The Battle is the Lord's!

Recently in reading the Word of God I was struck by a psalm of David in which he cried to God for vengeance against his enemies. He asked that when his enemy is tried that he would be found guilty that his enemy’s prayers would condemn him, that his enemy’s days be few, that another take his place of leadership, that his enemy’s children would be fatherless and his enemy’s wife a widow, that his enemy’s children would be wandering beggars, and homeless, and that creditors seize all that he has and that strangers would plunder the fruit of his labor and that no one would extend kindness to his enemy or take pity on his fatherless children and that his enemies sins would always remain before the Lord and that his enemies would be cut off from the memory of the earth. WOW!

I could not think of anyone, ever in my entire life that I would hope any of these events on. I spoke of David’s words to a dear friend and she said, “Truly David was a man of war” I agree, indeed he was. David’s enemies were visual and literal. His enemies pursued him and because God declared that David would live by the sword for his sin against God he fought his entire life. And his enemies were always present. Yet, the battle was the Lord’s and God delivered David and gave victory to David over all His enemies. For the enemies of David were enemies of God!

I began to give consideration to battles in our lives. Our battles or wrestling’s the word of God tells us is not with flesh and blood as with David, but with principalities, against powers the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. Our battles are not with people regardless of how they act or what they say. Our battles are not with other religions regardless of what they believe or do. Our battle is not with political organizations or opposing governments with which we agree or disagree. Our battle is anything that would separate us from the love of and obedience to Christ Jesus our Lord.  He has commanded that we be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. And that we put on the whole amour of God so that we may be able to stand against the wiles or scheming of the devil. Through His Word He has given every provision for victory, for the battle is the Lord’s and He will fight for us as we obey His Word!

However, we must understand what the battle is, where the battle is and where it comes from less we beat the air as some and walk in carnality as mere men. In other words, walk in defeat. Walking in defeat is when one would never come to comprehend the true riches of His kingdom, which is righteousness (being in right standing with God), peace (having full knowledge of His ultimate victory) and joy (that inexpressible source of truth) in the Holy Spirit.

What is the battle? The battle is spiritual it is not with or of the flesh. The battle is the fight to separate us from God. It is truly an on-going challenge to daily picking up our cross and following after Jesus. (Note that each has a cross & thus it will be different) And in this daily battle we must oppose anything that would separate us from the truth and love of His Word. And we must be as brutal and ruthless as David was in fighting our enemies.

Where is the battle? The battle is within us, it is in any part of us that has not yet submitted to His Lordship nor obeys all that He has commanded. Any place within us that we still hold on to regardless of what it might be, God has spoken once, twice have I heard this: “All power belongs to God”. Every man has a story; our goal must be to have a testimony to the power of Jesus Christ. Every man must obey the same Words of God, we all must submit to the same God of All. No man’s angst is greater than another; it is only in the battle of our minds that we separate our sorrow and troubles from others. Yet, God is greater than them all and has conquered all and made provision in every situation for us all. *Remember His Word says if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you, it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. This is an example of the gravity with which we must fight our battles.

Where does the battle come from? His Word says that battles and wars come from our desires for pleasure. He says we lust and do not have, we murder and covet and can not obtain, we fight and battle, yet we do not have because we do not ask, and when we ask we do not receive because we ask wrong that we may spend it on our pleasures. The battles come from our sinful nature and our disobedience to His Word. They come from the schemes of the wicked one, the ruler of this world. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and pride of life is not of the Father and therefore should not be in us. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high things that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. We must fight the good fight of faith, and battle as if our very lives depend upon it, for they do! Always pursing the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls and eternal life in Him.

The battle is the Lord's because we belong to Him! When we walk in obedience from our hearts toward Him, He will fight and protect His people. When God is for us, who can or will stand against us?

We ARE the church!

Today as is with most days, my thoughts and prayers are of the church. I guess it’s important to share who the church is to me. The church of God is the body of Christ. The church is a peculiar group of people that have been called out from the world and of those whom have answered that call. We are that people that were not a people before the Lord Jesus cleansed us and washed us with His own blood and set us apart. The church is not the building where people gather or the place where there are articles or designs that signify God. The building does not host the presence of God or possess any meaningful significance or relevance in the things of God. The building is just a vehicle to be used just as a cup is used to hold a drink. The church of God is wherever we are. Perhaps if we began to walk in this truth (that we are the church) we would be more mindful of our actions and words throughout our daily endeavors instead of only when within the four walls of the building that is considered by many to be “the church”. 

Now Paul said “in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you”, and he said in part he believes it." I too believe it and have lived it as it continues to this day. Just as the bible says, some say they are of Paul and some say they are of Peter. Today some say I am of the Church of God in Christ, some say I am Pentecostal, some say Non-Denominational, some say Calvary Chapel, and some even use the name of their pastor as they define who they are of. All these congregations, titles and groups separate us and cause divisions within the church not unity in Christ.  Yet, are we not all of Christ Jesus? Which of these groups shed their blood for us? Which of these titles or organizations gave us access to God our Father in heaven and the forgiveness of sins?

We say that we all call upon the same God yet we fail to walk in His command, “Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” The perfection Jesus is demanding is our maturity. Of course I say this to our shame, we are still acting as children playing in the courtyard calling to our companions, and saying, we played the flute for you, and you did not dance, we mourned to you and you did not lament. John the Baptist came neither eating nor drinking and they say he has a demon, Jesus came eating and drinking and was called a wine bidder and a glutton, a friend to tax collectors and sinners! What does this mean? It means for some nothing is enough; nothing causes some to repent and recognize the error of their ways. Oh, that this would not be the heart within us, a heart which refuses to acknowledge its wrongness and repent! And if this heart be in you I pray that you quickly turn from this wickedness.  

Many leaders spend a great deal of time talking about the devil and his devices. I am not one of those preachers. I know that the wicked one would have no power over us if not given to him by our Father in heaven. Remember when Jesus told us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation?” I also know (because it is written) that if we continue to devour and bite one another we will be consumed by one another and the devil has nothing to do with it. Remember Jesus said that the ruler of this world was coming, but had nothing in Him. We too must have no place within us individually or collectively for the ruler of this world. Again, remember that His Word says, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another (the church). Be angry, and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God; let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you? Remember that His Word says that a kingdom divided against itself can not stand.

The Lord said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing……

Today, while it is called today, let us together lament over the condition of the church, which ye are. And let each of us purpose within our own hearts before God that we will be His church at all times, in all circumstances and in all places.  Then we will cry out together, “Come Lord Jesus”!

How I know “He Lives”

Many years ago when our daughter Precyous was a young girl, she asked me “how did I know that Jesus lives?” She was so honest in her desire to know why I was and am so sure of Jesus being alive. I told her simply, I know that He lives because He lives in me. This is how I know without question and without doubt.

Many years ago when confronted with the existence and sacrifice of Jesus Christ as Savior ironically I didn’t need anyone to point out that my entire life until that moment existed in darkness. I knew when faced with His Word without any prompting from anyone that I was a perpetual sinner. No one had to tell me to repent because the godly sorrow and shame I felt for my entire life was present. When I was faced with His Glorious Light the darkness within me was exposed. I knew without convincing that I needed Jesus to save me and change me. That day so many years ago I asked God to forgive me and to be my Savior. In that moment He forgave me, washed me and filled me with His Spirit and I was born again. I was born from above. I became a new creature and the old me (died) passed away. This was the beginning of my relationship with God. At this point I only knew Him as Savior and yet it was enough for me to know with all certainty that He existed. I was new. I was redeemed and I was restored, in my heart. I knew that the stain of sin was removed from me and that barrier to God was gone. I knew that God Almighty had indeed given His son Jesus as Savior to the world and Savior to me.

Let me expound. I was raised Catholic. I went to Catholic school, mass every Sunday, first confession, and first communion… the whole deal. I saw the figure of Jesus hanging on the cross my entire upbringing. I knew the story of the babe in the manager, the wise men, and the angels proclaiming His birth. But, they were just stories. However, on that day when I acknowledged He exists and that I need Him as Savior, the story was no longer just a story. By His Word His presence and His power was alive and He gave life to me.

This truth is a foundation of our faith and the power of His gospel, not only that Christ died for our sins, but that He lives, forevermore. And that He lives within those that have called upon His name. Christ in us, the hope of glory.

There has never been a day from that one until this that I have not ceased to thank Him for saving me. So I truly understand when His Word says, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is how I know that He lives! He lives in me! Therefore, today I ask you my beloved, how do you know that He lives?

God is our Father

The other day while in prayer crying out to God my husband walked in the room saw my tears and reached out to comfort me. I guess He sensed that my tears were about more than the storm of our daughter’s hospitalization. I struggled to put in words what my heart was unwilling to speak. Finally I as able to verbalize that yes, God is faithful and was with us throughout the process and yes God did foretell and uphold each and every promise. Yet, my tears continued. I confessed I cried not because the procedure was unsuccessful but because I didn’t want her to need any procedure and I didn’t and don’t want her to suffer or endure any hardships. Ever!

Most of you will probably agree with me that we do not want our loves ones to suffer. We don’t want our love ones to struggle and we certainly don’t want them to endure anything that we can’t control.

Immediately I heard the Words of God. “Listen, my son, hearken unto my voice”. I was inundated with the promises and commands of God flooding my soul. And for one brief and fleeting moment I sensed the will of God for me and all His people. He impressed the longing of His Spirit for His people within me. I knew that if I was struggling to cope with the experience of a planned surgery to improve the life of our daughter yet knowing all the dangers thereof, God’s will in commanding us to walk aright and His angst when we don’t is... well too much for me to comprehend other than for the moment. Then I heard Him say, if you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father which is in heaven give good things unto those that ask.

We have two other children. I know how I feel when one is behaving in a manner that may cause harm. I am always attempting to direct all of our children away from risk and toward joy and peace. I know without any doubt that each and every Word God has spoken to us is for our well being. I believe that He does not withhold any good thing from us. I think we fail to believe that whatever the thing is that we want at the time will somehow work out different than what He has forewarned. Just as our children think that no harm will come to them. Until it does!

This is my prayer for today: Let us all as one man look unto God our Father today with unison of heart and cry out “Abba”! Let us look to God who loves us and cherishes us and whom has made every provision for us and acknowledge that His Ways and thoughts are higher than our own and they are good.

People learn from people, just as iron sharpens iron

I learned this valuable lesson during our daughters stay in the hospital and I hope that it will be worthwhile to you as well.  

On meeting one particular nurse (lets just call her Vu) my first impression was how focused she was on her duties. She was polite yet it seemed like she was on a particular mission. One I must say that initially did not include making nice or friendly with me or our daughter for that fact. She busily checked vitals, medications, room conditions, bed conditions and hurried out the room. She not only took care of all her medical necessities she never left the room without asking Jasmine are you comfortable and is there anything that you need? She seemed to be one step ahead of any situations that arose and completely prepared to handle them with ease and confidence. On the second day she heard that nursing care would be required at home. She offered to show me how to do the care myself. She began to teach me and watched over my every move to ensure that I was correctly performing the tasks and also comfortable with what I would be required to do. She even coached me on what to tell the nurses over the days to come when she would be off so that I would have complete confidence to continue the duties at home on my own. Over the three days under her care, I watched as she efficiently and courteously cared for Jasmine. Now, during those three days our family continually spoke of God giving Him praise for His goodness, Jasmine was playing Christian music on her ipod and I was reading my bible in the room. It was quite obvious that we are Christians. Vu never made a comment either way about her belief and to be honest I was more concern about the care of our daughter to even inquire. There was not one time while under Vu’s care that we ever needed to push the button for the nurse to come in. Before leaving on the last day I told Vu that it was so obvious to me that she loved her job and that the manner in which she did her work was impressive and heartwarming. She said, “I only treat people the way I want to be treated”. I said, I can see that, because you have treated my daughter as if she were your own. Thank you.

The next day our new nurse (we’ll call her Carolyn) came in and introduced herself. She was nice and had a friendly smile. She shared that Jasmine was her only patient other than covering the breaks and shifts of other nurses that day. She immediately viewed the same set of circumstances as the days prior had been. We were talking of the goodness of God, Jasmine was playing her Christian music and I was reading my bible. Carolyn was quick to share her shared faith, her love of Christian music and began to show Jasmine pictures of her children on her iphone. As the day went on we learned that she didn’t like her roll as a fill-in for others, that she worked part time for Hospice as well, that she had a child with hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and various other bits of her personal life. She spoke gently and smiled continuously and attempted to make friends with Jasmine. She even talked of staying in touch on Facebook. During this day, none of Jasmine’s medical needs were a priority. I continuously had to ask and remind her of activities that needed to take place. In fact when my husband, Donnie came, he was only in the room ½ hour when he inquired “what’s up with this nurse?” In truth we never left Jasmine’s side that day out of concern for the lack of attention to all her medical needs. Donnie and I agreed that night that we would not allow this current lack of care persist into the next day. Carolyn only worked that one day with Jasmine.

Now, the bible tells us about a man that had two sons. He told both of them to go and work in the vineyard. One said he would go but did not, the other said he would not go and repented and went later. Jesus asked which one did the will of His father. We know that the later one listed actually DID the will of His father. I do not know if Vu knows Jesus, yet her works spoke more loudly than all the words of Carolyn. Carolyn spoke the words that said I am a Christian, yet her actions were sorely lacking; Vu’s deeds were Christ like.

Here is the lesson that I learned. All my words are useless if my works do not substantiate what I say I believe and who I say that I am. I thought of so many people that I know that say that they are Christians and yet if anyone were to observe how they live one would never consider that they are indeed of the body of Christ. He is our Head and we are His body. We are the demonstration of Him (Christ Jesus) in the earth, hence we are Christians’. Vu’s light made me consider my own. So I asked myself as I ask you, does your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven?