Monthly Archives: November 2015

Before your head hits the pillow

Put on the Whole Armor of God

Leave a comment

Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

As Christians, we must always remember that we are in the midst of a spiritual war. It is not a war of physical bullets or missiles. It is a battle against the evils of the world. It is a battle against greed, against arrogance, a battle against lying, a battle against gossip, or a battle against spreading discontent among believers. It is a battle against the devil himself.

2 Corinthians 10:3,4 – For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

2 Timothy 2:3&4 – You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

But Paul teaches us what we can do to prepare ourselves for the battle.

Each day, most of us get up and take a shower. Then we determine what cloths we will wear for the day, brush our teeth, tend to our hair and then we are ready for the day, but are we?

Do we take as much time dressing ourselves for the spiritual battles of the day?

Each day we should make sure that we equip ourselves with the BELT OF TRUTH.

In armor, the belt is needed to secure other pieces of armor. The rest of the armor does not function well without the belt being attached firmly in place. Just as God’s truth undergirds everything for our daily lives. If we did not have the truth, nothing in our arsenal would be effective. John 14:6 states that Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life.” Jesus is our truth.

Next we need to take on the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. In the suit of armor, the breastplate protects the heart and other vital organs. We are deemed righteous only through Christ, not by anything that we can do. Understanding that we are deemed righteous only through the grace of the Lord keeps us humble. It also reassures us that no matter what happens in our lives that we are His. Nothing can pierce our hearts and take his redemption away from us!

After we have fitted ourselves with the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness, next we must arm ourselves with the SHIELD OF FAITH.

The shield was the warrior’s first line of defense. It was strapped firmly to his arm as faith must be strapped firmly to us as we face the world. Faith is our first defense against doubt. When we go into battle, we cannot afford to have a tinfoil shield of faith. Our faith must be strong and thick, strong enough to take any arrow or accusation the devil throws at us.

Then we must put on the HELMET OF SALVATION. Salvation is the knowledge that we are sinners, that we must accept Jesus as our Savior and repent of our sins.

The helmet guards our head. Knowledge of salvation comes from our head. There are going to be times that we doubt, but we must rely on that shield of faith, and the knowledge of salvation to get through those times. The helmet of salvation protects our head from false teaching and those who would lead us astray.

The next part of our uniform is GOSPEL OF PEACE SHOES. During our struggles hear on earth, we are going to have to be sure footed. We are going to stand firm in order not to slip. These shoes will help us side-step the enemy and will allow us to bring the good news to all mankind. Sharing the gospel of salvation ultimately brings about peace between God and man.

And then we must pick up the SWORD OF GOD’S WORD. This is the only offensive weapon in our suit of armor. Hebrews 4:12 states: For the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. An acute knowledge of the Word of God is our best defense AND offense in this world’s battles.

And the last of our armaments is PRAYER. Not just some prayer, but praying in the Spirit on all occasions.

Just as you wouldn’t go to work tomorrow morning minus your pants, or without your shoes, you cannot be prepared for the struggles of the day without placing on THE ENTIRE ARMOR.

You need TRUTH, FAITH, RIGHTEOUSNESS, SALVATION, SHARING OF THE GOSPEL, THE WORD, and PRAYER! You need all of them to battle well!

God has given us everything we need to engage in this spiritual war, it is up to us to make sure that we get dressed every morning!

 

Before your head hits the pillow

Are You Vulnerable to Attack?

Leave a comment

No one wants to be vulnerable to attack.  We do a lot to keep ourselves safe.  Many people install security systems in their homes.  Our cars come with theft alarms.  Women carry mace on their key chains.  Each day hundreds of women, all across the country, take self-defense classes.  We are cautious about traveling alone and we no longer pick up hitch hikers.  Our world is just not safe.

So here is the question, if we take so many precautions to keep our bodies safe, why don’t we take as many if not more to keep both our body and soul safe?

Have you ever watched the nature channel and seen an episode that shows a lion on the prowl?  The lions surround their prey.  They look for a weak animal, one that is small or wounded.  Then they isolate that animal.  The separate the most vulnerable in the herd from the pack and then attack.

That is not much different than how the devil and his demons go about their attacks on us.  They look for any weakness they can exploit.  If a marriage isn’t going well, they introduce a third party to tempt.  If you are a new Christian the devil may surround you with your old friends, friends who do things that you have turned your back on.  The devil also wants to isolate you from the body of believers.  When you go to church you have the protection of the body of believers.  They are there to pray for you.

But the devil wants to isolate you.  He wants to take you away from anyone who can build you up or keep you strong so he isolates you from other believers.

The devil wants you to be weak so he certainly doesn’t want you to be aware of the armor of God. But we can learn how to strengthen ourselves for battle with the enemy by reading Ephesians 6:10-18, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

So there you go, if you don’t want to be vulnerable to spiritual attack, be spiritually strong by placing on the full armor of God and by surrounding yourself with others who love the Lord.  Run in a pack of Christians! We are stronger when we are many.  We are more productive when we are praying together. We are a greater force when we gather together with other Christians.

You can make excuses for not gathering together with other Christians, but know this, you are making yourself vulnerable to spiritual attacks.  You can make excuses for not undergirding yourself with Scripture but you are making yourself as vulnerable as a weak antelope, isolated from the rest of the herd as the lions attack.

The devil’s attacks and schemes will always be out there, but so will that armor and the body of Christ!  Begin your battle preparation now, put on that armor and join the army of Christ’s fellow servants.

Tomorrow I will repost a piece on what the full armor of God really is.  Stay tuned.

Before your head hits the pillow

Is There Judgment for the Saved?

Leave a comment

…Before your head hits the pillow…

There will come a day of judgment, of that you can be sure.  God will come to judge the living and the dead.  Acts 17:31 tells us, “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”  The person who will do the judging at the end of time is Jesus, the one who was raised from the dead.

Many are aware of final judgment.  They know that all those who have not believed in Jesus Christ will be condemned but those who have will live eternally with God.

I also believe that once you are saved, NOTHING can snatch you from God’s hands.  You may stray and you may wander, but you will never fall out of grace.  But what about the people who accept Jesus as their Savior but have little to show for that commitment?  Will they still enter heaven?  Don’t we need to do more than just say we believe?

The Bible says that there will be two separate judgments.  Believers will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  Romans 14:12 tells us that everyone will give an account of himself to God. I Corinthians 3:11-15 speaks of giving account.  The works that we do on this earth will either be pure and good, they will be either gold and silver. Or what we do on this earth will be like hay or stubble.  The fine things we do are compared to gold and silver that could withstand a fire, these good deeds will withstand the fire and will show of the man or woman’s work on behalf of God.

Other’s works on earth will be like hay and stubble and will be consumed by the fire.  Their works were not good enough to endure the fire.  So why is this important?  It is important because it tells us that what we do here on earth DOES matter to our heavenly Father.  We can either work diligently for God each day or we can coast by.  But know this, if you coast by, you will not only be losing blessings here on earth, but you will be forfeiting heavenly rewards.

There will be judgment for the saved.  It will NOT be a judgment to determine salvation, for if you believe in Christ as you Savior, you will be saved.  But this will be a judgment of our deeds and our thoughts while living on this earth.  I Corinthians 4:5 says, “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.”  Yes God will bring to light EVERYTHING we have said and done.  I don’t believe that God will bring our sins in front of everyone, but I do believe that He will make them all real in our own hearts so that we can fully understand the blessing of His sacrifice.

Then Jesus will look at those things we have done for Him.  He will look at our thoughts, at our words, at our actions.  He will look at everything that we have done for Him.  And then believers will be rewarded based on the good works they have done.

I will never do good works to achieve reward, but understanding that our good works are important enough for Jesus to judge at the end of time makes me want to please Him all the more.  It DOES matter what I do.  It DOES matter who I care for and how I spend my life.  It DOES matter if I take the time to visit the elderly woman at the nursing home who gets no visitors. It DOES matter if I try to make the Christmas of those in need a bit brighter.  It DOES matter if I remember to pray for those in need.

Each of these things matter not only to the person I am helping, but they matter to God.  He wants to see us in service.  He tells us in Matthew 25:37-40   “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

Yes, the saved will be judged.  We will be judged on our obedience and service, and we will be rewarded accordingly.    Remember that while we are here we are laborers together with God.  We are actually His field and His building (I Corinthians 3:9).  We are not working alone, we are working WITH God.  What a great thought.  What we do here we don’t do alone, we do this WITH God.  He is our foreman!

Let’s spend our time here on earth faithfully serving Him.  Let’s be hard working laborers.   Let’s work so that what it is that we do will be like fine silver and gold.  Let us work to make sure that what we do has lasting impact!  And then let’s be eager to hear those words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Before your head hits the pillow

Are We Great Men and Women of Faith?

Leave a comment

As Christians we all fall short of the glory of God. We fail our Lord and fellow man EVERY day! But God knows this and wants to use us to fulfill his perfect will anyway. Romans 3:23-24 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

Consider this… Hebrews 11 lists the great men and women of faith

Here are some excerpts…
–It was by faith Noah built and ark to save his family from a flood.
–It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land…
–It was by faith that Sarah together with Abraham was able to have a child, even though they were too old and Sarah was barren.
–It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him…
–It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons…
–It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months…
–It was by faith that Rahab did not die with all the others in her city…

Others mentioned in the great annals of faith are Abel, Enoch, Isaac, Barak, Jephthah, Samuel, Samson, David, and Gideon.

Now let’s look at each of these great men and women of faith

Noah – was found by his sons drunk in his tent
Abraham – Lied about Sarah being his wife
Sarah – Didn’t trust that God would give her a son and offered their servant Hagar to Abraham so he could have a child
Jacob – Deceived his father
Moses – was not allowed to go into the promised land because he disobeyed God and even killed a man
Rahab – was a prostitute
Samson – allowed himself to be seduced by a woman
David – committed adultery with a married woman and then arranged for her husband to be killed
Gideon – rather than simply trusting, needed God to send him a sign.

It should be noted that God did not select extraordinary people to become great men and women of faith. No they were shepherds, prostitutes, and farmers. God can use ANY of us!! We just need to want to be used and be willing to increase our faith!

So why did God list these obviously flawed people as great people of faith. First we must understand that any great person of faith is human, therefore destined to sin. Each of these people had sin in their lives, but each of them also had great faith in the promise of their God. I believe that this listing of great men and women of faith should serve as both a comfort and a challenge. We should be comforted that our faith will not come without stumbling, but that stumbling should not crumble our faith. Each of these people, although inherently flawed believed in the promises of God.

We too can believe in the promises of our God. He promises to give us comfort, He promises to take care of us through hard times. He promises to always love us and to never leave us. He promises that He has a better home for us in heaven. He promises that our Lord and Savior will once again return to bring each of us to our final home.

Now our faith comes into play. Do we believe all of His promises? Do we believe that He will not leave us? Do we believe that He can carry us through hard times? Do we believe that He has gone to prepare a place for us? What behaviors do His promises prompt in us? How is our faith demonstrated?

God uses very flawed, imperfect people to achieve his perfect will. God does not define us by our mistakes; we are defined by how we react to those failures. Each of these individuals although greatly flawed were still considered GREAT EXAMPLES OF FAITH.

We can’t earn salvation, but we can all be diligent in our service to Him. Let us each pray that God sees in us great faith and at that time when we meet our heavenly Father, He will say to us, “Well done though good and faithful servant!”

Before your head hits the pillow

A Christian’s Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis

Leave a comment

This issue has been weighing heavy on my heart.  What is our responsibility toward the Syrian refugees attempting to seek asylum in our country?  Is it our responsibility to open our arms to people we know may have, in their heart, an intent to hurt the people of our country?

This question has been going around and around in my head.  I have come to a decision for myself which may or may not mesh with what you believe and I am eager to hear your thoughts on this issue.

This refugee crisis is unlike any in our nation’s history.  We have given many people a safe place to live but the people who came did not espouse a religion that calls for destroying the infidels (that’s us).  This is what makes this issue so much more difficult.

Proverbs 22:3 says, “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.”  This refugee issue truly poses within it danger for this country.  The main purpose of our government is protection of its citizenry.  The federal government has taken upon itself many roles it had no right in which to engage, but the protection of our people IS its PRIMARY purpose.

I think we need to make a distinction between what we should do as Christians and what the Government should do.  Christians often place themselves in harms way to help others.  Christian doctors and nurses volunteered during the recent Ebola outbreak in Africa.  Some suffered greatly and others died.  They did this because they believed they were being called to do so.

However, if you and your family worked with your city’s homeless ministry you might decide to take one of the homeless into your home.  However, God would not judge you for determining to use prudence with whom to invite into your home.  If you had small children at home, would it be advisable to bring a convicted pedophile into your home?  Likely not.

We want to be loving and caring.  If you have a brother who becomes extremely violent when he drinks you will love him but you don’t need to accept his invitation to his New Year’s Eve Party.  That would put yourself at risk.  You want to be there for him but you don’t need to risk your own life.

As Christians we need to listen to what God is calling us to do.  If he is calling us to take part in an effort to assist the Syrian Refugees then by all means we MUST do that!  It doesn’t matter whether these people are Christians or Muslims or hold to no religion at all, if God is calling us to their aide, then we must go.

But as for our Government, it is there responsibility to keep the people of this nation safe. It is their responsibility to minimize our risk.  It would be irresponsible not to do everything in their power to do so.  So adopting a more rigorous vetting process would be prudent.  Taking some time to determine who these immigrants are before they enter the country that would be prudent.

Our Government cannot be inviting people into our home, our country, who could pose a threat.  That is neither right nor responsible.  So my summary is this, as a people of God, let us serve and serve wherever He sends us.  As a government let us protect, for that is its purpose.