Let us hate with a furious, holy hatred that which opposes the anointing upon Jesus Christ - that power, goodness, and the absolute reality of his perfect love - toward us. Jesus took the whip, the beatings, the lashes of sin and sickness, of disease and torment. And then he shredded the whip.

And now the enemy runs around conjuring up the noises of a swirling whip in our minds. He whirls deceitful words, cracks with condemnation, and snaps with taunts of guilt and shame. It feels so natural to us that we are easily shaken.

How grievous for a father who enters a torture chamber to take every lash for his family, absorb every blow, and even be killed to spare their lives, if his loved ones continue to be battered by mere illusions from a whip-less, loud-mouthed deceiver.

We most honor our Savior by believing what He told us about who and what we are. The enemy is stripped of authority over us. We need never tolerate the enemy’s lies or threats, in light of the fact that Jesus absorbed every possible harm the enemy could ever inflict on us.

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.