encouragement

PUT ON YOUR ARMOR AND STAND

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ARMOR

[You] Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth,
having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Ephesians 6:14-15

The subject “you” is implied in this first verse. You stand! It also implies personal responsibility. In the arena of spiritual warfare, no one else can stand for you. Others can pray for you, intercede for you, and even agree with you. (Matthew 18:19) But, ultimately, you have to make the decision to stand. Now if the Apostle Paul is telling us to stand, it must be that we will be faced with obstacles along our Christian walk that would trip us up and cause us to fall. I love this saying. I know I’ve shared it before, but it bears repeating…“I’m never down! I’m always up or getting up!” It reminds me of some of the old Rocky Movies. The dude just wouldn’t stay down! He would get knocked down and it would look like he was beaten, but the word defeat just isn’t in his vocabulary. And when he is fighting the ultimate foe for the championship, he is bruised and bloody and on the canvas. Everyone knows it is the end! But suddenly he gets up and with one last surge of strength knocks out the champion and through swollen lips yells…“Yo Adrian, I did it!!!” Sometimes I feel like I’ve spent most of my life “getting up.”  But one thing I have determined, “I’ll never stay down!” And when I finally meet my Lord face to face, I want to be able to say, “Yo Jesus, I did it!!!”

But Paul tells us that we do not have to go into spiritual battle being ill prepared. When we ask Jesus to be the Lord of our lives, He immediately issues us a uniform. And not just any uniform, but a coat of supernatural armor built to withstand all of the onslaughts of the enemy of our soul.

We receive the first piece at the moment of salvation, for when we accept the truth of the Gospel, the Belt of Truth becomes the central part of our armor…and sheathed on that belt is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. It always supports us against the Devil’s lies. “So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 AMP

OUT ON BAIL

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COURT, JUDGE
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness,
and their sins and their lawless deeds
I will remember no more.”
Hebrews 8:12

A while back I had a problem with someone who was living in a rental house that I owned.  Despite countless efforts on my part to reason with her, the person had decided that she could pay rent whenever and if she decided to do so.  I talked with her, was patient with her and gave her several written notices, but she refused to move out!  Bottom line…I finally had to have her evicted, much to my chagrin.

My daughter went to court with me and she, the lady and I came up to the judge’s bench when the case was called.  Now I’m kind of like Clark Kent… I’m a mild mannered person until I feel an injustice has been done.  Then, (even without a phone booth) I turn into Superman, avenger of all evil!  Well it so happened that this woman was telling the judge all kinds of things that just were not true.  My daughter, who was standing at my right side, could feel the transformation taking place.  I wasn’t even aware, but she said I was slowing shaking my head and there was a small amount of steam coming out of my ears and wafting through the air! She just kept patting my hand and saying softly, “Mother, just calm down.”  I do thank God that she was there, because otherwise Superman may have fully manifest with red cape flying in the wind as I verbally flew into that woman!  I do hope you know that I’m kidding…not about being angry, for I definitely was, but about not restraining myself.

Now I gave you all this background information for two reasons: First of all, I thought it might give you a good laugh and secondly to tell you about a conversation afterward.  Without my knowledge, my daughter thought it would be funny to play a trick on my son-in-law John who knew that she would be accompanying me in court.  She called him and said, “John, the judge put mother in jail for contempt of court.  What are we going to do?”  John didn’t even hesitate in disbelief.  He simply said, “You’ve got to be kidding! Well, we’ll have to get her out.  How much is her bond?”  At that point my daughter started laughing and he realized it was all a ruse.  Later I said to him, “John I knew you loved your mother-in-law and this just proves it!  (Never mind that he didn’t hesitate to belief such a thing!)

I don’t know why but I was thinking about this again on the way to work one day and laughing about the joke on John.  John and I have always teased about our mother-in-law / son-in-law relationship although I love him dearly and I know he cares for me.  Then it just came to me how much that is like our Heavenly Father.  We are His children and it is our desire to please Him and continue in fellowship with Him.  But when we mess up and end up behind the bars of unfavorable circumstances, He still loves us and will bail us out if we call on Him!  Not only so, but He covers the indiscretion with the blood of His Holy Son Jesus and will remember it no more?  Oh, what love!!!

“Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son,
will be with us in truth and love.”
(2 John 1:3)

LORD, HELP ME TO PICK MORE DAISIES

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PICKING DAISIES 2

Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town
and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.”
How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?
Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.
What you ought to say is,
“If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”
James 4:13-15 NLT

“If I had my life to live over…” How many times have you heard that phrase or seen it on an e-mail. Following is one of my favorites. When the late Nadine Stair of Louisville, Kentucky, was 85 years old, she was asked what she would do if she had her life to live over again. I think we need to read this at least once a week to remind ourselves not to plan so far ahead that we lose track of today’s little wonders. Like James says, at best our life here on earth passes like a vapor, entirely too quickly. It seems like only yesterday when my kids were growing up and now I’m watching my granddaughters grow into young ladies. Where did the time go? If I had my life to live over, I’d learn this lesson sooner! But hey, it’s not too late! I’m not gone yet!

I’d Pick More Daisies
by Nadine Stair

If I had my life to live over,
I’d dare to make more mistakes next time.
I’d relax, I would limber up.
I would be sillier than I have been this trip.
I would take fewer things seriously.
I would take more chances.
I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers.
I would eat more ice cream and less beans.
I would perhaps have more actual troubles,
but I’d have fewer imaginary ones.

You see, I’m one of those people who lived sensibly and sanely,
hour after hour, day after day.
Oh, I’ve had my moments, and if I had to do it over again,
I’d have a lot more of them.
In fact, I’d try to have nothing else.
Just moments, one after another,
instead of living so many years ahead of each day.
I’ve been one of those persons who never goes anywhere
without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat and a parachute.
If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.

If I had my life to live over,
I would start barefoot earlier in the spring
and stay that way later in the fall.
I would go to more dances.
I would ride more merry-go-rounds.
I would pick more daisies.”

Father, help me to take the time to appreciate Your blessings…
my family, my friends and Your glorious creation.
And yes, Lord… help me to pick more daisies!

SAVOR THE SEASON

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RAINDANCE

There is a time for everything,
   and a season for every activity under the heavens:
Ecclesiastes 3:1

“As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest,
cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.”
Genesis 8:22 NLT

And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly
and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap,
if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.
Galatians 6:9 AMP

Yesterday I was thinking about the seasons. Actually I was thinking about the fact that fall is almost gone and winter is fast approaching with its dreary skies and cold weather.  The time change has just gone into effect and now it will be dark when I get home from work. To put it mildly…I really dislike winter!  It’s my least favorite season of the year.

But then, I have to admit, winter has its perks…Thanksgiving with its proverbial feast of roast turkey with dressing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Then comes Christmas, the most wonderful holiday of the year when we celebrate our Lord’s birth with gift giving and receiving and fellowship with family and friends. So the dilemma is evident… will I enjoy the season I’m in or will I spoil the good times by dwelling on the bad? The choice is entirely up to me.

It is an indisputable fact that we cannot control the seasons, neither the natural seasons nor the seasons in our lives. But it is also an absolute fact that we can trust the God who created them and who has complete control over them. And He promised, after the great flood described in the Book of Genesis, that as long as the earth remains, the seasons will come and go as usual. And even though there may be one that we prefer, each season has its own joys and sorrows. I love the spring and summer, but along with the sunshine and flowers comes the mowing of grass and trimming of shrubs. I don’t particularly like the winter, but I do like snuggling beside a crackling fireplace with a warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate.

I’m certain you get my point by now. Learn to enjoy the season you’re in! Don’t let negative thoughts surface and drown out the positive aspects of each season. I don’t know who originated this saying, but it is one of my favorites…”Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about learning to dance in the rain!” If I had waited for all of the storms in my life to pass before enjoying it, I would have had a dismal existence. In order to survive the storms, I had to learn to dance in the rain…and I’m still dancing! I refuse to let the devil dampen my spirit. He may try to rain on my parade, but I have the umbrella of God’s promises at my disposal. He may whip up the winds and turn my umbrella inside out. But if he does, I won’t miss a step as I continue to dance in the rain!

RENEWED HOPE

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I cried out, “I am slipping!”
But Your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.
When doubts filled my mind,
Your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
Psalm 94:18-19

Have you ever felt totally hopeless? I have. I can remember times in my life when I thought it would be a blessing to go home to be with the Lord. I was physically sick and emotionally drained. I just wanted to rest. I felt like that old commercial that the younger generation won’t remember…“Calgon…take me away!”

In those times, my love for my children kept me going. Now mind you, my children were grown and had children of their own, but still my love for them had not waned in the least from the time they were born until now. I thought, “I need to be here for them. I need to be strong for them. I need to be available if they need me. I can’t leave my children. I will never forsake my children!”

I made that statement a little dramatic at the end to make a point. If we, as human parents, feel so strongly about our relationship with our children, how much more does our Heavenly Father feel about His relationship with us, His children…His creation. Do you realize that God Himself breathed into Adam to give him life? “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

This is what the Paul, the Apostle says in Hebrews 13:5, “For He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] (Amplified Version) Wow! That’s how much God thinks of you, His child. Think of a father crossing the street, holding the hand of a young child. That child may try to pull away, but the father has a firm grip on him. He will not relax his hold…no way! If you are a born again believer, you are a child of God and He will not let you down. He WILL NOT relax His hold on you! Be totally confident in that today!

OUR MACRO GOD!

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God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name.

 Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
      toddlers shout the songs
   that drown out enemy talk,
      and silence atheist babble.

 I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
      your handmade sky-jewelry,
   Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
      Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
   Why do you bother with us?
      Why take a second look our way?

  Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods,
      bright with Eden’s dawn light.
   You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
      repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
   Made us lords of sheep and cattle,
      even animals out in the wild,
   Birds flying and fish swimming,
      whales singing in the ocean deeps.

 God, brilliant Lord,
      your name echoes around the world.

Psalm 8:1-9
The Message Bible

When I read this passage of scripture, especially this poetic rendition from The Message Bible, my heart swells with excitement and awe! Why? The psalmist is talking about my Heavenly Father and His unprecedented, unequaled love for me. The brilliant God who made the macro vastness of the universe cares for micro me!  And in His eyes, I am not micro, but macro also. He loves me so much that He made me in His image and put me in charge of His glorious creation.

I know you’ve often heard stories of kids bragging on their dads. Each one thinks his dad is the greatest! What about the children of famous actors or football stars? Well, let me tell you, they have absolutely nothing on us! Our Father is not just world famous, He is universally famous. His power and influence extends to the far reaches of the earth, the universe and beyond. His exploits are renowned to every people group that inhabits the earth. Even creation itself proclaims His existence with voices loud and clear! And we have the awesome privilege of saying, “That’s my Father…that’s my Dad!”