What is the Magic of Christmas?

Dec31

As my family has grown older, the celebrations reflect changes. This year took on a whole new change. None of our kids came to our house. Each celebrated Christmas in their own homes with their children and did not travel to Nammy’s house. We spent a quiet and comfortable day just my husband and I. There were things about this transition that I didn’t mind so much. The children didn’t have to juggle their schedules to make possible the lengthy travel and expense of travel. That had to be a relief for them. It’s stressful to say the least. And I wasn’t concerned about their traveling hours and hours to get here or the expense of flying for them.

So this year is a transition year. No stockings were hung by the fireplace. That’s a first. No Christmas menu, only my husband and I here to consume whatever we felt like preparing. Quiet sounds mixed with the sounds of tv Christmas movies drifted through our house.

But this is where the magic of Christmas enters. Because we don’t have family here, no stockings, no Christmas dinner and/or traditional snack foods, and the house is not filled with the laughter and teasing that fills up the house when they are all here. Wouldn’t this be a prime time for the enemy to show up? And he would, if it weren’t for the magic of Christmas.

For you see, the change of circumstances forces us to experience Christmas in a brand new way. We have to replace the old way of celebrating and find a new way to celebrate. Dwelling upon the genuine Christmas story of Jesus’ birth calls forth an awareness of just how much God loves us and what He was willing to go through in order to save us from our sins.

This year, in order not to be pulled down by what we don’t have this Christmas, God made a way for us to be lifted up by what we do have. We have a Savior who sacrificed His heavenly home to come to earth and make a way for us to join Him there when this life is over. Can we even begin to imagine that?

So, changes happen! And while our Christmas celebration looks completely different than before, when we focus on what we still have, the magic begins to happen. And that is the magic of Christmas-the gift of Peace!

Bored and lonely at Christmas…

Dec16

Not the usual word paring linked with Christmas, I know! Yet, I find that these two fiery darts collaborate to invade my thoughts this Christmas. My best friend, who was my confidant and companion, passed away early last year. By God’s grace, accepting the reality of her passing has been accomplished. Yet without her presence the temptation to be undone by the boredom and loneliness I feel without her is a recurring struggle.

We all know life experiences can sow seeds of loneliness and boredom. Contrast that with the fullness and warmth of Christmas and the mix can be unbearable at times. Lessening the fullness of one and intensifying the pull of the other. While Christmas is undeniably magical, life doesn’t always contribute to that magic. But life refuses to change its pace, no matter what it has thrown at us, even at Christmas time.

Donning a fake holiday countenance as our seasonal apparel, won’t remove the lonely and/or bored emotions hidden underneath. For when we withdraw from the celebratory crowd, those disturbing emotions come out of hiding. Emotions, or shall I say fiery darts, programmed to derail the healing magic of the holidays, in particular Christ’s birth.

So how do we, as Christians, outmaneuver the enemy’s attacks? In my book, Fiery Darts, I emphasize again and again the primary method to counter these attacks. Immersing ourselves in God’s word and connecting with Him in prayer. By becoming knowledgeable of the mighty weapons found in God’s word, we can preempt Satan’s attacks. We also increase our sensitivity to hear God’s Holy Spirit guiding us in prayer.

We achieve this through such weapons as is mentioned in Ephesians 6:16, “…above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”, and Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” And Psalm 91:2, reminds us “My refuge and my fortress; My God in whom I trust.” (and these are just a minuscule sampling of what’s available.)

But we need to “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 ESV” Calling upon God’s mighty weapons must be a daily discipline. For an unarmed Christian is easy prey for the enemy. During the Christmas season, there is an avalanche of emphasis on gift giving. It acts as a stealth weapon of the enemy. This emphasis causes us to become wrapped up in ourselves. A plethora of fiery darts including ones of boredom and loneliness will be used to devour us. To thwart the enemy’s plans, we must redirect our focus. Focusing instead on God’s mighty weapons revealed in His word.

Contentment – learning to trust that what we have has been given to us by God and He will use it to our good purpose. No matter what!

Dec9

We live in a world where contentment has become a neglected virtue. Those who have much, are often craving for more. While on the other end of the spectrum, those who have little grow weary of doing without. And it’s not only about possessions, but how about life situations? But how on this earth can we find contentment when on every hand we are bombarded with the enticement of desiring more? Having what others have?

The solution my dear readers is found within the pages of Scripture. For instance consider Philippians 4:11-13:

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13, NIV

How about if every time thoughts of discontentment attempt to cross the threshold of our mind, we quote Philippines 4:11-13 to ourselves? (And I mean every time!) If we are persistent, we will notice a loosening of the hold this fiery dart can have.

But what if we fail to familiarize ourselves with the truth of Philippians 4:11-13 and many more such verses? Human reasoning and false assumptions gain momentum. The plan of the enemy, to desensitize us to the power available to us, is set in motion. And all he has to do is to direct our attention away from the Word of God. By doing so, we wander about in the confusion of darkness.

If you notice, Paul emphasizes contentment is something we must learn. It doesn’t come easy. It takes effort and consistent dependence on what we learn as we avail ourselves to God’s word. When we do, we will be rewarded with the wisdom and strength necessary to rise abovePhilippians 4:13, situations that are designed to defeat us. No matter what they are!

The weapon of thankfulness: to be used year round…

Nov23

Recently, I encountered a bold attack of the enemy. And while it had the potential to shift my focus and start the downward momentum, it did not prevail upon me. Even now, though the outcome of my situation is unknown, I know calling upon this singular weapon of God’s, will undo the enemy’s plan.

Allow me to share a bit of background. Depression, for a major portion of my adult life, has often reared its ugly head. It’s first and most severe attack occurring after the birth of my first child during postpartum. Though I never got diagnosed, I survived it. I survived due to the knowledge of God’s unfailing protection. As I cared for my beloved child, God used her dependence upon me, to distract my self-focus. Years later, as the ground work for spiritual warfare was laid, God began teaching me how to recognize the attacks of the enemy, reject those attacks, and replace them with His truths. (p 93, 3rd edition, Fiery Darts: Satan’s Weapon of Choice)

Years later, after the up and down battles with depression, I finally locked on to the fact that spending time with God consistently in prayer and His word was my only hope. And with the dawn of such a reality, the way was made clear as to how to defeat the enemy. (And I might add, birthed my book, Fiery Darts: Weapon of Choice)

The Bible is saturated with clues/weapons as to how to conquer the enemy. By learning what those weapons are and how to wield them, our victory over the enemy is secured. So what was the weapon I most recently drew forth? It was the weapon of thankfulness.

For you see what we focus upon tends to direct our thoughts, attitudes, and actions (p. 28, 3rd edition, Fiery Darts Satan’s Weapon of Choice). Seeing the dilemma I was recently faced with, I knew I needed to redirect my focus. Therefore, when I was tempted to focus upon the negatives of my situation, I recognized the enemy was at work. That’s when God prompted me to call forth the weapon of thankfulness. And that my dear readers was the key to defeating the enemy.

As I write this post, I still don’t know exactly what the outcome of my situation will be. But I do know how to face the future no matter the outcome. Every single time I am tempted to think negatively about it, I’ll call forth and focus upon the weapon of thankfulness.

Worldly weapons vs God’s mighty weapons; Light vs Darkness

Nov3

2 Corinthians 10:4 NLT

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.

I have said this before but it bears repeating. When it comes to voting, in particular for our next President, we should be courageous enough to vote our values. And as far as Christians are concerned there should be no doubt as to what those values are.

Human reasoning and false arguments have been allowed to poison a portion of the Church’s thinking. It’s time to for the Light of God’s Truth to shine down upon our darkness and expose the lies we have embraced. And may God grant us repentance that we may come to a knowledge of the Truth, come to our senses, and escape the devil’s snare (fiery darts) having been captured by him to do his will. (based on 2 Timothy 2:24-26)

New Things Await…

Oct27

It’s been almost 1 1/2 years since the death of my best friend, Joney. I moved through the stages of grief with the comfort and realization that as a Christian she had finally arrived in the home she was made for and longed for. Now she is experiencing the glories of heaven that words here on earth cannot describe.

And on the surface I appeared to be progressing, albeit slowly. While my life has and is moving on, it is disturbing to me that an undercurrent of sadness stubbornly lingers. Disturbing because I know this does not please God. I realized only just recently a likely explanation: Over-focusing on my loss.

It was as if God was saying to me, “Yes, I called Joney home and I’m aware of the profound loss you are feeling. But while you no longer have the comfort of her presence, I have not left you comfortless. I have replaced what you use to have with Joney with something new. You won’t be able to recognize it though, if you keep focusing on your loss. So lay aside what use to be. Be open to the new things I have planned for you:

Isaiah 43:19 “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

I am beyond grateful for the precious memories Joney and I shared, the support we were to one another, the iron upon iron that characterized our friendship. I know, though, I cannot linger there. There are new things awaiting me.

Worry or Peace? You MUST choose!

Sep30

Ok, here’s the scene. We have just poured out our hearts to God about a prayer concern. After we have exhausted every detail we can think of, we close said prayer. Then we move on through our day. Yet. ‘worry’ lingers!

Therefore, I offer this tip: Through the years, I have learned to address my prayer concerns using God’s own words from Scripture. After thoroughly addressing the needs of my prayer using God’s word, I have confidence in God carrying through with His word. It’s like, after walking away from my prayer session with God I turn around and say, “You got this God?” To which He always replies, “I just said I did!”

So, what do I do about the worry that on occasion subtly sneaks back into my mind? I return to the model God has given me about attaching His word to address my particular prayer needs. In this case the lingering worry over what I just prayed about. The conversation with God then goes something like this:

“You have told me you believe my words concerning the prayer request you just gave me. That’s good. But you are still worrying over it. So believe me when I say, Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to Me. 7 And my peace, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” taken from Philippines 4:-6-7

For you see while I believed God could do what the Scriptures said He could do about the petition I had presented to Him, worry indicated that I didn’t. So, I ask myself another question, “Are you going to believe Philippines 4:6-7? (Because, if I did, then peace would replace the lingering worry.)

I really wanted that, but it didn’t happen suddenly. I had to fire back with verses like Romans 8:28, Philippines 4:6-7 every time worry tried to infiltrate my thinking. You know, like in Ephesians 6:16. Thus over time and with consistent use, I continue to gain skill in wielding the force of these mighty weapons.

But remember, it’s a choice!

Freaking out or Knowing Peace!

Aug30

Recently I encountered an attack of the enemy. It was sudden and unexpected. And facing it required more strength than I could muster on my own. The fiery darts were constant and contained the poison of fear. I knew that! But my knowledge did not prevent the onslaught of thoughts set to plant their poison into my mind. It was time to access God’s mighty weapons.

As soon as a fearful thought seeks to infiltrate my thinking, one of the first things I’ve learned (since writing Fiery Darts: Satan’s Weapon of Choice) is to ask myself this question. “From whom would such a thought come from?” This is where determining the source comes into play. Therefore, it behooves us to examine the sources from which our thoughts originate: the flesh, the world, the devil, and God. FD, 3rd edition, p. 46-51.

But I’ve also learned that the answer to such a question is not easily perceived at first. For it requires a familiarity with the characteristics of each source. And that perception is cultivated by delving into the Bible for those characteristics! The more familiar I am with the characteristics of each, the more readily I will be able to identify the source of the thought!

Sometime the source is not immediately recognizable. (especially when this process is first put into use) When that happens I call upon my default weapon, Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon formed against you will succeed, …) Remember fiery darts are weapons, therefore counter them with God’s mighty weapon of Scripture. After that, I search the Scriptures for a verse that directly speaks to the weapon being used against me. (which has the added benefit of familiarizing me with God’s word)

So let’s examine the fiery darts of fear bombarding me of late. A variety of justifications for my fears were supplied in abundance. In searching the Scriptures I was directed to the following verses:

2 Timothy 1:7, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” NKJV

Psalm 62: 2, “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will never be shaken.” HCSB

Therefore, I will not entertain thoughts of fear, instead focus on God, who is my stronghold and refuse to be shaken by the enemy’s darts.

Then there’s the weapon of

Ephesians 6:16, “ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” NKJV

It is the familiarity we have gleaned from taking the shield of our faith which serves to extinguish the fiery darts outright!

And finally, the sure word from

Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for the good to those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.” HCSB

God always brings good out of bad.

The above verses were the mighty weapons God supplied me with to counter the attack of the enemy. And in wielding these weapons, I experienced the following benefits:

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. HCSB (Philippines 4:6-7)

So instead of freaking out, I enjoyed peace, (during the entirety of the process; not just at the end!)

The debacle of the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympics…

Jul27

When I first heard of the willful slam against Christians during the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympics, I was appalled. The blatant disrespect of the drag queen performers and the ones who orchestrated the parody of the Last Supper reveals an evilly inspired blindness to God’s truth.

My mind was bombarded with a plethora of negative thoughts. I read article after article describing the backlash from all over the world condemning such shameless disregard of Christ and Christians. (Notice though, you didn’t hear much from the tv news about it)

Eventually, I settled down and prayerfully sought God’s wisdom in how I should respond. A verse in Romans came to mind:“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 HCSB

God is in the business of thwarting the intentions of evil to produce good. He will not allow evil to get the upper hand. Christ’s death on the cross is proof positive of that. Satan must have thought, I won! But he had only succeeded in insuring his own demise. For those who understand that Jesus paid their sin debt, will spend eternity in heaven with Him. And those who do not? Well, they will join Satan in his everlasting punishment. Only because of their unbelief.

The good that could come from this is that Christians will finally admit that enough is enough. The time has come when we as Christians must no longer be weak bystanders when our faith is challenged. There should be no more compromising. Standing firm in our faith without being condemning should be our mantra. (Remember Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save the world through Him. John 3:17)

So be encouraged fellow Christians, for Philippians 2:10-11 tells us, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”   

The day will come when those who slammed God and His people will regret every word, every act, but it will be too late. So, we must pray for them while there is still time for their blindness to be exposed. 

The Voice to Listen to…

Jul23

My most difficult battles are fought within the arena of self! As a Christian, I understand that I am made up of my body, soul, and spirit. My body while alive on this earth is in a constant civil war between my soul (ruled by my flesh) and my spirit (ruled by God’s Holy Spirit at the point when I believed in and accepted Christ). But I must choose who rules. And therein lies the struggle.

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.Galatians 5:17

*For too many years, I experienced more defeat than victory. (Fiery Darts 3rd Edition, p. 14) And it wasn’t until God made me aware of the weapons (fiery darts) of Ephesians 6:16 that I began to understand why.

As a young adult (that’s been a long time ago now!), I succumbed to the enemy’s main line of attack: keeping me distracted from daily spending time with God in prayer and in His Word. I naively thought that by attending church faithfully, reading my Bible now and then, praying often, taking to heart the Truths I heard in sermons, and just basically trying to be a good Christians that would suffice in overcoming the attacks from the enemy. I would have victories, yes, but some of my greatest failures occurred during those years. Why?

By not setting aside daily time with God in prayer and the reading of my Bible, God’s Spirit within me was simply not getting fed enough . I fell prey to human reasoning and false assumptions fed to me by my flesh. The weapons I needed to fight my battles successfully were within the pages of Scripture. By not availing myself to God’s instruction on what the weapons were and how to use them, my vulnerability to the manipulation and deception of the enemy increased.

Now that I’m older and thankfully wiser (due to the instruction from God’s word about the weapons available to me), I am more alert to the enemy’s attacks. Thus my victories have increased. For example, as a 76 year old, I have questions about my future. How much more time I might have left with my children and grandchildren? Will I still have decent health or not? Will I still be able to stay in my home? If I’m not careful those questions (note they are all self-centered) will pop up in my mind and my flesh will attempt to grab them. Fear, despair, doubt, worry, all stand by, on the ready to receive the baton and run.

But God has taught me a cleaver trick. He asks me a question of His own when those questions arise. “Whose voice is speaking to you?” Because I have learned from time spent with God in prayer and His word, I have been made aware of the following:

God gives us the ability to think. We are capable of our own independent thoughts and we will frequently have thoughts such as “I’m hungry” or “I’m tired.” But it’s also important to keep in mind that the enemy will also speak to us in the form of thoughts in the first-person singular, such as “I can’t do this.” We must take those thoughts and determine if they are consistent with God’s word.

Thus I knew that thoughts of my future that invoked fear, despair, doubt, or worry were not consistent with God’s word. For example, God tells me in 2 Timothy 1:7, that He has not given me the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a strong mind. In Philippians 4:6-7, I’m reminded, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. These are just two examples (they are in abundance in the Scriptures) of how to distinguish between God’s voice and the enemy’s voice.

So when these negative questions arise originating in my flesh and influenced by the enemy, I counter them with this prayer based on Isaiah 54:17, May this weapon formed against me not prevail… It stops there. The battle is won.

But allow me to add those fiery darts will return again and again. It’s not a one time battle. As long as we live we will wage war with the enemy. He won’t give up, until we are secure in heaven. It’s just the truth of the matter. But thankfully God sent Christ to secure our heavenly home and equip us with the weapons we need to fight successfully against our enemy, Satan, while we live here on earth.

*Remember, my book Fiery Darts: Satan’s Weapon of Choice can be purchased as an e-book. If you are interested, please check the sideboard.