Returning Unholy Burdens: The Power of Jesus' Name

Devotional

Day 1: One Name: Jesus, our only salvation and hope.

There are many loud names that try to claim authority over your life—sadness, sickness, poverty, impurity—but there is one name that stands above them all. Call on the name of Jesus today, the one name that saves, lifts, and gets you higher. Speak His name over what tries to hold you down and trust Him to do what no other name can do. Jesus is not an idea; He is a living Lord who answers when you cry out. Lift up the one name—Jesus—and let hope rise. [01:58]

Acts 4:12 (ESV)
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Reflection: Where do you feel stuck under sadness, sickness, or lack today? Speak the name of Jesus aloud over that exact place three times, then write one concrete step of obedience you sense He’s asking you to take.

Day 2: Filled with the Holy Ghost, power to witness.

Jesus gives more than comfort; He gives power. The Holy Ghost lifts you higher so you can live boldly and speak clearly about Jesus. Ask to be freshly filled with the Holy Ghost, and let His power move you from silence to witness, from fear to courage, from heaviness to praise. In His strength, open your mouth and point someone to the one name that saves. [01:58]

Acts 1:8 (ESV)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Reflection: Name one person you will contact today to share a two-minute story of how Jesus lifted you from sorrow or fear; when will you do it, and how will you ask the Holy Spirit for power before you speak?

Day 3: Bring your heavy loans; Jesus gives rest.

You do not have to carry the loans of affliction, impurity, poverty, or sorrow by yourself. Bring those heavy loans to Jesus and make a holy exchange—your weight for His rest, your frenzy for His gentle yoke, your striving for His lift. Write the debt on your heart into His hands and trust Him to shoulder what you cannot. He is gentle and lowly; He will not crush you—He will carry you. [01:58]

Matthew 11:28–30 (ESV)
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Reflection: List your three heaviest “loans” (affliction, impurity, poverty, sorrow) on paper; which one will you hand to Jesus first by praying, “I give You this loan,” and what practical boundary or action will help you not take it back today?

Day 4: He carries affliction, heals, and sets captives free.

Jesus does not just sympathize—He liberates. By the Spirit’s anointing He brings good news to the poor, opens blind eyes, releases the oppressed, and breaks the yoke of bondage. Where you feel chained by sickness, sadness, or impurity, invite Jesus to declare His favor over you. Ask for healing in His name, receive cleansing, and step into freedom as you walk in the Spirit’s power. [01:58]

Luke 4:18–19 (ESV)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Reflection: What oppression or cycle has felt unbreakable? Make a plan to confess it to a trusted believer today and invite them to lay a hand on your shoulder and pray Luke 4:18–19 over you by name.

Day 5: One day, Jesus makes all things new.

Hold fast to this hope: one day, one day, Jesus will wipe away every tear, end all sickness and sorrow, and make all things new. Let this future day steady your present heart. Live today as a preview of that day—choose worship over worry, mercy over bitterness, courage over despair—because the One who promises is faithful and true. [01:58]

Revelation 21:3–5 (ESV)
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Reflection: Choose one concrete “new-creation preview” to do today—comfort a crying person, bring a meal to someone sick, or give to someone in need—and ask Jesus to make His future hope visible through you.

Sermon Summary

I led us into a holy, stubborn refusal to carry what heaven never assigned to us. We named the “loans” the enemy tries to strap on our backs—affliction, impurity, poverty, sorrow—and we sent them back to the lender. We spoke to sickness and sadness, we renounced spiritual debts we never signed for, and we reclaimed what’s been stolen, even finances, believing God restores what locusts have eaten. We didn’t negotiate with darkness; we returned the packages to sender and stood under the authority of Jesus.

From there, we exalted the one name. I invited us to lift Jesus higher, not as a mood but as warfare. We declared that there is one name joined with the Holy Ghost—Jesus—and in that name we stand, sing, and break cycles. The cry wasn’t fancy; it was simple and strong: Jesus is enough, and the Spirit makes His victory real among us.

I asked us to make it personal. Don’t just agree in theory—speak to that sorrow, speak to that impurity, and send it back. Don’t cradle what is crushing you. Put the burden on the altar and let the Spirit carry it. As we worshiped, we stepped into a fresh alignment: Jesus above every diagnosis, every deficit, every despair. We turned our groans into a declaration, our fear into a song, and our lack into a place of encounter.

In that atmosphere, I urged us to keep our eyes on “one day”—the day every other name bows to the name of Jesus. That future certainty gives us courage in the present moment. So we lifted the name, welcomed the Spirit, and traded counterfeit loans for true freedom. Jesus, one name, one day, by the Holy Ghost—this is our confession and our confidence.

Key Takeaways

1. Return what hell loaned you. Affliction, impurity, poverty, and sorrow often feel like permanent labels, but in Christ they are unauthorized debts. Name them, renounce them, and send them back to the lender. You are not obligated to keep what the Cross has already paid off. [01:58] - Worship is not a warm-up; it’s a weapon. Lifting Jesus higher realigns your inner world and dislodges spiritual squatters trying to take up residence in your mind and body. When the name of Jesus is exalted, false authorities get evicted. Sing with faith and watch what can’t stay, leave.
- The Holy Spirit makes the victory of Jesus present tense. “One name with the Holy Ghost” means the finished work of Christ is applied here and now in our weakness. Don’t wait for a feeling; invite His filling and act on His authority. Obedience opens space for the Spirit to move.
- Reclaim what was stolen with a clean heart. It’s not greed to ask God to restore what the enemy took; it’s stewardship under the lordship of Jesus. But recovery comes with reordering—seek His kingdom first, and what you recover won’t recover you. Restoration is for mission, not vanity.
- Live today by the light of “one day.” The certainty that every name bows to Jesus reframes every battle and calibrates your hope. You can resist now because the end is settled; you can release now because your future is safe. Let tomorrow’s victory give you today’s voice. [01:58]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:12] - Refusing Unholy Loans
[00:24] - Naming Affliction and Sending It Back
[00:36] - Breaking Sorrow and Sadness
[00:48] - Renouncing Impurity’s Hold
[01:00] - Confronting Poverty and Lack
[01:12] - Reclaiming What Was Stolen
[01:24] - Lift Jesus Higher: Worship as Warfare
[01:36] - One Name with the Holy Ghost
[01:48] - Living by the Promise of “One Day”
[01:58] - Prayer of Release and Freedom

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