February 26, 2021 CAC Living Water Devotional : Topic – TOTAL DELIVERANCE
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LIVING WATER CAC DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
Friday, February 26, 2021. – Jewish Purim
TOTAL DELIVERANCE
Read: Matthew 12:38-45
Matthew 12:38-45 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none.
Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.
Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
MEMORISE:
When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. (Matthew 12:43)
EXPOSITION
Purim is an important Jewish festival that started from the time of Esther. It marks the Jewish people’s deliverance from a plot to massacre them in Persia, and comes up on the 14th day of the month of Adar. A discourse of true deliverance is necessary today.
The truth about a product is better known by the manufacturer. Kingdom matters, both physical and spiritual, are only well known and can so explained by the Kingdom in Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. So goes a powerful truth about deliverance that He made clear in our text: every spirit ejected from man by God’s power lingers around, seeking a return to its original abode (victim). Therefore, to be totally free from these evil beings, we need to maintain our initial deliverance; not by asking vain questions and tempting God by our vain desires (cf. 1 Cor.10:1-13), but maintaining relationship with Christ.
Jesus vehemently warns us to abhor and run away from ALL appearance of evil. This is the truth and full guarantee of total deliverance. Here, the counsel of the aged Apostle Peter comes handy. Read 2 Peter 1:5-11, and compare it with Paul’s inspired injunction in 1 Cor.6:15-20.
Whoever still jokes with evil spirits by dabbling into sinful attitudes and acts is playing with fire! God can never be happy with practices such as palm-reading, horoscopy, cultism, witchcraft, Yahoo-Yahoo, money rituals, sane-sex marriage, pre-and extra-marutal sextual relationships, and so many others common to our generation. The effects would be disastrous and unimaginable (cf.Jn.5:14). To be totally free, follow Jesus (Mk.5:18-20; Jn.8:32,36).
PRAYER POINTS
1. I praise You Lord Jesus, my great Deliverer
2. I receive more grace to shun all appearance of evil.
3. Pray for Christians who are spiritually vulnerable because of churches and ministers they associate with, and are being subtly led away into idolatry and other godless practices in the name of consulting prophets.
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Leviticus 27:14-27:34; Numbers 1:1-1:43; Mark: 5:13-5:34