“The Battle Belongs to the Lord”
There I was onstage as a shy middle-school camper trying to wrack my brain for the correct answer to the trivia question: What spiritual armor do we put on our backs? Now, we had all memorized the Ephesians 6 passage, and I’m pretty sure we had discussed the spiritual armor during at least one of the talks. But ... I had no idea. I muddled an answer about protective armor— which caused my team to lose the coveted point. Turns out there is no spiritual armor for our backs. Nada. Nothing. Why? Because we are to stand and fight.
As a kid, that idea was concerning. The spiritual realm seemed overwhelming and, on top of that, I wasn’t allowed to retreat!
What I didn’t realize then was that in all the focus on the fun and tangible teaching of spiritual armor, I had missed the opening and closing verses of those sections. Ephesians 6:10 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Then the section closes with this in verse 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.”
Aha! This spiritual warfare didn’t have anything to do with me and my abilities — or lack, thereof. As Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
How can we be empowered through Christ? By prayer. We pray holy-spirit directed prayer on all occasions — especially when faced with spiritual warfare. This isn’t a rote prayer that you say over and over again. It’s staying sensitive to the Holy Spirit so you can fight spiritual battles — ours and others — through prayer.
While 2 Chronicles 20:12 & 15 refer to a physical battle, it has great application for our spiritual warfare, as well. “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. … This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’”
Yes, we are asked to stand and fight spiritual warfare, but not in our own strength, in God’s. The power comes from abiding in Christ, being alert and prayerful, seeing the spiritual warfare through the lense of Christ and his victorious power.
Lord, give us your eyes to see the spiritual battles around us, and help us to rise up in prayer, calling on your power knowing that you will be victorious. In your mighty name, amen.
By Cyndie de Neve
Senior Creative Director
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Peace & Unity
I am not sure about you, but I have been listening to a lot of music over the last couple months. I have noticed how many great bands divide because of ego, money, control, sin, or other things that come from their position. Some of the bands get back together and some never make peace or unite again.
In families and churches this happens more than it should. We see Satan sow seeds of disunity, distrust, pain, frustration, and sin to rip people apart. When this happens, it hurts everybody! Paul probably saw this happen in the church and that’s why he calls for unity in families and church.
In Ephesians 4:2 he tells us to “bear with one another in love;” in 5:2 he reminds us to “walk in love,” and in 6:10-11 he tells us to live in God’s power by putting on His armor. We need Jesus to change us so we can bring the gospel of peace to our brothers and sisters in Christ (6:15). Jesus justifies us so we can have peace with God (Romans 5:1-2) and that allows us to have peace with others.
Of course to keep unity and peace, it is vital for us to understand how God protects us. He gives us spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10-17). Much has been taught on this, but as a child of God do you have the armor? Will you use it to protect your heart and mind? When we live in God’s power and protection, the spiritual battle for unity can be a victory and the reward is peace.
In light of the spiritual battle we face to stay united and in peace with one another, can you spend a few moments reflecting on what that looks like? Here are a few prompts I would like you to think about and see if it moves your heart …
- Is there a friend or family member that you need to forgive or ask for forgiveness from?
- Is there in your life or at work that you are not at peace with? Is there a way to make peace?
- With the unusual COVID season, how can you help keep the church united about what God is calling us to do?
Take a moment to bring your thoughts to God in prayer, ask for strength for what He calls us to do, and ask for protection as we remain united in the Gospel of peace.
Jeremy Johnson
Pastor of Men’s Ministry
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What Are You Thinking?
Confession ... I have been “that” mom. I actually made my son take a large bell with him to camp; you know, the loud obnoxious kind that hangs on store doors during Christmas time. My instructions for his counselor were to hang the bell on his cabin door knob so that he would be woken up just in case my son walked in his sleep in the middle of the night. Granted, as crazy as this sounds, it was somewhat warranted. This was following a scary fall out of his bunk bed which had landed him in the ER a few months earlier. My fear was not totally irrational, but the way in which I allowed it to control me was. Have you ever been in a place where fear controlled your thinking?
How about worry? What are the “what ifs” that keep you awake at night? Possibilities that rob you of sleep and rest? Do you ever feel anger, resentment or disappointment well up inside of you such that it is hard to focus on the relationship or task at hand? Or maybe it’s sadness, loneliness or despair?
Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil. He then goes on to describe the spiritual armor that God has provided for every believer; armor that will protect, conquer and proclaim the victory from which we already stand.
Did you know that we can also guard our thought life? The enemy loves to wage war on our minds; to convince us that there is no hope of victory over the messages that seem to manipulate us. We feel as if we are doomed to forever be controlled by faulty thinking so we might as well give up. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” We have the weapons, the armor, and the already paid for victory, to demolish strongholds, to take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ! Yes, life is hard and real tragedy may hit, but Scripture tells us over and over again that we are more than conquerors and we do not have to be controlled by fear, worry, anger or despair.
This week, when faulty thinking starts to creep in, take it captive and then make it obedient to Christ. This can be done by focusing your mind instead on the truth of Scripture. Try meditating on one of these passages:
- Romans 8
- Romans 12
- Philippians 4:4-13
- Colossians 3:1-17
Read it slowly and allow God’s truth to conquer false thinking. The victory is already yours!
By Lynette Fuson
Director of Women's Ministries
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Weapons of the Adversary
When we read the above verses, they can be daunting, if we focus on what and who is against us. However, our victory comes in knowing Who is on our side, what He has done for us, because our victory comes by and through the Lord Jesus Christ. As we go into battle, it is important to know what weapons are forged against us by the enemy of our souls. Our Adversary has only two basic weapons to use against us: deception and accusation. They may not seem like much, but he has honed those weapons to perfection.
Deception began way back in the Garden of Eden, when the enemy deceived Eve into believing lies and half-truths. If the enemy can get us to fall for his deception, then he will quickly come along and whisper in our ear what a terrible failure we are, and ask us how we could ever consider ourselves to be a Christian. The goal of the adversary is to defeat us and make us useless in the Kingdom of God. In John 10:10 Jesus tells us that the thief comes only to steal, to kill and to destroy. Many believe that the thief Jesus is describing is our enemy. While he comes to steal our joy, our purpose and our focus; to kill our passion to serve the King of Kings, his greatest desire is to destroy us. That does not mean to blow us up destructively as in an action movie. No, the word that is used in John 10 is "apolese" and it means to render inactive or set on a shelf.
The adversary may not steal our salvation. That is guaranteed. But he would like to render us inactive. He may best accomplish this by using his two sharp and powerful weapons: deception and accusation. We must be aware of these two weapons used by the enemy as he tries to trick and tempt us through deception and then condemn us should we fall. It’s a battle. But our victory is always through Christ. Let’s be aware.
Chip Whitman
Pastor of Care & Counseling
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From Victory to Victory
I wasn’t that great of an athlete, but the way Coach Duran spoke to us during practice stirred something in my heart. You all have a spot on this team and are on this team for a reason he would say during practices. We were a ragtag soccer team that hadn’t played together before and our division was dominated by a team with a three-year winning legacy. Their offense was unstoppable and their defense impenetrable. A goal hadn’t been scored against them for two of those three years!
Yet, here we were getting ready to challenge Goliath. Coach Duran made me think it was possible, though seemingly a long-shot. He didn’t support, love, encourage, or inspire conditionally. Rather, he gave himself to the team in ways that were totally selfless. Yes, he was a perfectionist, but he never gave the impression that you had to earn anything from him.
I was on the team regardless of my previous performance or lack thereof. Somehow, that unconditional assurance ignited a passion to destroy the competition. We were already winners because we had the undying love and belief of a coach that truly had our backs and best interests at heart.
The way that Coach Duran believed in us is like the unconditional love that’s been given to us as believers in Christ. We stand in the victory of a God who already loves us! We don’t stand in the victory we’ve achieved on our own!
This is why Paul encourages his readers: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)
But what are those schemes? The central one is that we have to do something to earn the love that’s already been given to us! Earlier in Ephesians Paul’s prayer is that “the eyes of your heart may be enlighten in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you,” (Ephesians 1:18-19) and “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)
As he says in another letter: “Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:39) No matter what, remember you are a child of God. It’s only when we come to believe this truth of who we are that amazing breakthroughs can happen in our life! We don’t have to fight for the victory. Rather, we fight from the victory!
That soccer season we fought our way to the division finals, and faced off against the three-time division champions — only to lose 2-1. Our small victory was that we managed to score against their impenetrable defense. But it didn’t matter. Coach Duran had taught us all something that we’d never forget.
You don’t have to earn your spot. It’s been given.
By Ryan Lunde
Pastor of Young Adults
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Perspective Changes Everything
When we entered the Navy 18 years ago, little did I realize that so much of the journey would require an intentional focus on adjusting my perspective in order to value my circumstances. Moving across the country with four little kids seemed overwhelming; until I had eyes to see the beauty and adventure that expanded beyond the Sierras. Watching my husband head into combat was dreadful; until it brought me into new depths in my relationship with God where I believed in my heart that he is good, loving and trustworthy. Months of deployment separation still stings; but just the thought of the sweet embrace of reuniting brings me to tears of joy. Perspective changes everything.
I’d venture to say that in this COVID season, most of us are not exactly thrilled with our circumstances. It seems like the phrase of the week is, “I’m over it!” I wonder if both the slaves and masters that Paul spoke of in Ephesians 6 were “over it." Chances are that both groups of people at times had hearts that were focused on their own circumstances and struggled to see the end game; to gain a new perspective. Discovering and maintaining a good attitude in the midst of difficult circumstances requires a change in our focus; a willingness to see life through a new lens. Paul tells us that perspective comes from the attitude of our hearts; knowing who it is that we are serving. Verse 7 reminds us to, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.” The key phrase that is repeated multiple times in this passage is “as to Christ.” This means having one goal; a singleness of heart. When our hearts only have one focus, it changes our perspective.
Later, in Hebrews 12:1-2 Paul says to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.” The result is a singleness of heart. Paul is not saying that this is easy, in fact, he says to “throw off” what hinders. It is not a matter of gently setting hindrances aside, but rather as Eugene Peterson says, “strip down, start running — and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God — he could put up with anything along the way.” Jesus’ perspective changed everything.
In verse 10 of Ephesians 6, Paul moves from instructing masters and slaves into guidance for spiritual warfare: “Finally be strong in the Lord, and in his mighty power.” What a beautiful conclusion to a difficult challenge. Our perspective may be a matter of choice, but it comes with the knowledge that our strength comes from the Lord.
What circumstance is weighing you down today? Ask God to change your perspective; to give you a heart that is “as to Christ." Your strength comes from the Lord!
By Lynette Fuson
Women’s Ministry Director
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No Favoritism
As soon as I walked into the classroom I felt all of their eyes on me. I didn’t blame them. I didn’t talk like them, walk like them, or dress like them. I didn’t even look like them! My pale Northern European complexion stood out among them like a highlighter in a sea of ink. I smiled at them with a confidence I didn’t have and with a warmth I felt only in the muggy weather. In honesty, I would have admitted I was afraid of them and what they thought of me. These Indian boys and girls had scarcely been beyond their own neighborhoods, and here I was, a Westerner, standing awkwardly in front of them with only the faintest idea of what God had in store for us.
All of my fear was totally misplaced and I was very quickly put at ease by the hospitality that seems baked into the Eastern cultures. I was offered food, drink, a place to sit, deference, and more respect than I was used to back at home. The fear I’d felt at first was subtly being overwritten by something far more real and far more deadly. I was experiencing the privileged power platform that comes with being a white man from the West. The water I drank was purified, unlike the questionable water of Haryana. The food I ate was from restaurants, unlike the very humble home cooked meals provided in the villages. The sheets I slept in my hotel room were linens that the massive majority of the country would never touch.
All of this set me up to live a totally unfamiliar, dissimilar existence from that of nearly everyone in the world’s second largest country. Beyond all of these creature comforts, the most distancing experience by far was that the Indians themselves seemed content to put me on a pedestal. I was waited on with particular eagerness, looked to for particular guidance, deferred to with an unusual amount of respect. The closeness I wished to share with my fellow human beings from India began to feel farther and farther away as time went on. Yet the worst part of it was that I secretly loved the special treatment.
Our human inclination is to build stages, pedestals, idols. “The human heart is a factory of idols,” said John Calvin. What becomes particularly deadly is when we’re made into the idol! This is because no matter how virtuous we think we are — our flesh inclines us to enjoy the special treatment at the expense of our fellow human beings. The only thing that can save us is a Father who shows no favoritism, but rather gives His love freely to both the prodigal and the rule-follower, the wealthy and the destitute, the powerful and the powerless.
It is a refreshingly liberating thing to “empty” yourself of all preferential treatment — and take up the washbasin of real service. Try it this week with those closest to you. You just may stumble upon the meaning of your life.
Ryan Lunde
Pastor of Young Adults
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This Is Harder Than I Thought
While I was going through seminary I worked nearly full-time for a small, entrepreneurial company. There were four of us, including the president, and we all were his direct reports. Here’s what he required of us — each night before we went home we were to provide him with a detailed log — broken down into 15-minute blocks -- of how we planned to spend the next day, along with a detailed log — also broken down into 15-minute blocks — of how we spent today (and how we spent today was evaluated based on how we told him — the day prior — that we were going to spend it). Does this make sense? Each day we presented him a log of how we planned to spend the day, how we actually spent it, and how we planned to spend tomorrow. I lived in this work environment for five years, and while I did, one of the most challenging verses for me was Ephesians 6:7. I hope you can see why.
Yesterday we were reminded to work wholeheartedly. Today we are reminded for whom we are to work so hard. See, here’s the deal — what’s just as important as how we work is for whom we work. And I want to submit that Paul is suggesting that we won’t work wholeheartedly (for anyone or for anything) over the long haul unless we are working for Christ! And why would that be? Simply because no one else and nothing else will ultimately provide the motivation that comes from working for him.
Recently I’ve been watching a ten-part documentary on the 1997-1998 Chicago Bulls. One thing that has stood out to me is how Michael Jordan used just about anything he could to provide himself with a source of motivation. An insult from an opponent, a criticism from a fan, some bad press, you name it, he would use it. Frankly, I was quite impressed by this, until I realized that he had to continually shift and find new sources of motivation in order to keep his production high. As Christians, we don’t need to do that. We can keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and let what he’s done for us fuel what we do for him. Then, even on those days where we find it to be harder than we thought, there is motivation and energy and vision. Remember, we work for him because he first worked for us! (You know what I mean by this.)
Today, how can you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus a little bit more and do your work for him with even more wholeheartedness, not to earn his love or favor, but because it’s been freely given to you through faith? How can you further develop a “thanks-driven” work ethic?
In it with you!
By Scott Smith
Pastor of Discipleship Ministries
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From the Heart
Have you had your heart checked recently? I’m not talking about your blood pressure or an EKG. I’m talking about the kind in Psalm 51:10. That verse took on new meaning for me not long ago and it is the same heart condition that Paul is speaking of in Ephesians 6:6. Have you been working for Christ “with all your heart?” Or does your heart need a tune-up?
This time in quarantine has been the best and worst of times for me and maybe for you. My relationship with the Lord has deepened as I’ve grown more dependent on Him every day. Yet even with that and maybe because of it, there are days when I’ve felt attacked on all sides. One particular day started out well. I spent time with Him, I felt and expressed gratefulness, and I was working with joy. Then it seemed like things started going downhill and before I knew it I was in a place where I felt like the world was spinning out of control. Kind of like a race car speeding around the track and suddenly bumped, causing it to lose control and crash. That is exactly how I felt — I hit the wall. The worst part was that I didn’t even understand completely why I felt so discouraged and depleted. Then a coworker encouraged me, not even knowing how I was feeling, and the dam burst. I poured out my heart to Jesus, the only One who really knows and understands me. He reminded me of Psalm 51:10, ”Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” and I prayed that verse as I cried and asked for His forgiveness and help. Sounds too easy doesn’t it? It should be easy to just be honest with Him and ourselves when we jump off the track, and need Him to help us see the problem.
Ever been there? Life is full of twists and turns and sometimes the little crack or pebble in the road not dealt with can set off a chain reaction that leads to disaster until God intervenes.
Paul instructs us to do everything "with all your heart." (Eph 6:6 NLT). The heart is the control center of mind and will as well as emotion. Colossians 3:23 says “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord ..."
We are all called to be servants for the Lord, and He has given us the miraculous power through His Holy Spirit to do anything and everything as if doing it just for Him. You can make the choice to tap into that power and run the race set before you with your whole heart.
By Deb Hill
Executive Admin Assistant
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Slavery: An Exercise in Hermeneutics
Throughout the history of the world, I don’t know if there has ever been anything more de-humanizing than the institution of slavery. I don’t know if there is anything more opposed to the way of Jesus than the practice of owning other humans as property. Slaverly is clearly one of the most shameful practices in the history of humanity, and yet, it is all over the pages of Scripture. Have you ever wondered why there are no explicit condemnations of slavery in the Bible? Did you realize that there is no verse that we can go to in our Scriptures that says slavery is wrong? However, the same Bible has been used to justify slavery and abolish slavery. How is that? And a better question is, how do I know that we are right and the pro-slavery people are wrong? I’d like to give you five reasons.
First, God gave us brains to think critically with. Second, God gave us other people with brains to stand up to us and correct us when our thinking has gone awry (we are much smarter together than any one of us on our own). Third, God gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us (God Himself in/with you!) Fourth, he gave us the example of Jesus as our model (the truest picture of what God is really like). And fifth, God gave us Scripture that points us in the right direction.
Of course, we could spend a lot of time talking about each of these, but the point for today is this: We can use our God-given minds, collectively, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, with Jesus as our example, to determine what direction God’s Word would point us to today in areas that the Bible is either unclear.
Very quickly, let’s apply this to slavery. (1) It seems reasonable to believe that slavery is wrong. (2) Other people agree that it is wrong. (3) The vast majority of people who are indwelled with the Holy Spirit agree that it is wrong. (4) The Jesus of the Bible does not seem like a person who would endorse slavery. (5) Scripture points us in a direction toward more freedom, not less (Jn. 8:32; 1 Cor. 7:21; Gal. 3:28; 5:1; etc.). When we take that all together, we can be confident that the correct biblically-guided position on slavery is to oppose it at every turn.
In fact, it is my prayer today, that this little exercise in hermeneutics (the study of how we interpret Scripture), will actually give you freedom. Do you ever feel like you don’t know which way to go? Well, even in that, God has given you freedom. Put your situation through this grid and trust the Spirit to guide you to the truth.
By Josh Rose
Pastor of Adult Ministries
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