“And ye are puffed up, and have or rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” 1 Corinthians 5:2, 4, 5
Today’s Christian daily devotional
“I’m praying for you, Julia.” My mother’s words were spoken in an effort to comfort me, but they lit a ferocious fire instead.
“Thanks mom. That’s exactly what I don’t need. Whenever you pray for me, bad things start happening in my life. Do me a favor and just stop.” I was so angry that I could barely hold the phone steady.
I called my mother to have a normal conversation; not to ‘duke it out’ and most certainly not to talk about the lack of God in my life! I was so frustrated. It seemed like every time that we made an effort to connect, a raging battle would ensue over the tiniest of issues.
The phone went quiet. Barely hearing the nettlesome sounds of my mother’s muffled cries on the other end, my heart felt as if it were being ripped from the inside out.
I hated myself for being the cause of such profound pain. My mother deserved a better daughter, but I had no idea how to be that for her. The pride that had grown so monsterous within wouldn’t allow me to confront this inner conflict. Like a numb and confused veteran that had lost the will to fight, I continued loading my gun; doing it because it was the only thing I knew how to do.
I ignored the urge to comfort her. “I’ve gotta go.” Coldly hanging up the phone, I took it one step further by turning it off.
That was the beginning of things only getting much worse for me. But sometimes life has to get worse before it can get better.
1 Corinthians 5:2,4 and 5 instructs believers to not only pray for the haughty and proud, but to actually let them go. Even if this means releasing them into the very arms of satan himself.
These verses startled me when I first read them. My knee-jerk reaction was: This doesn’t sound very Christ-like!
But, God never instructs believers to work outside of the spirit of love. If you thoroughly read 1 Corinthians 5: 5 until the very end; you will see that sometimes facing satan himself will be the very motivation for the proud to seek out the salvation that has always been available.
Many are just too proud to actually see that they need God until they become desperate for Him.
Some people look at the wisdom of I Corinthians 5:2, 4, and 5 and have a hard time seeing the love of God in it.
I personally witnessed how hard it was for my mother to pray and just let me go; I know that this is actually one of the most painful things a parent or anyone who loves a hell-bent person can watch.
How much harder is it for God to allow us the freedom to make our own decisions, even if they are bad choices? He sees and warns our spirits through our conscience and other wise people, but the freedom of free will allows us to have a major part in how our future will pan out.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
I want to thank you for the power of prayer. I want to thank you that even when the people we love release us into the depths of our own destruction, you have the power to raise us from the dead.
Lord, how many years did I spit in the face of your grace? How many years did I delight in getting away with as much as I could like a spoiled little brat? How long was I under the protection of your wings because of the prayers of the very people who I lashed out and hurt?
God, help me to pray for those who are lashing out at me right now. Help me to never forget that it was because of the prayers of many faithful people that I am still alive today. Thank you for your grace. Help me never to take that for granted again. I have tasted the path of destruction, and it only makes me more confident that wherever God is, that is exactly where I need and want to be. In Jesus’ precious name, help me to be a leader for others who need to be on your safe path, Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verses: 1 Corinthians 5:2, 4, 5
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan
*I dedicate this devotional in honor of my wonderful mother, Colleen. I feel so blessed that God chose you to be my mine. I thank Him for you and your prayers everyday. I love you mom.