Spiritual Warfare

I have been listening to the book "This Present Darkness", by Frank Peretti and have been challenged in my earthly thinking. As humans, we "normally" do not see the spiritual warfare that is occurring around us. We live in our physical world and trust that what we see is... what we get. However, thinking about the work of the angels (God's messengers and doers of HIS will) and the evil work and deeds of the demons (satan's helpers in his deception and anti-Christ ways) I am reminded, we are not alone as humans.

In this book I am listening to on CD, the demons' voices are harsh and scary, but as I ponder the reader's interpretation, I definitely wonder at the accuracy of the "harsh and scary" voices chosen. One reason being is that satan is deceptive. He would not always use something harsh and scary to draw us into sin. Sometimes, when people are freakishly drawn to horrible images, yes, that could be accurate, but for the most part, I think satan uses appealing ways to draw us into darkness. Think about a seductive voice or how beauty can be used to pull someone into pornography or adultery, are they not alluring and attractive? Only when the true reality of the darkness seeps into us, and the Holy Spirit reveals the darkness of those evil ways, does the true ugliness come forth.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (NIV)

13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

I want "my" reality to be accurate and be illuminated by God's Holy Word. I want to see the world as God wants me to see it, so that I can be of service to and for HIM. I do not want to make excuses for my sin and I do not want to live in ignorance of it either. It scares me in some ways to ask God to reveal HIS truth to me. It means I will have the responsibility to act on that truth and to live out that truth in every way. With more knowledge comes more responsibility. Am I ready to know all the ways evil is thrown at me and how I need to resist it all? Am I ready to be sensitive to the spiritual battles that surround me and be in constant prayer for those struggling? Am I ready to give my life for the cause of Christ, so that HIS work can be accomplished? I need to answer that question with a bold: YES. But sometimes I feel I answer that question with a little wimpy... "maybe". So today, I am going to be bold and say: YES. I will trust Christ for the strength to say that every day going forward. I cannot rely on my strength, only HIS.

Ephesians 6:11-20 (NIV)

11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For 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. 13Therefore 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. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Jesus Messiah, by Chris Tomlin

I cannot wait until every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. What a day that will be! I am still learning how to give honor and glory to HIM here on earth, but someday it will become my inward nature all day, every day, to worship the King! He so deserves our praise and thanks!

The following are the Lyrics to Jesus Messiah, by Chris Tomlin. We are singing it for church choir. It is an amazing song.

He became sin
Who knew no sin
That we might become His Righteousness
He humbled himself and carried the cross

Love so amazing
Love so amazing

Chorus:
Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all

His body the bread
His blood the wine
Broken and poured out all for love
The whole earth trembled
And the veil was torn

Love so amazing
Love so amazing, yeah

Chorus:
Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all

All our hope is in You
All our hope is in You
All the glory to You, God
The light of the world

Chorus:
Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all
Lord of all
Lord of all

Emotional...

Today has been an emotional day for me. Not a bad day, just emotional and very unexpected. I got up early and was in line to vote by 7am. Just after 7, I looked back at the long line and saw a young man that looked so much like my younger brother, Paul, I had to keep staring at him (poor guy). (My brother Paul, passed away on April 20th, 2008). I could not believe my eyes. I kept going over his features, same color hair, same complexion, same color eyes, same mouth, same body structure, it was bizarre. After a few minutes of looking at him at different angles, I found some things that were not similar, his nose, his cheek bones, he was a bit thinner, but up until that point, I was almost wondering if Paul had a twin. But after some time, my brain registered the differences and I came back to reality and logical thinking. However, it definitely created an emotional experience for me. Plus, I had a dream last night that my little Millie (my dog) was hit and killed by a car and in the same dream my parents (who have been divorced since I was 14) were camping together and arguing over something. All of it was very strange. So weird how the mind works sometimes. I have seen movies before where a mom will have lost a little child and then she sees a child that looks similar and she freaks out and does something crazy. I get it, not that I would ever do anything crazy, but the mind can definitely convince you of untrue things.

With that said... I praise God for the truth of HIS Word. That I can go to it and sift the things that happen in this world through what HE tells me is true. I can ask God to show me HIS truth and to keep reality in check for me. I am reminded, that it is a process sometimes. Just like I needed a few minutes and several glances to convince myself that Paul was definitely gone and that this young man was not Paul and not a twin, sometimes it will take several times of meditation or reading a Bible verse to understand what God is telling me. Also, that changing of character is a process and I will not change overnight. In Bible Study this morning, we spoke about how everything happens in God’s timing and HIS timing is not our own. AMEN to that!

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.

Romans 8:6