Matthew 7:21-23 Who do you know?
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: February 14, 2019, Matthew 7:21-23
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
(Understanding the Text) This is in the context of the ravening wolves leading people to destruction. Thus, even though these wolves and their followers have deceived themselves that they are fine, they were never fine. The fruit of their lives was obviously that of the devil rather than the fruit of the Spirit. They led people to destruction rather than to God. They turned people away from the narrow gate. They prophesied in Jesus’ name, but their prophesies denied Jesus’ very words spoken in the scriptures. They cast out demons in Jesus’ name, but the demons were never really cast out. Instead, the demons simply hid and then re-emerged. It was fakery and deception. In the end, the people that Jesus was describing who claimed to cast out demons were leading people away from the word of God and into trusting signs that could be faked. A friend of mine once told me about how churches that she had attended cast out demons. I asked her where they found the demon-possessed people, and she said that it was from their own church members. Her description made it appear that quite a few members had had demons cast out of them, some multiple times. I believe that while the person may or may not have been demon-possessed, that demon was never cast out, especially in the public display that my friend spoke of. I think that this may apply also to people who claim to cast out demons of addiction and sin through some kind of works and white-knuckling self-control instead of through the power of Jesus in their lives. The addiction, or other issue, seems to be conquered, but in time, it shows that it was still there all along waiting to re-emerge. There are many people who have done mighty works in God’s name, but who obviously have no knowledge of Jesus in their lives. We must test the spirit of these people who make these claims and see what fruit they bear.
(Revelation of God / Application) These wolves in sheep’s clothing may fool great numbers of people; they may fool themselves, but they never fool God. He knows what is in their hearts. They claim to know Him, but Jesus says to them, “I never knew you.” They do not know the God that they claim to serve. This is the biggest sign to look for when judging the spirit of someone. Do they know the God that they claim to serve? Because if you know Jesus, He begins to work in you transforming you. A person’s life should have a trend of changing towards the better if he/she knows Jesus. The more she/he knows Jesus, the more her/his life will demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit. Thus, I think we have to look at the overall path of a person’s life rather than snapshots taken at one specific time in their experience.
(Prayer) God, I don’t know what to do about the people who claim to know You but obviously don’t. Right now, I don’t call them out on it because You said to let the wheat and the tares grow together because it is too difficult to tell the difference between them when they are young. However, last summer showed me how much hurt can result from these wolves. What do I do? I didn’t voice my feelings and concerns because I did not think it would make a difference and that the results would be a learning experience. Instead, the results were catastrophic, and we may yet not know the worst. Would it have made a difference if I had voiced my concerns? Or would these results have been inevitable simply because of each person’s weaknesses in the situation? I just don’t know whether I was wrong or right in the handling, but I hate the results. I pray for those hurt by the wolf and ask for healing for my church and healing for each member. Please protect us and fill us with the Holy Spirit and mold us into a fitting tool for Your hand. I pray to serve You well.