July 31, 2026

djohnstoncc
6 minutes ago
4 min read

GOD LOVED US AND CHOSE US

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”

Ephesians 1:3-8 NLT

TODAY’S THOUGHT

As we bring this devotional journey on spiritual warfare to a close, my deepest prayer is that you have come to realize just how devastatingly powerful the Word of God is against the lies of the enemy. God has not left you defenseless. He has equipped you with supernatural armor and the unmatched Sword of the Spirit, which is His truth.

It is vital to remember this cosmic reality: The enemy is absolutely no match for our God.

There is no epic, evenly matched tug-of-war taking place between God and Satan. The definitive battle has already been fought, the verdict has been handed down, and Jesus won a total, absolute victory at the cross. Because you are dynamically “united with Christ,” you are not merely trying to survive the battle—you have already been declared more than a conqueror.

In this climactic passage, Paul lays out four undeniable spiritual realities that belong to you right now because of your union with Jesus:

1. You Are Chosen

God purposefully set His heart on you before He ever laid the foundations of the earth. Driven by an intense, everlasting love, He chose you to stand before Him entirely holy and without a single fault. Let that sink in: God genuinely wants you. You are infinitely valuable in His eyes, and He intentionally selected you to be on His side.

2. You Are Adopted

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, you have been legally and permanently adopted into the immediate family of God. Your biological family history may have been a broken mess, or it may have been wonderful—but your eternal reality is that you are an official child of the Most High God. You bear the Family name, and you carry full kingdom rights.

3. You Are Forgiven

God chose to pour out the riches of His glorious grace upon you, purchasing your ultimate freedom with the precious blood of His own Son. Through that sacrifice, your sins are completely blotted out. You do not have to earn this forgiveness. You could never be good enough to deserve it, and you can never be bad enough to outrun it. Forgiveness is a masterwork of divine grace, and grace is always a gift.

4. You Are Supernaturally Filled with Wisdom

Look closely at the final line of our anchor text: “He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”

There are many seasons on the spiritual battlefield where we feel utterly disqualified, confused, or unsure of what move to make next. In those critical moments, we have a strategic choice: we can lean on our own limited, fragile human intellect, or we can tap into the reservoir of divine wisdom God has already showered upon us. As King Solomon famously reminds us:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Personal Application Questions:

Am I standing in my true identity? Do I wake up every day deeply aware that I am hand-picked, fully adopted, completely forgiven, and equipped with the wisdom of God?
Am I fighting from victory or for victory? When the enemy throws a fiery dart of fear or accusation at you, do you respond as someone desperately trying to defeat a monster, or as someone resting in the finished work of Jesus?
Whose understanding am I leaning on? Look at the biggest challenge or decision currently facing your life. Have you been relying solely on your own logic, or are you actively seeking the supernatural wisdom God has promised to give you?

TODAY'S PRAYER

Holy Spirit, I thank You for the incredible journey of truth we have taken through this series. I ask that these profound realities would take permanent root deep within my heart today. I declare that because I am united with Jesus, I am chosen, I am adopted into the family of God, I am fully forgiven, and I am supernaturally filled with Your wisdom. I refuse to give the enemy another inch of territory in my mind or emotions. I choose to stand firmly in the victory Jesus has already won for me, walking out my purpose with boldness, honor, and faith. Amen

“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”