Paul
Have you ever thought about Joshua and the Israelites entering the Promised Land? God promised them that He would give them so much, yet it didn't come easily. The Israelites had to obey - walking around Jericho for 7 days may have seemed like a drag. They were involved in a battle, both spiritually and physically. After Jericho, there were many other battles to be fought and won. For victory to be had, the people had to do things God's way.
Each one of us is called to be involved in spiritual warfare whether we like it or not and whether we believe it or not. In Ephesians, we read about the armor of God, which He gives to us, not for decorative purposes, but because we are involved in warfare and we can only be victorious using the armor He provides.
While there are many battlegrounds, I believe two are more predominant than the others. One is our mind and the other is our family. Just look at all the Christians today battling depression, lust, envy, jealously, bitterness and unforgiveness just to mention a few battles of the mind. Then look at the number of Christians with family relationship problems. The number of divorces is only one indication of family problems. We can look at rebellion, the use of drugs and alcohol and see there are many problems in the area of family relationships.
Dorothy and I believe that God wants us to be victorious. We also have seen in our experience that the majority of Christians don't take spiritual warfare seriously. In many families the husbands leave the warfare up to the wives.
I want to take a few moments to encourage you and your families. First of all spiritual warfare is not to be feared. God provides the victory. While we may not see immediate victory, He is on our side and assures us of victory. Second, God did not intend for us to go into battle alone.
For those who have seen the movie, "The Gladiators", when the gladiators entered the coliseum in Rome, they were awestruck. They didn't know exactly what they would be facing. Maximus, the leader, encouraged them to stick together, to fight as a team knowing that individually they would be defeated.
I want to encourage each family. Pray together as a family, not just for each other, but with each other! Husbands and wives, pray with each other. Be there as a team, fighting the spiritual battles together. As you pray with each other you will become more intimate spiritually, which is something God desires for us. In your times of weakness, you will receive much support through prayer and actually become stronger.
Dorothy and I have prayed together since we met in college. We've found praying together to be a blessing. However during the past 25 years, we have entered the spiritual warfare arena together and have experienced God's mercy and faithfulness in so many areas. It has been particularly encouraging when one of us is "down" and as the other intercedes we see God give us the victory. Yes, spiritual warfare is work. Fighting against all the attacks on the family is work. But seeing and experiencing the victory is well worth the work.
In His Love,
Paul
You can purchase all 12 gifts beforehand and write a note to coincide with each, or you can compose your expressions daily and pick up presents as you go along. Then at different times, simply place your love note and gift in various locations where your spouse is sure to find it. The rewards are endless.
I have given some examples of notes and gifts that can ignite passion and keep the home fires burning this Christmas.
On the 1st day of Christmas
I gave to my true love…
A bear hug, a kiss,
And all my love.
(Gift idea; bag of Hershey’s kisses)
“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth- for your love is more delightful than wine.” (Song of Songs 1:2)
On the 2nd day of Christmas
I gave to my true love…
One singing songbird to enjoy the season
With the one who loves you dearly.
(Gift idea: Christmas CD)
“Show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.” (Song of Songs 2;14)
On the 3rd day of Christmas
I gave to my true love…
A single red rose,
Only to be outmatched in beauty… by you.
(Gift idea; one red rose)
“How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!” (Song of Songs 1:15)
On the 4th day of Christmas
I gave to my true love…
A pretty pair of panties,
Just to suit your fancy.
(Gift idea; lingerie)
“I found the one my heart love, I held him and would not let him go.” (Song of Songs 3:4)
On the 5th day of Christmas
I gave to my true love…
An evening of hand holding at the movies
Because there’s no one I’d rather be with.
(Gift idea: movie tickets, stapled to a bag of microwave popcorn)
“My lover spoke and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me’.” (Song of Songs 2:10)
On the 6th day of Christmas
I gave to my true love…
A calendar with dates set aside…
Just to spend with you.
(Gift idea: next year’s calendar with several date nights checked off)
“Take me away with you – let us hurry!”(Song of Songs 1:4)
On the 7th day of Christmas
I gave to my true love…
Dinner out tonight – your choice…
Making time for love later.
(Gift idea: handwritten dining out certificate)
“He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.” (Song of Songs 2:4)
On the 8th day of Christmas
I gave to my true love…
A wick in wax
To light my fire!
(Gift idea: a perfumed candle)
“The mandrakes send out their fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, both new and old, that I have stored up for you, my lover.” (Song of Songs 7:13)
On the 9th day of Christmas
I gave to my true love…
Something to pamper your beautiful skin
All year through.
(Gift idea: perfumed body lotion)
“Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes.” (Song of Songs 1:3)
On the 10th day of Christmas
I gave to my true love…
A romance to remind you
You’re the only one for me.
(Gift idea: a romantic “chick-flick” video)
“You have stolen my heart.” (Song of Songs 4:9)
On the 11th day of Christmas
I gave to my true love…
A holiday note-pad
Because you’re just
Too hot to handle.
(Gift idea; Christmas cooking mitt)
“I am my lover’s and my lover is mine.” (Song of Songs 4:9)
On the 12th day of Christmas
I gave to my true love…
A plant with red blooms to say
You’re always in season to me.
(Gift idea: poinsettia)
“All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” (Song of Songs 4:7)
Ephesians 6:10-18 speaks of the armor of God. I want to look at each of the pieces of armor and how we should use them. I want to acknowledge Gary Kinnaman, author of Overcoming the Dominion of Darkness as I took some of the information from this book.
The belt of truth - How do we use this piece of armor? By being truthful with God, our self and others.
I remember when I was a kid. I stopped at my friend, Johnny’s, to play. We played with matches, which we knew was wrong. Yet when I was accused of playing with matches I lied over and over again that I didn’t do it.
How did those lies affect me? I looked guilty, I knew I wasn’t telling the truth and others knew it too. When I finally admitted the truth a heavy weight was lifted and I was relieved even though I knew I must be punished.
It isn’t easy to be honest with ourselves, because Satan keeps telling us we can get away with the lies. He says it’s better for us if we lie, because then people won’t be hurt with the truth. The belt of truth protects our heart. God wants our yes to be “Yes” and our no to be “No”. When we do what we say we will, we are not being a hypocrite and life is better for everyone.
The belt of truth is also an instrument for us to discern the truths of God and the deception of the devil. We put on the belt of truth and ask God for discernment regarding the lies of Satan. We hear so many half-truths or even white lies today that being able to discern the truth is very important.
The breastplate of righteousness - Saul the Pharisee said he was the “righteous of the righteous”. He meant he was righteous because he kept the Law to the “T”. But the breastplate of righteousness is an attribute of God. He tells us to be righteous, yet our own righteousness is a filthy rag compared to the righteousness of Jesus. True righteousness flows out of our personal friendship with the Father. Legalism, ( Saul’s form of “righteousness”), is righteousness without relationship. Righteousness is not what we do, but it is who we are.
The breastplate of righteousness is liberating. It helps us in doing what is good and right because of whom we are, a son/daughter of the King, not because of laws.
Shod your feet with the Gospel of Peace. For a long time I didn’t understand what this meant. Romans 14:19, “So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” and Romans 10: 15, “And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tiding of good things!’” helped me understand that it means living the Good News of peace with God through Jesus.
We should help to make peace happen. Problems just happen. We don’t have to work hard to have problems. Peace requires effort. Our nature is selfishness and causes many problems and it isn’t hard to be selfish. Peace, on the other hand, requires “dying to self”, and this isn’t easy. Unforgiveness is one of the biggest obstacles to peace – it separates us from God and from others.
Ask God to reveal whom you are angry with or have unforgiveness towards. He will! Then get right with God and that person. This is a piece of armor that Satan hates and he will attack us any way he can to keep us in the state of unforgiveness. But God will help us walk in peace with Him and others if we are willing to die to our selfishness and unforgiveness.
The shield of faith, with which we can extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. It helps to remember what Hebrews 11:1 says about faith, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” One definition of the shield of faith is the ability to remain under fire of a long, drawn out trial without breaking down or blowing up. I heard Oliver North speak once. He said that it was the shield of faith that kept him calm during his long trial. When we know that we know who God is and that He is for us not against us, it is easier to hold up our shield of faith no matter what the enemy throws at us.
The helmet of salvation - protects our minds from all the thoughts and ideas that are not from God - knowing who you are in Christ and living it out.
Think for a moment – who really ticks you off and makes you mad? Can you think of 2 or 3 people? The reality is no one makes you mad – you make yourself mad. It is what you choose to think, your beliefs about a person or situation, which result in your action or reaction. Usually, we find ourselves mad because we have reacted instead of stopping to think the situation though.
John Maxwell said it well, “It’s not what happens to you, it’s what happens in you.” The helmet of salvation will help us not to react, but take the time to think, pray and then act. Satan is the one who wants us to react and to break down our relationship with God and others. By wearing our helmet of salvation we can be better equipped to win the battle for our minds.
The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God – we use this weapon to fight the enemy. As we pray and proclaim the promises of God, we acknowledge what God will do for us. There are times when we need to stand on His Word and when tempted as Jesus was, to do as Jesus did – use the Word of God to stop the attack. Satan flees when we use God’s Word.
I remember times during our years of ministry when Satan would call me a lousy provider because our salary has always been very low. Other times he would tempt me to take on a second job so I could provide more things for my family. Each time I would stand on God’s promises to me and on His Word, Satan would flee. All I had to do was speak out loud that God is my Source and said He would provide for all our needs, and I would feel better. As I began to think about how God has provided for my family in the past, I could then use my Sword of the Spirit with my Shield of Faith and have the victory.
I want to encourage you. Learn all you can about the armor of God. Put on the armor of God daily and remind yourself to use it the next time the enemy attacks you or your family. As you do these things you will live more victoriously, and that is what God wants for you.
Could one of these murderous thieves be robbing you of your dreams?
Dream killers don’t line up like redcoats in battle. Just as guerilla fighters, they stalk you until they surround you. They challenge you from without and taunt you from within. The wise believer won’t be caught off guard by these malevolent predators.
A clear, methodical approach will help you to move steadily closer to the person God designed you to be. This is cooperative effort between you and God. He wants to work in tandem with you. Share your approach with a spouse or a friend and ask him or her to help you.
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