March 7, 2025 - 1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬

“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8 ESV

Jesus, I love that this verse says that the reason you came was to destroy the works of the devil. You didn’t come to make things hard for him or hurt him, you came to destroy him. You completely took away his power. How amazing is that! When we give our lives to you, he no longer has any power over us. You have fully set us free. He can only influence us if we listen to him and allow him to have power over us. But the truth is, we don’t have to listen to him. All we need to do is speak the truth of what your Word says, and it will shut him down. Jesus, we saw you do this when he tempted you during your 40-day fast in the desert. Help us learn from this. Help us get your Word deeply grounded in us so that we can use it as our weapon.

When the devil comes to tempt us into sinning, we declare that we are a child of God. We have been washed in your blood, and we will not yield to his tricks. When he brings infirmities upon us, we declare that he has no authority over us and must leave, because we have been washed in your blood and by your stripes we are healed. Help us to stand in your power and refuse to make a practice of sinning and giving into the devil. Because you overcame him, when we live in the authority you have given us, we will live as the overcomers you have made us. We draw a boundary line today and declare that we will not give the enemy any authority over our lives. Thank you, Jesus, for the price that you paid for our freedom and for the power you have given us to stand against the devil. We praise you for your incredible freedom! You are so amazingly good to us.

In Jesus name, amen.