Are You Ready for Battle? Then...Don't Slouch!

My children attend Bible camp in TN and one of their teachers is Mrs. Sheila Doom who's father was the great missionary James Stewart. Throughout the rest of the year Mrs. Sheila sends out emails to the campers encouraging them in the Lord. The following is one such email, the most recent one in fact. I read it this morning and feel led to post it here on my blog. I hope you are blessed.

Dear Troops,

Just wanted you to know that when I pray, I don't pray for a ballet troup or a bunch of sr. citizens who want to play shuffle board and checkers!  I am praying for an army of men --yes, and women too, who will commit to doing battle for the Lord.

I just read a marvelous billboard for the Marines.  It said, "We are not looking for applicants; just commitments!"  I like that.  The Lord requires that and much more. 

So, I know it is not time for camp yet, but it is time to stay watchful and wary of the Enemy.  It is right when you get your eyes off of the present and on to the future blessing of campmeeting or camp, that he will sneak up on you.  I encourage you to

   

I. STAND.

          A. Don't slouch!  be lazy or dull or sleepy.  Be wide awake. 

          B. Don't stagger, first to the one side of faithfulness and then to the other side of indifference.

          C. Don't slide--"moved about with every wind of doctrine."

          D. Don't surrender , giving ground to the Enemy and giving up, instead of reclaiming that ground!  

II. PUT ON --the Whole Armor of God

1. A. Girdle or Belt of Truth--know Truth; wear it morning, noon and night.  Never take it off.  Keep you loins 

   girt about with Truth, braced for action.  Ready to give an answer for the hope that is within thee. Ready

    to defend what you believe at a moment's notice.  Ready to contest with the Devil when he tries to put

    lies in your head and accuses God to you or you to God.

          B. Breastplate of Righteousness -- that which covers the vital organs such as our heart, our mind, and our

 thoughts and emotions, desires.  Satan's tactic is to make you go by your feelings instead of the facts

 of God's Word.  Feel saved, don't feel saved; feel a failure, full of fears, full of doubt.  Remember that

 our feelings are not a measure of our condition. The Word is! 

          C. Sandals -- feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.  Give a firm stance to keep us from

 falling or sliding.  Causes us to be ready, firm, resolute, watchful and alert!  What does this?

                     Peace with God -- blessed assurance; Jesus is mine! 

                     Peace of God -- nothing between my soul and my Saviour!

           D. Shield of Faith

 

     Whoops! Off to another meeting and no time to finish.  Will send second installment next week.  Love you guys!  Mrs. Sheila

"Arise and Eat."

Can you tell I've had a bad month? How, because I haven't written a post for a whole month.  Well, we all have excuses for not doing things. They are usually pretty good excuses too, like falling down the stairs or getting sick.  But when it comes right down to the nitty gritty, we all do what we want to do.  In my case I didn't feel like writing something spiritual on my blog because I felt BLAH!  I think it goes in cycles with me: on a roll and doing well, become distracted with daily troubles, get discouraged by attack of the enemy, fall into the doldrums where everything can wait, then depressed where nothing is actually bad, but everything is seen that way. Go figure.

So, what is one of the first thing that slips when you are doing well?  Bible reading or devotions.  I love the children's song that says, "Neglect your Bible, forget to pray and you'll shrink, shrink, shrink, BUT read your Bible, pray everyday and you'll grow, grow, grow."  So simple.  Why is it so hard?  well, I know for one thing, the enemy wants to keep Christians from being effective.  Also, I think that many of our generation lack discipline and structure; I know I do.  However, how do we overcome?  How do we, as Christians, get past ourselves and get to the Lord?  I'll tell you my own experience.

I am going along, day by day, unmotivated and miserable, knowing that I am not right.  I pray that the Lord would help me to get over myself and to forgive me for my failures and sin.  He helps me when I pray.  Well, duh, I say to myself.  When I don't read the Word for myself, the Lord lovingly gives it to me in church.  You know that chastening thing He does.  I am so grateful that the Lord chastens us so softly and gently!  The message was about Elijah and when he was having a pity party under the juniper tree. Sometimes the big evergreen tree beside our house looks a lot like a juniper tree!  When we get our eyes off of the Lord God and onto ourselves it is always depressing!  After the Lord let Elijah rest, He sent a angel to him with some breakfast and said, "Arise and eat."  So, I left thanking the Lord for showing me that, yes, He has dealt with people like me before.  I was encouraged, but unbeknowst to me, I still didn't get it.  Until I woke up this morning at 3:30 am with an upset stomach.  As I was in the thinking room, I was thinking of writing on this blog and it hit me,

"Arise and Eat!"

Oh, right, now I get it!  Get up and read my Bible!  Arise and feast on the Bread of Heaven.  So simple.  Sometimes I make things harder than they really are.

Up and Down

Up and down, up and down, that is how my week has gone.  The downs are no fun, of course. Wrestling an American bulldog with a glue trap on his paw can be hard on anybody; me, it took four days to recover.

Then part of it is the kids were sick with the flu, part of it is me trying to fight getting the flu, and part of it is I am a stinky sinner - which is probably the larger piece of the pie.  Ever been there?  It seems I lose my patience when I feel yucky as opposed to when I am downright sick I just don't care, and this week it has been totally the former.  And how difficult it is to regain the ground lost to the enemy during battles.  Did I even fight in that one or did I just sit back let myself get pummeled?  Today I thought, "Lord, I am not doing very well in this battle; please save me!"

As I woke up today, I uttered a few prayers such as Psalm 51:10,
"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."   
It is amazing how just acknowledging that I cannot be a good mother without the Lord lifted weight off my mind!  Time to meditate on Ephesians 4:20-32 for sure!  All along the way during the week, the Lord has blessed me despite of myself.  It is that love, grace, mercy... that I do not understand, of which I am completely unworthy, and for which I am so grateful.


‎"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." Jude 24-25


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A Substitute For Joy

My friend, Cathy, posted this quote on facebook, and it really struck home.

"Entertainment is the devil's substitute for Joy, the less joy of the Lord you have the more entertainment you need." -Leonard Ravenhill

Wow. We turned off our cable TV about 2 years ago and now have only local channels, and I really have not missed it.  I have seen the positive changes in my homeschooled children.  My kids do not have cell phones, mp3 players, or the latest gaming system (yet...).  But could I do more; do I need to do more?  YES.  Since we cut off the cable a substitute has crept in...online movie streaming, you know the one, all you have to do is click the blue play instantly button.  And guess what? its not just the kids crooning over the blue button!

You know, once you gain victory in one area of your life, another vice or struggle rears its ugly head, or more like a four headed dragon!  

So what is the answer? I know it. You may know it. But here it is again: In the presence of the Lord is fullness of joy! Psalm 16:11 And how do you come into the presence of the Lord?  Daily devotion in prayer and reading of His Word.  Easier said than done, I know.  Help me, Lord, to seek Your face early and to meditate on Your Word day and night! Amen!

Philippians 4:6-9

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

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