EPHESIANS 6 TAKE UP THE SHIELD OF FAITH!

November 13

EPHESIANS 6

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

                                                                                                                                    – Ephesians 6:10-17

EPHESIANS 6 TAKE UP THE SHIELD OF FAITH!

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you were chosen by God to be part of his kingdom

You were given the gift of believing in Him and in his Son

He gave you a full armor to arm yourself from the devil’s tactics

Faith was granted to you so you can be protected from Satan’s tricks

Included in this shield is the belt of truth and the shoes of peace

Alongside with the helmet of salvation and the sword of God’s word

So, always take up the shield of faith so you will discern what is evil

So that the devil can’t deceive you or manipulate your sinful nature.

Why do people never recognize the devil’s tricks and tactics? Many unbelievers or false Christians do not truly believe that the devil exists. They perceive them just like someone who looks like a red-faced character, who comes and whispers to you to do what is sinful. If you know the Lord Jesus Christ and if you are a true believer, you know that this is how the world perceives Satan because he is actually the ruler of this world. He is the great manipulator and father of lies and confusion and the prince of darkness. So, he wouldn’t want to be known and discovered or else, he can no longer play tricks on humans. In Ezekiel 28, Satan was described to be one of the most beautiful cherubs that used to be part of the heavens but began to be so in love with his own beauty and gifts. He became proud of his beauty and corrupted his own wisdom given to him by God. So, he was thrown out of the heavens to the earth beneath. So, most of Satan’s trick is to lie to us about how God made us and twist it to go against God. He was mad that he lost his beauty and wisdom. He wants to steal all the things we were given by God to prove that he is in control.

God provided us with faith to shield anything that would entice us to go with the world view of Satan. It is our shield against all evil forces. We ought to use it to protect us from falling into Satan’s traps.

REFLECTION

  • How could we be more aware of our faith as our protection against evil forces?

MARK 11 BELIEVE YOUR PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED ALREADY

November 12

MARK 11

20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” – Mark 11:20-25

MARK 11 BELIEVE YOUR PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED ALREADY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you request God for something, you ought to have faith

You won’t get answered if you just speak out prayers that are rote

Asking without believing will not have power to your prayers

It is only an act of the mouth but the heart is left and dismissed

Without faith, you are like the waves being tossed and blown by the wind

It goes here and there and which results in a double-minded unstable way

Believe that your prayers are answered already as you are praying

Then you will receive what it is that you are pleading for or requesting.

Many people have a wrong notion of prayer. They think that prayer is like a slot machine where you put in the coin in the machine and it will spew out what you want from it. Others think that it is like writing Santa Claus a letter of their wishes and the request will be delivered to their chimneys. Some people pray out of desperation but without humility, so they approach God in a depressed and unbelieving state. Then they wonder why their prayers were unanswered. Some believers also pray faithlessly. Have you ever heard some Christians say “Oh, then if we can’t do something about it, then the last resort is to pray so God can solve our problems.” What a joke! There is nothing in the bible that teaches us that this is the right way to approach God in prayer.

The book of James tells us that we don’t get what we ask for in prayer because we don’t ask in faith and we ask for things that are only pleasurable to us. He also focuses on the power of prayer of a fervent and righteous person. Prayers of faith are full of power and it can heal and forgive the sins of those whom they pray for. So, ask yourself why your prayers cannot heal and why it doesn’t have power. It must be lacking in faith and you haven’t probably visualized that you already received it as Mark tells us in this account.

There is one thing else that Mark adds to the formula of a powerful prayer in verse 25. He says that whenever you pray, make sure that you have no unforgiveness in your heart so that the prayer will be following what Jesus sampled us to do. We have to forgive others’ sin against us in reverence to God.

REFLECTION

·       Share some insights how prayers of faith can truly be effective and powerful.

2 CORINTHIANS 5 WALK BY FAITH & NOT BY SIGHT

November 11

2 CORINTHIANS 5

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it onwe may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.– 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

2 CORINTHIANS 5 WALK BY FAITH & NOT BY SIGHT

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

We were saved by the Lord Jesus Christ when he died on the cross

Though we still live in our bodies that are corrupted by this world

We are also with him in the heavens as we are being purified

Let us not lose hope and walk by faith instead of by sight

Let us continue to believe in the power of God Almighty

Though things seem bleak or hopeless in our lives

To give in to our flesh will keep us in a state of faithlessness

To walk by faith will keep us focused on all God’s promises.

Paul is revealing to the church in Corinth how to walk by faith and not rely on what their eyes are limited to see. What Paul is explaining to the believers is that while they are still living in their bodies (while they are still alive) they will not totally be in the presence of God. Because spiritual things are not witnessed by our eyes, it is hard for these new believers in Christ to believe that they will be resurrected like Christ was. This message to the Corinthian church who are well- known for their earthly view of things was clearly referred to in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 where Paul calls the believers in this church as carnal or fleshly. He could not speak to them in a spiritual context since there were “babies in their faith.” In other words, they process everything according to what they see or experience. Just like babies, they haven’t developed a trust and dependence on the Lord yet because they haven’t grown and developed a knowledge of the Lord. Paul points out to them that if they focus on the physical things they see, they will not have that faith to see what they are not witnessing.

The main cause of unbelief is an immature view of the character and promises of God. This is why it is essential for all believers to keep on walking in faith so that they can mature as believers.

REFLECTION

·       What is needed for new believers to walk by faith and not by sight?

GALATIANS 2 JUSTIFIED BY FAITH NOT BY LAW

November 10

GALATIANS 2

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justifiedby works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousnesswere through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. – Galatians 2:15-21

GALATIANS 2 JUSTIFIED BY FAITH NOT BY LAW

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When we became children of God, we were justified

Christ erased our tendency to continue our old sinful life

By his sacrifice, we are able to be given a clean slate with God

Without faith, we will continue to live a life that is dead

It is through faith that we can truly be righteous and sanctified

Without believing in God, we cannot truly be holy and purified

It is only God’s choice that we are given the gift of faith

Nothing we do will ever be able to free us from God’s wrath.

It is interesting how Paul explains in this letter that we were justified not by the law but by faith. Imagine that God is the judge in a courtroom and we were going to be given a verdict on our lawlessness against his laws. When the children of God were given commandments to follow, it was not for God’s benefit since he didn’t need anything, but for our own benefit. There is always a consequence from disobedience to a command laid out for us to follow. We deserved punishment for breaking the law and we were given a penalty to pay for such sins.

Justification works in such a way that Jesus Christ becomes the one who bailed us out and even pays for the penalty of our sins. Through Jesus’ work on the cross, the punishment (verdict) which was the wrath of God was lightened by the perfect payment from Jesus’ death on the cross. But there is a caveat to this payment, we need to believe that he was the one who paid for our sin debt and not us. If we believe in his perfect sacrifice, we will receive the promise of the crown of life to those who receive this faith that he has granted to those whom he has chosen. It is not through following the law that leads us to be saved, but it is in believing that the work of Christ on the cross is perfect and finished. There is no need to add to it because it is the only one that God accepts. No human being can contribute to appease God’s wrath but Jesus Christ alone.

REFLECTION

·       What did God replace the laws with when Jesus Christ came to save mankind?

MATTHEW 17 FAITHLESS PEOPLE ARE POWERLESS

November 9

MATTHEW 17

14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demonand it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”– Matthew 17:14-20

MATTHEW 17 FAITHLESS PEOPLE ARE POWERLESS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you have no faith, there is nothing you can do

Faith is the channel from which God works on you

Without it, you will not be able to heal or change

Only in your faith in the Lord can you know the truth

If you have unbelief, you will be helpless and powerless

The power of God cannot work on those who are faithless

But if you have faith even just like a grain of mustard seed

You can even move a mountain from its original place.

In this account we hear Jesus confront his own disciples with their faithlessness. Their lack of faith hindered them from healing that boy who was having seizures. You can hear Jesus’ frustration over his disciples’ faithlessness when he said ““O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?” Doesn’t that sound like someone who has been let down? It must have been almost the end of the three years of Jesus’ ministry that they have been taught and guided by Jesus and yet they still have very little faith. Despite the miracles and signs that they have witnessed, they still had unbelief. I empathize with Jesus’ frustration. As a teacher it was such a let down when my students do not even take seriously the lessons that I have patiently taught them for the time you were their mentor. As a parent, you feel let down when your teenage kids would not trust or depend on your wisdom regarding the right course of life they need to follow for their own sake.

Jesus further explained to his disciples why they weren’t able to heal the boy suffering from seizures. They lacked faith. Then the Lord patiently explained that they only needed to have faith just as small as a grain of mustard seed and they can have power to command even a mountain to move its location wherever they direct it to go.

REFLECTION

  • Share some insights on people who claim they are Christians but have no active faith at all.
  • What are some indications that a believer manifests active faith?

1 CORINTHIANS 2 FAITH IN GOD NOT IN HUMAN

November 8

1 CORINTHIANS 2

And I, when I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimonyof God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of menbut in the power of God.6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him. – 1 Corinthians 2:1-9

1 CORINTHIANS 2 FAITH IN GOD NOT IN HUMAN

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you trust in your own understanding regularly

You will most likely not have a dependence on God Almighty

As long as you rely on humans and in your own abilities

It will be difficult to grow your faith and develop maturity

If you trust and believe that God is the only source of faith

You will not strive but find peace and satisfaction in your life

The Lord wants his people to run to him for all things

He alone can bring you assurance, comfort, joy and peace.

Do you ever wonder why God stipulated so many laws that prohibit us from having idols? Because God is a jealous God and wants his people to treat him as the only source of all things and is the provider of all our needs, he expects his chosen ones to be loyal and put their trust in him alone. In this account, Paul gives us the meaning of faith that should only come from God himself. He doesn’t want his people to trust their own thinking or abilities in such a way that they will rely on it or on anything that will hinder them from depending on Him alone.

Paul began this letter with the proclamation of the testimony of God, not with lofty speech or wisdom but by allowing the Spirit to do all the works and being used by him to bring about as simply as possible the message of faith to the believers. We can easily add our own ideas or present the truth in a way that we think we can impress others, but the truth can speak for itself and it doesn’t need to be enhanced. When we try to add our abilities, gifts or strengths in the declaration of the gospel, we are actually idolizing these things. The believer needed to be a channel or the vessel for the Holy Spirit to work his way on convicting other people’s hearts and increasing their knowledge and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It becomes self-promotion and faith in the “self” rather than in the power of the Lord. As believers, we must never get in the way of the Spirit’s work of increasing the faith in all those whom God elected.

REFLECTION

  • Cites instances how faith in humans rather than in God is so clearly evident in our world today.

ROMANS 10 FAITH COMES FROM HEARING GOD’S WORD

November 7

ROMANS 10

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed, they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” 19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” 21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” – Romans 10:14-21

ROMANS 10 FAITH COMES FROM HEARING GOD’S WORD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

How did you come to believe in Jesus Christ?

Didn’t you hear it from a preacher at a point in your life?

Or have you come across the gospel from His word?

You could have faith only if you were chosen by God

Or you will still not know the Lord and hear his Spirit

Faith comes from hearing God’s word and receiving it

Without hearing the truth, faith is almost impossible

It is a gift given by God to all whom he has elected.

In this letter to the Romans, Paul explains to the believers the importance of hearing God’s word which leads to the invitation of God to receive the gift of faith which he gives to those whom he has chosen. It is interesting how some people think that faith comes from their own will, but it is clearly stated in this account that faith originates from God and its channel is through the truth that comes alone from his Word. How we come to know the Lord is if we either heard it preached, taught or read from the bible.

I was raised as a Catholic but never really read the bible up until I was in my late twenties. Although I have heard stories about Jesus since I was in kindergarten and started writing to Jesus daily as a result being emotionally unloved and neglected, I felt invisible and no one guided me about the gospel, but somehow, there was a small voice in my heart that knew he was present for me. So, began writing him daily since age 7, but I never heard the bible read, preached or explained to me except in some readings in church during Sunday mass. I was in my 50s when I began to read insatiably and hungrily the bible after my divorce with my first husband. I never stopped longing for God since then.

Paul explains the importance of hearing or preaching of the gospel in order for us to receive the faith given to those who were elected by God to be part of his people.

REFLECTION

·       What is untrue when we think faith is just something we can believe from our own will?

EPHESIANS 2 THE GIFT OF FAITH

November 6

EPHESIANS 2

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the courseof this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 ButGod, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:1-10

EPHESIANS 2 THE GIFT OF FAITH

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When God chose his own people, he poured out his grace

With the outpouring you received salvation through the gift of faith

If you were not given this gift, you won’t be able to receive it

We can only say yes to believe in Christ when we were given his Spirit

No one can boast that he has faith because it only comes from God

Nobody can produce faith as it is only given to those who are elect

It is only by the grace and sovereignty of God that you were chosen

Do not ever think that you deserved any of it or that you can achieve it.

There are so many misnomers about what faith is. Some people think that it comes from the will of the individual. Others think that it comes from their emotions. Others think that it comes from their own abilities to gauge whether it will benefit them or not. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines faith as something that is believed as with a strong conviction. From this definition, it makes sense to think that it is the will of the person that is the root or source of the faith. Another definition from this dictionary says it is complete trust in something or someone. From this other definition, we could say that it is a form of relinquishing one’s will to someone or something else. In other words, to give the thing you believe in the power to control you. No wonder, many cults are able to generate blind following of their beliefs. These definitions are from the world. True faith is not at all these concepts.

Paul defines faith in this account as a gift given to us by God through his grace. God gave his chosen people faith as a channel so that they can continually live holy lives. Faith makes us receive the new life that Jesus gave us when he sacrificed his own life for our reconciliation with God. Faith makes us hope for those promises that God gave his own people. It makes us rely and trust God even in trials.  

REFLECTION

·       What does this account on faith show the difference from the world view of faith?

MATTHEW 21 FAITH MAKES THE IMPOSSIBLE TRANSPIRE

November 5

Matthew 21

18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”– Matthew 21:18-22

MATTHEW 21 FAITH MAKES THE IMPOSSIBLE TRANSPIRE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you think beyond the box, you can imagine the impossible

God gave us a mind that is not fearful but is sound and powerful

When you pray, do not have doubts so you can receive your requests

Without faith, nothing you hope for will ever be answered or granted

With faith you can bring to life what is dead and what is lifeless

And without it, you will live a life of confusion and fruitlessness

As you believe in the power of God, you share in that same power

Your faith is the only way you can win and make the devil cower.

In this gospel of Matthew, we are given a clear picture of the power of faith. This account narrates the event when the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to the fig tree by the wayside as they passed by it. He commanded it to wither since it has not been fruitful but just produced leaves instead. It reminds me of these other verses in the bible about fruitlessness and not abiding in Christ: John 15:6 -Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. John 15:2 – 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. Matthew 3:10- Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. What Jesus did to the fig tree symbolizes believers or any man who is fruitless in their deeds, they deserve to be burned or annihilated as Jesus withered the fig tree. It is a consequence of the uselessness of God’s people. They live a dead life.

Faith as emphasized here shows us its power. In verse 21, Jesus himself challenges his disciples to exercise faith so that they can also manifest its power just like he did in commanding that fig tree to wither and die. He further gave them another example of how even mountains can be moved by the power of faith. Of course, this is a figurative speech that explains that anything is possible if you have faith. Prayers without faith can do nothing. As the book of James says in 1:6-8 if we don’t ask in faith, we have a double-mind and are very unstable just like the waves of the sea blown by the wind. If we have no faith, we need not expect anything from God.

REFLECTION

·       Why do people still not apply faith as they pray or hope for something despite its power?

1 JOHN 5 FAITH OVERCOMES THE WORLD

November 4

1 JOHN 5

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.  – 1 John 5:1-12

1 JOHN 5 FAITH OVERCOMES THE WORLD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If we were given the gift to believe that Jesus is the Son of God

And if we trust that his sacrifice on the cross will save us

There is nothing in the world that can lure us to be deceived

To accept that gift of faith is shown in obeying God’s commands

It is to recognize that without faith, we are going to be defeated

Faith is the only weapon we have against the devil’s devices

When we strongly believe that God is our only protection

We will surely overcome the lies and triumph over temptations.

In this account, the Lord reveals to John his beloved disciple how to overcome the world. In our humanity, we think that to triumph over the devil is to yell or call him out. The more we rely on our own strategies to win over this corrupt world, the more we will fail. The Lord gives us a clear guideline and a step-by-step process to be overcomers. We do not use physical and mental faculties to fight with spiritual unseen forces, but we apply our faith and the truth to eradicate these strongholds that are built by the devil to hinder us from believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 10:10, we are told that the purpose of the devil is to steal, kill and destroy us at any cost, while Jesus’ goal is to give us life and live it to the fullest. In this account, we are given the blueprint to win over the systems and corruption of the world. Before we can follow the steps, we need to be chosen by God himself. With that election, we are given the gift of faith. We need to keep that faith active and alive as we continually love others, especially the people of God. With the truth given to us in God’s word plus our faith, nothing can destroy us at all.

REFLECTION

  • Why do some believers fail to triumph over temptations to sin?