Stay On The Front Lines...Don’t Retreat!

He said, "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence. "I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:2-4

Since I am in a military family I may think of military related themes more than the average person but did you know there is much about warfare and combat within the pages of the Bible? We here on Earth are in a battle of good versus evil. God versus the devil. No in between or neutral ground. You either stand for truth or against it.

Do you feel sometimes like in this battle you want to run away and hide? Prayers seem to fall on deaf ears. A situation seems to be hopeless. Nothing ever seems to change?  You are not alone as often times when you are in the trenches protecting yourself from the fiery darts of Satan you may just want to give up. That is what Satan wants believers to do. He wants you to doubt God and to throw in the towel. Satan is a deceiver and liar. 

Keep pressing in friend. No matter what is going on in your life or in the life of a loved one God does hear and does care. It is often in these more difficult times you learn the most and grow stronger. Keep praying. Keep reading the Bible. Find a church home to worship in. Don’t allow Satan to turn you into a coward. Stand firm and believe you will see God’s deliverance! 

PRAYER: I know in order to be victorious in battle I can not run and hide and retreat. You want me to stay engaged with my enemy Satan and not allow Him to gain a foothold. I will have victory with your help. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wean Yourself

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

Similar to how a baby needs to be weaned off the bottle or the mother’s breast,  we believers need to wean ourselves off the modern cultural climate. It is easy to start believing things that are against the word of God if you are not careful. This happens when more time is spent in worldly pursuits and events than in the word of God, church, prayer, and personal Bible study. 

If you constantly feed yourself on the morning TV talk shows, celebrity magazines, the news, secular reading material, it is possible your mindset will be altered and shift to thinking like the world. Unless you are ‘armed and dangerous’ because you know the truth in the Word, it becomes all too simple to fit in and be no different than a non believer. 

The devil is roaming around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour it says in 1 Peter 5:8. Study to show yourself approved it says in 2 Timothy 2:15. And parents your responsibility is huge to get your child’s armor on early in life so they can put out the fiery darts in life because they knew the word from a child as it says in 2 Timothy 3:15.  Obviously Satan would love it if you cared little beyond one hour on Sunday then he more or less has you and can throw you off course. Do you part and get weaned off this world and prepared for battle. 

PRAYER: I have a Bible which is the best manual for life but if Satan can get me so busy with worldly pursuits I keep it closed it is of little effect. I choose to guard my heart and keep in an attitude of prayer. Forgive me when I allowed the enticements of the world to become more important than you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jesus Every Day

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ~ Isaiah 9:6

Christmas may be 5 months away but this verse is not just for Christmas. It reminds us to think of the miraculous birth and miracles daily and who Jesus is.

He is The Almighty, Counselor, Comforter, Redeemer, and so much more. He wants to be part of your life. Revelation 3:20 says “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” This is referring to the door of your heart. He is just waiting for you and I to answer and ask Him in.

Have you forgotten your first love or is He part of your daily life? He is here for way more than his birthday party on Christmas but He is an around the clock 24-7 savior just waiting to be invited in.

PRAYER: I need you every hour Lord. I need to be sharing you with others. Forgive me when I neglect to worship you on Sunday but also on the other 6 days when you are waiting for me as well. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God Teaches Through Troubles

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. JAMES 1:2-4

What do you say to someone who is really going through testing? Job loss, business failure, wayward children, pending lawsuit, illness, death in family, or  depression? It is hard to ever know what to say and sometimes it is best to just listen. 

Struggles and trials are part of everyones life and God uses them to help you learn his nature, his character, and grow stronger. When you are in the midst of a struggle you often feel hopeless and see no way out. Some may get mad at God treating him like he is a genie who failed to come through. Look at those people on God’s Word who had trials and ended up victorious. 'Job' comes to mind.

So no matter what is happening in your life now ask God what he is wanting you to learn and also ask him to help you be strong and have the right response. Joy comes in the morning! 

PRAYER:I thank you for times in my life where I had no other thing I could do but lean on you. I pray for those going through difficulties right now that they wholly lean on you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Time To Ditch The Sippy Cup

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 1 Corinthians 3:2

As a infant starts to grow up they go from the breast, to the bottle and on to the sippy cup. From this two handled device for drinking they eventually should progress to a glass. It is all part of development and maturity for the newborn child. 

When you become a Christian you are a ‘babe’ in Christ and at first not ready for solid food. But you eventually have to be weaned from infancy and get some meat into your diet.  You can not or should not want to stay a baby Christian forever similarly parents would do their child a severe injustice if they kept them sucking on a sippy cup and wearing diapers for years and years. 

Are you beyond John 3:16? Once you grow in Christ you should be memorizing many new scriptures to help you with your daily walk with Christ. You should not want to be a babe in Christ but ready to hone your chops and learn to fight the good fight and receive the crown promised to believers upon their death. Babies are cute but they have to grow up. Are you ready grow up in Christ? 

PRAYER: It is easy to let others spoon feed us the scripture by listening to sermons and teaching but I know in order to grow up beyond spiritual babyhood I have to read and study for myself. Help me not be lazy and complacent as I know the enemy is ready to pounce on complacent believers. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In The Trenches

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” Matthew 6:2-3

It is easy to sit in church hearing sermons about helping others but do you really do it? Do you avoid the beggar on the corner? Do you let someone else volunteer for jobs at a shelter or mission? The sermon is good but it is necessary to go beyond the message and get in the trenches.

Not everyone is going to be able to go on an overseas mission but there are many hurting people in your own community, some obvious and some not so obvious. When you do ‘get your hands dirty’ try to  be quiet about it and not say “look at me how good I am” and you will be much more blessed.

So your job first is to pray, then ask God to open up opportunities and then be prepared. You were meant to be a blessing.

PRAYER: Father open my eyes to hurting people around me and prepare my heart to be able to help. Thank you for sending your ‘angels’ to help me at times also. I know I reap what I sow. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Alignment Needed

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”Matthew 15:8

At times the vehicle you drive may be out of alignment and need to go in for adjustments to keep it operating properly. As a believer you too can become ‘out of alignment’ due to a host of factors.

First you may have lost your first love for Jesus and just become bored with ‘all things Jesus’ so to speak. Secondly you may love Jesus but you have stagnated into a humdrum existence not having the same passion you once did. Third, you focus on  the ‘things of this world’ more than your Heavenly Father allowing situations to overwhelm or perplex you.

Do you want to be aligned with God and have an abundant life? Stop focusing on bad junk and listening to the lies of the world. Get away from technology and social media for a while. Learn to rest in the Lord and if possible get away to a quiet place and meditate on the things of the Lord. Pray on a regular basis. Don’t listen to deceiving spirits and lies of the enemy.

Get up daily and say “this is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it!”

PRAYER: I thank you that you are with me at all times even when I go my own way. Bring me back to the cross and help me always put you first in everything I say and do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.