Key Thought

Today's Prayer

Thank you, dear Father, for the victory that you won for me in Jesus. Thank you for Jesus' triumph over sin and death. Thank you for rescuing me from the hands of the evil one. Now, dear Father, please give me the courage and the will to stand up to his temptations and assaults knowing that the victory is mine through Christ Jesus my Lord, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context

One time Jesus was sending a demon out of a man that could not talk. When the demon came out, the man was able to speak. The people were amazed. But some of the people said, "He uses the power of Beelzebul (the devil) to force demons out of people. Beelzebul is the ruler of demons." Other people wanted to test Jesus. They asked Jesus to show them a sign (proof) from heaven. But Jesus knew the things they were thinking. So Jesus said to the people, "Every kingdom that is divided and fights against itself will be destroyed. And a family that fights against itself will break apart. So if Satan (the devil) is fighting against himself, then how will his kingdom continue? You say that I use the power of Beelzebul (the devil) to force out demons. But if I use the power of Beelzebul to force out demons, then what power do your people use when they force out demons? So your own people will prove that you are wrong. But I use the power of God to force out demons. This shows that the kingdom of God has come to you! "When a strong man with many weapons guards his own house, then the things in his house are safe. But suppose a stronger man comes and defeats him. The stronger man will take away the weapons that the first man trusted to keep his house safe. Then the stronger man will do what he wants with the other man's things. "If a person is not with me, he is against me. The person that does not work with me is working against me. "When an evil spirit {from the devil} comes out of a person, that spirit travels through dry places, looking for a place to rest. But that spirit finds no place to rest. So the spirit says, 'I will go back to the home (person) I left.' When the spirit comes back to that person, the spirit finds that home (person) swept clean and made neat. Then the evil spirit goes out and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself. Then all the evil spirits go into that person and live there. And that person has even more trouble than he had before." When Jesussaid these things, a woman with the people there began to speak. She said to Jesus, "What a great blessing God gave your mother, because she gave birth to you and fed you." But Jesus said, "The people that hear the teaching of God and obey it—they are the people that are truly happy!"

Related Scripture Readings

But listen, I tell you this secret: We will not all die, but we will all be changed. It will only take the time of a second. We will be changed as quickly as an eye blinks. This will happen when the last trumpet blows. The trumpet will blow and those {believers} who have died will be raised to live forever. And we {also} will all be changed. This {body} that will ruin must clothe itself with something that will never ruin. And this {body} that dies must clothe itself with something that will never die. So this {body} that ruins will clothe itself with that which never ruins. And this body that dies will clothe itself with that which never dies. When this happens, then the Scriptures will be made true: "Death is swallowed (defeated) in victory." "Death, where is your victory? Grave, where is your power to hurt?" Death's power to hurt is sin. And the power of sin is the law.

Then I saw heaven open. There before me was a white horse. The rider on the horse is called Faithful and True. He is right in his judging and in making war. His eyes are like burning fire. He has many crowns on his head. He has a name written on him, but he is the only one who knows the name. No other person knows the name. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood. His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him. They were riding white horses. They were dressed in fine linen, white and clean. A sharp sword comes out of the rider's mouth. He will use this sword to defeat the nations. He will rule the nations with a rod of iron. He will squeeze {the grapes} in the winepress of the terrible anger of God the All-Powerful. On his robe and on his leg was written this name: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

Can anything separate us from Christ's love? No! Can trouble separate us from Christ's love? No! Can problems or persecution separate us from Christ's love? No! If we have no food or clothes, will that separate us from Christ's love? No! Will danger or even death separate us from Christ's love? No! Like it is written in the Scriptures : "For you (Christ) we are in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed." But in all these things we have full victory through God who showed his love for us. Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love—not death, not life, not angels or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from God's love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.