Daily Devotionals

When I think of the spiritual tenacity we’ll need in the days ahead, I think of a story I once read about a young man who was in pilot training during World War II. He was a bomber pilot training on the Martin Marauder.

One day this young pilot was sitting with his instructor in this airplane at the end of the runway, preparing to take off on a training flight. His roommate, who was training in the same kind of plane, was coming in for his final approach. About one-fourth of a mile from the end of the runway, right in front of this young pilot’s eyes, his roommate flipped that airplane upside down, it hit the ground and exploded in a ball of flames.

Stunned, the young man simply sat and stared in silence. Then he heard the firm voice of his instructor, “Don’t just sit there! Take the runway!”

The young pilot was astonished. “Surely we’re not going to train today! My buddy just got killed!”

“Take the runway!” the instructor ordered. “We are in the middle of a war. We have no time to grieve. Take the runway!” He taxied through the smoke of his friend’s burning airplane and put that bomber in the sky!

I know as well as anyone that living by faith isn’t easy. There are times when the devil blindsides you and hurts you so badly that your flesh just wants to lie down and cry. There are times when you want Jesus to appear to you and give you some tangible manifestation to help you go on. But crying won’t get the war won. And neither will fleshly manifestations. You have to keep going.

Walking by faith will win the war, because faith is our link to the Anointing of God. Faith releases within us and through us the yoke-destroying, burden-removing power of God. If you’ll keep your faith strong and your spirit activated through the Word of God, when the devil takes a punch at you, you can rise up.

I can tell you from personal experience what will happen when you hammer away at the devil with faith and refuse to let up. The Anointing of God will come on you. Your spirit will be activated. You’ll get bigger on the inside than you are on the outside. Instead of whimpering in the corner, you’ll begin to roar like the Lion of the tribe of Judah!

So commit to live by faith. Make a quality decision to walk by faith and not by sight. Determine to keep feeding on the Word, to keep your spirit activated by believing, speaking and acting on it. Get tenacious. Get that bulldog, never-give-up faith. Satan will be the one who gives up. He will flee!

Speak the Word

I refuse to walk by sight. I walk by faith. (2 Corinthians 5:7)