BarbTalk:
Because of health issues, I am not able to attend Bible Study Fellowship at my church. So, to remain involved, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays I pray for the leaders, the attendees, the traffic, the children, the church campus and anything else that drops into my head. I usually send a text both days to the Teaching Leader, Alissa, that simply says: On the job praying.
This morning Alissa replied with: Yay! Thanks! Area Team coming today. Studying Numbers 11-12. I mentioned to the Lord that I didn’t know what subjects were in Numbers 11-12 off the top of my head, but He did, and asked Him to please show me how to pray.
Then, this thought ran through my mind, and I texted this to Alissa: No one can say that they accept Me and reject My Word. The Word is Me and I AM the Word.
Alissa replied: My aim today is “ a rebellious attitude rejects God and burdens others. I bet you just got goose bumps!
Wow. I revere a Creator that speaks to His people and directs their paths.
Then I opened up His Word to see where I left off last time. This is what I found:
Ephesians 6: 10 – 20, the Message:
“God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.
Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. And don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out.”
Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual Warfare is sometimes confusing and gets a lot of attention. How can we engage God’s way? The Word makes it clear that we need to be alert and prepared in every situation. Some call it being a duck: things just roll off. I love how the Armor, as described in the above scripture, covers our minds, hearts, and very being, while our offensive weapons take after the enemy to render him helpless. I think that if we are not ducks, then we might be easily offended, and start believing all the negativity that the enemy shoots at us. I pray always that God will show me what is really going on, and how to respond.
We have all run into people who are having a bad day. We need to not take this personally. Without fail, ask God for the truth of the situation and the truth of what is going on with the person or people who are lashing out. This might be simply upset and not spiritual warfare.
I believe that our minds are the battlegrounds where spiritual warfare takes place. We will all of a sudden think of something that is cruel, offensive, victimizing, jealous, or faction creating (King James Version in Galatians 5:20 basically is saying people gathering in opposition to someone: i.e. Everyone hates aunt Susie). Where do these thoughts come from? I believe we all have old tapes that play to arouse our anger. My question always is: does this thought agree with the Word of God, or is it the opposite? An example might be: “she looked at me funny. She has her nerve, after what she has done.”
Why would that thought be something opposite of the Word of God?
Scripture states: (1 Corninthians13:4-7): Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Thessalonians 5:11-13:Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
Colossians 3:13: Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
If we continue to harbor thoughts of revenge or cruelty, we hardly represent our God well. Sometimes we unconsciously welcome flaming arrows the enemy shoots at us. We claim ownership on them and use them against ourselves.
When I was a brand new believer, every week I would drive around one corner on my way to church, and each time thoughts of all the wrong I had done washed through my mind. By the time I got to church, I was so low I was looking through the steering wheel. It was hard to recieve anything from church because my thoughts were riddled with guilt. Week after week, the past would haunt. Finally, one week I said out loud: Yes, I did those things. But I was washed, I was sanctified, I was justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God! (1 Corinthians 6:11b) Those thoughts never bothered me again. Oh, once in a while things will flash through my mind, and if they do, I remind myself and the enemy of the truth about me and the truth written about me in the Word of God.
I engage in Spiritual Warfare almost daily. This will go through my mind: You don’t think that God is real, do you? Are you an idiot? My immediate response is, God must be really real if you are trying so hard to deny His existence and plague me. The more intense the thoughts are in my mind, the more I know, without a shadow of doubt, that Jesus is God’s Son, and He died to take my punishment, to give me a place in the family of God, only to raise up and fill me with the Holy Spirit.
When I think about Spiritual Warfare, I also think about a tea party. Yes, I am kind of weird. If a cruel, horrible, murderous person came to my door, I would not invite them in to have a tea party with me. The same is true with those thoughts, I do not entertain them. I reject them speaking the truth of the Word of God. Sometimes I say, this is too big for me God, please take it away. Other times I say, My Daddy says you can’t come in! I shut that door.
Know that I am praying that we all understand that we are in a war, and believe the truth of God’s Word, which keeps us on track.
Isaiah 54:17: No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from Me,” declares the Lord.
Because of health issues, I am not able to attend Bible Study Fellowship at my church. So, to remain involved, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays I pray for the leaders, the attendees, the traffic, the children, the church campus and anything else that drops into my head. I usually send a text both days to the Teaching Leader, Alissa, that simply says: On the job praying.
This morning Alissa replied with: Yay! Thanks! Area Team coming today. Studying Numbers 11-12. I mentioned to the Lord that I didn’t know what subjects were in Numbers 11-12 off the top of my head, but He did, and asked Him to please show me how to pray.
Then, this thought ran through my mind, and I texted this to Alissa: No one can say that they accept Me and reject My Word. The Word is Me and I AM the Word.
Alissa replied: My aim today is “ a rebellious attitude rejects God and burdens others. I bet you just got goose bumps!
Wow. I revere a Creator that speaks to His people and directs their paths.
Then I opened up His Word to see where I left off last time. This is what I found:
Ephesians 6: 10 – 20, the Message:
“God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.
Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. And don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out.”
Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual Warfare is sometimes confusing and gets a lot of attention. How can we engage God’s way? The Word makes it clear that we need to be alert and prepared in every situation. Some call it being a duck: things just roll off. I love how the Armor, as described in the above scripture, covers our minds, hearts, and very being, while our offensive weapons take after the enemy to render him helpless. I think that if we are not ducks, then we might be easily offended, and start believing all the negativity that the enemy shoots at us. I pray always that God will show me what is really going on, and how to respond.
We have all run into people who are having a bad day. We need to not take this personally. Without fail, ask God for the truth of the situation and the truth of what is going on with the person or people who are lashing out. This might be simply upset and not spiritual warfare.
I believe that our minds are the battlegrounds where spiritual warfare takes place. We will all of a sudden think of something that is cruel, offensive, victimizing, jealous, or faction creating (King James Version in Galatians 5:20 basically is saying people gathering in opposition to someone: i.e. Everyone hates aunt Susie). Where do these thoughts come from? I believe we all have old tapes that play to arouse our anger. My question always is: does this thought agree with the Word of God, or is it the opposite? An example might be: “she looked at me funny. She has her nerve, after what she has done.”
Why would that thought be something opposite of the Word of God?
Scripture states: (1 Corninthians13:4-7): Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Thessalonians 5:11-13:Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
Colossians 3:13: Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
If we continue to harbor thoughts of revenge or cruelty, we hardly represent our God well. Sometimes we unconsciously welcome flaming arrows the enemy shoots at us. We claim ownership on them and use them against ourselves.
When I was a brand new believer, every week I would drive around one corner on my way to church, and each time thoughts of all the wrong I had done washed through my mind. By the time I got to church, I was so low I was looking through the steering wheel. It was hard to recieve anything from church because my thoughts were riddled with guilt. Week after week, the past would haunt. Finally, one week I said out loud: Yes, I did those things. But I was washed, I was sanctified, I was justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God! (1 Corinthians 6:11b) Those thoughts never bothered me again. Oh, once in a while things will flash through my mind, and if they do, I remind myself and the enemy of the truth about me and the truth written about me in the Word of God.
I engage in Spiritual Warfare almost daily. This will go through my mind: You don’t think that God is real, do you? Are you an idiot? My immediate response is, God must be really real if you are trying so hard to deny His existence and plague me. The more intense the thoughts are in my mind, the more I know, without a shadow of doubt, that Jesus is God’s Son, and He died to take my punishment, to give me a place in the family of God, only to raise up and fill me with the Holy Spirit.
When I think about Spiritual Warfare, I also think about a tea party. Yes, I am kind of weird. If a cruel, horrible, murderous person came to my door, I would not invite them in to have a tea party with me. The same is true with those thoughts, I do not entertain them. I reject them speaking the truth of the Word of God. Sometimes I say, this is too big for me God, please take it away. Other times I say, My Daddy says you can’t come in! I shut that door.
Know that I am praying that we all understand that we are in a war, and believe the truth of God’s Word, which keeps us on track.
Isaiah 54:17: No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from Me,” declares the Lord.
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