Jeremiah 6:16, Isaiah 30:15 "In rest and returning shall you be saved." Returning to God, putting your trust back in Him and not in your own efforts, you can rest. The burden is no longer on you alone.
Job, of all people understood the need to trust God. He had lost everything, and for no obvious reason, through no fault of his own. His three friends who came to console him actually made hurtful accusations instead of giving comfort. He might have given up, feeling His God could no longer be trusted. But, Job did not surrender to doubt or unbelief.
He called on the only one who could vindicate or justify him. He said, "I know my Redeemer lives." (Job 19:25) Since the only One who could be trusted was God, Job knew that the accusations against him had only one answer, the answer only a perfect God could give.
Only the Savior can answer our accusers and the "Accuser of the brethren", the devil. So if you are being accused without cause, by others, by your own false guilt, check out Job's story. If you have so many things going against you today, call on the One who can be trusted. In Him you will find the rest and peace, the justification and vindication only He can provide. Just ask! Doma
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Put Your Armor On
In Ephesians 6:10 - 18, the Apostle Paul gives a direct order - twice. He gives a clear reason for the order. Let's review what it says. "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."
Paul takes the time to explain that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against the forces of hell. We know from experience that the schemes of the evil one enter our mind, enter our world, enter our field of vision with tailor-made temptations and attacks aimed exactly at our weaknesses. We would be powerless without our God. He has made special provision for our defense; we must use it!
The majority of the spiritual weapons we are to put on are defensive. Only one is offensive. We are to actually arm ourselves with these pieces of armor so we can "stand our ground when the evil day comes." You'd have to have been in a coma not to recognize that the day of evil is here.
The word "stand" is used three times to emphasize the idea of remaining strong and in "battle mode". So stand in prayer and put the armor on piece by piece every day. The entire armor represents Christ Himself. So we are obeying the command to put on Christ when we put this armor on.
The first item we put on is the belt of truth. We remember Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one can come to the Father but by me." The truth holds our Christian life together. The belt of truth encircles out waist and the waist is the middle of our body, therefore the truth we know of God holds our lives together.
The next article we dress in is the breast plate of righteousness. The book of Romans explains how we are made righteous (right with God) through Jesus Christ. So we have righteousness covering our vital organs and especially our hearts. We know in our minds and hearts that we are in right standing with God because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.
We have foot wear too, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the readiness to take the good news of the victory we have over sin and death through Christ. Wherever our feet take us, we take along the wonderful message that sets captives free. It's like running to tell fellow slaves that Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and our lives will have a brand new future. Only this news is everlastingly and eternally better because death has lost its power and cowers in defeat and sin has lost it stranglehold upon us through God's great grace.
Next we must take up the shield of faith. With this weapon we can "extinguish the fiery darts of the evil one". Made to attack our areas of vulnerability, the fiery darts are aimed strategically. Without the shield of faith, we are going to be pierced and give in to temptation. This shield is mentioned throughout scripture. "...the life that I live, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loves me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20. The translation I used said "by the faith of the Son of God" and others say "by faith in the Son of God". Don't let that bother you because anyway you look at it, the faith we have is a gift of God and not acquired by works, so nobody can boast about it. Since God is the author and finisher of our faith, He has given us the right amount for where we are right now. Don't let anyone tell you don't have enough faith, it is your shield!
Now for your head gear, you put on the helmet of salvation. This piece of the armor protects your mind because it is the knowledge of the completed work of Christ and all that means. Your doubts and fears about life and death can be put to rest since your destiny is securely held by the nail-pierced hands of the risen Savior. You can know whose you are and why you are here. You have access to the very throne of grace. Jesus Himself is praying for you. You are truly saved for life forever and conversely, saved from everlasting death.
The defensive weapon is put on last. It is the sword of the Spirit, the mighty word of God. As Dr. David Jeremiah says, "it is the Rhema in the Logos of God." It is the "sayings of God" in the book of God, "like an individual sword in an armory". These words are the individual memorized scriptures with which you can meet the trials and temptations of your daily life. The Holy Spirit aids us in memorizing; He brings these sayings to mind at just the right time, but we have to input them before they will be brought to our minds. That is why we need to memorize scripture, so we will be able to disarm and defeat the enemy with the mighty two edged sword that can cut so deeply it ". . .divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) God's word can free us from the strongholds of sin, pry lose the tentacles of bad habits, and free us from paralyzing fears and anxieties.
Having put on all this armor, we are told to pray and how to pray. We are advised to be alert. Good soldiers are always armed and alert, ready for battle because it will come. "But be of good cheer" Jesus has overcome the world. We are not fighting alone or left as orphans, we have the Holy Spirit to help us. But that's another subject. PUT ON YOUR ARMOR DAILY! Doma
Paul takes the time to explain that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against the forces of hell. We know from experience that the schemes of the evil one enter our mind, enter our world, enter our field of vision with tailor-made temptations and attacks aimed exactly at our weaknesses. We would be powerless without our God. He has made special provision for our defense; we must use it!
The majority of the spiritual weapons we are to put on are defensive. Only one is offensive. We are to actually arm ourselves with these pieces of armor so we can "stand our ground when the evil day comes." You'd have to have been in a coma not to recognize that the day of evil is here.
The word "stand" is used three times to emphasize the idea of remaining strong and in "battle mode". So stand in prayer and put the armor on piece by piece every day. The entire armor represents Christ Himself. So we are obeying the command to put on Christ when we put this armor on.
The first item we put on is the belt of truth. We remember Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one can come to the Father but by me." The truth holds our Christian life together. The belt of truth encircles out waist and the waist is the middle of our body, therefore the truth we know of God holds our lives together.
The next article we dress in is the breast plate of righteousness. The book of Romans explains how we are made righteous (right with God) through Jesus Christ. So we have righteousness covering our vital organs and especially our hearts. We know in our minds and hearts that we are in right standing with God because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.
We have foot wear too, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the readiness to take the good news of the victory we have over sin and death through Christ. Wherever our feet take us, we take along the wonderful message that sets captives free. It's like running to tell fellow slaves that Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and our lives will have a brand new future. Only this news is everlastingly and eternally better because death has lost its power and cowers in defeat and sin has lost it stranglehold upon us through God's great grace.
Next we must take up the shield of faith. With this weapon we can "extinguish the fiery darts of the evil one". Made to attack our areas of vulnerability, the fiery darts are aimed strategically. Without the shield of faith, we are going to be pierced and give in to temptation. This shield is mentioned throughout scripture. "...the life that I live, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loves me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20. The translation I used said "by the faith of the Son of God" and others say "by faith in the Son of God". Don't let that bother you because anyway you look at it, the faith we have is a gift of God and not acquired by works, so nobody can boast about it. Since God is the author and finisher of our faith, He has given us the right amount for where we are right now. Don't let anyone tell you don't have enough faith, it is your shield!
Now for your head gear, you put on the helmet of salvation. This piece of the armor protects your mind because it is the knowledge of the completed work of Christ and all that means. Your doubts and fears about life and death can be put to rest since your destiny is securely held by the nail-pierced hands of the risen Savior. You can know whose you are and why you are here. You have access to the very throne of grace. Jesus Himself is praying for you. You are truly saved for life forever and conversely, saved from everlasting death.
The defensive weapon is put on last. It is the sword of the Spirit, the mighty word of God. As Dr. David Jeremiah says, "it is the Rhema in the Logos of God." It is the "sayings of God" in the book of God, "like an individual sword in an armory". These words are the individual memorized scriptures with which you can meet the trials and temptations of your daily life. The Holy Spirit aids us in memorizing; He brings these sayings to mind at just the right time, but we have to input them before they will be brought to our minds. That is why we need to memorize scripture, so we will be able to disarm and defeat the enemy with the mighty two edged sword that can cut so deeply it ". . .divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) God's word can free us from the strongholds of sin, pry lose the tentacles of bad habits, and free us from paralyzing fears and anxieties.
Having put on all this armor, we are told to pray and how to pray. We are advised to be alert. Good soldiers are always armed and alert, ready for battle because it will come. "But be of good cheer" Jesus has overcome the world. We are not fighting alone or left as orphans, we have the Holy Spirit to help us. But that's another subject. PUT ON YOUR ARMOR DAILY! Doma
Friday, June 19, 2009
Remembering My Daddy
I have specific smells, sounds and sights that make me recall my Dad. The odor of gasoline and oil in a automotive repair shop, the wail of steel guitar in a country song, and the sight of a long, low Lincoln from the late 50's all bring my Daddy to mind.
Other smells that don't carry such great memories are whiskey and stale cigarette smoke . I am intentionally going to try to concentrate on the good things I recall about him, however.
He loved to sing and made up little ditties putting in my name or Mom's name. He would sing long and loud, just to irritate my Mother; "I don't care what Mama don't allow, I'm gonna drink that whiskey anyhow." He called me his sweetheart when I was little. He took me with him sometimes. Often I spent hours in the car waiting for him to come out of wherever he was.
Since there were no rest areas, if we needed to go, we had to pull over to the side of the gravel road to "drain our radiators". He would always have a pint of whiskey under the front seat and a fifth of Jim Beam in the trunk whenever we went some place.
It is so hard to tell you about him without mentioning the drug that ruled his every waking moment and our lives. But we did do some normal things together. We camped out, we fished, we water skied, and we took trips to Iowa and the Black Hills. It was always the same, however, he would take us to wherever we were going and then leave us for awhile. He had to get more alcohol, find the good time.
I believe my Dad had a good sense of humor, a sense of honor, a conscience, (however seared and numbed),and a compassion for the down and out. He also carried a deep hurt. He did not have the best family life growing up. His family were "yellers" and the whole town knew it. He suffered from the delusion that no matter what, he could never be good enough for his family, for himself or for God even. He gave up even trying and became self-absorbed and self-centered, deciding to please himself in any way he desired.
He was a generous man, to a fault. I guess he thought he might buy friends or buy respect. He was moody and unpredictable, melancholy and depressed. He had suffered many losses before he even reached 21. He had been back from WWII only two years, had established a business and then tragedy struck. Losing his wife in a one car roll-over accident was too much to bear. He never really recovered.
I am choosing right now to remember the pranks, the happy songs, and those times he called me his sweetheart. I am honoring, respecting and forgiving him. He was, after all, human and heir to all that involves. The only regret I have is not being able to share Christ with him.
I became a Christian five years after he died. Will I see him again? Only my Heavenly Father knows that for certain. So, Father God, I want to thank You for being my Abba, my Daddy, now. Doma
Other smells that don't carry such great memories are whiskey and stale cigarette smoke . I am intentionally going to try to concentrate on the good things I recall about him, however.
He loved to sing and made up little ditties putting in my name or Mom's name. He would sing long and loud, just to irritate my Mother; "I don't care what Mama don't allow, I'm gonna drink that whiskey anyhow." He called me his sweetheart when I was little. He took me with him sometimes. Often I spent hours in the car waiting for him to come out of wherever he was.
Since there were no rest areas, if we needed to go, we had to pull over to the side of the gravel road to "drain our radiators". He would always have a pint of whiskey under the front seat and a fifth of Jim Beam in the trunk whenever we went some place.
It is so hard to tell you about him without mentioning the drug that ruled his every waking moment and our lives. But we did do some normal things together. We camped out, we fished, we water skied, and we took trips to Iowa and the Black Hills. It was always the same, however, he would take us to wherever we were going and then leave us for awhile. He had to get more alcohol, find the good time.
I believe my Dad had a good sense of humor, a sense of honor, a conscience, (however seared and numbed),and a compassion for the down and out. He also carried a deep hurt. He did not have the best family life growing up. His family were "yellers" and the whole town knew it. He suffered from the delusion that no matter what, he could never be good enough for his family, for himself or for God even. He gave up even trying and became self-absorbed and self-centered, deciding to please himself in any way he desired.
He was a generous man, to a fault. I guess he thought he might buy friends or buy respect. He was moody and unpredictable, melancholy and depressed. He had suffered many losses before he even reached 21. He had been back from WWII only two years, had established a business and then tragedy struck. Losing his wife in a one car roll-over accident was too much to bear. He never really recovered.
I am choosing right now to remember the pranks, the happy songs, and those times he called me his sweetheart. I am honoring, respecting and forgiving him. He was, after all, human and heir to all that involves. The only regret I have is not being able to share Christ with him.
I became a Christian five years after he died. Will I see him again? Only my Heavenly Father knows that for certain. So, Father God, I want to thank You for being my Abba, my Daddy, now. Doma
Monday, June 15, 2009
Seeds And Seedlings
While working with plants and flowers, growing some from seed and buying some of them, I have made some observations about life. Maybe I can compare the plants grown from seed to those purchased and grown as seedlings. And to compare them even further, I will use these plants as metaphors for the Christian life.
People who are fortunate enough to be grown with the seeds of the Gospel sown into their lives early are so blessed. Perhaps they have never known what it is like to be on "the search", the quest for meaning in their lives. I have no idea how it would be to come to the blessed knowledge of Christ and come into a relationship with Him at an early age. For me, the Christian life, as I first understood it, was nothing but hard work and striving toward unattainable perfection.
I guess I was one of the older seedlings brought into my Father's garden. When I was first planted into the soil of the Gospel, I was already 30 years old. I know how difficult the search for direction and meaning in life can be. I never realized meaning and purpose could be in the person of Christ and a relationship with Him. I thought working hard at doing good works would give my life meaning. I hoped at best to be useful to God, and at least to earn a little favor in His sight. That was the best I could hope for. My motives were far from perfect, they were actually an attempt to manipulate the Most High!
Burnout was soon on the horizon for my new found Christian life. I actually got the whole concept backwards. I really could bring nothing to God, I had nothing to give but my own self.
Here is the way it is, God gave His Son so that whosoever (that would be me) could have eternal life through faith in Him. Even the very faith I profess isn't mine, but it is the gift of God, so I cannot boast about it at all.
Can a seed tell itself to grow? Can a small tree tell itself to become taller? Of course not! So it really depends on who the gardener is in the garden as to how much you, as a seed or plant, actually grow. You just have to yield, cooperate. The proof of your relationship with Christ will be the fruit. The work you do will come from your connection to the living LORD. It will be an outpouring of your love, a response to Him, not a means to manipulate or earn His love. You already have that!
So here we are growing, I hope. Thriving and being nourished by the Divine Gardener, we bear fruit that shows we are rooted deeply in the truth of the Gospel. Doma
People who are fortunate enough to be grown with the seeds of the Gospel sown into their lives early are so blessed. Perhaps they have never known what it is like to be on "the search", the quest for meaning in their lives. I have no idea how it would be to come to the blessed knowledge of Christ and come into a relationship with Him at an early age. For me, the Christian life, as I first understood it, was nothing but hard work and striving toward unattainable perfection.
I guess I was one of the older seedlings brought into my Father's garden. When I was first planted into the soil of the Gospel, I was already 30 years old. I know how difficult the search for direction and meaning in life can be. I never realized meaning and purpose could be in the person of Christ and a relationship with Him. I thought working hard at doing good works would give my life meaning. I hoped at best to be useful to God, and at least to earn a little favor in His sight. That was the best I could hope for. My motives were far from perfect, they were actually an attempt to manipulate the Most High!
Burnout was soon on the horizon for my new found Christian life. I actually got the whole concept backwards. I really could bring nothing to God, I had nothing to give but my own self.
Here is the way it is, God gave His Son so that whosoever (that would be me) could have eternal life through faith in Him. Even the very faith I profess isn't mine, but it is the gift of God, so I cannot boast about it at all.
Can a seed tell itself to grow? Can a small tree tell itself to become taller? Of course not! So it really depends on who the gardener is in the garden as to how much you, as a seed or plant, actually grow. You just have to yield, cooperate. The proof of your relationship with Christ will be the fruit. The work you do will come from your connection to the living LORD. It will be an outpouring of your love, a response to Him, not a means to manipulate or earn His love. You already have that!
So here we are growing, I hope. Thriving and being nourished by the Divine Gardener, we bear fruit that shows we are rooted deeply in the truth of the Gospel. Doma
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
A Call To Surrender
Personal note: When a person receives encouragement from someone who is dear, it means so much. For this reason-because of your affirmation, I will keep writing blog entries.
Life is so full of contradictions. We hold tightly to things we need to release and don't always appreciate those dependable, ever present things. Dare I substitute the word people for the word things?
I will never forget the day I had to surrender my three boys to the Lord. I knew I was hanging on too tightly to them. They needed to move on and become the men God intended. They were actually 7, 9 and 10 when I committed them to God's care. I recall the moment clearly.I was making a bed with clean smelling sheets fresh from the clothes line when a question formed in my mind. "Will you give your sons to Me?"I did struggle and cry at the loss of control a true prayer of relinquishment might impose. However, in return, I just knew they would be safe in His charge. Believe me, I reminded the Lord many times of His promise to keep them close to His heart.
There was a night when the wicked one painted an image in my mind that was so horribly clear. In my mind I saw an overturned, out of control motorcycle. I saw some blood, a ditch and fear clutched at my throat. I just knew my son was involved. Turns out he was not the one who got hurt, he was the one who was able to help the injured boy. God was faithful. And He still is!
Early on, I found it very hard to let the little guys go beyond the yard. Next they went to school, and that was very hard, all three times. I so wanted to control their world and keep them from every harm; solve every problem. This anxiety drove me to my knees many times.
I still pray for the LORD to keep His covenant with me and also keep close their spouses and children. I just know He will. That's the kind of God we have! Doma
Life is so full of contradictions. We hold tightly to things we need to release and don't always appreciate those dependable, ever present things. Dare I substitute the word people for the word things?
I will never forget the day I had to surrender my three boys to the Lord. I knew I was hanging on too tightly to them. They needed to move on and become the men God intended. They were actually 7, 9 and 10 when I committed them to God's care. I recall the moment clearly.I was making a bed with clean smelling sheets fresh from the clothes line when a question formed in my mind. "Will you give your sons to Me?"I did struggle and cry at the loss of control a true prayer of relinquishment might impose. However, in return, I just knew they would be safe in His charge. Believe me, I reminded the Lord many times of His promise to keep them close to His heart.
There was a night when the wicked one painted an image in my mind that was so horribly clear. In my mind I saw an overturned, out of control motorcycle. I saw some blood, a ditch and fear clutched at my throat. I just knew my son was involved. Turns out he was not the one who got hurt, he was the one who was able to help the injured boy. God was faithful. And He still is!
Early on, I found it very hard to let the little guys go beyond the yard. Next they went to school, and that was very hard, all three times. I so wanted to control their world and keep them from every harm; solve every problem. This anxiety drove me to my knees many times.
I still pray for the LORD to keep His covenant with me and also keep close their spouses and children. I just know He will. That's the kind of God we have! Doma
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Purpose for This
Is anybody reading, enjoying, learning, or laughing in response to anything I write?
I rely on the comments section for feed back. No one will contact you. No one will be offended if you disagree with anything I write. Someone will be very appreciative if you write a comment - me. I even removed the Followers icon on the blog. I don't want followers, just readers!
My purpose in writing today is to ask for a response to this blog's content and for encouragement to keep writing here.
I guess I write most often just to examine how I feel about certain issues and to sort out those feelings. I also use this posting site to sort out my beliefs. It has been good for me, but I really wanted it to be helpful to someone else.
I am considering just going back to pen and paper journaling. I still do some of that anyway. Can anyone give me any reason to continue to post to this blog? Doma
I rely on the comments section for feed back. No one will contact you. No one will be offended if you disagree with anything I write. Someone will be very appreciative if you write a comment - me. I even removed the Followers icon on the blog. I don't want followers, just readers!
My purpose in writing today is to ask for a response to this blog's content and for encouragement to keep writing here.
I guess I write most often just to examine how I feel about certain issues and to sort out those feelings. I also use this posting site to sort out my beliefs. It has been good for me, but I really wanted it to be helpful to someone else.
I am considering just going back to pen and paper journaling. I still do some of that anyway. Can anyone give me any reason to continue to post to this blog? Doma
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