War. What is your first thought when you hear that word? Your probably think of fighting. Or poverty. Or guns. Or even death.
A lot of people say war is sinful because it brings strife into this world. But although the things that happen during war are painful and sometimes sinful, it is sometimes a requirement, unfortunately.
A lot of people also think that war is caused by God because shouldn't He do something to stop it? Sin is actually the root of war.
Matthew 15:19 - For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.
Before sin entered the world, there was no war. None. And why would there be? I mean come on! In a perfect world, there wouldn't be war. But when sin entered the world, a darkness entered the human heart and whamo! War! We've got envy, anger, etc. And all of that can lead to war.
Really though, why do people focus so much on the war of this world? Even Christians! And I totally respect how people want to fight for their country and such, but shouldn't we be more focused on the Spiritual battle that rages inside us? Even when every country can be at peace with one another, there'll always be a battle inside. And sometimes its Spiritual war that drives people to fight each other.
I know fighting an inner battle can be a lot harder than fighting an actual physical battle. And we don't need guns and knives to fight this war! We need GOD! He is the ultimate Leader in our war! He commands us to put on the full armor of God!
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints," - Ephesians 6:10-18
Take that to heart! Fight your battle! God has entrusted you with a place in His army. That is an HONOR. Never slack in fighting the Spiritual battle. The enemy will ALWAYS attack the weakest person. Take up your battle weapon and fight like you never have before. STRENGTHEN yourself so that God's army can benefit from your perseverance. Never give up.
Stop fighting your petty wars and start fighting one worth winning! We're only on this earth for a short time, but we're in eternity FOREVER! So pick a side and start fighting.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Trials and Tribulations
Have any of you ever read the Bible passage James 1:2-18? The one where we are supposed to consider it a JOY, PURE JOY, whenever we face trials? How weird is that? Does God really expect us to embrace with joy all of our trials? "Hey, Trial! How I've missed you! Come into my waiting open arms and I'll embrace you with joy!" Yeah... Not gonna happen. At least not if your sane, some might say.
But have you ever really thought about it? Trials and tribulation don't just happen. They don't just jump out of nowhere and after their gone and worked through, go away and leave us unchanged. No, they change us! They make us stronger than before. My trials have in fact made me feel so much stronger than I have ever felt in my entire life. And I have been more hungry for Spiritual things than I was in the beginning before all of them came.
The more trials and tribulations come our way, the stronger our faith becomes!
"Consider it PURE JOY, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces PERSEVERANCE. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
God doesn't send these trials and tribulations to us to torture us or show us who's boss. No, he sends them to us so that we might become stronger with His help. In the midst of my T & T, I thought "Where is God?" And though I thought those were my worst and hardest months emotionally, when I examine it all Spiritually, I realize that I persevered. All those months of T & T payed off! They weren't there for nothing. It wasn't just some random thing that happened. God will never send me more than I can handle. If He brought me to it, He'll bring me through it.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."
So there it is! TRUST IN THE LORD! DO NOT DOUBT! Where is the faith when you doubt? You become anxious. You become doubtful of God's hand in all this. When going through something, know that IN FAITH, He will bring you through it. Don't doubt! Even if it's not from God, He will turn it into something good. You can never go through something unchanged. You can never go through a hardship, saying, "That's didn't change me." Every hardship, EVERY SINGLE ONE, has changed me. It's changed me emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
"Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation- since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching hear and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business."
See that first part? Take PRIDE. I'm not sure how else to interpret this. I'll leave that all to you. :)
"Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
Wait a second now... Did he just say we're BLESSED? He has GOT to be kidding! Do any of you feel blessed when you persevere under T & T? I don't. I feel quite the opposite. Someone told me recently that my testimony is just amazing and that it will be such a blessing to some people when shared with them. And I remember one of my first thoughts being, "Yeah, God just blessed the panties right off me when He stuck me in this mess." But honestly... God must love us a lot to entrust so much on us. It's a compliment actually. It's pretty much GOD telling us that we're strong enough. If that's not a compliment, I don't know what is.
"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
Well the words are true and the meaning clear enough. I needn't elaborate on that.
"Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created."
That is how we should think of T & T's. Gifts. Their not the kind of gifts we like. It's almost like ordering a fashion magazine in the mail and getting one on healthy eating. Sorry, I couldn't think of a better example. But really, though its not the gift we like, it still rewards us in the end with the gift of perseverance. And thought there isn't always a great reward here on earth, be assured that there is one in Heaven.
But have you ever really thought about it? Trials and tribulation don't just happen. They don't just jump out of nowhere and after their gone and worked through, go away and leave us unchanged. No, they change us! They make us stronger than before. My trials have in fact made me feel so much stronger than I have ever felt in my entire life. And I have been more hungry for Spiritual things than I was in the beginning before all of them came.
The more trials and tribulations come our way, the stronger our faith becomes!
"Consider it PURE JOY, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces PERSEVERANCE. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
God doesn't send these trials and tribulations to us to torture us or show us who's boss. No, he sends them to us so that we might become stronger with His help. In the midst of my T & T, I thought "Where is God?" And though I thought those were my worst and hardest months emotionally, when I examine it all Spiritually, I realize that I persevered. All those months of T & T payed off! They weren't there for nothing. It wasn't just some random thing that happened. God will never send me more than I can handle. If He brought me to it, He'll bring me through it.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."
So there it is! TRUST IN THE LORD! DO NOT DOUBT! Where is the faith when you doubt? You become anxious. You become doubtful of God's hand in all this. When going through something, know that IN FAITH, He will bring you through it. Don't doubt! Even if it's not from God, He will turn it into something good. You can never go through something unchanged. You can never go through a hardship, saying, "That's didn't change me." Every hardship, EVERY SINGLE ONE, has changed me. It's changed me emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
"Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation- since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching hear and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business."
See that first part? Take PRIDE. I'm not sure how else to interpret this. I'll leave that all to you. :)
"Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
Wait a second now... Did he just say we're BLESSED? He has GOT to be kidding! Do any of you feel blessed when you persevere under T & T? I don't. I feel quite the opposite. Someone told me recently that my testimony is just amazing and that it will be such a blessing to some people when shared with them. And I remember one of my first thoughts being, "Yeah, God just blessed the panties right off me when He stuck me in this mess." But honestly... God must love us a lot to entrust so much on us. It's a compliment actually. It's pretty much GOD telling us that we're strong enough. If that's not a compliment, I don't know what is.
"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
Well the words are true and the meaning clear enough. I needn't elaborate on that.
"Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created."
That is how we should think of T & T's. Gifts. Their not the kind of gifts we like. It's almost like ordering a fashion magazine in the mail and getting one on healthy eating. Sorry, I couldn't think of a better example. But really, though its not the gift we like, it still rewards us in the end with the gift of perseverance. And thought there isn't always a great reward here on earth, be assured that there is one in Heaven.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Not My Will, Thine Be Done
Will. What is will?
I looked up the definition of will and this is what I found: "Intend, desire, or wish to happen."
And to me, that's only partially right. To me it's more of something I do with a submissive heart. That makes little sense to some, I know.
To me, it used to be some kind of excuse for me not to get my own way. Like I would tell people what I wanted to do with my life and they would respond, "Yes, but is that God's will for you," and at that moment, I'd block the rest out because for me it seemed like an excuse. Looking back though, I realize that's a selfish way of thinking! (No duh!)
In the past few weeks, I've been learning a lot of will. And God's will for my life. But it's not just realizing it that I've learned. It's so much deeper than that. Everyone can know the words, "Let Thy will be done," but few can actually follow them. That's how it's been for me. All my life, I've heard those words, but it's just lately that I've realized the power behind them.
At first I thought, "Oh great! Is God's will for me going to send me to some random place in Asia to do missions work!" But then it struck me: Why would God's will for me be to do something I wouldn't have the passion to do?! He puts passions in each of our hearts and it's those passions that He wants us to follow.
Do you really think God would send me somewhere that He knew I would have no joy to be? I wouldn't be a good missionary or whatever if I was joyless, would I? No. That's for dang sure!
So I've finally embraced the importance of God's will. And about a month ago, I fully submitted myself to His will. No questions asked. No more hesitation. Whatever He calls me to do, I will do. Because I know He'll call me to do something I have a passion for. And if I don't have the passion for it now, I know for sure and for certain, that He'll plant that passion in my heart.
"’Neath the old olive trees,
’Neath the old olive trees,
Went the Savior alone on His knees:
“Not My will, Thine be done,”
cried the Father’s own Son,
As He knelt ’neath the old olive trees."
If Jesus can say those words and truly believe them, then so can I.
I looked up the definition of will and this is what I found: "Intend, desire, or wish to happen."
And to me, that's only partially right. To me it's more of something I do with a submissive heart. That makes little sense to some, I know.
To me, it used to be some kind of excuse for me not to get my own way. Like I would tell people what I wanted to do with my life and they would respond, "Yes, but is that God's will for you," and at that moment, I'd block the rest out because for me it seemed like an excuse. Looking back though, I realize that's a selfish way of thinking! (No duh!)
In the past few weeks, I've been learning a lot of will. And God's will for my life. But it's not just realizing it that I've learned. It's so much deeper than that. Everyone can know the words, "Let Thy will be done," but few can actually follow them. That's how it's been for me. All my life, I've heard those words, but it's just lately that I've realized the power behind them.
At first I thought, "Oh great! Is God's will for me going to send me to some random place in Asia to do missions work!" But then it struck me: Why would God's will for me be to do something I wouldn't have the passion to do?! He puts passions in each of our hearts and it's those passions that He wants us to follow.
Do you really think God would send me somewhere that He knew I would have no joy to be? I wouldn't be a good missionary or whatever if I was joyless, would I? No. That's for dang sure!
So I've finally embraced the importance of God's will. And about a month ago, I fully submitted myself to His will. No questions asked. No more hesitation. Whatever He calls me to do, I will do. Because I know He'll call me to do something I have a passion for. And if I don't have the passion for it now, I know for sure and for certain, that He'll plant that passion in my heart.
"’Neath the old olive trees,
’Neath the old olive trees,
Went the Savior alone on His knees:
“Not My will, Thine be done,”
cried the Father’s own Son,
As He knelt ’neath the old olive trees."
If Jesus can say those words and truly believe them, then so can I.
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