Author: Sis Mhay

Scripture : John 10:10

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

The Devil’s Purpose vs The Lord’s Purpose

There are two different persons who take interest in our lives, the devil and the Lord Jesus. These persons have their own purposes respectively. The devil, whom the Lord calls a thief, comes to steal and to kill and to destroy, whereas the Lord Jesus comes that we may have life and this life is not just ordinary life, but abundant life. The devil wants to take this life and everything that we have received or may receive from the Lord.

The Devil Comes to Steal, to Kill and to Destroy The Word

“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” (Mark 4:3-8)

“The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;  and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,  and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” (Mark 4:14-20)

The Lord Jesus calls the devil a thief not by accident. It describes his personality. He likes to steal, to take away what does not belong to him. What does he like steal from our lives? Many things, such as the peace of God, the joy of the Lord, the material blessings, etc. But, one thing he goes after the most because it is the most precious thing, that is, the Word of God. Described in the parable of the sower as the birds of the air that come and devour the seed which is sown, the devil comes immediately and takes away the word that is sown in our hearts (Mark 4:4,15). The devil is always going to try to steal the word of God every time it is sown. But if he fails to do so, he is going to use his second strategy, which is direct attack of the sown word, using tribulation, persecution or temptation (Mark 4:17, Luk 8:13). This attack is his attempt to kill the word. Like a thief who fails to steal without violence, he would turn into rage like a roaring lion to kill (1 Pet 5:8). Still, if he doesn’t succeed in killing the word of God in our lives, the devil will use his ultimate and most successful strategy. Many people have become its casualties. This strategy seems harmless at the beginning, but it is destructive and deadly at the end. What is this strategy? He sows his own seed into our hearts in the form of cares, riches and pleasures of this life. These are legitimate things, but when they occupy our lives, they will destroy and choke the word in our hearts (Mark 4:19, Luke 8:14).

Abundant Life Is in The Word

The key to the abundant life that the Lord Jesus promised is the word of God. As we receive His word into our hearts, that word will multiply thirty fold, sixty fold and a hundred fold (Mrk 4:20). This multiple fold is the abundant life. But, for us to experience this, we must be able to stand against the devil who always walks about trying to steal, to kill and to destroy the word in our lives.

Scriptures : Matthew 8:23-24

“Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.”

“Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” (Mat 8:25-26)

“But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.” (Mat 14:24-25)

From the passages above, the Lord Jesus showed His glory as the Son of God in three ways :

1. He could sleep in the midst of a great tempest and waves. He is the Prince of peace.

2. He rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. He is the Ruler of nature.

3. He walked on the raging sea. He is More than a conqueror. 

Can we sleep in a boat in the midst of a great tempest and the boat is covered with the waves of the sea? I think none of us can. But Jesus could. Why? Not because He is God, but because as a Man He has become the Prince of Peace. He has learned to always have the peace of God that surpasses all understanding rule in His heart. Likewise, as a son of God, everyone of us must learn to become a prince of peace. Everyone of us must learn to have the peace that surpasses understanding rule in our heart when we are in the midst of a great tempest in our lives.

The people who do not know God will only feel peaceful when the situation around them is peaceful. And they will lose their peace when the situation around them is not peaceful. But, the people who know God should know how to have peace even when the situation around them is not peaceful. How? By not focusing the mind on the situation, but on the Lord Jesus, the Prince of peace. Prophet Isaiah wrote, “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isa 26:3)

When the situation around you is not peaceful but you have peace in your heart, then you have the power to change the situation around you. You do not need to change the situation around you so that you can have peace in your heart, but you may need  to do it so that people around you can have peace in their hearts. Jesus rebuked the great tempest and the wave of the sea when He was in the boat, not for His own sake but for His disciples’ sake. He was in peace, but His disciples were fearful. So, He calmed the tempest and the sea for them.

Many believers try to calm the unpeaceful situation around them, but they fail. Why? Because they are not peaceful in their hearts. It is not possible to calm the situation around us if we cannot be calm in the midst of unpeaceful situation. We must have peace in our hearts first before we can bring peace to the situation around us. Jesus had been sleeping peacefully in the midst of the great tempest and wave of the sea before He calmed the tempest and the wave.

What God really wants from us as believers in Him is not just to stay calm in the midst of a great tempest or to calm great waves of the sea but to walk on a raging sea in the midst of a great tempest. Yes, we need to stay calm in the midst of unpeaceful situation around us. Yes, many times we also need to calm the unpeaceful situation around us for the sake of others. But, ultimately we need to be more than a conqueror in the midst of unpeaceful situation. We need to be able to demonstrate the glory of the supernatural realm in our lives, like Jesus walking on the water of a raging sea.

We are in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic. The first thing that we need to have in the midst of this covid-19 outbreak is peace in our hearts even though the situation around us brings fear. The next thing that we need to do is bring peace to the people around us who are fearful because of the covid-19 outbreak. But ultimately, we must be able to be with the people who are infected by covid-19 without being infected. Instead, we must be able to heal them supernaturally by the power of God.

When we can be calm in the midst of unpeaceful situation, it shows that the glory of God is in us. When we can calm the unpeaceful situation around us, it shows that the glory of God is around us. When we can do the impossible thing in the midst of unpeaceful situation, it shows that we are more than conquerors and the glory of God is full in our lives. The apostle Paul wrote, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Cor 3:18)

Scriptures: Matthew 7: 7-8

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

How can we pray effectively? How can we pray that will bring answer from God? We must pray according to the principles laid out by God Himself in the Holy Scripture. These principles do not concern about outward things, such as where and when we should pray or what we should say in our prayers, etc, but  about inward things, such as the state or attitude of our heart when we pray.

One of the most important principles of prayer is ask, seek and knock.  This principle was declared by the Lord Jesus Himself when He said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8) Asking, seeking and knocking are three different states or attitudes of the heart that we must have when we pray to God.

1. Ask.

Asking implies dependence. Like little children who depends on their parents for everything, we depend on God for everything. When we ask something from God, it means we acknowledge that we cannot get it by ourselves and only God can give it to us.

2. Seeking.

Seeking implies desire. When little children ask for something they really want, they ask with a strong desire. Likewise, when we ask something from God, we should not just ask, but we should ask it with a strong desire.

3. Knocking.

Knocking implies perseverance. When we knock on the heaven’s door, we will not stop until it is open for us. We will keep on asking until we receive what we ask for.

In applying this principle of asking, seeking and knocking, we must not do it to force our will to God it is not as a form, but rather as a response to the generous and loving heart of God. The Lord Jesus said, “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:9-11)

This principle of asking, seeking and knocking principle will be even more powerful if we apply it according to the will of God. We do not pray for our will but for the will of God to be done in us. If we pray according to the will of God, we will have an assurance in our heart that we have received what we have prayed for before we actually receive it (1 John 5: 14-15)

There is power in the blood of Jesus and there is power in the name of Jesus in our warfare against the devil. It is written, “And they overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb,” (Rev 12:11) and, “In My name they will cast out demons;” (Mark 16:17) The question is when do we use the blood of Jesus and when do we use the name of Jesus against the devil? Does the blood of Jesus and the name of Jesus have the same power over the devil that we can use either of them?

The blood of Jesus is the blood of redemption. We were the slaves of the devil. But by the blood of Jesus we were redeemed and set free from that enslavement. The apostle Peter wrote, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Pet 1:18-19) So, whenever we want to remind the devil that we are no longer his slave, that he cannot own our lives anymore, we use the blood of Jesus.

It is written, “For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.” (Exo 12:23) When the destroyer passed through the houses in the land of Egypt to strike every firstborn there, the Lord would not allow him to come to the houses of the children of Israel where the blood of the lamb was put on the lintel and on the two doorposts. The blood of the lamb is their protection from the destroyer. Likewise, the blood of Jesus is our protection from the devil who comes only to steal, to kill and destroy (John 10:10).

The name of Jesus is the name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus everyone will be subjected, every knee will bow. The apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,” (Phi 2:9-10) So whenever we want to make the devil be subjected to us, we use the name of Jesus. The seventy disciples who were sent by the Lord Jesus to preach the kingdom of God returned to Him with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” (Luk 10:17)

It is written, “And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My- Banner;  for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” (Exo 17:15-16) Moses built an altar, calling its name Jehovah Nissi (The Lord is My Banner of Victory), because the Lord had sworn that He would make war with Amalek from generation to generation until the remembrance of Amalek is utterly blot out from under the heaven. In like manner, God has sworn that He will make war with the devil and his demons from generation to generation until their remembrance  is utterly blot out from under the heaven and has given us the name of Jesus as a surety of victory over them.

The Lord Jesus said that one of the signs of those who believe in Him is they will cast out demons in His name (Mark 16:17). Casting out demons means commanding the demons to go out or go away. And, to cast out demons we use the name of Jesus because the name of Jesus carries God’s authority in heaven and on earth over all the demonic power. Demons are afraid in terror and are subject to that name.

What is the difference between the blood of Jesus and the name of Jesus as the weapon of warfare against the devil? The blood of Jesus is like the shield and the name of Jesus is like the sword. The shield is the weapon of defense or protection whereas the sword is the weapon of offense or attack. We use the blood of Jesus to protect us from the devil and we use the name of Jesus to resist the devil so that he will flee from us or to destroy his works.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Eph 6:11) If we want to fully overcome the devil we must use both the blood of Jesus and the name of Jesus. The blood of Jesus is our shield so that the devil cannot hurt us by his weapons and the name of Jesus is our sword so that the devil cannot get close to us. Every time we use the blood of Jesus we are fully covered and protected from the devil. Every time we use the name of Jesus we hurt the devil and make him flee from us.

How do we use the blood of Jesus and the name of Jesus as the weapons of our warfare against the devil? By the spirit of faith. The apostle Paul wrote, “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak.” (2 Cor 4:13) We proclaim the blood of Jesus over our lives to the devil and we rebuke the devil in the name of Jesus. We do not always have to speak with our mouth to use the blood of Jesus against the devil. Simply believing in our heart is often enough. However, we must always speak with our mouth to use the name of Jesus against the devil.

Scriptures : Luke 9:51-56

” Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them. ” And they went to another village. ”                   

On one occasion, the Lord Jesus and His disciples went and entered a village of the Samaritans on their way to Jerusalem. But the people of the village did not receive them because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. Two of His disciples, James and John saw this and felt offended. They reacted and asked the Lord if He wanted them to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them. But He turned and rebuked them. Instead of reacting like His disciples, the Lord Jesus responded that He did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them. In this story, we see that when bad things happen to people, they can either react or respond. The Lord Jesus and His disciples were rejected. The disciples reacted, whereas the Lord responded.

What is really the difference between a reaction and a response? Both a reaction and a response are a course of action taken by us because something happens to us first, especially something bad or negative. Now, the difference is a reaction comes from an unprepared disposition, thus it is always uncontrolled; whereas a response comes from a prepared disposition, thus it is always controlled. Like when we are given a certain medication, it is expected that our body will give a certain response, not a certain reaction because that would be negative. When the body reacts, we know that it is not prepared for that particular medication.

The disciples felt offended by the rejection from the people in the Samaritan village because they were not prepared for that. They could not believe there were people who would reject their Lord. They reacted angrily because they did not understand the purpose of His coming into this world. The Lord Jesus, on the other hand, knew that people would reject him. But, since He understood the purpose of His coming into the world, He responded calmly.

We have seen that whether we are going to react or respond when we experience a negative situation depends on whether we have an unprepared or prepared disposition. Now, our disposition is the product of our mindset. If we have the right mindset for any given situation, we will never react. Instead, we will always respond. The right mindset is the mindset which comes from the Word of God because it is the mindset of God. This mindset will allow us to respond to a situation the way God wants us to respond.

The word of God gives us the right mindset for any situation that we face or experience. For example, when we are going through a situation that we do not understand, if we have the mindset of Rom 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”, we can still be calm because we believe that all things work together for good to us who love God who are the called according to His purpose. Another example is when we have the mindset of Jms 1:2-4, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing”, we will rejoice instead of despairing when we fall into various trials and temptations.

God will always prepare us before we are about to experience adverse circumstances or difficult situations. He will give us His mindset to help us to respond rightly when bad things happen to us. He will do it either through the Word of God we receive directly from God ourselves or indirectly through others. The Holy Spirit always prepared the apostle Paul by testifying in every city that chains and tribulation awaited him (Acts 20:23). On one occasion, God used a certain prophet named Agabus to reveal to Paul as he was on his way to Jerusalem that the Jews there would bind him and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles (Acts 21:11). When the people who were with Paul heard these things, they reacted and pleaded with him not to go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:12). However, Paul had his mindset already prepared. For him, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Phi 1:21). Thus, he responded that he was ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 21:13).

God wants us to learn to respond and not to react when bad things happen to us. Now, what must we do if in any situation of our life, we have already reacted instead of responding? The answer is we must reset our mindset according to the Word of God. Reset here means repentance (from reacting) followed by the renewal of the mind (to have a new mindset so that we can respond correctly). As we stop reacting and begin to respond to the situation correctly, the Lord will make all things work together for our good (Rom 8:28).