Recovery Devotional 342 Key of Promise

JMD Devotional 342 2 Peter 1:3-5 Key of Promise

For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature. For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence)…

We live in a physical world full of spiritual realities. When it comes to spiritual enemies and problems, we do not naturally have the tools to protect ourselves or to deal with them. Pagans try to use symbolic material things and mystical words to gain a metaphysical edge through magic and spells. For a Christian, the pursuit of occult power is forbidden; our power is not our own, it comes from dependence on God. How blundering and helpless we would be anyway; to navigate blindly in the spiritual plane, trying to defend ourselves against enemies that know their turf and can see us clearly. Our power is in God, and He has all the spiritual power we need. However, we are not to be passive in this spiritual civil war: God has given us provision and protection in the form of His promises; and the responsibility to activate those promises with our faith. Faith is the key that unlocks the infinite resources of God’s promises. These promises are not to be exploited in the vain pursuit of our own material prosperity: they were given for living a victorious Christian life and for serving God’s kingdom. The promises enable us to be OBEDIENT. In John Bunyan’s classic, “Pilgrim’s Progress”, the main character named “Christian” had a ‘magic’ key, the Key of Promise, which grew to fit any lock and could open any door. It grew in proportion to its holder’s faith. It freed “Christian” from bondage. Exercising our faith is our responsibility, and it brings glory to God as we acknowledge His faithfulness to His Word.

Dear God,

Your divine power HAS given me EVERYTHING I need for life and godliness. I am hungry for the knowledge that helps me live in accordance with Your will; that helps me know Your heart. Forgive me for the many times I tried to manipulate reality to suit myself: serving You is true liberation from moral decay. Help me to be a man of faith, victorious in Christ as I depend on Your power and presence in my life. Thank You for giving all of us everything we need in Christ.

Amen

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Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

*New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)

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