My desire is to be obedient and follow God’s will for my life. It is not always easy. The enemy is always around, seeking to kill and destroy. He will use illness, love ones, finances, or anything else hoping that we will lose focus or give up. First we need to know that everything that occurs in the visible, physical world is directly connected to the war being waged in the invisible, spiritual world. The effects of the war going on in the unseen world reveal themselves in our strained and damaged relationships, emotional instability, mental fatigue, physical exhaustion and many other areas of our life. We can feel pinned down by anger, unforgiveness, pride, comparisons, insecurity, conflict, and fear. We feel and see these things physically, but behind the scenes, what we cannot see with our physical eyes is the primary nemesis behind it all, the devil himself. When Paul talks about spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6, prayer is the seventh piece of armor. It activates all of the rest of the spiritual armor. When we refuse to pray, it’s like having a refrigerator without plugging it in. Prayer is the divinely authorized mechanism God has given us to tap into His power. Without prayer, we are ineffective in spiritual warfare. But with it, we are victorious.
My heart aches because of the tragic, senseless deaths and injustices of this world. It breaks my heart. Also the last months have been challenging for me healthwise. When we deal with things of the world, our emotions can be all over the place. For me, it has brought me to my knees, crying out to God. And as always, He has brought peace to my soul in the mist of it all. I hear His voice. This is why prayer is important. When we choose to stay close to God and His Word, we are able to control our emotions instead of them controlling us. The Holy Spirit will guide you and keep you on the right path. Study His Word. God’s instructions are clear on anything and everything we may encounter in this life. God made us so we have emotions, emotions are normal, but it is our choice on how we respond to them. We should not let our emotions cause us to hate or seek revenge. We should not let our “feelings” cause us to give up or be afraid. Remember there is usually spiritual warfare going on and it is more than we can see. Our emotions are based on feelings, God’s Word is based on fact. We should study His Word and pray, asking God to open our spiritual eyes, asking him for understanding and discernment. When we operate in the spirit, we are in tuned with God, so we know who we are fighting, how to fight, and when to fight. We cannot lose! This is especially important when we are dealing with spiritual warfare. When we ask God for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, when we stand in alignment with His Word, He will protect us, gives us peace, and give us a weapon to fight the enemy with. The enemy hates it when we love as God loves us, when we forgive as God forgives us, when we have mercy as God has mercy on us. The devil does a happy dance. He loves it when we try and fight without God because he knows we have no power without Jesus. Our strength comes from Him.
I do not have all the answers. I am still crying out to our God. However, what sustains me and gives me peace and hope is knowing that no matter what it looks like to the natural eye, God is always and forever in control. He will not only fulfill His promises in His time but will also sustain us until that time. This is the double promise we have; the hope of deliverance one day, plus the provision of His comfort, strength, and shelter throughout our lives. Our role is to simply love God and each other. The Lord our God’s role is to save us and give us a purpose that extends beyond our small vision of the world. We are not perfect; we all are flawed. However, as we follow Jesus daily, He transforms us while using us to encourage others as we share His love and truth. With God, we can stand boldly in physical and spiritual warfare, we can channel our our emotions. We will trust justice will be served, we will be healed, and everything will work out for our good. When we fight the right way, which is God’s way, we will be victorious. I believe this not because I have faith in man, but because I have faith in God! Brothers and sisters, when emotions hit you hard, don’t allow your “feelings” to take over. Pray even harder, let God’s Words penetrate your hearts and heal the pain. Love and blessings…
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.” Phillippians 4:6-7
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” John 10:10
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. “(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
“Agree with God and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. Receive instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart.” (Job 22:21-22)
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
“If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day.” (Ephesians 4:26)
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28)
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
“For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4)
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-lasting help in trouble” (Psalm 46:13 1-3)
EMMANUEL 