Prayer To Live Successfully In The Great Battle

GREAT BATTLE

Yesterday we reflected on God’s great love for us and the greatest love story of all time that God wants us to be part of. Today we consider the great battle we are all in.  No, it’s not the battle against the COVID-19 virus – although that is a great battle with many more cases now for us here in Western Canada than we saw in the first wave.  

The great battle we pray about today is the one that goes on in the unseen world but which plays out in our hearts, minds, and behaviours each day -  the battle between good and evil, between the power of God and the attacking forces of the evil one. 

Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.   1 John 3:4-6

Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:7-8

Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.  1 John 3:9-10

And so we pray today to be those who welcome God to do in us whatever is necessary so we live in this new way, under the power and direction of God, doing His will in all our affairs.  Let’s pray:

veryone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.   1 John 3:4-6

We do say it often but are still grateful today that Your forgiveness through Jesus has this powerful effect on our life and behaviour today. Thank You, once again, that Jesus came to earth, lived a sinless life, and died in our place, taking our punishment, so we would have a right relationship with You.  Help us Lord today to understand how dreadful sinning really is, how massive Your gift of forgiveness and new life is, and how holy and good You really are.  We get dragged into doing stupid because we forget and focus too much on the distortions and distractions that the evil one sends our way.  Forgive us.

Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:7-8

Even though we know that we need the ongoing forgiveness of Jesus, we pray to have hearts that forever sorrow over our sin.  Help us to not be complacent about going against God’s will and to be deeply impacted when we do, not by false guilt and shame that focus on us and our ability or inability, but by sorrow over hurting the one who loves us so dearly and has paid such a high price for our freedom. 

We’re so grateful Lord Jesus that by your death and resurrection You really did destroy the works of the evil one. Now help us to live in surrender to the voice of the Holy Spirit who shows us the way to follow Your heart and Your example as we live in this broken and sinful world today.

Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.  1 John 3:9-10

We trust You to be at work in us so we are more and more changed into the likeness of Jesus and have that reflected in our thinking, our desiring, our speaking, and our behaving.  We want how we live today to show clearly that we are children of God not children of the devil. 

We want to live as righteous people – not self-righteous and thinking ourselves better than others – but as grateful, humble, surrendered people who know ourselves deeply loved with an unfailing love, secure in the knowledge that we belong to God, with nothing the evil one can do can change that.

The battle is won. The victory is ours.  Jesus we believe.  Help our unbelief, we pray.  Amen