October 4, 2026
Here is a link to the podcast audio:
Or, if you prefer to listen on Spotify, click here:
Today’s word is a straightforward truth, a fundamental precept of God. The Lord is sovereign, meaning He has unlimited power and authority. He is high and lifted up, above all things, and all things are in subjection to Him.
The power and authority of Jesus constitute the central theme that will determine the outcome of all future events – who will bow down and worship Jesus, and who, because of a prideful, fleshly nature, will refuse to acknowledge His sovereignty and submit to Him.
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, prayed that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened by this foundational truth. He referred to Jesus’ surpassing power.
Ephesians 1:
18 [I pray that] the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. [These are] in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly [places],
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come.
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all. (NASB)
Long before Jesus was born, the great prophet Isaiah saw this truth. Isaiah, whose name means “Yahweh Is Salvation,” began his ministry in Judah in 740 BC. Isaiah witnessed the spiritual decline and eventual fall of Israel’s northern kingdom to Assyria in 722 BC. The prophet was called by the Lord to warn the tiny nation of Judah and its capital, Jerusalem, that they would face a similar outcome at the hands of the Babylonians in 586 BC.
However, in the passages we will look at today, Isaiah also had a message of hope embodied in his prophecy of Jesus’ coming reign, known as the Immanuel Prophecy.
Isaiah 9:
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 There will be no end to the increase of [His] government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
Earlier in Isaiah 2, the prophet warned about the pride, or loftiness of man, and how those high and lofty attitudes would be brought down low by the Lord of hosts in His day of reckoning.
Isaiah 2:
11 The proud look of man will be abased, And the loftiness of man will be humbled, And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
12 For the LORD of hosts will have a day [of reckoning] Against everyone who is proud and lofty, And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be abased.
13 And [it will be] against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan,
14 Against all the lofty mountains, Against all the hills that are lifted up,
15 Against every high tower, Against every fortified wall,
16 Against all the ships of Tarshish, And against all the beautiful craft.
17 And the pride of man will be humbled, And the loftiness of men will be abased, And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
18 But the idols will completely vanish.
19 And [men] will go into caves of the rocks, And into holes of the ground Before the terror of the LORD, And before the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble.
20 In that day men will cast away to the moles and the bats Their idols of silver and their idols of gold, Which they made for themselves to worship,
21 In order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, Before the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble.
22 Stop regarding man, whose breath [of life] is in his nostrils; For why should he be esteemed? (NASB)
Centuries later, after Jesus was raised from the dead, the Apostle Paul described the spiritual warfare that would take place in the world against “every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God…”
2nd Corinthians 10:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
5 [We are] destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and [we are] taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
In the world, mankind worships itself, the creation, instead of the Creator, and that is the fundamental struggle that will continue into the fulfillment of all End Time prophecy. High and lofty things are naturally raised up against the knowledge of God. A prideful spirit worships itself, does not glorify God, and therefore is in opposition to the knowledge of God. To deny God’s influence or sovereignty in any area of your life can lead you to be on the wrong side of spiritual warfare and the coming End Times events.
Revelation 19:
11 ¶ And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it [is] called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
12 And His eyes [are] a flame of fire, and upon His head [are] many diadems; and He has a name written [upon Him] which no one knows except Himself.
13 And [He is] clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white [and] clean, were following Him on white horses.
15 And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God;
18 in order that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”
19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army.
20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.
21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
Pride will cause the kings of the earth and their armies to assemble against Jesus. These are the high and lofty things raised up against the knowledge of God, which will be destroyed by Him who is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion.”
Closing
In closing then, I urge you to be on guard for any root of self-pride in your life because this is the one thing that can lead to a resistance to Jesus’ Lordship. God is opposed to the proud, and will battle in the Spirit realm against any high and lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. Be careful to avoid pride in the accomplishments of man, or the advance of worldly ambitions in your own spirit. James 3:16 warns “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.”
Paul warned us to boast only in the Lord.
2nd Corinthians 10:
17 But HE WHO BOASTS, LET HIM BOAST IN THE LORD.
18 For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.
Let us pray.
Father God, we pray that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened, so that we may know the hope of Jesus’ calling, the riches of His glory, and the surpassing greatness of His power. Jesus is far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. All things are in subjection to Him, including our will. Guard our hearts that a root of self-pride would not develop. Quicken us by Your Holy Spirit to war against any high and lofty thing in our lives that is raised up against the knowledge of You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
If anyone has not yet received the Lord Jesus Christ in their heart, and desires to do so, please repeat this prayer after me:
Father God, I repent of my sin and ask for forgiveness today. I confess and declare with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe with all my heart that You raised Him from the dead for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus, please come into my heart and change me. Send the Holy Spirit to guide and direct me in wisdom and to enable me to overcome temptation from this day forth. Thank You for my salvation. I look forward to the day of the Rapture when I can be with You forever. Amen.
Leave a comment