February 18 I Monday

Leviticus 23-24

Mark 1:1-22

“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms…”

—Ephesians 3:10-11

With the rapid advancement of technology, we are under almost constant surveillance. Online search engines keep a record of every website we visit, and CCTV cameras capture practically everyone’s movement in technologically heavy areas. But Scripture explains we are also on CTV, Cosmic Television, for the spiritual realm to observe what we say and do.

As Christians, we have become “Exhibit A” to all the forces of evil in our world. The church of Jesus Christ is on display, revealing the wisdom and power of the working God. What the devil and his cohorts see from us, as Christ works through His body, is the primary means of seeing God’s working in this world.

Satan, of course, is the active enemy of the work of Jesus Christ. He and his authorities in the heavenly realms stand back, taking note of where they can inflict damage. This means that Christians are especially prone to satanic attack. The closer we come to God, the greater the stumbling block Satan will put in our path. These stumbling blocks will always be attractive in their appeal, for the devil is extremely seductive and cunning, enticing the flesh with temptation and creating doubt and misconceptions.

Human society is, by nature, fragmented, but in Christ it becomes united. In our failures and weaknesses, we live in the grace of God where He imparts to us His strength and His righteousness, enabling many good works around the globe. All of this, says Paul, is being watched by authorities and rulers in the heavenly realms.

Satan is not omniscient as God is. He does not know all there is to know. In fact, he must have thought the winds were with him the day Jesus hung on the cross, thinking he had stopped God’s redemption plan in its tracks, but he did not understand that Christ’s death would satisfy the penalty for sin so we could all be reconciled to Him. Because of this demonic miscalculation, the demons must now watch as people from all nations submit to Christ and live in His strength and victory.

The devil has not surrendered, however. He and his demons will tempt us our entire lives to live on our own strength, but a life submitted to Christ and dependent on His sufficiency will be a constant reminder to the forces of evil of their failure. Christ’s wisdom and victory over sin were made clear to every power and principality when He restored us to Himself, and it is emphasized further every time we choose to rest in His power as He lives in us.

Prayer: Father God, thank You for choosing me to be a witness to Your wisdom, strength and victory. Protect me from evil as I trust You and make Your glory known. Thank You, Lord.