Weekly Devotional 9-30-24
Holding on When You Want to Give Up
Bible Reading
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” – 1 Timothy 6:12 NIV
Life can be tough for everyone. Nobody has it completely easy. And if you are a follower of Jesus Christ then you know that you are also in a battle because the devil does not want you to have the eternal life that Jesus offers.
Often, the devil’s attacks are relentless. I know that we can become so worn down by the evil forces in this world that we feel like giving up. We might even allow ourselves to be attacked without fighting back. However, the Bible gives us weapons to use for this spiritual warfare and God has not left us without help. But lately, I have realized that I have not been fighting as hard as I should. How often have I allowed the devil to beat me down while I stayed defenseless? It is quite easy to listen to negativity and throw yourself a pity party. But in recent years, God helped me realize that I am not defenseless; I can actively and effectively fight back!
We have the power that raised Christ from the dead inside of us (Romans 8:11). Let us exercise our authority as a Child of God and fight back with the Word of God! Ephesians 6:10-18 teaches us how to be prepared for this daily battle and to win with God on our side. It’s called putting on and activating the Armor of God:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 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 Lord’s people.” (NIV)
Isn’t that a powerful promise to cling to? God has given us everything we need to defeat the enemy and to be victorious in Jesus Christ.
The above devotional is a reprint of Alexis A. Goring’s work. Alexis is a contributor at Cross Walk Daily Devotions.