Read this carefully. Let it sink into you soul.
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therfore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Sprit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints- and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak."
Ephesians 6:10-20
The battle is fierce. The devil will stop at nothing to discourage us, distract us, and eventually move us off course. 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour".
This entire year has been one loss after another for my family. We experienced a miscarriage, loss of financial vitality, loss of energy, focus, and clarity. I have experienced depression and feelings of hopelessness, and detachment. But wait...
Here is the vision God gave me this morning while speaking to a good friend: There is a great army on my heels that has sent me running out of fear. I finally reach the edge of a precipice. The only options I feel at the moment are to stay on the edge or jump. If I jumped that would mean certain death. I feel the Spirit of God say "stand firm and put your armor on. I'm going to build a bridge for you". The fiery arrows of the evil one are all around me and fear is welling up inside me. But look at the verse I underlined above, "taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one". Our faith in God is our shield. After we have done everything, we stand. God will build the bridge! On the other side of this bridge is a life we could never imagine on our own. However, to take hold of that life we must continually stay focused on Christ, even in the midst of severe trials. So don't jump out of fear. Put your armor on. Stand firm. God will build the bridge!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Always Learning
I am a know-it-all. I am a judgmental, critical, and impatient woman. I think I know more and can do everything so much better than everyone else. I'm a Martha of Martha's in a Martha world competing with everyone for perfection. But that small, still voice speaks to my spirit, "always learning". Always learning? I don't want to learn, I want to master! "Pride comes before a fall", says the still, small voice. Ouch! "But I give grace to the humble." He says to me, "come to me all you who are weary and heavy laiden and I will give you rest". You mean I can't do everything to perfection? I can never be the best? I will never know everything? Wow, I just realized how exhausted I am. Mary, can I come sit next to you on the floor? I have so much to learn! Thanks for saving me a seat.
"Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is neeeded, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42
"Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is neeeded, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42
Monday, August 13, 2012
Landslide
I keep asking myself the same question over and over again. "What do I want?" I used to know exactly what I wanted and I had made all the necessary changes to ensure the success of my goals. The funny thing about life is that it never turns out the way you think it will. Unexpected twists and turns happen all the time that leave you dumbfounded and confused. It's at the crossroads that we must decide to continue on the path we were originally walking or decide if it is time to take the detour and walk down the unknown path. I have learned a lot about God along my journey. I've learned a lot about myself, my family, and my friends. I walk alone on this new journey. It is easy for me to feel misunderstood and mistreated by those I felt would always understand me and always be there for me. I know all the promises of God in the Bible. Yet, I know that I am in a season of blind faith. It is a season of my life that I have never walked before, nor do I ever want to walk again. However, I find it strangely comforting to be on this journey of new discoveries without allowing the interruptions of other people's expectations and thoughts about what I should or could be doing to guide me. Those times when I feel most alone and isolated from the world around me is when I depend upon God and my faith in Him the most.
Never underestimate the power of change. I always claimed to enjoy change, I thrived on it. Change has a strange way of throwing you completely off balance and out of sync with your life and priorities. Change is a good thing. I look back at my hopes and dreams from the past and wonder what I was thinking, and why I wanted those things so badly. It is God's overriding plan that takes us from the mundane, easy to explain type of life to the extraordinary kind of life. It takes tragedy and pain to mold us, shape us, and prepare us for the bigger picture that has yet to be revealed.
Do you ever get tired? Tired of the choices you've made? Tired of the same old same old? Do you ever feel exhausted by the weight of the world on your shoulders? Do you ever get tired of always having good intentions but never being able to follow through on them?
I've decided to give up everything. I've decided I am tired of settling. I've decided I'm tired of running from my pain, problems, and rejections. I've decided that I want more.
Let's get rid of the good intentions and replace them with action. You say you want to experience God, then let's experience Him through spending time with Him daily. You say you want to obey Him, then do it! I say I want more of Him and less of me, then mean it, live it! Discipleship and the path to righteousness and holiness is never easy. If its not difficult, its not worth fighting for. Live for blind faith and be surprised by what you find!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:4-5
" He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For you are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalms 23:3-4
Never underestimate the power of change. I always claimed to enjoy change, I thrived on it. Change has a strange way of throwing you completely off balance and out of sync with your life and priorities. Change is a good thing. I look back at my hopes and dreams from the past and wonder what I was thinking, and why I wanted those things so badly. It is God's overriding plan that takes us from the mundane, easy to explain type of life to the extraordinary kind of life. It takes tragedy and pain to mold us, shape us, and prepare us for the bigger picture that has yet to be revealed.
Do you ever get tired? Tired of the choices you've made? Tired of the same old same old? Do you ever feel exhausted by the weight of the world on your shoulders? Do you ever get tired of always having good intentions but never being able to follow through on them?
I've decided to give up everything. I've decided I am tired of settling. I've decided I'm tired of running from my pain, problems, and rejections. I've decided that I want more.
Let's get rid of the good intentions and replace them with action. You say you want to experience God, then let's experience Him through spending time with Him daily. You say you want to obey Him, then do it! I say I want more of Him and less of me, then mean it, live it! Discipleship and the path to righteousness and holiness is never easy. If its not difficult, its not worth fighting for. Live for blind faith and be surprised by what you find!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:4-5
" He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For you are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalms 23:3-4
Monday, February 6, 2012
Prayer
Father,
My heart is full of joy as I sit and think about your marvelous works, your unfailing love, and your tender mercies that are new every moment. How can I not praise you? How can I not love you? How can I not serve you? My prayer is that I would be a woman who says "yes!" to you every day of my life. I pray that through my "yes!" others will say "yes!". My longing is that your message will permeate my soul and change my life. I want more of you now than I have ever wanted of me. You have given me so much, and yet you want to give me so much more. You want my life to shine your light and to proclaim your wonders. How great are you, O God! Higher than the heavens and deeper than the ocean is your love. May I have a committed faith, not just a proclaimed faith. May I have a faith that moves mountains and trust you through my fears and doubts. May I not see the present circumstances and shrink back, but someone who sees the present circumstances and praises you for what you are doing in me through them. May my life's goal be to bring your honor and glory. To love others the way you love them and to sacrifice my desires, my will, and my dreams and replace them for yours. I pray that every person who reads this will want the same. I pray that we will live for more than what we are settling for. I pray that we would cast aside everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles and run the race marked out for us with perseverance. I am all in God. May our hearts be awakened with your presence. May you speak to us so tenderly that it touches the very depths of our souls and requires response. To you, O God, I surrender. For you, O God, are all I am living for.
Amen.
My heart is full of joy as I sit and think about your marvelous works, your unfailing love, and your tender mercies that are new every moment. How can I not praise you? How can I not love you? How can I not serve you? My prayer is that I would be a woman who says "yes!" to you every day of my life. I pray that through my "yes!" others will say "yes!". My longing is that your message will permeate my soul and change my life. I want more of you now than I have ever wanted of me. You have given me so much, and yet you want to give me so much more. You want my life to shine your light and to proclaim your wonders. How great are you, O God! Higher than the heavens and deeper than the ocean is your love. May I have a committed faith, not just a proclaimed faith. May I have a faith that moves mountains and trust you through my fears and doubts. May I not see the present circumstances and shrink back, but someone who sees the present circumstances and praises you for what you are doing in me through them. May my life's goal be to bring your honor and glory. To love others the way you love them and to sacrifice my desires, my will, and my dreams and replace them for yours. I pray that every person who reads this will want the same. I pray that we will live for more than what we are settling for. I pray that we would cast aside everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles and run the race marked out for us with perseverance. I am all in God. May our hearts be awakened with your presence. May you speak to us so tenderly that it touches the very depths of our souls and requires response. To you, O God, I surrender. For you, O God, are all I am living for.
Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)