“Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her” (Revelation 18:6).

Vengeance does belong to the Lord and He will repay.  The wicked ensnare, trap, and destroy the innocent.  Good men have gone to their demise because of the wicked.  For the time being, be aware of the traps and avoid them.  Do not be led astray by the common temptations but be aware of where you go and what you do.  Do this not because others are watching, but in the Lord and according to His will.

Lord, too often, I behave because of what others say.  This creates a trap where I do things I ought not.  But this also means I do not do things that I ought.  Lord, free me from this trap to be freed to be who You have made me to be.  It is not to care about what others think, but it is about doing what is right regardless of what others think.  Lead me, Lord, where I need to go.

Lord Jesus, at first, salvation seems so easy.  Look to You and hope in the resurrection.  But then the Holy Spirit comes and tells me of many things that need to be worked on.  Lord, give me strength each day to meet the challenges I will face.  Help me to understand that in You alone is salvation.  Help me to do what is right and moral for my own sake and for others.  Help me by Your grace to take seriously the challenge of becoming like You.  Amen.   

“I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive any of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her offenses” (Revelation 18:4).

Come out.  Is it really that simple?  Yes, but.  It is so hard to be shed of a certain way of life filled with bad habits.  The Lord has called us out of the wickedness of this age to live into the life of eternity.  Practice acts of righteousness and refrain from the acts of indecency which mark the wicked in this world.  Know that only in the Lord is there hope and a future.  Know that true life is found only in the One who createded life for you and me.

Lord, I know when I am doing something that is wrong.  I see it, and its pleasures are fleeting, followed often be guilt and/or dissatisfaction.  Help me to break the cycle and live as You know I have been created to live.  Guide me in Your goodness to not only see but do according to all that You have in mind for me.  Lord, bring me safe out of this wicked age and fill me with a desire for true life.

My Lord and Savior, You have come to lift me out of the pit of condemnation.  Grant me the will and ability to stay out of the pit.  According to Your grace and mercy, may I be found in You now and always.  Each day, grant that I would become more like You.  Through all that I experience in this age, may the clarity of Your call be clear above all the evil noises I hear.  Save me again today, dear Lord.  Amen.

“For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich from the excessive wealth of her luxury” (Revelation 18:3).

Wink, wink, look the other way and listen to what we say and do not look at what we do.  How many politicians have fallen because of immorality?  It seems people don’t care about those things anymore.  Collect money, live hedonistically, and do not care about the truth.  These are  marks of wickedness.  The world may practice them, but what about you?  Do you seek these things?

Lord, I do not understand why the world lives this way, but I do understand the tug that pulls at the sinful heart.  By Your grace, You have kept me from walking this way.  But even if You had not, turning my eyes to You is the cure.  We often live for the nothings of this world, but You call us to true life which includes everything.  If I can see it for what it is, why do I chase after things that are temporary and fleeting?

Lord Jesus, in You I already have all things necessary.  Guide me in the way You would have me go.  Lead me away from this world’s way of living, what it calls, “good times.”  Keep me in Your arms of mercy and grace where I may live life as it is meant to be lived.  Help me to know that in You I have true life.  Help me to resist the idiotic temptations that come my way and live life with purity.  Amen.

“And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird” (Revelation 18:2).

Every unclean thing gathers together.  The unclean encourage one another on with the rebellion against our Lord and God.  Why do you go to Babylon?  Why do you dwell with her?  Come out of her, you who have seen the light.  Come out and live toward the eternity which is promised you in grace.  Do not go her way but learn to live in the way of the Lord.  He who is sovereign will guide You always.

Lord, the wickedness of this world is all around me.  I long for the day when her wickedness is no more.  Guide me according to Your purpose while I remain amidst the wickedness so that I may learn how to be faithful.  Teach me in Your grace and mercy how to avoid the pitfalls and temptations that surround me.  Keep me from the unclean spirits that daily seek to destroy me.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for giving me the hope and blessed assurance of salvation by the grace You give.  Guide me today to walk humbly in the way of salvation.  No matter what I see happening around me, keep me close to You and guide me to remain faithful.  Lead me, O Lord, so that I may grow in Your likeness and be a reflector of Your light shining in this world.  Thank You for the salvation You give.  Amen.

After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated from his glory” (Revelation 18:1).

Although people deny the authority of the Lord and do not acknowledge that He holds all power, yet the time will come when all will see the coming of the Lord.  The amazing thing is that although people see, they still will not believe.  Even standing before the Lord face to face, they will curse Him.  But you have seen the glory of the Lord and beheld the goodness of His gift of grace.  Long for the day of the revelation of the Lord upon all the earth.

Lord Jesus, come quickly.  This world has been a mess for a long time.  For with You it is a few days, for a thousand years is as a day.  How long will You put up with a stiff-necked people?  Lord, I am guilty of being one of those stiff-necked people, so thank You for putting up with me.  Time is in Your hands.  You have given me grace and mercy.  Lead me, O Lord, to humbly walk with You always.

Lord Jesus, we all need saving.  When we think we need it the least is probably when we need it the most.  Guide me in the Salvation You have prepared for me.  Help me to understand that I am in Your hands, and it is not the other way round.  Lift me up and keep me in Your presence and let nothing on this earth bring me down.  Into Your hands I commend my spirit and pray that I am faithful with all that You have entrusted to me.  Amen.  

“The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18).

It is not an individual, but a way of life that rules.  In our age, there is a constant flux that revolves around self-satisfaction.  Not freedom or godliness, but hedonism and control, denial of God and the good things He has declared, which are the basis of true justice and equity, are lived.  Blaming and accusing others is practiced.  It has been this way since the introduction of sin in the Garden.

Lord, things really are not any different than they have always been.  Cities and vast numbers allow sinners to hide out and not live as You would have us live.  No matter how difficult faithfulness may be in our age, join me with others who desire to be faithful so that we can live seeking the godliness You give by grace.  Keep me from the temptations common to this age so that I may remain in Your presence and purpose.

Lord Jesus, You walked humbly in our midst.  Everything is Yours and You gave it up for all of us.  In the model You have given, guide me to live in Your presence and walk humbly with You, learning from You how life is to be lived.  Let me not be like the world, but like You.  The  whole world may sell out to the whore of Babylon; but grant that I might remain faithful to You.  Keep me in Your presence and purpose always.  Amen.

“For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled” (Revelation 17:17).

Have you ever wondered why people act as they do?  Why do crowds sometimes do goofy things?  God can and does work all things together for those who love Him.  Everything and everyone has a purpose.  The irreducible and simple reality is that there are those who will turn to the Lord and seek His purpose and there are those who will use whatever resource is at their disposal for themselves.

Lord God, You have created all things and set up the rules that govern Your creation.  The faithful as well as the wicked use Your rules.  Every word You have spoken shall be fulfilled.  In an age filled with skepticism and unbelief, rekindle the hearts of Your faithful to seek You and obey Your Word.  Pour into Your church a desire to hear and understand that You alone are God.

Lord Jesus, the leaders in Israel plotted together and even one of Your chosen disciples betrayed You.  You have called me to walk through all that may come and be conformed to You.  Heaven and earth will pass away but Your word will abide forever.  Bring me to the place where I realize that these words are the truth, and the conflicting words of this age are not.  Lead me to learn from You how to live faithfully, trusting You above all things.  Amen.

“And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire” (Revelation 17:16).

Do not think that the wicked are in harmony.  The wicked eat each other up.  The wicked crawl on top of each other.  They all vie for power to be in control.  There is only One who has power and authority and that is the Lord.  In this age, we ultimately wrestle with ourselves and our desire for control.  The Lord alone is Lord of all.  Look out there and you see the wicked killing one another.  Look to the Giver of life, and you are given hope.

Lord, You created all life.  All things are in Your hands.  The wicked kill each other.  Your children love one another. Help me to know that in You is all goodness and mercy.  Help me to see these things clearly and then frame my life around what is right and true.  The world devours what You have created.  You have come to set us free from sin, death, and the devil.  The world will be consumed, but You have given us the hope of a new heaven and earth.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the hope You give.  Guide me in the way You would have me go.  Help me to clearly see each day the steps You would have me take.  I do not ask for two days ahead, only for today.  Lead me, Lord, so that I may look to You alone, the Author and Finisher of my faith.  You know what You intend.  Keep me in Your purpose and way so that I may be found to be walking faithfully with You.  Amen.

“And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the prostitute sits are peoples and multitudes, and nations and languages” (Revelation 17:15).  

The multitudes are many and the wicked one influences them to crawl on top of one another in rebellion.  The Lord knows these things and has provided the narrow road so that all who speak the language of the Holy Spirit, that is, knowing that Christ has conquered death and given the hope of the resurrection, shall abide in Him and He in them forever.  In this moment, this is not about the multitudes, but about you.

Lord, You have called me to come to You in the hope You give.  I look around and I am swayed by the many who look hither and yon for purpose and meaning.  They swim in an ocean of ideas that swirl around and  go nowhere.  You have come and spoken the simple truth that we all need to be saved from drowning in the wide sea of wickedness.  Pull me up and out of the waves by Your grace to walk on the solid ground You have set for me.

Lord, You teach us to love You and our neighbor.  You tell us to obey all that You have commanded.  You give grace upon grace to enable each one of us to do these things.  Lord, my desire is there, but the flesh is weak.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way You would have me go.  Guide me now and always to learn from Your word how to be faithful.  Set me on my course again this day, Lord Jesus, to learn from You what it means to be faithful in an unfaithful world.  Amen.