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Closing the Gap 6.28.18

Week 25 Day 4

Pray:

Ask God to reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.

Read:

Matt. 6:9-13 This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Reflect:

Paul wrote, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4).  The “god” of this age is Satan. “This age” refers to this period of time prior to the return of Christ. This age has made Satan its god, so all across the globe in nations, cities, homes, and hearts, “his” kingdom has come.  It doesn’t often come in terms of overt Satan worship, but mostly in the more subtle worship of self. Satan comes in disguise; he doesn’t normally show his true evil form. What he offers is satisfaction, fulfillment, and the opportunity to live life on our own terms and get what we want.  When we live to please self as opposed to God, we fall right into Satan’s hands. We are operating in his kingdom. Life in the enemy’s kingdom feels initially like liberty. We may believe we are free from the bonds of that seemingly eternal tyrant, God. We are the masters of our own lives and we set our own course.  We get to decide what is right, real, and good. Then, when the god of this age has set his trap, he demands his due. We have not been living freely; we have been living as his puppets. God brings liberty, while the enemy only brings misery. God offers freedom through submission to his will and ways. Satan offers freedom from submission to God.  God’s offer brings increasing joy, peace, and love – all the blessings of his great kingdom. Satan’s offer brings ever-decreasing life satisfaction and a final loss of real liberty. In the enemy’s kingdom, we increasingly experience the loss of the desire and the ability to do what we ought to do, because we are trapped in the gravitational pull of doing only what we want.  Now, do you see? Cry out to God right now, “YOUR kingdom come, YOUR will be done!” Never mine, never mine…always yours!

Pray:

(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)

Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today.

 

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