Eyes Wide Open: 41-Day Lenten Devotional Sample

Eyes Wide Open to the Spiritual Battle

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.” -  John 17:15-16

When Jesus was getting ready to leave this world, he prayed for protection of his children against the enemy. He sent the Holy Spirit to be in us and with us (John 14:15-21). God’s Word assures us that “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). We have power to resist temptation, fight the enemy, and walk in victory. Jesus came to give us life, and life to the fullest (John 10:10).

Jesus himself prayed for his followers to be protected from the enemy. This should assure us that our enemy is real, but the victory has already been won. Jesus conquered sin and the devil and invites us to enter the battle. Although God has won, we still need to stand strong and resist the enemy’s enticements, reject his lies, and walk in the power of Jesus. Prayer becomes one of the weapons for the battle. 

We can pray, as our Savior did, for power to stand strong while we are in this world. We do not have to yield to the enticements of the enemy, the pleasures of the world, or the weakness of our own flesh. Jesus prayed for his followers to be in the world but also protected from the enemy of our souls. We can join in this same prayer, for ourselves, those we love, and believers all over the world.

Prayer: Jesus, you have won the victory over the enemy. In your wisdom, you still have your people in this broken and combative world. I join your prayer for all of your children to be in the world, protected from the enemy, united, and truly sanctified. Amen.

- Written by Sherry Harney