Month: May 2023

Ephesians  6:10-18  (Phillips)  – In conclusion be strong – not in yourselves but in the Lord, in the power of His boundless resource.  Put on God’s complete armor so that you can successfully resist all the devil’s methods of attack.  For our fight is not against any physical enemy:  it is against organizations and powers that are spiritual.  We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil. Therefore you must wear the whole armor of God that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when you have fought to a standstill you may still stand your ground.  Take your stand then with truth as your belt, righteousness your breastplate, the Gospel of peace firmly on your feet, salvation as your helmet and in your hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Above all be sure you take faith as your shield, for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you.  Pray at all times with every kind of spiritual prayer, keeping alert and persistent as you pray for all Christ’s men and women.

Observation

Ephesians is a book about our standing in Christ and God’s purpose to equip, empower and mature us to enforce Christ’s victory on the Cross.  We are called to partner with Him, as a warrior equipped with “His boundless resource,” to enforce the victory won on the Cross so all things can be on earth as it is in Heaven.  “Therefore you must wear the whole armor of God that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when you have fought to a standstill you may still stand your ground.”  Remember, as long as our standing is in Christ, He (and we) will not retreat or be defeated.  The victory in this battle is not dependent on our own strengths and abilities but rather on knowing in whom we stand.  He is asking for our faith to trust Him plus our willingness and commitment to submit all we have received from Him to Him. 

“For our fight is not against any physical enemy” and so the battle plan is also different.  God’s armor and weapons above are laughable for the physical battlefield but devastating to the enemy on the spiritual front.  These are some of the weapons against which our Enemy has no defense – salvation, truth, righteousness, peace, faith, the Word.  Mercy, grace, love, forgiveness are some others.  If we refuse to be offended and pray for and forgive our enemies, what defense does the devil have against that?  None!  He has been disarmed.  AND we open a door for those we thought were enemies to find freedom and deliverance from the Enemy’s captivity. The Holy Spirit will teach us the art of this warfare if we allow.

Impact on Me

I love reading the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7) because it helps me to see what operating on earth using spiritual weapons looks like. These verses are in red in my Bible, therefore, they are the commands and teachings of Jesus.  I want to listen closely and take Him seriously.  To do otherwise would be a mistake and handicap in my understanding of spiritual warfare.  As difficult as some of these teachings are to embrace (mostly requiring reining in my pride), all things are possible with God and, therefore, all He says to do is possible in Him.  I have found that the first steps are to lay down my pride, my need to be seen as right, my need for the praise of people around me.

“Pray at all times with every kind of spiritual prayer, keeping alert and persistent as you pray for all Christ’s men and women.”  Much spiritual warfare happens through prayer, and it is essential.  Prayer helps to remind me that it is not people or organizations or government that is my true enemy, but the “the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil”. 

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You are our Great Commander, the mightiest of Warriors.  Empower me by Your Holy Spirit as I bow my heart and life to You.  Search me and try me until Your armor is my 24/7 garment, keeping me always on the ready to respond to the tactics and attacks of the Enemy.  Give me wisdom, knowledge and insight to see past the person into their woundedness so my warfare brings not only victory for You and me but also for those who are held captive and deceived by the Enemy.  Make it so, in Jesus’ name.

Isaiah 42:1-4 MSG Take a good look at my servant. I’m backing Him to the hilt. He’s the one I chose, and I couldn’t be more pleased with Him. I’ve bathed Him with my Spirit, my life. He’ll set everything right among the nations. He won’t call attention to what He does with loud speeches or gaudy parades. He won’t brush aside the bruised and the hurt and He won’t disregard the small and insignificant, but He’ll steadily and firmly set things right. He won’t tire out and quit. He won’t be stopped until He’s finished his work—to set things right on earth. Far-flung ocean islands wait expectantly for His teaching.

Luke 6:31-36 NIV 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Observation

[From the World Vision website re: Social Justice]. “Biblical references to the word “justice” mean “to make right.” Justice is, first and foremost, a relational term — people living in right relationship with God, one another, and the natural creation. From a scriptural point of view, justice means loving our neighbor as we love ourselves and is rooted in the character and nature of God. As God is just and loving, so we are called to do justice and live in love.”

Isaiah spoke his words during a very corrupt period before the Assyrian Captivity of Israel. He cried out against how despicably pagan his society had become – idolatrous, immoral, unjust, selfish, heartless.  The passage above is the first of his Servant songs, predicting the hope of Messiah Who would set things right again (establish justice), teaching us how to live peacefully and righteously.

So, we fast forward to Jesus, the Christ, the promised Messiah, Who will “steadily and firmly set things right” by His teaching.  These words of Jesus were easier to hear than to trust in and choose to live; they are ones that either arrest us or we choose to ignore as we pass by to more palatable, less life-changing teaching.  Jesus said we are either for Him or against Him. Setting things right requires identifying the true evil enemy, Satan, and joining Jesus in rescuing souls from his grasp by reconciling the deceived, wounded, disenfranchised, hateful and angry into the love and fellowship of Christ. This is impossible in our own strength and ability, so it requires that we surrender our pride, comfort, security and prejudices to allow the Holy Spirit to change us into the people God planned for us to be.  With God all things are possible. Jesus is asking us here to make a choice to allow the Holy Spirit to use us as instruments of this reconciliation; it is up to us to choose whether we are instruments of justice and reconciliation in Jesus’ hand or injustice and chaos in the hands of Satan. There is no other choice.  By praying for our enemies, we open a door for the Holy Spirit to begin the rescue and reconciliation.  In choosing to do this, Jesus says, “you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Impact on Me

 Injustice is universal, endemic, a global pandemic of its own.  Our true enemy works to spread his chaos through hate, disease, greed and all the other tools sin provides to separate us from each other and God. I grieve over everyone who is murdered – whether by one’s own hand or another’s. I grieve over everyone who loses life to illness – physical or mental. I grieve over those who suffer poverty – whether of body, soul or spirit.  Each of us does what we humanly can to relieve the suffering, to comfort those who mourn, to provide for the needs, but what is humanly possible is not sufficient because it impacts only the symptoms and not the cause.  My anger at the injustice of lives lost too soon or lives held captive by sin needs to be directed at the true enemy if I want to kill the root of the injustice. Whether I join a peaceful protest or act individually, to be a child of the Most High, I must have a heart of mercy and grace toward the ungrateful and wicked who are used by Satan because they are captive to sin.

Prayer

Father God, You are Almighty God, Merciful and Just, Everlasting. I stand before You in Christ. Isaiah cried out to warn Your people, then and now, of the consequences of ignoring Your Word.  I want to be one who not only listens but also obeys. Give me the courage to allow Your Holy Spirit to encourage, equip and strengthen me to embrace Your hard, humanly impossible challenges by faith because I know that will allow Jesus to set things right, in me and those who will be impacted by the evidences of my obedience. Lord, fill me with hope that what seems like an overwhelming sea of injustice is being replaced by the living water that brings true justice. I place myself in Your hands. Make me an instrument of justice, mercy and peace. In Jesus’ name, I pray.

Romans 5:1-5 NIV  Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 5:1-6 PHILLIPS   Since then it is by faith that we are justified, let us grasp the fact that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have confidently entered into this new relationship of grace, and here we take our stand, in happy certainty of the glorious things he has for us in the future. This doesn’t mean, of course, that we have only a hope of future joys—we can be full of joy here and now even in our trials and troubles. Taken in the right spirit these very things will give us patient endurance; this in turn will develop a mature character, and a character of this sort produces a steady hope, a hope that will never disappoint us. Already we have some experience of the love of God flooding through our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us.

Observation

“Wait just a doggone minute!  Isn’t this Christian life supposed to be full of peace, joy and blessing?  What is Paul talking about – “we also glory in our suffering”?  I wasn’t told I was signing up for all that character building!!”  How many of us have said this to God in one way or another?  We find it easy to rejoice when He displays His sovereignty, moving in favor and power on our behalf or when He blesses us through the generosity and kindness of another; however, “glorying in our suffering” is an entirely different matter.  Didn’t the sacrifice of Jesus overcome the world?  Jesus never promised us an easy life (John 16:33) but He did promise that we would have His peace and His presence to go with us through whatever comes.

The Jews of Jesus’ time blamed their suffering and trials (poverty, sickness, and so on) on God’s disfavor or punishment – what you did or were brought down His wrath.  “What did I do or not do to displease God and bring this down on me?  How did I go wrong?  What ritual can I perform to fix this?  I am just too bad to be redeemed.”  Jesus teaches us that those in Christ who go there do not understand God’s heart.  In Christ there can be no separation from the very love of God (Romans 8:38-39 NIV).  Our position in Him is not about what we have done but rather about what Jesus did for us. He provided grace, salvation, redemption – period and all for free.    

Sufferings and trials sometimes come through God’s faith-building plan (see Acts) but always result from our own foolish choices or our enemy, the devil.  If we don’t understand the nature of the relationship we have in Christ with God, we will be tempted to surrender to the despair and deterioration the devil’s efforts are working in us and the world around us, causing us to live in defeat rather than victory.

Paul teaches us here that enduring and persevering in faith with God through difficult times is one way we confirm that we understand His heart and this new covenant in Christ.  As we grow in character by exercising our faith, we demonstrate our gratitude for His grace, our trust in what He has promised, and personally enforce the defeat of the devil won for us in our own lives on the Cross by Jesus.  Paul tells us to glory in our sufferings because it strengthens our faith in God’s presence, goodness, mercy and provision; it fills us with boundless hope and trust in God’s will and purpose being fulfilled in our lives.

Impact on Me

I think about when my daughter was born. I did not rejoice in the labor but I did glory in the result. I imagine it is similar for athletes, students and others who invest much hard work and many hours into achieving their goals. The investment of time, energy and “suffering” are worth the result. So, saying “Yes” to God (staying the course, seeking His guidance, continuing in prayer and the Word) when things in life go desperate, catawampus or topsy-turvy is part of the plan to equip me to be who I am called to be in order to do what I am called to do. God is giving me (and you) the opportunity to build strong character – whether in blessing or sacrifice – that will provide hope that never disappoints. 

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”  (Romans 15:13 NLT).  No matter the reason for the challenging or difficult path (God’s plan, the devil’s contriving or my own folly), I have the confidence that Jesus goes with me and, as I let Him, He will lead me with grace and truth to grow in faith and fulfill God’s will and purpose for me and my life.

Prayer

Lord God, You are Wisdom itself and the source of true love.  I want to stop complaining about my circumstances so I can hear Your voice guiding me through them. I want to allow You to determine the best character-building exercise for me, knowing that as I do the work, You will build the muscle of my faith and hope. I want to increasingly recognize Your presence with me in all circumstances so I will depend increasingly less on myself and ever more on You.  I want my question to be “What do You have for me to do here?” rather than “What did I do to deserve this?!”  May I always remember that Jesus agreed to go to the Cross for my sake so I will never question the cost to me when You ask me to be a sacrifice. Build that character in me that rebounds in faith and never loses hope. In Jesus’ name, make it so.

Proverbs 20:5 MSG Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within.

Observation

Knowing what is right in any circumstance is the first hurdle.  How many times do we immediately run off to execute our fix, our solution, for a challenge?  “I know what you need to do!”  However, our fix, our solution, may be temporary, ineffective or harmful because it is based solely on our own limited perspective, knowledge and understanding.  Finding what is right for myself or others takes time and effort to filter through all the options the mind and heart present.  So many of the options will be colored and influenced by my personal experience/perspective or how much my pride, position, power and influence will be impacted – what it might cost me personally.  If I make the decision regarding what is right to do without drawing on the ethics, values and standards of God’s Word, aren’t I just like those in the book of Judges who did what seemed right in their own eyes?  That didn’t work out so well.

What is truly right in any situation is only confirmed by having a well within that is filled with the water of the Word.  This water is made sweet and full of God’s truth by spending time in the Word and prayer, listening for God’s wisdom and instruction, hearing the counsel of Godly people, and just plain waiting on the Holy Spirit to confirm and bring peace to our souls and spirits regarding what God would have us do.  The second hurdle is to choose to do it!

Impact on Me

I know these are right for me:

It is always right to sacrifice my pride, position, and power on the altar to do what is necessary to fulfill God’s will and purpose – no matter the cost to me.

It is always right to be honest, living truthfully, before God and others, not appearing to be something I am not.

It is always right to be submitted to the authority God has placed over me – not insisting on my own way, but trusting God to give wisdom and direction to those He has placed in authority over me.

It is always right to speak the truth in love and choose to have faith to allow God to be responsible for the results.

It is always right to forgive personal offense while doing what is necessary to protect the innocent or those who are under my care – even if that causes conflict or makes me offensive.

It is always right to seek godly counsel before setting my plans in motion – even if that counsel does not change my course.  Hearing what I don’t want to hear or being pointed in a direction I don’t want to go or considering another perspective allows me to weigh it all so I will know that I have truly and clearly heard from God before I launch out.

It is always right to wisely use the gifts, talents, abilities, resources and counsel God has supplied me to help me be a valuable member of the team/church community He has formed to execute His plan and do His work.

Prayer

Holy One, Lord God, Wisdom Itself, Helper, Teacher, Lover of my soul, I submit myself to You without reservation.  Confirm in me what you would have me do and be in this season of my life.  I do not want to act out of any personal motive; I only want to act according to Your will, purpose, wisdom, Word.  Help me to allow You by Your Word and prayer to deepen the pool within me so I may draw from its depths the wisdom, knowledge, understanding, grace, strength and peace I need.  Speak to my heart so clearly that I will have no question in me regarding what to say and do as we go forward.  I am willing to be a sacrifice if that is what it takes.  I love You, Lord, with all my heart. In Jesus’ name, make it so.