Spiritual Warfare-Part 3

¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:14-18

The “Spiritual Armor” of God is something I have been familiar with for many years. I learned about the “Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Shoes of Peace, Helmet of Salvation, Shield of Faith, and Sword of the Spirit” in Sunday school years ago watching the infamous Bible Man. If you’re not familiar…please enjoy this picture of Bible Man dressed in the “full armor of God.”

While this Christian video series was incredibly cheesy, it actually had a pretty important point. “Bible Man” never went to battle without his suit of armor, and we should not do so either. In Ephesians, Paul encourages the Church to be protected and prepared for any challenge that could potentially tear them down. He wanted the people of Ephesus to realize that being ready to fight temptation and turmoil, and avoiding situations that are potentially harmful, could make the difference between sinking and staying afloat.

In the same sense, we should go through life with these principles. So often, we like to claim ourselves as victims of fear, lies, temptation, stress, or immorality. However, we need to remember that we are in complete control of how we respond to situations. Often times, we even control the situations we encounter based on the decisions we make and the people in which we surround ourselves.

Instead of being reactive, we need to be prepared for spiritual battle. To recap, there are seven main elements to our “spiritual armor” that can protect us in these testing times:

The Belt of Truth:

To be spiritually equipped, we need to constantly study The Word. Doing so, we will be more capable to define truth and hold on to it when lies and deception try to slither their way into our lives.

Breastplate of Righteousness:

Living a life that is upright and in line with God’s Word will help us to avoid situations that could be detrimental. Furthermore, having pre-determined standards will improve our ability to resist temptation.

Shoes of Peace:

Shoes are the protective covering that provide us with stability and balance. In the same sense, declaring God’s peace over our lives’ protect us from falling “victim” to insecurity, self-pity, and fear. While the struggles we face may still be difficult, God’s peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) can prevent us from falling apart in these troublesome times.

Shield of Faith:

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of the things we do not see. In other words, to have faith in God is to trust that He will take care of us even when we don’t know what may come our way. When our faith is strongly rooted in the Lord, the Bible tells us that the “flaming arrows,” or attacks of the enemy, are extinguished.

Helmet of Salvation:

What if we were to go through life constantly remembering all that God did to save us from eternal turmoil? When we keep our minds set on God and who He is, we are less problem-focused and more in tune with God’s power and presence in every situation.

Sword of Spirit:

This is the Word of God. When we study the Bible, we are able to use it as a strong and powerful weapon. It can shut down lies of the enemy, and it can encourage and direct us through the battles we face.

Prayer:

Prayer is the powerful force that should be interwoven throughout our spiritual armor. When we are constantly in prayer, we are continuously aware and on guard for all that is going on in the spiritual realm.

Freedom Christian, I encourage you to put on your spiritual armor. Let’s stop claiming ourselves as victims of the enemy, and believe that our God is greater than our struggles. Let’s fight against temptation, fear, stress, self-pity, lies, and other attacks of the enemy. Let us remember that OUR GOD has already won the battle! 

Written by: Tamara Sturdivant 

Edited by: Brigit Edwards

Spiritual Warfare-Part 2

Sometimes the concept of Spiritual Warfare is big, scary and weird – especially if you were immersed in Christian culture in the 80’s.

When I was a very young teenager I discovered Frank Peretti and his books This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness.

These creatively woven tales involved the battle that waged behind the veil. Angels and demons warred for the souls of the unseeing humans in the story.

And those angels and demons were totally gnarly. Yeah. I said "totally gnarly." Because they were. Totally. Gnarly.

If guardian angels existed, I wanted mine to be like Krioni. Or Scion. Or Signa. Or Triskal. Any one of those angels from the books would have been good as far as protecting me from unseen oncoming cars and unbearable temptation.

As Christians, we know that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms,” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV). And that can sometimes feel weird and a little bit like a crazy Sci-Fi movie.

What I love about this sermon series is that it demystifies Spiritual Warfare and we walk away with very practical ways to engage in the battle.

This past Sunday, we talked about two more enemies: Our Flesh and The World. We talked about how we can overcome these things. If you were unable to be at church on Sunday, be sure to catch the podcast because I won’t be able to recap the entire message here.

My favorite point regarding dealing with Our Flesh was, “Refuse to Give In.” It was so simple yet so profound. Often we find ourselves at the point of temptation and the draw is so strong that we feel that we must give in.

The reason for this is that we haven’t predetermined how we will respond in those moments. We haven’t safeguarded our lives to know what our response is going to be before the temptation comes. For example, we may think to ourselves regarding the “big things”, “Well, of course I’ve predetermined that I won’t be unfaithful to my spouse.”

But we forget about the “little” temptations along the way that erode that path. Predetermine that you won’t watch or read things that allow your imagination to be stirred in unhealthy ways. Predetermine that you won’t be involved in conversations with the opposite sex that allow a level of intimacy that should only be shared with your spouse (i.e. don’t talk about your spouse negatively or share marriage struggles.) Even be careful about saying things like, “My husband thinks we should handle our kids in this particular way. I think he’s being too harsh. I just wanted to get a man’s outside perspective on this. What do you think?” As innocent as that may sound, that’s subtle erosion.

While I realize that adultery is a pretty “big” example, this common sense approach can be applied to all of the areas of Our Flesh that we battle against.

Lies. Gossip. Profane talk. Lashing out in anger.

Will this conversation or action that I’m participating in cause me to be tempted to lie about it later? (yikes!)

Is the story I’m about to tell one that I could comfortably tell in the presence of the person it’s about? (ouch!)

The list and examples could go on and on, but I think you see the point:

Refuse to give in by setting up safeguards against the “little” areas before the “big” temptations come. Because, make no mistake, they will. It’s our job to do everything we can to stand against temptation.

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13

Written by: Jaime Hlavin
Edited by: Tamara Sturdivant

Spiritual Warfare-Part 1

The truth is not a democracy. It has never been a numbers game, and it makes little difference if most people in your community stand for it or against it, whether they proclaim it openly or passionately resist it, or whether it carries in the next election cycle. For that matter, the fact you made the choice to believe in the truth is a wonderful thing, but that never made it any more or less true.

It’s easy for us as Americans to lose sight of this principle. Most of the wars we fight, the products we make, and the divisive political issues of our day are decided at a level of scale, and we tend to tackle evil the same way.  But the fact is, lost souls have outnumbered found ones every single day since Jesus was here (“narrow is the road that leads to life and only a few ever find it,” Matthew 7:14). That didn’t stop Jesus from finding you, and it won’t stop him from finding the next lost soul either.

Pastor Aaron pointed out that we aren’t fighting people, and we shouldn’t spend time attacking people – our spiritual warfare is against Satan. Deceived people are, at best, cannon fodder in his war campaign, and he has made himself the adversary of God and deceiver of his people. But God gives us the tools as Christians to turn back his attacks, if we use them properly.

Pastor Aaron also reminded us of the warning in Ephesians 6-13 that we are not to wrestle with flesh and blood, but dark rulers of the present age. We must be prepared to fight, and we must fight to win, not only to survive. And the stakes have never been higher. We aren’t to be strong in our own might, but in his.

 Finally, Pastor Aaron notes that the devil’s primary plan is to blind us to the gospel truth. Paul touches on this theme and reveals that the easiest remedy is found in turning our attention to God’s word. “By setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel… .” (2 Corinthians 4:2-3 NIV).

I find that a comforting idea, to think you can unwind so much deception and blindness in yourself, and in the world, by studying and sharing Biblical truth. It’s an easy task, and more importantly, it is often a solitary one. This truth is never a function of the size of the body of its believers, or its resources, or its opposition. Those things can be obstacles, because they divert your attention. You only need to give truth a little alone time, with an open heart.

Written by: Chad Halcom

Edited by: Jenelle Kelly 

Lessons from the Storm

Have you ever felt as though you are sinking in a whirlwind of troubles that surround you? Or perhaps you have had times when you were being obedient to God, yet your world somehow seemed to be falling apart. The story of Matthew 14:22-33 offers great insight into facing these storms, even when it seems impossible.

Although many of us are familiar with this story, Peter’s action provides a visualization that we cannot dismiss.  As it is told, the disciples headed out to sea as Jesus told them to do, and they were faced with a terrifying storm. After much struggle, Jesus came to them by walking on water. While the others thought Jesus may have been a ghost, Peter found himself challenging Jesus to call him out on the water! The story goes on to say that Peter too, walked on water. When he diverted his eyes back to the waves of the storm, however, he began to sink.

This story creates a direct parallel to a relationship with Christ. The truth is, we all have storms in life. The thing that makes the difference in the storm is that when our eyes, our thoughts, and our trust are fixated on the Lord, He will carry us through it.

Pastor John Opalewski provided us with 3 helpful takeaways from this story:     

      

1.       Life can change quickly.

The disciples didn’t know that the storm was coming, but they needed to be prepared to fight through it. Likewise, we need to be ready to face difficult times. Hardships are inevitable. However, building a solid foundation of trust in Christ can keep us firmly rooted on solid ground.

2.       Fear is understandable.

The disciples’ lives were likely at stake as they battled through the waves. Dealing with hard times can be scary. When we remember just who God is, however, our struggles can begin to seem less scary. Consider the passage shared on Sunday:

The Lord is my light and my salvation—

    whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of my life—    of whom shall I be afraid?
    to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

² When the wicked advance against me

Psalm 27:1-3

3.       Decisions in the storm can be life-saving (or not).

For Peter, choosing to keep his eyes on Christ was the answer to surviving the storm. However, there may be times where we don’t have a clue about what to do with our struggles. In such times, we must pray for clarity. If necessary, seek counsel. Sometimes, we may just have to ride the storm until the answer or breakthrough comes.

Above all else, we must trust in God, as He will direct us through the storms of life. 

Written by: Tamara Sturdivant

Edited by: De Ann Sturdivant

The Glory of God

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

These words were spoken by Paul to the church of Corinth in an attempt to reshape a fallible perspective. As humans, we are naturally self-gratifying, inward-focused creatures. Despite this inclination, God has chosen us to bring Him glory. In fact, our existence in itself was created to bring God glory (Isaiah 43:6-7). That’s something that can be a little difficult to wrap one’s mind around when culture, inward desires, and sugar-coated understandings of God suggest otherwise. You see, we don’t always look at God’s full character.

While God holds many titles, we tend to hold on to the ones we like best.  He is a loving father, a friend, a healer, a counselor, and a redeemer. What if we were to re-focus, however, on one of His greatest qualities? What if we were to view God as more than someone who helps us in times of need? The truth is, God is powerful. He is glorious. He is Holy. In fact, His full presence is something we are not even capable of handling (consider Moses’ encounter with God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 33:20)). We are selling ourselves, and, quite frankly, God short if we do not honor this aspect of His nature.

As His creation, it should be our joy to give Him glory. He gave us, whom He did not need, life. He gave us, a people who chose to sin against Him, a chance for restoration. He gave us, an undeserving people, a chance to bring Him glory.

Sometimes we can forget what it’s really all about. While culture, sugar-coated Christianity, and selfish desires tell us that a relationship with God is solely for our benefit, there is a much greater picture. More than this, we are created with the purpose of bringing God glory in everything we do.

This week, I challenge you. First, ask yourself: Am I viewing the full nature of God? If not, study further upon who He is. Secondly, consider the question: Am I living every moment for the glory of God? If not, where can I improve?

Let’s bring God the glory that is already His. 

Written by: Tamara Sturdivant

Edited by: De Ann Sturdivant

Lost in Translation

At a time in my life where I was anxious about my relationship with God, feeling as though there was some “spiritual ladder” I just wasn’t climbing high enough, and getting knocked down a few steps on my roughest days, a good friend and mentor said something that changed my life. She told me that salvation is not a one-time explosive experience; it is a daily decision.

Every morning, every minute, we make the decision to die to ourselves and live through Christ. I cannot begin to describe the relief I felt and the sudden release of the pressure I had been putting on myself when I first understood that His mercies are truly new every day. Though we are all aiming to finish this race, it still must be done one foot after the other.

While it’s a huge relief that we are meant to take things day by day, it can be a process of learning to make that commitment every day. While Mike Cross was delivering his message on Sunday, he explained the actual process Jesus experienced while dying on the cross. He endured an excruciatingly long process—suffocation. It is so appropriate then, that in Matthew 16:24 the Bible says “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’”.  

When we make the decision over and over again to die to ourselves, it is not a quick, easy process, like a beheading. We don’t just sever the parts of ourselves we must sacrifice. But rather, it is a process of suffocation, of not allowing the desires of the flesh to breathe and grow within us, but instead, to live fully as we are filled with the breath of God.

The great news in which we place our hope, however, is that Jesus did not just die. He rose again, a seemingly impossible miracle. The world tells us that we should live only for ourselves, that we shouldn’t sacrifice our lives or change our ways for any god. What they do not understand is that our God is a LIVING and ACTIVE God. When we die to ourselves, we don’t remain in the tomb. Instead, Jesus made it clear that “for whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it,” (Matthew 16:25). We have this promise not just in heaven, but on earth, that those who take up their cross and lose their life for Jesus’ sake will experience a new and abundant life with Him.

This week, as we reflect on our daily decision, I challenge you to do as I was advised by my wonderful friend. Each morning, as you are beginning your day, make the conscious decision (whether in your thoughts or out loud): “Today I will take up my cross. Today I will die to myself and my desires. Today I will receive the life through Jesus that God promises me.”

Written by: Brianna Vanderveen

Edited by: Brigit Edwards

The 50/20 Rule

Many of us are familiar with the story in Genesis about a man named Joseph and his not-so-great brothers. If you haven’t read this story, I encourage you to check it out in Genesis 37-50. In short, Joseph was the favorite of many sons, and as a result his brothers grew jealous. To add fire to the flame, Joseph shares two prophetic dreams with his brothers that allude to his future reign over them.  His brothers, not surprisingly, did not appreciate hearing of these dreams. Therefore, they sold their brother into slavery and put his life on the line for the sake of revenge.

Despite all of this, Joseph’s prophetic dreams come true and, in the end, his brothers needed him to ensure their personal survival. This is where the 50/20 rule comes in. After all is said and done, Joseph makes a powerful statement that can apply to us today.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20

I love this verse because it gives me hope. We all go through rough times when it seems like God is nowhere to be found, but in reality He is right there waiting to do a work amidst the struggle. On Sunday, Pastor John Opalewski identified the 50/20 Rule with the statement, “God can transform our pain into something life-giving and good if we cooperate with Him.” This is so true! Joseph is the perfect example of this. Although he faced rejection from his brothers, hardships, and pain, God used Him to lead many people and save many lives. Joseph was willing, and God was able to bring beauty to his struggle.

In addition, Pastor John Opalewski provided us with four action step that will bring hope and purpose to our pain.

4 ACTION STEPS:

1.       Understand God is with us when our circumstances suggest otherwise. (Romans 8:38-39)

2.       Maintain integrity when it would be easy not to.

3.       Believe our steps are ordered by God. (Genesis 45:8)

4.       Forgive those who hurt us. (Hebrews 12:15)

If we make the choice to incorporate these action steps into our pain, God will turn what seems like a hopeless situation into something meaningful and good. I challenge you, as Pastor John did, to let God do a 50/20 on your greatest pain.

Written by: Tamara Sturdivant

Edited by: Jenelle Kelly