Jesus time anyone?

If I asked you, what is the purpose of your life in this point of time, what would you say? I know, deep question, yet an important one. If I would answer this question myself, I would have to say that one of my main roles, or purposes, is to be a mom. Being a mom comes with a long list of "hats" in and of itself, but one that I'm learning to claim is to be leading them to the heart of God. Leading so as to allow room for them to claim their faith as their own. As with anything, it's been a process in our home, but I just wanted to share a few ideas that the Lord has brought my way.

Again, not claiming to be an expert, but a humble servant, "Jesus time" started with an intention to create a time and setting in which we can place God first in our day. And I say "we" because it's also important to me that my children "see" me spending time alone with Jesus as well as having time together. "Jesus time" has taken on various forms over the past few years. It began with story-telling through the use of books, dramas with the use of homemade props (stuffed animals entering an ark), time with manipulatives such as playdough and puzzles, and even the use of curriculum materials such that the AWANA program creates. If you're wondering where to start, my suggestion is to take a family field trip. Visit your local Christian bookstore and just peruse, there are tons of great material for all ages available. I've found that the more they participate in the process, the more ownership they begin to take in their learning, and more motivation and fun is created.

This school year, the Lord is leading us to spend a week on a particular story. Soon we'll be switching to a week spent on character traits. We're starting to create our own materials in a three ring binder, that suits each child's age span. For example, we looked at the armor of God this past week. By doing a little searching on the net, lots of great reproducible materials can be found. Each morning we discussed another part of the armor. Austin read the verses from Ephesians, Emma read another verse that was indicated on the material we printed, and Brynn pointed to the pictures on the pages that we colored. They each completed an activity related to the armor, and I asked a few questions along the way. If your child is able to read, have them open the scriptures and read aloud, nothing is more sweeter to your ears, I'm telling ya! If your child is not of reading ability yet, there are tons of ways they can participate as well. As you know the learning style of each child (visual, auditory, tactile, hands-on), feel free to get creative to reach each one in their unique way.

At the end of the week, we used some homemade props to dress up in our armor. Really it doesn't need to take up much time, we average around 15 minutes, sometime we only have 5, but we do make it a priority, even if we just have time to pray. I'm telling you, this has been transforming for our day. What I thought might be a drugery after a time, has proved me wrong. I don't get any flack when I announce it's Jesus time. If you allow room for the Holy Spirit to work and move, he will.


Ephesians 3:
²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

I pray that this is an encouragement to you today. As with anything, it starts with today. And if tomorrow, you don't, the next day you can. I'm learning that living in the "now" instead of focusing to much on the "next", brings numerous possibilities and even unexpected joy. Have a great day in Him!

Armor of God - Part 6

The armor of God. Do you know, I've now typed this phrase several times, and one little, two-letter word just struck a chord - of. Not from (though it is given), not in (as if we need to do the work), not even through (again, implying only through our works can we "wear" this privilege), but of God. Our bodies, our hearts, our minds, our souls, our armor - invented, planned, prepared, crafted, enjoyed, in the image of God. WE are the armor of God. Gotta chew on this for awhile.

Well, let's take a look at this final piece of armor, and then we'll review (one of those teacher words that I can't get away from!) Once again, let's crack open good ol' Ephesians 6. Let's meander down to verse 17, shall we?

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The sword - ah-ha! What visual pictures does this word conjure up in your mind - those with boys know the meaning of this word well, knowing a sword can be any type of inanimate object that gets jabbed into the air, maybe visions of Pirates of the Caribbean dance in your head? Perhaps a picture of the Olympics and fencing enter in, Princess Bride anyone, or maybe Zorro? I'm always amazed at the confidence and agility of swordsmen (or ladies). Knowing that at any moment, the same action that could impale your opponents may come right back and impale you. How so with the word of God? Could it be perhaps that the same truth we are empowered with can be used against us when twisted and manipulated from the evil one? Reckless words pierce like a sword (Proverbs 12:18)

The word of God is described as alive, Hebrews 4 :12 states that the word of God is living and active. Sharper than a double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. As I see it, the word cuts and divides, just like a sword. It divides truth from lies, perfection from humanity, fact from opinion. In this changing world, it's something we can bank on. It's the infallible, inerrant word of God (to quote my pastor :)

What I also find interesting is that each piece of this armor alone cannot work without the other parts. The helmet does not work without the hands placing it on the head, the belt of truth does nothing if there is no waist to wrap it around, the body will fall without a shield to protect it from flaming arrows of deceit, and the sword will not distinguish truth without the hands being able to pick it up and the mind to use it correctly.

In her book, Believing God, Beth Moore states, "the way I see it, God gave us two hands. If we want to live abundantly and victoriously, we must pick up both the Shield and the Sword. To pick up the sword without the shield is to shrivel and dry up in the land of legalism. To pick up the Shield without the Sword is to try walking by faith on quicksand." Is it fair to suggest then that God wants us to use them in tandem? I can you you that until 3 years ago, I lived by faith, but not by the word. I really did stand on quicksand, in fact, sinking all the way to my neck at times.

So if we know this, why do we not pick them up, stand in them, walk in them, in fact, realize they are of God? May I humbly suggest our stinkin flesh. We want what we want, often times that means what is easy, comfortable, convenient, and feel-good. We don't wanna crack open that dusty book. When we do, it's for a quick-fix. We place expectations on "it", daring "it" to show us all that others proclaim it to be. It's simply another cardboard cover with pages, words, sentences, paragraphs, and those weird numbers all over the place, how in the world can it be "alive"? Yep, I've had those same thoughts, they appear very true. But let me ask you this, where did we get this information, what's our source? Can we answer this? Do we want to answer this?

I can tell you this, I don't know much, but this I can say. There is no possible explanation for the changes that have come in my life from anything that I alone have done. I've tried it my way, I've willed it, I persisted in it, I've searched for it, I've been left exhausted by it. This word of God has created such a craving in my life that I wake up thinking about it, I talk with Him often about it, I emplore others in conversations about it, and I even tackle projects that I never thought possible about it (ahem...blogging). All this in pursuit of more of Him. He is just insatiable to me, I can't get enough. It's the strangest, hardest, most not-understandable, most thrilling adventure in my life thus far, who woulda thought.

Alright, let's wrap up. In my feeble attempt to help create a visual to aid in memory, let's review from head to toe:

• Helmet of salvation
• Breastplate of righteousness
• Belt of truth
• Hands holding the - shield of faith, and sword of theSpirit
• Feet made with readiness

Pretty awesome picture isn't it. As I picture this person, I also see an expression of quiet confidence, calm and relaxed facial features, and a slight smile from knowing what has come with their equipment. Hold onto this picture with all your might, we need it to not only survive, but to thrive. To live life, not without stuggles, but with joy. And even more importantly, to pass on the good news that this is available for all people, yes all.

In conclusion, just wanna give you a peak at the following verse (18). It says, "And pray in the Spirit on all occassions will all kinds of prayers and requests." I'm gettin an inclination that perhaps we could delve into this concept next, one of my favorites... prayer. God bless!

Armor of God - part 5

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming... but aren't side-trips just so much fun! The Lord has truly stretched me in so many areas of life, but one of the most prominent has been learning to be flexible. You'd think motherhood would cure me of my agenda seeking, planned, and structured mind-set, but sadly enough, Mommy just gets more determined to stay on course. Luckily, I've learned, veering off-course, not only gives me wonderful new scenery, but helps me see His way, which is usually 100 times better than my pitiful plan. How much have I missed out on for so long? I now know (and have to remind myself) that I would have missed out on the blessing of this better plan had I held onto the reigns and stubbornly plowed ahead with my plan irregardless. Ironically enough, it's less stressful, less-worrisome, and just plain more fun to let someone else be in control.

If I had my way, I would have plugged along with this six part series, start-to-finish, and held off on other posts until "later". The problem with this is (just as with scrapbooking), I miss out on the thoughts and feelings of the moment as more time passes and my mind gets filled with other things. (Is this why we take so many pictures, trying to capture moments of time?) Yes, life does seem to interrupt my thoughts, yet when I look at it, that's the most beautiful part of it all. It's not a bad thing to have a desire to see something through to completion start-to-finish, but if that's the only things I focus on, I tend to be left with frustration and exhaustion, energy spent just spinning my wheels. Let's spend some productive energy today.

Today, we're going to take a look at the helmet of salvation. Ephesians 6:17 states

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.

Let's focus on the first today, and we'll round out the second one tomorrow (unless otherwise interrupted :) What struck me just as I was typing this was that very first word - take. In a similar fashion to verse 16, God calls us to take up the shield of faith. He is more than willing to give, but we need to take, or receive. The notes in my study bible state, "The helmet protected the soldier and, under certain circumstances, helmets provide a striking symbol of military victory."

So, we can protect our heads (minds) in victory with our salvation. What is salvation? Using biblegateway.com, I found this definition, "This word is used of the deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptians (Ex. 14:13), and of deliverance generally from evil or danger. In the New Testament it is specially used with reference to the great deliverance from the guilt and the pollution of sin wrought out by Jesus Christ, "the great salvation" (Heb. 2:3)

I also found some other verses that give us a greater picture of this concept of salvation:

Exodus 15:2
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.

2 Samuel 22:3
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent men you save me.

Psalm 18:2
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 27:1
[ Of David. ] The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 28:8
The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

Psalm 51:12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

I love that we can walk in victory, in the joy of our salvation. We can be victorious (and that's not what the devil wants us to know!). We can be confidently confident in this. Wherever life finds us today, we can know, the battle has already been won. Let's pick up our helmets, protect our minds, and let not the joy be stolen away from this day, the Lord has given us.

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Armor of God - Part 4

Welcome back, thanks for taking the time to join me in delving into His word today! I thank you Lord for being patient with me as I've whined about this "assignment". I'm learning so much from this book of yours, one I've neglected, fumbled, yawned, and again whined over many times. If slow and steady wins the race, I guess I'm heading in the right direction. Through one discovery at a time, I'm falling head over heals in love with the brilliant Author.

Okay, to review Ephesians 6, we've looked at our armor being the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and our feet fitted with readiness. Let's look at verse 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.

A note in my study bible states that this passage describes the large Roman shield covered with leather, which could be soaked in water and used to put out flame-tipped arrows. Has anyone thrown a flamed-tipped arrow at you lately? Maybe not in the literal sense, but how about a flaming shot of hurtful words, scorching silence, or even written words that have still left a trail of fiery debris on your heart? Maybe these arrows aren't from a person, maybe they are a thought. A thought that leads to more thoughts, and more and more, leaving a devastating wake of ashes in it's path (you don't notice it though because it's behind you). Who do you think is the source of these thoughts? Perhaps yourself, or perhaps, the liar himself is speaking, even convincing you that indeed you are rightly justified in your conclusions and have every bit of ground to stand on in your own independent and self-sufficient way. But let me ask you... where does this leave you? How does this feel?

I hear a song on my ipod this morning by Chris Tomlin. The main chorus says, "If God is on our side, who can be against us..." In my search for the reference, I came across 260 verses that contain the words - who can be against us, wow, really. Here are just a few:

Deuteronomy 20:1 - When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.

Deuteronomy 20:4 - For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."

Deuteronomy 28:7 - The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

1 Samuel 2:25 - If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?

1 Samuel 17:45 - David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

How amazing to be able to bank on the fact that God has our back. I'll take those odds any day! Just remind me in my stubbornness or my self-pity state that he does, in fact, give me that shield. It does me no good if I don't actually pick it up. Thanks for the reminder Lord. Just two more items to look at, next in the helmet of salvation. Until then, don't forget to pick up your shield today!

Armor of God - Part 3

So... let's continue with our look at the armor of God found in Ephesians 6. To review, we've been given the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. Today let's look at verse 15:

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

How do we fit our feet? We have different shoes for different occasions. Sandals for those warm summer days, boots for those cold winter days, shoes we wear for formal occasions, and good ol' tennies for footsie support during exercise activities. Here, the message of the gospel is picturesquely connected with the protective and supportive footgear of the Roman soldier.

I love the part about the gospel of peace. To walk with peace, to walk in peace, and to walk for peace is such an amazing concept. Peace can be so hard to come by at times. We desperately search for it, we strive to attain it, and we muster up our own strength willing to have it. But as I'm beginning to learn, peace is something that is given. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27) Funny how I find myself so troubled at times. Is it those times that I've taken my focus off of Him and placed it on me - my circumstances, my feelings, my issues? I also find it interesting that we are armed for battle with what? Peace. As if peace is the first "step" we take with our feet, our main goal, our main intent, the heart of the matter in battle - peace.

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10

In light of "feet" and all, my mind can't help but run to running. I do find myself at peace when I run. What is something the Lord has given you a "love" of that brings you peace? For me, my body may be screaming at me, but my heart is in complete peace because when I run, I'm very aware of his presence. I do want to give a quick shout out to my Jesus, who last Monday, helped me celebrate two years of running with Him. Lord willing, I'd love to continue this journey for as long as He deems perfect. Though lately, my feet are dragging behind me, my heart is willing to continue and endure (craziness!) Lord help me when I just want to quit.

Well, that's all for tonight. The kids and I hit some rides at the zoo tonight, one two many spins on the tea cups for me! All worth it just to see those smiling faces. Tune in later for the next look at our armor - the shield of faith! Until then, enjoy this last day of July! Nothing like today to make some family memories!

The Armor of God - Breastplate of Righteousness

Ever get tripped up by a word? Ever have such a hard time comprehending the meaning of it that you just simply skip by it, pronounce it, move ahead. This happens to me when I stumble upon, or heard the word righteousness. I've heard it, read it many times, but ask me to explain the concept....ummmm. So let's dive into the source, shall we? Let's continue our quest in looking at this concept of the armor of God as found in Ephesians 6. Check out verse 17:

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place

To begin, I wanted to take a look at the definition of righteousness. On our trip this past weekend, we had a chance to stop in the local Lifeway store. After only a few steps, I was drawn to a round stand, captivated, for on this stand was commentary after commentary, thick dictonary after thick dictionary, and I was drooling. Now, if THAT isn't a work of God, I don't know what is! Can I actually be nearing a place where my heart goes pitter-patter in anticipation of word meanings, contexts, and commentaries? Sweet! Well, my physical hands loved to get a "hold" of those books, but my practical mind told me to use the resources at my disposal, SO. I'm checking out some websites - tons of good ones. My favorite so far is biblegateway.com. Here's what it says about righteousness/justification:

Justification, a forensic term, opposed to condemnation. As regards its nature, it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, i.e., as conformed to all its demands. In addition to the pardon (q.v.) of sin, justification declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied in respect of the justified. It is the act of a judge and not of a sovereign. The law is not relaxed or set aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in the strictest sense; and so the person justified is declared to be entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law (Rom. 5:1-10).

This is such an amazing and wonderful truth! The word is a judicial word and has to do with our standing before God the Father. IT is more than forgiven, more than acquitted. It means the Father sees us as if we had NEVER SINNED. We are declared righteous; free from guilt and punishment. How is that possible? It is made possible by Jesus Christ! (Romans 3:23-24, 28).
It is so important to let this truth sink deep into our hearts. Justification is not accomplished through my good works nor diminished by my sin. It is completely in the hands of God himself! (Romans 5:1,18; 8:1, II Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:16; Titus 3:5-7). I should walk in obedience because I am justified, not to try to become justified by my obedience.

So here again, the warriors' character is their defense. In Isaiah 59:17, God himself is symbolically described as putting on a breastplate of righteousness to bring about justice.

He put on righteousness as his breastplate.

Here the Lord's armor is compared to the believer's armor in the battle against Satan. Let's look at some more verses:

Psalm 5:8 - Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies - make straight your way before me.

Psalm 7:8 - let the LORD judge the peoples. Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.

Psalm 7:17 - I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Psalm 23:3 - He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Psalm 31:1 - In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.

Psalm 40:10 - I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation

Whew, David was on a roll! So many amazing verses that deepen our understanding (challenge yourself!) What I can humbly summarize is that God wants us to walk with Him. He alone is our weapon and he equips us with mighty tools. He not only wants this walk for our welfare but for the benefit of others as well. Pretty neat stuff. Tune in tomorrow as we look at our feet fitted with readiness (pretty cool considering our "walk"). Until then, battle on!

The Armor of God

The Lord and I took a jog together the other morning. It never ceases to amaze me that we have some interesting conversations nearing the end of our time together. It reminds me that if I would have "cut out" earlier, I would have missed this talk (great motivator anyway). We got to chatting about what how to go into battles armed. Battles for me, the strong ones anyways, take place in my mind, many never even openly spoken about (my introspective side). Now, the one downside about this is that self-talk is limited, only one-sided. And, in this, you can become your own worst enemy. What I felt drawn to in looking more at these battles, is how I can stand equipped. I don't think the Lord leaves you unarmed for battle, so what is it that comes along with this Jesus territory stuff?

Armor. Yep, good ol' knights of the round table stuff. Well, let's take a look at the passage that gives the context for this so-called armor. It's found in the book of Ephesians, chapter 6. Starting in verse 11, it starts with the why:

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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.

Wow, pretty deep stuff. 1 Peter 5:8 describes the devil as one who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. His goal is to destroy. Many times, I believe, this is done through our minds thoughts, which then follows through into actions. So what are we to do? Ephesians 6 goes on to say in verse 14:

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.

To get a little better understanding of the "belt of truth", I decided to flip to the back of my bible ( the Concordance) and look up verses pertaining to truth and here's a little of what I found:

Psalm 33:4 - For the word of the Lord is right and true.
John 14:6 - Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
Revelation 22:6 - ...these words are trustworthy and true

So...the word (Bible) is true, Jesus (the way) is truth, and I can trust this truth. I think I can handle this. Something to stand upon in this world that is pretty unstable and fickle.

So what's the deal with this breastplate of righteousness? Let's save that for the next post... much more armor to explore AND I just found a neat parallel to the same armor the Lord dons found in Isaiah 59. Until then, fight with character!