Daily Word

If our focus and emphasis deviate ever so little from Jesus Christ Himself and His victory on the cross, deceitful spirits immediately begin to do their misleading work in the Church and in our lives as believers.

The devil hates Jesus Christ and does his utmost to avert the goal and purpose of God the Father: to transform every believer into the glorious image of His beloved Son and to make the church the full and complete manifestation of Jesus Christ.

He cannot forget that Christ is the one who crushed his head and knows that therefore every Christ-filled believer and church is his conqueror and destroyer of his vicious plans.

As long as our eyes are fixed on Christ and the cross, abiding in Him as the only Source of everything we are and do, the Holy Spirit will flow in full power in the Church and every believer to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and thwart every wicked purpose of the archenemy of God.

But when we begin to focus on other things and emphasize all kinds of doctrines and spiritual manifestations, the Holy Spirit is quenched and the door is opened up for deceitful spirits to begin their misleading work.

This was the problem with the believers in the church of Corinth. They had become totally caught up by the spiritual gifts and manifestations of the Spirit. Paul therefore was determined to come to them and preach nothing but Christ and Him crucified.

He knew that “the preaching of the cross is the power of God”, and that all the demons of hell tremble at this message, knowing that through the cross they were all put to shame.

Therefore, they do their utmost to draw our attention away from this main source of power.

But we must have our eyes always fixed only on Christ and His great triumph on the cross. Otherwise, we will open up the door for misleading influences.