Teach Your Kids to Fight!

“When I am afraid, I will trust in You. When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” Over and over she said these words aloud as she tentatively ventured into the dark. Then she spotted it. The prize she sought…Mickey Mouse! She grabbed him. And SWOOSH! She was gone, fast as she could back into the living room and the safe haven of the florescent bulb. “I did it! I said my verse, and I wasn’t afraid!” And with that Mikaela (my 3 year old) had just fought and won her first encounter with spiritual warfare!   

The concept is not hard. The Word has powerful and it is our weapon against every tactic of the enemy. Even a child can fight this battle. Psalm 56:3 is the verse of the month for Mikaela’s preschool. When she said she was scared to go into the dark room by herself to get her toy, I told her she was never alone and to remember her verse. She immediately put the Word to work and won her fight with fear!

“For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,” 2 Corinthians 10:4

“For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword,” Hebrews 4:12a

Mikaela was memorizing scripture before her second birthday. I say this not to brag on her or myself, but rather to make a point that our kids are designed by their Creator with a much greater capacity for His truths than we often realize. Go ahead. Give it a try! You’ll be amazed how quickly your little one will catch on. We started with John 3:16a, Prov. 3:5 and Matthew 22:37.  Practice in the morning over breakfast. Say them before bed. And the greatest time I’ve found is driving around in the car. Turn off the radio and tune your kids into the Holy Spirit! Seeing them discover His Words for the first time with bless your soul.

So go ahead…teach your kids to fight!

The Root of the Problem

This is something I wrote yesterday in light of the recent tragedies and inspired by my pastor's sermon yesterday about spiritual warfare and something he said along the lines of, "Guns are not the problem. The problem is the evil in men's hearts."

Guns are not the problem. They are merely the tool used to carry out the evil in men's hearts. If guns are gone another instrument will be used or devised. The problem is a world devoid of God and a people bent on evil. Only the Truth can set us free from our bondage to Satan's wiles. As long as God continues to be left out of the equation peace will never be the end result.
 
Because we live in this sinful world we must have an awareness of evil. There are those Christians who claim not to believe in the devil. (As Pastor Minter said, "Not believing in him does not keep him from acting.) It is my belief that a Christian who does not believe in Satan will have more struggles with faith as they rob themselves of the scriptural reason behind the pain, evil, and suffering in this world.

 

 

"Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [^[f]in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (^[g]identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you." 1 Peter 5:8-10

 

"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]" John 16:33

Don't Lean in 2013!

This year commit to stand strong as never before! I love New Year’s! In my mind I see it as a chance to step back, reevaluate how things are going - what’s working and what needs work - a chance to push the “reset” button in my life if need be.

The Lord’s mercy and loving kindness endure forever.  Miraculously He never grows tired of us and throws up His hands in frustration. He never stomps off declaring, “That’s it! I’ve had enough! I’m done!” No, incredibly enough He is always patiently there encouraging and guiding and willing to forgive us over and over again.

Make this New Year a chance for a new beginning and a new resolve to be strong in your faith, standing in constant confidence in the One Who has redeemed you! Psalm 1 tells us that in order to be that “tree firmly planted by the water,” and to prosper we must be diligent in studying His word, not just reading it casually, but meditating on it day and night. Don’t know where to start? There’s an app for that! J Seriously, you can find about a gazillion different free devotionals and reading plans thru Bible apps and online. If nothing else, start by reading a Proverb a day. Read it slowly, really putting thought into it. Write out verses that jump out at you, and go over them several times a day. Keep His Word in front of you, and you will see His promises coming alive in your daily life.

“But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.  And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].” Psalm 1:2-3