Week Five: Field Work Day 29: Field Equipment April 24, 2016

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"Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of

unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground;

for it is time to seek the LORD, until He comes

and showers righteousness upon you."

(Hosea 10:12)

Day Twenty-Nine Devotions:

MORNING MEDITATION

AFTERNOON DEVOTION

EVENING PRAYER

MORNING MEDITATION

Glean the Word: Luke 17:20-35

Glimpse of Glory: "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." (vv. 20b, 21)

Jesus appeared to His disciples over a period of forty days following His resurrection to prepare them to carry on His kingdom work in the world. Today, our gracious Lord invites us to join Him at His table during these forty-day seasons of fasting and prayer, to be fed and nourished, so we too can be equipped and empowered to continue the work of His kingdom, as He takes us to deeper levels of dependence on God through His Word and in prayer. "For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building" (1 Corinthians 3:9).

When Jesus began His earthly ministry the people expected Him to set up His kingdom and reign as their king. They expected to see a political kingdom established in an outward display of power, in the same manner in which earthly kingdoms are set up. They were busy looking around for some great sign of His power, instead of looking within where the real work of the kingdom was happening. The kingdom of God is not of this world; it is an invisible kingdom that is seen through spiritual eyes. The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom; it is an internal kingdom that is discovered only through spiritual re-birth (John 3:1-8). Jesus came to set up His kingdom in the hearts of men, so that He could establish His throne there and live and reign in their lives, and make them humble and holy, like Himself. God has given us a kingdom to steward - within our hearts; but our neglect of the inner life has left us weak and feeble and has hindered our spiritual growth, making us unable to stand against the forces of evil that have been opposing the church from the very beginning. It is important that during these seasons of fastings we glean everything the Lord is showing us in His Word and bringing to the surface in our lives, so that our inner life can be purified and consecrated wholly to His purposes. We must expect that there will be seasons of interruption and disappointment as the work of the kingdom is still progressing; and though we may not see it without, we can trust that God is doing His greater kingdom work within, and is preparing His people for the work of harvesting His field. Let us praise the Lord this morning for His kingdom which He has entrusted to us, and ask for the endurance we need to wait on Him as He is continuing His work within.
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AFTERNOON DEVOTION

Glean the Word: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Gift of Grace: "...with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left..." (2 Corinthians 6:7b)

The kingdom of God has suffered opposition from the beginning. The allied forces of the world, the flesh, and Satan have been waging war against the kingdom of God seeking relentlessly to destroy the work of God, but have failed in their efforts to stop the kingdom from advancing. Jesus defeated these opposing forces by His death and resurrection, and has made us overcomers. Today we walk in the victory of Christ. "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

We are engaged in an epic spiritual battle against spiritual forces in the heavenly realms. Our human resources and efforts are inadequate in spiritual battle, therefore we need the power of God to stand against these invisible forces. "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). We are not engaged in a flesh and blood battle with people, instead our battle is a spiritual battle against dark forces that unite with the flesh and the world to cause people to oppose the work of God. Behind all this work is Satan and his evil army. In order to stand against this constant assault we need to be equipped with proper spiritual weapons to fight and win this war. "For though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). May we humbly and obediently look to the Word of God, prayer, and the power of the Holy Spirit as our weapons of warfare to defeat the forces of evil that are keeping men in bondage to the world and the flesh, and therefore serving Satan rather than the kingdom of God. Let us join in unceasing intercession for the hearts and minds of men and women everywhere to be broken open to experience the saving grace and healing power of Jesus Christ. "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:56-57).
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EVENING PRAYER

Glean the Word: Ephesians 6:10-13

Fruit of Repentance: Pursue ENDURANCE

Evening prayer focus: Prayer for endurance on the spiritual battlefield (click on the image below for our evening prayer).

"But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:4-11).

This evening, draw close to the fire and experience the warmth, love and light of Christ as we come boldly before the Throne of Grace and join our hearts together in prayer:

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