Gifts from God: Part 5

The Shield of Faith

Ephesians 6:16

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can 

extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; (ESV)

We are continuing with the argument that all the Armor of God is a gift.

The Shield faith is no different. 

To truly see why, we need to understand Faith and where it comes from.

So lets break this down..

In Strong's the word comes from: g4102. πίστις pistis; from 3982; persuasion

"credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), 

especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by 

extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:— assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.

Now I know reading that can sometimes be a lot... 

But...

 in the definition we find meaning and application.

Faith is conviction that something is true and is not questioned.

It is excepted deep in our hearts, and we defend that conviction.

Faith for a Christian is whole hearted acceptance of Jesus Christ

as our personal Savior from the penalty of sin and 

knowing that Christ is sovereign in our lives.

That faith, then drives the Christian to move into battle

with confidence that there is no Eternal Death for them.

From that we obtain courage and motivation.

The Sword and Shield stand out in front of the soldier.

They are key in battle. No soldier lasts without the shield protecting them.

It alone allows the blows to come and not hurt the soldier.

Hold Faith firm in our hand, knowing in your heart

that God holds you in the palm of His Mighty Hand!

In Faith there is no fear. Remember the Disciples on the boat in the storm?

Matthew 8:23-27

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, 

there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped 

by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, 

saying, " Save us, Lord; we are perishing." And he said to them, 

"Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?"

Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there

 was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of

man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"(ESV)

For Christ, there was no fear of death. He knew

the Father held all things in His hand. 

He had such Faith that He slept while the storm raged!

There will be raging storms in our lives!

Battles so immense, that on our own, we would be overcome!

Accept Christ in your heart! Its a free gift! 

Know the confidence of Eternal Life!

Plunge into battle with your impenetrable Shield of Faith.

The Father holds you and your life in His hand.

Trust in Him, and rest in His Gift of protection.

Gifts from God: Part 4

Ephesians 6:15

and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. (ESV)

So as we continue looking at the Armor of God as gifts,

we need to look at the subject matter of the Gospel of Peace...
Which is ultimately, Salvation.
Not earned, but given, received.
Real security is only achieved in receiving the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
In that security, we are able to go forth in Peace proclaiming Him,
knowing our life is set in eternity. In that Joy we also find
the motivation to speak out to others and share the good news of Christ.

Having peace in what we are given through Christ should compel us to move!

Move to those around, Family, Friends, and even strangers.
But, again, we must MOVE!

The Great Commission

Matthew 28:16-20

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus

had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him,

but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them

in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (ESV) 

We are commanded to move. We can rest in our peace granted to us by the Lord.

But we need to remember that others need that peace.

Its not just there lives that depend on our movement.

Eternity for them is at stake!

Put on your shoes, we need to be ready.

Take the step. Share!

Gifts from God: Part 3

The Breast Plate of Righteousness

Ephesians 6:14b

and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (ESV)

Remember the over riding theme here is that the Armor of God
is a gift. Looking at the Breast Plate we see clearly that
righteousness is no exception to the theme.
Lets look at this in two parts to see how righteousness is a gift.

                    A             B   

Romans 3:10-12 & 21-24

None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands;
no one seeks for God. All have turned aside together they have 
become worthless; no one does good, not even one."(ESV)
Part A
We see in the passage above that no one is righteous!
I know that sounds really bad! That is what sin has done to our lives.
Throughout Scripture there are more verses written of how our sin
has moved us away from God, away from righteousness.

Isaiah 64:11-12
" None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands;
no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they 
have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."(ESV)

Because we in our nature are not righteous, something had to be
done. Something had to be given to us.
Which is why Part B is so important!

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, 
although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God 
through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are 
justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (ESV)

Here we see the gift of redemption given in Christ Jesus.
By accepting Him into our heart we live to righteousness.

1 Peter 2:24-25
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that 
we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, 
but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (ESV)

Without the Breast Plate of Righteousness, given through accepting Christ,
we are helpless in battle. Nothing we do apart from Christ will ever be good enough.
No dart or weapon will be stopped without it. We will be vulnerable.

Don't allow yourself to be knocked down in battle.
Be equipped and ready. Put on the Breast Plate of Righteousness.
Its another gift received only by accepting Christ!
Don't wait another day. The battle is already waging against you!

Gifts From God: Part 2

The Belt of Truth:

Ephesians 6:14

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth (ESV) 

In order for us to understand how the belt is a gift we need to define Truth.

Webster defined Truth as: the real facts about something: 

the things that are true: the quality or state of being true:

a statement or idea that is true or accepted as true

So many people debate what Truth is, and how its measured.

Many define truth through the world or their circumstances. 

I.E. The things that they see. I believe this is a mistake. 

We cannot look at something that is inherently flawed and try 

to derive some kind of truth from it. What you get is merely misdirected.

And in that we fall, are left confused, and ultimately frustrated.

We need to look to something that is not flawed. 

There is only one place to look for that, and that is God.

He is the measure and definition of Truth.

But how do we get truth from God? 

We simply need to look to his Word for our answers. 

The Bible is the Word of God. Our road map for all intensive purposes.

Only from studying His Word, with the help of the Holy Spirit, can we find real Truth.

The Spirit was given to us after Christ ascended into heaven.

Act 2:1-4

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, 

and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 

And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit 

and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (ESV)

Here we see the Spirit was sent. He gave utterance. It was not something

they did. It was something given. And because it was given, they were equipped.

Direction, wisdom, purpose... All given by Lord through the Spirit. 

In order to have something revealed, we need to know of it and study it.

A life dedicated to the pursuit and study of the Word of God is never wasted.

A man can be a great Dad if he dedicates to this pursuit.

A woman can be a glorious treasure if she so dedicates to the same.

We can be a better society if we wholly dedicate to the study of the Bible.

God's Word is another gift given to us. A way in which we are able to learn and

grow closer to the Lord. And in that, from the Spirit, Truth is revealed to us.

Truth is a gift. We need to wear it like it were our underwear. 

Something you wear everyday.

Keep it close like a most valued treasure.

Buy into it, without a shred of doubt.

Don't spend your life defining truth for yourself. 

Look to God for Truth. He never withholds that Gift from a heart

 that is dedicated and seeking Him.

He wants to reveal Himself to us so that we will know what Truth is.

Put it on. It will hold you up, ground you, 

and give you a firm foundation in which to build all things.

Gifts from God Part 1

I'm sure you have heard a sermon on the Armor of God.

Every time I hear it, I want to elaborate on it myself.

So...

I will be starting an 8 part series on this subject. 

So hang on as we study each part,

and I will bring it all together in the final post.

Ephesians 6:11

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to 

stand against the schemes of the devil. (ESV)

For those who don't know all the pieces of armor, here is a list:

Belt of Truth

Breast Plate of Righteousness

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

Shield of Faith

Helmet of Salvation

Sword of the Spirit

As you saw in the title, I consider these all gifts.

Which is the reason why I want to elaborate on the 

subject of each piece in an 8 part series.

Yes there is only six parts, but

it will take 8 posts to pull it all together.

I will show you in scripture how each piece is considered

a gift, which by definition, is something given.

As we look at the pieces and really understand them,

I believe we will end up better equipped to use them.

I may use Lego pictures to illustrate, but don't let

that diminish the importance of being fully dressed in this 

armor every day. Winning the battle against sin 

depends on how well dressed we are.

Thank you in advance for following me through this series.

I hope you find it as interesting and useful as I do!

Father, thank You for giving us armor, 

protection against the evil one and this world.

Grant us the discipline to wear it, use it, and hold fast to it.

Before ALL Things!

Colossians  1:15-17 

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (ESVST)

We are not in control of this world.
The earth spins, not because we will it to.
Time does not stop when we cry out.
Events happen in life whether we wish them to or not.
We are born, and we die.

Are you asking why things are the way they are?

A common question, asked as we go through life.

Have you ever asked who or what holds this world together? 

This world would be destroyed and consumed if we were left to ourselves. 

Fortunately, the Lord holds this world together
That's right... The Lord.
He set the foundations of the earth. 

Take a moment and ponder the might and power of God, 

knowing that He holds all things in His hands.

It's helpful to keep all things in perspective, remembering our place in this world.

Today's Christian can have such hope and security, when we remember

that what we do is for the Lord, not ourselves.

You may work for your employer,
but I would challenge you to dedicate all you

do in your workplace, to the Lord. For His glory.

He holds you together. In the palm of His hand, He guides you.

There is nothing He cannot see. Nothing He cannot help with.

He created you. His arms are open wide waiting for you to come home.

Trust in Him for all things.
When it's hard...Give it to the Lord.

When life falls apart...Dedicate life to the Lord.

Change the way you think about life events.

Our goal every day should be to give God glory in all that we do.

With the Lord centered in all things,
you will experience true purpose and joy!

He is might and strength.

In Him are all good things!

Is your life without direction? Purpose?

Give it to the Lord today..
Trust Him.
He will make straight your path!

Gratitude From Humility

Humility Required

Colossians 1:21-22

And you-- once being alienated, and enemies in the mind, in the evil works, 

yet now did he reconcile, in the body of his flesh through the death, 

to present you holy, and unblemished, and unblameable before himself, (YLT)

On my knees again! Darkness all around.

I cover my eyes in shame. For only I am to blame.

A life of sin. As I run from Him.

All I see is failure. A wasted life.

I don't follow as I should.

Where is the Light, my help in time of need?

Can restoration be found?

Down on my knees, my heart cries out,

Abba Father! Daddy Daddy!

Help me please! Rescue me!

Forgive me Please!

I uncover my face and open my eyes,

There's light all around!

My sin ... cannot be found!

Here you are my child! At last you can see!

The value you have in Me!

Open your eyes so you can see,

For your heart is Mine, You gave it to Me!

Now when you stumble, I will catch you.

Dust you off and make your path new.

You need not fear, I will always be true!

I can see your heart, your desire is for me.

Your humility is a gift, presented for me.

When you pray, I can hear you.

I will watch and always guide you.

For when on your knees, I will give you wings!

And you shall fly with me for all eternity!

When we are the Lord's. We are blameless. He has paid that price.

Restored us to the Father. Because of Him, we are holy.

Give your life to Christ. Experience healing.

Be blameless before Him.

He will care for you!

Restart!

Restart! Reset! Renew!

Pick your favorite. Which one speaks to you?

For me?

All of the above...

Looking back at several of my past posts...

I feel like I'm preaching to myself most of the time.

So lets get real!

Life is a struggle. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever stop failing.

No matter which way I turn, there is failure. Either I'm letting down the ones I love, 

or I'm letting down my Father in heaven.

So how do we move on everyday knowing that we will fail?

The answer lies in how we define failure.

fail-ure

noun

Lack of success

Synonyms: non-fulfillment, defeat, collapse

So lets break this down a bit.

Non-fulfillment - This is all perspective based. If our eyes are fixed on the

Lord, our lives will not feel un-fulfilled.

Defeat - Being rooted in the Lord makes us "more than conquerors". 

Anything that does not go right is only a building block,

placed by the Lord to make us into His image.

Collapse - Old torn down, new built in it's place. Our lives are made

new when we accept the Lord. 

We can no longer be torn down!

I truly believe the only real failure in this life is to reject the Lord.

We will make mistakes. But that does not mean we fail!

Ask yourself if you truly believe the next verse.

 Romans 8:28

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, 

for those who are called according to his purpose. (ESV)

All things work together for good. So our mistakes, should help us grow.

A mistake is not the same as failure.

The Father picks us up from mistakes. 

He sets us up on the path when we fall or stray.

He forgives us when we ask.

Failure is judged only by God when we stand before Him.

Have you ever tried to pick up a child who was screaming and throwing a fit? 

It's hard! Rejecting the Lord is much like that.

If we don't have Him as central in our lives, I.E. Reject Him,

 how can we expect anything good to happen?

Or, how can we even expect to understand Him when we don't know Him?

The Lord will change your life, if you will let Him.

He can take desolation, and make something new!

But you have to make the decision to have Him in your life.

There is no failure when you know the Lord, Only mistakes.

And in our mistakes, we experience:

Grace, Love, Patience, Kindness, Forgiveness.

And that's just the beginning!

Decide today where you stand.

Accept, trust, obey!

And then...

Praise God for making all things new!

What Matters Most

Ask yourself this one question.

What matters most to me?

When life gets you down.. What matters most?

When bad things happen to you.. What matters most?

When everything fails.. What matters most?

When your life is crumbling down around you..

What Matters Most?

I've heard it said that your focus determines your reality.

And how true it is...

If we focus on bad things, bad things just seem to keep coming.

When we focus on pain, everything begins to hurt.

What would you say if I told you, time with the Lord everyday

will refocus your life on Joy and make life enjoyable again?

Time everyday can be hard...but its necessary

to have a completely fulfilling life.

If we focus on the Lord and His Word, our focus remains

on things above and gives us lasting joy, contentment, and guidance.

We are commanded to have His Word in our heart and soul.

Deuteronomy 11:18-20

"You shall therefore lay up these words of mine

in your heart and in your soul,

 and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, 

and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 

You shall teach them to your children, talking of them 

when you are sitting in your house, 

and when you are walking by the way, 

and when you lie down, 

and when you rise.

You shall write them on the doorposts 

of your house and on your gates, esv

How can we answer the questions of life, 

when we don't read about the answers?

How can we expect God to step in when we put

Him aside in our daily lives?

Your focus determines your reality. Will you learn what blessings 

God has set aside for you and what He has already given you?

Focus your life on the Lord God. The rewards are endless!

The benefits are to many to write!

Live a fulfilled life with no regrets.

What matters most to you?

Toward or Away?

Toward or Away

Life is full of choices. Every day we make them. Some we enjoy, others we regret.

Whether we believe it or not, our lives are a path.

We choose to walk forward on the right path, or we turn around and stumble.

I recently was reading the story of Jonah and realized

I had already stumbled and turned away. 

The Lord was gently reminding me to turn around and get back on the path.

Read the book, and see Jonah's lesson. It applies to us all!

Jonah 1:1-3

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, " Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me." But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

Here we see Jonah decide to flee from the presence of the Lord. 

He didn't out right say NO! I will not go!

He didn't negotiate. He just turned and walked.

Our lives are much like this. We think we are just making a decision, and we move.

We don't always think that decision is moving us away from God.

But then the storm comes, and we begin to question what is going wrong.

At that point some begin to blame God for what is happening, 

asking why He lets these things happen to us.

But in the end, we are the cause of our own issue.

That is why we are so very fortunate to have a patient, kind, and loving God.

Who wishes that none should perish. 

In His great mercy, He provides protection, grace, and forgiveness. 

Jonah 4:5-6

Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant.

Even when we are the ones turning away, the Lord shelters us. He gives us grace, 

even though we are traveling the wrong direction. 

But in the grace and protection, there is correction. 

A lesson He is trying to teach us. 

Jonah 4: 7-8a

But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint.

Because God loves us and wants us close, He will teach and correct us. 

Sometimes that trial we are going through is God pulling us back to Him. 

We just need to see and understand. Then turn around and move.

Forgiveness is waiting, no matter how far you have gone.

No matter where you are, and no matter what you have done. 

I have decided to follow Jesus!

Toward or Away?

What will you decide?

Land of Desolation

In the quiet, I cover my face..

Down on my knees, there's not a trace,

Of the joy I once felt.

All that is left is a barren disgrace.

Fire raged in, there was no escape.

The ashes of a once productive life,

fall from the sky.

As the smoke rises up, 

the emptiness rushes in.

Hopelessness surrounds. How can I survive?

There is no escape, Desolation all around.

From the North to the South,

East to the West,

From all directions, Hope seems to have left.

In my desolation, I cry to the Lord!

Help me Father! I know not what to do!

I've made a mess of all you have given,

Destroyed everything, 

Nothing has been saved..

And nothing is made new!

How can I go on? 

There's nothing I can do...

.

I raise my head, for one final cry....

I see in the distance, a Light in the sky!

How can this be? He coming to me!

Here you are, He says! I've found you at last!

You have wandered so far, But I've always been near.

Watching and waiting for you to look to Me.

I have your answers, I hold the key.

Now its time to come home, Your coming with Me!

He picks me up, though I'm covered in ash.

Holds out His arms and says 

Come to Me, I will heal your heart!

A loving embrace is all I know now.

Endless compassion, as I sit on His knee.

Amidst the destruction, He uncovered the ash.

What I saw gave me hope. I could not believe..

There underneath, hidden...Waiting.... 

For the time to be right.

New, and green! New life growing up!

Restoration and Joy, Forgiveness and hope!

His love knows no bounds!

He's waiting for you!

He found me, He can surely find you!

Trust in the Lord,

He knows what to do. 

He created you and makes all things new!