Who do you walk with?

This morning actions of another brought to mind a thought that was not worthy and I want to tell you about that battle

“Most assuredly, I say to you. He who hears MY (JESUS) word and believers in HIM (GOD the FATHER) who sent ME has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” John 5:24 NKJV.

It is amazing, we have been changed but… while we have the HOLY SPIRIT now living inside us (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30) we still have our old body (until the Rapture or we die) with its lusts of the flesh.  Therefore, although wondrously saved we are in a battle.

To allow the HOLY SPIRIT to call the shots is to be spiritual.  That means we need to be led/ go with the nudges of the HOLY SPIRIT and refuse the influences of the world.

“Walk in the SPIRIT and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” Galatians 5:16  “the flesh lusts against the SPIRIT” Galatians 5:17.   It’s a battle believe you me.

The potential of our old sin nature/ the flesh being energized by suggestions from the evil one to us Christians should never be underestimated.  If we listen to suggestions we know are wrong, the flesh within us rises up and directs our choices having us do what we know we should not do.

It all begins with a subtle thought.  I became irritated by an action of another and from that thought another arose and I grumbled to the LORD. But praise the LORD a still soft voice whispered, “Will that matter in 50 years? Her salvation is what really counts and you know it!”  My irritation fled for I was directed back to what was truly important… can she see CHRIST in me and open herself up to HIM.

That is why we believers are told that when in spiritual warfare (fighting wrong thoughts… for the battle always begins with a thought) to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).  I must confess that I can not always change/ or redirect my thoughts, but I can take them captive long enough to take them to JESUS.  When I discuss my thoughts with HIM something marvelous happens. I see things from a different angle.  No longer do I see them from my selfish fleshly view but from GOD’s selfless loving purposes. 

Looking unto JESUS

Hugs

Sharon

The Battle

One day I was struggling in a thought battle that would have led to sin. Just in the nick of time the HOLY SPIRIT whispered, “It’s the battle Sharon!” That is all it took to get me to fight my sin nature, put down my foot and say “NO!”

Choices, choices our days are full of choices. But we forget someone is egging us on.

Satan whines, “that’s not fair”; Our old nature wants to get revenge; Jesus says to forgive (Matthew 6:14–15) what do we choose?

Satan boasts, “look at what you accomplished all on your own”; Our old nature wants to exalt itself; Jesus says to seek humility (Matthew 23:12) who wins?

Satan yells, “hurry up you can get in line first”; Our old nature wants to be first; Jesus says we are blessed if we choose to be last (Mark 9:35) what do you do?

Satan shouts, “don’t take that”; Our old nature wants to fight; Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). Do we turn the other cheek?

Satan jeers, “that’s just too wild”; Our old nature wants to gossip; the Bible says to guard our mouths (Proverbs 13:3).  Do I?

Satan hollers, “He was wrong”; Our old nature is rude; Jesus says our speech should be gracious (Colossians 4:6).  Am I?

When I realize the battle within is the enemy egging my old nature on strengthens me to resist and do right.

Just think about that.

Hugs

Sharon

If HE be for us

If our GOD be for us who can stand against us? Romans 8:31

I am going to confess.  My daughters, Jeri and Kari, love to embellish the telling this true story on me with animated facial expressions and gestures, amidst giggles and snickers concerning my actions that totally shocked them.  The deep lasting impression has not faded from their minds, nor mine.

They weren’t the only ones shocked by my actions, so was I.  My actions that day was totally out of character for me. I was a mild, meek Christian, devoted to the LORD. Many marveled at my calm during crisis after crisis.  The calm wasn’t a mask I put on, but through struggles I had come to know the LORD was there for me, in control, and could handle whatever came my way for. I had learned problems were to teach us something, so when someone commented on my not being upset in a midst of a crisis, I’d often say, “This problem must not be for me, or a lot of people must be praying, cause GOD’s peace is surrounding me.”  And it really was.

But one day, the problem was for me. That day, when injustice loomed over my kids, I lost sight of GOD and seemed to forget everything I knew.  Instead of turning to GOD, I charged, attacking like a she bear, when her cubs are in danger. I pounced forward, snatched a paper away from the culprit, who was using it to hurt my kids, and tore it to smithereens. Not that it did any good, it didn’t.

However, it definitely taught me a lesson and it still humbles me to think back to my uncontrolled actions that day. What happened to me is what happens when we take our eyes off GOD and trusting HIM, and focus on a difficult situation with the attitude “it up to me to fix it!”

But, that is not the reason I am exposing my actions to you. 70% of the killings by grizzly bears are by mother bears defending their cubs. My attacking like a she bear protecting her cubs, believe it or not, is a picture of something JESUS tells us to pray for.

I like to read Scripture aloud and as I read the LORD’s prayer (“Our FATHER who art in heaven”) phrase by phrase slowly so I could mull over what was being said. When I got to the phrase “deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13), I felt a need to know what the original meaning of the word deliver was in this verse. So, going to the Greek text, and several Greek lexicons (Greek dictionaries) I searched out the word ‘deliver’. In the Matthew text ‘deliver’, rhuomia, means drag out of danger, rescue, save. It comes from the root word rhuo- to draw to oneself-hence to rescue.

The tense and mood of the word in Greek, show it is an urgent cry to GOD for help, to snatch us away from the clutches of the evil one; much like a she bear will come running to protect her young at the sound of their cry.  This picture caused me to love my GOD even more as I see HIM running to me when I cry out to HIM for help.

HE rescues me, drawing me to HIMSELF.  Such times I literally feel HIS arms around me.

“Therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and receive grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

A Song to sing when trouble comes

Our GOD, our GOD / by Chris Tomlin
Into the darkness, You shine Out of the ashes, we rise

There’s no one like You   None like You

Our GOD is greater Our GOD is stronger
GOD, You are higher than any other
Our GOD is healer  Awesome in power  Our GOD, our GOD (2x)

And if our GOD is for us, then who could ever stop us?   And if our GOD is with us, then what can stand against us? (2x)

Looking unto JESUS (Hebrews 12:2)

Hugs

Sharon

In the Battle

“Greater is HE that is in you, than he (the devil) that is in the world” 1 John 4:4

As a young Christian I was eager to learn all I could. One evening I had come home from a week of meetings on spiritual warfare and lay down on the couch and fell asleep. I felt something was pushing me down and suffocating me. I clearly remember thinking I can’t, I can’t (and meaning that I couldn’t fight it off). But from deep within me came the words, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Immediately, the pressure was gone and I was awake.

The HOLY SPIRIT within me fought the battle with the word of GOD.

When you accepted JESUS as your Savior, you may not have realized it but you stepped onto a battlefield. GOD’s enemy Satan doesn’t like anyone joining with GOD so when someone believes in JESUS and is born into GOD’s family (John 1:12), the devil attacks. Ours is a spiritual war, but it’s every bit as real as one carried on with guns and grenades. Yet GOD promises to equip us for everything HE has for us to do and that includes the battle. Ephesians 6:10-18 tells of the armor GOD has given us so the enemy cannot take advantage over us and tells of our two offensive weapons, the Word of GOD (Ephesians 6:17) and prayer (Ephesians 6:18). Then in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 GOD explains that the battle is for the mind where Satan feeds us lies and gets us to doubt GOD’s truth just as he did with Eve in the garden in the beginning of time.

Just as a soldier has to learn how to handle his gun and practice hitting the target, so we need to get to know our Bibles and talk often with our GOD in prayer. As we are in the Word of GOD the HOLY SPIRIT teaches us to recognize truth so that when the enemy hits us with lies we can know something just isn’t right. And as a soldier gets orders according to the planned strategy of his commander, so the commander of the LORD’s armies tells us how to counter the enemy’s attacks.

I believe GOD desires HIS people to wake up and be alert for the enemy is on the prowl, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Our major weapons are GOD Word and prayer and those same two items (the Word of GOD and prayer) are also the means GOD usually uses to give us our assignments along with the nudges HE gives by placing within us the desire to do what HE wants done (Philippians 2:13).

So, you can see how very important it is to study the Word of GOD and talk to our LORD every day.

One warning: Being the devil specializes in lies, for he is the father of lies (John 8:44) we need to carefully obey the truth. When we go against what we know is right it is like turning our back on the light and find ourselves in darkness and unable to see things clearly. When that happens the devil has a real advantage over us.

Back in 1993, I was in a large church, one involved in the beginnings of worldwide prayer movement of the 10/40 Window. Several of us, about to embark on a prayer journey to Albania, gathered during the morning service to pray. There seemed like there was a great deal of opposition one morning, and one lady proceeded, in prayer, to called bad things down on the ones causing problems. But, to call curses, or declare something bad to happen to someone is witchcraft/ using the devil’s methods and we told her so. She left in a huff.

You may think we were out of line, but let’s see what GOD says about it.GOD tells us to bless our enemies, not to curse them (Matthew 5:43-45). When HIS disciples were going to call fire down on a village, JESUS turned and rebuked them saying, “You don’t know what manner of spirit you are of” (Luke 9:54-55 KJ).

In another place JESUS explains what HE meant. In John 8:42-44 JESUS said that our actions show who is controlling us (or who is our father). If we have the fruit of the SPIRIT flowing from us, others can see we belong to GOD, and the Spirit of GOD is leading us. But, if we use the enemy’s tactics, if we do what the world does, the origin is demonic (James 3:15), and as C.S. Lewis alluded to, we are listening to a demon’s advice.

JESUS said that if we use HIS name, GOD would give us what we ask for (John 16:33). When we pray we are to use JESUS name, but not as a magic incantation to get what we want, or think is needed. The word name is used both in the Old and New Testaments to speak of the character of a person. So, when we pray, we are to pray according to JESUS’ character (Matthew 5:44-45, Philippians 2:5-8) the things HE wants, the plans of the FATHER. That is why we follow JESUS’ example, and say, “Thy will be done” (Luke 22:42).

Every time you see the words the name of the LORD, think of the nature and character of our eternal loving GOD. When scripture says the name of the LORD is a high tower that we can run into, it speaks of GOD’s power that is faithful to protect HIS children. Using the name of the LORD, is not an incantation, or an invoking of a magic formula, but rather it’s depending on the very nature and character of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, who was and is and is to come. So, ask, but ask according to HIS nature and according to HIS plans and be quick to do what HE nudges you to do.

Looking unto JESUS, the Author and Perfecter of my faith.
Hugs
Sharon