Daily Devotion

Voice: Jennifer

Wars within and Without

Today is Wednesday, 25th of June. We pray:

Almighty and everlasting Father,
we thank you that you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day.
Keep us from falling into sin or running into danger;
order us in all our doings;
and guide us to do always what is right in your eyes:
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We join in with God’s people to pray and praise in the words of Psalm 34:1-10

34 I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
² My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
³ Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together!

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.
⁶ This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
    and saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps
    around those who fear him, and delivers them.

⁸ Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
⁹ Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack!
¹⁰ The young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.

The Scripture Reading is Romans 8:3-9

³ For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. ⁸ Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 

Reflection

Imagine standing before two paths.

One leads to death—barren, dark, heavy with despair and hopelessness.
The other leads to life—fruitful, bright, peaceful, filled with a quiet, abiding joy.

Given these two options, who wouldn’t choose life?

And yet, mysteriously, we often drift toward the darker path.
Something in our human nature—what the Bible calls the “flesh”—tugs us away from what is good. Left unchecked, it shapes our thoughts, priorities, and choices, often leading us into anxiety, restlessness, and even spiritual and physical harm.

This tension is what Scripture calls a “war from within.”

As the apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:11:

“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”

The passage today calls us instead to live by the Spirit.
To set our minds on the Spirit is to walk in life and peace.

Elsewhere, Scripture describes this as walking in the Spirit. In Ephesians 6, we are told to put on the armor of God—and one vital way we do that is by “praying at all times in the Spirit.”

This is how we resist the darkness and guard our hearts against the quiet pull of self-destruction.

Will you take a moment now—to pause, to breathe, and to pray?

We see this same principle playing out in the world today. All around us, wars and conflicts rage across many nations. Complex disagreements are too often met with violence, not wisdom.

When people lack peace within, they often turn to aggression—especially when given the power to do so. History, both ancient and modern, has taught us this painful truth.

Some of these conflicts may feel especially close to your heart. Perhaps you’ve been praying about them for a long time.

Don’t give up.
Keep praying.
Our prayers matter more than we often realise.

---

We close with the Collect for today:

O God,
the strength of all those who put their trust in you, 
mercifully accept our prayers and, 
because through the weakness of our mortal nature
we can do no good thing without you, 
grant us the help of your grace, 
that in the keeping of your commandments
we may please you both in will and deed; 
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen

Be blessed by this song, Walk by the Spirit by Linkway Worship.

Verse 1

The Spirit brings truth
The Spirit brings life
He glorifies the one and only Son
The Spirit brings peace
The Spirit brings hope
He testifies that Christ has overcome

Verse 2

The Spirit brings change
The Spirit renews
I can never be the same way again
The Spirit brings strength
The Spirit makes one
No weapon formed against me will ever win

Chorus

So l walk by Your Spirit God
Walk by Your Spirit God come now

Verse 3

The Spirit brings quiet
The Spirit brings rest
He reveals to me the
Father’s mysteries
The Spirit shows love
He brings revere
So I lay it all down
At Your feet

Chorus

So l walk by Your Spirit God
Walk by Your Spirit God come now

Bridge

Fill my cup until it’s overflowing
Your presence in my life
That’s never ending
Jesus Christ in me the hope of glory
You’re the air I breathe

Chorus

So l walk by Your Spirit God
Walk by Your Spirit God come now

Chorus

So l walk by Your Spirit God
Walk by Your Spirit God Come now

Link to today’s Morning Office

About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.

Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.

For feedback, please write to us at info@mpcc.org.sg.