Day 23 - Change Your Life!
We come to the end of our official study in Ephesians. But that shouldn't mean the end of your love affair with this glorious epistle. You know have a major weapon in your arsenal against the wickedness in high places, against the rulers of the darkness of this world! When you find yourself feeling alone in despair, fear rising up in your flesh and your mind...reach for those scriptures in Ephesians and remind yourself, encourage yourself of the mighty peace and joy that God has given to you.
That brings me to the close of this study. Do you recognize all of the awesome tools that man meant for evil and which God uses for good? We have free access to libraries, free Bibles, bookstores and the like. The Internet age has given us blogs, chat rooms, websites and other resources to read His read and to meditate on His goodness regardless of where we are in the world.
Here is a list I thought about when I opened my Kindle 2 e-reader this week:
1. Bible. Most of us have a copy of the Bible. I have seven versions in various rooms of the house. In any major room, anyone who enters can find the Word of God for his or her use.
2. Television. There are a myriad of great Bible channels on TV. Even if you don't get satellite, cable and local all have at least one channel a week where there is preaching of the Word. Be mindful of what you allow into your house this way, there are many charlatans and preachers of something other than Jesus who come as lambs into your life.
3. Computer. Well, likely if you are reading this you have one. Your laptop (as I have prefer), desktop or mini serve you well this way. There are a number of devilish things out there but more and more saints are using these methods to share the simpleness of Christ and His wonderful love for all of us.
4. Cell phone. Do you have one? I do, and I can get my blog and other email devotions sent straight to my phone each day. Again, the cost is typically $5 a month for unlimited texts-sign-up for one of the many awesome daily texts at Biblegateway or other similar sites.
5. E-Readers. My sister-in-law got the Sony for Christmas and I couldn't wait for the Kindle. When I received it this week, I opened it in the car and promptly downloaded the free KJV Bible and the ESV Bible indexed, and referenced--it took 60 seconds. WOW!
6. Your backyard or front yard. What???? Yes, go out into nature and observe the magnificence and beauty that God alone created. See the bird, the road, the tree, the cloud, the rain, the snow, the sun--whatever happens to be in front of you and ponder the wonder of it all. His Word speaks about all man being able to find Him in the observation of nature--in fact, it is really supernatural if you think about it.
7. Your mind and your dreams. We can put healthy words, encouraging words, scripture into our lives and train our minds to take on the mind of Christ. He will inhabit your thoughts and dreams in a magnificent way.
8. Paper and pencil--my favorite. This blog for me is an outgrowth of my love the paper and pencil. I keep a pad and paper or pen with me wherever I go. I journal, write thoughts, ideas, scripture, whatever God prompts my fingers to do. A friend of mine, Colleen, tells me that God knows how to shake the truth out of us just when we need it!!!
9. Your mouth. Now we just completed Taming the Tongue last month--are you practicing the principles? Are you putting in an effort to speak words of Truth and Life? If not, jump back on the archives and print out the checklist to keep on your nightstand. The more accountability you take to memorize, study, meditate and follow the Word, the better your spiritual muscles become over time.
10. Your Church! Are you in a Bible-believing church? Do you trust your pastor to handle the Word with grace and truth? Does your pastor encourage you to read the Word for yourself and to study and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling? If not, find a new church! You can do a lot of research on the Internet.
11. Your sisters and brothers in Christ. Reach out to them, set-up regular meetings or coffee dates (even if it is once a month) to chat about the Word and how God is working your life. Be specific! Don't use your tongue to complain, but use it to lift-up, truly share troubles and to pray for each other.
12. Jesus. Well, He is with us wherever we are. Greater is He that is in me than He who is in the world! Trust Him, Talk to Him, Praise Him, Love Him, Allow Him to give you all He has and to lift you up to the heavenlies seated next to Him in triumphant joy and love.
So tomorrow, March 1, we start a new study. I have some ideas but am waiting for God's confirmation on which direction to take. I love living the Word, I love talking about and writing about Jesus--He is so real and He is so awesome and has blessed me to the ends of this world.
I took a long turn away and struggled to get back to loving and trusting Him after my mom Betty passed away. But He has called me to Him and shown me His love and grace and Truth and for that, I can never leave Him nor forsake Him. If I keep my eyes, heart, mind, soul, body, possessions and desires squarely on Him--He carries the burden.
Love and blessings to my fellow-heirs in Christ. Till we chat again be blessed and full of love, Sister Lisa.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Day 22 - Change Your Life
Day 22 Change Your Life!
So now the book of Ephesians should be deep in your heart! Continue to commit to reading it once a week or whenever the gravity of the world pulls you down, GET UP! Take God's Word and use the mighty Salve of Salvation to nurture your soul and propel you forward. The old hymnals aren't sung much these days but there is such beauty and truth in many of them. True to scripture here are some songs from old that speak about Ephesians' promises...you can look them up, they are public domain http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Saving_Grace_Eastwood/
Our next study is still open for suggestions...for a few more days. If you have something on your heart please send me an email to seeinggodsbeauty@yahoo.com.
Here is our word for the day:
Francis Crosby wrote this song in 1891:
Some day the silver cord will break,And I no more as now shall sing;
But, oh, the joy when I shall wake
Within the palace of the King!
Refrain:And I shall see Him face to face,And tell the story—Saved by grace.
Some day my earthly house will fall;I cannot tell how soon ’twill be;
But this I know—my All in All Has now a place in heav’n for me.
Some day, when fades the golden sun
Beneath the rosy tinted west,
My blessed Lord will say, “Well done!”And I shall enter into rest.
Some day: till then I’ll watch and wait,My lamp all trimmed and burning bright,
That when my Savior opes the gate,My soul to Him may take its flight.
This by Adam Greibel in 1912:
When I shall see my Lord and King,
And with the saints His glory sing,
When I behold Him face to face,
I’ll praise His name for saving grace.
Refrain:O wondrous grace! the grace that saves;
’Twas grace that rescued me;
My Savior died, the Crucified,
That I redeemed might be.
He found me helpless and alone,
He found me helpless and alone,
He claimed the lost one as His own,
He made my heart His dwelling place,
And gladdened me with saving grace.
Since then the years have fled away,
But Christ is still my hope and stay;
And when at last I’ve run my race,
I’ll praise His name for saving grace.
Someday I’ll join the angel throng,
And raise with them the triumph song;
At Jesus’ feet I’ll take my place,
And praise His name for saving grace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be Unified Today in Our Lord:
1. When we realize we are members of “one body” in Christ we can treat one another with the same love Christ has for his body.
2. When we worship the Triune God we give honor and glory to one Lord, one Spirit, and one God and Father of all true believers. The doctrine of the Trinity is woven throughout this letter of the apostle Paul.
3. When we understand the biblical teaching on the baptism by the Holy Spirit we want him to have full control over our lives so we can preserve the unity of his church.
Be blessed today Beloved Sisters and Brothers, Walk in Love and Give All to the One Who Has All! Sister Lisa
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Day 21 - Change Your Life!
Day 21 - Change Your Life!
Pray, Read the book of Ephesians, Praise God
STUDY VERSES:
Final Greetings
21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything.
22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.
23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.
STUDY QUESTIONS:
1. Why is it important to read, study and understand the people in the Bible--like Tychicus?
2. What do you think it was like in the first century church? How important is encouragement from other believers and followers?
3. What is peace to you? Is it an environment? Is it a "state" of mind? How would you describe the peace of God?
4. Why do you believe Paul sends "grace" to the believers? What significance does grace have in this passage?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Commentary from ESV:
Eph. 6:21–24 Conclusion. Paul concludes his letter with closing remarks (vv. 21–22) and a final benediction (vv. 23–24). The remarks concern his introduction of Tychicus.
Eph. 6:21–22 Tychicus the beloved brother had served Paul faithfully for some time (see Acts 20:4; Col. 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:12; Titus 3:12) and probably carried the original letter to Ephesus.
Eph. 6:23–24 Paul concludes his letter with a benediction of peace, love, faith, and grace upon the church, as he had done in the opening (1:2). He mentions “love” three times, which is fitting for a letter where the love of God, the love of Christ, and Christian love have been prominent themes.
Commentary on Ephesians 6:19-24
The gospel was a mystery till made known by Divine revelation; and it is the work of Christ's ministers to declare it. The best and most eminent ministers need the prayers of believers. Those particularly should be prayed for, who are exposed to great hardships and perils in their work. Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith. By peace, understand all manner of peace; peace with God, peace of conscience, peace among themselves. And the grace of the Spirit, producing faith and love, and every grace. These he desires for those in whom they were already begun. And all grace and blessings come to the saints from God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Grace, that is, the favour of God; and all good, spiritual and temporal, which is from it, is and shall be with all those who thus love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, and with them only.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 21, three weeks of reading Ephesians...how blessed we are to have access to the Word of God. There are so many resources that are free, easy to get to and give us such a wonderful opportunity to know the word for ourselves.
Grace is a gift that is difficult for most of us to receive. Each day I must pray for the openness to receive the gift of grace as I put on my armor and check it for wear and tear--grace is important for me to received and extend to fellow believers.
Notice in the commentary that "grace" is only extended to believers (the favor of God)--we can extend love, peace, patience, forgiveness and other fruits of the Spirit to non-believers but they are not under grace. What does this mean? It means that in our constant state of prayer and supplication we must lift up the non-believers and ask God to reveal Himself to them. We are a link in the cosmic chain from earth to Jesus to heaven to eternal life.
Without us as part of the link, where will the sinners go? They go into the world like sheep to the slaughter. Pray my Beloved friends and sisters/brothers in Christ, pray that God will plant your firmly in the chain of Life and let you offer a link to someone today who will see His Light Shine in you and praise God.
Love to you all, Sister Lisa
Pray, Read the book of Ephesians, Praise God
STUDY VERSES:
Final Greetings
21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything.
22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.
23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.
STUDY QUESTIONS:
1. Why is it important to read, study and understand the people in the Bible--like Tychicus?
2. What do you think it was like in the first century church? How important is encouragement from other believers and followers?
3. What is peace to you? Is it an environment? Is it a "state" of mind? How would you describe the peace of God?
4. Why do you believe Paul sends "grace" to the believers? What significance does grace have in this passage?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Commentary from ESV:
Eph. 6:21–24 Conclusion. Paul concludes his letter with closing remarks (vv. 21–22) and a final benediction (vv. 23–24). The remarks concern his introduction of Tychicus.
Eph. 6:21–22 Tychicus the beloved brother had served Paul faithfully for some time (see Acts 20:4; Col. 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:12; Titus 3:12) and probably carried the original letter to Ephesus.
Eph. 6:23–24 Paul concludes his letter with a benediction of peace, love, faith, and grace upon the church, as he had done in the opening (1:2). He mentions “love” three times, which is fitting for a letter where the love of God, the love of Christ, and Christian love have been prominent themes.
Commentary on Ephesians 6:19-24
The gospel was a mystery till made known by Divine revelation; and it is the work of Christ's ministers to declare it. The best and most eminent ministers need the prayers of believers. Those particularly should be prayed for, who are exposed to great hardships and perils in their work. Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith. By peace, understand all manner of peace; peace with God, peace of conscience, peace among themselves. And the grace of the Spirit, producing faith and love, and every grace. These he desires for those in whom they were already begun. And all grace and blessings come to the saints from God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Grace, that is, the favour of God; and all good, spiritual and temporal, which is from it, is and shall be with all those who thus love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, and with them only.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 21, three weeks of reading Ephesians...how blessed we are to have access to the Word of God. There are so many resources that are free, easy to get to and give us such a wonderful opportunity to know the word for ourselves.
Grace is a gift that is difficult for most of us to receive. Each day I must pray for the openness to receive the gift of grace as I put on my armor and check it for wear and tear--grace is important for me to received and extend to fellow believers.
Notice in the commentary that "grace" is only extended to believers (the favor of God)--we can extend love, peace, patience, forgiveness and other fruits of the Spirit to non-believers but they are not under grace. What does this mean? It means that in our constant state of prayer and supplication we must lift up the non-believers and ask God to reveal Himself to them. We are a link in the cosmic chain from earth to Jesus to heaven to eternal life.
Without us as part of the link, where will the sinners go? They go into the world like sheep to the slaughter. Pray my Beloved friends and sisters/brothers in Christ, pray that God will plant your firmly in the chain of Life and let you offer a link to someone today who will see His Light Shine in you and praise God.
Love to you all, Sister Lisa
Day 20 - Change Your Life!
Day 20 - Change Your Life
Pray, Read the book of Ephesians, Praise God!
Coming down the homestretch of this wonderful epistle. Has your life changed? Have you slowed down the negative and seen the positive effect God's Word has on your flesh, your mind, your thoughts? Amazing isn't it? The Holy Spirit is alive and doing His work in spite of the pressures of this world, in spite of the devil's plans to thwart holiness, in spite of our resistance to discipline ourselves...
STUDY VERSES:
“always pray in the Spirit.” The TEV reads, “Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads.” My favorite, the REB reads, “. . . pray always in the power of the spirit.” If I could combine my favorite parts of those translations, I would suggest, “In every season {good and bad}, pray, and let your prayer be led by the Spirit.” Now that’s not a literal translation, but I think it’s an expansion that’s justified by the context.
This verse follows Paul’s exposition of the armor of God. Often we stop at the end of the armor passage, and ignore the rest. I’ve heard people repeatedly refer to “putting on the armor of God every morning.” I’m glad you’re putting it on in the morning, but I have to ask: “Why did you take it off last night?” I like to use the armor in my morning prayers, but I see it as a renewal. For Paul, this was a regular state of the Christian life (Galatians 3:27).
Now I may step on various people’s toes, but the key point here is to ask what it means to “pray in the Spirit.” My charismatic brothers and sisters believe this refers to praying in tongues, and it is tied to having a “prayer language.” This prayer language is given initially as the sign of baptism in the Spirit. Now I do pray in tongues, so what I’m about to say is not a criticism of those who pray in tongues. Nonetheless I see no scriptural warrant for the idea that “praying in the Spirit” is the equivalent of praying in tongues, or that any single gift is universal.
The gift of a prayer language is wonderful for my own spiritual life, but as Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 14, it is not an edifying practice in the church congregation, for example (without interpretation). Thus if there are occasions on which one should not pray in tongues, yet one should pray “on every occasion” or “in every season” in the Spirit, then we have a bit of a problem putting both passages into practice!
But the most clear reason not to view “praying in the Spirit” here as a reference to praying in a tongue is simply that there is no reference in the immediate context, or even in the entire book, to the gift of tongues or to prayer in tongues. It simply is not mentioned. Further, in the overall passage there are a number of specific elements commanded in this prayer, petitions are to be made, we are to keep watch and persevere, we are to pray for all the saints. If we are to pray without the mind engaged (1 Corinthians 14:14), why the specific instructions?
The reason here is that Paul is not talking about some particular practice or method of prayer. Paul is talking about our entire attitude and approach to life. The armor of God is not an adjunct to our other activities, it’s the fundamental content–our salvation, the truth, God’s word, God’s Spirit, God’s gift of faith. It’s something that’s turned on all the time. It’s not a phone call once a week, once a day, or even once an hour; it’s your spirit waiting to hear from God’s spirit all the time. It’s an open line where you know God’s presence.
But to be more precise, what does “in the Spirit” mean here? One of the responses I have gotten in discussions with those who believe this refers to praying in tongues is, “Then what is it?” Well, if we look at verse 10, which starts this section, we see that Paul admonishes us to “find [our] strength in the Lord” and then in verse 17 to take up the “sword of the Spirit, the word of God.” The REB again provides a translation I like, though you have to think of it in the context of the whole passage–”the sword which the Spirit gives you.” Now don’t limit the “word of God” here to the written word, though praying from scripture is an excellent approach. This is where “led by the Spirit” comes in.
Praying in the Spirit is, I believe, being so in touch with God that you are praying what God puts in your heart to pray. That’s why I say that prayer is not about getting things from God; it’s about aligning yourself with God’s will. That doesn’t mean that prayer accomplishes nothing, or that you won’t see answers. But it does leave you open for God to change you.
Henry continues: Some time after I returned to the church following my “wilderness wandering” out of seminary, I experienced the presence of God in a powerful way in my own office. Now don’t confuse “powerful” with “pleasant.” In fact, I spent nearly a week, from early Tuesday during my prayer time to Friday afternoon, arguing with God. Now I don’t think arguing with God is a terribly profitable activity, but God can really work you over in such an experience. Many things in my life and ministry changed during that week. But there was one thing that was critical. My prayer life changed.
Before, as a trained Bible teacher, I was often called upon to pray in worship services or for particular people at the altar. When a missionary visited, I knew I would be called on to pray, because my parents were missionaries and I grew up overseas. So when there was a missionary there talking, I would be preparing my prayer for them, composing the right set of words to “bless them” and keep the congregation involved. I prayed some well-composed prayers, even though they were not written. But I must confess that those prayers were terribly routine.
Following my week with God I experienced something new, but I didn’t notice it until someone commented after I had again been called upon to pray for a visiting missionary. He told me it was different. Before my prayers had been eloquent, but routine. Now, he told me, he could feel the power. I realized that I had not composed that prayer. I had not thought about it in advance. I hadn’t felt pressured to “produce” as soon as I was in front of the church. I was just waiting for the Lord to lead and prayer from my heart as the Lord led.
Praying always in the Spirit, I believe, is simply letting God lead in our prayers at all times.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can I relate to what Henry Neufeld says about a change in our prayer life! In an earlier study I commented on a study group where I was asked to speak. God closed my mouth, simply shut my mouth (which isn't easy, mind you :)). I realize now that God was moving the Holy Spirit--He simply does not have to abide by our concept of time, space, physics nor take into account "my feelings"!
I can recall three times over the past twenty-two years of walking with God where I had such a profound move from Him. This one that happened on January 28th will be remembered as part of my testimony of what God has accomplished in my life. Huh, revelation? Just now seeing how and why the Holy Spirit shut my mouth that night. Most people called it "nerves", "fear" or whatever...I know, what I know what I know!
So the subtleties of living for Him are the moment-by-moment energy that He gives us to stay on the path and keep our eyes on the prize. The life-changing, profound and unexplainable times (if we are fortunate to recognize them) are those explosive, stratospheric, otherworldly, and phenomenal times that confirm, boldly, that Jesus is Lord; He is Alive; He Reigns; His Word is Truth; and We Shall Dwell in the House of the Lord Forever and Ever and Ever...Love you, Beloved-Sister Lisa
Pray, Read the book of Ephesians, Praise God!
Coming down the homestretch of this wonderful epistle. Has your life changed? Have you slowed down the negative and seen the positive effect God's Word has on your flesh, your mind, your thoughts? Amazing isn't it? The Holy Spirit is alive and doing His work in spite of the pressures of this world, in spite of the devil's plans to thwart holiness, in spite of our resistance to discipline ourselves...
STUDY VERSES:
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
STUDY QUESTIONS:
1. What does it mean to "pray in the Spirit"?
2. How can we pray all the time?
3. What does supplication mean?
4. Why do we pray for the Saints? Who are the Saints? Do we pray to Saints?
5. Paul asks for prayer to be bold and be given words to proclaim the gospel. Do you pray for your own boldness? How does it feel to be bold?
6. Do you pray for our church leaders and pastors to be bold? Does boldly proclaiming the gospel make your uncomfortable?
7. Do you think that "to each his own" when it comes to faith? Do you think these verses confirm the belief that we should all "have our own faith and keep it to ourselves?" Why or why not?
8. What is the "mystery"? Can you proclaim it boldly?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Commentary from ESV:
Eph. 6:18–20 Being Constant in Prayer. This section offers instruction on prayer (the main weapon of spiritual warfare) and explains when, how, and for whom to pray.
Eph. 6:18 praying. The weapons for warfare are spiritual because they are rooted in prayer, which is the Christian's most powerful resource. Prayer is to permeate believers' lives as a universal practice, as seen by the use of “all” four times in this verse: at all times . . . with all prayer . . . with all perseverance . . . for all the saints. Prayer in the Spirit is a form of worship (John 4:23–24) enabled by the Spirit of God, who intercedes on behalf of the person who prays (Rom. 8:26–27).
This is a commentary by Henry Neuefeld, for me, it summed up my learnings and beliefs about these particular passages:
“always pray in the Spirit.” The TEV reads, “Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads.” My favorite, the REB reads, “. . . pray always in the power of the spirit.” If I could combine my favorite parts of those translations, I would suggest, “In every season {good and bad}, pray, and let your prayer be led by the Spirit.” Now that’s not a literal translation, but I think it’s an expansion that’s justified by the context.
This verse follows Paul’s exposition of the armor of God. Often we stop at the end of the armor passage, and ignore the rest. I’ve heard people repeatedly refer to “putting on the armor of God every morning.” I’m glad you’re putting it on in the morning, but I have to ask: “Why did you take it off last night?” I like to use the armor in my morning prayers, but I see it as a renewal. For Paul, this was a regular state of the Christian life (Galatians 3:27).
Now I may step on various people’s toes, but the key point here is to ask what it means to “pray in the Spirit.” My charismatic brothers and sisters believe this refers to praying in tongues, and it is tied to having a “prayer language.” This prayer language is given initially as the sign of baptism in the Spirit. Now I do pray in tongues, so what I’m about to say is not a criticism of those who pray in tongues. Nonetheless I see no scriptural warrant for the idea that “praying in the Spirit” is the equivalent of praying in tongues, or that any single gift is universal.
The gift of a prayer language is wonderful for my own spiritual life, but as Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 14, it is not an edifying practice in the church congregation, for example (without interpretation). Thus if there are occasions on which one should not pray in tongues, yet one should pray “on every occasion” or “in every season” in the Spirit, then we have a bit of a problem putting both passages into practice!
But the most clear reason not to view “praying in the Spirit” here as a reference to praying in a tongue is simply that there is no reference in the immediate context, or even in the entire book, to the gift of tongues or to prayer in tongues. It simply is not mentioned. Further, in the overall passage there are a number of specific elements commanded in this prayer, petitions are to be made, we are to keep watch and persevere, we are to pray for all the saints. If we are to pray without the mind engaged (1 Corinthians 14:14), why the specific instructions?
The reason here is that Paul is not talking about some particular practice or method of prayer. Paul is talking about our entire attitude and approach to life. The armor of God is not an adjunct to our other activities, it’s the fundamental content–our salvation, the truth, God’s word, God’s Spirit, God’s gift of faith. It’s something that’s turned on all the time. It’s not a phone call once a week, once a day, or even once an hour; it’s your spirit waiting to hear from God’s spirit all the time. It’s an open line where you know God’s presence.
But to be more precise, what does “in the Spirit” mean here? One of the responses I have gotten in discussions with those who believe this refers to praying in tongues is, “Then what is it?” Well, if we look at verse 10, which starts this section, we see that Paul admonishes us to “find [our] strength in the Lord” and then in verse 17 to take up the “sword of the Spirit, the word of God.” The REB again provides a translation I like, though you have to think of it in the context of the whole passage–”the sword which the Spirit gives you.” Now don’t limit the “word of God” here to the written word, though praying from scripture is an excellent approach. This is where “led by the Spirit” comes in.
Praying in the Spirit is, I believe, being so in touch with God that you are praying what God puts in your heart to pray. That’s why I say that prayer is not about getting things from God; it’s about aligning yourself with God’s will. That doesn’t mean that prayer accomplishes nothing, or that you won’t see answers. But it does leave you open for God to change you.
Henry continues: Some time after I returned to the church following my “wilderness wandering” out of seminary, I experienced the presence of God in a powerful way in my own office. Now don’t confuse “powerful” with “pleasant.” In fact, I spent nearly a week, from early Tuesday during my prayer time to Friday afternoon, arguing with God. Now I don’t think arguing with God is a terribly profitable activity, but God can really work you over in such an experience. Many things in my life and ministry changed during that week. But there was one thing that was critical. My prayer life changed.
Before, as a trained Bible teacher, I was often called upon to pray in worship services or for particular people at the altar. When a missionary visited, I knew I would be called on to pray, because my parents were missionaries and I grew up overseas. So when there was a missionary there talking, I would be preparing my prayer for them, composing the right set of words to “bless them” and keep the congregation involved. I prayed some well-composed prayers, even though they were not written. But I must confess that those prayers were terribly routine.
Following my week with God I experienced something new, but I didn’t notice it until someone commented after I had again been called upon to pray for a visiting missionary. He told me it was different. Before my prayers had been eloquent, but routine. Now, he told me, he could feel the power. I realized that I had not composed that prayer. I had not thought about it in advance. I hadn’t felt pressured to “produce” as soon as I was in front of the church. I was just waiting for the Lord to lead and prayer from my heart as the Lord led.
Praying always in the Spirit, I believe, is simply letting God lead in our prayers at all times.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can I relate to what Henry Neufeld says about a change in our prayer life! In an earlier study I commented on a study group where I was asked to speak. God closed my mouth, simply shut my mouth (which isn't easy, mind you :)). I realize now that God was moving the Holy Spirit--He simply does not have to abide by our concept of time, space, physics nor take into account "my feelings"!
I can recall three times over the past twenty-two years of walking with God where I had such a profound move from Him. This one that happened on January 28th will be remembered as part of my testimony of what God has accomplished in my life. Huh, revelation? Just now seeing how and why the Holy Spirit shut my mouth that night. Most people called it "nerves", "fear" or whatever...I know, what I know what I know!
So the subtleties of living for Him are the moment-by-moment energy that He gives us to stay on the path and keep our eyes on the prize. The life-changing, profound and unexplainable times (if we are fortunate to recognize them) are those explosive, stratospheric, otherworldly, and phenomenal times that confirm, boldly, that Jesus is Lord; He is Alive; He Reigns; His Word is Truth; and We Shall Dwell in the House of the Lord Forever and Ever and Ever...Love you, Beloved-Sister Lisa
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Day 19 - Change Your Life!
Day 19 - Change Your Life!
How is your spirit feeling? Are you filled with Him? I certainly am being moved and led by Him each day. Praises be to God!
Pray, pray, pray---did you try the 20 minutes today? If not, you can pause now and Praise, Thank, Intercede and Sing unto the Lord. If not, go to bed 30 minutes ealy tonight and get on your knees for twenty minutes--that tv box will be there, no worries, just put it aside for today and take a vow not to focus on the worldly and to focus on the eternal blesings of God.
Do you have on your gear? Are you ready for battle? Are you feet shod with the gospel of peace? Have you taken up your shield of righteousness? Did you check for weaknesses or holes in your gear? If you found any repair it now before the enemy comes in like a flood!
Pray, read the book of Ephesians and Praise the Lord!
STUDY VERSE:
6:17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
STUDY QUESTIONS:
1. How do you put on the helment of salvation and ensure you take it with you into battle?
2. Do you have salvation? Can you be sure? Check out the books of Romans and John to discover the most awesome gift from God.
3. How do you treat the sword of the Spirit? Do you have it firmly in your hand and ready at all times? Are you ready to give a word in season and out of season?
4. If you don't regularly study the Word to show yourself approved, you are going into battle without all of your equipment. What can you do to take the sword with you?
5. Visualize all the pieces of armor that God has provided for your safety, protection and growth. Can you wear them? Are they too heavy for you? What do you need to do to prepare, be ready and stand fast when trouble comes?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Commentary from ESV:
Eph. 6:16–17 flaming darts. Burning arrows were designed to destroy wooden shields and other defenses, but the shield of faith is able to extinguish the devil's attacks. the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The spiritual nature of the church's resources is nowhere more plain than in its reliance upon God's Word, which is the only offensive weapon mentioned in this list of spiritual armor. The Word of God is to be wielded like a sharp two-edged sword, in the mighty power of his Holy Spirit (see Heb. 4:12).
Commentary from Chuck Missler:
Why Helmets?
Helmets are a form of security. Most of us have used a helmet of one kind or another. In sports,on a bicycle or motorcycle, in the factory or on a
construction site, or in the military. Failure to have the proper helmet can prove
fatal.
There's also a difference
between wearing a helmet and simply owning one. When things start
falling, you can always tell the person with the helmet on from the one who
merely possesses a helmet. One is on his feet; the other can be distinguished by
all the bandages!
Our most critical "helmet" (whether we realize it or not)
is the one that is absolutely essential for the combat we are presently engaged
in! It is the helmet designed by God:
at best, can deal only with the psyche, or soul level; it has no ability to
reach into the pneuma, or spirit of man. Only the Word of God
can.
Only the Word of God can discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. There is much confusion today concerning the existence of the "subconscious"-those areas of memory which seem to be out of reach to our own conscious effort. The Scripture clearly indicates that the
heart is beyond our knowing.
The sword
is the offensive part of our armor. Notice also that the sword is two-edged: it
is intended to be used defensively as well as offensively. In addition to the
"pulling down of strongholds," it was to be used in defense of the faith.
It is,
of course, impossible to adequately characterize this fantastic element of our
armor in this brief article. Psalm 119,
the longest psalm in the Bible, is entirely devoted to describing the "Sword of
the Spirit"-the Word of God.
The Enemy's Stratagem
It comes as no surprise that Satan's`most desperate stratagem is to cast doubt on the veracity and authenticity of`the Word of God. His first attempt in the Garden was, "Yea, Hath God said?" It was all downhill from there.
And`thus it continues to this day. We live in an age where pseudo-scholarship has
made it fashionable to demean the Bible. Self-styled experts, with`PhD's behind their names, have disparaged, demeaned, and mutilated the`sacred Scriptures in the mind of the uninformed. And yet, never before has there`been more evidence of its true origin!
Supernatural Origin`As most of our regular readers know,
the two great discoveries that are the underpinning of this ministry are, first,
that the Bible is an integrated message. Even though it consists of 66 separate
books6 which were`penned by about 40 different authors-over thousands of years we now discover that it is the product of detailed and`skillful engineering: every detail, every place name, even the mathematical`properties of the text are the result of deliberate and careful design.The`rabbis have a quaint way of expressing this idea. They often say that they`really won't be able to interpret the true meaning of the Scriptures until the`Messiah comes. "But when He comes He will not only interpret the passages, He`will interpret the very words, the very letters, He will even interpret the`spaces between the letters!" I used to dismiss this as just a colorful`exaggeration, until I re-read Matthew 5:17, 18:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the Torah, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one yot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
Now a yot and a tittle are the Hebrew equivalents of our dotting an "i" or crossing a "t." I then realized that those rabbis were apparently closer to the truth than I had ever imagined! The realization that the Bible is a skillfully designed message system significantly altered my understanding of the whole and my respect for the details. But it also involved a second discovery: the Bible demonstrates that its origin is from outside our time domain.
Outside Time Itself
Since God has the technology to createus in the first place, He certainly has the technology to get a message to us. The question is, How does He authenticate His message; How does He let us know that it is really from Him and not some kind of a contrivance or a fraud? One technique He uses to demonstrate that the origin of this message is from outside our time domain is by writing history before it happens. He alone knows the end from the beginning and there is no way to
counterfeit this characteristic of the Biblical text. We call this "prophecy."
And, of course, there are ample materials available exploring this
topic.
Today's Technology for an Unbelieving World
It has
recently been discovered that the Biblical text has secret codes hidden among
the letters. Numerous articles have been published highlighting the incredible
discoveries that appear to be emerging from computer analysis of the
text. This was originally discovered by
Jewish researchers and widely published in the professional literature, as well
as disseminated throughout Israel. It also has now been revealed that the name
Yeshua seems to be hidden behind virtually every Messianic prophecy! The Jewish
researchers now have a problem!
It is interesting that in this modern world
of skepticism, God has raised up a technological insight essentially unavailable
to researchers of the past: our modern information appliances are revealing new
discoveries daily which demonstrate properties of the text itself that are
impossible to duplicate synthetically.
Our Sword
Paul's use of the idiom "the Sword of the
Spirit" carries some other suggestive characteristics. Most of the ancient
armies favored a long sword with a single edge. The Romans developed a short
sword-the Machira-which, with its associated techniques, enabled them to conquer
the world. It was only 24 inches long and was sharpened on both edges.
But
there was a secret to its effectiveness: training and practice. Its uniqueness
was a liability unless it was used with the proper techniques, which required
extensive practice. Is there a lesson here for us?
Let's look at an example:
What Bible study was given by seven different people, on twelve separate
occasions (in just one book of the Bible), always yielded remarkable results,
and yet is rarely given today? The Answer: Presenting Jesus Christ as
the Messiah entirely from the Old Testament.
In the Book of Acts, when they presented Jesus from the
Scriptures, they were using only the "Old Testament." Could you present Jesus to
your Jewish friends using only these references?
The proper use of our "Sword" requires training, and practice,practice, and more practice, if we are to be effective for our Lord. There are(at least) four highly effective techniques to acquiring the essential skills:
1. Serious study, with a core set of tools in your home library.
If you're serious about your Bible, invest in it: acquire a resource base of
your own. Pick up a good study Bible, an exhaustive concordance, Biblical helps,
etc.
2. Discover the amazing results available through audio sources. You can be personally
tutored by whomever you best relate to. Some have indicated that they have
learned more about their Bible in six months with tapes than they have after
twelve years of Christian schools plus seminary! This is one reason that our
ministry has emphasized these remarkable resources (Romans 10:17). See the following article in this issue.
3. Join a home Bible study. Thedynamics within an intimate group is where the real action is!
4. The biggest secret of all: teach a home Bible study. The way to really learn a book is
to teach it. It is not hard to collect some competent background materials and
stay a week ahead of the group. Few things are as rewarding.
A Sound Foundation
One of the biggest challenges is to maintain a balance, free of serious error. It is so easy to focus on a few pet areas at the expense of the whole. Avoid "Bible Bytes," or doctrinal snippets on which to hang some deviant notion. Attempt to embrace "the whole counsel of God," comparing Scripture with Scripture. Invest time in preparation and practice with your sword:
"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not
return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall
prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wow! All that life in so few words. There is a lesson for our tongues here. I praise God for the opportunity to study, prepare, read and meditate on His Word. Thank you Jesus for my friends and family who are faithfully coming along with our studies. I welsoem suggestions for our next study. Be prepared Beloved, go out covered with all your weapons and share the gospel. Love Sister Lisa
How is your spirit feeling? Are you filled with Him? I certainly am being moved and led by Him each day. Praises be to God!
Pray, pray, pray---did you try the 20 minutes today? If not, you can pause now and Praise, Thank, Intercede and Sing unto the Lord. If not, go to bed 30 minutes ealy tonight and get on your knees for twenty minutes--that tv box will be there, no worries, just put it aside for today and take a vow not to focus on the worldly and to focus on the eternal blesings of God.
Do you have on your gear? Are you ready for battle? Are you feet shod with the gospel of peace? Have you taken up your shield of righteousness? Did you check for weaknesses or holes in your gear? If you found any repair it now before the enemy comes in like a flood!
Pray, read the book of Ephesians and Praise the Lord!
STUDY VERSE:
6:17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
STUDY QUESTIONS:
1. How do you put on the helment of salvation and ensure you take it with you into battle?
2. Do you have salvation? Can you be sure? Check out the books of Romans and John to discover the most awesome gift from God.
3. How do you treat the sword of the Spirit? Do you have it firmly in your hand and ready at all times? Are you ready to give a word in season and out of season?
4. If you don't regularly study the Word to show yourself approved, you are going into battle without all of your equipment. What can you do to take the sword with you?
5. Visualize all the pieces of armor that God has provided for your safety, protection and growth. Can you wear them? Are they too heavy for you? What do you need to do to prepare, be ready and stand fast when trouble comes?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Commentary from ESV:
Eph. 6:16–17 flaming darts. Burning arrows were designed to destroy wooden shields and other defenses, but the shield of faith is able to extinguish the devil's attacks. the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The spiritual nature of the church's resources is nowhere more plain than in its reliance upon God's Word, which is the only offensive weapon mentioned in this list of spiritual armor. The Word of God is to be wielded like a sharp two-edged sword, in the mighty power of his Holy Spirit (see Heb. 4:12).
Commentary from Chuck Missler:
Why Helmets?
Helmets are a form of security. Most of us have used a helmet of one kind or another. In sports,on a bicycle or motorcycle, in the factory or on a
construction site, or in the military. Failure to have the proper helmet can prove
fatal.
There's also a difference
between wearing a helmet and simply owning one. When things start
falling, you can always tell the person with the helmet on from the one who
merely possesses a helmet. One is on his feet; the other can be distinguished by
all the bandages!
Our most critical "helmet" (whether we realize it or not)
is the one that is absolutely essential for the combat we are presently engaged
in! It is the helmet designed by God:
17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon
his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance[for]clothing, and was clad
with zeal as a cloke.
18 According to [their]deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.
19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.Isaiah
59:17-19
frustration of psychology which,Salvation"Salvation" is a very common topic, and yet still subject to much confusion. Salvation is received, not earned.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should
boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 It
is His gift; not wages. His salvation is for a purpose: to restore mankind to
Himself. And it flows from a heart of love. (Have you ever wondered why He
bothered? The answer is in the verse just before the one above):
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:7
Salvation is not an optional extra. The classic passage is John Chapter 3, where Nico-demus comes to Jesus by night.Nicodemus
We know a great deal about this influential character. The Talmud indicates he was one of the four richest men in Jerusalem. He was a Pharisee and a ruler-a member of the Sanhedrin.
He was a member of the aristocratic family that had furnished the
Hasmonean King Aristobulus II with his ambassador to Pompey in 63 B.C.
His son apparently was the man who negotiated the terms of surrender to the
Roman garrison in Jerusalem prior to the final destruction of that city in
A.D.70.1
Nicodemus outranks
each of us in every respect: he was among the most wealthy in that society;
he had stature; he had knowledge-in fact, he was theteacher.2 Nicodemus was among the most respected and religious among the professionals of his culture. He was certainly ahead of any of us. Yet he was in desperate need. Jesus declared to him, "Ye must be born again."3 If he had a spiritual
need, where does that place us?Our Most Urgent Need
Why should God let you into heaven? You say, "I am as good as the next guy." Strike
one."I am doing the best I can." Strike two."I'll try harder." Strike
three.
"Nobody's perfect." That's the problem. Sin is a genetic
disease; it has contaminated our very nature. Children never need a
lesson in being bad. This genetic disease, sin, makes us ineligible for
perfection; ineligible to be in the presence of a holy God.
Eternity
Every one of uswill exist forever. The real you-call it "soul," "spirit," whatever-has no mass. It is "software" not "hardware." Having no mass, it has no time dimension
limitations. Time is a physical dimension.You are eternal-whether you are
"saved" or not!The problem is, where will you spend eternity? If you are
perfect-totally free of sin-you will spend it in the presence of God. If not,
you will be denied His presence. You and I cannot begin to grasp what that
implies. For eternity: that's a long time.Who Will Perish?
What separates those who will spend an eternity in hell from those who will not? Heaven will be full of people who have committed all kinds of sin.
Hell is a real place for real people.4 The one who told us
the most about it was the Lord Jesus Himself. There are only two
categories-those that perish and those that don't:For the preaching of the
cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18
Salvation is an arrangement by which His eligibility is substituted for our lack thereof. It is available to us because our debts have been fully paid. Our complete pardon has been purchased and paid for.
Even killing the Son of God was not severe enough to put those men
outside the boundaries of God's offer of forgiveness.5
[Is there anything keeping you from accepting God's free gift of salvation right now? If there is any doubt in your mind, bring it to the Throne right now. You don't need
an appointment. Don't even read on without nailing this one down... with
Him. It's your highest priority over anything-everything-else.]
We don't become saved by acting saved. We don't become married by acting married.
Faith bridges the gap between our need and God's provision. Faith is simply
the way we say "yes" to His offer.What are you trusting in?
Christ, plus something?
Or is your hope and your trust in Christ alone? He did the whole job. To imply
something must be added is a form of blasphemy!Your helmet
was purchased just for you. You are entitledto it because of Him.Wearing Your Helmet
With a helmet on, you're noticeable. If you just possess one, it won't be as obvious. Life after death is not the issue. Life after "birth" is. Are you living as if
youare saved? Many of us don't live as if we're saved... We are difficult
to recognize because of "blending in." We exhibit fear, anxiety, doubt, and
hesitation.And we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.Romans
8:28
What are the most important words in that verse? The first three: "And
we know." Not just "suspect," or "hope," etc. Realize who you are and
that Christ paid the full price for your redemption. You have been redeemed,
you have been paid for; you are no longer your own.Put on your helmet;
protect your thoughts by realizing who you are in Him. Nothing protects you
more from a blow to your head than our "helmet of salvation." Each time you
step out your door each day, realize that you have been redeemed.
You already have eternal life. No one can take that away from you. So Satan's
darts can't reach you.Nothing, by any means, can hurt you. Re-read Romans
8:28-39.
Take your helmet off and you're vulnerable. Satan will put lying thoughts in your head.Remember this: How many of your sins were yet future at the cross? All of them.
Take the eternal perspective. When did God first start dealing with your
problem? Before the world began!6 What a staggering
insight! He knew and planned for your destiny from before the beginning of
time!
(We often joke: I'm glad he picked me back then. Looking at me now, He
might change His mind!)
There are a number of
insights in this verse. First, it highlights the fundamental
at best, can deal only with the psyche, or soul level; it has no ability to
reach into the pneuma, or spirit of man. Only the Word of God
can.
Only the Word of God can discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. There is much confusion today concerning the existence of the "subconscious"-those areas of memory which seem to be out of reach to our own conscious effort. The Scripture clearly indicates that the
heart is beyond our knowing.
The sword
is the offensive part of our armor. Notice also that the sword is two-edged: it
is intended to be used defensively as well as offensively. In addition to the
"pulling down of strongholds," it was to be used in defense of the faith.
It is,
of course, impossible to adequately characterize this fantastic element of our
armor in this brief article. Psalm 119,
the longest psalm in the Bible, is entirely devoted to describing the "Sword of
the Spirit"-the Word of God.
The Enemy's Stratagem
It comes as no surprise that Satan's`most desperate stratagem is to cast doubt on the veracity and authenticity of`the Word of God. His first attempt in the Garden was, "Yea, Hath God said?" It was all downhill from there.
And`thus it continues to this day. We live in an age where pseudo-scholarship has
made it fashionable to demean the Bible. Self-styled experts, with`PhD's behind their names, have disparaged, demeaned, and mutilated the`sacred Scriptures in the mind of the uninformed. And yet, never before has there`been more evidence of its true origin!
Supernatural Origin`As most of our regular readers know,
the two great discoveries that are the underpinning of this ministry are, first,
that the Bible is an integrated message. Even though it consists of 66 separate
books6 which were`penned by about 40 different authors-over thousands of years we now discover that it is the product of detailed and`skillful engineering: every detail, every place name, even the mathematical`properties of the text are the result of deliberate and careful design.The`rabbis have a quaint way of expressing this idea. They often say that they`really won't be able to interpret the true meaning of the Scriptures until the`Messiah comes. "But when He comes He will not only interpret the passages, He`will interpret the very words, the very letters, He will even interpret the`spaces between the letters!" I used to dismiss this as just a colorful`exaggeration, until I re-read Matthew 5:17, 18:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the Torah, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one yot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
Now a yot and a tittle are the Hebrew equivalents of our dotting an "i" or crossing a "t." I then realized that those rabbis were apparently closer to the truth than I had ever imagined! The realization that the Bible is a skillfully designed message system significantly altered my understanding of the whole and my respect for the details. But it also involved a second discovery: the Bible demonstrates that its origin is from outside our time domain.
Outside Time Itself
Since God has the technology to createus in the first place, He certainly has the technology to get a message to us. The question is, How does He authenticate His message; How does He let us know that it is really from Him and not some kind of a contrivance or a fraud? One technique He uses to demonstrate that the origin of this message is from outside our time domain is by writing history before it happens. He alone knows the end from the beginning and there is no way to
counterfeit this characteristic of the Biblical text. We call this "prophecy."
And, of course, there are ample materials available exploring this
topic.
Today's Technology for an Unbelieving World
It has
recently been discovered that the Biblical text has secret codes hidden among
the letters. Numerous articles have been published highlighting the incredible
discoveries that appear to be emerging from computer analysis of the
text. This was originally discovered by
Jewish researchers and widely published in the professional literature, as well
as disseminated throughout Israel. It also has now been revealed that the name
Yeshua seems to be hidden behind virtually every Messianic prophecy! The Jewish
researchers now have a problem!
It is interesting that in this modern world
of skepticism, God has raised up a technological insight essentially unavailable
to researchers of the past: our modern information appliances are revealing new
discoveries daily which demonstrate properties of the text itself that are
impossible to duplicate synthetically.
Our Sword
Paul's use of the idiom "the Sword of the
Spirit" carries some other suggestive characteristics. Most of the ancient
armies favored a long sword with a single edge. The Romans developed a short
sword-the Machira-which, with its associated techniques, enabled them to conquer
the world. It was only 24 inches long and was sharpened on both edges.
But
there was a secret to its effectiveness: training and practice. Its uniqueness
was a liability unless it was used with the proper techniques, which required
extensive practice. Is there a lesson here for us?
Let's look at an example:
What Bible study was given by seven different people, on twelve separate
occasions (in just one book of the Bible), always yielded remarkable results,
and yet is rarely given today? The Answer: Presenting Jesus Christ as
the Messiah entirely from the Old Testament.
In the Book of Acts, when they presented Jesus from the
Scriptures, they were using only the "Old Testament." Could you present Jesus to
your Jewish friends using only these references?
The proper use of our "Sword" requires training, and practice,practice, and more practice, if we are to be effective for our Lord. There are(at least) four highly effective techniques to acquiring the essential skills:
1. Serious study, with a core set of tools in your home library.
If you're serious about your Bible, invest in it: acquire a resource base of
your own. Pick up a good study Bible, an exhaustive concordance, Biblical helps,
etc.
2. Discover the amazing results available through audio sources. You can be personally
tutored by whomever you best relate to. Some have indicated that they have
learned more about their Bible in six months with tapes than they have after
twelve years of Christian schools plus seminary! This is one reason that our
ministry has emphasized these remarkable resources (Romans 10:17). See the following article in this issue.
3. Join a home Bible study. Thedynamics within an intimate group is where the real action is!
4. The biggest secret of all: teach a home Bible study. The way to really learn a book is
to teach it. It is not hard to collect some competent background materials and
stay a week ahead of the group. Few things are as rewarding.
A Sound Foundation
One of the biggest challenges is to maintain a balance, free of serious error. It is so easy to focus on a few pet areas at the expense of the whole. Avoid "Bible Bytes," or doctrinal snippets on which to hang some deviant notion. Attempt to embrace "the whole counsel of God," comparing Scripture with Scripture. Invest time in preparation and practice with your sword:
"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not
return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall
prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wow! All that life in so few words. There is a lesson for our tongues here. I praise God for the opportunity to study, prepare, read and meditate on His Word. Thank you Jesus for my friends and family who are faithfully coming along with our studies. I welsoem suggestions for our next study. Be prepared Beloved, go out covered with all your weapons and share the gospel. Love Sister Lisa
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Day 18 - Change Your Life!
Day 18 - Change Your Life!
How did you 15 minutes go? Were you able to pray? Keep trying, it will come to you. 5 minutes in each area: Praise, Thanks, and Intercession. Now add in a fourth: Sing. Sin a song of great praise! Sing a song from memory or pop on the iPod, the CD player or radio and sing to the Lord for five minutes. Finished? That is 20 minutes give to the Lord. Awesome.
STUDY VERSES:
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
STUDY QUESTIONS:
1. Why would you shod your feet with peace? Do you have peace? How can you have it?
2. Why does Paul call it the gospel of peace?
3. What is the shield of faith?
4. How does faith extinguish the fiery darts of the devil?
5. What is the devil's purpose for us?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Commentary from ESV:
Eph. 6:15 Believers must always be ready to proclaim the gospel.
Eph. 6:16–17 flaming darts. Burning arrows were designed to destroy wooden shields and other defenses, but the shield of faith is able to extinguish the devil's attacks. the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The spiritual nature of the church's resources is nowhere more plain than in its reliance upon God's Word, which is the only offensive weapon mentioned in this list of spiritual armor. The Word of God is to be wielded like a sharp two-edged sword, in the mighty power of his Holy Spirit (see Heb. 4:12).
More from Chuck Missler:
Footwear For the Big Race by Chuck Missler
"And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace"; Ephesians 6:15
This may seem like a strange item as armament. And yet, footwork is essential in any of the martial arts. (At the Naval Academy, one quickly learned the necessity of proper footwork in our hand-to-hand training classes!)
Anyone who has been involved in boxing or wrestling soon discovers that balance and positioning are fundamental in order to avoid disaster. In combat, a misstep is usually fatal.
Combat Footing
There are many types of shoes: dress shoes, casual shoes, boots, steel-toed shoes for construction jobs, garden shoes, sandals, moccasins, slippers, etc. Each has its purpose and specific benefits for the wearer. The Roman army-which many assume was the model for the idioms Paul was using-paid careful attention to the footwear of its legionnaires. These nail-studded sandals (caligae) were designed to anticipate the various countermeasures which an enemy might employ to inhibit their advance or to dislodge their footing when in combat.
The term "shod" (Greek, u`podeomai, hupodeo) means to underbind, to bind under one's self, or to bind on. This is also suggestive of authority and power. The idiom of having our "feet shod" also suggests, in more modern terms, "putting shoe leather to our faith." It is a call to action.
But here we have, "Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." Strange idiom. Yet, "How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of Him who brings good news..."1
Moses, in speaking prophetically of the tribe of Asher: "And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be."2 Oil speaks of sanctification and anointing for service by the Holy Spirit. "So shall your strength be"-just as the footwear of the Israelites in their wilderness wanderings, the shoes of the gospel of peace do not wear out. 3
"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you." 4 He supplies the oil; we provide the feet. 5
Putting on these shoes does not mean you are going to escape warfare. They are designed for that very purpose: action oriented; for spiritual combat. "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." 6
"The Lord God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places." 7 To anyone familiar with the wild, "Hind's (deer's) feet" suggest agility and endurance. Note "upon high places"-taking the high ground is not a luxury in warfare.
But even in the valleys, He is always there: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." 8 [And remember, the shadow of a dog cannot bite anyone!] Peace and fear are opposites. Peace is not passive; it is powerful. Our peace is in Christ (Eph 2:14; Jn 16:33; Jn 14:27, et al.).
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Ephesians 6:16
The Roman shield was about 4 ft. high and about 2 1/2 feet wide. It was typically made as a curved laminate of three layers of wood strips and covered with leather. The edges were bound with rawhide stitched through the wood (or sometimes bronze binding was used).
The shield was the maneuverable part of the warrior's armor. It was designed to protect him from arrows and javelins, flaming and otherwise.
If the shield had any holes or damage, survival would depend upon fixing it before entering the battle-certainly not during! The diligent warrior would direct his energies to its repair as part of his pre-engagement preparations.
How does one exercise diligence with respect to his "shield of faith?" Are there any "holes" in your shield of faith? When is the proper time to repair it? You are already on enemy turf!
Faith in What?
At the 1993 Presidential Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C., Vice President Al Gore said, "Faith in God, reliance upon a Higher Power, by whatever name, is, in my view, essential."
This notion that every concept of god is equally valid was also reinforced when Pope John Paul II assembled snake worshipers, fire worshipers, spiritists, animists, witch doctors, along with Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims at Assisi, Italy, to pray for peace. He made the astonishing statement that they were all praying to the same god!1
While this is a common view among the ungodly, this is completely irrational and refuses to honor the one true God or even to acknowledge His existence.
This is the same fallacy which was explored in Alan Bloom's book, The Closing of the American Mind,2 which exposed the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of relativism and the current "political correctness" of denying even the existence of absolute truth. Modern pagan religions have built their appeal on this vacuum.
The mind reels in the attempt to understand the insanity of paganism. No one knows how much of the substance of life has been poured out upon the stained altars of gods who are not,3 and of demons who are.4
The evolutionist also takes his own irrational "leap of faith" and is committed to a contrary-to-fact catechism.
Robert Jastrow, one of the world's leading astronomers, founder and director of the Goddard Space Institute, and an agnostic, shocked his colleagues by admitting, at a national conference of the Association for the Advancement of Science, that contrary to the articles of faith in the scientific profession, evidence seems to demand an intelligent Creator of the universe.5
The eminent scientist Sir Fred Hoyle also accused the evolutionists of defending their own religious faith:
"The [mathematical impossibility of spontaneous biogenesis] is well known to geneticists and yet nobody seems to blow the whistle decisively on the theory... Most scientists still cling to Darwinism because of its grip on the educational system... You either have to believe its concepts, or you will be branded a heretic."6
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Sisters and Brothers, so much Truth in these scriptures and commentary. Be rooted, take up your shield and put on those shoes! There is only ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD and He is Jesus, The Christ!
We did not evolve from monkeys, we did not crawl out of the slime of the sea. God, our Heavenly Father, PURPOSELY formed us and breathed life into us in His Image-that of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Hold fast to this truth and don't be lulled into the concept of creation evolution or another way--diluting the Truth is dangerous to our faith and it diminishes our witness.
It is not easy to walk in peace and that is why we have the gospel of peace on our feet so that we won't walk on our own, nor mis-step on the snares and traps. Be righteous, hold up that Shield of Faith. Shine it in your enemies eyes so that darkness will be revealed and we will walk in love, peace, joy, truth and the hope of eternal life.
Love and joy Beloved, go out into the world equipped with every good thing that God has given us. Peace, Sister Lisa
How did you 15 minutes go? Were you able to pray? Keep trying, it will come to you. 5 minutes in each area: Praise, Thanks, and Intercession. Now add in a fourth: Sing. Sin a song of great praise! Sing a song from memory or pop on the iPod, the CD player or radio and sing to the Lord for five minutes. Finished? That is 20 minutes give to the Lord. Awesome.
STUDY VERSES:
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
STUDY QUESTIONS:
1. Why would you shod your feet with peace? Do you have peace? How can you have it?
2. Why does Paul call it the gospel of peace?
3. What is the shield of faith?
4. How does faith extinguish the fiery darts of the devil?
5. What is the devil's purpose for us?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Commentary from ESV:
Eph. 6:15 Believers must always be ready to proclaim the gospel.
Eph. 6:16–17 flaming darts. Burning arrows were designed to destroy wooden shields and other defenses, but the shield of faith is able to extinguish the devil's attacks. the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The spiritual nature of the church's resources is nowhere more plain than in its reliance upon God's Word, which is the only offensive weapon mentioned in this list of spiritual armor. The Word of God is to be wielded like a sharp two-edged sword, in the mighty power of his Holy Spirit (see Heb. 4:12).
More from Chuck Missler:
Footwear For the Big Race by Chuck Missler
"And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace"; Ephesians 6:15
This may seem like a strange item as armament. And yet, footwork is essential in any of the martial arts. (At the Naval Academy, one quickly learned the necessity of proper footwork in our hand-to-hand training classes!)
Anyone who has been involved in boxing or wrestling soon discovers that balance and positioning are fundamental in order to avoid disaster. In combat, a misstep is usually fatal.
Combat Footing
There are many types of shoes: dress shoes, casual shoes, boots, steel-toed shoes for construction jobs, garden shoes, sandals, moccasins, slippers, etc. Each has its purpose and specific benefits for the wearer. The Roman army-which many assume was the model for the idioms Paul was using-paid careful attention to the footwear of its legionnaires. These nail-studded sandals (caligae) were designed to anticipate the various countermeasures which an enemy might employ to inhibit their advance or to dislodge their footing when in combat.
The term "shod" (Greek, u`podeomai, hupodeo) means to underbind, to bind under one's self, or to bind on. This is also suggestive of authority and power. The idiom of having our "feet shod" also suggests, in more modern terms, "putting shoe leather to our faith." It is a call to action.
But here we have, "Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." Strange idiom. Yet, "How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of Him who brings good news..."1
Moses, in speaking prophetically of the tribe of Asher: "And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be."2 Oil speaks of sanctification and anointing for service by the Holy Spirit. "So shall your strength be"-just as the footwear of the Israelites in their wilderness wanderings, the shoes of the gospel of peace do not wear out. 3
"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you." 4 He supplies the oil; we provide the feet. 5
Putting on these shoes does not mean you are going to escape warfare. They are designed for that very purpose: action oriented; for spiritual combat. "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." 6
"The Lord God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places." 7 To anyone familiar with the wild, "Hind's (deer's) feet" suggest agility and endurance. Note "upon high places"-taking the high ground is not a luxury in warfare.
But even in the valleys, He is always there: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." 8 [And remember, the shadow of a dog cannot bite anyone!] Peace and fear are opposites. Peace is not passive; it is powerful. Our peace is in Christ (Eph 2:14; Jn 16:33; Jn 14:27, et al.).
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Ephesians 6:16
The Roman shield was about 4 ft. high and about 2 1/2 feet wide. It was typically made as a curved laminate of three layers of wood strips and covered with leather. The edges were bound with rawhide stitched through the wood (or sometimes bronze binding was used).
The shield was the maneuverable part of the warrior's armor. It was designed to protect him from arrows and javelins, flaming and otherwise.
If the shield had any holes or damage, survival would depend upon fixing it before entering the battle-certainly not during! The diligent warrior would direct his energies to its repair as part of his pre-engagement preparations.
How does one exercise diligence with respect to his "shield of faith?" Are there any "holes" in your shield of faith? When is the proper time to repair it? You are already on enemy turf!
Faith in What?
At the 1993 Presidential Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C., Vice President Al Gore said, "Faith in God, reliance upon a Higher Power, by whatever name, is, in my view, essential."
This notion that every concept of god is equally valid was also reinforced when Pope John Paul II assembled snake worshipers, fire worshipers, spiritists, animists, witch doctors, along with Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims at Assisi, Italy, to pray for peace. He made the astonishing statement that they were all praying to the same god!1
While this is a common view among the ungodly, this is completely irrational and refuses to honor the one true God or even to acknowledge His existence.
This is the same fallacy which was explored in Alan Bloom's book, The Closing of the American Mind,2 which exposed the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of relativism and the current "political correctness" of denying even the existence of absolute truth. Modern pagan religions have built their appeal on this vacuum.
The mind reels in the attempt to understand the insanity of paganism. No one knows how much of the substance of life has been poured out upon the stained altars of gods who are not,3 and of demons who are.4
The evolutionist also takes his own irrational "leap of faith" and is committed to a contrary-to-fact catechism.
Robert Jastrow, one of the world's leading astronomers, founder and director of the Goddard Space Institute, and an agnostic, shocked his colleagues by admitting, at a national conference of the Association for the Advancement of Science, that contrary to the articles of faith in the scientific profession, evidence seems to demand an intelligent Creator of the universe.5
The eminent scientist Sir Fred Hoyle also accused the evolutionists of defending their own religious faith:
"The [mathematical impossibility of spontaneous biogenesis] is well known to geneticists and yet nobody seems to blow the whistle decisively on the theory... Most scientists still cling to Darwinism because of its grip on the educational system... You either have to believe its concepts, or you will be branded a heretic."6
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Sisters and Brothers, so much Truth in these scriptures and commentary. Be rooted, take up your shield and put on those shoes! There is only ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD and He is Jesus, The Christ!
We did not evolve from monkeys, we did not crawl out of the slime of the sea. God, our Heavenly Father, PURPOSELY formed us and breathed life into us in His Image-that of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Hold fast to this truth and don't be lulled into the concept of creation evolution or another way--diluting the Truth is dangerous to our faith and it diminishes our witness.
It is not easy to walk in peace and that is why we have the gospel of peace on our feet so that we won't walk on our own, nor mis-step on the snares and traps. Be righteous, hold up that Shield of Faith. Shine it in your enemies eyes so that darkness will be revealed and we will walk in love, peace, joy, truth and the hope of eternal life.
Love and joy Beloved, go out into the world equipped with every good thing that God has given us. Peace, Sister Lisa
Friday, February 20, 2009
Day 17 - Change Your Life!
Day 17 - Change Your Life!
Pray, Pray, Pray, Pray today....Pray some more. Spend 15 minutes praying and come back.
Did you do it? It isn't easy and you will be distracted, but you can do it. Take five minute blocks. Here is a formula to try: Five minutes on each of these areas:
Now onto the Spiritual Warfare--are you ready?
STUDY VERSES:
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
STUDY QUESTIONS:
1. Why do you need to take up the whole armor?
2. What is most important to do?
3. What is the belt of truth? Why do you think you need to have a "belt" of truth?
4. Why is righteousness as a "breastplate"?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Commentary from ESV
Eph. 6:14–17 Standing Firm. Paul reiterates the charge to stand in the face of dreaded spiritual enemies because the Lord has not left his people defenseless. They have the complete armor of God from head to foot, which consists of the belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword. These are metaphors for the spiritual resources given to them in Christ, namely, the truth,
Eph. 6:14 With the simple, rousing order, stand, Paul urges the Ephesians to withstand the enemy (cf. vv. 11, 13), and not give in to fear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is additional commentary from Chuck Missler on Spiritual Warfare:
Girded With Truth
"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth..." Ephesians 6:14
"What is Truth?" the famed Roman procurator cynically asked rhetorically. Few of us have the will to raise the question ourselves. And yet a moment's consideration quickly reveals that truth is our most precious treasure to be coveted. Truth is the key to success, fulfillment, victory, or achieving any worthwhile goal. The pursuit of truth is our greatest challenge in every one of our endeavors.
This "fabulous century" has ushered in astonishing changes in the realms of technology and yet, strangely, it has also probed new depths of darkness with devastating wars and monstrous new weapons, yielding the bloodiest, most revolutionary, most unpredictable century of any in history. Perhaps most fearsome of all, it has also ushered in a wholesale abandonment of truth. In any cultural war, truth is the first casualty.
The Roman Girding
The Roman belt was 6-8 inches wide; all the body armor and weapons were attached to it. As a soldier's belt gave ease and freedom of movement, so truth gives freedom with self, others, and God.
All was prepared before, not during, the battle! You can't postpone the gaining of combat knowledge to when you "need" it!
One definition of truth is when the Word and Deed become one. The ultimate truth is the fulfillment of God's promises in His Messiah. God's Word had committed Him to provide what we need in His Son. Jesus was the fulfillment of that commitment.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
This is the basis of our armor in any spiritual battle. All other elements of our warfare derive from this.
Most of us don't wear battle armor today. Yet here is a command in God's Word to appropriate for ourselves the weaponry to protect ourselves, or else we are sitting ducks in conflicts which we cannot avoid. What is the "breastplate of righteousness?"
The Roman breastplate was typically made of bronze, backed with leather. It was designed to protect the vital area. A blow through this was usually fatal.
What is your most dangerous vulnerability? Or, alternatively, What is your most important stewardship? There are many good answers: your family, etc. However, I suggest that your most critical area is your heart. The breastplate covered the heart.
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are (all) the issues of life. Prov 4:23
God Bless You Sisters and Brothers, Keep Your Heart! Love Sister Lisa
Pray, Pray, Pray, Pray today....Pray some more. Spend 15 minutes praying and come back.
Did you do it? It isn't easy and you will be distracted, but you can do it. Take five minute blocks. Here is a formula to try: Five minutes on each of these areas:
- 1. Praise--walk around, clap, praise, sing, skip, jump, lay down on your face and praise the Lord.
- 2. Give Thanks--thank Him for waking up, thank Him for your legs, your hands, your feet, your tongue, your breath, your family, your home, your heater, your food, your job, your toothbrush! thank Him.
- 3. Intercede--for others, pray for your family, your friends, your enemies, your country, your job, your leaders, your military, your pets, your community, your neighbors. If you don't know what to pray for specifically, pray for protection, for God's revelation, for God's grace, for God's forgiveness, for God's mercy, for God's mighty angels to protect each step.
Now onto the Spiritual Warfare--are you ready?
STUDY VERSES:
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
STUDY QUESTIONS:
1. Why do you need to take up the whole armor?
2. What is most important to do?
3. What is the belt of truth? Why do you think you need to have a "belt" of truth?
4. Why is righteousness as a "breastplate"?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Commentary from ESV
Eph. 6:14–17 Standing Firm. Paul reiterates the charge to stand in the face of dreaded spiritual enemies because the Lord has not left his people defenseless. They have the complete armor of God from head to foot, which consists of the belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword. These are metaphors for the spiritual resources given to them in Christ, namely, the truth,
Eph. 6:14 With the simple, rousing order, stand, Paul urges the Ephesians to withstand the enemy (cf. vv. 11, 13), and not give in to fear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is additional commentary from Chuck Missler on Spiritual Warfare:
Girded With Truth
"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth..." Ephesians 6:14
"What is Truth?" the famed Roman procurator cynically asked rhetorically. Few of us have the will to raise the question ourselves. And yet a moment's consideration quickly reveals that truth is our most precious treasure to be coveted. Truth is the key to success, fulfillment, victory, or achieving any worthwhile goal. The pursuit of truth is our greatest challenge in every one of our endeavors.
This "fabulous century" has ushered in astonishing changes in the realms of technology and yet, strangely, it has also probed new depths of darkness with devastating wars and monstrous new weapons, yielding the bloodiest, most revolutionary, most unpredictable century of any in history. Perhaps most fearsome of all, it has also ushered in a wholesale abandonment of truth. In any cultural war, truth is the first casualty.
The Roman Girding
The Roman belt was 6-8 inches wide; all the body armor and weapons were attached to it. As a soldier's belt gave ease and freedom of movement, so truth gives freedom with self, others, and God.
All was prepared before, not during, the battle! You can't postpone the gaining of combat knowledge to when you "need" it!
One definition of truth is when the Word and Deed become one. The ultimate truth is the fulfillment of God's promises in His Messiah. God's Word had committed Him to provide what we need in His Son. Jesus was the fulfillment of that commitment.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
This is the basis of our armor in any spiritual battle. All other elements of our warfare derive from this.
Most of us don't wear battle armor today. Yet here is a command in God's Word to appropriate for ourselves the weaponry to protect ourselves, or else we are sitting ducks in conflicts which we cannot avoid. What is the "breastplate of righteousness?"
The Roman breastplate was typically made of bronze, backed with leather. It was designed to protect the vital area. A blow through this was usually fatal.
What is your most dangerous vulnerability? Or, alternatively, What is your most important stewardship? There are many good answers: your family, etc. However, I suggest that your most critical area is your heart. The breastplate covered the heart.
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are (all) the issues of life. Prov 4:23
God Bless You Sisters and Brothers, Keep Your Heart! Love Sister Lisa
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Day 16 - Change Your Life!
Day 16 - Change Your Life!
Spiritual Warfare! Are you armed and dangerous?
Pray, Read the book of Ephesians and Praise the Lord!
STUDY VERSES:
The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
STUDY QUESTIONS:
1. What is the Lord's might?
2. Many people think the devil isn't real, but a metaphor for bad things. Other people think that Christians can't be hurt by the devil and still some believe that the devil only works in unsaved people. What do you believe? How do you know this to be true? Why does God tell us, Christians, to 'put on the whole armor of God'?
3. What are we, Ambassadors of Christ, fighting? Where should we put our effort in battle? Should we war against the rulers of this world? Against unbelievers? Why or why not?
4. What do you think are the spiritual forces that God is alluding to in verse 12?
5. If you are in battle, what comfort do you take from God's Word about that battle? How do you know? Have you read the full book of Revelations? If not, why? If so, where should our assurance be placed?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Commentary from ESV
Eph. 6:10 be strong. Because Christians cannot stand on their own against superhuman powers, they must rely upon the strength of the Lord's own might (see 1:19), which he supplies chiefly through prayer (6:18).
Eph. 6:11 The Greek word for whole armor (panoplia) refers to the complete equipment of a fully armed soldier, consisting of both shields and weapons like those described in vv. 14, 16–17. Paul's description here draws primarily on OT allusions, yet the terms used also overlap well with Roman weaponry (esp. the terms for the large, door-shaped shield and the short stabbing sword). Visible portrayals of such weaponry can be found on the numerous military reliefs (esp. on sarcophagi) throughout the Roman Empire. schemes. Here the diabolical origin is exposed, regarding the “deceitful schemes” of those teaching false doctrine (4:14; see also 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7).
Eph. 6:12 This list of spiritual rulers, authorities, cosmic powers and (see 3:10) gives a sobering glimpse into the devil's allies, the spiritual forces of evil who are exceedingly powerful in their exercise of cosmic powers over this present darkness. And yet Scripture makes clear that the enemy host is no match for the Lord, who has “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Col. 2:15; see also Eph. 1:19–21).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, as I put together this study--I do have to remember all that we learned the past two months. Taming the tongue, being ambassadors of Christ, having all spiritual blessings. And then...I remember we are in the flesh subject at times to gravity.
Yes, gravity. Was I reminded of that tonight. Dropped my oldest son off to practice guitar with praise and worship; on my way to get hubby and WHAM BAM SCRAPE...right in the parking lot of church. Here comes gravity in the form of a light pole's cement casing. Tore-up (say it like Auntie T, now) "Towr-UUp" the side of my truck.
Right there, in front of God some of those naughty, bad words came out of my mouth. Lord Jesus forgive me! See, I didn't have my armor on ladies and gents. In my haste of this week and my priorities a little jumbled this morning. Does my hair look good? Check, got it done. Am I prepping for a big training in two weeks? Check, had my conference call. Is my emotional health coming along? Check, talked to my life coach. Did I pray this morning? Barely--I breathed out the serenity prayer and Lord's prayer quickly between shining my shoes and putting on mascara and flicking the news!!!!
Oh my, FINALLY be strong in the Lord and the Power of HIS Might! First things first. There is only one place for God and that is first--don't pretend like He can be second or third. He either is or He isn't. And checking my inventory, He wasn't First in my heart, on my list, on my tongue or in my heart today. God did not cause that light pole to come up and meet me, even the spiritual forces didn't move the concrete.
I didn't arm myself this morning like God's Word instructs us. I didn't have all the armor on either--as we'll see the remainder of this lesson, each piece plays a vital part in keeping the forces of wickedness away and in equipping us to rise above the gravity of this world to operate in heavenly places and hold on to our rightly inheritance!
Praise Him Sisters and Brothers, lift Him Up and Don't neglect to put Him First always, regardless of the circumstances and busyness of life. God bless you all, Sister, Lisa
Spiritual Warfare! Are you armed and dangerous?
Pray, Read the book of Ephesians and Praise the Lord!
STUDY VERSES:
The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
STUDY QUESTIONS:
1. What is the Lord's might?
2. Many people think the devil isn't real, but a metaphor for bad things. Other people think that Christians can't be hurt by the devil and still some believe that the devil only works in unsaved people. What do you believe? How do you know this to be true? Why does God tell us, Christians, to 'put on the whole armor of God'?
3. What are we, Ambassadors of Christ, fighting? Where should we put our effort in battle? Should we war against the rulers of this world? Against unbelievers? Why or why not?
4. What do you think are the spiritual forces that God is alluding to in verse 12?
5. If you are in battle, what comfort do you take from God's Word about that battle? How do you know? Have you read the full book of Revelations? If not, why? If so, where should our assurance be placed?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Commentary from ESV
Eph. 6:10 be strong. Because Christians cannot stand on their own against superhuman powers, they must rely upon the strength of the Lord's own might (see 1:19), which he supplies chiefly through prayer (6:18).
Eph. 6:11 The Greek word for whole armor (panoplia) refers to the complete equipment of a fully armed soldier, consisting of both shields and weapons like those described in vv. 14, 16–17. Paul's description here draws primarily on OT allusions, yet the terms used also overlap well with Roman weaponry (esp. the terms for the large, door-shaped shield and the short stabbing sword). Visible portrayals of such weaponry can be found on the numerous military reliefs (esp. on sarcophagi) throughout the Roman Empire. schemes. Here the diabolical origin is exposed, regarding the “deceitful schemes” of those teaching false doctrine (4:14; see also 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7).
Eph. 6:12 This list of spiritual rulers, authorities, cosmic powers and (see 3:10) gives a sobering glimpse into the devil's allies, the spiritual forces of evil who are exceedingly powerful in their exercise of cosmic powers over this present darkness. And yet Scripture makes clear that the enemy host is no match for the Lord, who has “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Col. 2:15; see also Eph. 1:19–21).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, as I put together this study--I do have to remember all that we learned the past two months. Taming the tongue, being ambassadors of Christ, having all spiritual blessings. And then...I remember we are in the flesh subject at times to gravity.
Yes, gravity. Was I reminded of that tonight. Dropped my oldest son off to practice guitar with praise and worship; on my way to get hubby and WHAM BAM SCRAPE...right in the parking lot of church. Here comes gravity in the form of a light pole's cement casing. Tore-up (say it like Auntie T, now) "Towr-UUp" the side of my truck.
Right there, in front of God some of those naughty, bad words came out of my mouth. Lord Jesus forgive me! See, I didn't have my armor on ladies and gents. In my haste of this week and my priorities a little jumbled this morning. Does my hair look good? Check, got it done. Am I prepping for a big training in two weeks? Check, had my conference call. Is my emotional health coming along? Check, talked to my life coach. Did I pray this morning? Barely--I breathed out the serenity prayer and Lord's prayer quickly between shining my shoes and putting on mascara and flicking the news!!!!
Oh my, FINALLY be strong in the Lord and the Power of HIS Might! First things first. There is only one place for God and that is first--don't pretend like He can be second or third. He either is or He isn't. And checking my inventory, He wasn't First in my heart, on my list, on my tongue or in my heart today. God did not cause that light pole to come up and meet me, even the spiritual forces didn't move the concrete.
I didn't arm myself this morning like God's Word instructs us. I didn't have all the armor on either--as we'll see the remainder of this lesson, each piece plays a vital part in keeping the forces of wickedness away and in equipping us to rise above the gravity of this world to operate in heavenly places and hold on to our rightly inheritance!
Praise Him Sisters and Brothers, lift Him Up and Don't neglect to put Him First always, regardless of the circumstances and busyness of life. God bless you all, Sister, Lisa
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