Journal Entry ~ 02/01/18

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
- Ephesians 6:10-11

It would be impossible to count the number of times I have called on the Lord for His strength. I want to be strong in the Lord, but this world can drag me down and make me weak at times. There is temptation to satisfy my own desires all around me, and there are daily challenges that frustrate me. It’s easy to just give in or give up.  There are days I lose my temper or patience, give in to the fear of an unknown future, take control or force my expectations into a situation, or throw my hands up and walk away. Daily, I need to draw upon the strength that the Lord offers me to keep me from these temptations. 

Paul knows on this side of forever, we are in battle - daily. It is a daily battle for who will rule our hearts, and every day we must live in the context that we are in battle. As long as sin lives in our hearts, we will continue to  esteem comfort over redemption, we will still want our way over others, we still tend to complain through the refining work of the Lord, and we will only glorify Christ when things are going our way. 

Some of us shy away from the term “spiritual battle” because it conjures up demons and angels or other supernatural things that the world tells us don’t exist because they are not tangible. The spiritual battle that is being referred to here is the fight between flesh and Spirit over who will control your heart. If you’ve ever wrestled with yourself about doing the “right” thing or the easy thing, you’ve engaged in a spiritual battle. That’s what Paul is referring to in this passage. 

The battle for our hearts is constant - daily, we need to put on the whole armor of God if we are going to find victory. That means if we want to live for Christ in every aspect of our lives, we need to utilize every piece of armor He has offered us in His Word. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Medical Update ~ 09/27/17

Image
Today was a challenging day.  I met with the oncologist to discuss chemo as part of my treatment plan.  The oncologist explained there were 3 additional invasions discovered during surgery, so there were actually 4 isolated invasions in the breast tissue.  To review - my diagnosis is Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.  All 4 of the invasions are HER2+ (aggressive) and hormone negative (recurrent).  My oncologist walked us through the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCM) guidelines for treatment of this type of aggressive, recurrent cancer - chemo and radiation. The good news is God had already moved the mountain in my heart opposing chemo, and rested me in a place of acceptance.  While my initial prayers focused on not having to have chemo as part of my treatment, after hearing I had multiple invasions, He moved me to a place of understanding that chemo is a necessary part of my treatment.  If there were 4 invasions in the sample they took, there co
Read more

My Journey Begins...

I am a believer in Christ, and I have breast cancer.     On August 17, 2017, I was diagnosed with an aggressive (HER2+), recurrent (hormone negative) type of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.  At this point, they have not yet staged my cancer because they are waiting for the biopsy results from a suspicious spot in the second breast. The biopsy is scheduled for September 5th, with a lumpectomy to follow on September 7th.  They will formally stage my cancer after they biopsy my lymph nodes, which will be taken during the surgery.  It doesn't make any sense to me that I have a cancer diagnosis - I am a fairly healthy woman who runs 2 miles almost every day and eats a gluten-free, primarily paleo diet, with no family history at all.  But it makes sense to God, and so here I am. Update ~ They found 4 isolated invasions during the lumpectomy.  Due to the nature of my cancer (HER2+ and ER-), the recommended protocol is chemotherapy and radiation.  Beginning in October, my chemotherapy regime
Read more

Grace in Marriage

When we launched our new blog we had no idea if anyone would see it or be helped by it, but we knew that the LORD was prompting us to step out in faith and just do it. The response has been amazing and we are looking forward to how God will use this space for His glory. We have learned over many years of service in a variety of ministries, that God does not require human assistance to realize His plans for individuals, churches, nations, or the human race. But the story of the bible is the story of God’s will playing out through the words and actions of the His children. So…we pray, meditate on his Word, and write from the heart about the truths that mold our faith, guide our actions, and inspire our hearts and minds. Please visit the site and subscribe to continue receiving posts.  https://graceinmarriage.com/ It is our sincere hope that you are blessed by our work here and welcome your input on how we can make Grace in Marriage even better. Thank you for your support.
Read more