On the Couch With God - Daily Devotional

"Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" (Ephesians 6:16) Faith doesn’t become faith until you actually have to use it. Many of us think we have strong faith, but when something difficult comes along our faith is the first thing to fly out the window. In reality, for too many Christians our faith rests not in God but in our checking account. If there’s money in the bank, food in the fridge and a clean bill of health from the doctor, we trust in God. But when something goes sideways, our first reaction is to blame God, as if God’s sole purpose on this planet is to provide us an easy and stress free life. The flaming arrows that the enemy will throw at us will be lies that will try to get us to doubt God’s goodness in our lives. Look at how Satan drove a wedge between Eve and God. It was with a flaming arrow of doubt, “Did God really say that?” (Genesis 3:1). It is a lie straight from the enemy to think that the p

"Stand firm then . . . with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace" (Ephesians 6:15) That’s a mouthful just to say: feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. So where’s the emphasis? Peace? Shoes? Gospel? The way the phrase is written in the original Greek, the emphasis is on the word “readiness,” not on “peace” which most assume. Think about it this way: a soldier may have all the right equipment, but if he’s not on the right part of the battlefield at the right moment, he’ll miss the action. If the solider is on the right part of the battlefield but gets distracted, he’ll fail to see the attack coming his way. It’s not just enough to be properly armed. You have to be situationally aware. That’s what it means to have your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. The reason the qualifier of “gospel of peace” is attached to the word “readiness” is to remind us of the outward nature of o

"Stand firm then . . . with the breastplate of righteousness in place" (Ephesians 6:14) Righteousness is one of those super religious words that is easy to gloss over without truly understanding. In its basic form righteousness is right living, living in a way that honours God by honouring others. Ultimately our righteousness comes through Jesus and what he did on the cross for our sins, but our right living even after salvation has an incredible impact on the success or failure of our spiritual warfare. I once counseled a young man who was struggling with an addiction to alcohol. He wanted to stop but couldn’t seem to get over the hump. When I asked him where he worked his answer stunned me not just because of what he said but because how he didn’t seem to connect the dots: he worked part-time at a local bar. When we make stupid decisions, we face stupid consequences and we give the enemy a beachhead from which to harass and chip away at the spiritual victory that is r

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist" (Ephesians 6:14) Know this: when the enemy comes after you, everything he says to you will be a lie, because Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Lies are one of the greatest tools in his arsenal, which is why Paul instructs Christians to combat him with truth, wearing it as a belt around our waists. So what lies has the enemy been feeding for you? Are they lies about yourself, how you see yourself, what others say about you, how you judge your own self-worth? Perhaps it’s your past, the enemy constantly attempting to chain you to a past that God has forgiven you for long ago. Maybe it’s a current situation you’re in that seems hopeless, and it seems hopeless because of the lies the enemy has been feeding you. Or maybe the enemy has fed you lies about God, who He is and how He wants to interact with you. The lies of the enemy are as relentless as waves on the shore. What’s even worse fo

"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" (Ephesians 6:13) One of the biggest misconceptions about spiritual warfare can be cleared up when we pause and reflect on the truth of Ephesians 6:13. It’s all wrapped up in the word “stand.” Most of us perceive our enemy is having the high ground, of being in an entrenched position of strength, and spiritual warfare is therefore trying to defeat an enemy who is winning. In that scenario we’re the ones on the losing end and our enemy is fighting with the advantage. But like everything else from our enemy, that’s a lie (John 8:44). When Paul tells the Ephesian Christians to engage in spiritual warfare, he repeats the word “stand” twice. Why so? Because the enemy doesn’t have the high ground, we do! The enemy isn’t fighting from a position of victory, we are! When Jesus conquered death and sin on the cross, he han

"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" (Ephesians 6:12) The first (of ten) steps to successful spiritual warfare is to see the supernatural behind the natural. It’s hard to fight a battle when you can’t see it. At the beginning of the letter to the Ephesians Paul recorded this prayer, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18). When Jesus taught the crowds, many times he would finish a message by saying “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear” (Matthew 11:15). In your own world concerning your personal battles, you need to know in what areas of your life you’re encountering spiritual warfare. Is it a hidden addiction you don’t think you’ll ever be free from? Is it a struggling marriage? Is it a sense of discouragement and gloom that seem to linger over you like a dark cloud? A ke

"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.

Let’s say that someone from a prehistoric tribe, perhaps from the jungles of Papua New Guinea or deep within the Amazon rainforest, somehow stumbled into London. They saw the electronic billboards, the high end storefronts, the cars and taxis. They took a closer look at the people and saw them talking into strange hand held devices that seemed to be displaying images themselves. Let’s say then that this person was transported to a cutting edge hospital, where they saw the vast machinery and the things doctors could do with the human body. If he saw what we take for granted, he would say we’re wizards. He would say we’re magicians. What is normal and accepted for us is mysterious to someone unfamiliar and unaccustomed to it. In the same way, many of us treat spiritual warfare like wizardry. It’s the Christian version of Harry Potter, with blessings (spells) and prayers (incantations). The supernatural world is a place filled with mysterious creatures like angels and demons. For most

There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight. C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters. Before we dive headlong into the topic and the battle of spiritual warfare, it is important to avoid the two extremes that befall many Christians when it comes to spiritual warfare. The first extreme is to naively assume that spiritual warfare is not real, like a child hiding under a blanket assuming the world does not exist because they cannot see it. If you have lived your Christian life with a blind eye towards the supernatural and spiritual warfare, that doesn’t mean it ceases to exist. It simply means that the enemy can attack you unabated and undefended. The aim of this book is to remove that extreme. The other extreme is to

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-38 A great question to ask if you’ve made it this far is: is spiritual warfare really that important? Perhaps you grew up in a church where spiritual warfare wasn’t taught or emphasized. What’s the big deal? Is it truly something worth all the effort? Absolutely, and here’s why: everything is connected. When Jesus reiterated the command in Deuteronomy to love God with all your heart, soul and mind, Jesus was speaking to a deeper truth for our lives. Your mental health affects your physical health and your physical health affects your emotional health and they’re all affected by your spiritual health. For instance, If you don’t eat right, if you don’t exercise, if you neglect the temple that is your body, it won’t just affect you physically, it will impact your emotions. Or if you’re not healthy mentally, if you’re wr

This devotional, properly applied, has the potential to change your life in a simple yet significant way: it can help you win the spiritual war. Before you can achieve victory in your life, you have to first win the spiritual war. Although it might seem strange, you’re probably not that unfamiliar with the underlying concept. Let’s say that over the course of the next several months you begin to develop an unknown sickness. You’re lethargic, you’re losing weight, maybe you develop a persistent cough or weakening eyesight. Whatever it is, on the outside you may look like there’s nothing wrong, but you know that there’s something wrong inside of you. You can’t see what’s wrong, but you can sense it. Even though it’s unseen doesn’t mean it’s not real. So what do you do? You go to doctor after doctor and run test after test until you figure out what’s causing your malady. Once the problem is diagnosed, then you can begin to treat it. In the same way, whether you know it or not you ar

If you’re reading this right now then be warned. This devotional to spiritual warfare is a bit dangerous, not to you, but to your way of life. If ignorance is bliss, it aims to destroy that bliss forever. Imagine living in a house infested with termites. For years you never noticed them. Just beyond reach, just out of sight, they lived, they ate, they spawned, they festered. For all those years you blindly ate, played, and slept, unaware of the lurking presence right beneath your head at night. If you live in a house full of termites is it better to know or is it simpler to live in ignorance? If you prefer ignorance, then stop reading right now. If you don’t want to know about the spiritual forces that have been eating away at the foundation of your life and family like termites, then there’s no need to go any farther. Ignorance is in fact bliss, at least for the short term. This book’s aim is nothing short of ripping up the base boards, pulling out the sheetrock and exposing the d

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. (Luke 24:1–3) What are your most memorable family traditions on Easter? One of my earliest memories was our family’s Easter egg hunt. We would gather at my grandmother’s house armed with our Easter baskets. But honestly, we didn’t hunt eggs; instead, we pursued one legendary egg—the prized $100.00 egg. This one egg was carefully hidden and contained a lifetime of riches in the mind of a six-year-old boy. You can imagine my disappointment when one year my uncle made the pre-Easter Egg hunt announcement that he didn’t hide the “money egg” that year. He assured us that there was still some delicious candy to be found hidden in the rest of the eggs. Years later, I realized that my uncle had grown a bit stingier with his Easter egg money and decided to end the tradit

Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. (Luke 23:50–56) Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. He took Jesus' body and wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain. He was a member of the council and a part of the Sanhedrin. The same ruling class orchestrated Jesus' crucifixion. However, Scripture also tells us Joseph of Arimathea was a good and righteous man. The Greek word for righteous here is "dikaios." The same word is used to describe Adam and Eve's son, Abel, Jesus' earthly father Joseph, and John the Baptist. We're told that Joseph of Arimathea did not consent to the council's plan. He didn't vote for it or agree with it. Luke 23:51 clearly states that Joseph was "waiting fo

Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. (Luke 23:26-46) When you finally finished your shopping, you always smelled like mothballs. No matter how short or long your visit to the old shop was, you’d depart with that smell-proof that you’d been there. And even though it was a journey, people would go there multiple times a year, looking for a costume for that themed party, an iconic garment from a past era, or a treasure that would draw the eye of those they walked by. The vintage clothing business was popular, in part because you got to enjoy the pieces of someone else’s experience, the clothing of someone else’s life. We can draw a similar parallel to an event that happened on that Good Friday. After Jesus had made His way through the city, after He’d stumbled multiple times and the Roman soldiers conscripted an unsuspecting man to carry His cross, and after the executioners stripped

  And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 22:14–38) How many times have you been around a table with family or friends, enjoying each other’s company, and unity is broken by a disagreement? I have been around a table on a few occasions when a conversation turns sour by a difference of opinion or because of a harsh comment. I find comfort in Scripture when people do things like I do or have experiences as I’ve had. In the holiest of moments, when Jesus is offering bread and the cup to His disciples, a dispute arises. The disciples are arguing about which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. Jesus responded in a way much like He does throughout Scripture. He speaks in a seemingly “upside-down way” as it related to the culture into which He was speaking (and into ours today). He said, “The greatest among you becomes as the youngest and th

But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.” (Luke 23:2-25) In Luke 23:2–25, the accusation of Jesus is the topic of discussion—with the chief priests, religious leaders, and “council” being the loudest accusers. This Scripture tells us that the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him; they were fierce, and they became desperate. Across translations, we read the crowd being described as urgent, insisting, and desperate to get their point across that Jesus had basically been wrecking their world. Jesus had travelled all over Judea forgiving sins, healing the sick, driving out demons, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God and repentance, challenging the religious law of the land, dining with sinners, and sending His disciples to preach the Gospel and heal everywhere. The issue at hand for the religious leaders and Pharisees was that what He preached went against their nor

“ But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am ” (Luke 22:66–23:1) As soon as it was day..." we read in Luke 22:66. Jesus has endured an unlawful trial the previous night —arrested, falsely accused, and denied a proper hearing— "The elders of the people, both the chief priests and scribes came together and led Him into their counsel, saying 'If you are the Christ, tell us'" (v. 67). As we ponder again the sufferings of our beloved Saviour and Lord, the injustice, the false accusations, and the unbelief of those who questioned who He really was, the scene is heart-wrenching. How can we relate to His pain and agony? To be forsaken by your friends, denied by your companions, and mocked and abused by your accusers. I dare say none has endured such grief, pain, and heartache. Despite Jesus' beautiful words of life, His many mi

And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:54–65) Our passage follows the betrayal of Jesus with a kiss from Judas. Now, as Jesus is seized and kept under guard at the high priest’s house, we can only imagine the shock and fear that Peter and the other disciples must have felt. Peter, who had violently resisted the temple troops to prevent Jesus’ arrest just hours before, now follow “at a distance”, trying to blend into the crowd. Jesus had predicted in the garden that same night that Peter would deny Him three times before the crowing of the rooster (Mathew 26). When Jesus had confronted him in the garden, Peter boldly contradicted Jesus, almost boasting that he would die before betraying Jesus. How quickly Peter’s mindset and attitude changes to self-preservation once the stakes are raised, he is recognised

"You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives." (Luke 21:5–19) Have you ever felt obligated to give a gift? A straightforward approach in those situations is to just decide how much to spend and purchase something that seems appropriate. Often there isn't much thought given by the gift giver, and likely the gift receiver's appreciation matches the giver's enthusiasm. Think about some of the more memorable gifts you have received. Your list probably includes gifts of little value by earthly standards, yet they were priceless to you. Why is that? How is it that something that appears to be valueless can actually be priceless? Likely it is because those gifts were from the heart. What about a card from your wife that encourages you during a challenging time at work? I still have that one. What about a bookmark from your 9-year-old daughter that says, "I'll love you

The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. (Luke 20:9-19) The characters in this passage are reflective of the kingdom of God. They would have been understood by the religious leaders. The vineyard owner represents God, the tenants represent the religious leaders, and the servants represent God's prophets. In this parable, we see God's continued efforts to bring His people back to Himself. Just as the owner of the vineyard sent his servants to the tenants yet received no response, the people and kings also ignored appeals for repentance made by God's prophets. The vineyard owner sends his own beloved son to them in a final attempt to turn the tenants back to respect and obedience. Still, the tenants conspired together and killed him. By ending the parable, Jesus foretells His own death. In this parable, we notice several things. One is th

But the people were displeased. "He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner." (Luke 19:1-10) As a chief tax collector, Zacchaeus was under no illusion. He knew he was a sinner. In fact, the word tax collector was synonymous with "sinner" in his day since they routinely took over and above what was required by the Roman government and kept it for themselves. Was he present when John the Baptist preached his message of repentance along the Jordan River? (Luke 3:12–13) Tax collectors were among the first to respond and wanted to know what they needed to do. John had told them not to take more than what was required by the government. Maybe Zacchaeus had begun to follow that instruction but still felt troubled. As he climbed the tree to see Jesus better, was he hopeful or apprehensive? Jesus was known to call people as He saw them, particularly hypocrites. As Jesus pushed through the crowd and approached the tree, He addressed Zacchaeus by his name. Not o

"I tell you; this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:9-14) Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector is one of several in Luke regarding prayer. Here, in verses 9–14, Jesus reveals the authenticity of prayer. Most of us find this parable straightforward. The church-going, rule-following Pharisee offers haughty, self-righteous words that we almost intuitively know should not be our prayer. In contrast, the lowly tax collector moves away from the crowd and asks only for mercy. Jesus says he went home justified. So, pray like the tax collector, be humble before God. But how do you have a humble heart in prayer? Suppose we simply try to avoid the Pharisee. In that case, our prayer might become something like, "God, thank you for making me humble and not like the boastful Pharisee." Even as we seek humility, we may

Then Jesus answered, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:11-19) In today's passage, we read about 10 men living with one of the most challenging trials of their time: leprosy. The people who suffer from leprosy are thrown into isolation, forced to deal with their torment all on their own. Presumably, this group of people have hit their lowest valleys. They come to Jesus, who has just arrived in town, and they cry out, "Teacher, please heal us! Save us from our agony! Give us our lives back!" And guess what? He does it. By the end of verse 14, all 10 of these men walk away with hope for a new life and with their pain a mere memory. Then something else happens. One of them comes racing back with an attitude of thanksgiving, of confidence, and of humility, knowing that his healer was the

The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg." (Luke 16:1-13) Often these verses are a reminder that we cannot serve both God and money, and it is often not a choice of God and money or good and bad for most people. We know the difference, but we choose "good things" and push the "great things"—our priorities, our loves—to the margins of our lives, which often happens gradually with small choices. We see this beginning in verse 3 with an internal question, "What now?" Throughout life, we have times when we have the same questions: "I've lost my job, what now? I want to be at my son's game, but I should work, what now? I don't have the money, but I want it, what now?" We are faced with a choice and may not be proud when we reflect upon our decision. So, what now? • Micah 6:8: Do justice, love with kindness and walk humbl