For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:8

 Recommended Reading: Acts 10:36-38

In 1985, Christian theologian Richard Foster published a book titled Money, Sex and Power: The Challenge of a Disciplined Life. The subtitle reveals the theme of the book: using money, sex, and power wisely is a challenge.

Not everyone has access to power in a broad sense, so we think it to be less of a concern. But the godly use of power was a focus in Jesus’ life and ministry. He used His power to glorify God and to do good in the world—especially when it came to undoing the effects of Satan’s power and influence in the world. Acts 10:38 says that God “anointed” Jesus with power to deliver those who were oppressed by the devil. And 1 John 3:8 says Jesus was sent “that He might destroy the works of the devil.” “Destroy” in this verse doesn’t mean to annihilate but to neutralize, undo, or render ineffective “the works of the devil”—to deconstruct before rebuilding.

Jesus exercised power over nature, sickness, and demonic forces. Perhaps most importantly, His power can undo the effects of sin so that our lives can be rebuilt in His image.

Christianity is the power of God in the soul of man.
Robert B. Munger

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.
John 17:20

 Recommended Reading: John 17:20-26

When you have a burden or a need and want to ask someone to pray for you, whom do you call? Our human tendency is to ask someone who is faithful, who is mature in spiritual things, and, above all, someone who cares for us. There is a Person like that who has demonstrated His willingness to pray for us: Jesus Christ.

On the night of His betrayal, Jesus prayed for His disciples (John 17:6-19) and for all believers—those who would come to know Him through the disciples’ ministry after He had departed (John 17:20-26). At the heart of these prayers was Jesus’ desire for the disciples to have joy through knowing the Father (verse 13) and to know the same love from the Father that Jesus had known (verse 26). Did you know Jesus prayed this prayer for you? We know that Jesus continues to intercede for us now (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25), but His prayers began on the night of His greatest passion.

Trust that Jesus is happy to intercede for you: “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

We are never more like Christ than in prayers of intercession.
Austin Phelps

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 7:24-25

 Recommended Reading: John 17:9-15

Have you ever been in a gloomy mood? A mysterious sadness seemed to hover around you? And then it dissipated! It’s likely somebody was praying for you. The prayer of another can affect our dispositions and drive away the devil’s oppression.

Now consider the power of the prayers offered by the Lord Jesus for you. He intercedes on our behalf, praying for our protection and safety, as well as through our successes and failures. We see a sample of His prayers whenever we read His words in John 17 when He prayed passionately to His Father for His disciples.

Be thankful Jesus is in continual prayer on your behalf. His prayers can chase away the gloom. And let His example inspire you to pray for somebody else. Your prayers can lift up somebody today.

If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet the distance makes no difference; he is praying for me!
Robert Murray M’Cheyne

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.
John 4:6

 Recommended Reading: John 4:5-14

Jacob’s Well is still in the same place it was two thousand years ago when Jesus stopped for a drink. Visitors can still drink water pulled up in a bucket from its depths. Many tour groups in the Holy Land can’t go there because of political difficulties, but those who do find the ancient well surrounded by a lovely Greek Orthodox church.

In John 4:6, we’re told that Jesus was weary. He sat down at the well and feeling dehydrated asked for a drink. He wanted the Samaritan woman to draw some water for His thirst. In return, He gave her something for her spiritual thirst—His own living water!

When our Lord entered the world at Bethlehem, He came as a human who was subject to fatigue, thirst, hunger, and pain. He accepted His humanity because through it He was able to meet our needs and satisfy our spiritual thirst forever.

You may never be able to visit Jacob’s Well in Samaria, but you’re welcome to drink from the living water of eternal life that Jesus gives.

I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life-giving stream; my thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him.
Horatius Bonar

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
John 20:16

 Recommended Reading: Matthew 23:1-8

Pedagogue (teacher) comes from Greek paidagogos—a slave (tutor) who accompanied a child to school. There are two great teachers in the Bible: Solomon in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament. Solomon’s proverbs and Jesus’ parables were similar in that they illustrated deep truths with simple, everyday examples.

But they differed in this way: Unlike Jesus, Solomon didn’t always practice what he taught. We know that Solomon’s priorities were skewed as he pursued worldly temptations, whereas Jesus was the living example of the values and priorities of the Kingdom of God. “Teacher” in Jesus’ day was another word for rabbi, one who was a teacher of the law—like Gamaliel who was the teacher of Saul of Tarsus (who became the apostle Paul) and who was “held in respect by all the people” (Acts 5:34; 22:3). But not even Gamaliel taught with the same authority as Jesus—people “were astonished at His teaching” (Luke 4:32).

Jesus tutored and taught His disciples for three years and sent His Spirit to lead us into all truth (John 16:13). Sit at His feet daily to learn from His teachings (Luke 10:39).

A disciple is a person who learns to live the life his teacher lives.
Juan Carlos Ortiz

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16

 Recommended Reading: John 5:18-23

In the Jewish faith, boys and girls participate in a coming of age ceremony called bar mitzvah (for boys at age thirteen) or bat mitzvah (for girls at age twelve). These Hebrew phrases translate as “son of [or daughter of] commandment.” In rabbinic terms, the phrases refer to “one who is subject to the law.”

If “son of commandment” refers to one who is subject to the law, what does “Son of God” mean? It would mean one who is subject to God. The phrase “Son of God” refers 45 times to Jesus Christ in the New Testament. The term is Messianic, a fulfillment of the words of Psalm 2:7: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.” God Himself is referred to as “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:6), signifying the filial relationship between Christ and the Father. The Gospel of John, more than any other New Testament writing, emphasizes the deity of Christ as the Son of God.

Jesus is the Son of Man and Son of God. Thank Him today for being subject to the Father in all things in a way we could never be.

The Son of God became the Son of Man in order that the sons of men might become the sons of God.
Unknown

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.
Matthew 8:20

 Recommended Reading: Hebrews 2:17-18

When reading the Bible, it helps to learn something of Jewish phrases. Take the phrase, “son of,” for example. It can be used literally: David is the son of Jesse. But it can also be used to describe someone’s unique characteristics. In Mark 3:17, Jesus called John and James the “Sons of Thunder,” pointing to their wrathful dispositions. Psalm 89:22 talks about a “son of wickedness,” which is indicative of an evil nature.

In the same way, when Jesus is called the Son of God, it means that He possesses the characteristics of God—He is, in essence, God. Likewise, when Jesus is called the Son of Man, it means He possesses the characteristics of humanity—He is, in essence, human.

When we picture Jesus in His humanity, we realize He experienced what we experience—hunger, sadness, pain, joy. He identifies with us. That’s why you can tell Him anything, and He will come alongside to strengthen you in your time of need.

He has been a carpenter; He is poor; but, above all, He is a man, and so completely a man, that men of every age, and every clime, recognise Him as a brother.
Frank Coulin

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:6

 Recommended Reading: Isaiah 53:4-6

Dr. Mitch Glaser wrote, “If you are not yet sure what you think about the Bible, take a look at the evidence anyway. If the prophecy in Isaiah 53—with its specificity and historical accuracy—is indeed fulfilled over 700 years later in Yeshua [Hebrew for Jesus], then that is a pretty good case that both the New Testament and the Hebrew Scriptures are reliable.”¹

If you read Isaiah 53 with pen and paper, you can list 48 different predictions about Christ, each of which vividly came true. It’s very hard to explain away the evidence of our Lord’s true identity gained through the reality of fulfilled Messianic prophecy. This is especially true because Isaiah 53 presents Jesus not primarily as a coming King, but as a suffering Servant.

If you ever have doubts about the reality of the Bible, take time to read Isaiah 53 and see how Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of all that was written about Him in the Old Testament.

Every Old Testament prophet reminds us of our need for a prophetic mediator and anticipates God’s provision of Jesus Christ, the Prophet.
David Murray

1. Dr. Mitch Glaser, “Isaiah 53 Explained,” Academia.

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.
Genesis 3:15

 Recommended Reading: Genesis 3:8-19

Theologians and Bible interpreters have long referred to Genesis 3:15 as the protoevangelium—Latin for “first [proto] Gospel [evangelium].” The famous English preacher Charles Simeon called Genesis 3:15 “the sum and summary of the whole Bible.” Why? Because it contains the Good News that Christ, the Seed of the woman, will defeat God’s enemy, Satan.

The entire Bible is the story of Christ, who would come into the world to pay the price for the sin of Adam and all mankind—to redeem all who would put their trust in Him. When the Jews challenged Jesus and His teachings, He told them, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39). Over and over, the early Christian leaders testified that the Old Testament foretold the coming of Christ (Acts 3:18, 21, 24; 7:52; 10:43; 28:23).

From ages past, God put in place a plan to forgive and save you. Thank Him today for His Savior and the Book that reveals His plan.

The New [Testament] is in the Old [Testament] concealed; the Old is by the New revealed.
Augustine

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9

 Recommended Reading: 1 Peter 2:9-12

Finland has been ranked the happiest nation in the world for six years in a row by the World Happiness Report.¹ But is it really? What about those whom the Bible calls “a chosen generation…a holy nation, His own special people”?

Our happiness and joy come from our relationship with God through Christ. He has provided for all of our needs, reassured us in all our fears, and guided us in all our ways. He has solved the problem of death, and He has told us about our eternal home. He has reserved eternity for us!

Jesus always loves you. He loved you so much He gave His life for you and is now preparing a place for you to live with Him forever. You’re part of the holiest and happiest nation on earth! Let’s proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

[God] loves us all with a mighty love that has no beginning and can have no end.
A.W. Tozer

1. “Happiest Countries Prove Resilient Despite Overlapping Crises,” World Happiness Report, March 20, 2023.

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book.
Revelation 22:9

 Recommended Reading: Revelation 22:1-9

Charles Lightoller was just drifting off to sleep on April 14, 1912, when he felt the collision of the Titanic with an iceberg. Rousing himself, he helped as many women and children as possible into lifeboats before he was swept into the icy sea. At that moment, a verse of Scripture came clearly to his mind—Psalm 91:11: “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (NIV).

Just then, a blast of hot air exploded from the belly of the ship, propelling Lightoller like a missile to the surface, where he managed to pull himself onto an overturned lifeboat. He had no doubt an angel had helped him.

Angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14), but they are also fellow servants with us. The angel told the apostle John, “I am your fellow servant” (Revelation 19:10). How incredible! Alongside angels, we are serving the Lord of hosts. There could be no higher calling!

Learning what the Bible says about angels ultimately is tied to thinking well about how God thinks about us. What God wants us to know about angels contributes to our eternal perspective.
MIchael Heiser

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts!
Psalm 148:2

 Recommended Reading: Luke 2:13-14

In Romans 1, the apostle Paul identifies one of the characteristics of fallen mankind: We worship and serve “the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever” (verse 25). The proper role of creation—everything that has been created—is to bring praise and honor to the Creator. That includes animate and inanimate parts of creation as well.

In Psalm 148, the psalmist expresses the theme that all of creation should bring glory to the Creator: sun, moon, stars, rain clouds, sea creatures, oceans, lightning, hail, snow, winds, mountains, hills, fruit trees, cedars, wild animals, cattle, small creatures, birds, kings, princes, rulers, young men and maidens, old men, children…and all the rest of creation. At the head of his list is “all His angels…all His hosts!” (verse 2) We certainly find angels fulfilling their purpose throughout Scripture—like at the birth of Christ when they glorified God (Luke 2:13-14).

You are part of creation. Follow the example of the angels, God’s heavenly hosts, and live a life of praise and honor to God.

Let earth and heaven combine, angels and men agree, to praise in songs divine the incarnate Deity.
Charles Wesley

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Matthew 4:11

 Recommended Reading: Luke 24:1-7

Every aspect of our Lord’s life was intersected by angels. His birth was announced by angels; they ministered to Him after His temptation; and He spoke about them in His teachings. In the Garden of Gethsemane, an angel comforted Him in His distress. They rolled away the stone and announced His resurrection, and they were present when He ascended into heaven. The Bible tells us that when He returns, He will be accompanied by angelic hosts.

If Jesus so needed His angels to assist Him, how much more do we need constant angelic help! When we get to heaven, we’ll likely be surprised to learn how much angels had to do with our earthly journey. What a blessing to know how much God cares for His children, using angels. Dr. Jack Graham wrote, “The same angelic presence and protection that enveloped Jesus Christ at all points along his earthly journey remains in service to those who love God here and now.”¹

Take a moment right now to ask God to send His angels to watch over you today.

It is a whisper-thin veil that separates the natural from the supernatural, meaning divine activity is all around us.
Jack Graham

1. Jack Graham, Angels (Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2016).

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 5:6, NIV

 Recommended Reading: Romans 5:1-8

Army Pfc. Garfield McConnell Langhorn, twenty, a devout Christian, was trapped by enemy soldiers in Vietnam. When an enemy grenade landed in front of him and several wounded men, Langhorn didn’t hesitate. He said, “Someone’s got to care!” and he threw himself on the explosive device, absorbing the blast and saving his follow soldiers. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor.¹

The Bible says, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8, NIV).

In the Old Testament, Jesus occasionally showed up as the Angel of the Lord, but the New Testament begins with Him actually becoming human, that He might die for us. Think of how you’d feel if you were one of those saved by Pfc. Langhorn’s sacrifice. We should surely feel something akin to that kind of gratitude when we remember what Christ did for us because He cares for us so much.

In love, the Son of God literally gave Himself for me. This puts in personal terms the great transaction of Calvary.
J. Oswald Sanders

1. Katie Lange, “Medal of Honor Monday: Army Pfc. Garfield Langhorn,” DOD News, January 16, 2023.

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.
Exodus 14:19

 Recommended Reading: Exodus 14:13-22

In the Old Testament, an angel that appears from time to time is different from all the others. He’s called, “the Angel of the Lord.” He has characteristics that seem to be divine. And, yes, they are divine, for the Old Testament Angel of the Lord is the manifestation of God before Christ came at Bethlehem. It is the second Person of the Godhead, Jesus Christ Himself. When you read about the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament, you are likely reading about God the Son Himself.

Christ is eternal without beginning or ending. But when He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary, He began the process of also taking on humanity, of becoming both God and Man. After His birth, the Angel of the Lord disappears from Scripture. He is now the Son of God who lived among us and gave His life for us.

Jesus inspires our awe whenever we see Him in either the Old or New Testament. He deserves our loving worship.

What we see in the angel of the Lord is brought to a culmination in the person of Jesus, who draws near to humanity in order to draw us near to God.
Carissa Quinn

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet.
Luke 16:22, NLT

 Recommended Reading: Luke 16:19-23

Some people mistakenly believe we become angels after we die. The Bible nowhere teaches such a thing, but it does tell us that angels will accompany believers on their journey to heaven at the moment of death. In His story of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus said that when the beggar Lazarus died, he “was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22). In other words, the angels escorted him to be with Abraham and all the rest of God’s children in the heavenly places.

It’s normal to be apprehensive about dying but knowing Jesus as Savior turns the experience into an adventure. Death isn’t a drop into darkness. It’s a quick journey into the presence of Christ and our loved ones with angels as chauffeurs, bodyguards, and companions.

As you anticipate heaven, remember none of us will take the journey there alone. The Bible says that angels escort us to heaven. What a comforting truth!

Death for the Christian cuts the cord that holds us captive in this present evil world so that angels may transport believers to their heavenly inheritance.
Billy Graham

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.
Revelation 5:11

 Recommended Reading: Hebrews 2:14-16

Eschatology is the study of the last things, and the most eschatologically focused book of the Bible is Revelation. And guess what Revelation mentions more than any other book of the Bible: angels. Angels are mentioned in Revelation more than seventy times.

While there are many reasons to anticipate a future in heaven, one is often overlooked: the opportunity to witness the reality and presence of the innumerable angels who have served God and His people for eons. We may even encounter an angel that was sent to minister to us in a time of need! God through Jesus Christ has taken away the fear of death for all who belong to Him (Hebrews 2:14-15). Just as God has a fiery destination prepared for “the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41), so God has prepared a wondrous destination for His angels and for those who belong to Christ (Hebrews 12:22).

If you belong to God through faith in Christ, your future is with God and His angels in heaven. Thank God today for that promise!

Why shouldest thou be afraid to die, who hopest to live by dying!
William Gurnall

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith.
1 Peter 5:8-9

 Recommended Reading: James 4:7

While lions no longer roam the plains of the Middle East, they did in biblical days. And Peter used the lion as a picture of Satan. Lions roar to intimidate their prey and competitors, but Satan intimidates in other, more subtle ways.

The apostle Paul pointed out that spiritual warfare is not a matter of physical armaments and conflicts, but a battle over truth—the realm of thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). That’s how Satan attacked and intimidated Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He replaced God’s truth—“You shall not eat…lest you die”—with a lie: “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:3-4). He intimidated Adam and Eve into believing a lie, and they died spiritually. Jesus said that Satan is “the father of lies” (John 8:44, NIV). His primary weapon against Christians is to persuade us to believe lies about God—that He is not good, forgiving, loving, or faithful.

When you are tempted to doubt God or His truth, you are being tempted by Satan. Resist him and stand firm in the faith.

It is the oldest stratagem of Satan to disfigure the truth by misrepresentation.
Iain Murray

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.
Matthew 4:9

 Recommended Reading: Acts 20:19

This verse is the key to understanding the motive of Satan and the origin of evil. The devil desires to be worshiped as God. Professor D. Edmond Hiebert wrote, “In his ambition to assume the place of God, Satan is mastered by a consuming passion to receive worship as God. That master passion was revealed in Satan’s bold offer to invest Jesus with authority over the kingdoms of this world on condition Jesus would worship him.”¹

Our Lord’s response was, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (Matthew 4:10).

We may never desire to be worshiped as God, but that’s at the heart of the attitude of pride that drives much of what we think and do. God desires humility. We’re to serve the Lord with all humility (Acts 20:19), putting on “tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering” (Colossians 3:12). Psalm 147:6 says, “The Lord lifts up the humble.” And Peter assures us that God gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5).

Every day resist Satan by living in humble obedience to our one, great, true God.

All the cunning of the devil is exercised in trying to tear us away from the Word.
Martin Luther

1. D. E. Hiebert, The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 5, Merrill C. Tenney, ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010).

https://www.davidjeremiah.org