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Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations[help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words],baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19 Amplified Bible) When you think about the person (or people) who showed you what it looked like to follow Jesus, who comes to mind? What behaviors or practices we...
Keep ReadingWhen they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubtedAnd surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:17, 20 In October 2020 the following email exchange (edited for brevity) took place between our Connect Devotional editor, Brian, and myself about writing for the team: Brian: C'mon, give it a go. What's the worst that could happen...? Jessica: ...
Keep ReadingThen the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and te...
Keep ReadingPaul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months,arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God (Acts 19:8). When we hear the word authority, we tend to picture presidents, military generals, CEOs, professors, pastors, theologians, experts and the like. Since most of us are not any of those, we can think that this whole idea of having spiritual power in e...
Keep ReadingActs 19:8-20 I hate snakes. They're my number one phobia, and I prefer to have absolutely nothing to do with them. Kids bring home a book about snakes from the library? Daddy will read that one to you. Snake exhibit at the zoo? I'll wait outside. Seeing a snake in the wild? That's me running in the opposite direction! Listen, I know snakes are around, but we have an unsp...
Keep ReadingAndhe entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading themabout the kingdom of God.But when some became stubborn andcontinued in unbelief, speaking evil ofthe Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the discipleswith him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.This continued fortwo years, so thatall the residents of As...
Keep ReadingBut some of them [listening to Paul] became obstinate; they refused to believeand publicly maligned the Way.Acts 19:9 For two weeks, we've been examining what it means to have spiritual authority as well as how to exercise it. Since Jesus has shared this authority with us, it's not too much of a stretch to suggest we're being disobedient if we're not using this authority....
Keep ReadingSome Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?...
Keep ReadingTherefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to al...
Keep ReadingAnd that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no weekend war that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death...
Keep ReadingPut on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.(Ephesians 6:11) When Paul exhorts the Ephesian church (and, by extension, all Christians) to "put on the full armor of God," I remember my graduate school days when I was on the fencing team. Arming myself against my opponent was critical. Mask to protect my face and neck, check. Wel...
Keep ReadingAnd pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind,be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people (Ephesians 6:18). I was recently encouraged by a friend to commit to the 45-day prayer challenge. She was prompted to do it because she had heard some miraculous stories of amazing things that God did through other...
Keep ReadingFor our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and againstthe spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). Are we in a war? Not the guns-and-bombs-and-tanks kind of war, but a war that can accurately be characterized as "spiritual"? Paul certainly thought so. But ...
Keep Reading"But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."" (Luke 7:7-8). Life just got in the way. I've used that phrase a lot. I was excited to get together with friends this week, but life just g...
Keep ReadingLuke 7:1-10 About a month ago, I was driving home one night after babysitting; it was only around 7:30 pm, but it was pitch black outside. I crossed over a small bridge and noticed two people sitting there, one of them obviously in some sort of distress, and the other with their arm wrapped around the hurting one. I could not stop, but the situation was tugging at my hear...
Keep ReadingTaken aback, Jesus addressed the accompanying crowd:"I've yet to come acrossthis kind of simple trust anywhere in Israel " (Luke 7:9, MSG) I was drum major of my high school marching band, and for my teenage self that role was simultaneously exhilarating and anxiety producing. All eyes were on me. My own anxiety and what I picked up from others on the sideline before tak...
Keep Reading"But say the word, and my servant will be healed."Luke 7:7b So let's talk about authority (the right and ability to control someone or something). If you're under authority, how do you feel about that? If you wield authority, how effective are you? You see, parents have the authority to put their babies in the crib to sleep, but they certainly can't make them sleep (witho...
Keep ReadingLord, say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority,with soldiers under me. I tell this one, "Go," and he goes; and that one, "Come," and he comes.I say to my servant, "Do this," and he does it. When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him,and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faitheven...
Keep ReadingJesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges,...
Keep ReadingJesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach. Mark 3:13-14 I used to live by keeping all the different parts of my life in their separate worlds. I had my work, family, and faith worlds, as well as numerous others. I invented my own univers...
Keep ReadingJesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. (Mark 3:13-15) Have you wished you had the power or authority to affect the spiritual environment in the places ...
Keep ReadingJesus appointed twelve - designating them apostles - that they might be with Himand that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.Mark 3:14 Jesus couldn't be everywhere physically during his three years of public ministry. If His message is to spread further abroad, He needs help, so after a night of prayer (Luke 6:12), He chooses twelve ...
Keep ReadingJesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.Mark 3:13 [Editor's Note: Happy New Year! Your devotional writing team is back, refreshed and ready for a new sermon series: Spiritual Power in Everyday Places, highlighting the spiritual authority of the believer. First, though, we're focusing on Jesus calling His twelve apostles (Mar...
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