My secret mission

“O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”

Psalms 95:1 KJV. (http://bible.com/1/psa.95.1.kjv)

I have a new mission. At this point it's a secret. But I need your prayers. 

My life is wonderful. I can't say that enough. It's not because of me. I believe, with all my heart, that God is blessing me in supernatural ways, ways in which I certainly do not deserve. It burns deep within my heart to do MORE for him. I am always looking for the push of the Holy Spirit to take action. I have officially been pushed. 

I don't want to share too much yet as I have some serious prayer needed. I need guidance and direction in the exact path. This new mission is to help battle the ever present attacks by satan to our school and community. Those attacks are real and not contrived as some believe. I believe a group of Christians can change the battle simply by increasing their own prayer time. 

Although I have a specific mission, we all need to increase our prayer presence. Christians need to rise up and prepare for battle. No, we are not battling humans. We are not battling gays, lesbians, abortionists, human traffickers, or atheists. We are battling satan himself. The weapon of choice is prayer and the power of those prayers comes directly from Jesus Christ himself. Please, I beg you, make a commitment to double your prayer time from this day forward. Get to know the needs of your own coworkers, friends, and family. Pray for them without ceasing. Pray with deep groans and a sincere heart. We can win the battle because we know the final victory has already been won. 

Put on your armor. Step into the battlefield and slay the oppressor!

Charge!

David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (1 Samuel 17:45 NLT)

In your Face! Sometimes, as a Christian, I think I'm too passive. I know that might come as a shock to those that know me. Normally, I am a bit outspoken. I have never really held back my thoughts or feelings, with one exception. I'm not that way when I talk about Christ. I don't know if I'm afraid to turn people off, or offend somebody. I'm not sure if it's lack of confidence, but I am just not as bold in this one area of my life. 

I need to be more like the David of these verses. In this story, David charges out to his enemy, screaming the power of God. He's not shy, he's not reserved, he's not afraid of offending or hurting someone. He charges against unspeakable odds with reckless abandon safe in the knowledge that his God is bigger than theirs. His God is the creator of the universe and his God is God! He knew his foes stood no chance against God. I need to remember that when I go into battle with my enemies, the stresses of life, temptations, and barriers to doing Gods will. I can charge into those times with reckless abandon, giving it all I have for him.

Praise God for his wonderful love and his unmatchable power. amen!

Use all your resources

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, (Ephesians 3:16 NIV)

Life is tough. Obstacles are appear with surprising regularity nearly everyday. Bumps in the road to major chasms test us and our faith in Christ. We can't depend on our own strength to battle "the world" on a daily basis. We need the power of Jesus Christ! That is why building a relationship with The Lord of the universe is so important. Daily prayer, searching his word, and worship are absolutely the key to developing a power deep within us.

I don't know about you, but I feel this battle all the time. This war shows up at work, home, and school with how I respond to things when they don't go right, or dealing with conflict. Our responses to trouble and conflict tell much about the relationship we have with Christ. I urge you, and myself, to work at growing your relationship with the Heavenly Father. When you see yourself falling back in to sinful patterns of this world you need to recommit to that realtionship. You and I both need to use the great resources, the riches, of our Lord, to strengthen us against evil. Those so resources are always available. We just need to accept them and live a life well lived for Christ.

Power vs Powerless

Psalm 144

Of David.

 ¹ Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
   who trains my hands for war,
   my fingers for battle.
² He is my loving God and my fortress,
   my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
   who subdues peoples^[a] under me.

 ³ LORD, what are human beings that you care for them,
   mere mortals that you think of them?
⁴ They are like a breath;
   their days are like a fleeting shadow.

Back in the day, war was fought by hand. Hand to Hand Combat was the largest part of a mans weaponry. It could have been a sling with a stone thrown by hand. War could have been fighting with a sword. It could have been fighting with a spear. War was ugly and physical. Nowadays war is antiseptic. It is long range and is done with electronic weapons and bombs from miles away. So these verses don't have as much meaning as they used to. We don't know much about shields.

I'm not a fighter. I remember getting in one fight at school when I was in early middle school,  it was hand to hand.  Now most of my fights are with words. There is the same power struggle with words as you have with fists. You don't have muscles to flex, you have position and power. The only way for someone to WIN a war of words is if one person gives in. In our society that usually happens by the person with the least amount of power. The lowest man on the totem pole very rarely wins. That doesn't mean the person with the power is right, but POWER beats the POWERLESS. The one exception is when God is on your side. 

God is the great equalizer for the lowly vs the powerful. A person of low standing who believes in the Lord has all the power they really need. They don't need spears, swords, slings, guns, bombs or any other weapon of war. The greatest weapon you could ever have is God himself. "If God is for us, who can stand against us." There are many times in my life I feel powerless. It is easy to get depressed losing battle after battle to the powerful. But, take heart. I know who wins in the end. Praise God he is victorious.

Tool Time!

2 Corinthians 10 (The Message)

 ^3-6The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. 


Hey! Does everybody know what time it is?  -------------- TOOL TIME -- I love the television show Home Improvement. I love tools, working on things and Do-It-Yourself.  Tim Allen is hilarious.  I guess I like this show because I can relate.  I don't think I have ever done anything as crazy as putting a jet engine on a lawnmower. or building a mans kitchen, or a mans bathroom.  But,  I do understand  MORE POWER.  I love gadgets and gizmos. I think anything can be fixed with duct tape or tie-wraps. Well. almost anything.  I have done my share of not having the right tool for the job and improvising, only to end up in disaster.

I think Paul would have loved "Tool Time".  Go back and read this verse like Tim Taylor would read it.  It just makes me want to take a crowbar and start ripping things up. (Ok, it may be a man thing!).  But, don't you get fired up when you think about the daily fight we face with the "World".  We can't be shy, we have to attack or be attacked.  We need to use "More Power" or face destruction.  We have to use our God-tools. Now that is More Power!  We have to be willing to stand for what is right in Gods eyes, not our own. Using the word of God, we need to take political stands, defend the weak and the poor.  We need to be open to the leading of the spirit to take action against injustice. We need to pray for our enemies that they would know the Lord. We must realize we are in a fight and we must not back down.  We aren't to use just words or negotiations, (marketing or manipulation) to change this world.  We are to take action! Tell it like it is!  Don't accept anything but a world shaped in the likeness of Christ.  We need to Love, but we must not yield to the evil we face during our daily walk.

Read the verses again.  If it doesn't give you a sense of urgency and a sense of purpose, a sense of power. I don't know what will.  Argh! Argh! Argh! MORE POWER!

Lord, help us to use your tools to make a difference in this world.  Help us to take action, tear down barriers that get in the way of a life you designed.  We know. Lord, we are in a battle.  The battle belongs to you Lord, but we want to join the fight.  We need your power, your strength, and your purpose to stand up against this world.  Give me  a sledge hammer, help me rip the walls down that get in the way of this world turning to you. Help us make a difference! Amen!