Today try and recite John 17:1-5 by memory:

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Growing to know God’s will and wholeheartedly following Him is an opportune time for the enemy to work against the people of God.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Spiritual warfare is a real threat on the journey, especially as we seek to know and become like Christ. Part of the process in know is recognizing how the enemy might be at work to stop us in our pursuit of Christ. The devil wants us to quit. He does not want us to experience more of God and grow in-depth in our relationship with the Father. The devil does not want us to change, and He does not want others to see God at work in us as individuals and the church.

Running our race means we do not give up when it gets hard, but we pray for His strength, and we keep going, not trying harder but by trusting God over our fear. We do not need to be afraid of the enemy at work against us, but we do need to be diligent in our pursuit of God. We will grow to know Jesus more deeply in the fight of faith, because God is with us. He will never leave us. He is at work in us, but we will miss seeing how He carries us if we rely on our strength instead of His or if we give up when it gets hard. Change in Jesus is life-giving. As we go through the process of change in Him, circling around and around the steps of the Journey Tool, we will continue to grow and find the abundant life Jesus promises in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

During Legacy, Pastor Paul reminded us that:

• As Christians we believe that there is a God who steps into our reality and says: I am the Creator of this universe and I designed everything for a masterful purpose. I define by my nature and character what is noble, pure, right, good and beautiful. I have revealed myself through the design and order of the universe. I have further revealed myself through my Son Jesus as described in the Scriptures.

• I made you on purpose and by design. This means: You are not alone. You do not need to face the very real terrors of this universe by yourself. God almighty is with you. I am with you and I have given you each other to love, support and fight together.

• You are a creation of immeasurable worth. I have made you in my image and your value is seen in the effort I put forth to reveal myself to you and the price I paid for you by sending my Son.

• You are created to be an agent of the good and beautiful. You have a purpose that is worth fighting for. You are to stand against the terror of this universe and the evil that has been unleashed. Your work will be remembered and built upon for all eternity. The small things you do now are the seeds that grow in eternity. How do Paul’s words encourage you? Spend time in prayer.

Pray

Lord, be with us this day, within us to purify us; above us to draw us up; beneath us to sustain us; before us to lead us; behind us to restrain us; around us to protect us. -Patrick c389-461