Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Wage War (2/19/26)

Recently, my kids were discussing war and wondered if they would have to fight if World War III were to start. I was able to reassure them that, as children, they wouldn’t be recruited to fight.

This conversation got me thinking - from my human perspective, war often seems evil. Can there be a righteous war? Let’s look at the war to take place at the end.

Revelation 19:11-21 ¹¹ I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. ¹² His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. ¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵ Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

king of kings and lord of lords.

¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, ¹⁸ so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”

¹⁹ Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. ²⁰ But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. ²¹ The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

This Bible passage reveals that Jesus (the rider on the white horse) is the only one that can wage war rightly. His war is righteous because He judges with perfect justice. He knows all truth and accurately administers judgment.

In this passage, it doesn’t sound like there will be much of a battle. It appears one-sided. Jesus will single-handedly strike down nations, the beast, the false prophet and their followers. At that time, it seems the armies of heaven following Jesus will witness the victory without having to participate in the actual battle. Jesus, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Faithful, True, and Just Judge, righteously wages and wins the war for Himself and all His followers!

As we begin the Lent season, we can expand our focus beyond just anticipating Jesus’ resurrection. We can also look forward to Jesus’ ultimate victory over all sin and evil in the world. With the start of Lent yesterday, where will your focus be, considering all we’ve studied in Revelation this past year?  

Alice

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 Triumph over Satan (7/17/25)

Have you ever witnessed someone’s frustration grow as they lost game after game? We experienced this at our house last night during a speed game. James, the oldest, dominated most rounds, leaving Edmund (4 years younger) upset. Meanwhile, the girls and I didn’t fare much better, but we continued to enjoy playing.

On a much larger scale, the dragon (Satan) was furious about not being able to devour the baby (as we discussed last week). It seems he decided to wage war in Heaven. Let’s see how that turned out:

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.”

Did Satan win? Not at all! In fact, he was defeated not only by Jesus but also by Michael and his angels. Although Satan is powerful and currently rules this world, it is reassuring to know that not only is Jesus, but a multitude of angels possess greater power.  

As the temporary ruler of this world, Satan seeks to drag people down with him in a fit of anger and defiance against Jesus’s triumph. Have we, like many, been deceived by Satan’s lies and pursued fleeting earthly success and security? Or are we focused on Jesus’s triumph and pursuing a relationship with Him? We can tap into Jesus’s power to overcome Satan’s temptations for He has already triumphed over Satan. He reigns as the true and eternal ruler of Heaven and earth!

Our Spiritual War

He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”  Matthew 26:37-39

There is a spiritual war going on.  I say this understanding that this goes much deeper than just the things we see.  This is something we must feel.  I have felt closer to God lately reaching out in prayer seeking His wisdom and guidance, and for that, He has given me moments of clarity.  The war I see is always related to what I want versus what God wants.  More times than not, we are wanting the same things, but at times it boils down to wanting the same thing we both cannot have; control.  Do I have control or does God?  When I am responding to an attack, am I doing so through my own lens or a God inspired lens?  When it is my own, I immediately feel liberated, but often it is not lasting and can leave me with a level of anxiety, tension, and maybe even anger.  When I respond through God’s lens, it requires painful work, but I later feel love, strength, and inspiration.  These do not flee but instead become building blocks for something more lasting.

So, why is there a struggle?  It’s my favorite question exemplified by Paul when he says, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good.” (Romans 7:15-16)  The key to solving any issue is to be aware what the problem is, and it is through that awareness we can solve it.

Prayerful connection to God always puts us in the best position to see the world through His lens.  Today’s verses speak of worn and battle-weary Christ praying before He must make the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.  I found myself feeling for Him and His condition.  Those initial verses are important to note because even Christ himself grew tired are as we often are when struggling and fighting through our spiritual wars.  He said, “Let this cup of suffering be taken from me.  Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”  I wondered why is He praying this prayer?  After all, He is God, and He already knows what must be done.  You see, that’s the beauty of this prayer; His selfless surrender to God.  It’s underlines the very spiritual struggle we must deal with today. We have this cup of suffering, a cross to bear, or a surrendering to God.  We do not want the cup for we know what it encompasses.  But for us to fully embrace the grace, love, and peace that only God offers, we must want what He wants more than what we want.  This is what perfection of Christ looks like.

God is a choice.  We may see it as a seemingly simple one, but as noted here, it Is anything but simple.  However, today’s verses are not filled with sadness.  Instead, they are to inspire and encourage you of the goodness of God and the love He has for each and every one of us.  So instead of worrying about the suffering, trust in Jesus Christ for He said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23b)  What ‘cup’ are you holding today?  Where can you give more control to God in your life?  My prayer is that we both acknowledge and deal with our spiritual war.  Amen.

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