Good morning ladies, I hope you had a good weekend. Today we are in week 4 of our #Jesusovereverything study. If you are just joining us, I encourage you to go back and check out the previous weeks. We only have two more weeks left, can you believe it?? In today’s study – as well as you will see in next week’s – I’ve included the intro Lisa has for each of the days in the devotion on YouVersion. This week we are talking about exercising your advantage, faith advantage that is. So grab your Bible, your favorite hot beverage, and let’s jump right in.

Today Lisa is discussing the advantages, or benefits as Psalms 103:2-5 says, that we have in the faith. What are these? That we are saved, healed, protected, and the list goes on and on. The problem for most Christians, and I am certainly guilty of this, is that we don’t activate our faith and live or speak out what God has given us. As the devotion goes on to say, we not only have an advantage in declaring the things God spoke over us, we have the power of Jesus to fight against the enemy and all his minions. That’s right I said fight! See, regardless if you believe it or not, we are in a fight every single day. As Ephesians 6 describes our fight isn’t against our spouses, family, or other people, it is against things we can’t see with our natural eyes. Our fight is against the enemy of our soul, Satan, and he is always looking for ways to knock us out of the fight – or at the very least cause us to become unconscious enough that we are not a threat. ( See John 10:10) According to Ephesians 1:19-20 we see Paul saying that we have the same power that rose Jesus from the grave. This power isn’t for personal gain, no God wants us to live life in abundance (john 10:10b) so we may proclaim the gospel to everyone we meet and live with joy! (3 John 1:2)

Learning to calm the chaos within means you fight for peace, and you keep fighting. Our strength and advantage doesn’t come in the form of things this world would assume is strength. Our strength, as believers, comes from the God of the universe. We can’t do anything in and of ourselves. Just as Lisa says, our strength comes from the one who gives us the unending supply of power to walk through this world strong, despite all else. God didn’t call us to live pitiful, broke, sick, and depressed lives. We can live sure-footed and settled in the midst of the storms of life, and we can exercise our advantage of faith in a relationship with Jesus knowing that no matter what happens around us, we will be okay – better than okay we will be victorious! Let’s pray.

Prayer: God, I’m so grateful to have not only You in this life but also such an advantage as Your child. Thank You that there are benefits to following You, and especially that in this world of trouble I have fight in me. Help me begin to understand this power that is available to me. I pray I would remember this in times when I am afraid and things look bad. You are strong. Make me strong too. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Respond:

• What ways does God’s power for you (these two words especially) change the way you walk through this world?

• How will you do life differently understanding this concept of strength in a new way?

• Read Ephesians 1 for the five days after this reading plan is over. Write down each day at least one sentence of something you take away from the passage. What is God speaking to you through it?

God has called you to take up arms and fight, and the best part is you are not doing it alone. Stay strong sister, you got this!

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

Ephesians 1:18-23 NIV

~ Angie ~