The Armor of God

Sometimes, God's working in our life is slow and gentle, and sometimes it comes as at a time when we weren't expecting and catches us totally by surprise.  Have you ever been in a place in your life, when you felt a bit unsettled, uneasy, or even just a bit fearful of what the future was going to be, or how all the pieces were going to fit together, BUT at the same time, felt that you were in a pretty good place in your spiritual life?  I mean you were consistently having your devotions and you were "doing" all the "right things".   Right in the middle of this, season, when even though you were struggling at bit with contentment and joy, you were sure everything was "fine"... God drops something in your lap, that totally lifts the "scales" that had been over your eyes, and clouding your spiritual eyes from what was really happening in your life?

Well, that is where I found myself just 4 short weeks ago.  We stopped at our friends house, for one night on our family trip along the east coast.  That evening my friend shared with me that they had started a new Bible Study with the Ladies of their church.  I shared the Bible Study I was doing, (which was/is an excellent study).  Then she mentioned that a few of the ladies that hadn't been able to attend Sunday evenings study was going to get together that night to watch the video from Session 1.  So I went up to watch.

I will admit that I almost didn't go up... I thought, I don't want to intrude.  I won't be able to do the whole study, why go watch the first session, I don't even have the book.  I'm in the middle of doing a great Bible Study, myself.  But, the Spirit of God prompted my heart to go.  Thankfully, this is one of the times, I didn't try to rationalize myself out of obeying, but just went up.  That first session,  I took several notes on my phone.  I was captivated by how many of the truths she was speaking about, lined up with what I had been studying...you know,  you really need to sit up and pay attention when God uses multiple people and sources to speak the same truth to your heart!!

A week later our trip brought us back to these same friends, where we were planning to spend a week.  In that week, I had the opportunity to watch Sessions 2 and 3, and my friend, gifted me with the Study book.  In one week, I completed the "homework" for weeks 1 and 2.  I couldn't seem to get enough.  I also kept wanting to share every new thought with someone.  I would think, WOW, I never saw it like that before!  Or WHOA, what a difference that would make if people actually applied it to their lives!!  What a difference it would make if I would just apply it!

Now,  I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 5 years old.  That means that I have been walking this Christian life for 50 years.  Just like everyone else, some seasons better than others.  I have been taught and have taught about the Armor of God, we find described in Ephesians 6, countless times. As a child I did "sword drills" in Sunday School and Children's Church...(if you don't know what this is, it basically is a game you play with children, to see who can look up Bible verses the fastest).  I even became aware of the need to "put it on", daily, asking God to use each piece to guard the different areas of my, my mind, my heart, my walk, etc.  BUT, I can honestly say that until I did this study, I never really looked at each piece in detail or thought about how each one specifically was designed to protect me from the attacks of Satan.  I also NEVER connected the Armor of God in Ephesians 6 to the Armor of the Divine Warrior in Isaiah 59, BUT many of the people who were reading Paul's letter in that day, totally got the connection, both the examples to the armor of the Roman soldiers that they saw on a daily basis, and also to the Divine Warrior described in Isaiah as they were students of the Old Testament.  This armor God has given to me, is not just any armor that was lying around... It is his very own armor!!  He took it off and GAVE it to me!   I have God's own armor to put on and defend myself in this daily battle.  There is NOTHING more powerful that I could have than that!!

If you are feeling unsure of your value or who you are in Christ, or if you are filled with fear and insecurity right now.   I encourage you to read the book of Ephesians.  To put on your Armor, and remember who you are in Christ Jesus.  You have been adopted into God's Forever Family!!  He is your Father, your Daddy.  He is blessed.  He loves you and because He is blessed, you are blessed. It's part of your DNA!  If you have access to it, I highly recommend The Armor of God Study by Priscilla Shirer.  You can rent the video sessions on-line at Lifeway.com.   BUT you don't have to have the video sessions to do the study.  They are just an extra "bonus." :)  (and just as a disclaimer, I am not receiving anything to recommend this study.  I doubt the people at LifeWay or Priscilla Shirer, will ever even see this post and know that I have recommended the study.)

Here, There and Everywhere...

We left our temporary home in Florida on Sunday afternoon, March 12, and headed on an adventure.

Monday afternoon we arrived at the home of long time friends in Spartanburg, SC.  It was such a joy to spend time catching up with the Blantons.  We met them for the first time, just a couple months after we arrived in Ecuador, and they have been close family friends ever since!

Tuesday evening found us in Madison, VA, spending the night with our friends, Tim and Lori Duggins.  Their daughter, Megan,  was on Spring Break, so it was great to get to have a little time with her, too.

Wednesday, we headed up to Lancaster, PA, to spend a few days with the Blevins.  Cindy is from the church in New Jersey where I grew up, and is the closest to a sister, I have. :)  The exciting thing about traveling to PA, was that they had just had a "nor'easter" just come through and got about 2 feet of snow on Tuesday evening!!  We enjoyed some quiet days resting and visiting with them.  It was wonderful to get to see their grown children, and meet their new grandson, Ezra!

Another great surprise and highlight of our trip to PA, was that we had a "back-stage" tour of the Sight and Sound theater, which was super interesting, and then we were surprised, with tickets to see the Jonah Show!  It was amazing!!  What a wonderful gift to our family.

On Monday, March 20, we said, "good-bye" to our friends in PA and headed back to VA.   Tuesday, the 21st, our daughter, Carla, had her cardio check-up, at UVA medical center in Charlottesville. What a blessing to hear her doctor say, she is doing great!!  We are praising the Lord for all he has done in her life.  During our week in Madison, VA, we enjoyed catching up with friends.  Visiting a farm, and also seeing Tad Coffin Performance Saddles being made, and learning what all goes into it and why.  It was super interesting.

While we were there, I had the opportunity to join the Ladies Bible Study, from Mountain View Chapel.  My friend Lori, gave me the study book, to follow along, and I started the most amazing Bible Study, I have done in a long time.  The Armor of God Study, by Priscilla Shirer.  I have done lots of studies and they have all blessed my life in one way or another, but this one definitely is up there with the best of them.  I don't know why I am surprised, when God brings things into my life, at the perfect time, to teach me what I need to learn.  Many times, when I didn't even know I needed to learn it! ;)

Now we are back in Florida.  The kids just finished their week of spring break, although, I'm sure Teddy and Carla, would argue that point with you, since both of them spent time during their break participating in the standardized achievement testing going on at the Christian School.  We are looking forward to Easter and celebrating the resurrection of our Savior!!  Time is flying by.  We will be making a trip the first of May for 10 days to visit family in Ohio and Missouri.  When we get back home around the 10th, we will just have about 2 weeks, before we make our move back to Tennessee for June and July!  During these days, I am enjoying every minute with 2 of the grandkids that live nearby!!

Right now our plans are to spend 2 months in Tennessee and head back to Ecuador early in August.
Thank you for your prayers for our family.

Musings...

I have just finished reading a book that explained many of the customs and traditions of first century Jewish life, especially Galilean Jews.   It has been quite fascinating and I'm sure that I will be re-reading it many times just to take it all in.  There have been many things that I would love to share, and maybe over the course of the coming days/weeks, I will share different points, but today as the book came to a close, the author quoted a Greek philosopher's observation he had the opportunity of making of an early church.  His name was Aristides and here is what he wrote:

"They abstain from all impurity in the hope of the recompense that is to come in another world.  AS for their servants or handmaids or children, they persuade them to become Christians by the love they have for them; and when they become so, they call them without distinction, brothers.  They do not worship strange gods; and they walk in all humility and kindness, and falsehood is not found among them; and they love one another.  When they see the stranger they bring him to their homes and rejoice over him as over a true brother; for the do not call those who are after the flesh, but those who are in the Spirit and in God.

And if there is among them a man that is poor and needy and if they have not an abundance of necessities, they fast two or three days, that they may supply the needy with the necessary food.

They observe scrupulously the commandment of their Messiah; they live honestly and soberly as the Lord their God commanded them.  Every morning and all hours on account of the goodness of God toward them, they render praise and laud Him over their food and their drink; they render Him thanks...

Such is the law of the Christians and such is their conduct" -Broken Bread, An Ancient Look at the First Last Supper by Jay McCarl

The thought that came to my mind, was this, if Aristides had the opportunity to observe my church, would this have been his testimony?

Living Cruciform

I started a new Bible Study a couple weeks ago, The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp.  I will be honest and say that I started this study with some excitement BUT also some fear.  The passion of my life is to be more like Christ.  To change and grow and become the woman, wife, mother, daughter, friend, pastor's wife, missionary, that He wants me to be, yet, at the same time, nobody, including me enjoys being "broken".

The truth is, the day I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, when I was 5 years old, He also became the LORD of my life.  I will admit that I have not always lived my life over the last 50 years as if that were true, BUT the the fact remains whether I admit it, or live it out on a daily basis HE is still LORD!

Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

So basically, IF Christ is my LORD, my old self-centered, self-exalting desires, MUST come to an end.  That "old me" has been killed, crucified...and my life is NOT my own, but is now Christ living in me... Christ directing and empowering all that I do.  It is NONE of me and ALL Jesus!

BUT HOW, do I do this... the ONLY way, is to get up each day, and present my life anew to Christ. To say, "Here's my life, Lord.  Do whatever you wish to do with me today.  You are the driver, I'm just your passenger.  I trust you to take us and guide us through this day."

In Romans 12:1, Paul says that I am to present my body to God as a "living sacrifice".   So I am to be dead to myself, but alive to Christ.

After 50 years, you would think I had this all figured out, and that I would live my life with this reality in focus everyday, but I don't.  It is still a daily struggle.  There are mornings, that I wake up and think, "just for today, I'll just do my own thing."  Problem with that is, I miss all that He had planned for me that day!

Then to live "Cruciform" means to live my life in the shape of the cross.  To live so that everyone around me sees Jesus, and NOT me!  That my whole life is focused and centered on HIM and HIM alone.  To trust HIM completely, to take the broken pieces of my life and fit them together in a way that will bring honor and glory to his name.  Believing that only then will I have an abundant joyful life.