City Life Starter

Written by Stefan Johnsson

The Word

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12

Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.

Luke 22:31-32

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

1 Peter 5:10

Reflection

As we go into our last week of the devotional series of Ephesians and discuss the armor of God, I wanted to reflect on the spiritual forces we struggle with in this world. My meditation in Luke 22 brought me to the words that Jesus spoke to Simon Peter during the last supper. Normally, I would glance over this as something that Jesus did specifically for Peter. But, this is not the case. Read carefully Romans 8:34-39. Not only does Jesus intercede for us, but Paul reminds us that there is absolutely nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ. Nothing. You cannot find more encouraging verses in the Bible than these.

Let’s put the two together. Jesus prayed and interceded on behalf of Peter. Jesus is our intercessor, thus He prays and intercedes for us. Now, when we talk about spiritual warfare, this is a very important concept to understand. When we falter and stumble, Jesus is there to intercede for us so that Satan cannot have his way. We are then told to strengthen our brothers and sisters who may be struggling through the same thing.

Peter understood this better than anyone. He went through it, told others about it(because we have it written in the BIble), experienced Jesus’ restoration, and went on to strengthen his brothers and sisters throughout the book of Acts. Peter then wrote in 1st Peter that after a little suffering (if he thinks his suffering is little, then what we go through must be miniscule in comparison) we will be restored, confirmed, strengthened and established by Christ. Then, we can strengthen our brothers and sisters in Christ.

In this spiritual warfare that we face daily, we have a commander-in-chief who watches over us, keeps the enemy from having his way, and intercedes on our behalf. Not only that, this is the Son of Man, the God of this Universe, and the Savior who died for us all! Spoiler alert: We get to be with Him for eternity after this short life is over.

Application

We are fighting a spiritual warfare whether you wish to be a part of it or not. We are told to fight, to stand strong in faith, and not be caught in the arrows that Satan shoots at us. Though, as you get caught in suffering and hardship that this life will bring, remember that Jesus is there praying for you and interceding on your behalf so that you can be stronger than ever before. We have the Holy Spirit as well that guides us through the trials we experience.

As i’m writing this, my memories flush through my mind of how God held me through some very hard trials and brought me back stronger than before. I couldn’t do this life without Him, and I know this to be the case for you as well.

Be strong and courageous in the Lord. He is always faithful, even if we are faithless (2nd Timothy 2:13).

Prayer

Father in Heaven, keep me always and help me through any trials and tribulations that I will experience. Sustain me, intercede on my behalf, and help me be more like Your Son each and every day. Thank You for always being faithful and helping me stand strong. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.