En Garde! Sword Fights and Spirit! (P. 1)

Today's Black Friday...that's right, it's basically the Hunger Games in the confined spaces of shopping malls and retail stores. What day could be more proper to speak about holy sword fights than today, when everyone is more concerned with fighting over toys and kitchen appliances?

There are greater things at stake than Christmas toys. The fights in the retail stores, though sometimes hellacious and crazy, are nothing in comparison to the spiritual battle ongoing in this world.

Think about it, yesterday was Thanksgiving. It was literally the day to give thanks and praise for family ties and all that we have in this world. How many of us caved and turned our thoughts to worldly items by the time dinner was on the table?

I think that right now, spiritual warfare is at an all time high, for all of us. What with the commercialization of the Christmas season, and the lack of emphasis of the holiness of the season in media and society, it is easy to forget that this nearing season is one of drawing closer to the Lord. Satan knows this, and uses the commercialization of Christmas to draw us towards avarice and greed. Disagree? Well, for what other reasons would you stand in line for hours, simply for a toy or machine that may cost only twenty dollars more on any other day? Is it for a good deal? Is it worth it?

Yes, today is a day of craziness, when we think it is appropriate to fight over toys. We've heard horror stories of people being pepper sprayed or run over because of the "steals" stores are offering today. And Satan is gleeful over our fall into greed.

So what do we do?

We don the full armor of God, and strike out with the Sword of the Spirit.

The Sword of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit is God's powerful tool. It can strengthen His followers and destroy His enemies. Far greater, it can help us, His believers, turn aside fear and sin. It is the weapon through which we fight our battles.

The battles we Christians face are constant, ongoing. The Sword of the Spirit is our weapon to be carried at all times, for battles may arise at any moment. It is Spirit that prepares us for these battles and protects us.

But what is Spirit?

Spirit is a truly amazing thing. It is a tool of God. He has used it to touch disciples and give them strength. He has filled armies with it. He has brought nations to His knees through the power of the Spirit. But more importantly, God is Spirit. "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." John 4:24

This is clear, The Holy Trinity is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When God gives us Spirit, He is giving us part of Himself...

Wow. How amazing is that? The Lord has given us part of Himself to fight the battles of this world.

Why Do We Need The Sword of the Spirit?

The battles of this world are not one great war, done in a few chapters. They are continuous and ongoing. They are daily. Satan is not without his wiles and he is patient. His one goal is to destroy our chances of being with the Lord. We cannot stand against him.

But with the Holy Spirit we can face all things. Remember that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert in Matthew 4. There, Jesus stood against the temptation of Satan. Satan tested Jesus, using scripture against him. But Jesus stood fast, refusing to test the Lord, His Father, and standing strong against Lucifer. He offered Jesus the world, and Jesus denied it, knowing that the Kingdom of Heaven awaited.

Jesus was strengthened by His Father and by the Holy Spirit. You might ask why the Holy Spirit would lead Jesus to battle. Would it not make more sense for God to protect Jesus instead? To keep him safe from harm?

God does not give us any battle we cannot handle without Him. Satan is unyielding, and will come at us at all times. Know that the Lord fights beside us in these battles, and through these battles we become stronger, more powerful in our faith through Christ and God. The battles we fight may seem lonely, one that surrounds us, but we need not fight it alone. God gives us His spirit to fight the battles.

How Do We Use the Sword of the Spirit?

The Spirit is a Sword like none other. It is not merely a piece of steel. It is a living weapon. We are vessels of God's Spirit, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" 1 Corinthians 6:19. 

We have a living weapon and tool in our very body. And we ought use it always. The world is full of greed and lust, sins which prevent us from being with God. I am no stranger to them. I have sinned, I have lusted, I have felt greed. And I pray for forgiveness and now seek to walk in Spirit, not in the world.

Think on Galatians 5:16-17 "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please."

We cannot fight Satan if we fall into his traps. If we walk in the Spirit, we do not fall into his devices and ploys. We instead stand firm against them. The Sword of the Spirit is not a physical object, it comes from God's Spirit. How do we use it on this Earth?

The same way we use the rest of the armor of God. We pray, we quote scripture, we open ourselves to the Lord, and we move through this world as God's children, filled with His spirit. Just as the Sword can protect us, we must also use it against Satan. When we walk with Spirit, we are to be disciples to those who do not know the Lord. We are to use the Sword of the Spirit, the word of our God, to bring our brothers and sisters on this Earth to the feet of the Lord.

We do not use the Sword of the Spirit merely for ourselves. We cannot be a cliché, or a strict sect of religious people who do not open our doors to sinners. We cannot be fearful or cruel to those different than us. The truth of the Sword of the Spirit is to know that through Spirit we must face the great darkness of Satan and his armies not just for our own entrance to Heaven. It is far greater a weapon than that. It is to be used for others, to protect and bring others into God's arms.

We are armed with the most powerful weapon on Earth. We are armed with God's Spirit. This responsibility means protecting others, and bringing them to Christ as disciples. It means standing against Satan in all things... even the mad rush of Black Friday.

These Boots Are Made for Walking... For Peace

Have you ever noticed the power of walking? It's so simple, one foot in front of the other and repeat. And yet, it can be so powerful. Martin Luther King marched towards Civil Rights. Ghandi walked for peace. But what do you do when your feet get sore?

We wear shoes, right? Combat boots, sandals, tennis shoes, you name it. Shoes protect us from the hazards of the road. Did you know God has something to protect us on  road too?

When I was in Sunday school learning about the Armor of God, there was one piece I always felt was kind of funny. My teacher called them the Sandals of Peace. I couldn't fathom how sandals or peace could be protective or any part of armor. It took me a bit too realize that the Sandals  weren't like God's Air Jordan's. They were a metaphor... (yeah, at eight years old I didn't know what a metaphor was...)

So what does peace have to do with armor? I mean isn't peace the opposite of war?

Peace is Preparedness

Ephesians 6:15 speaks of facing the world with, "your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace."

The Gospel of Peace is God's word found in the Bible. From His gospel we gain the instruction and advice to prepare us for the world. Think about it. The bible had answers for everything, for fear, for death, for marriage, for money... it's the greatest guide for life. If we are fitted with it, we are prepared to face the world and it's dangers. 

Additionally, the Bible  actually gives us peace! What greater peace is there than to know eternity is waiting? What greater peace is there than to know God walks with us in this life? That we are in His hands? There is none. 

But I think God gives us this readiness from the Gospel of Peace for more than just our own peace of mind. I think He gives it to us to pursue peace for others, for everyone, not just fellow Christians. After all, Jesus came to bring peace on earth... the whole earth. That means peace for people of all races, citizenships, ethnicities and orientation, peace for men, women, children...for EVERYONE.

 Peace is Not a Commodity!!!

We've seen people who claim to be Christians commit atrocities. The Crusades killed thousands of people, different sects of Christianity have prosecuted people of different religions and orientations, and the truth of Christianity has been damaged and forgotten by these acts. Yes, the Bible says that non-believers are sinners without grace, but we seem to think that their sins are greater than ours. Somehow there seems to be an idea going around that since we are Christians we ought persecute sinners and cleanse the world of them. But that's wrong. 

Remember that Jesus was prosecuted and attacked, but he NEVER did the same. He loved and forgave everyone.

We aren't God's judge and jury. We aren't  His task force. He doesn't need us for that. HE is the judge, jury, and task force all at once. No, we are His disciples. We are told to love our neighbors, to forgive the sinner. We are to be His ambassadors of love, and more importantly, of Peace.

How do you expect non-believers to see God as forgiving and kind if we are not? How are we to preach to the masses if we support racism, cruelty, and perpetuate hate? 

How can Christians truly show God's holiness if we choose the sin of hubris, believing we are better than our brothers and sisters because we know the Lord? We are supposed to desire to show them God's love, which knows no limits and is for all people.

How can we know God's peace when we seek to set limits on its capacity and power? God is greater than human hate and fear, and He desires us to be the champions of His peace.

It is so easy to hate and fear those who are different. It is so easy to think that because we are saved by God, we are better than others. We are not better than our fellow humans. We are still humans. But we are saved by grace.

Remember that we are made in God's image, but sin mars us. We know God's holiness. As Christians, we ought seek to emulate and seek to act with holiness. Being holy doesn't mean wearing white robes and speaking in Latin. It means acting as the Lord desires--loving our neighbors, turning away hate, and acting with peace in our hearts.

Remember Hebrews 12:14,

"Pursue peace with all men, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord."

Today pray for peace. Pray for your own peace, for the world's peace. If you live in America, pray for peace among our people. We are divided right now, and as believers, we should ask God for peace, not for war or for vengeance against those we disagree with.

"Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen."

-St. Francis of Assisi

The Heavenly Cellphone (Prayer & The Full Armor of God)

For those of us born in the last twenty-five years, cellphones are probably deemed as necessary, normal parts of our culture. It's a little bizarre to think about a time where phones actually were attached by those curly wires or worse...a time where we had to write letters to chat with friends across the states. Eesh...talk about the stone age right?

It's also pretty common to hate the darn cellphones. I mean, who's mom calls them a million times a day...even if they're twenty-one and clearly responsible enough to handle life. (I'm only twenty...I talk to my mom two million times a day sometimes...sigh.)

Yeah. It's pretty obnoxious knowing that you're parents want you to stay in contact with them, am I right? Who here has ever ignored a call from your parents because you just couldn't deal with them?
Sometimes we don't even think about calling our parents until something goes wrong! But the great thing about cellphones is that the second you need your parents, you can dial them up right away.

You know, after all, you're parents called a million and one times because they care about you. They want to keep a relationship with you. And you know they'll pick up right away.

Well here's the thing... God feels the same way. Yeah, I know He doesn't actually have a cellphone to dial us up on. He gave us another tool, one that doesn't need charged, replaced every year, or a special case to keep it safe. It's called Prayer, and we all have struggled with it at some point in our lives.

What's Prayer?

Prayer is communicating with God. It sounds easier than it is, of course. It's the baring of our spiritual and physical needs, desires, all of our flaws, our sins, everything to God.

How Do I Pray?

Most people probably think prayer requires some long, mumbo jumbo college-y words or Latin phrases. It doesn't, it just may sound better that way coming from the Pastor's mouth. God doesn't care if you sound like you've taken College English or Latin 101. He wants to know our struggles and our fears, not our massive vocabulary.

Prayer is a devotion to your relationship with God. So how should you pray? That's unique and different for each person. But you must pray in earnestness, believing with a whole and humble heart.

The Bible gives some direction on how and when to pray:

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Remember also, that prayer means admitting your sins to God. Yes, He already knows what they are, and yes He has already forgiven them. But admitting your faults proves your devotion and shows that you acknowledge your human weakness. It shows you acknowledge your need for God and your need of His blessing and forgiveness. Doesn't every parent want to know when they are needed?

Choose to pray when you are compelled. Pray often. It can be on a bus stop, it can be in the line at the grocery store, it can be right before bed or a big test. Lift up your words to God, He is always listening...and He's great enough not to care if you use incense, Latin, or a special room to pray.

Why Do We Pray?

You know when you call your mom to tell her everything going wrong in the world, hoping she can fix it? That's often why we pray, too. But that is only the superficial, personal level of prayer. Prayer is a power weapon. It can be used for peace, for strength, for guidance... I've even prayed to pass that one math test in college (and I did...that definitely took divine intervention.)

You can pray for anything, really. But prayer is not just a tool to fix our lives. Prayer is also the way we ask for our souls to be cleaned and strengthened. It is a shield from Sin, just as Faith is, and a sword against Satan. When we pray we should not pray only for ourselves.

God has given us directive when it comes to prayer.

"And 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 Lord’s people. " (Ephesians 6:18)

So yes, we are supposed to pray for all kinds of reasons. But we are also supposed to pray for our fellow man. Many do not know the Lord's light, or want to. Many are struggling with accepting Him into their lives right now. It is our task to be there for them, to be forgiving and understanding, to be the guides to the Lord, and to be the warriors against Satan on this Earth. We do this through prayer.

I try to pray for the leaders of nations as often as I can. I pray for my spouse, my family, for those fighting over seas...you can pray for anyone. We should pray for everyone. God has given us this tool, and it should be used. It is our responsibility and our blessing. Remember, with Great Power comes Great Responsibility--thanks Spidey!

Do Prayers Get Answered?

That's a hard question. The answer is yes...and no.

How many of us have prayed for something sinful or selfish? Have you ever asked that your high school dream boat would ask you out? Or prayed that your work nemesis would sit on a tack? God doesn't answer all prayers. We aren't spoiled children, to be pleased with His power. We are His loved children, and every good parent wants their child taken care of, but not spoiled rotten.

So what prayers get answered?

From what the Bible says, God is pretty specific when it comes to answering prayer.

The righteous prayers are answered. "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles." (Psalm 34:17) That's why we have to confess our sins to the Lord. The unrighteous will not have their prayers answered. Their prayers will have no strength and no power from the Lord. "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."(James 5:16)

The humble prayers are answered. The Lord does not answer the prayers of those believing to be His equal. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (James 4:10)

Above all others, prayers that follow the Lord's path are answered.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14)

Remember that our struggles help us grow in Faith. Our struggles bring us closer to God because we reach out to Him. Just like parents letting their kids leave the nest and explore the world, God knows that we will return when we need Him. But like parents, God also knows there are times we need to tough out the spiritual warfare to become stronger. If we are coddled and always protected, we would be unable to stand against Satan's whims against us on this Earth. Sometimes our prayers aren't answered because they can't be, not yet. There is a time for everything under the sun, and that includes a time for prayer being answered.

A Prayer For You

I don't know all of you reading this, but I'm thankful you do. I know that for each of us, life can be hard and we all have our battles to face. But tonight, I want you to know I'll pray for you. I don't know your names, but if you have a prayer request, please let me know via my contact page email.

Tonight, I challenge you to turn your prayers to the Lord. I'm not very good at prayer, but if you need direction, maybe try something like this:

"Lord I pray that you would touch my life in marvelous ways. I pray that you would grant me patience and guidance through all things. I pray that you would extend your hand to those around me, and that you would show me how to help them, and how to help myself. I pray for your strength tonight, Lord. I pray for your forgiveness and understanding. Finally, I pray you would open my heart to you, let me get to know you, and learn to turn to you for all things. Amen."