The Armor of God!

Ephesians 6:
Put on the whole armor of God!
We are in a war! Not a physical battle in which we can see our enemies and plan attacks or defense strategies. Not in a natural warfare. This is a spiritual war, in which we fight against an enemy who comes against us with temptations, and deceitful tactics which will wound our inner man, even destroy him, if we are not fully equipped to stand against him.
In this chapter, Paul tells us what the correct battle gear is for those of us who desire to overcome the enemy of our souls.
We know that Satan comes against us as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. A lion will attack from the rear, crushing the spinal cord with his teeth, to bring down the victim. Satan does not come out openly against us, but will use deceitful plans to catch us off guard, playing our fleshly desires against the spiritual life we are trying to exhibit.
The scripture tells us, “We battle not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual wickedness in high places”. Therefore we cannot use fleshly, earthly tactics in this spiritual war against the enemy of our souls, who seeks to weaken our Faith, defeat our desire to serve the Lord, Our Redeemer. Satan knows that his time is limited, that he has already lost the battle, but he will make every attempt to cause us to sin, for he knows that NO sin can enter into the Kingdom of God. Yes, God will forgive us, but if sin remains in our heart and controls our minds, and then we must repent, change directions, be sorry for, and turn away from that which separates us from our God.

This chapter in Ephesians directs our attention to our spiritual battle-gear. We learn what the well dressed spiritual warrior must wear as he goes out to battle. Starting in verse 10, we read, “be strong in the Lord, (be empowered through your union with Him; draw your strength from Him, that strength which His boundless might provides).
Then : Put on God’s whole armor—the armor of a heavy-armed soldier, which God supplies—that you may be able successfully to stand up against the strategies and the deceits of the devil.” There is no possibility for us to win the spiritual war against Satan by fleshly means. No matter how often we go to church, say our prayers, testify of the salvation we want from the Lord, no matter the amount of tithes or monies we give, or how many good deeds we can claim, our battle is lost without the ‘whole armor’ of God.
For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood, contending only with physical opponents, but against the powers, against the master spirits who are the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) realm.
If we are clad in the complete armor of God, we will be able to resist and stand our ground in the day of evil, and we will stand firmly in our place, holding our ground.
IF: We have on the belt of truth, the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God;
Having our feet shod in preparation to face the enemy with firm-footed stability, the promptness and the readiness produced by the Gospel of peace. Check Isaiah 52:7
Above all, cover yourself with the shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the fiery missiles of the wicked one, and then take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
Last but certainly not the least, PRAY!! Pray at all times, on every occasion, in every season, in the Spirit, with all manner of prayer and entreaty. Thereby keeping alert and watching with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints, who are God’s people and for the souls who are in bondage. Prayer is the power which we have because of our relationship with our Savior. Yes, we have been given the power to pray, to ask and we shall receive because we do not ask amiss. We do not ask for our own benefit, but that others may receive the redemption, the born-again experience, which comes when we believe and receive the redemptive work which was accomplished by our Savior on Calvary.
Let us gear up!! Let us prepare for the battle that is currently raging in our world!!
Come out from among them, be a separate People, a Holy People unto the Lord.
Put on your Battle Gear and Fight the good fight of Faith.
In Christ we are over comers!! We are WINNERS!!

My Saviors Love

Psalms 59: 16
As for me, I shall sing of your strength, yes, I shall joyfully sing of your loving kindness in the morning,
for you have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress.

You, Lord, are the creator of all things!
You, Lord, are the beginning and the end!
You, Lord, are the first and the last!

As I stand alone in your presence,
I feel your love and your power
I trust your Spirit to guide me,
As I stumble through this dark hour,
Of distress, uncertainty and pain.
For you alone know the answer
To the “why” and “how” of my life,
For me my faith rises before me
And I trust you even in this strife.

No man has all the answers,
The reasons for some things remain
Unknown, unclear, and hidden
Worldly wisdom fails to discern
The source or solution to the problem.
How glorious for my heart to be certain
That you, Lord, know all things before they happen,
My heart and my soul soar like the eagle
The darkness of pain yields to the Light,
The Light of your Spirit is present
Every moment of day or of night,
He has been the source of my life
My joy, my peace, every blessing
Comes down from my Father above
I will continue to trust in His Wisdom
For He knows the beginning and the end
He has never failed before
And my faith makes it clear to me now
That in Him, I live and have my being
In Him, My Savior, all is secure.

I will trust Him, whatever the future holds,
For I know He holds the future
Every moment of every day!
How wonderful, how marvelous!
Is my Saviors love to me!

Continue in your endless love and rejoice in the Spirit of His certainty! I Peter 2:20-24

Springtime Awakening

Springtime Awakening

I too shall live again.

When I am tempted to complain
About the endless days of rain,
I stop and realize,
God knows just what we need.
He made this earth and
All that is upon it.
Creatures great and small,
The smallest flower,
The largest tree,
He made them all!
We need the water to sustain
Our life, as He well knows.
Therefore in His plan
He made times for rains and snows,
A time for all things.

Just for me—for man.

I cannot see the wind
But when I see the trees move
Or fields of grass waving to and fro,
I know the wind is there.
I may not like the wind to blow,
But I understand the reason
When I behold the flowers in bloom
And enjoy the springtime season!
I know they are there in part
Because of the wind.
Which carried the smallest seed,
Planting it safely in the sod,
Letting it grow in all its beauty.
Some may say it is just a weed,
But it reveals the plan of God.

You see, He has a master plan
For all creation which He made.
The rain that falls,
The wind which blows
Yes, even winter snows.
They all reveal His will
Each seed that falls into the ground
Does not really die at all,
But is changed into a new form
Springing forth in beauty rare.
For the entire world to share.
The reason it exists on earth
To live again and thus fulfill
Its small part in God’s great plan
To reveal His awesome love for man.

“The heavens declare the glory of God”
Psalms 19:1

Frances Stewart
May 13, 2005

The Lord God is my Strength

Habakkuk 3:17-19; "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail; and the fields shall yeild no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls; YET I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength and He will make my feet like hinds feet; and He will make me to walk upon my high places."

Oh, Yes,in the worst of times, our God will lift us up above the shadows, and the troubles of this life. He has promised to be our comforter, our helper, our guide, and when we walk with Him, allowing His Holy Spirit to abide within us as we abide in Christ, John 15, there is nothing that will overwhelm us in this life, not the fires, nor the storms, nor the earthquakes, nor the evil which comes against our life, can really harm us.

The anniversary of a great tragedy is here. What are we doing? Expecting bad things to happen! We think because it happened once, it will most assuredly happen again. Not necessarily! IF we are a nation who honors God, and obeys His Word; if we as a people worship and put Him first in our life; if We humble ourselves and pray to the ONE TRUE GOD who created all things, THEN He will hear from heaven and heal our land and protect us from evil. Pride, arrogance, idolotry, will stand between our Nation, the People, and the God who will sustain us and keep us.

If the Nation does not honor God, we as individuals have the opportunity to stand before Him in obedience, humility, and respect. We, as a person, can say, "As for me and my house, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD".
That is when we will be able to repeat the words of Habakkuk,"I WILL rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength" We must stop depending upon our own strength, our own resources and put our trust in the Almighty God! He is our strength and salvation.

In His Steps!

In His steps, I will follow
Everywhere He leads me, I will go.
Though the path grows tangled
With the problems here below.
If I keep my eyes on Jesus,
When I stumble, even fall!
I shall always then be able
To rise again, and trust my Lord
To lift me safely, Keep me focused
On the way which I must know!
As His hand directs my footsteps
So His Spirit gives me faith
And I walk in great assurance
For I know He will be there!
He will never leave, nor forsake me
That is promised! I can know!
I will see His face
ONE Day!
If I remain true to His living Word!

We Trust You Lord!

We say that we trust you Lord,
So we do not ask the reason!
We trust you Lord.
But we do not understand!
So, if it please you, Lord,
Would you help us comprehend?
Your purpose for the answer we just received?
This was so different than what we expected,
Could it be our will was not the same as yours?
We trust you, Lord!
The reasons are yours alone to know.
Why the answer was not “yes” but “no!
So we still trust you, Lord!
In your own time you will reveal
Your reason for the answer we received
For the prayers we earnestly prayed.
Your answer was perfect for our life,
At that time and in that place.
You knew it all the while!
So as we dry our tears,
Put on a great big smile,
Concentrate on loving, serving you Lord
We Thank You Lord for this answer.

We trust you Lord!


We have all received answers to our prayers that was NOT what we wanted to hear.It seems that our faith is tested more than we can bear. But when we look at the scriptures, we read that we shall be tested, even as our Lord was tested. Did He not pray, "nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done" after a long night of talking with His Father? As humans, at times, we are convinced that what we have in our mind simply has to be the only way to advance. God sometimes has other plans, so when we pray, remember to submit your will to His perfect will, and perhaps His answer will be more palatible. The saying has been around for a long time, "God always answers prayer. It may be 'yes' or it may be 'no' or it my be 'in My own time". Satan desires to cause us to doubt God's Word so if you will doubt, confusion allows him to work his evil in your heart. Do NOT give place to the devil. Submit yourself to God and He will take you through the darknest night into the sunlight of His perfect will.
I TRUST YOU LORD!

The Hands of God!

Heavenly Hands!
The hands which made the heavens,
The earth and all therein,
Are hands which hold the future
And all that has ever been.
Our eyes cannot look upon them
But how awesome they must be,
For in His word He reveals to us
How His hands reach out to me,
Hands which were nailed to the cross.

Hands of mercy to the sinner
Hands of hope to the lost
Hands of anger to the rebel
Who refuses to accept the precious cost.
Hands of provision to the needy
Hands of grace to all who come
In simple faith believing in His Son.
Hands of healing to the sick
Hands of deliverance to those in bonds.

Especially I find the hands of Love
Loving hands which guide my steps
Pick me up when I fall
Hands of love—nailed to the cross
Our gain was Heaven’s loss.
But only for a moment
Those hands rose again
And promise to return
I long at last to see,
Those heavenly hands
Which long have guided me!

January 17, 2011