Fight for It: A 21-Day DevotionalSýnishorn

Today’s Devotional:

It’s frightening to find yourself in a fight. I remember in elementary school, the class bully singled me out to pick on. By the end of class, a number of my classmates told me, “He’s going to fight you today after class.” I had never been in a fight before, but I had witnessed one, and it wasn’t pretty. What scared me the most was that the bully would show up with a bunch of friends, but I would come alone. I didn’t know what else to do other than to show up at the designated spot I was told the fight would take place. The fight never actually happened, and I still don’t know why. Fortunately, I was able to go home in one piece, and the bully never bothered me again.

Sometimes, we are not looking for a fight—the fight finds us. We are trying to go about our business, trying to follow Jesus, when we find ourselves confronted by a battle. What do we do? Nehemiah was working to rebuild the wall of His city, Jerusalem. He and his people were focused on the building project when enemies began to taunt and test them with threats of a fight. What did Nehemiah do? He placed the families in the exposed places of the wall with their swords and told them to fight for their families. He reminded them that their God was great and awesome.

In Ephesians, Paul gives us a powerful picture that we are in a Spiritual fight. He charges us to be strong in the Lord and to stand firm in the armor of God. I think the fact that I showed up and stood my ground may be the reason that the bully backed down. He was all talk but no walk. When we show up in the strength of the Lord and stand firm, the enemy backs off.

Paul says that our weapon is prayer. “Pray in the spirit on all occasions.” Your prayers change things. And, when you group up with other believers and pray, your prayers are powerful. Jesus teaches the principle of agreement. “If two or three agree in prayer, it will be established.” Together, we are fighting for our families and battling for our communities. It will be established. Our God is great and awesome, and He is fighting for us.

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Today’s devotional was written by Pastor Matt Pilot

Questions:

• Who are the two or three that you are agreeing with in this season in prayer?
• What are you praying for? What are you seeing changing?

A Prayer to ‘Look Out’: God, thank you that prayer changes things. I know that the battle I’m fighting is actually a Spiritual battle. I pray for my family, my community, and my church—pour out your presence and protect us all from the enemy’s attacks. Amen.