Tag Archive | 2 Timothy 1:7

Casual Christianity?

Nov5

Ever since World War II, there has been a steady decline in Christianity. In the 1960’s there was social upheaval, the sexual revolution, and a questioning of institutions. That fueled a greater withdrawal. And the steady decline continued.

In the meantime, our claim of being a Christian nation slowly faded. Sadly, it was accepted that we just weren’t what we use to be. We settled for a casual attitude in displaying our faith. It became much more acceptable to lower our aim. Living a committed Christian life wasn’t necessary anymore. Gradually, attending church or reading our Bibles grew less important. Life just got in the way and left little room to include a sincere faith walk with God. But have we stopped to consider the repercussions of such a choice?

A whole list of Pandora’s box lifestyles have emerged: same sex marriage, abortion, transgenderism, hyper individualism, rebellious and disrespectful behavior towards parents or any authority figure, cohabitation as opposed to marriage, and so much more.(btw, Ever read 2 Timothy 3:2-4?)

So I would ask, is the price we paid to have the freedom (or should I say license) to do what we wanted to do without the inconvenience of having someone speak against it given us the happiness we were seeking? Apparently not! For Psychology Today reports that Americans are not a very happy group of people.

But someone was happy about all of this. The enemy’s gloating laughter echoes throughout the country, in homes, in churches, in our schools, our places of business, the halls of government. Yet take heart my dear readers, for his seemingly incessant attacks can be thwarted. His glee can be diminished. How? By the power of God within us! Read on!

When we return to the realization that we need God. That we need to spend time with Him in prayer and His word. That’s the core weapon that we have access to. The mighty weapon that can tear down the strongholds of human reasoning and destroy false assumptions of the enemy’s fiery darts. And leaning into the Truth that God within us is greater than the enemy in the world. By remembering that God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a strong mind. And by fearlessly planting our feet of faith into whatever situation we find ourselves. By unashamedly proclaiming who we are in Christ. (Like I’m thrilled to be witnessing in the public arena these recent days.) By focusing on the mighty works of God in creation and in history, proving He can do anything. Starting by bringing individuals back to their senses.

Now is the time to draw upon the power of His might as is referred to in Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the LORD and in the power of His might.” Only God’s strength can successfully stand against the spiritual forces that entice and manipulate us to be casual about our faith.

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!)

God’s Way vs Man’s Way

May31

In light of the trauma cast throughout our country in recent days, we grasp at words wherever we can find them to help us find sanity in this insane crises. And it seems to me it comes down to finding Truth. For without Truth, we will search in vain for words to bring peace in the midst of our chaos.

But how can our country expect to find Truth, when we reject the one true source of Truth? Nevertheless, we continue plunging forward under the false impression that we are doing so in the name of personal freedom. We have thrown off the restraints that have restricted what we became convinced would make us happy.

Here is a brief sampling of the restraints we have discarded:

Wisdom to discern what is good and what is not.

“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.” Proverbs 28:26 ESV

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”Psalm 111:10 ESV

Peace in the midst of life’s storms.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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. Philippians 4:6-7

Soundness of mind/freedom from fear.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

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

So, when we throw off the ability to recognize what is good and what is not, where does that lead?

So, when we reject God’s peace, what’s the outcome when the storms of life face plant us to the ground?

So, when we cast off God’s offer of soundness of mind and to be free of fear, how will we know what to do when we are threatened?

GOD’S REASSURING VOICE

Apr29

Recently God walked me through a time of crises. A coup, in the country where my son and his family lived, had created a threatening environment for them. When the coup started it was uncertain as to whether they were going to leave or ride it out. The day I talked to my son, I could hear the uncertainty in his voice. As his mom, I found this very unsettling. But when the demonstrations began and the gun shots could be heard all around, my son’s advisors urged him to leave as soon as possible. Because they were to fly out on a commercial flight they had to first be tested for covid. Only if their tests were negative, would they be allowed to board the plane. But after this decision was made and he called to tell us of their plan, hearing the determination in his voice settled my mind. Now they had a plan, now they could move forward. They finally were able to board a plane and arrived several hours later, with basic necessities packed, to a safer place.

Worry and fear stood hand in hand poised and ready to defeat me. Therefore, I had a choice to make. I was either going to call upon what I knew to be true about God and His ways or I was going to suffer defeat.

Over time God had been preparing and equipping me for such a time as this. Struggle by struggle over the years, God has been training me to distinguish between His voice, the voice of my sinful nature, and the manipulation and deception of the enemy.

You wouldn’t believe, then maybe you would, how many times the temptation to fear and worry reached out to take control of my thoughts. Yet because of what I had earlier learned, God reminded me that He had not given me the spirit of fear but of power, love, and a strong mind. He whispered to my mind that I was not to worry about anything but in everything through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, I was to make my requests made known to Him. Then the peace that passes all understanding would guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. These truths formed the prayer request I sent out to family and friends.

  • -Pray for safety in getting to the airport (Prov. 29:25)
  • -Pray for freedom from fear so their actions and attitudes proceed from a sound mine. (2 Tim 1:7)
  • -Pray for wisdom for my son and daughter in law as they parent through this ordeal (1 Corinthians 16:13)
  • -Pray no weapon formed against them will prosper. Isaiah 54:17 
  • -Pray for complete trust in the Lord. Proverbs 3:5-6

That’s just a sampling of the weapons with which God supplied me as I rejected the thoughts of fear and worry. The choice I had to make was to either believe God or be victimized by the enemy. While I didn’t know the details of God’s plan, I did know that because I was praying (as well as thousands of prayer warriors from all over the world) God was working on it.

I am no super saint, but through years of training on how to connect God’s word to the struggles I faced, His familiar voice was loud and clear as He guided me through this recent crises. There was no fear. There was no worry. Just a sober calmness as I listened to God’s reassuring voice.

Are You Listening, LORD?

Apr14

IMG_9172

19 However, God has listened;
He has paid attention to the sound of my prayer.
20 May God be praised!
He has not turned away my prayer
or turned His faithful love from me

Psalm 66:19-20  (HCSB)

     I write another blog about being the mom of a missionary. It’s hard for mom’s like us to think of our children and grandchildren off in another country (or state) having to contend with this pandemic. The full force of attacks by the enemy to undermine our faith in times like these is all too real. I know first hand what that feels like. Therefore, taking what God has taught me through the years about fiery darts, I’m passing it on to my dear moms whose children and grandchildren are ‘somewhere out there’ in need of prayer! 

    Our missionary children are scattered all over the world. Prior to this pandemic, our problems and their problems were uniquely tied to location. However, now we find ourselves facing the common threat of the coronavirus. A worldwide threat that is redefining life as we know it. Should our missionary children come home, or shelter in place right where they are? Oh, it’s a complicated scenario and every family’s response can only be determined by the details of their particular situation. No one plan works for everyone. We are concerned about them and they are concerned about us!

What are we to do?

     My fiery darts blog exposes the foremost weapon Satan uses against us in times like this which is referenced 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.” NKJV

     Here is how it applies to our present dilemma.

     Fear spawned by this Coronavirus threat is a very present reality.   Unchecked fear breeds panic, panic breeds irrational thinking, irrational thinking breeds wrong choices. It goes on and on.

     How we contend with our fears and all its relatives are the fiery darts of Eph. 6:16.  Satan’s intent in this pandemic is to steal, kill, and destroy anything God infuses us with to carry us through this crisis. 

     God, on the other hand, intends to take the fear and use it to direct us to Himself. In that response, we will be helped and God will be glorified. By responding according to God’s plan as we counsel and pray over our children, we will be instruments of God’s will in how to tackle this crisis. 

Keep in mind the following as we pray for our children, wherever they are.

1. Recognize the fear (fiery dart)

2. Reject the fear

3. Replace the fear with God’s Truth thoughts

     As I pray over my children and their families in this crisis, one of the first Truth thoughts God gave me was 2 Timothy 1:7. Every time fear approaches, I call forth this Truth.

 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind

     God’s word ASSURES us that He is watching over us and our precious ones. We can wholeheartedly trust that God is definitely paying attention to our prayers. Likewise, may we receive and become the instruments of peace of Philippines 4:6-7:

     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.

(Especially, when the fiery dart of doubt begins its assault)

 

Seasons! some good, some not so good

Jul12

Winter

 

      Each season possesses beauty unique to its time. Sometimes the beauty is obvious and a wonder to behold and experience. Some seasons, however, the beauty is less obvious. Those seasons require an extra effort on our part to experience the beauty. Nevertheless, the beauty is there; waiting to be known. 

     Life is like that too! There are seasons that present quite the challenge to discover its beauty. Seasons change. Some changes are sudden and completely upend our lives. Some changes happen slowly but inevitably. 

     These changes bring with them a most undesirable host of temptations. (I call them fiery darts, remember) Fear, doubt, discouragement, anxiety, depression, anger (just to name a few!) have the potential power to overwhelm us (even destroy us). And they will, if we face them unequipped.

     There is only one source that I would recommend that is capable of extinguishing the temptation of such powerful negative emotions. 

Consider the following:

Fear 

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7  Do not receive what has not been given to you by God.

Doubt

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. James 1:6  Without faith, fear will overwhelm us. 

Discouragement

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.Deuteronomy 31:8 God is with us and goes before us all at the same time. He can do that because He is God. He is preparing the solutions ahead of time to our problems.

Anxiety

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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. Philippians 4:6-7 Worry and anxiety are sin. But the world will tell us it’s normal. We can’t help it. Oh! but this verse wipes out such a false assumption. Do we desire peace or anxiety? It’s a choice we make! 

Depression

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. Psalms 42:1 Without hope, depression can get the best of us. Think about God, how He loves us, the extreme measures He went to to assure us of hope. Don’t allow the enemy to steal that from us. 

Anger

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James 1:19-20 Anger can be brought under control. Take the measures recommended here to defuse it.

     For every fiery dart that attacks us in those not so pleasant seasons of life, there is a Truth thought that will extinguish them. Only then will we have to vision to uncover the beauty they hide. If we can but remember Romans 8:28,

 

 

 

God’s Will? or not! Sometimes you just have to get up and move!

Nov1

 

Be Aware! The fiery darts are really tricky when it comes to discerning God’s will. For example:

 

Feel confused, troubled, or things just won’t clear up? 

Remember:  

1 Corinthians 14:33 “For God is not the author of confusion. (If confusion remains, then hold off on that decision.)

 ********

Being rushed to make a decision but  we don’t feel ready?

Remember:

Psalm 37: 7a, Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him… 

(Be careful here. Sometimes we make a decision then ask God to bless it. Get the direction clear in your head first. A fiery dart will always push us to get the cart before the horse.)

********

Feel we should take a step of faith, but we are too afraid?

Remember:

2 Timothy 1:7, For God has not given us the spirit of fear

********

Feel we should take a step of faith, but we are bombarded with doubt?

Remember:

Mark 9:23, Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

 

   When we face of time of decision consider this. If we have not been consistently and I mean daily spending time with God in prayer and His Word, then it’s going to be a bit harder. And it will take some time. Too many aren’t willing to give God that time. Satan takes advantage of that. Confusion, fear, doubt, are the tools of his trade. If there hasn’t been a daily going back and forth between us and God, then whatever has caused that needs to be faced and discarded. Then considered the decision.

Me & my new jeep

Oh! Be careful about over spiritualizing the situation. I use to be really bad about that. For instance,

   I was traveling all by myself for the first time to go visit my son. At the time he lived an 8 hour’s drive away. I don’t like traveling alone. But I strongly desired to go and see my son and nothing else had worked out. It was either, go by myself or stay home. 

   I thought, “If I’m just stepping out in my own will, then I won’t have God’s protection!” (Oh that’s a paralyzer!) I shared that with my son and this was something like his reply.

“Mom, do you want to come for a visit? 

To which I replied, “Of course, I feel very strongly about that.”

“Then get yourself in that car and come on!” was his pert reply.

   I had prayed and prayed and prayed some more about traveling to go see my son. (and he knew that)  My traveling alone was the only thing that had worked out. There was nothing left for me to do but get myself in that car and head out. God had opened the door, but the fiery darts of fear and doubt were paralyzing me. Sometimes, you just have to get up and move!

 

 

 

God does care! Keep on praying!

Dec7

IMG_8225

 

   Obviously, there are those in our country who simply don’t understand the purpose of prayer. From their public words they espouse the negative thought (fiery dart) which promotes the idea that God doesn’t care about what we are going through and isn’t about to fix the problems associated with the recent terrorists attacks. 

   They don’t realize that God, indeed, is going to fix this problem with evil once and for all when Jesus Christ returns (Matthew 24:44). But God has a timetable, and He has a plan, and we must trust Him to work things out in His way and in His time. In the meantime, we must trust Him and,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippines 4:6-7

Why?

   Because apart from God, deep and lasting peace is unattainable. Because it’s at times such as these when we are falling apart that we need a strength outside ourselves to see us through. Praying opens us up to receive this strength which comes from God. For He knows suffering is going to affect us all and His plan is to provide a way to handle our suffering and come out on the other end of it stronger than when we entered it. Therefore, suffering, which is inevitable, can refine us if we choose to pray for God’s strength, or it can ruin our lives, sending us into despair and defeat. 

We therefore must make a choice, and I recommend the following plan of action:

1.Recognize these negative thoughts for the fiery darts they are

2. Reject this thinking; don’t let it take root

3. Replace the fiery dart thought with a Truth thought. (The Bible is full of them)  

For example:  

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7, (gives us the strength to resist the temptation to fear).

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (shows us just how much God cares for us)

“…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16 (confirms the power of prayer)

Facing Fear

Apr5
Because my missionary mom’s blog: http://missionarysmom.wordpress.com is a direct application of how to defeat the fiery dart of fear, I have reposted it here. So if you read one, you have read them both. But realizing not all of my readers following both blogs, for their benefit this post will be found in both blogs.

bbb

   Today, I am dealing with a lot of temptations in the form of fiery darts. You know, negative thinking! Thoughts, that tempt me to fear for my dear ones living far away! So far, because of God’s marvelous grace and love, and because I have been counseled and tutored by the Holy Spirit on how to resist such temptations, fear and worry are being held at bay!

Fiery Darts: Satan’s Weapon of Choice, is a book of the lessons God taught me on how to resist negative thinking. You can order your copy by clicking on the following link:

http://www.certapublishing.com/FieryDarts

   Because of recent news reports, the enemy has upped the pressure in tempting me to succumb to the fiery darts of worry and fear for my loved ones. Therefore, I am faced with a choice–give into the fear and worry, or resist them. I choose to resist them, of course! The plan of action is that every time these fiery darts of fear and worry attempt to gain entrance into my mind, I call on the power of God’s Word to turn them away.

Of course, this is not easy! The temptations are powerful! Therefore, I do what I’ve been trained to do:

1-Recognize the thoughts of fear and worry for the fiery darts they are

2-Resist them by calling upon God’s strength

3-Replace the fiery dart thoughts, with God’s Truth Thoughts from God’s Words

TRUTH THOUGHTS:

   For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV

   Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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. Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

   No weapon that is formed against (my loved ones) will prosper. Isaiah 54:17 (my words in parenthesis)

   You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you. Isaiah 26:33

   Do not withhold your mercy from (them), LORD; may your love and faithfulness always protect (them). Psalm 40:11 NIV (my words in parenthesis)

   And you know, before I got finished writing this blog, I got a word from my loved ones that they are all okay. Things are tense there but they are okay!

GOD IS FAITHFUL

Faith overcomes fear!

Faith overcomes fear!

Retirement and Choices

Mar16

   As some of you know, my husband will be retiring June 28th from the wonderful church of which he has pastored for 27 years. After that we will be entering untried territory! There are already some questions that are attempting to weasel their way into our minds. A couple of “What If” questions. Such as:

What if you aren’t able to manage on your readjusted income?

What if your health begins to fail?

   These sound like sensible questions. Obviously our lifestyle will have to be adjusted to accommodate our change of income. But as we attempt to answers such questions, we are faced with the realization that many of our hopes and dreams for the future hinge on having adequate income coupled with good health. If either or both are taken away, then so goes our hopes and dreams.

   Of course, you and I both know these are nothing but fiery darts meant to evoke fear and worry into our thinking.  The idea that decisions would be made based on thoughts of fear and worry makes no sense for a Christian. I desire to make decisions based on the power, love, and sound mind that God has given me. Allowing our minds to be infiltrated by the poison of such thinking will certainly undermine the faith and trust we have in God.

   Therefore, when the thoughts of fear and doubt come knocking on the door of my mind, I will send the following Truth thoughts to answer:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (KJV)

I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. Psalm 37:25 (NIV)

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! Luke 12:24 (KJV)

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Matthew 6:31-32 (KJV)

Now, as I see it, we have a choice to make. 

We can cooperate with Satan and succumb to the fiery darts of fear and worry!

OR

We can cooperate with God as He works out His plans for us day by day!

Our Choice!
The Obvious Choice!