It's a War Out There!

 

 

"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." Eph. 6:12

Lately I've been keenly aware of that battle that rages.  It can bring such discouragement until the Holy Spirit reminds me that He is bigger than the principalities of evil and that there are specific purposes for it.  It's just it can feel so vicious at times, so personal.  I find comfort in the book of Job, where Satan had to ask permission from God before he could touch his righteous servant.  There seemed to be a sense of esteem over Job, that God knew his faith could withstand the testing. Or in Luke where Jesus tells Peter that Satan has asked to sift Peter as wheat, but Jesus then tells him he prayed for Peter that his faith would remain strong and that he would come back and encourage his fellow believers after he stood the test.  It helps me look at things from a different perspective.

It's hard when you are in the midst of full-on warfare to see things from His view, at least it is for me.  This last Sunday I had a migraine, one of the stubborn ones that feels at the time like it will finally be the death of me. Anyone that struggles with migraines can probably relate, they can be brutal.  When I was able to sit, in between runs to the bathroom to, well, rid my body of its stomach lining (TMI, sorry, it's part of what makes them so nasty) I watched my "church" on TV since I was missing the real thing and was really in need of some encouragement at that moment.  I'm thankful for TV Preachers, there are some that are really worth watching.  I heard some great messages from Charles Stanley, Bayless Conley, Ravi Zacharias, Adrian Rogers, David Jeremiah, my favorite prophecy show, "Christ in Prophecy", oh and "The Skit Guys" were thrown in there for a few laughs which I appreciated.  I am not saying that the migraine itself was the spiritual battle, it just felt like a blow to my already weary self.  Battle-weary if you know what I mean. Each message I heard complemented the other and gave me the perspective I was in desperate need of.  I was reminded that it is not an option to back down, that's what the enemy wants me to do, to go into a pit of despair and depression. 

James and Peter both exhort us to resist our enemy (James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8-9).  Jesus said He has given us His authority to overcome the spiritual attacks against us.  In seeing the people of the Bible as real people who had their own spiritual battles raging, but in their time of testing, endured, can give us hope. I know God can use the spiritual warfare in our lives to strengthen our faith, draw us closer to Him, train us for the roles we are meant to play, and to prepare us for our future at His side. In the book of Judges, the Lord, the God of angel armies (que the Chris Tomlin song), did not drive all the nations out at once "by giving them into the hands of Joshua" (2:23).  The Lord left some nations to test  the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience.  Could it be that much of what He allows in our lives is not for us to simply accept, but to get us to rise up? Maybe God wants us to know how to wield the weapons of warfare, how to take a stand, and how to fight. 

Seeing God's perspective on what He allows the enemy to bring against me, knowing He is fighting for me, training me to be a warrior, interceding for me with groans, allowing the pain to build character in me, using it all for good, helps me to persevere and not give in to despair.  To not grow so weary that I am no earthly good.  Having a migraine that day forced me to sit and listen and made me desperate for a message on hope. So I am trying to look at these forces that are against me as a motivator, to let it stir me to rise up. Ephesians goes on to say "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." 

Let's encourage each other in this battle, knowing we are not solo in any of this.  Your battle may not be as brutal as the above image my son made with his Halo figures, but I know it isn't easy.  Remember Who is fighting for you, interceding for you, and training you. There will be a day when the battle will finally end.  How we fought may have eternal rewards.  Lets rise up to whatever He may be calling us to do, whatever He may be training us for.  It is a war out there, but we are not meant to fight it alone and it is personal and that could be a complement and not an insult!

Music and People

Last weekend was an interesting experience in music and people.  Friday night our whole family went to The Phoenix Dream Center for their Friday evening "fun night" where our dear friend and the boys guitar teacher performed in concert.  A good portion of the audience was men and women who are part of the ministry "Church on the Street", they are recovering from addictions, desperate for God and real about their struggles and authentic about their extreme need for God.  It was a refreshing experience.  One gal got up and through tears shared how hard and painful life has been, yet how God was slowly healing her, her desperation was obvious, but not uncomfortable.  She chose to praise God, to choose to believe God was good, even though life had dealt her some very difficult circumstances.  To see people so moved by God, by the truth being sung in Jason's lyrics, so needing reminders that God loved them, and so stirred in Him that many made their way to the altar and collapsed, crying out to God, was nothing short of beautiful.  I loved being in the room with these people, loved their realness, their rawness and their transparency.  At one point during the night, another singer commented that the feeling in the room was like what we see in other countries with people that have so little, but are so happy to be with God.  It made me wonder what keeps our churches from being like this every week? What keeps me from collapsing at His feet in worship?


The next night, I was invited by a good friend to a unique Birthday celebration.  My friend's friend turned 40 and her unique way of celebrating was by having a meeting at her church, she invited many friends and family, then she proceeded to share her testimony through words and song. She gave part of her story, then stopped and played certain songs that applied to that part of her story, this gal could sing, I mean really sing!  It was a gospel concert and I loved it.  One of the songs she sang during a climatic part of her testimony was the song in the video below, "Break Every Chain".  I have heard this song a few times and instantly loved the power of the words, the truth spoken in them.  She had us all singing the words, getting caught up in the worship of Him who has the ability to break every chain that binds us and chains that binds those we love.  She ended her story with the song "Smile" by Kirk Franklin, another feel good song that makes you want to just get a little charismatic-crazy!  I had never met this gal before, but as I got to know her through her words and song, I found myself loving her, thinking she was so beautiful, so gifted, so using her talents to glorify Him.  I asked her later what gave her the idea because it was such a unique expression.  She said she had went to a cancer-survivor event and heard people sharing their story, that was her inspiration.  

Music and people, two different ways God encourages us.  Music comforts, soothes, exhorts, and encourages. People inspire us and glorify God when they share how God uses their unique set of circumstances to reveal Himself through them, when they tell how they overcame, persevered, and make a conscious choice to believe God even when His ways are hard to understand. I'm thankful for both.  God uses both music and people to minister His love and truth in my life, sometimes it's what gets me through times that can seem so overwhelming in a world that can seem so dark. We all have trials and on-going circumstances that can get burdensome, yet we know we need to persevere, I think God gave us music and people as a means to help us do that, so that we hope against hope. 

Thanks For The Memories

This picture was taken last month in front of my old high school. I love the look of this school, very mighty and majestic looking, classic.  They have a new high school building now that's on the other side of town, apparently the foundation in the old school is shifting and it's slowly sliding down the hill it sits on.  Such a shame for such a regal looking building that holds so many memories for so many. My sister and I both requested a brick if they decide to tear it down. My most favorable memories of my high school time were all the basketball games.  This school is home of the Lawrenceville "Indians", Illinois Class A high school state basketball champions in 1972, 1974, and back-to-back in 1982 and 1983, my junior and senior years, which had a combined two season win-loss record of 68-0. The team was coached by Ron Felling, who, after the 1983 season at Lawrenceville, went on to IU as assistant coach to Bobby Knight.  Mr. Felling was also my drivers education teacher, he was known more for being fun and lax, so needless to say I did not perfect my parking nor driving skills during that hour of time, but it was fun. The championship was quite a big deal for this quiet small town and it has not happened since.  My Dad drove to most of the away tournament games so it was a slow build of anticipation to see our team finally win the championships in Champaign, IL.  Those are sweet memories.  Basketball is my favorite sport to watch, most likely because of my high school years.

 

My oldest son is now in high school, though since we home school, it is not as dramatic as I remember my first day walking into that big school was.  Seeing the changes he is going through has reminded me of both the joys and lows of the high school years.  Looking back on those four years now makes me thankful for the little bit of wisdom and maturity I think I have gained since then.  It was just an awkward time for me, my shyness in some ways kept me a prisoner to fear and worrying what others thought of me over-rided my interests and participation in a lot of things.  Not that I did not have some really good times because I really did and I had some great friends I am thankful to still be in touch with. I just see how my insecurity held me back and kept me from enjoying those years to the fullest extent.  I still have insecurity, I suppose no one is completely exempt from it, but as I have grown in my relationship with the Lord, He has filled me with a passion and a joy that can not come from anything else, from anyone else. 

 My favorite Psalm is Psalm 139 that says God knew me while I was still in my mom's womb, His eyes saw my unformed body and all my days were written before they came to be.  That's hard to comprehend, but it gives me an assurance that I can trust God to be sovereign.  My value is in Him, which can not be moved or continuously changed based on my own performance or in what others think of me.  So even though I did not really know this then, in my high school years, I do now, and as I allow that truth to sink deep down into the marrow of my being, I can learn from my past, accept it, and be thankful for truth.  As my son is now set to navigate through the high school years himself, I can offer compassion and point him to the same One that formed him in my womb, that saw his unformed body, that knows the number of his days before they even came to be, and will be there to guide him, and his brothers after him.  Someday, they too will look back on their high school memories as I have mine, and they will say, just like I have, "Thanks for the memories."

Seven Sweet Days

Sitting here at the airport waiting for my return flight, my heart feels like it could burst, it's so full of emotion. A week that started out with a 8 hour mechanical flight delay, a mid-air turn around and a middle-of-the-night, long, dark drive was magically made right as soon as I saw my sister's smiling face greeting me. We had pizza (in the morning mind you since my plane ended up arriving at 5am instead of 9pm!) and chatted, I became best buds with her dog as soon as I shared my pizza with her and our sweet sister week began.

The rest of the week held so many things....Bookstores, Starbucks, I'm afraid I started my sister on a latte-addiction! Lots of reminiscing, so much laughter, and a hometown adventure. We saw old friends, walked the old neighborhood, enjoyed our hometown Fall Festival, got caught up on the where-abouts to everyone we could think of, and thoroughly enjoyed our stroll down memory lane.

Walking into our hometown library instantly brought back memories of story-time where we were treated to those yummy, pink-iced sugar cookies! I half expected to see them, so blown away at how much the sights and smells can bring you back to your childhood in an instant. I had to look in the mirror to see if I was an adult or not. It's truly amazing how we can come back in time so quickly and how memories can come flooding through our minds, not previously thought of in such a long time.

We visited the cemetery, tears flowed at our mom's grave. I know what made her who she was is not there, but the body that carried her is buried there in the ground.  It feeds my longing for our reunion, where all things will be right. We also visited our grandparents graves, then the brother I never knew but will know in Heaven. Such a good thing to mourn and yearn, I don't despise it for I know God will use it.

 My heart aches for the bittersweet memories, the limit of time and space, the inner-groanings  of my own soul tired of the flesh fight, yet I hope. I'm reminded that hope that is seen is really not hope, but my hope is in the unseen and I wait for it expectantly. This trip has renewed that hope in me.  I'm thankful for this time with my sister, these seven sweet days the Lord gave us to renew our hope, a hope that we cannot currently see.  We both needed the reminder.

Anticipating Healing

Tomorrow I leave for a week of sister-time, hometown beginnings, and bittersweet memory remembrances.  I am trying my best to have no preconceived expectations, but to be yielded to the Holy Spirit.  To let this trip be what He would have it be.  There will be a visit to the cemetary where our mom was buried 15 years ago.  Time has healed much of the pain, but the ache for her presence never completely goes away.  I'm longing for healing, knowing I will be brought back to times of yesterday.  There are good memories there in that town, and painful ones as well.  To quote Brandon Heath's song, "I'm not who I was", and thank God for that.  He is doing something in me, refining me, transforming me, and I pray, continually healing me.  I want to be  yielded to this process.  I want the chains of shame and deception broken, as much as they can be this side of Heaven.  He came to heal the brokenhearted, to restore, renew, and regenerate.  Lord, let me be sifted, let me grieve, but let me be transfigured more into the image of Your Son in it all.  All the while enjoying the sweet fellowship of a blood relative relationship, the only other person on this planet that understands the memories of that town are both bitter and sweet. Be present in our sister-talk this week and use both the good and bad memories for Your design and purposes.