“no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent” (Psalm 91:10).
As they settled down in the promised land, God gave the Israelites guidelines how to live a good and happy life. One area involved canceling debts. “At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed” ( Deutronomy 15:1-2).
Of course here we must observe only the lender can cancel a debt. A debt which is canceled has no more force. The borrower is freed of all obligations. Perhaps before he was tormented with guilt pangs of how to pay but is now scot free.
When Jesus was about to depart the disciples, he too gave them certain powers. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mathew 28: 18-20). Here he was repeating himself. “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you” (Luke 10:19).
Now, any of us might be under attack from a certain foe. Perhaps you are tortured with dreams of a wild nature. Jesus is saying he has left certain powers in our hands. For just like a lender, with any threat on our lives, he has given us the power to “cancel” the threats of the enemy and render any harmless.
For is it the threat of disease on your or fear of ruin through poverty causing you worry? As a believer in Christ you have been given power to cancel any such evil threats and render them useless.
In granting the Israelites powers to cancel debts, the Lord promised he “will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today” (Deuteronomy 15: 4-5). A believer in Christ who has been given power to cancel all forces against him, and fails to use such, is not only just being careless, but also denying himself multiple blessings. So, today, if you are feeling any attack on your life, of whatever nature, just rise up and cancel it all in Jesus’s name.
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, where there is any attack on my life, today I use the authority Jesus gave me through the power of his word, to cancel it and render any harmless, this I pray in Jesus’s name.
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17/05/2024 - 18/05/2024 All day“And I in righteousness I shall see your face; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness” (Psalm 17:15)
One of the defining aspects we see in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ is that He began the day with prayer. “Very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). As he was always surrounded by crowds and after such a busy day before of preaching and engaging the Pharisees in debates this must have been a therapeutic moment for Christ when he would have some good time to himself.
But there was also more. For Jesus being away in a secluded place would also mean a chance to pour out His heart to God, meditate in quietness, plan for the day ahead and listen to the Father. Jesus must have looked up to this moment every day knowing its benefits. Conversations with His Father must have been real and intimate, bringing a certain soothing and uplifting of His spirit. You do not wake up and stick to something on a daily basis that is a drag – this must have been his best time of the day!
Martin Luther the leader of the protestant reformation is reputed to once have said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Here is the point. In the olden days before the arrival of locomotive transport those who were setting out for a long journey on foot had to start early with the first cock crow before the punishing sun came out. One of the things they had to start with also was a good meal, which was fuel needed to give them energy through the long walk to their destiny.
There are no rules about waking up to pray as first thing- or even saying prayer at a defined hour of the day. God is everywhere and ever with us. He is accessible at any time of the day. But there is something special about prioritizing our lives that the first thing we do is to talk to God. Just like the early traveller we need fuel, for the long day ahead!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, what a joy and privilege to make time at the start of any day, talk and hear from you, for the power I need through the day, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
