Battle Worthy Opponent

After a discussion with Seth (my son) recently and with my Monday night Bible study girls, I wrote this.  I think we all need reminded that we are in war. But praise be to God, we serve the King of Kings, the Creator of all!  I’m glad to be a soldier for Him.

As Christians - believing in Jesus Christ – we are in a battle between good and evil, light and darkness. This battle is called “spiritual warfare.”

The Word tells us to “put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the tactics of the devil.”  We know that the Light (Jesus Christ) will always outshine the darkness and the forces of evil, but we must be equipped and ready for battle as children of the Light.

Because we are children of the Light - in a spiritual battle, we will get attacked. Satan does not want us to live for God. He wages for our souls because we are “battle worthy opponents”.  He looks for ways to get us off track, to get us confused, to cause us to doubt, to get us depressed and to make us question God and even question what the Bible says.  The forces of evil are on the earth with us – constantly searching for opportunities to catch us off guard.   To be equipped to fight the spiritual battle we must spend time in His Word. “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

 Once we accept Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit as a gift from God. Based on the orders given by God, the Holy Spirit enters into battle through us. Being a Christian is a call to arms, but not in the earthly sense that we think of battle. We cannot fight spiritual warfare using earthly methods, or battle in the flesh. If we do, we will lose the battle. As soldiers of God, our commander in chief is El Elyon (The Most High). *I’m studying the names of God and love to use them.  By following His commands we demonstrate our faithfulness, obedience, trust and our willingness to follow His orders.

 One tactic the devil uses is to get us to fight on our own strength, because we are ineffective on our own. Instead, we must put on the “full armor of God,” which means that we must fight with the spiritual weapons and plans Jesus Christ has given us, not with our own will and strength. The battle is the Lord's and Jesus Christ alone has the wisdom and the strength to overcome evil and darkness.

To be ready for battle we must put on the full armor of God every single day. We do this by renewing our mind in the Word, which not only is the sword of the Spirit but is a "lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalms 119:105)  As the shining light, it gives us clear direction and instruction.

In Ephesians 6, verses 10-18 (which I like to read with boldness and confidence) it says, “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 is 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."

We will enter into spiritual battle throughout our lives. These battles WILL give us opportunities to glorify and serve our commander-in-chief, Jesus Christ and we will see the good in them.  "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)   Once the battle is over, you WILL have a testimony to share. And I encourage you to share it.  Brag and boast about His goodness.  “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” ( Jeremiah 9:23-24)     

Lastly, keep this in mind from 2 Corinthians 4: 15-18. “All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

BIBLE STUDY ROCKED!

Great turn out at Bible Study at my house tonight!  Nothing is more exciting than talking about God changed lives!   It didn’t go the way I had planned it to go … it went the way GOD designed it to go. 

About an hour before it started, I prayed that the Lord would have His way.   I told Him this was NOT my meeting, but His – I was just the facilitator.  After about 5 minutes into our time together, I felt Him take control.  It flowed the way He wanted it to and His presence was among us.  For some reason, He kept breathing on my left side (down the side of my neck and down my arm).  I will be bubbling over for days!  Many others – sitting all over the room felt His presence.  Some mentioned it when it happened and another one told me – in detail what she felt afterwards.

Even though I had an agenda planned and a chapter to cover in “Lord I Want to Know You” book, God decided to teach us about His Sovereignty.  The Sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God's rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission. God works not just some things - but ALL things according to the counsel of His own will (see Eph. 1:11). His purposes are all-inclusive and never thwarted (see Isa. 46:11); nothing takes Him by surprise. The sovereignty of God is not merely that God has the power and right to govern all things, but that He does so, always and without exception.

After we opened with prayer and sang the Holy Spirit song from a recent women’s retreat, women began sharing what the Lord has been doing in their lives. There were a few tears of joy, expressions of laughter and many God-inspired moments.  We heard amazing stories of how God has spoken, how He has revealed things, about His Grace to bring us through difficult situations, and how He’s healed relationships.  We even marveled that He loves us so much that He sometimes uses a friend to send us a text at just the right time.  One of the women gave us a new way to refer to things like this.” It’s not a coincidence it is a “GOD-incidence.”

With some very recent happenings I shared how real spiritual warfare was. I was able to give some “real life” examples of how the enemy was attacking many individuals and families.  Some others shared about battles that are occurring in their families.  We talked about this to emphasize that GOD is Elohim – the mighty, strong creator. He is El Elyon -  The Most High, Sovereign Ruler of the universe. Just a reminder: We are in battles because we are battle worthy opponents. The enemy knows we are a threat.  But since the battle is the Lords, the only way we can lose is if we refuse to fight.  We all agreed that we are going to prepare for battle everyday by spending time in the Word. 

I’m eagerly looking forward to getting together again to hear the magnificent things God has been doing!  I look forward to bragging and boasting about His Goodness. According to the Word, we can brag on Him and I intend to.

Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.  1 Corinthians 1:31 

My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Psalms 34:2

But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken!  Jeremiah 9:24

 Whoever brags should brag about what the Lord has done 2 Corinthians 10:17



Come Boldly to the Throne
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may     
receive and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

If God said to you, "Ask me anything today" what would you ask of Him?

I would not ask for  a new car. I don't want an exotic, glamours vacation, I don't want a million dollars or even a new body.   With all of my heart and soul, I want all of my family to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. I want them to know Him and walk with Him through this life-journey. I would ask God for my family to  experience the joy and peace that comes from a personal relationship with Him. I would ask for revival in my family. I would ask for my son to seek the Lord for the direction in his life. I would ask for my son to be used to expand the Kingdom of God.   The Word says to ask so I did. 

I expect Him to do immeasurably more than I could ask or even imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. (Ephesians 3:20)

What are you asking for today? What are the desires of your heart?

Wouldn't it be GREAT if we could ALL go to the "Generous Love Women's Spring Conference!" It will be April 27th and 28th at Mt. Olive Ministries. The Friday session begins at 6:30pm and the Saturday session is begins at 9am and ends at 11am. For more information contact Pastor Teresa Norman at 423-479-3381.

    Becky Fender, anointed preacher, singer and songwriter is coming from San Antonio, Texas to bless us in song and Word. Register by calling the church @ 479-3381 or www.mtolivecog.org/women just so they can get a count on how many are attending.
I'll see ya there. Melissa

I cannot let this day end without praising the Lord for the protection He provides over us and our loved ones.  At 1:00 a.m. I was awaken by a phone call from my mother-in-law. It seemed like time stood still as I reached for the phone. She needed help. My great-aunt, who has diabetes and Mononeuropathy had fallen and she couldn't get her up. When we got there, the only thing that was wrong with her was her embarrassment for being in the floor, not being able to get up in the middle of the night. Thanks to the Lord, she had no broken bones! 

A friend of mine was also awaken last night at 3:30 a.m. to find out that her son had another car accident. Today she is praising the Lord for protecting her son.  The following is from her in an email.

"My son had another wreck early this morning around 2 am.  We got a call from him around 3:30 a.m. that “his life was over because he had wrecked his car and flipped it upside down”.  He was able to crawl out of the car amongst the broken glass and came out with just some cuts and scrapes on his arms and legs.  This morning was the fifth phone call like this that we have received saying he has been in a wreck and in each one the car had to be totaled.  This was the second time he has flipped a car over and has been able to crawl out without being hurt.  My God definitely has a plan and a purpose for my son’s life.
God is so good!  I was listening to J103 here at work over an hour ago and they just happened to have a preacher advertising on the station.  Guess what verse he was quoting?  Hebrews 11:1.   God is always with us and he sends little reminders like that to remind us that He loves us."

 "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see".  (Hebrews 11:1)

I'm Sorry Lord

Well, when the Lord speaks to me, I am GOING TO LISTEN.  He told me to stop procrastinating and put the things I'm writing on this blog. 

 It isn't that I have not written anything ...  I just let the enemy distract me - even tell me that it wasn't that important and that no one would read this blog.

I made a new commitment last weekend and "I'm All In!"  By the Grace of God, I'm NOT listening the the lies of the enemy.

The Real Me

God knows the "real"

me  and loves me anyway

 Many times in life, with all of the "to do lists" and overbooked schedules, I parade around like a one-act in a three-ring circus.  I put the “happy face” on, rosy cheeks and all, and portray a fearless persona. Those looking in my direction, think everything is OK - that I have it all together. They cannot see behind a mask of self protection. They cannot see the emotions that are tucked away behind the image of “girl who’s got it all together.” 

It’s comforting and so reassuring to know my Heavenly Father sees past the facade I often present to others.  In His presence, I can take the mask off, relax and let Him love on me. He sees past the wall my imperfect self hides behind.  The foolish games, the brokenness, the plastic smile, the charade, the frailties, the neediness and the emotional blindness do not conceal who I am to El Elyon - The Most High. He sees them all. He hears all of my insecure thoughts, my self-doubting and anxiousness. He knows all of my many mistakes but loves me anyway.  

 He thinks I’m beautiful and even sings over me! “The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.  (Zephaniah 3:17). Who am I that the creator of the universe would sing over me?!

Thankfully, He sees the real me behind the mask.  He sees the finished product. He sees me fulfilling His will for my life.  He formed me with a purpose and promises He will never leave me or forsake me on this life journey.

 I’m so grateful He is still fine-tuning me.  I’m a work in progress - longing for the day the veil is lifted and the “real” me sees Him face to face.  

If I were to write a song this year, it would be similar to "The Real Me" by Natalie Grant.   To listen to the song select this link   http://youtu.be/u3kr9eqxwCo