Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

April 6– Evening

by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff

“In the name of the Lord, I will destroy them.” 

—Psalm 118:12

Our Lord Jesus, by his death, did not purchase rights to only a portion of us but to our entire beings. By his death and resurrection, he set us apart for himself— spirit, soul, and body. In this triple kingdom, he himself is to reign supreme without rival.

It is the business of the newborn nature to assert the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. My soul, since you are a child of God, every part of you must be conquered. Nothing is to remain untouched. You must subdue all your powers and passions to the silver scepter of Jesus’ gracious reign. You must never be satisfied with merely being purchased by the King, but he must reign supreme over your whole being.

Seeing, then, that sin has no right to any part of us, it is good to drive it out in God’s name. O my body, you are a member of Christ! Will I allow you to be ruled by the prince of darkness? O my soul, Christ has suffered for your sins and redeemed you with his most precious blood. Will I surrender my judgment to be perverted by error, or my will to be confined by the chains of lawless living? No, my soul, you belong to Christ, and sin has no right to you.

Be courageous about this, dear Christian! Don’t be disheartened, thinking that your spiritual enemies will never be destroyed. You are able to overcome them, although not in your own strength; indeed, the very weakest of them would be too much for you. But you can and will overcome them through the blood of the Lamb. Do not ask, “How will I conquer them, since they are greater and mightier than I?” Instead, go to the Strong for strength. Wait humbly upon God. Fill your vision with the greatness of the Almighty, and the mighty God of Jacob will surely come to your rescue. You will sing of victory through his grace. [M&E]