We are God’s Warriors

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For 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. ¹³ Therefore 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. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ 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.

A few mornings ago as I woke up I said to myself, “I am God’s warrior” and then I crawled out of bed to start my day. It was really weird, but in fact, the little phrase is true. We are all God’s warriors, and together as a body of believers, we make an army, but not in the violent sense.

In Ephesians 6:10-18, it talks about the “armor” God has given us in order to fight the bad guys in our lives. Many times, these bad guys can be temptation from the devil or false teachers. We are called to wear the armor of truth and salvation in battle, to uphold our faith within all circumstances, and resist temptation.

The one thing I like to think of as the biggest bad guy in my life, and I think in a lot of our lives, is this – worry. Worry can essentially tear you farther away from God, and it is always a huge battle to overcome. But in Ephesians, it mentions a very important armor God has given us to overcome worry – the gospel of peace. God’s Word and God Himself, bring us peace. Knowing we are loved beyond compare by our Father in heaven and that He will provide for us gives us a sense of comfort. We can rest in these truths and seek them always, especially at those times when we are caught up in worry.

The most important thing isn’t knowing what’s ahead, but it is trusting in God and surrendering our lives to Him.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for dressing us in armor and creating us to be your warriors. Help us to not get caught up in worry, but to seek the gospel of peace always. We love you, forever and ever, Amen. 

Even when…

You don’t feel accepted…

God says: You have been accepted by me. Work to accept one another in this same way.

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. – Romans 15:7

You don’t feel beautiful…

God says: You are my creation, an incredible work of art. You are created in my image and likeness, perfectly and wonderfully made. You are beautiful.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. – Ephesians 4:24

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. – Psalms 139:14

You feel like you aren’t smart enough or not good enough…

God says: You are, because I give you wisdom. You are my chosen ones, to do good works and to praise my name, for through me, you are always good enough.

It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption -1 Corinthians 1:30

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light – 1 Peter 2:9

No matter how hard you work, how hard you try, you can’t get the results you want…

God says: Don’t look for rewards from your parents, professors, employers, or friends because in the end, I will reward you. I want you to work for me.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. – Colossians 3:23-24

You feel a little selfish and all you want is for someone to say to you, “I’m proud of you”…

God says: I will meet your needs, you don’t have to rely on others to find fulfillment. And remember not to think of yourself higher than you should, but look for positivity within the faith already bestowed upon you by the grace of God. 

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19

For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith god has distributed to each of you. – Romans 12:3

You feel completely alone, like nobody understands…

God says: I am always there, and I am not leaving.

Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. – Hebrews 13:5

You feel like no one is supporting you…

God says: I am your Father in heaven and no one on earth is to be called this. If no one is as high as me, why rely on them so heavily? Ultimately, rest and find comfort in me.

And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. – Matthew 23:9

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28

You say “I can’t do this on my own”…

God says: You don’t have to. I will give you strength.

For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  – Philippians 4:13

It is easy to get caught up in what others think about you or what you think of yourself. It is easy to forget that God loves us without end and thinks great things about us, even when we mess up and seem to have disappointed everyone else in our lives.  I hope this reminds you what God says about you, and you can find peace in these truths.

Heavenly Father, thank you for always loving us, always supporting us and always being there for us. It is so reassuring to know that we always have You by our side, even when it feels like no one else is. We love you, Amen. 

Entry: Pray like a child

By: Sarah

Age: 18

Here is a picture of my old journal from when I was seven years old, it is funny how the verse on it is my favorite verse today, and the verse that inspired the title of this blog.

Reading through this old journal reminded me of the simplicity of life when I was a child, how my biggest worry was if my mom would let me have a sleepover with my neighbor friends. Oh how I sometimes wish I could go back to those days. Now, as I am sort of an adult, life is much different with more complex worries. But just because we are older doesn’t mean that our prayers have to be any different than those that we used to pray as a young child.

One prayer that I wrote when I was seven said: “I love you more then anybody else in the whole univers. I will try to do better for you. I promise. Amen.” Despite the spelling mistakes and not knowing the difference between “then” and “than”, this is still a quite powerful and moving prayer. It was simple in its words, but deep in its meaning.

Just because you are an adult, doesn’t mean you can’t pray like a child. Simply telling God “I love you more then anybody else in the whole univers” can be the greatest prayer.

Lord, thank you for the chance to speak to you through prayer by expressing our most basic thoughts and using simple words. Thank you for being accessible to us. Thank you for always listening. We love you, Amen.

Seeing God through People

It’s funny how the people so close to you, the ones you have known your whole life, can seem so plain to you now. You know them so well that the things that they do are no longer a surprise. Yes you love them, yes you know they are special, but do you always appreciate them?

This past week, I took a step back and tried to appreciate these people in my life more. I noticed the little things that they do that make up part of who they are, part of how God created them. I thought about these things and I saw God, in them and through them. In the simplest things that they did, their common mannerisms, I saw God’s handiwork.

Below is a little bit of a description of each one of these people in my life. I love them and I appreciate them, and I would like to tell each one of them, thank you for being awesome.

My Top Three:

Caring and forgiving

A servant heart

Notices the small details that actually make a difference

Intelligent and opinionated

Quite cocky, but in a good way

Cracks jokes that will make you fall on the floor laughing

Thinks about others’ needs before his own

Great cook

Hard worker

Plays a mean air guitar

Goes above and beyond

Go with the flow attitude

Business man, and tree farmer on the side

Takes good care of his girls

Basically, a rock star at everything

Works hard and in control

Organized

Crazy, loud laugh

A little cat crazy

Smart with numbers

Not afraid to try something new

Beautiful, even if she doesn’t think so

Organized

People-pleaser

Likes to stay busy

Caring and loving

Takes initiative

Did I say organized?

We are very similar, and that is a good thing

Athletic

Very funny

Caring heart, for the young and the old

Works hard to please others and live up to expectations

All children simply adore her

Enjoys meeting the needs of others

Free-spirited

A little cocky

Smart

Enjoys her rest

Pretty and petite

Compassionate

Relaxed attitude

A great friend

You can’t help but pay attention to her, and love every moment spent with her

This week, I challenge you to appreciate the people in your life that have been there since the beginning. I guarantee that you will see God’s handiwork in and through them.