Tag Archive | Philippians 4:19

Building an arsenal…

Feb2

An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition (weapons) are stored.

You might be wondering where I am going with this but as Christians the sooner we make the connection that we are at war the better. I fear that far too many of us have become so distracted by the enemy that we aren’t even aware of the battle that is waging all around us. We are hanging out on the periphery of the battlefield with blinders on. Our attention is drawn only to our immediate surroundings. We have little awareness of the area of combat just beyond our vision.

First and foremost, we must understand the weapons of our arsenal are of a spiritual nature. Allow me to illustrate. Last year, my best friend of over three decades, passed away after a bout with cancer. In spite of the fact that I KNEW she was in the presence of God, I was devastated. We were kindred spirits. Our friendship was of an iron sharpening iron type. Without her presence and counsel, I sort of lost my direction. A dark cloud settled over me and followed me wherever I wandered. Which as it turned out, was often no further than my front porch.

Now, imagine with me the fiery darts of the enemy during these dark days. The voice in my head persisted in focusing on my loss. My only relief came when I was able to communicate and/or spend time with my children or grandchildren. Since they live quite a distance from me, our communication was minimal. And while my husband was sympathetic, it was beyond him to truly understand my heartache. No one was able to counsel me with the depth of understanding that could enable me to move on, to pick up my life again, and to find my new normal. Except for God!

As I cried out to God, here are some of the weapons He taught me to use:

Take one day at a time, don’t borrow from the past or tomorrow.

I will not leave you. I will be with you 24/7, helping you handle your pain

Turn to Me in this trial. My plan is not to allow this to defeat you but only to make you stron,ger.

Keep your thoughts turned towards me. Nothing in this world can compare to what I have for you.

I know what you truly need and it is My plan to abundantly supply those needs.

The above is just a sampling of the weapons with which God supplied me to ward off the enemy’s assault. They were the weapons of my arsenal. These were the truths on which God desired for me to focus. I knew about them due to a consistent search of God’s word. So when the fiery darts were hurled towards me, it was these truths and many more from the Scriptures that extinguished them. My weapons were of a spiritual nature. The world’s advice offered no lasting solutions.

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.  (2 Corinthians 10:4 NLT)

Never forget the world’s weaponry creates strongholds by manipulating our ability to reason. By not being familiar with God’s mighty weapons we won’t recognize destructive falsehoods. Lies morph into truth and Truth morphs into lies. It is only by being cognizant of God’s Truth will we be able to counter the enemy’s assaults.

What are the consequences of failing to recognize the weapons of our arsenal? Read the following:

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

If we never grow past the stage of infant food, we simply won’t have the strength or wisdom to understand or follow the path God has set for us. That means we won’t know the joy that passes all understanding even in the midst of trials. We will be fooled into thinking thoughts that deny the power of God’s word. All because we failed to build up the arsenal God provided us, when we became His own.

Money or Faith? What do we need more of?

Mar20

money-worries-preview1

   It’s the end of the month. You hold your breath as you juggle the figures to see if you are going to be able to keep your head above water. For many this scenario plays out on a monthly basis. 

   Thoughts (or fiery darts) such as despair, fear, and panic have the potential to sap us of any hope that things will get any better. We avoid looking into the future. It’s just too scary!

   All this negativity makes us hard to live with. It’s difficult to focus on anything but our dire financial circumstances. We anger easily, and patience with those we love is in short supply. Worry is our constant companion. 

   In our personal attempts to find relief, we too often fall flat on our face. Even if we achieve that financial relief we are desperate for, it can too often be at the expense of relationships that depend upon us. 

   What I’ve just described is how it goes down for those of us who are ruled by fiery dart thinking. This kind of thinking blinds us to what our greatest need is during a financial crises. Which is:

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FAITH!

   It’s life changing (and not natural) to face a financial crises and say to yourself, “What I need here is more faith!” 

   Admitting we need more faith in a financial crises, will direct our thoughts to verses like the following:

Luke 12:24

Matthew 6:31, 34

Philippians 4:19

Psalm 34:10

   These are some examples of the Truth thoughts that should be ruling our thinking during financial difficulty. Every time a fiery dart thought attempts to take root, reject it and replace it with Truth thoughts (p. 93, 3rd edition FD’S)  like the ones mentioned above. 

   The result will be to give us a new focus, a hopeful focus. We won’t be afraid to look into the future.

   Hey, I know it’s easy to read these words. And I also know that its no easy task to deliberately and persistently reject natural thinking fiery darts with Truth thoughts. 

   But if we do, God will begin working out His plans for us and our money problems will find their solutions in Him. It’s hard to believe this but it’s true! Our greatest need in a financial crises is to trust God with it.  

 

 

Facing the Future, whatever it brings!

Feb12

    Once again we are wrapped up in a presidential election. Once again the fiery darts of negativity are being aimed and far too often are reaching their mark. In the past, I have allowed these fiery darts to victimize my thinking, tempting me to hopelessness and despair as I endured yet another presidential election, but NOT THIS YEAR!

   How could I possibly face such a bleak future as seems likely for our country, considering the insecurity cast by the growing threat of terrorism, the rebellion reflected in the moral upheaval in our courts considering abortion and same-sex marriage, the rejection of our country’s foundational principles evident in congressional decision, etc?

   For I know that when society collectively rejects God, then we are set on a path of destruction. And as long as society collectively continues to reject God, there is no hope that things will improve–on the contrary, things will continue to deteriorate. 

   Again, I pose the question, “How could I possibly face such a bleak future and not feel overwhelmed by despair and hopelessness?”

Here’s how!

 Every time I am tempted with despair and/or hopelessness, or any other fiery dart thoughts of a similar nature, I put the following plan into action: 

First

I recognize those thoughts for the fiery darts they are. I know that focusing on them will eat away at my faith, weakening me with every attack. 

Second

 I reject such thoughts, so as to prevent them from taking root and influencing further attitudes and actions.

Third 

I replace such hopeless thinking with Truth thoughts and those thoughts become my focus from which my attitude and actions spring from. 

Truth thoughts such as:

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14, NIV

   I would like to quote Tony Evans’s comment from Decision magazine, February 2016, titled Prayer That Turns A Nation, p. 13

“If enough Christians in places of responsibility in the fields of medicine, law, government, education, the media, and even the church begin to humble themselves and pray and seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways, we could influence this culture and make the presence of Christ felt top to bottom and bottom to top.”

   But what if that doesn’t happen? What’s a Truth thought for that despairing question?

My dear readers, the day will come when:

. . .  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.Philippians 2:10-11

   And those of us who are Christians, what does the future hold for us in the midst of society’s rejection of God?

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11, NIV

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 HCSB

   Therefore, I face my personal future and my country’s future with the confident assurance promoted in the above verses. On a daily basis, I commit to cooperating with God as He works out His plans for me making sure that my attitudes and actions are based on Truth thoughts not fiery dart thinking. And daily I pray 2 Chronicles 7:14 for myself, my family, my friends, and my country. 

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!