Sitting here with a fresh cup of Super Irish Breakfast Tea, my "go-to" tea, pondering...thinking of the technologically challenged morning. The "system" is slow and stuttering. It has been all morning. So, I will sip,relax,enjoy, and write.
A while back I had said that God told me to read the Psalms. It's been pretty interesting. They are full of so much emotion. So much soul! During my Inspirational time with Father God, I have asked him, "why the Psalms?" I am learning "why the Psalms." Firstly, reading the Psalms, for me, was about obedience. Father told me to read through them. I am! Secondly, there are different things I can glean from each Psalm. So many times the psalmist will cry out to Father God. So many times we cry out to Father God. The nifty thing is that Jesus taught us, when He was teaching His disciples how to pray, that Father is also our Daddy. Jesus used the word "Abba", meaning Daddy. So, when we speak from our soul, that emotional spiritual us, using the term "Daddy" is so much more personal....as the Soul would speak.
I was reading in Psalms 55 today. David was crying out to Daddy. David speaks to Daddy from the soul. In verse two he says, "I am complaining to you! I moan to you!" How often are we like David. We go to Daddy with our complaints and moaning....and He listens! David moans because of his enemy. Someone who turned against him. A vow was broken. He lost a friend.
In verses six and seven, David just wants to fly away on wings! He wants to escape! Be free from everything! Oh, how often do we feel like David? "Daddy, just let me fly away! Let me be free from what I am going through! I want to escape!" Our loving Daddy is always there for us to talk to...to comfort us. He knows what we are dealing with...and He will help us through it. Like David, we may "moan" day and night (verse 17). In verse sixteen, David knows that when he calls to God, He will save him.
Our soul, our emotional spiritual us, is redeemed to safety from whatever the battle is (verse 18). David knows that the vow breaker will get justice. (V 19). David knows to cast his burdens to Father God because He will sustain him (v. 22). He knows that his foe will be cast to treachery. In verse 23 he declares, "I will trust in YOU!".
The soul...the moral nature, the quality that causes emotion and sentiment, the spiritual and moral force...The soul will be safely guarded by Father God, Daddy, as we go about living righteously...right living as a follower of Jesus.
Our Daddy, knows our heart cries! He knows every moment of every thing we deal with! Daddy is the lover of your soul and He will never let it go! Our soul is protected in His loving hands!
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
~God's Armor and Fervent Prayer~
I am becoming more and more aware of our need for fervent prayer and for putting on the full armor of God daily! You know, in Ephesians 6:10-17: 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"
I believe we underestimate the power of the evil forces out there and just what the enemy is up to. There are truly warriors fighting in realms we cannot see. There are the warriors of the enemy and there are heavenly warriors.
To get back to putting on our armor...every day we need to put on the belt of Truth which is God's Word (and Jesus is Truth)...know scripture. Read scripture! We need to wear the breastplate of righteousness...doing what is right in God's eyes. The breastplate protects the vital organs...our life! Put on shoes of peace!
Shoes allow us to step freely and without fear while we turn our full attention to the battle at hand.The sandals of the Roman soldier "often were fitted with nails, or armed with spikes, to make the hold firm in the ground" (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible). We can walk without fear of what lies ahead. We must take up the shield of faith; a shield guards, deflects and is in the first line of defense. A shield can incapacitate. The Roman armies would join their shields together and become an unstoppable force. If we, the Church, join our shields together building each other up in faith and serving the Body, we will become an unstoppable force able to take any challenge. We must also put on the helmet of salvation. The helmet protects our head. Christ gave us hope and salvation. This hope works like a helmet to protect our minds from the discouragement and despair of this world. We must take up the sword of the Spirit. The sword is the only item listed by Paul that serves in an offensive capacity. Unlike all other pieces of the armor of God, which are solely defensive, the sword is uniquely suited for both defensive and offensive roles. A solid defense is invaluable, but the sword is the only way we can complete the work we have been given to do. Whew! That all seems like a lot to focus on that we must wear daily in order to be able and ready to come up against the enemy. Once we are prepared for the day, we are able to take on the day!
Now for verse 18 of chapter 6 of Ephesians...18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints". How do we pray at all times? It simply means to keep a ready communication with God. God is our commander and chief of the army. We are equipped with our armor.
I said all about the armor of God because that is the initial importance of our daily attire. To be effective in prayer, we need that armor. The thing is, many of us can say..."Okay, I have my armor on! I am good to go!" Prayer! We need to fervently pray! In the book of Daniel chapter 10 in the Old Testament, Daniel writes of his fervent praying for an issue. He fasted for 21 days and prayed. In verse 12 an angel talks to Daniel telling him that for 21 days he battled with the kings of Persia (enemy forces) but that arch angel Michael came to help him. When the angel had given the message to Daniel, he then had to return to fighting the king of Persia and he talked more about Michael assisting. This may all seem mind boggling! Do you realize that Daniel prayed and fasted for 21 days and that all during that time there was spiritual warfare going on....such a strong battle that arch angel Michael had to come to assist so that the other angel could carry on his business with Daniel BUT he has to return to the battle. He could only carry on because Michael was there to help. What does all of that say and mean? There is SO much going on in the realms around us! There are spiritual battles! I don't like to give the enemy credit for the things he does but he and his legion are out there in the "atmosphere" fighting against anything to do with Jesus!
This tells me how much we need to be in fervent prayer. Oh sure, we can say our daily prayers...those "nice" ones for our friends and family...our thanksgiving to God (and we SHOULD) but we need also to be on our knees pleading and praying against the enemy and the things he wants to do and destroy. I can't begin to express in words the importance of this. I can't tell you how much evil there is "out there". We all go to our nice Sunday services. We sing the praise and worship songs. We listen to a pastor give the Word from God. All this is necessary! We need to realize the spiritual realm! We need to realize how important our prayers are! We need to truly be warriors for Jesus! I keep "hearing" an old song from Petra in my head this week..."get on your knees and fight like a man!" We need to truly make the time to commence fervent prayer! Seek God and ask Him what He wants you to focus on. PRAY! Pray with ALL of your might because you are a Warrior for Jesus! Put on your armor daily! Pray fervently for what God tells you to pray for! Pray and fight with the heavenly warriors! Don't give up! The warriors have to fight through beings we cannot see! Pray child of God! Pray Warrior Prince and Princess! PRAY! because THAT is our weapon! In the name of Jesus, PRAY!
I believe we underestimate the power of the evil forces out there and just what the enemy is up to. There are truly warriors fighting in realms we cannot see. There are the warriors of the enemy and there are heavenly warriors.
To get back to putting on our armor...every day we need to put on the belt of Truth which is God's Word (and Jesus is Truth)...know scripture. Read scripture! We need to wear the breastplate of righteousness...doing what is right in God's eyes. The breastplate protects the vital organs...our life! Put on shoes of peace!
Shoes allow us to step freely and without fear while we turn our full attention to the battle at hand.The sandals of the Roman soldier "often were fitted with nails, or armed with spikes, to make the hold firm in the ground" (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible). We can walk without fear of what lies ahead. We must take up the shield of faith; a shield guards, deflects and is in the first line of defense. A shield can incapacitate. The Roman armies would join their shields together and become an unstoppable force. If we, the Church, join our shields together building each other up in faith and serving the Body, we will become an unstoppable force able to take any challenge. We must also put on the helmet of salvation. The helmet protects our head. Christ gave us hope and salvation. This hope works like a helmet to protect our minds from the discouragement and despair of this world. We must take up the sword of the Spirit. The sword is the only item listed by Paul that serves in an offensive capacity. Unlike all other pieces of the armor of God, which are solely defensive, the sword is uniquely suited for both defensive and offensive roles. A solid defense is invaluable, but the sword is the only way we can complete the work we have been given to do. Whew! That all seems like a lot to focus on that we must wear daily in order to be able and ready to come up against the enemy. Once we are prepared for the day, we are able to take on the day!
Now for verse 18 of chapter 6 of Ephesians...18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints". How do we pray at all times? It simply means to keep a ready communication with God. God is our commander and chief of the army. We are equipped with our armor.
I said all about the armor of God because that is the initial importance of our daily attire. To be effective in prayer, we need that armor. The thing is, many of us can say..."Okay, I have my armor on! I am good to go!" Prayer! We need to fervently pray! In the book of Daniel chapter 10 in the Old Testament, Daniel writes of his fervent praying for an issue. He fasted for 21 days and prayed. In verse 12 an angel talks to Daniel telling him that for 21 days he battled with the kings of Persia (enemy forces) but that arch angel Michael came to help him. When the angel had given the message to Daniel, he then had to return to fighting the king of Persia and he talked more about Michael assisting. This may all seem mind boggling! Do you realize that Daniel prayed and fasted for 21 days and that all during that time there was spiritual warfare going on....such a strong battle that arch angel Michael had to come to assist so that the other angel could carry on his business with Daniel BUT he has to return to the battle. He could only carry on because Michael was there to help. What does all of that say and mean? There is SO much going on in the realms around us! There are spiritual battles! I don't like to give the enemy credit for the things he does but he and his legion are out there in the "atmosphere" fighting against anything to do with Jesus!
This tells me how much we need to be in fervent prayer. Oh sure, we can say our daily prayers...those "nice" ones for our friends and family...our thanksgiving to God (and we SHOULD) but we need also to be on our knees pleading and praying against the enemy and the things he wants to do and destroy. I can't begin to express in words the importance of this. I can't tell you how much evil there is "out there". We all go to our nice Sunday services. We sing the praise and worship songs. We listen to a pastor give the Word from God. All this is necessary! We need to realize the spiritual realm! We need to realize how important our prayers are! We need to truly be warriors for Jesus! I keep "hearing" an old song from Petra in my head this week..."get on your knees and fight like a man!" We need to truly make the time to commence fervent prayer! Seek God and ask Him what He wants you to focus on. PRAY! Pray with ALL of your might because you are a Warrior for Jesus! Put on your armor daily! Pray fervently for what God tells you to pray for! Pray and fight with the heavenly warriors! Don't give up! The warriors have to fight through beings we cannot see! Pray child of God! Pray Warrior Prince and Princess! PRAY! because THAT is our weapon! In the name of Jesus, PRAY!
Saturday, June 9, 2018
~Daily Prayer~
Father has told me to thrive on my own with Him...he told me this a while ago...so that is what I have been doing. I have been reading His Word and no other books. I have also been reading a devotional daily BUT I have mainly been focused on Our time together in His Word.
He had told me to read through the Psalms so that is what I have been doing. Sometimes we will side-track together as I read a Psalm or a devotional...side-track to understanding Him and His ways more. I will DuckDuckGo (safe search not like google) something to better understand it...such as I did the other day...I researched "Praying in the Spirit". I was led to a study by John Piper. Anyhow, I say ALL of this to say, since I have stopped reading books and letting other people "learn" for me, I am learning from the Teacher. I feel refreshed in what He is teaching me and enjoy talking back and forth with Him as He instructs and shows me things.
I have been talking to Father about how I know that having the Holy Spirit in me is more than a feeling but I have also told Him quite honestly that I admitted that I would like some sort of feeling (He understands this feeling-type emotional lady He created). I told Him that I believe He does flow through me...heart, lungs, and veins. So I do know that the Holy Spirit IS in me.
As I wrote to Father in my journal and we communicated, my mind wandered to a prayer...I began writing the thoughts down...thoughts that I decided I should pray daily. I decided to share them here with you.
~Daily Prayer~
Lord, I invite Your Holy Spirit into my heart, soul, mind, and lungs. I pray that my heart is like Yours, full of compassion. I want to live it and speak it. Jesus, I pray for my soul to be filled with as much of the Holy Spirit as I need today. My soul (the emotional me) can get so messy sometimes. Please hold my emotional heart gently in Your hands. Father God, I pray like it says in Romans 12:2 that you would transform my mind today. Help me to think as You would think and not be distracted by things or people that lead me away from you. Help me not to get caught up in all of the negatives in the world...or to get involved with people I know would take my mind off of You and lead me away from how You want me to live. Holy Spirit, fill my lungs with You...my breath...please let my breath be yours. I pray that those around me see a difference in me...that is You shining through me.
Lord, please give me as much of Your Joy and Peace as I need today. Thank You! Lord, I want to be fully Yours...to be different and to make a difference.
That is my daily prayer. While talking with Father, He also told me He wants me to "breathe Him in" each morning. By this I mean, He wants me to begin my day focusing on Him, closing my eyes, inhaling and saying His name...Jesus. The name of Jesus is mighty and the enemy hates it. I believe God is telling me to start my day breathing in His name because that is how I will be able to defeat the enemy. When the enemy hears the name of Jesus, he retreats. Stopping to close my eyes and say His name aloud and then exhale will strengthen this Warrior Princes In the name of Jesus for whatever I will face for the day. I may repeat it a few times before beginning my day.
Beginning my day inhaling Jesus and praying my daily prayer (or similar) will assist me throughout my day as Jesus brings words and the thoughts to my mind as I go about whatever I face.
Jesus is Truth! We are told to speak Truth in love...so I speak Jesus (the Truth) in love. The Holy Spirit is our guide and counselor. How awesomely wonderful to "partner" with Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Together "we" (Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and you) are mighty mentally, emotionally, and spiritually because "we" all stand together in prayer and in His Word!
Talk with Father and listen to what He tells you He desires of you. Listen! Sit still, wait, and listen! He will let you know! Grow in Him! There are new things to learn daily and new challenges.
*Maybe you will want to inhale saying "Jesus" more often during the day....as you need.
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