IT'S ABOUT TO SHAKE
"No weapon formed against you will prosper..."
Isaiah 54:17a
The word 'Earthquake' has been heard often over the past month or so. It wasn't too long ago that Haiti was shook by just this word; this devastation. And as one who spent his childhood in Southern California, I know first hand the fear that comes with an earthquake. Unlike a tornado or hurricane, they sneak up unexpected and catch you off guard. They range from a little jolt to an all out rumble. Each one is different, yet they all have one thing in common. Fear.
The Bible tells us in Acts 16 that while Paul and Silas were preaching in Philippi, an uproar broke out. Paul and Silas had just cast out spirits from a slave girl and as such, the magistrates weren't too happy about it. They ordered the two be placed in jail with a posted guard watching over them. So with their feet in stocks and no way to escape, they made the decision to worship God.
My mind drifts to the movie Facing the Giants. The coach made the decision for the team that win or lose they were going to praise God. Or even the song Praise You in the Storm by Casting Crowns. Life isn't always easy, but we must praise God, trusting He has everything under control.
"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and every body's chains came loose." Acts 16:25-26
Not knowing what was going to happen to them, Paul and Silas still rejoiced and praised God. They trusted that even if this was the end of the road for them, God had every piece working to His benefit. We must remember that God's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isa 55:8). The sovereign Lord God Almighty is in control. He holds our hands and guides our every step. It is He who allows us our next breath. We are nothing without God.
Paul and Silas were bound one minute and being shaken by an earthquake the next minute. When the dust settled they found themselves free from their chains. The chains may have held them in place, but they couldn't hold God back. The weapon that was to be their demise did not prosper. God flexed His muscles and a miracle happened.
Much can be said concerning this story. The moral could be to praise God while you are sitting in your 'jail cell', whatever it may be. The lesson could be the fact that God is in control. Or it could be to encourage us that God has our back. How true it is that there is no chain, no sword, no weapon that can prosper against us. We are all apt for bodily injury, but spiritually, the devil only has power over us when we allow him in. We must shut the door to sin and allow God to be the single Lord of our life. In so doing a hedge of protection is stationed all around us. Evil cannot prosper with God as our rear guard.
https://www.onthevanguard.com/
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
PIECES OF ARMOR
Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place
Eph 6:14
In the Strong’s, this word truth, Aletheia, is defined as reality, sincerity, accuracy, integrity, and truthfulness. Just like a belt one would wear to keep his pants up, so without this belt one’s armor will not stay up. Our belt is our best defense against the deception the enemy will throw at us. Do not forget, the devil is the father of lies (Jn 8:44), therefore his nature is to twist and manipulate the truth just enough that we would believe him. But let us not also forget that Jesus Christ is the truth (Jn 14:6), and walking in Him deflects the lies the enemy attempts to hurl at us constantly.
I remember back when I was in high school that I wanted desperately to tell someone of my already growing addiction to pornography. After service one Wednesday night, I approached my youth minister and began to share with him the struggle I was dealing with. He counseled me, prayed with me, encouraged me that God heard my prayer and had forgiven me, and then told me that when he asked in the future, “How are you?”, it meant how am I doing with overcoming this lust I was drawn to. That following Sunday he kept his word in asking, and I honesty told him I was great. But as the weeks passed and he continued to ask, I did not continue to answer honestly. Instead, out of the fear of being labeled a failure, I would lie. I have learned since then that it was the devil who lied to me about being a failure that kept me from being honest and continuing to receive my freedom. As a result, I battled this same addiction for years to follow.
The belt of truth is given as the first piece of our armor because unless we are standing on truth, we will only believe the lies. Notice, when God used Gideon, He first had to rid the thoughts of being the least in his family and show Gideon the truth before he was able to be used so mightily (Jud 6:15-16). There is no point to the helmet or breastplate if the devil is already working on us and bending what we know is accurate. When thoughts come to us that are not in line with God’s word, let us throw them down and stand solid on truth.
The breastplate is vital in that it protects our heart and our vitals. This righteousness is not of our own, but a righteousness that comes from being in Christ (I Cor 1:30). The Greek word here is Dikaiosune, meaning the quality of being right. Who among us is right? We are nothing more than sinners under God’s grace. By wearing the breastplate of righteousness, we are protected by the accuser. Jack Hayford writes, “God declares the believer righteous, in the sense of acquitting him, and imparts righteousness to him.”
When Christ died in our place on the cross, we became the righteousness of Christ (II Cor 5:21). We are urged to live right. However, our human nature and free will pave access to sin. The Bible tells that when we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I Jn 1:9). This act of forgiveness, of making a turn in the right direction, allows us to come again into right standing with God under the umbrella of His righteousness. Let us stand strong with this breastplate in place.
_____
Hayford, Jack, Kingdom Warfare: Strategies for Victory in the Invisible War, (Nelson Impact, 2004), p 51
Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place
Eph 6:14
In the Strong’s, this word truth, Aletheia, is defined as reality, sincerity, accuracy, integrity, and truthfulness. Just like a belt one would wear to keep his pants up, so without this belt one’s armor will not stay up. Our belt is our best defense against the deception the enemy will throw at us. Do not forget, the devil is the father of lies (Jn 8:44), therefore his nature is to twist and manipulate the truth just enough that we would believe him. But let us not also forget that Jesus Christ is the truth (Jn 14:6), and walking in Him deflects the lies the enemy attempts to hurl at us constantly.
I remember back when I was in high school that I wanted desperately to tell someone of my already growing addiction to pornography. After service one Wednesday night, I approached my youth minister and began to share with him the struggle I was dealing with. He counseled me, prayed with me, encouraged me that God heard my prayer and had forgiven me, and then told me that when he asked in the future, “How are you?”, it meant how am I doing with overcoming this lust I was drawn to. That following Sunday he kept his word in asking, and I honesty told him I was great. But as the weeks passed and he continued to ask, I did not continue to answer honestly. Instead, out of the fear of being labeled a failure, I would lie. I have learned since then that it was the devil who lied to me about being a failure that kept me from being honest and continuing to receive my freedom. As a result, I battled this same addiction for years to follow.
The belt of truth is given as the first piece of our armor because unless we are standing on truth, we will only believe the lies. Notice, when God used Gideon, He first had to rid the thoughts of being the least in his family and show Gideon the truth before he was able to be used so mightily (Jud 6:15-16). There is no point to the helmet or breastplate if the devil is already working on us and bending what we know is accurate. When thoughts come to us that are not in line with God’s word, let us throw them down and stand solid on truth.
The breastplate is vital in that it protects our heart and our vitals. This righteousness is not of our own, but a righteousness that comes from being in Christ (I Cor 1:30). The Greek word here is Dikaiosune, meaning the quality of being right. Who among us is right? We are nothing more than sinners under God’s grace. By wearing the breastplate of righteousness, we are protected by the accuser. Jack Hayford writes, “God declares the believer righteous, in the sense of acquitting him, and imparts righteousness to him.”
When Christ died in our place on the cross, we became the righteousness of Christ (II Cor 5:21). We are urged to live right. However, our human nature and free will pave access to sin. The Bible tells that when we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I Jn 1:9). This act of forgiveness, of making a turn in the right direction, allows us to come again into right standing with God under the umbrella of His righteousness. Let us stand strong with this breastplate in place.
_____
Hayford, Jack, Kingdom Warfare: Strategies for Victory in the Invisible War, (Nelson Impact, 2004), p 51
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR
“When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.’”
“’But Lord,’ Gideon asked, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I and the least in my family.”
“’The Lord answered, ‘I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.’”
Judges 6:12, 15-16
Prior to 1941, no African American had ever piloted in the United States military. However, after a checklist of moves stemmed from the United States Congress, an all-black combat unit was formed. The policy of allowing these men entrance consisted not only of flight experience, but also physical and mental qualifications. As the Congress expected very few applicants to fulfill these restrictive specifications, they were left in awe as the Air Corps received an abundance of applications, many of whom had taken part in the Civilian Pilot Training Program from 1939 forward. These men hailed from all over the United States in an act of patriotism. They were known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
The first aviation cadet class for these men began in July 1941 and was completed nine months later in March 1942. Of the thirteen airmen who started in the class, only five completed the training successfully. As the years continued, more and more were allowed entrance in the military program, totaling more than nine hundred by the end of 1946. Completing more than two hundred combat missions, the Tuskegee Airmen did not lose a single bomber to enemy fire. This statistic was unmatched by any other fighter group of its time.
Yet, even with the military success unmatched by any, the men of this all-black unit faced an even worse foe. These men found themselves enlisted in two wars – the obvious overseas combat against the Axis, and the war against racism. Stemmed from hatred within the military as well as overseas, they were simply looked down on because of color. They flew clean and went extra mile in proving their skill, yet were treated as trainees and denied the right to enter the Field Officers’ Club, which resulted in arrest when they attempted. Not until 1948 did President Harry S. Truman enact Executive Order Number 9981, allowing equal treatment and opportunity of all men serving in the United States military, regardless of color. This step became the paved road for the end of racial segregation not only for the military, but also in America overall.
Genesis 1:27 affirms that we are all made in God’s image, His imago dei. Yet for so many, the battle of self image and poor self esteem continues on. Whether it be forced on us, as with the Tuskegee Airmen who fought their own additional battle over skin color, or allowed in our own minds based on generations and events past, as seen with Gideon, God says to us that we are His mighty men of valor. It is high time for us to listen to what God says about us and stop negating. God has called us brave, strong, wise, and a force to be reckoned with as we stand in His strength. Let us move forward in the knowledge that what He says about us stands, period.
Now rise up mighty man of valor, and join me ON THE VANGUARD!
_____
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Airmen
http://www.tuskegeeairmen.org/Tuskegee_Airmen_History.html
http://www.tuskegee.edu/global/story.asp?s=1127695
“When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.’”
“’But Lord,’ Gideon asked, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I and the least in my family.”
“’The Lord answered, ‘I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.’”
Judges 6:12, 15-16
Prior to 1941, no African American had ever piloted in the United States military. However, after a checklist of moves stemmed from the United States Congress, an all-black combat unit was formed. The policy of allowing these men entrance consisted not only of flight experience, but also physical and mental qualifications. As the Congress expected very few applicants to fulfill these restrictive specifications, they were left in awe as the Air Corps received an abundance of applications, many of whom had taken part in the Civilian Pilot Training Program from 1939 forward. These men hailed from all over the United States in an act of patriotism. They were known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
The first aviation cadet class for these men began in July 1941 and was completed nine months later in March 1942. Of the thirteen airmen who started in the class, only five completed the training successfully. As the years continued, more and more were allowed entrance in the military program, totaling more than nine hundred by the end of 1946. Completing more than two hundred combat missions, the Tuskegee Airmen did not lose a single bomber to enemy fire. This statistic was unmatched by any other fighter group of its time.
Yet, even with the military success unmatched by any, the men of this all-black unit faced an even worse foe. These men found themselves enlisted in two wars – the obvious overseas combat against the Axis, and the war against racism. Stemmed from hatred within the military as well as overseas, they were simply looked down on because of color. They flew clean and went extra mile in proving their skill, yet were treated as trainees and denied the right to enter the Field Officers’ Club, which resulted in arrest when they attempted. Not until 1948 did President Harry S. Truman enact Executive Order Number 9981, allowing equal treatment and opportunity of all men serving in the United States military, regardless of color. This step became the paved road for the end of racial segregation not only for the military, but also in America overall.
Genesis 1:27 affirms that we are all made in God’s image, His imago dei. Yet for so many, the battle of self image and poor self esteem continues on. Whether it be forced on us, as with the Tuskegee Airmen who fought their own additional battle over skin color, or allowed in our own minds based on generations and events past, as seen with Gideon, God says to us that we are His mighty men of valor. It is high time for us to listen to what God says about us and stop negating. God has called us brave, strong, wise, and a force to be reckoned with as we stand in His strength. Let us move forward in the knowledge that what He says about us stands, period.
Now rise up mighty man of valor, and join me ON THE VANGUARD!
_____
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Airmen
http://www.tuskegeeairmen.org/Tuskegee_Airmen_History.html
http://www.tuskegee.edu/global/story.asp?s=1127695
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