Fighting

I've been talking a lot recently about spiritual warfare and actively fighting the enemy. I've read this verse over and over again. So, I got to thinking about what it means to put this verse into practice.

Ephesians 6:10-18
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."


In my life I have had to face some tough truths and fight some hard battles. I have been beaten down to the point of wanting to give up. I've been so upset that I gave up and didn't care anymore. After coming from that place of desperation I never wanted to be there again. I have come back to this verse. What are some ways we can do this?
Well, for one, we stay in the word. We combat the lies in our head with truths from God's word. Trusting in Him. When the thoughts of being not good enough, or failing come, not dwelling on them, focusing fully on God.

As I was thinking about this and how overwhelming it can be I remembered this verse from Exodus, I know, kicking it old school. lol.


Exodus 16:4
"Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions."

God provided their, "daily bread" to make it through each day and not lose heart. I think He does this with us today, in regards to strength to fight temptation. I am learning from the old days. God has given me the strength needed to fight today, not to worry about tomorrow or regret yesterday. To focus and survive today. He has given you this as well. Embrace it and trust in His strength alone.

Have a great day!

Freedom

I was spending some time with some amazing women of God yesterday and this song came on my radio. While it's always been a special song to me it has taken on special meaning this week. Read through the lyrics once and then I'll explain.


Turnin' molehills into mountains
Makin' big deals out of small ones
Bearing gifts as if they're burdens
This is how it's been
Afraid of coming out of my shell
Too many things I can't do too well
Afraid I'll try real hard And I'll fail
This is how it's been
Till the day You pounded on my heart's door
And You shouted joyfully You're not a slave anymore!
CHORUS: You're free to dance Forget about your two left feet
And you're free to sing Even joyful noise is music to Me
You're free to love 'Cause I've given you My love And it's made you free
I have set you free!
My mind finds hard to believe That You became humanity
and Changed the course of history Because You loved us so
And my heart cannot understand How You accept me as I am
But You say You've always had a plan And that's all I need to know
So when I am consumed With what the world will say
Then You're singing to me, as You remove my chains
Free from worry Free from envy and denial Free to live,
free to give, free to



My favorite part of this song and the part I keep coming back to is, "Till the day You pounded on my heart's door And You shouted joyfully You're not a slave anymore!"

It always reminds me of these verses,
Galatians 5:1
"Is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

John 8:34
"Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin"

I remember reading the second verse and thinking that it was harsh. me, a slave to sin. So I looked up the definition of slave;

:a person entirely under the domination of some influence or person

Okay, I guess that makes sense, I know that in my past I have felt competely under the control of things that didn't honor God. Now I'm depressed, I'm a slave to sin, what do I do with that? Then I found the first verse, "Is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Christ has set us free, do not let yourself be burdened, do not let yourself, Christ has already broken the shackles, He broke those chains on Calvery. He has taken them away, so you are no longer a slave to sin, get up dance, sing, love, because Jesus has paid your bond and you are free. Live as free!