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Ready for Battle

Ready for Battle
Words of Faith 2-8-17
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2017
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
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John 14
[30] I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, [31] but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
"Come now; let us leave.

It was time to go but the battle was just heating up. The time for question and answer was over. An enemy was moving in. Jesus was acutely aware that time for these discussions was running out. The “prince of this world” (John 12:31; 16:11), was moving his forces against Jesus through Judas (13:2, 27). Judas had cut a deal with the darkness and Temple guards would soon be pounding on the door.
“The prince of this world" refers, of course, to Satan. The battle here, as always, was not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephes. 6:12). Jesus was constantly aware of Satan's hostile presence. The final attack of Satan was coming.
John’s Gospel does not mention the temptation of Jesus that is recorded in the other three Gospels (Matt 4:1-11, Mark 1:12, Luke 4:1-13). Luke, however, indicates that the temptation before the start of His public ministry was not Jesus' only conflict with the devil. Luke reports that "when the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time" (Luke 4:13). There could hardly be a more “opportune time" than this.
There would be disappointment and pain at every turn: the betrayal by Judas, the denials of Peter, abandonment by the others, the turning of the crowds against Him, the frustration of human hopes and the disappointment of apparent failure and the agony of death. Jesus was fully human and these events would make Jesus especially susceptible to suggestion or temptation. Prayer in Gethsemane would be no tea party!
Yet Jesus had no fear of Satan. “He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.” Why was Jesus so at peace? Because Satan had no claim on him. There was nothing in Jesus' character or action that could be used against him.
Satan had no valid accusation that could be used as leverage to divert Jesus from the will of his Father. Another word for this is “righteousness”. Because Jesus was sinless, Satan could not claim Him for his kingdom of darkness. Jesus’ obedience had been perfect, and He intended to complete the Father's purpose no matter what it might cost Him.
Because Jesus loves the Father, He did exactly what the Father commanded (John 10:18; 12:49-50) including being “obedient to death” (Phil. 2:8). Satan thought Jesus’ death was a victory for him, but actually it was Jesus’ victory over Satan (John 16:11; Col. 2:15).
What about us? Our struggle is not against flesh and blood either. How can we deal with the “prince of this world”? We are not sinless. Satan can make many accusations as leverage against us. Ah, but that is not the case.
Because Jesus has defeated sin and death, it no longer has power over us. We can stand by faith in the righteousness of Christ. That is why Paul exhorts us to put on the armor of God starting with the breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14).
When the “prince of this world” attacks with accusation it is the very same righteousness of Christ that He must come against. Your record and mine is spotless as we believe and trust that work of Christ. This is the shield of faith Paul mentions (Eph. 6:16). But the moment we slip into trusting our own record, we are sunk! Unshielded.
So are you ready for battle today?
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints (Ephesians 6:14-18).

Lord, I commit this day to You. I walk only in Your righteousness. I trust, by faith, Your work for me on the cross. I give thanks for my salvation as I stand upon the truth of Your Word. In Jesus’ name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2002, 2017
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.