Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Offer Protective Wisdom (8/14/25)

I often pray for wisdom, whether it’s for efficiency at work, parenting decisions, writing devotionals, or daily activities. Yesterday, we received a clear answer to NOT do what we were planning to do – going bowling before dinner and a church event. When we arrived, there weren’t any available family lanes. So, we went home with a little more time for dinner. In God’s better plan, Edmund then spontaneously met some grandkids of a neighbor and enjoyed playing basketball with them.

Last week’s passage ended with a call for patient endurance and faithfulness. This week’s passage ends with a call for wisdom. We need perseverance and faithfulness to face Satan’s war against God’s people and his deception through the beast. We also need wisdom to see through the manipulation of the second beast. Notably, Satan (the Dragon), the first beast, and the second beast seem to imitate God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, as seen in the rest of Revelation chapter 13.

Revelation 13:11-18 ¹¹ Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. ¹² It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. ¹³ And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people.¹⁴ Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. ¹⁵ The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. ¹⁶ It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

¹⁸ This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.

So, where do we get this wisdom? Perfect wisdom comes straight from God Himself! Reading His Word, talking with Him in prayer, and listening for His answers will help us gain wisdom.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Knowing God’s prophecy, like this passage in Revelation, will help us be prepared when these events happen. We will then be able to wisely discern the deception of Satan and remain faithful to God.

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Protect us from the Dragon’s Deception (8/7/25)

Deception is a serious issue in my book. I don’t tolerate it in my house. Lies, deception, hiding the truth, omission of details, twisting the truth all come with severe consequences. Joe and I regularly remind our kids that it damages relationships by breaking trust. While I detest deception, I know God abhors it the most. He stands in stark contrast to deceitful Satan.

Last week we discussed how we are to expect spiritual warfare from Satan (the dragon) and use the full armor of God to fight against him. This spiritual warfare will intensify as the end of this world nears. The dragon, Satan, will have the power to wage war against God’s people, but he won’t deceive them. Instead, he will deceive the whole rest of the world.

Revelation 13:1-10   The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. ² The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. ³ One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. ⁴ People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

⁵ The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. ⁶ It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. ⁷ It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.⁸ All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.

¹⁰ “If anyone is to go into captivity,
    into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
    with the sword they will be killed.”

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.

What’s the distinction between Satan, through the beast, conquering and waging war against God’ people versus deceiving them? I think it relates to physical versus spiritual life and death. Satan is permitted to physically harm and even kill God’s people, but he can’t deceive them into worshiping him over worshiping God. If we genuinely belong to God, then we won’t be deceived by Satan and won’t succumb to his deception. We will patiently endure and remain faithful to God, even to the point of death, empowered by the Holy Spirit living in us and confident in the promise of eternal life.

How will you and I prepare to patiently endure and remain faithful to God, even in the face of the dragon’s war against us? As we discussed last week, we are to use all of God’s armor and resources, accompanied by continual prayer.  

Ephesians 6:10-11 and 18   ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes...

 ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.   

As we actively access Jesus's mighty power, we can be protected from Satan's deception.

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Help Us Against the Dragon’s War (7/31/25)

The Dragon couldn’t win his war against Jesus or Archangel Michael, as covered two and three weeks ago. He was hurled to the earth and kept fighting. This time he waged war directly with the woman, as seen in the rest of Revelation chapter 12.

Revelation 12:13-17 ¹³ When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴ The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.¹⁵ Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. ¹⁷ Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

We discussed a few weeks ago that the woman could represent the nation of Israel or people of God. As verse 17 clarifies, we can know for sure that her offspring are those who are followers of Jesus so we are part of the woman’s offspring! Satan couldn’t win against Jesus, Michael, or the woman (since God’s power in and around them was far greater) so he wages war against us.

War is a strong word. It doesn’t say merely “tempt” or “deceive,” but “wage war against.” If you and I hold to the testimony of Jesus and obey God’s commands, Satan wants to make war against us. It is crucial that we’re aware of the reality of this spiritual warfare.

Even amid this war, we have hope and protection in God. As God took care of the woman, He can take care of us. In Ephesians 6, Paul outlines God’s armor available to us for our protection against Satan’s attacks.  

Ephesians 6:10-18   ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² 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.¹³ 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. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 

What armor will you and I put on and use today to fight in the Dragon’s war? Will you and I buckle on the belt of truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, and take up the shield of faith? Let's be intentional about putting on God's armor and standing firm against the devil's attacks.

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to be Victorious Over Tragedy (7/10/25)

Tragedy struck numerous places this past week. From the floods of Texas to drownings in Lake Michigan, the news was devastating. I know many of us have prayed multiple prayers for the families of those lost.

God sees everything and is in ultimate control of all. Jesus has the power to overcome any tragedy and work His purposes in and through them. What He allows to happen can be confusing and difficult to understand. Similarly, watching the seventh trumpet judgment unfold in Revelation 12 is also unnerving and confusing.

Revelation 12:1-6    A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. ² She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. ³ Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. ⁴ Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. ⁵ She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.⁶ The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

It’s a terrifying picture. There are enough concerns and pains during childbirth, without having the added worry that someone is waiting to snatch your baby away. The dragon represents Satan (Revelation 12:9), the woman probably represents the nation of Israel (inclusive of Mary and maybe more broadly the people of God) and the baby symbolizes Jesus the Messiah. As frightening as this picture is, it’s reassuring to see how God took care of both the baby and the woman! Satan is no match for God.

This encouraged me to remember that no matter how bleak a situation may seem, God will accomplish His purposes. He sees everything and Satan can’t do anything unless God allows it. Satan may have thought he devoured Jesus at the cross, but God snatched Him back up to Heaven (through His resurrection and ascension). Jesus was victorious over death, both physical and spiritual.

God takes care of His own, whether it’s Jesus on the cross, a girl at a Texas camp during a flash flood or a young man drowning. His care often doesn’t come the way we expect. Our times in the “wilderness” may be for our protection (whether physical or spiritual), and our times of pain may be necessary for the times of blessing to follow.

As we face our own challenges or tragedies, let’s remember Jesus is victorious now and for all eternity. We can look for and expect God’s care for His children through all situations.

Thurs Devo: Call for Wisdom

Last week’s passage ended with a call for patient endurance and faithfulness. This week’s passage ends with a call for wisdom.

Revelation 13:11-18  ¹¹ Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. ¹² It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. ¹³ And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people.¹⁴ Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. ¹⁵ The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. ¹⁶ It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

¹⁸ This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.

Where do we get this wisdom? Perfect wisdom comes straight from God Himself! Reading His Word, talking with Him in prayer, and listening for His answers will help us gain wisdom.


Knowing God’s prophecy, like this passage in Revelation, will help us be prepared when these events happen. We will then be able to discern the deception of Satan and remain faithful to God.

Alice 

Thurs Devo: The Dragon's War, Part II

Last week we talked about how we are to expect war from Satan (the dragon), but use the full armor God has provided to fight against him! From studying the book of Revelation this year, God seems to warn us that these difficulties and battles will intensify as the end of this world nears. The dragon, Satan, will have the power to wage war against God’s people, but he won’t deceive them. He will deceive the whole rest of the world, though.

Revelation 13:1-10    The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. ² The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. ³ One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. ⁴ People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

⁵ The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. ⁶ It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. ⁷ It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.⁸ All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.

¹⁰ “If anyone is to go into captivity,
    into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
    with the sword they will be killed.”

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.

What’s the difference between Satan, through the beast, conquering and waging war against God’ people versus deceiving them? I think it has to do with physical versus spiritual life and death. Satan is allowed to physically harm and even kill God’s people, but he can’t deceive them into worshiping him over worshiping God. If we truly belong to God, then we won’t be deceived by Satan and won’t give in to his deception. We will patiently endure and remain faithful to God, even to the point of death. We can do that through the strength of the Holy Spirit living in us, knowing we will gain eternal life!

How will you and I prepare now to patiently endure and remain faithful to God, even through the dragon’s war against us?

Alice

Thurs Devo: The Dragon's War

Thank you for your prayers! My sister, Mary, did indeed have her baby last Thursday! Jack arrived at 2:53 pm after about 6 hours of natural labor. Jane (my other sister) and I were able to be with Mary via FaceTime for the last few hours of labor and the birth (thanks to Mark and my Mom and Dad for making sure we stayed connected)!
A new baby is so exciting! However, we all know that it won’t be all roses. Even though the labor and delivery pains are over, there are still recovery pains and adjustment struggles.  The blessings of children take a lifetime of reliance on God, discipline, hard work and perseverance on the part of the parents.
The same is true for the woman in Revelation chapter 12…
Revelation 12:13-17  ¹³ When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴ The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.¹⁵ Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. ¹⁷ Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
War is a strong word. It doesn’t say merely “tempt” or “deceive,” but “wage war against.” If you and I hold to the testimony of Jesus and obey God’s commands, Satan (the dragon) wants to make war against us. Like parenting, we must expect difficulties in our Christian walk but rely on God’s power to remain faithful and persevere.
Ephesians 6:10-13    ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² 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.¹³ 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.

God has full armor for us to wear to fight in the Dragon’s war! We must choose to put it on!

Alice

Thurs Devo: Heaven's war

Who is the ruler of Heaven?

Who is the ruler of this world right now?

Revelation 12:7-12    ⁷ Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. ⁸ But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

“Now have come the salvation and the power
    and the kingdom of our God,
    and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
    who accuses them before our God day and night,
    has been hurled down.
¹¹ They triumphed over him
    by the blood of the Lamb
    and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
    as to shrink from death.
¹² Therefore rejoice, you heavens
    and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
    because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
    because he knows that his time is short.”

Knowing Satan rules this world, helps explain a lot of things, doesn’t it? Remembering this, reminds me not to pursue or look for earthly success and security. It is deceptively alluring. It will all be short-lived. I think Satan uses it to distract us from focusing on God, His promises, and His truths. As powerful as Satan is, his time of rule will end. He’s already been defeated!


How will you and I rejoice in God’s power over Satan, and pursue eternal success and security? We may need to first ask for God’s help to identify areas where we have fallen for Satan’s deception and lies. Then, we can triumph over Satan, in God’s power!

Alice