Thoughts for Life: #27 Jesus on the Defensive

C. Peter Wagner: If Jesus' public
ministry began with His baptism,
His first act of public ministry
involved the highest degree of
strategic-level spiritual warfare.

"Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil" (Matt. 4:1)

The old Testament does not have a parallel account of this type of activity. Jesus introduced something new to the history of salvation.

By engaging the enemy in the highest level power encounter, Jesus was serving notice to him and to the whole world that the battle was on.

The Kingdom of God had come!

The message that the kingdom of God had come was prominent in the preaching of John the Baptist, Jesus, and the apostles.

The reason we see the phrase "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand" so much in the Gospels is that it signifies the most radical turning point in the history of humanity since the Fall of Adam and Eve.

The turning point encompassed Jesus' incarnation, virgin birth, baptism, ministry, death and resurrection.

The broader application throughout the rest of history began on the day of Pentecost.

Jesus' coming was such a radical event because previously Satan had enjoyed almost unlimited power here on Earth. This is not to ignore the fact that God is ultimately the King of kings, the Lord of lords and the Creator of the entire universe, including Satan.

Satan is a mere creature who at one
point never existed and who will
ultimately find himself in a lake of fire,
dearly wishing he had never been
created in the first place (see Rev. 20:10).

In the meantime, however, biblical descriptions of Satan must not be taken lightly. He is called "the god of this age" (2 Cor. 4:4), "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2) and "the ruler of this world" (John 12:31).

John affirms that "the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19). This is awesome language.

If we think Satan has formidable power these days, we must realize he had even more power before Jesus came. Then When Jesus came, He announced that He was introducing the Kingdom of God and engaged the enemy in a battle, which continues today.

Satan knew full well that "the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8), and he was furious that his kingdom was being invaded.

Jesus not only invaded Satan's kingdom,
but He defeated Him decisively on the
cross as Paul so vividly describes in
Colossians, saying that Jesus on the
cross "disarmed principalities and
powers" and "made a public spectacle
of them, triumphing over them in it" (Col. 2:15).

Even before the cross, Jesus was able to say that till then no one in Old Testament times had been greater than John the Baptist, "he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater that he" (Matt. 11:11).

He could announce the ultimate victory some three years before it was actually accomplished on the cross, because the devil had already been defeated at the power encounter, which we commonly call Jesus' temptation.

(Google images and emphasis added)

Warfare Prayer

#27 Jesus on the Defensive
By C. Peter Wagner

(pgs. 51 -53) Regal Books

Please pray with me:

Father, thank You for bringing the

Kingdom of God into being.

I understand You had it planned from the beginning, so after the fall of Adam and Eve, when the fullness of time had come, You caused Jesus to break in on the scene as a newborn baby in Bethlehem!

We rejoice at what all He accomplished! Help us proclaim the salvation provided by Him to others around us in such a way as to show His love and concern for them.

Thank You for enabling Him to defeat the devil, and to take over his kingdom, bringing us freedom and righteousness!

May we remember Christ's sacrifice for us, and His reason for coming through folks like us so long ago. I ask this in His name. Amen.

Today’s Bible verse: Ps. 37:7 "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass."

Today’s quote: Dr. Charles F. Stanley - "While we seek to do God's will, we must not forget His fundamental call to stillness before Him. When we are quiet in His presence and focused on Him, we put ourselves in the most teachable position possible."

Some thoughts today: We are encouraged to focus on the reason for our celebrations at this important time of year. Do we remember why it is we celebrate Christmas?

- May we openly celebrate Jesus' coming as a babe with honest thankfulness. May we remember that He grew up among people just like us, His aim being to teach them to become familiar with the Father's will and the way of salvation.

- Whatever may be your family's way to celebrate, be sure to keep Christ as the center and prominent reason for the celebration. That would please the Father, for sure.

25th- Thursday’s post: #28 Jesus Provokes the Conflict
C. Peter Wagner

27th- Saturday's post: From the Cradle to the Cross
James H. Cagle

28th- Sunday evening's post: With God, All Things are Possible
Debbie McEwen

30th- Tuesday's post: #29 Can we Identify with This?
C. Peter Wagner

A popular post: Our Children Need Instruction Tammie Johnson shares her thoughts with us today: "Today the world and our children question everything. It’s because they are untaught by the society before them. Make Sense?"

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