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.

Are we using the wrong weapons?

Jun30

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, NLT)

Instead of the belt of truth, they fight with manipulation.
Instead of the breastplate of righteousness, they fight with the image of success.
Instead of the shoes of the gospel, they fight with smooth words.
Instead of the shield of faith, they fight with the perception of power.
Instead of the helmet of salvation, they fight with lording over authority.
Instead of the sword of the Spirit, they fight with human schemes and programs.https://enduringword.com/weapons-of-our-warfare/

It troubles me deeply as I watch people, especially Christians, suffering (without realizing they are suffering) from the effects of Satan’s manipulation. They don’t recognize their lack of desire to spend time with God in prayer and His word, is nothing more than a subtle attack of the enemy. An attack to keep them ignorant of the true weapons with which we can find the answers to the suffering and problems we all endure.

When problems arise, we will grab the weapons with which we are most familiar. If we are only familiar with the weapons of the world (like the ones mentioned above) lasting solutions or victory, or peace, or freedom, etc. will always evade us. .

Worldly weapons are fueled by human reasoning and false assumptions. Take a look at the church as a whole. Consider the human reasoning and false assumptions infilterating too many of them today. No real victory is achieved, only continual deterioration. Just what the enemy has in mind.

ONLY by becoming familiar with the weapons God has given us (again through spending time with God in prayer and His word) will we be wise to the enemy’s deception and manipulation. ONLY there can we find the answers to solve our problems.

So let’s examine ourselves. When problems, and suffering, enter upon the battlefield of our lives what weapons do we grab first? Do we turn to a verse in Scripture that will expose the true problem and solution? Do the weapons we choose actually resolve the situation or only prolong it?

Let’s be real here. Daily we are being attacked by the enemy. Therefore, daily we need to learn which weapons we should be choosing, and therefore have the wrong weapons exposed.

Who gets to rule?

May9

1 Thessalonians 5:23 says the human soul is not only real but distinct from the body and the spirit: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Here’s an explanation:

Our bodies were given to us by God to live in and experience life on earth. It is via our bodies that we see (a glorious sunset), feel (the warmth of a child in your arms), taste (a chocolate cake with chocolate icing), smell ( the aroma of burning oak on a cool autumn day), and hear (the voices of those we love).

But we all know that at some point in time our bodies will cease to exist, we will die. So then what happens to our soul and our spirit?

The body contains the soul and the spirit. The body is NOT eternal, yet the soul and spirit are. The soul’s eternal destination is determined by the choice we make while living on this earth to either accept Christ as our Savior or not. Heaven is our eternal home for those of us who choose Christ. Hell is the eternal home for those who reject Christ.

Our soul is made up of our mind, emotions, and free will. The driving motivator of our soul is self. So visualize a throne at the center of your life. Whoever sits there gets to rule. Therefore, a soul that is ruled by self gets to do what it wants to do. Pleasing self is the primary goal. It is adverse to anything that would dethrone self.

WHO GETS TO RULE?

And finally, there is our spirit. Our spirit is what distinguishes us as Christians. It is our spirit that responds to the invitation of Jesus Christ bringing our spirit to life. Therefore, it is by our spirits that we interact/communicate with God. It is God’s spirit that reveals to us truths from God’s word. And the more we delve into God’s word, the more we will hear and understand God’s voice.

Now back to my throne analogy. When our spirit is made alive by accepting Christ as our Savior, then guess who gets dethroned? Yep, self! Our spirit, that part of us who belongs to and desires to obey God, now sits on the throne of our lives. The primary goal has now changed. Pleasing God becomes the drive that motivates us.

An individual whose spirit is NOT made alive through belief in Christ, is easy takings for Satan. Since our soul is so self-centered we are easily manipulated to go after what we want, when we want it!

Without the influence of God’s spirit within us, Satan’s subtle tactics can proceed unhindered. As he influences the soul of someone who is not a believer in Christ, he is free to manipulate, deceive, distract us away from God, Jesus, Holy Spirit. (Three components just like us). That is his whole aim on earth. His plan is to take as many souls with him as he can to his eternal hell.

But, an individual whose spirit is made alive through belief in Christ, has the power to avoid being victimized by the enemy. Our spirits, when communicating with God constantly and growing in wisdom through the absorption of His truths, expose the tactics of the enemy.

The problem here is those of us (Christians that is) who do not spend time with God in prayer and delving into His word on a consistent basis, simply don’t develop the skills we need to recognize the enemy’s tactics. As a result, we become prime targets of Satans fiery darts.

When our spirit (that part that communicates with God and He with us) is positioned on the throne of our lives then God rules. And when God rules, then we discover the life that Satan wants to steal from us. (Now, maybe we can realize why Satan doesn’t want us to read our Bibles.)

So now we need to ask ourselves, Who’s ruling our lives?

Much of my post today was gleaned from the following website: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/what-is-the-difference-between-the-body-soul-and-spirit.html

The Quest for Happiness

Apr22
Our Happiness Checklist

Ask anyone these days about what they want for themselves. The most likely response is that they want to be ‘happy.’ I wonder what they mean by that exactly? A constant state of blissful happiness? Of course not. Because we all know that something has gone terribly wrong with the world we live in. Therefore, a constant state of blissful happiness isn’t realistic. (Has it ever been?)

Yet, even though it is an unrealistic focus, (and from whom can we assume that thought originated) we persist in doggedly pursuing such a quest. Therefore, in light of our lack of achievability of this goal, maybe we had better examine where the course we are on will lead.

If our dream is to be happy, how do we feel when unhappiness invades our dream? Or how do we feel when happiness just appears now and then but not overall? Or what do we do when we realize we are unhappy? Do we quit the course that is resulting in our misery and choose another course all together? Many people do that you know. (That’s the end result of such a fiery dart.)

If happiness is the paramount goal in life, then we will find ourselves going to any extreme to achieve it. Even if we have to make those close to us unhappy. Now does that make any sense? How can we be truly happy if our choices have created such unhappiness in those we are close to? (The fiery dart, of course, is: It was the only alternative. The only choice that would ensure our happiness)

Therefore, before we set upon THIS quest for happiness, let’s figure out just what genuine happiness is. Let’s examine what makes us happy and then ask ourselves this question: “After I have gained all that I wanted that could make me happy, what will happen to those achievements after I’m gone from this earth?” An important question to ponder, right!

The Bible states this caution relating to this type of quest for happiness.

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Mark 8:36

So before we go searching in all the wrong places, let’s check a source that will put us on the right path: In Psalm 144 we read where King David prays to God for blessings which would make him and his people happy. He wraps up his prayer requests with verse 15. Here he acknowledges that yes these blessings would bring happiness. Nonetheless, authentic happiness (the true and lasting kind) would come from the One who bestowed these blessings.

I should remind us that this kind of happiness (also referred to as joy) will remain no matter if the blessings do not.

The Resurrection and then what?

Mar27

 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, Ephesians 1:18-20

As Christians, we have available to us the ability to access the very same power that raised Christ from the dead according to the above verse. The power to live in this world at this time, with all of the discrediting of God and His word, would necessarily need to be powerful to counter the abundance of lies thrown at us daily.

Our enemy, Satan, is the main force behind the libelous suggestions bombarding us daily that undermine our faith and threaten our spiritual growth. He has whispered lies into our ears that we shouldn’t take God, Christ, the Holy Spirit too seriously. His message is, we will be denied the pleasures in life that make us happy. He has convinced us that all we really need to do is to be a good person, and/or attend church ever so often. It isn’t really necessary to do much praying or reading of our Bibles.

For you see, the main thrust of Satan’s plan is to keep us ignorant of the truths of Scripture. For not only will a little exposure to God’s word, expose the enemy’s tactics, but it will also illuminate all the riches available to us as Christians.

Consider the above verse’s mentioning of the riches of resurrection power! That same power God exercised when restoring life to Jesus, is also ours to access. It’s the power we need to bring the thoughts Satan tries to plant in our mind under God’s control. It’s the power we need to keep the heavy handiness of the enemy from destroying us. It’s the power we need to recognize the temptations the enemy would bring to bear upon us and to resist those temptations. It’s the power we need to choose the right path. It’s the power we need that will expose the enemy’s lies.

So after accepting Christ as our Savior, taking to heart his sacrifice on our behalf, the next step is to learn about this Resurrection power. It will be a growing thing. Like practicing how to use a weapon. The more we learn about how to use it and practice using it, the more skilled we become. We become less vulnerable to the enemy’s tricks.

This is what comes after accepting personally Jesus’s death and resurrection.

Christ came to save us from God!

Mar8

For me, this thought put a different slant on why Jesus came! This post is a repost from April, 2022 and after reading it, I’m sure you will understand why I felt prompted to publish it again. We acknowledge God loves us. But, I’m afraid we take His love for granted as is acknowledge by our lifestyles of disobedience. But as real as God’s love is, His wrath is just as real.

Christmas!

What’s the character of God that defines this world encompassing holiday? I’m sure God’s love comes immediately to the forefront. Christ’s physical entry onto the world scene was fraught with great danger and close calls. Yet, God’s love for humankind prevailed! Christ, as a man, grew up and successfully, powerfully fulfilled the purpose for which He had been born. As we study the sacrificial life of Christ, we get a sense of the extreme measures God’s love was willing to take on our behalf. Measures that would ensure our eternal and permanent home in heaven, after our temporary earthly life concluded.

But what concerns me is that as we become so wrapped up in the love God gave us in the Christ-child, we fail to move forward and even acknowledge the purpose for which Christ was born. By failing to embrace both the gift of God’s love and the purpose of the Cross, we venture into a world of deception and falsehood.

Easter!

Therefore, we MUST come to terms with the fact that it was God’s wrath that was poured out upon Christ as He hung on that cross. Wrath that was meant for us! God cannot tolerate sin because He is God. Therefore, there was only one way that we could even hope for a personal relationship with Him and seal our permanent residence in heaven. Someone, who was without sin, would have to be willing to stand in our stead, take our place, endure God’s wrath. There was a price to be paid for our sin and Jesus paid it. For a moment in time, Jesus was willing to allow Himself to be separated from God. As human beings, I don’t think we can even begin to imagine the horror of that moment for Christ. But He endured the cross for us in order that we would never have to experience such horror.

We don’t talk much about God’s wrath, do we. But understand we place ourselves in great peril by avoiding to come to terms with the reality of God’s wrath. For there is no greater love than what was displayed on the cross where the wrath of God was poured out on Christ.

Yet, I wonder, if by overly focusing on just God’s love, without the balance of God’s wrath, could we miss heaven?

A note from Jesus…

Feb23

Do you remember when you first came to me?

It was a glorious moment, wasn’t it.

Do you remember the peace you felt then?

Sleeping at night came a lot easier because of such peace, didn’t it.

Do you remember, as time progressed, the struggles you brought to me?

Each struggle only made you stronger, when you brought them to me, didn’t it.

But, remember when you began spending less and less time bringing your troubles to me?

Those struggles increased and almost overwhelmed you at times, didn’t they.

Did you happen to notice you were spending less time with Me in prayer and My word?

Peace lessened and justifying your action increased, didn’t they.

Yet, the peace you lack can be restored.


He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Ps 23:3 NKJV

Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long. Ps. 25:4

Dear One, I will close with this.

Matthew 16:24-26

24-26 Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat;  I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for? (The Message)

Unchanging Truth or Shifting Shadows?

Feb13

As a Christian, I know that truth to be True must be never changing.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).

This begs the question: If truth can change, is it really true?

Do we really want to make choices based on a truth that changes? That is the persuasion of fiery dart thinking, of course. And isn’t that where we are today? Tragically, public opinion has become a determiner of truth. Public opinion supports the concept that truth is determined by feelings. Truth today rides around on a train of feelings. If our feelings change, then we change trains!

Think about the ramifications of living life based on public opinion or our feelings. Where will we find peace, security, hope, etc.? What will a generation raised on truths that shift with the shadows look like?

Public opinion or our feelings do not determine morality, or right or wrong. God does.