Day 5: Renewing Wonder Over Jesus - How to be Victorious over the Enemy

“Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. ‘What sort of new teaching is this?’ they asked excitedly. ‘It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!’ The news about Jesus spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee.” (Mark 1:27-28, NLT)

Have you ever wondered why many of us struggle with the discipline of evangelism? Many believers say it’s fear of rejection or fear of not knowing the right answers that stops them from telling others about Jesus. Fear is a real issue, but I’m convinced there’s another reason we keep the good news to ourselves: we’ve lost our wonder over Jesus.

Let me explain. Read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, and you’ll see that people who were amazed by Jesus tended to talk about him. The people in today’s text did. They had heard Jesus teach like no other teacher taught, and they saw him cast out a demon with authority they had not seen. His words grabbed seeking hearts and drove away evil spirits—and the people spread the word about him.

The crowd that saw Jesus heal a paralyzed man also praised God in amazement (Mark 2:12). The family of Jairus was astounded at the resurrection of his daughter, and they told others about the miracle even though Jesus told them not to tell yet (Luke 8:56). That’s just the way it works sometimes: Amazed people almost can’t help but speak about Jesus.

For many of us, though, our wonder over Jesus is highest when we first become believers. Then, grace is new. Forgiveness is fresh. Mercy is real. Peace is sweet. Love is transforming. And, we want others to experience what we’ve experienced in Jesus. So we talk about him—even, at least in my case as a young believer, when others don’t want to listen. Amazement simply erupts in praise.

Then, something happens. Somehow, our wonder over Jesus becomes routine. The zeal we had for Jesus back then disappeared some time ago—and we know that’s the case because we stopped talking about him. If we do seek to evangelize, we have to force ourselves to tell a message we long ago “got over.” That kind of evangelism doesn’t typically last long.

Spiritual disciplines, on the other hand, help us regain that wonder. Spend time with God in his Word, and you hear from the Creator. Pray to him, and you speak to a God who listens. Memorize his Word, and you invest his teachings in your life. At the end of the day, you live in victory over the enemy because your focus is on Jesus rather than on self.

ACTION STEPS:

1. If you’ve lost your wonder over Jesus, confess it, and ask God to restore it.
2. Reflect on your conversion experience and remember all that God did to draw you to himself.