Sovereign

Mary was frightened and confused. The angel Gabriel suddenly appeared and told her that she was going to have a child. Mary asked the obvious question, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” In Gabriel’s amazing and mysterious answer, he explained that the entire Trinity would be involved in the miraculous birth.

Do you know anyone named Daniel? The name Daniel means “God has judged” or “God is my judge.” In the Old Testament, there is a man named Daniel, and his vision about seeing God as the judge of the whole world is recorded in Daniel 7:9-10; here’s what the prophet saw.

Worry, anxiety, fear—have you ever experienced those emotions? No doubt you have. Even the strongest believer has been riddled with fear. But thankfully, for those who follow Jesus, these emotions are “drive-bys,” not destinations. We need not live with anxiety, worry, or fear because we serve God Most High.

In the first chapter of the Bible, Elohim, the powerful and sovereign God, created the heavens and the earth. In Genesis 2, God became personal. Along with the name that describes his power, God added his personal name—Yahweh. The LORD God (Yahweh Elohim) stooped down and breathed into Adam the breath of life, making him a living being.

Our lives are sovereignly ordained by the living God. Long before you were born, he knew where you would be right now as you interact with this devo. With great love, he created you as his masterpiece. You are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Here’s how David describes your coming to be.

The proverb says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). God is sovereign over all, orchestrating the events of world history. We see this vividly demonstrated when it was time for Jesus to come.

In our Battle Ready study, we have learned of four anchors that are foundational in all our spiritual battles. Let’s review those anchors.

A good battle plan includes a study of the enemy. What’s their location? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? What is their method of attack? The list goes on. Now granted, our primary study must be about God. The Bible is his love letter to us, and we never want “to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest” in the devils and his demons. But we must be aware of who the enemy is. Today, let’s consider three passages from the Gospel of John where Satan is described as “the ruler of this world.”

Scripture is clear that our spiritual battle belongs to the Lord. We are not strong enough to fight and win it on our own. We saw yesterday that God is the Mighty Warrior who dresses for war with the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation, along with all the needed battle gear. When God is with us, we will win every time. So, why do I often lose the battle? Why do I give in to temptation and embrace sin? If the battle truly belongs to the Lord, why am I ever defeated?