Majesty and Strength Against the Foe
Category: Christian Living
Vigilance for Life
Our hearts are considered the seat of our emotions, intellect and will. Proverbs tells us to “keep our heart with all vigilance”. Emotions are powerful and can lead us astray without proper use of the intellect and will. Our society pushes allowing our emotions to lead. God knew this would happen and gave us guidance in His Word. The book of Proverbs is filled with wisdom to help us lead our emotions appropriately.
Managing our emotions is challenging, but a worthwhile pursuit. Living the way God tells us is always worth the effort.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the wisdom You give. Please guide us to be vigilant with our hearts. We need Your help to direct our emotions, intellect and will towards Your ways.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
Take Refuge and Give Thanks
Anxiety and Humility
Our anxieties are often a part of our identity. We can feel humiliated by them. However, 1 Peter 5:6-7 tells us that we need to “humble ourselves” and “cast our anxieties on God”. According to Thomas Constable, Peter is encouraging the believers to submit to God’s hand in their suffering. God uses difficulties to perfect us.
In the United States, we don’t experience suffering the way New Testament believers did under Nero. Stories of what Nero did to Christians are terrible. While we don’t face extreme persecution, we still have troubles in life. This passage applies to us today just as much as in Peter’s day.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we can cast our anxieties on You. We need Your care in trials. Please help us to humble ourselves under Your power until “the proper time.” We need You now.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
Walking in Wisdom
I fear as believers we sometimes assume we are walking in wisdom when we are not. The apostle Paul reminded the Christians in Ephesus to walk as wise and to use time with that same wisdom. Clearly, we all need to hear it.
The best source of wisdom is God’s Word. We need to continue to read and study the Bible to make sure we are “making the best use of the time”. Please, friends, don’t assume you are walking in wisdom. Make sure by reading and studying the Bible, spending time in prayer and with believers who will encourage your spiritual growth.
Dear Heavenly Father, please guide me towards wisdom. Please help me to put the continued effort towards becoming like Your Son. Please direct my path to believers who can help me and whom I can help. I want more of You.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
Abundance of Steadfast Love
Light and Discernment
Ephesians 5 continues with more detail about how to become more like Jesus Christ. For several verses we read what not to do. Then at the end of verse 8 we see a shift. Instead of talking about how dark life is without Christlikeness, the Bible tells us to “Walk as children of light.” We also read where the light is found – “in all that is good and right and true, and to try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” The only way we can know that is to go to the source of truth – the Bible.
Light, truth and discernment all go together. We can’t have any of those without the others. I find this a worthwhile pursuit.Dear Heavenly Father, please help us to seek the truth and to be light to others. Give us the discernment that is pleasing to You. Thank You for providing truth through Your Word.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
He Hears and I Watch
Imitate Love
Ephesians tells us to “be imitators of God”. I don’t know any other way to imitate God than to study Who He is through His Word (the Bible). The sentence continues in verse 2 which tells us to “walk in love”. The word love in verse two is the same as the word beloved in verse one. Beloved children should be giving the same love we have received.
I think we get confused about what love really is. Jesus’ love caused Him to sit with “publicans and sinners”. His love also fiercely rebuked the Pharisees. God’s love must be truthful. The full extent of God’s love doesn’t fit in a full set of encyclopedias, let alone a short blog post. I recommend continued study of the Bible to learn more about God’s love.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and the examples we have in Your Word. Please help us to imitate You. Give us the desire to present ourselves as :a fragrant offering and sacrifice”.
I pray this in Jesus name.
God is so good.
Old vs. New
As I continue to look at the idea of personal identity, I have to look at Ephesians 4:22-24. As I have mentioned before, I think we have the tendency to cling to a me-centered identity. The Bible tells us to put off the old self which has deceitful desires. I think we can struggle being honest about what we want in life. Too many times we allow selfishness to rule our thinking.
Verse 23 tells us to be renewed and then verse 24 talks about putting on the new self which is God-like righteousness. That is a pretty tall order. However, God gives us what we need throughout Scripture to work towards this goal.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving Your Word to guide us through life. Please help us to put off the old deceitful self and put on the new according to Your righteousness and holiness.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24 (ESV)
Pleading in Prayer 