Website: We use cookies to improve performance. Me: Same.
“Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.” Isaiah 7:15 (KJV)
Recently I have been working on writing some posts about spiritual warfare and encountering Satan and evil spiritual and supernatural forces. I’ve been writing on this for a while now and realized that it’s going to have to be split into a few different posts. Some of the most important things we need to know when engaging in spiritual warfare is that we have power and authority from God.
It’s important to build our faith in the knowledge about God’s power in us. When we are confident in the power that is available to us and in us, we can then start to boldly walk in our authority to fight spiritual battles. Today, I’d like to build our faith about God’s power in us. The best way to build faith is to read and hear scripture from the Word of God.
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 (NKJV)
This is my sister’s dog, Panda. I think he wants to play fetch. Wasn’t that nice of him to go and choose his own stick?
“And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.” Nehemiah 8:15 (KJV)
Have you ever noticed how the more time you spend with someone, the more they rub off on you and the more you start to copy and mimic some of their behaviors? I think this even happens sometimes unknowingly. I’ve even heard it said that we even start looking like those we are around often. Have you ever seen those “pets who look like their owners” pictures? They’re hilarious! Apparently, pets and owners can even rub off on each other.
I noticed once that I started saying a word all the time that my brother-in-law often used. Actually, I think the process went from my brother-in-law to my sister to me and then even went to my husband and my son. It’s the word “nice”. I never used to say it so much, at least not in the same context. Now it’s used with more of a sarcastic tone.
For example, when my daughter said, “Mom, the dog just threw up on the floor!” My reply: “Nice.” Or…my college students might advise me that our class Blackboard site has been up and down all week. Me: “Nice.” Or… when my iPhone crashed and lost all data, and then when I tried to restore it from a backup and got a message that said “Backup is corrupt” (And I later learned that when you create a backup, the previous backup is deleted and replaced with the new one, thus leaving the only backup I had as “corrupt” and unusable! What’s wrong with this picture?!), my reply was “Nice!”
It’s just a word I picked up on from hearing them say it often, and then I started using it too. Do you ever do this? Continue reading
Love this meme… “I feel like, at the end of each month in 2020, an Oompa Lumpa should come out and sing us a song about a lesson we should’ve learned over the past 30 days… but did NOT.”
“Therefore, he poured out his fury on them and destroyed them in battle. They were enveloped in flames, but they still refused to understand. They were consumed by fire, but they did not learn their lesson.” Isaiah 42:25 (NLT)
Last week I posted about some of my own recent personal convictions on the issues of racism and social injustice. I didn’t want to overwhelm everyone by being too wordy, so I’m continuing my discussion this week of other things that God is having me work on personally in the realm of racial reconciliation. I’d also like to share some resources with you that have been really helpful for me as and grow, learn, and hopefully make a difference in this area.
As I stated last week, I ask you in advance to please give me grace for any errors in the way I may say this. I may not say the perfect thing in the perfect way. My goal is just to be a part of the conversation and to be a voice instead of remaining silent.
My heart has broken over the past couple of months as horrible events have unfolded very publicly exposing systemic racism. The horrifying shooting of Ahmaud Arbery triggered some very emotional conversation with my teenagers. Then not long after that I was brought to tears watching a video of an emotional delivery driver in my own state of Oklahoma who was detained for nearly an hour by residents in a gated community because of the color of his skin.
I was also completely shocked as I watched the video of Amy Cooper in Central Park calling the police with false claims about Christian Cooper as he was birdwatching. Then I saw the unbelievable footage of the killing of George Floyd. My eyes were being opening to the truth that widespread, systemic, active racism is very much still alive and active today. A fact that, I’m embarrassed to say, I have been ignorant of until recently.
I started spending more significant time in prayer about the issue of racial reconciliation and about my part, my role, and what God was calling me, personally, to do. I feel like God has been giving me steps to take in phases.
If there is one thing that I am, it’s that I’m a prayer warrior. I KNOW prayer is powerful, effective, and produces results.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16 (NIV)
Immediately, I was praying over the situations transpiring in our world. I prayed for so many different areas…direction, revelation, justice, restoration, reconciliation, unity, peace, healing & comfort, empathy, for eyes and ears to be opened, for God’s heart, for repentance, and against evil spiritual forces wreaking havoc. However, most of my prayers revolved around God showing me what my next step was and what I was supposed to do. I wanted God to show me areas where I have failed and need to repent, where I need to grow, and where I need to take a step.
I prayed:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 (ESV)
Slowly and a little at a time, God started showing me areas where I had been blind, ignorant, and wrong. In continuing to pray, I also felt that God showed me that this was one of my roles in racial reconciliation—to continue to prayer earnestly and fervently about the issues and as I saw things arise. God reminded me that my prayers could make a difference. Therefore when any issues arise, I pray.
Then God showed me my next step…to educate myself.
So far 2020 is like looking both ways before crossing the street and then getting hit by an airplane. Truth.
“For it shall spring like a trap upon all of those who dwell upon the face of all the earth.” Luke 21:35 (ABPE)
This week I thought it might be helpful for me to share my heart and some of my own recent personal convictions on the issues of racism and social injustice (which I will continue next week as well). I ask you in advance to please give me grace for any errors in the way I may say this. I may not say the perfect thing in the perfect way. My goal is just to be a part of the conversation and to be a voice instead of remaining silent.
I’m going to be super honest and transparent. I specifically remember a time a few years ago when the phrase “Black Lives Matter” irritated me a little bit. My instantaneous thought was “All Lives Matter”. However, my perspective has shifted. I NOW accurately see the viewpoint of Black Lives Matter. Whereas before I believe I was ignorant and uneducated in my own limited perspective.
Photo credit unknown
I had a misunderstanding of what the phrase meant. It does not mean that black lives matter more than other lives or that black lives are more important. The phrase is merely pointing out a marginalized and oppressed group of people that are suffering injustice. This is not a statement to exclude other lives but merely a statement to focus on the hurting ones.
Analogies
If you know me, you know I love analogies. Recently I’ve seen some really good analogies for this Black Lives Matter vs. All Lives Matter conversation. You’ve probably seen some of these floating around social media. Some of these did play a role in my eyes opening and in my shifted viewpoint.
There was the analogy of a house fire and “all houses matter”.
Credit: Chainsawsuit by Kris Straub
Then I also heard it as a comparison to going to the emergency room. Everyone in that emergency room matters, but there are some with life threatening injuries or conditions which become priority at that particular time. They will get treated first even though everyone there is important and should be taken care of. In THAT moment there is a higher priority BECAUSE all lives matter.
Per copyright, you cannot copy the content of this page. Contact us for copy permission.