Day 7: Over spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms
[God] worked in Christ [His mighty power] when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come (Ephesians 1:20-21 - NKJV).
Our Father in heaven, great are You and mighty in power; Your understanding is infinite (Psalm 147:5 - NKJV). You have put all things under the feet of our Lord Christ (Ephesians 1:22).
You have not chosen to give us all the details about the control of the evil one in this world (1 John 5:19), but You have given us the certainty, the assurance, and the evidence that You are God, and there is none above You (Psalm 86:8). You accredited the Lord Jesus Christ in His identity as the Son of God (Acts 2:22), and You declared Him Head over every power and authority (Colossians 2:10).
In His amazing sacrifice in our place, He canceled all that humans had ceded to the powers and authorities when sin, disobedience, and death entered the world (Romans 5:12-19): And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:15).
Yet while we remain in this human realm, we still face a formidable adversary (1 Peter 5:8). And knowing that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12)—our Lord asked You to protect us from the evil one (John 17:15). In answer You provided us unbreachable security in the might of our Lord—with an instruction to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power... (Ephesians 6:10).
Father, the battle is fierce all around us. We contend in the spiritual realm for our families, for our communities, for our world, for each other, for Your church. Give us unfaltering courage and unwavering confidence in the power of Jesus. Help us to remain dressed in every piece of the impenetrable armor of God, [praying] in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Ephesians 6:11, 13-18).
Help us to find strength, O Lord, in Your incredible, amazing grace—grace that has already lifted us to share in Your triumph over the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms:
God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6-7).
We echo the heartfelt gratitude of the apostle Paul, Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).
Strong to meet the foe, marching on we go,
While our cause we know must prevail;
Shield and banner bright, gleaming in the light,
Battling for the right we ne’er can fail.
~ William F. Sherwin ~ Published 1869
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