Getting Dressed

“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. 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

Ephesians 6:10-18

The attacks of the enemy are real. They are heavy, scary, and sometimes even suffocating. But God has given us everything we need to battle these attacks. He has given us His truth to declare when the devil plants seeds of doubt, the gift of His imputed righteousness, the gift of peace that surpasses all understanding, faith in God’s almighty power and authority, the gift of salvation through the blood of His Son, the gift of the Spirit, who God calls “helper”, to intercede for us, and the gift of His Word, which is sharper than a two edged sword. These are our weapons to battle any and all attacks against the evil one!

The importance and urgency to battle the assaults of the enemy has been so heavy on my heart lately that it drove me to put together a little craft to remind myself to get dressed in the Armor of God each morning.  I typed up Ephesians 6:10-18, put it in a frame, and hung it on the mirror in my bathroom.  For the past week I have prayed this scripture every morning as I have gotten ready and it has truly prepared me for battle! As the attacks come I am overwhelmed with the confidence that the Lord has clothed and equipped me with by using these holy weapons! 

We no longer have to tremble with fear, feel helpless, or become paralyzed by the spiritual forces of evil.  Instead, we will arm ourselves and wage war with these God-given weapons!  We may have several battles to face each and every day, but we know God has ultimately won the war and has given us the same strength and power to win these battles! Praise Jesus!

Running a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Today I am thankful that my relationship with God is more like a marathon than a sprint.  

I think so often our human minds like to think things like, “Once I’ve accomplished ____ then I’ll really be where God wants me to be”, or “Once I get to    (point in life)    everything will be okay”, or “I’m not ready to do what God has called me to do yet because I haven’t done ____ yet”, or “When I get to this certain place I’ll finally be open to let God do the things He wants to do in my life.” 

This can either be where we want to be spiritually or what we want to accomplish physically, but I think the thought process can be very similar either way.  I love that most of the verses in the Bible that talk about God’s will talk about the will of God being a matter of the heart.  It does not talk about the will of God as a final destination point that we will finally get to in a few weeks, months, or years.  

It is good to have goals and dreams, but when we are so fixated on getting to the next destination, spiritually or physically, we limit what God wants to do with us in our current place.  Can you imagine if our relationships with God were like sprints? I imagine I would cross the finish line out of breath, wondering why I was in such a hurry to get so far ahead of God. I would much rather be running alongside God as he trains me and prepares me knowing that He will use me for His glory along the way.

God doesn’t require us to have done a list of things before He is able to finally use us and He doesn’t expect us to rush from one place to the other to be in His will. He can use us wherever we are, all that He requires is an open heart completely surrendered and set on Him. “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 3:1.  As we set our hearts on Him we can be assured that we are in the will of God because from our heart flows our actions.  “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” Proverbs 4:23. When you’re walking with God you don’t have to worry about if you’re in the right place; Jesus is the right place.

So let’s not fear that we are out of God’s will, or close or hearts to God because we think we’re not ready to be used.  Let us rejoice knowing that God is pleased with a heart that is focused on Him and trust that He is making us ready for the days to come.  Let us run a race of endurance knowing that God is cheering us on every step of the way! 

“And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus”

Hebrews 12:1-2

“Be joyful always; pray continually;

give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

My God, my joy, my delight!

"Then will I go to the altar of God,

to God, my joy and my delight.

I will praise you with the harp,

O God, my God"

Psalm 43:4

Do you ever have those days when you think it can’t get any better... and then it does! 

Today has been one of those days. Days like today make me want to sing His praises forever and never stop. That’s why I can’t wait for heaven, because we will get to do exactly that. 

Jesus knows my heart and for that I am forever thankful (Psalm 44:21).  He created my heart with certain longings and desires knowing that He would be the only one who could ever fully satisfy them. Jesus knows exactly how to play the strings of my heart.   

I am so thankful for a God who knows me, pursues me, enjoys me, and continually finds ways to captivate my heart.  His overwhelming love leads me to love Him more. I want to spend every day loving Him, obeying Him, and thanking Him because I want to ravish His heart as much as he ravishes mine.

Radically Love

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another:

just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

 By this all people will know that you are my disciples,

 if you have love for one another.”

John 13:34-35

These are the words Jesus left with His disciples as He prepared them for His impending death.  He commanded them to do something radical… to love in the same way that He loves.  Take a minute to let that sink in. Think about how Jesus loves.  He served his friends by washing their feet.  He loved the outcasts (drunkards, prostitutes, tax collectors) when no one else did.  He is loyal, He is patient with us, He forgives quickly, and He is a selfless giver. He cares for us, pursues us, and protects us. He laid down his life for you, and for me.

We have been commanded to love others in the same way Christ loves us.  Jesus doesn’t just love half way, He loves radically, and commands us to do the same. 

This truth pierced my heart a few days ago as I opened up the book “Love Does” by Bob Goff.  It is a book of stories from Bob’s life with the theme of loving others in an extreme and intentional way.  Bob loves others simply because Christ loves him.  Only a few pages in and I felt a strong conviction in my spirit.  If Jesus has commanded me to love others in the SAME way that He loves us, then my life should look a lot different than it does.  Loving others isn’t just something you stumble into when it feels convenient, or when you’re in a good mood. No, love is accomplished by seeing others through the eyes of Christ and treating them in the same way Christ would have if He were in our shoes today.  

I believe Bob Goff summarizes perfectly what it means to be radical with our love when he says this: “I’ve never read in Genesis that God created “typical” and called it good. Instead, I think men who were bored made up typical and called it, if not good, at least acceptable. People who follow Jesus, though, are no longer typical- God is consistently inviting them into a life that moves away from typical. Even if they have normal jobs, live in normal houses, and drive normal cars, they’re not just the same anymore.” 

Once we have revelation in our heart of Christ’s love for us we become equipped to love others in the same way.  In Mike Bickle’s book “Seven Longings of the Human Heart” he says, “It takes God to love God, and it takes our receipt of God’s supernatural power to give us the capacity to love Him.” I believe this also applies to loving others.  As humans, our love runs out quickly and selfishly, but only with Jesus’s love are we able to love people the way that we were made to.  

What does radical love look like in your life? In my life it could be praying over others when I would rather just pray about my own needs, sharing the great news of the gospel with a coworker, paying for a friend’s dinner just because, loving the people in my life that are not easy to love, or even buying a pair of shoes for the homeless man on the street.  

Let us be intentional with our love. Loving others as Christ so graciously loves us. Let’s love outside the box. THIS is how we will make Jesus’s name famous throughout the world.