Monday, March 28, 2011

Reflection on the Armor of God

I feel it's more of a lifestyle choice...like actually living it out. We have to 'take' and 'put on' these things...which is: to do them.
picture:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/boomya/3150539541/
1. belt of truth...
(In bible days the guys wore the dress-type garb... so anytime they'd get ready to do big labor, they'd gather up the loose-hanging parts above their knees, fastening it to belt around their waist.---so 'gird up your loins')
So too, we must gather up and fasten anything up; anything potentially impeding our freedom to follow Jesus when we are getting ready to 'dig in'. Where do we find truth? The bible, of course.

2. breastplate of righteousness...
The breastplate covers the heart... more than 'righteous acts'... even sinners can do those... but it's a condition of the heart...sincerity to seek to be holy as He is holy.

3. shoes of peace...
We know we must bear good fruit in being peaceable...in turning the cheek... but we must also be willing to MOVE (shoes) when He impresses us to share the gospel. This speaks of obedience.

4. shield of faith...
You want the shield? You get your 'faith on'. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God... nuff said.

5. helmet of salvation...
Doing what the Word says.... 'taking every thought captive'. Helmet is also called 'the hope of salvation' (1 Thes. 5:8)-- so a consistent and positive hope...in the Word of God, of course. Love hopes all things, believes all things...love never fails...

6. sword of spirit - word of God...

Version used for 'word' is 'rhema' in the greek= 'spoken word'. So, actively using it when attacks come.

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Many people promote suiting up with an 'Armor of God' prayer every day, but we have to be careful that it doesn't turn into a nice 'magic pill' prayer, LOL. Again, I'm emphasizing a lifestyle of change and conformity over rote prayers!

... But really... if we're sincerely seeking God... and realizing that He said it's simple, in that a child could 'get it', we just need to pray earnestly, get in His Word and have relationship with Him... and as we do those basic foundational things... we begin to change and conform to His image.

I look at each one above and it simplifies as such:
1. Get in the Word,
2. Seek earnestly to be holy,
3. Be obedient,
4. Trust/faith makes us stand firm,
5. No matter how things appear, or what we are told...we will believe the Word above all,
6. If everything above is in motion...we confidently can speak the Word and just like Jesus speaking it to shut satan down in the desert, suddenly we move from defense to offense.

See how it is kind of a process as well? Some people only go so far... only read the Word, but don't desire to commune with God... so when trial comes they can't hold the shield up because they don't 'trust', and so on...
We need to make it all a lifestyle... if any part is missing we aren't effective because there is a measure of 'fear' of potential wounding there---fear of defeat. But, having it all with the sword, we actually advance! The ones that are properly equipped in all this are the ones that shall 'do greater works than these'!!
Are You excited??? !!!


www.hearingGod.tv

Friday, March 4, 2011

The Four Horsemen by Glen Campbell & End Time Encouragement



The Four Horsemen by Glen Campbell - Album "Show Me Your Way" [New Haven] (1991)

A song based on Revelation chapter 6 in the Bible.

The footage is from a 2010 fall vacation to the caves at Ruby Falls at Lookout Mountain --Chattanooga, TN. Incredibly, after I came home from the trip, most of the footage was 'missing', so I only used a small clip in a Psalm 91 video. Today I was extracting an entirely different set of video and to my surprise... the 'missing' cave footage was suddenly there! I realized, had that footage been there earlier, I would've used it on something else, but God has a time and season for everything!....

As soon as I opened it, I got this old song in my head (I'm not a 'country' song lover, but this song is powerful) and remembered at the end of the song it talks about going into the mountains and crying 'fall on us'. This of course is a scary thing... IF you don't know Jesus! Imagine being in a cave, BUT in the dark! Yuk!

We know 'ugly' times are coming...even horrific... but will you cling to Him now when the 'wood is green'? Will you press in, deny your flesh and lay up your treasure in Heaven? Will you press in so that even now you can hear His voice clearly, so that when terror comes you can be a bulwark of Hope to draw people to Christ in those desperate times?

We do not know the day nor hour, so be wise and prepare to win souls. He promises to keep His own, but that doesn't mean we'll be sitting on a cloud chowing on bon bons!

Would your faith fall apart if you really had to pray for your daily bread? Would hardship and loss find your faith shipwreck? Do you crab and whine now?!!!

BE PREPARED. BE GRATEFUL. GET CLOSE!
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LYRICS:

And I saw the white horse, ridden by a man with bow and arrow.
And he wore a golden crown
and he rode a trail so narrow.

And he went forth to conquer all the liars, thieves and cheaters;
all the weavers of illusion;
all the bigots and mistreaters;
and the earth was shakin' like an old man's hand and the sun was black as mud;
and the oceans moved across the land and the moon became as blood.

And I saw a red horse and a rider with a saber;
to take peace from all the earth
for destruction was his labor.
And he rode out in anger to turn brother against brother;
with poison for the nations to make them all kill one another.
And the stars of heaven fell to earth like the fruit of a tree that's shaken;
by an unkindly wind, to be ever more forsaken.

And I saw the black horse and the rider with the balance;
to separate the works of man; his vices from his talents.
A measure of wheat for a penny
Three measures of barley in kind
To divide the one from the many
But hurt not the oil and wine
And the heavens parted like a scroll
When it is rolled together.
And the mountains were moved out of place
Like a whirlwind blows a feather.

And I saw a pale horse
And Death was riding on him
And Hell was right behind him
And no mortal man outshone him.

The kings of the earth and the mighty men
The glorious and greedy
Hid themselves in the blackest hole
with the homeless and the needy.
And some priests and some television preachers
Laid down with the vile unholy
And some senators and movie stars
shared a cave with the meek and lowly.

Chorus
And they cried to the mountains
Fall on us!
And hide us from the face of Him
Fall on us!
And hide us from the face
Hide us from the face of HIM

Repeat Chorus