Have you ever heard the phrase, "There is a war raging for our lives". I know I have. I have said it to people too. In Ephesians 6:12 it says, "For our battle 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." The enemy (Satan) wants our souls, our love, and our undivided attention. (He is a control freak!) But God has us Christians. So consequently, Satan is fighting God (a fight that God has already won) over us. The enemy will do whatever it takes for just one person to fall away from God, in hopes that that person will lead others astray.
God does not want us to fall into the temptations that are always coming to us, and he loves us and hates to see us in pain (that does not mean that he will not allow pain to come, But that's a whole different topic), so he gave us armor. Not the physical type of armor. But the Armor of God. In Ephesians 6:10-17, it has the reasons why God gave you the armor. This armor is free and it should be part of your daily apparel. God gave you the choice of wearing it when you gave him yourself. So, although it is your choice to wear it or not, and since it is invisible, to be safe in your everyday spiritual battle, you should put on the full armor of God.
How do you fight and win? Pray. If you speak in tongues, use it often. Your prayer language is a smart bomb. it goes into the spiritual realm and it does what God wills it to do. Don't leave others to this dark world. Be a light. Take every opportunity and use it for God's glory. Ask Jesus what he wants you to do, and if he does not tell you to do something, don't do it, because everything that he does has a purpose. I do believe in evangelizing, but only if God tells you to evangelize to certain people. (that is just my belief. If that is not what you think, that is okay.) He will prepare you for whatever tasks he asks you to do. Although the battle may get harder, when you are at your weakest point, your weakness shows God's strength.
Ephesians 6:10-11 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." Then it says later after verse 12; " 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. God has given you what you need for battle. And without him, we would lose the battle, but God is faithful. "Our battle is NOT against flesh and blood, there is a battle raging for our souls, our lives, and our love."
The question is, are you going to fight it?
Love,
Katherine
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
A Purpose and a Plan
We all have a purpose. But do we all have a plan? I know that I don't have a plan for my God-given purpose. To be honest, I have dreams, but God has not revealed to me His purpose for me. There seem to be doors opening, opportunities popping up, but I need Jesus to help me.
He says that he has a purpose and a plan for us all, and when the time is right time he will use us. For us people who do not have a distinct purpose for our lives at present, we (regardless of our situations) need to be seeking God in all things so that when He uses us when he chooses, we will be ready for what he has planed. I have plans that I wish were set in stone, but they are not because I don't think that they are God's plans. I am leaving the planing up to him. While I wait on his excellent timing though, I am going to try to seek him out in everything.
He knows who I will become, what I will do, and when I will do it. It is all a mystery to me, but I am excited for what he is going to do. His will, although it may not be mine, is always the best. (I never really like when things don't go the way I want them to, but I know if I was totally in control, I would mess everything up. So I am giving up control to the One who knows my thoughts before I even think them. :) He always has a plan and a purpose.
Love,
Katherine
He says that he has a purpose and a plan for us all, and when the time is right time he will use us. For us people who do not have a distinct purpose for our lives at present, we (regardless of our situations) need to be seeking God in all things so that when He uses us when he chooses, we will be ready for what he has planed. I have plans that I wish were set in stone, but they are not because I don't think that they are God's plans. I am leaving the planing up to him. While I wait on his excellent timing though, I am going to try to seek him out in everything.
He knows who I will become, what I will do, and when I will do it. It is all a mystery to me, but I am excited for what he is going to do. His will, although it may not be mine, is always the best. (I never really like when things don't go the way I want them to, but I know if I was totally in control, I would mess everything up. So I am giving up control to the One who knows my thoughts before I even think them. :) He always has a plan and a purpose.
Love,
Katherine
Friday, February 18, 2011
Identity
Are you who God created you to be?
This is a probing question that hit me while watching The Lion King with my little brothers. In the movie, after Nala finds Simba, after the "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" song, the strange monkey dude finds Simba. He tells the now huge lion that witnessed his father, Mufasa's, death when he was little, that his father is still alive. Simba was like, "No way dude, I saw him die. That's why I ran away." But the (still strange) monkey insists that Simba looks deep in this pond thing. Mufasa appears and gives his son a pep talk, basically saying, "You are not who you can be. You need to search deep in yourself to find who you are." For us Christians it would translate to God saying to us, "I have destined you to be more than you have become. Find yourself, your true identity in Me." I don't know about you, but I don't want to be lost in a false identity. I want to be found in God.
Love,
Katherine
This is a probing question that hit me while watching The Lion King with my little brothers. In the movie, after Nala finds Simba, after the "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" song, the strange monkey dude finds Simba. He tells the now huge lion that witnessed his father, Mufasa's, death when he was little, that his father is still alive. Simba was like, "No way dude, I saw him die. That's why I ran away." But the (still strange) monkey insists that Simba looks deep in this pond thing. Mufasa appears and gives his son a pep talk, basically saying, "You are not who you can be. You need to search deep in yourself to find who you are." For us Christians it would translate to God saying to us, "I have destined you to be more than you have become. Find yourself, your true identity in Me." I don't know about you, but I don't want to be lost in a false identity. I want to be found in God.
Love,
Katherine
True Love
You may have heard "I love____!" a thousand times, but wondered if it was love... true love. I have heard someone very wise say, "It is not love unless it hurts." That does not mean that it has to hurt all the time. But it means that it will hurt if it is true love.
Biblical love, is unconditional. That means that even if their actions or words offend you, that you still love them. I find myself loving people because they are "working for me". That is a fraud love. But true love can only be found in Jesus. He was, is, and always will be Love. "He came down when we were still sinners" the Bible says, and he died for all, once for all. That is true love, that He died the most brutal death so that we may come to him. Even when we screw up, because he does not give up on us, he will ALWAYS love us for who we are, not for what we have or haven't done.
Why would a loving God allow things to happen to his beloved children? Or why does God discipline us to the point where it sometimes hurts? Our definition of love is inside a box. God's love is incomprehensible. He loves us so much that he allows things to happen to us. Do you remember when you got disciplined by your parents? I know that my parents said that they loved me to much to let me disobey. They told me that it hurt them to see me act the way I did. That is a small glimpse of the Father's love for us. God also allows "bad things to happen to good people" because we have sinned. Not only that but this is a fallen world. We can't control what God allows and we shouldn't blame God.
1Corinthinans 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Love,
Katherine
Biblical love, is unconditional. That means that even if their actions or words offend you, that you still love them. I find myself loving people because they are "working for me". That is a fraud love. But true love can only be found in Jesus. He was, is, and always will be Love. "He came down when we were still sinners" the Bible says, and he died for all, once for all. That is true love, that He died the most brutal death so that we may come to him. Even when we screw up, because he does not give up on us, he will ALWAYS love us for who we are, not for what we have or haven't done.
Why would a loving God allow things to happen to his beloved children? Or why does God discipline us to the point where it sometimes hurts? Our definition of love is inside a box. God's love is incomprehensible. He loves us so much that he allows things to happen to us. Do you remember when you got disciplined by your parents? I know that my parents said that they loved me to much to let me disobey. They told me that it hurt them to see me act the way I did. That is a small glimpse of the Father's love for us. God also allows "bad things to happen to good people" because we have sinned. Not only that but this is a fallen world. We can't control what God allows and we shouldn't blame God.
1Corinthinans 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Love,
Katherine
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Hello
Welcome to my blog where you all are almost the first people to know my thoughts on things. You should feel very privileged :) Of course, Jesus knows my thoughts first so that's why I said "almost"... but still you are very special.
Love,
Katherine
Love,
Katherine
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