, thank you for your wonderful plan for all nations through Jesus Christ! Help us guard our hearts, being sensitive to Your Holy Spirit and not grieving Him. We want to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and give Him full reign in our lives. Increase our discernment to resist the evil one. As we do, Lord, fill and overflow us with the power and glory of Your presence by the Holy Spirit. In Your Son’s name we pray, Amen.