Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, God will not deliver him. But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the one who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I awake again, because tbe Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance . May your blessing be on your people. Psalm 3 My friends, I don't know how you are feeling, but I am drained. I can hardly remember a time in my life that I have felt this tired. The battles we each face daily can cause us to tire and wear down. As Christians, we are to keep our eye on the mark and press on towards the prize (Philippians 3:13-15).
This is, at times, difficult to do; especially when one doesn't feel like getting out of bed. Life goes on, even if we pull the covers over our head. While it is difficult, we must go out and face the day. The routine gets boring, we feel a sense of hopelessness, boredom, and frustration. Few of us are where we want to be in life, many are still searching for their purpose, and some struggle to do what it is the Lord has called them to do. At times like these, we need to put on our "big boy (or girl) sandals," trust that God will get us to where we need to be, and appreciate what He has gone in our lives. As bad as it seems to be, look to the cross, see the suffering, dying Jesus, and know that He willingly gave His life for us. The least we can do is press on, be thankful, be a light in a dark world and represent Him to the best of our abilities . Have I fully energized myself for the day? No. But I have put my situation in perspective, and need to ficus on Jesus, the people around me, and not myself. "As each one has received a gift, minister it to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." 1 Peter 4:10 Have as great a Monday as humanly possible. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’-Matthew 10:34-36 As Christians we often look at this passage, Ephesians 6:10-18, and think of it as a lesson on defending the Word of God. As I look around at the condition of the world, I wonder if we should consider this passage as more a call to arms and engage the enemy. As Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Let’s look at this passage in that light. 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the Devil’s schemes. As we prepare for battle, we are given a pep talk and the tools to do battle. Being strong in the Lord and his power, should give us heart to engage in the fight. The war has been won, and we are engaged in daily battles in which we try to win souls and keep ourselves on the right path. Taking a stand means more than passively guarding the gate. We need to step forward and prevent the enemy from gaining ground. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. If only we could see the enemy, he would be so much easier to fight. Unfortunately, he hides in plain sight. He attacks us, and we don’t realize it until we have lost the battle, a skirmish that came at us from nowhere. The enemy knows are weak points, our desires, and our needs. He sets them before us, temptingly; we struggle, and sometimes succumb to the temptation. We are weak without the Armor of God to protect us. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Once you have put the armor on stand your ground against the enemy. As you become stronger in the faith, and hone your skills, step out and meet the enemy before the attack. Witness to others, be an example in your workplace or community. Study the Bible, pray for strength, and always be on guard. Use the tools that the Lord gives you to fight the good fight. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. In closing, verse 18, gives us our command to pray. Pray, for yourself, and others. Pray for strength and protection of all engaged in the battle for the lost souls, as well as, those that have been saved. As we step into the world to battle the powers and principalities of darkness we must pray for our fellow soldiers for the Lord, and for the Lord’s blessing in our endeavors. 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. Sometimes it seems my prayers are more a desperate rant, than a deep meaningful conversation with God; but that's ok, He gets it.
Hear my prayer, O Lord, And give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; for I am a stranger with You, A sojourner, as all my fathers were. Psalms 39:12 So the storm of the season was on its way. The weather people caused a panic, stores were overrun, states of emergency declared, driving restrictions imposed, and for what? Rain. NFL coaches have been fired for less. The "big weather, big grocery," conspiracy continues.
Perhaps tomorrow, there will be snow... What a day. I am so busy at my dead end time, consuming job, that I didn't have time, and had forgotten to get my car inspected. Fortunately, the nice state trooper stopped, and reminded me.
God does the same thing. We rush around, busy, doing life, but not living; rushing from place to place to place, or crisis to crisis, until He pulls us over and gives us some direction. This is possibly the worst time in my life to stop, and change direction. Yet, the Lord keeps pulling me over, giving me direction and focus, even though as soon as I pull back on the road of life I find myself hitting the same potholes, and missing the same exit signs, and doubling back. I admit, I am where I am due to no one but me. The Lord wants me doing His work, now; not when I think the time is right. The time has come to move over to the passenger seat, and let Jesus drive. I've tried getting to where He wants me to be , my way, and haven't gotten there yet. Time to step out of my comfort zone, stop driving around in circles, and focus on the mission before me. Please pray for opportunity, financial support, and God's Blessings, as I head in a new direction. Joshua 1:9 We now live in a country where the political elite and wealthy believe it is easier to control the citizens than the border.
If you look at the shape of our current elected establishment; it is quite obvious that there is no party representing the middle-class. Middle-class America is on life support and the oligarchy in Washington is fighting to see who can pull the plug first.
|
john Gregory ParksI only worry about the things I can control; as I control nothing, I have no worries. Archives
January 2023
Categories |