Text: Mark 5:21-36
Memory text:
“While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”” ‭‭
Mark 5:35 NKJV

How will you qualify the faith of this ruler of the synagogue in our text? Despite being a man of prominence, position, prestige, privilege, prosperity, and power in the community, he humbled himself and fell at the feet of Jesus. He fervently begged Him to come and lay His hand on a dying daughter, who was at her last gasp! Even though, Jesus, at first, responded to his urgent plea but delayed as He conversed with the woman who interrupted Him on the way. Yet this man didn’t complain or murmur! In the midst of this inner struggle to keep his faith alive, he received the worst news: “Your daughter is dead.” Imagine his heart sinking in his chest! As fear was going into his spirit, Jesus spoke four life-changing words to counter it: “Fear not; only believe!”
Fear is the virus that the enemy uses to corrupt our miracles. Once we permit it in, it doesn’t matter how far we have gone, we will lose our long-awaited miracle. Faith is the potent and proven antivirus against fear, which detects early the fear virus and destroys it.
Satan uses different methods and agents to introduce the virus. In this case, the devil used members of his own household. Though they did it ignorantly but they were instruments for the devil (Mark‬ ‭5‬:‭35). May you not be used by the enemy to frustrate God’s plan for your loved ones or to divert them from the path of destiny, in Jesus’ name.
Sometimes ago, I was in a memorial thanksgiving service, where a man shared a touching testimony of how God used his mother to strengthen his faith that eventually brought about his healing and deliverance from a childhood infirmity. He was on medication for years and depended on it to avoid his usual health crisis. One day, he woke up with an inner conviction that God had healed him, and as proof of that, he determined to stop his medication. Having shared his conviction with his mum, he was surprised that she accepted without raising any reservations despite the medical risk. She only encouraged him and prayed with him. Now, in his adult age, he looked back and was grateful to God for his mum’s spiritual sensitivity and that he wondered what his health condition would have been if she had done the contrary, that is, if she had yielded herself to be used by the devil to plant fear in his heart and to make him lose his miracle!
Friends, in your sincerity, beware lest you become a tool in the hand of the devil!

Prayer points
1. Father, let the strategies of the enemy to stop my long awaited miracle through the spirit of fear be frustrated now, in Jesus’ name.
2. I put on the spirit of faith, and I shut the door against all forms of fear in my life, in Jesus’ name.

Today’s declarations
1. Faith is my antivirus device for early detection of the fear virus and to destroy it.
2. I am not an agent of fear but of faith because I encourage and stir others up in their faith.

Contact: pastor@thf.org.ng