Devotional by Tiffany Thompson, 2019 Tower of Hope Ministries Graduate
In today’s reading in our One Year Bible (OYB), we read how the Israelites’ bondage began.
Exodus 1:8 says a new king arose in Egypt who did not know Joseph. He surveyed the land and saw that God’s Chosen People outnumbered the Egyptians and were stronger and more powerful than them. Even though they were stronger and greater than the Egyptians, Pharaoh devised a plan to enslave the Children of Israel because they were such a threat to him and his kingdom.
It’s interesting to me that when the enemy is afraid, he seeks to enslave and dominate. But oftentimes when Christians are afraid, we tend to run and hide and let the spirit of fear control us.
The difference is one party knows something the other doesn’t.
The enemy is afraid of you because he knows you have power and authority over him. We are afraid of the enemy because we think he has power and authority over us – but he doesn’t.
Jesus explained in Matthew 12:29 that in order to rob a strong man (a person stronger than you), you first have to tie up or bind the strong man, otherwise he will be able to overpower you because his strength is greater than yours. In other words, you can’t do damage to someone who is stronger than you unless you hinder him in some way.
Because of the power and authority Jesus gave to us when He defeated death, hell and the grave, we are actually stronger than the enemy. The enemy knows he cannot overpower us, so he seeks to outsmart us and “tie us up” in our minds with deception – believing lies. If we think we can’t defeat him, we won’t because as a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7).
Satan can always enslave you whenever you don’t know the Truth about something because the Truth is what makes you free (John 8:32). That’s why it’s important to read God’s Word everyday because that is our Source of Truth for every situation.
Allow us at TOHM to encourage you with the Truth today: The Truth is, you are greater and stronger than your enemies because the GREATER ONE lives within you and has given you POWER and AUTHORITY over them!
The Truth is you have unstoppable power when you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you! (Acts 1:8) Don’t let the enemy enslave you in your thinking any longer. Resist him and believe that because God is for you, you have a guaranteed victory, even when it doesn’t look or feel like it.
Prayer:
Lord, Thank You that Your power defeated any and everything the enemy will ever bring my way. Help me to resist the enemy and know that I don’t answer to him, but he answers to the Name above all names, Jesus Christ, who lives within me!
Declaration:
Today, I tell my enemies of shame, fear, regret, defeat, lack, discouragement, poverty, pride, illnesses, generational strongmen, etc (make it personal) that I know the Truth and I am free in Jesus Name!!!