Taking Ground - A Time to Fight

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." -1 Timothy 6:12 

One morning in Sunday service I heard our pastor talk about covering and protection.  He requested that we cover them in prayer and defend them, and also that we defend and protect each other.  But then he challenged us.  He said, "Sometimes you gotta fight - 'cause that's how you take ground." 

I thought about how much this can be applied to so many different areas of our lives.  For instance, in the workplace:  We want to be promoted or we want to excel in what it is we're doing.  In order to do this, it requires we give more attention and focus that the average person. We learn new things.  We develop a "fighter" spirit within us, doing the best we can with passion, excellence, and a dedicated will.  Sometimes it's not enough to do our work well - sometimes the battle requires that we do all that is necessary to excel - come in early, stay late - and finish the project before it's due.  

Maybe it's a dream that needs fighting for.  Perhaps there is something on the inside of our heart that needs to be birthed into reality.  In order for this to happen, it calls for prayer, support, encouragement, and the dedication needed to bring the dream to pass.  Each and every time something great is born there will be resistance, such as those who doubt us or our dream, or our own uncertainty and fear.  But we must overcome this resistance if we want to see our dreams come to fruition.  

Relationships also need fighting for, and perhaps most especially.  If someone offends us, the Bible says we are to go to that person and talk with them about it. If the person listens to you, you have gained a brother (or sister!) (Matt 18:15)  Maybe we need to call someone we haven't seen in awhile to check in on them.  Perhaps we need to set healthy boundaries with those who tend to take advantage.  Or maybe we need to defend AND fight for someone who we know is doing right.  

There is a right way to fight and a wrong way to fight.  We shouldn't fight with manipulation or underhandedly using procrastination or deceit (our flesh).   We have to keep in mind that we're not fighting against people - we're fighting against the principalities of darkness in ourselves and in others.  The person isn't the issue - it's the issue that's the issue. "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."  (Ephesians 6:12)

Are there things you need to fight for?  Make it a priority to fight for those things that are really important in your life today. 

The Prerequisites of God's Blessing

"But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today." -Deut 8:18

What do we have to do to receive God's blessing? Is God's blessing ensured for 'special' people? What does God's blessing look like, and how can we set ourselves up to receive His blessings?

 In Exodus and Deuteronomy, God describes a series of "do's" and "don'ts" that the Israelites are to follow. They relate back to the 10 Commandments, from Exodus 20:1-17, in which God gave the Israelites boundaries to abide by for their protection. Many governmental systems today are based on the 10 Commandments (see "X", pg. 11 by J. John). They are, 1) not to have any gods before our one true God, 2) not to make any graven image to worship, 3) not to take God's name in vain, 4) to remember the Sabbath, and to rest on that day, 5) to honor our parents, 6) not to murder, 7) not to commit adultery, 8) not to steal, 9) not to lie, 10) and not to covet (be jealous of) other people's things.

God set up these boundaries for the Israelites for their protection. God knew that we humans need specific guidelines so that we would not get ourselves into trouble! He knew we needed Him to be #1 in our lives. (Matt 22:37) But, even though these commandments are what we should follow, God is most concerned about the state of our hearts. Our actions are often the fruit of what's in our hearts. But, God wants to have our hearts and for us to know His love - not be separated from Him by religious ritual!

Going to church every single Sunday won't ensure God's blessing on our lives. But, it will provide accountability for the boundaries above. In tithing, we shouldn't give with a motivation to get, but it is a good indicator of whether or not we put God first in our hearts. "Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it." (Malachi 3:10)

Are you creating a fertile ground in your heart for God's blessing in your life? Ask Him if there are any areas you may need to work on. God wants to bless His children with blessings so great "that there will not be room enough to store it"!

True Financial Freedom

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."  -1 Timothy 6:10

Have you seen anyone destroyed by money? I have.  Have you ever seen someone use money wisely? I've seen that too.  It's difficult to live life without money, but sometimes its presence makes life hard.  How can we make money work for us, instead of us working for it? What are God's purposes for money?

Notice that the above verse doesn’t say that money itself is evil; the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.  The fruit of someone's heart is often revealed by how and where they spend their money.  Are we spending our money on kingdom building initiatives?  Or are we spending it unwisely?  Are we investing money to grow it?  Or are we throwing it away on bad investments because we lack skill? Are we trusting God with our tithe & giving to the poor?  Or are we hoarding money like the wicked & lazy servant Jesus described?  (Matt 25:26)

God desires that we prosper.  The Bible says it is He who gives us the ability to create wealth.  (Deut 8:18)  When we put God first, the rest of our lives fall into place.  It doesn't mean we don't need skill to make and keep money - we absolutely do.  But how we earn that money, and what we do with that money once we earn it is very important in the eyes of our God. 

Most people are in debt.  Debt has become a cultural norm.  In order to be a people financially free and set apart, we have to think differently about money than most people. In order for us to get out of debt, we need to do different things than people who are in debt! Most people don't understand what money is.  Money is not just the ability to buy things; it is a tool to be used.  Money is not just a way to our wants and desires; it is "seed" for our future, and the future of others. 

Do you want to set yourself apart in the area of money?  Good training in this area is crucial so that God's purposes can be accomplished in our lives, and in the world around us.  Pray that God would make you wise in the area of money.

"But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today." -Deuteronomy 8:18

Spiritual Seasons

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build..." -Ecc 3:1-3

One night at our church discipleship group, our worship leader had something she felt needed to be shared during prayer.

"I feel like God wants some of you to know that everyone goes through spiritual seasons, much like we're in a season change right now. Some of you may be in spring, where you're excited about new ideas and new things happening in your life. Others of you may be in winter, where you don't see much going on. But I want you to know that being in a different spiritual season is all okay, and it is all a part of God's plan."

Life in God has spiritual seasons. Sometimes our lives may be in flux. We may not know quite where we are going, and that is okay. We might be shedding old thought patters and beliefs that we need to get rid of in order to take us to a new place. We need to trust God in these seasons. We may be in a harvest season, enjoying the fruit of our labors. We may find ourselves in a dry place, like winter, or we may find ourselves in a place where everything is blooming and we are seeing a lot of spiritual fruit, like summer.

Whatever the season, know that God has a purpose for the season that you are in right now. Like the trees outside, when we're firmly planted in Him, these season changes are a natural part of being a Christian. Sometimes we need to be pruned. Plants that aren't pruned aren't able to grow to their full potential. We need to remember to hold tight to Him and trust Him during these season changes so He can do the greater work in our lives, and so Christ's glory can be revealed in us.

What season are you in right now?

Fearless

"But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus." -Acts 9:27

What does it mean to be fearless? Does it mean we won't have fear when trying something? Does it mean that we aren't afraid of consequences? The Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10) When we have a healthy fear of God, it is wise.

However, there are fears that can cripple us, rob our potential, or steal our joy. These are unhealthy fears. They are unproductive. They don't produce anything good in us. They keep us from producing fruit in our lives. And God wants nothing more than for His kids to be fruitful! (Genesis 9:7)

Becoming fearless is not the absence of fear, but it happens when we can say with surety that God is bigger than our circumstances, He is bigger than our giants, He is bigger than our fear. We choose to believe what God says, that He is greater. Nothing can get in our way with God by our side (nothing will be impossible for you)! We fear, respect & love Him more than our fear. And we decide we will step out in faith to make things happen.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." -John 15:13

Are you able to lay down your fear today?

The Bigness of God

"His Spirit made the heavens beautiful, and his power pierced the gliding serpent. These are just the beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?" -Job 26:13-14  

Every time I go to the mountains I am enamored by God's creation. The sun, the sky, the rivers and lakes, the sunset and sunrise - it's all so amazing and awe-inspiring. I am amazed by the "bigness" of God.
 
The sun, for example, is 875,000 miles across. It is so big, in fact, that 64 million of our moon could fit inside it.* Wow. Our God created that sun. (See Genesis 1:3) Our God is that big!
 
We are not aware of this majesty most days, stuck in the grind of our daily routines. And yet, although we might think of ourselves as insignificant in the grand scheme of things, we can have the most awesome, intimate, and most fulfilling relationship with the God who created the universe.
 
I don't think we as a culture or even as a Christian sub-culture spend enough time focusing on how magnificent God really is. We make little idols out of problems in relationships, the things we have to get done for the day, and our adversities, or whatever it is we think takes us away from our adversity, if only for a moment. But our God is so much bigger! And we are His children, made in His image, saved by His grace.
 
Have you received this revelation of kinship to God and of His "bigness"?

"Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light." -Psalm 36:5-9

Why not focus on the bigness of God in your life today?

*Source: http://ds9.ssl.berkeley.edu/solarweek/DISCUSSION/howbig.html

Uproot the Root!

 

Source

"And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.'" -Exodus 34:6-7

Have you ever had a problem that you simply could not get rid of?  Have you ever had something, whether an emotion, a habit, or a particular thought pattern, no matter how hard you tried, you could rid yourself of it - even after confession and repentance? After we become a Christian and we are “born again” this doesn’t mean that our battle with sin is over.  It simply means that we have become “new in Christ.”  (2 Cor 5:17)  Freedom from sin is a journey, as God reveals what is hidden in our hearts, bringing them to light and into His cleaning power.  (1 John 1:7)

Sometimes we may struggle with something that we've "always" seemed to struggle with. This problem may have had an origin long ago – even before we were born.  We may notice that those in our family struggle with similar issues, or perhaps we never even noticed it was a sin before we became a Christian. But as we walk on our journey, and the Holy Spirit begins to reveal certain things to us that were once okay and are now not as okay anymore, we may realize that something has a hold on our life that shouldn’t.

Once I heard a man speak to a church group about his struggles with sexual sin.  He explained to the audience that infidelity and sexual thoughts were something that he had always struggled with, and he had never known life without these issues.  He kept on going through “sin management”, where he confessed and repented for his actions but would see the same issue rear its ugly head 6 to 8 weeks later.

Eventually, this man received a revelation from the Holy Spirit through reading the scripture that “confession” means to “discover the root” and repent of the root in order to get free.  Since he had no recollection of when the issue began, he realized he was not the one who opened this door to sin initially. Only when he confessed the “genesis” of these issues, where they began from his father and grandfather, was he able to become truly free of their influence.

Are there any issues in your life that you struggle with continuously?  Pray and ask God to show you where they may have their root.  He is faithful to forgive and cleanse us so we can have complete freedom in Him!

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."  -Ephesians 1:7

Overcoming Discouragement

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." -Deuteronomy 31:8  

The Israelites were discouraged. After Moses had sent Joshua and 11 other men to explore the Promised Land for forty days, ten of them came back with a bad report, and the people were upset.
 
"All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, 'If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?'" -Numbers 14:2-4
 
Joshua and Caleb were the only ones with a positive outlook.
 
"Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, 'The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us.'" -Numbers 14:6-8
 
How easy is it to look at a situation with natural eyes instead of looking past the challenges and seeing with eyes of faith? Both Caleb and Joshua had faith in their God that He was going to do all that He said He would do. They were living based on God's promises, not on what they saw. So, when they saw the size of the giants in the land, they were not discouraged. They had faith in God that He was greater. But, Joshua also knew that the Israelites had to get their hearts in the right place in order to ensure God's blessing. "Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them." -Numbers 14:9
 
How often do we miss what God is doing because we see our situations as bigger than Him?
 
Winston Churchill, British politician known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II once said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
 
Let us be "faith optimists", and allow God the opportunity to work when we think the obstacles are insurmountable. God delivers on His promises - always! Our part is having faith, trusting that He is bigger and that He has our best in mind. Our God never fails!

Pure Vessels

"And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in Him." -1 John 3:5

Are you a pure vessel? Being committed to be a Christian involves a continual process of sanctification, and even more so if you are a teacher of God's word.  (John 17:19, James 3:1)  Although Jesus has paid the price for our sins, and we continually receive His forgiveness, there are still things He will require of us so that we become complete and more like Him.  (James 1:4)  This most often has to do with issues of our hearts. "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life."  -Proverbs 4:23

Recently my husband and I went to a marriage conference and one of the sessions was about transparency.  The couple that was speaking talked about their journey of sanctification, which involved the man getting free from issues of adultery.   This of course caused a lot of strife in their marriage, and even though the man had repented to his wife for those things that had happened long ago, he found himself in "sin management", trying to manage the effects that this spiritual root of sin had on him.

This couple had been invited by a pastor to minister to a group of people at a leadership conference, but before they arrived, they had had an argument.  The man felt convicted that they should not minister to this group of people due to the fact that there was strife in their hearts.  As the pastor introduced him, he told him that they were not prepared to minister, and that their hearts were not pure.  The crowd went completely silent.  After a few moments the pastor held the microphone and repented for times when he and his wife ministered with strife in their hearts.  Ninety percent of the crowd got on their knees to repent and the Holy Spirit ministered to the large crowd for more than an hour.  It was very powerful!

As this couple described what had happened, the woman said that when we minister the truth of the gospel but have strife in our hearts, people can receive a double message:  one of God's truth, but then also of whatever unresolved sin is dwelling in our hearts. 

Are you a pure vessel?  Do you make repentance a regular practice in your life?   Pray that God will reveal and remove anything that may block His grace, light, and power in your life.  His word says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." -1 John 1:9

Living by Faith vs. Living by Emotion

"A sound mind makes for a robust body, but runaway emotions corrode the bones." -Proverbs 14:30 (MSG)

We tend to live by emotion in our culture. "Just do what feels right," seems to be the general norm. Many of our thoughts about right and wrong are based on our emotions, on what we perceive is right, or wrong.
 
When someone hurts us, we stand on the perceived reality that they "hurt our feelings." Sometimes we imply a motive behind others' actions which causes us to wrongfully judge them instead of asking about their intentions. We fail to employ discernment to see if the wound had a deeper root from something from our own past or even theirs. And then, we often do not do the even deeper work to discover and let God restore and heal what's broken through the power of forgiveness.
 
Faith, although a substance like emotion, is different from emotion. Faith comes as a response to God's words that knows that what the Bible says is true. It is a response to situations which says, "My God is in control."
 
When we live by emotion, it's like our faith hasn't fully taken root in our hearts. It hasn't yet extended to those situations that make us upset. Jesus described it in this way: "The seed cast in the gravel - this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it." -Matthew 13:20
 
Character is what we do when no one else is looking. It's also what we do in the midst of challenge. Do we bend and fold, or are we able to stand strong on the foundation of our faith? Living by faith ensures a firm foundation. Although it is natural to feel emotion, we should not make decisions based on our emotion. We should make them based on our faith.
 
"The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." -Matthew 7:25
 
Let us be like the house on that firm foundation of faith, as we place our faith and trust in God with whatever difficulties come our way - no matter how we feel.

Discovering the Source of Anger

"'Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath..." -Ephesians 4:6

Things happen in life that are bound to provoke us to anger. There are parts of life that are not fair, and there are people who may drive us crazy. Consequently, at some point of time we will be dealing with anger. Anger is not wrong - anger is a part of life. Jesus was angry. He was angry that the Pharisees began selling in the temple. His anger was righteous anger (some may call it jealousy) that the priests turned a house of worship into a house of greed. (John 2:13-17)

When we are angry a lot, or when we become angry in the same type of situation, we'll know there's something more to our anger, something that we may need to resolve. We'll need to check under the hood, as our emotional engine is overheating.

We may be angry due to an injustice or due to bitterness and unresolved hurt. Whatever it is, we need to be cautious that we deal with what is causing the anger, and not let it go unresolved. Some of anger's effects are fatigue, rage, and depression. We can easily hurt or isolate ourselves from others if we let our anger get out of control. "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." -Proverbs 15:1 Anger is always a secondary emotion. Rarely do people who become angry get to the source of true thing that needs to be dealt with. But, effectively resolving these emotions result in more freedom and peace in our daily lives. God tells us to resolve our anger - because He knows we will experience more freedom as a result.

I know someone who used to have lots of anger. She became angry when she felt like too many expectations were being placed upon her. She grew up in a home with a performance-based mindset, that is, love and acceptance was based on her ability to achieve or believe certain things. As a result, she felt that she would only be loved and accepted for what she did. As a teenager she was really depressed and angry at herself but didn't know why. Later in life she realized she had to forgive her parents for placing so many expectations upon her and and give herself the grace to try and perhaps fail without feeling like it was the end of the world. She also had to learn to set realistic expectations to set herself up for success.

Do you struggle with anger? Pray that God would help you discover the source of that anger, so that you can experience more of His joy, freedom, and peace.

Use Your Gifts!

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ." -1 Peter 4:9-11

What is your gift? The Bible calls us to use the gifts that God has given us to serve others and to minister to Him. The Bible also says His gifts and His call are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29) Through the discovery of our gifts, we can bless others through the "various forms of grace" that God has given to us.
 
"...so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach..." -Romans 12:5-7
 
Often we may not know what our gifts are. There are many great self-assessments and tools you can use that will help you discover your gifts and talents. One I have taken is The Call. Sometimes a leader or friend can see your gifts in you. There are many spiritual gifts which include prophecy, teaching, healing, helping, discernment, and miracles, but also "natural" gifts that God has given as well. (See 1 Corinthians 12:27-29)
 
Sometimes, we might be in a place where we're afraid to use our gifts and talents.  Nonetheless, God instructs us to. Sometimes we might think another person has a greater gift than us, so we are ashamed of our gift. But God doesn't feel that way about it. He gave us our gifts for a reason. He had a purpose in mind. There is no hierarchy in gifts, and in order to operate as Christ's body, everything must be working! God will give us grace for the things He's called us to.
 
We should use the gifts God has given us so we can be a blessing to others. But we will also find that when we serve in alignment with the way God has gifted us, we will experience joy as a result, because we are being used by God in the ways that He created us. In this, we discover our purpose to be uniquely used by Him to further His kingdom.
 
Are you using your gifts?

Waiting on God

"Be still and know that I am God!  I will be honored by every nation.  I will be honored throughout the world." -Ps 46:10

We humans don't like to wait on God.  We are naturally impatient.  We want everything to happen - right now!  But sometimes our walk of faith requires patience.  In fact, most of the time, it does.

You might have already noticed, God's timing is very different than ours.  He doesn't work by our standards.   Did you know it took 15 years for Sarah to have a baby after God's promise to Abraham?  When God told Abraham the first time he would have a son he was 86 years old.  But when Sarah actually had Isaac Abraham was 100!  God's timing is definitely different than ours.

When I think of people who have inspired me in my faith, it's not necessarily those ones who are busy doing lots of things for God.  It's those people who take the time to really hear His voice, and get His anointing and presence on their lives. This is what truly changes us, and those around us.

To know God's timing we must wait on Him.  Sometimes when we don't know what to do the best thing is just be still and listen.  The answer may not come right away, but God's presence, grace and peace can get us through just about anything.  

Have you waited on God today?