WATCHWORD:
In the same way, the spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the spirit, because the spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. Romans 8:26-27
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
Meditation:
Who’s in Your Bed?
Did you ever wake in the morning with a buzzing in your mind; discouraging and negative thoughts that belie a good start for the new day? Whisperings of worry from yesterday, anxiety for what lay before you this day, concerns for tomorrow?
It’s like a demon, fully decked out, had crawled into your bed prepared to cause you mental wrack and ruin, spreading unhappiness into your perfectly good God-given day. Satan’s little demons chirping at you about how bad you are, how lonely you are and so on and on, each one driving a little nail into your peace of mind.
Sorry, that’s a dark and glum way to start a devotional! I am sure that doesn’t apply you, I’m just making a point. If you’re like me there are days when you wake up and the sun is shining, you’re rested and eager to get on with life. And then, there are those other days, you know, the ones where you just want to remain in bed and try not to think about what this day holds.
The truth is we have variety in our days, some are better than others, and that’s a good thing, except when things are a little gray and we struggle to get started. But there are times, even on the best of days when the chirpings of little demons are trying to override the graces that God has already given in preparation for the new day.
Our Lord tells us, when we run into those demon ‘chirpers’, to resist the devil and he will flee from us. I found that to be true especially with my morning time with the Lord. In the face of prayers, devotionals and my conversation with God, the devil and his negative thoughts have disappeared. I’ve also found that sometimes my own sense of pride, my own sense of who I am does its own chirpings and gets in the way of being God’s child. That is not hidden from God and my role is to lay it right there, with contrition.
Scripture tells us to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). I’m afraid that many times our tendency is not to overcome evil with good but to overlook evil and move on. We look at the evil and we think it’s too overwhelming for us to do anything about it, so let’s just pass by on the other side, let’s ignore it. Maybe it’ll go away.
That is not what the Lord wants from us. He’s serious about overcoming evil with good. He truly means for us to follow the truth, directly address the evil with courage and honesty, and we will find peace of mind, and the elimination of moral dilemmas for we know what is right. Thank you, Lord, for showing us a better way.
Closing Prayer:
Heavenly father, thank you for your power to overcome the demons in our beds and in our mind. Grant us courage to act, to cleanse, to forgive, and equip us to genuinely be your child. Lord. we acknowledge that we come not on our strength alone, we come in humility for too often we make excuses, avoid doing what you would have us do, still you forgive us and invite us into the family of God. Bring life to our bodies, peace to our hearts, and hope to our souls. In Jesus’ name. Amen
