5 Ways to Engage in Spiritual Warfare

By: Sarah Geringer

Be on guard. Stand firm in the Lord. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NLT

Since my recent post, 5 Ways to Stand Firm During Spiritual Attacks, had such a great response, I thought I would follow up with more tips on how to engage in spiritual warfare. I found five gems of truth in my recent One Year Bible reading, and I’m sharing them with you today.

Be on guard.

The enemy prowls around like a lion, waiting to devour us at the first sign of weakness (1 Peter 5:8). He also disguises himself as an angel of light, pretending to be good when he is wicked (2 Corinthians 11:14).

We must constantly guard ourselves with the truth of God’s Word. It will help us determine what is false and misleading. Memorizing and meditating on God’s Word every day will help us defeat our enemy on our mind’s battlefield, where so many of our struggles begin.

Stand firm in the Lord.

We cannot rely on our own strength when facing spiritual battles. We are only made of flesh, and the enemy is privy to our weaknesses. Just as he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, so he will tempt us by twisting the truth and telling us lies.

When we stand firm in the Lord, we our building our spiritual strength on rock instead of sand (Matthew 7:24-27). The fierce firestorms of spiritual warfare will not destroy us, because our foundation of faith will stand firm.

Be courageous.

As the mighty warrior Joshua prepared to lead God’s people into the Promised Land, God said over and over, “Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6). Why? Because God knew Joshua’s heart and the hearts of all the people. God knew the Israelites would be tempted to worship other gods again once they settled. They were tempted to cling to what they knew—wandering in the desert—more than embrace what they were made for.

Big transitions can be times of big temptation. This is no different for us now. The enemy wanted to thwart God’s master plan for his people, just like he wants to thwart God’s master plan for you. When opportunities for growth, change and forward movement happen, expect the enemy to attack. But as you take courage, trusting God to strengthen you, you can face those battles with firm faith.

Be strong.

God will provide all the strength you need to face your battles. He equips you with truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:14-18). When you meditate on scriptures about these virtues, you will feel stronger and more prepared to face your battles.

Another comforting thought: God will always provide an escape route for your temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13). As you rely closely on the Holy Spirit, your spirit will be attuned to the way out, so you can stand strong. 

Do everything with love.

Does this surprise you? You probably expect terms like “be on guard,” “be strong,” “be courageous,” and “stand firm” when you think about facing battles. But this virtue sets us apart from the world as we handle spiritual warfare.

The world lashes out, takes revenge, and holds grudges. But if we really want to fight back the way Jesus did, we will stay calm, think before we speak, confront wisely, turn the other cheek, pray for our enemies and do good to them, and even forgive them when they are actively hurting us. I simply thought over Gospel lessons when compiling that list.

Jesus always showed love, no matter how people treated him. No matter how much pain and rejection he faced, he always gave the most loving response, perfectly speaking the truth in love. His words and actions heaped burning coals on his enemies’ heads (Proverbs 25:22), and he wants our words and actions to do the same.

How do these scriptures inspire you to engage differently in spiritual warfare?

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Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings and God's peace to you,

Sarah Geringer
Finding Peace in God's Word

Photo from Canva.com

Reflection questions:

1. What is your top area where you feel spiritually attacked?

2. Which portion of today's scripture can you apply to your top area of concern?

By:

Emily Miller

It is time for the Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesday Link Up. We desire to connect women of God with one another and encourage each other in Christ. So grab a cup of coffee or glass of sweet tea, sit back and visit a few blogs. Be encouraged and share your own stories in their comments.

Use hashtag #w2wwordfilledwednesday

Three rules to this link up:
1. Must be a {Christian} faith post.
2. Link back to W2W somewhere in your post. (Feel free to use our button if you want!)
3. Visit and comment on at least one other blog in the link up.

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Be the Light!

By: Melissa Baker

It is really important to reflect and walk in who we are. Our faith in God is strengthened when we remember how perfect His love is for us. Once we know who we are, we must choose to do something with it. God has equipped us to be a light and to share His love with others. God strengthens our faith when we seek Him, so that others can experience His love through us. 

I know, it's extremely difficult to be the light of Jesus in EVERY situation, but we must strive to do so. Even if we are having a bad day, or just don't feel like being nice, people are looking to christians to show them Jesus. If we fail to show them Jesus, they won't even want to know Him. We have to show the love of Jesus to others, even when we don't feel like it, and ESPECIALLY when we think someone doesn't deserve it!

We have to allow God’s Word to reveal our identity in Christ. In Ephesians 2:10, it explains to us who we are created to be and what we were created for. God identifies us as "His masterpiece, created for good works." The Bible says to be generous with our lives and actions, so we need to be learning and growing in how and why we serve. 

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10

You can spread the light by telling a friend or someone you know about what God is doing in your life. Be extra kind to someone who is not so nice. Try to do something a little extra for someone who normally does things for you. Love the unlovable. In this world of darkness, be the light of Christ!

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Matthew 5:14-16

Have a great day and be the light!

YouthofIgnit

21 Lessons in 21 Years

By: Jenifer Metzger

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. 21 years. Wow! In some ways it feels like it has been forever, like he has literally been in my life forever. In other ways I cannot believe it has already been 21 years. I jokingly told him that our marriage was an adult now (21 years = adulthood).

Has it been an easy 21 years? Absolutely not. Marriage is like a roller coaster, there are many ups and many downs. But there are a few things I have learned in 21 years of being a wife.

1. Make a commitment now that divorce is never an option. (This is not the case if abuse is happening. If you are in an abusive relationship, seek help from a pastor or trusted friend immediately.)
2. Be a good listener.
3. Be a forgiver.
4. Be a helper.
5. Pray for your spouse and marriage.
6. Pray together.
7. Be kind.
8. Never, ever bad mouth your husband to anyone, including your parents.
9. Talk good about him to others. You can make his name great.
10. Be interested in your husband's interests.
11. Care about what he cares about.
12. Be his biggest cheerleader.
13. Even if you are uncomfortable with your body, he loves it so let him look at it. God made men visual and your body is the only one he can Biblically look at.
14. Never deprive him of sex. (1 Corinthians 7:5)
15. Date each other.
16. Never stop getting to know each other.
17. Spend a little time each day talking to each other.
18. Hug him.
19. Kiss him.
20. Tell him you love him and why.
21. Respect him. Even if you do not agree with him, respect him.

What are some lessons you have learned in your marriage? Share in the comments.

To my husband: Jeremy, I am thankful for you and our life together. I love you always and forever.

 

Let the beauty of the Lord be upon us...

by Elizabeth Stewart

I remember the day when I looked at myself in the mirror and was shocked with the realization that this was as good as it was going to get. In other words, I was past the point where my appearance was going to improve with age. Yes, that reality shocked me a bit, but it didn't make me sad. It made me determined to be the best me I could be for my age, rather than to waste away my days wishing for what used to be. Working with what God has given me, I try to steward my body well by doing things such as exercising, eating healthy, (most of the time), drinking water and moisturizing my skin. Even with all of that, time will continue to march on and this body will continue to age.

The Apostle Paul talked about the aging of our physical bodies in 2 Corinthians 4:16, "Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being[progressively] renewed day after day." Paul admonishes us to not let the aging process make us discouraged or fearful. Instead, he urges us to focus our energies on the part of us that can improve with age as we cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit Who renews us in our inner being. No matter what happens to our outward bodies as we age, we can be so full of God's Spirit in our innermost being and personality that others see God's beauty, delightfulness and favor in us and upon us. The truth is, even if we found some secret lotion or potion that could stop the aging process, beauty on the outside cannot compensate for an ugly soul, but a beautiful soul can shine through the plainest of faces, making that face attractive and beautiful. Isaiah 53:2, speaking of the coming Messiah, Jesus,  says, "For [the Servant of God] grew up before Him like a tender plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He has no form or comeliness [royal, kingly pomp], that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him." When we speak or sing about the loveliness and beauty of Jesus, it's not His physical appearance that we are worshipping, but the beauty of Who He was and is. And His beauty, His loveliness, can and should rest on us. Sure, I'd like to be a cute little old lady when I'm old, but even more, I want to get more and more beautiful on the inside. I want to cooperate with God's work within my life so that the beauty and delightfulness and favor of God is evident in my life.

still following,

www.justfollowingjesus.com

Feeling Weary? Here's Strength For You

By: Sarah Geringer

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Isaiah 40:29 NIV

Are you feeling weary today? I think I can see weariness peeking out from under your tired smile, friend.

So many of us struggle with weariness in our fast-paced lives. We don’t make time to care for ourselves or our souls, because too many other important, urgent needs call for our attention. We moms can be the absolute worst at "faking fine" to cover over our weariness.

I’m feeling weary as I write these words. A week of too many transitions (hello, back to school) has finally caught up with me this Thursday evening. But I’m choosing to seek out God’s strength even as I type.

When We Are Weak, He is Strong

The fact is, when I’m weakest, that’s when God’s strength shows up best. Because he calls me to serve, whether it’s by making supper for my family or writing one more devotion, he provides the strength to push through. His strength, not mine.

If God is calling you, he is equipping you. He gives you strength through the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives and moves inside you if you believe what the Bible says is true. He gives you one more burst of energy to read to your children, clean up the counter or savor a few minutes with your husband.

Affirmation for Weary Moms

I’m past the weariest stage of mothering when my children were 4, 2 and newborn—those first few months of baby #3 are a bit of a blur. Yet each stage of “momming,” as Ruth Schwenk says in her wonderful book The Better Mom, is full of both joys and weariness.

Ten years later, I’m still tired—more in my soul than in my physical body. The temptations to worry are bigger with two tweens and one teen. The conversations are more challenging. The prayers are more fervent, and I wonder if I’m forgetting to teach them something.

I’m wondering if I’ll have enough time to tell them everything I need to say—because I turn into a pumpkin at 9:00 p.m. while they’re just hitting their energy stride.

Still, when I prioritize my daily times of prayer, worship, and counting my blessings, I feel stronger for the battles ahead. When I shoot up an arrow prayer in a time of weakness or weariness, I feel God wrapping his arms around me to lift me up. He empowers me, even after a long day, to keep serving, loving and ministering.

Four Ways God Grants Strength to the Weary

Here are four main ways God gives me strength when I’m weary:

He slows me down.

Sometimes my weariness is my own fault. I push myself too hard and take on too many responsibilities. My tiredness is a blessing, because it forces me to rest so I can gain strength for the next day. Have you considered your fatigue or weariness to be a blessing in this way?

He encourages me.

Those little tasks that all of us moms do—they matter to God, even though no one else notices and the tasks wear us out. When I’m folding towels or bagging up trash, I hear God saying, “This is holy work in my eyes.” His encouragement lifts my spirits when I’m weary of the tasks.

He gives me perspective.

Weary seasons don’t last forever. When I feel like a season of challenge is never-ending, God grants me perspective. He helps me reflect on past seasons of difficulty and reminds me that he carried me through them, just as he’s carrying me now. He’s doing the same for you in your weary season.

He grants refreshment to my soul.

Spending time just with God in prayer and praise strengthens my soul. This is the best kind of self-care. Usually, when I’m feeling most weary, it’s because I’ve forgotten to spend that one-on-one time with him. Maybe you need some one-on-one time with God to feel stronger too.

How does God give you strength when you are weary, friend?

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Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings and God's peace to you,

Sarah Geringer
Finding Peace in God's Word

Photo from Canva.com

Reflection questions:

1. What is your #1 source of weariness?

2. How can you find strength in God for this source of weariness?

Time flies!

By Debi Baker

When I was a little girl I can remember wishing I was a grown-up!  I couldn't wait to be all grown-up with a family of my own!  I would tell my mama and she would tell me, "Now, Debi, don't go wishing your life away!" 

I remember that the school year seemed sooooo long and I couldn't wait for summer to get here.  It always seemed so very long between my birthdays.  Every year I would so eagerly wait…and wait and wait…for my next birthday!  From Thanksgiving until Christmas was the s-l-o-w-e-s-t 6 weeks of my life!

As a child, it always seemed like I was in a state of WAIT!

Then I finally did grow up, get married and have children.  I didn't think my wedding day would ever arrive!  We waited a few years before starting our family but once I got pregnant, I couldn't wait until my precious angel arrived!  Nine months is a long time, but those last 8 weeks really seem to d-r-a-g on!  It was like that with each of my 4 pregnancies. 

Then my babies would tell me exactly what I'd tell my mama…"I can't wait to be a grown-up!"  And I would respond just like my mama did…"Don't go wishing your life away!" 

I think all of us do it sometime in our life…wish our life away.  We don't see it that way; we're just excited for a particular thing to happen.  But nowadays I absolutely do NOT wish my life away!  In fact, I wish it would slow down a bit. 

Time goes by so fast!  It's already the end of August 2018!!  2018!  I don't think I ever thought I'd see a turn of the century!  I am in the beginning stages of the end of my life!  My kids don't want to hear it but the reality is that I'm nearing 60…I've lived over half my life expectancy.  It's surreal to think about one's own finality. 

I say it almost every month, "where has time gone? It's almost this or that month, day, holiday."  Christmas rolls around so fast every year.  My birthday comes and goes so quickly it nearly makes my head spin!

I've said all that to say this, "Sister, don't wish your life away!  Take time to stop and smell the roses.  Every day is a gift from God.  Take time to enjoy each one He gives you."  

Matthew 6:34 CEV tells us, "³⁴ Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."  I want to paraphrase that verse for the purposes of this post.  "Don't rush through the day. Tomorrow is sure to come and will provide its own experiences."  Now, don't get all up in arms, I'm not trying to re-invent God's word.  I'm simply stating one of the ways I think of this verse.  There is no reason to rush through a day.  Each one has 24 hours.  As we get older, those 24 hours go by faster and faster.  I don't believe God wants us to waste the time He gives us.  I do believe He wants us to enjoy His creation.

I truly believe that time seems to go so fast because we fail to enjoy each moment.  We need to savor those things in our life that mean the most to us.  I thought I was truly committing to memory the childhoods of my children, but I find that I don't remember as much as I thought I would.  I want a do-over!  Sadly, that's not possible so I'll just do the best I can and try to make each moment an important one.

Don't wish your life away.  Don't spend the day looking back at what was.  Don't look forward to tomorrow but enjoy TODAY!!!

Have a blessed day!

It Takes More

By: Jenifer Metzger

When your car is making funny sounds and you call the mechanic to explain the sound and get a possible diagnosis, do you end the phone call with a fixed car?

When you are hungry and go online to order a pizza, do you hit that submit button with a full belly?

The answer to both of these is an obvious no. Your car is not fixed just because you called the mechanic. You have to take the car in to be fixed by the mechanic. Your hunger is not satisfied because you placed an order for food. You have to consume the food.

The same principle is applied to our lives with God. Just because we attend church doesn't make us a Christian. It just makes us an attender. Just because we bought a Bible and had our name engraved on the leather cover doesn't make us a Christian. It just makes us the owner of a Bible.

We need to engage. We need to be intentional. We need to make a move.

Attending church doesn't make you a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes you a car. It's about a relationship with God. Going to church is important. Very important in fact. In church we learn; we learn from our pastors, God gives them messages to share with us; and we learn from our church family, you will always find someone who has been where you are and can encourage you and lead you. In church we grow; we grow in our faith as we see others in our church overcome trials; and we grow as we watch others come to Christ. And in church we serve; we serve in ministry and helping others; and we serve in reaching out and witnessing. Yes, going to church is vital to a Christian walk.

But a relationship with God is about so much more than attending church. You see, your Sunday morning worship service should never, ever be the only worship you have. Your Sunday morning worship service is simply an outpouring of your private worship you had the rest of the week. The Scripture you hear in the Sunday morning sermon should never be the only Scripture you hear. You should be daily reading God's Word on your own. The ministry you perform in your church should never be the only ministry you have. In fact, your main ministry should always be within the walls of your home, to your family. Your ministry should also be to your neighborhood and in your job.

The word Christian means to be "Christ-like." We can't be Christ like one day a week. Christ is holy all of the time, not just when He walked the earth and went to the temple. If we say we are Christians, it is time to start living as Christ. It's time to start opening that Bible and reading and studying the Words. It's time to start praying and worshiping at home in private. It's time to start getting involved in ministry at our church as well as ministering to our families, neighbors, and co-workers.

Being a Christian takes more. More than being a church attender. More than being a Bible owner. Are you ready to do what it takes?

The Word of God will stand forever...

by Elizabeth Stewart

I'm embarrassed to admit that I own fourteen Bibles - I just went into my home office and counted them. I'm pretty sure that my pastor husband owns even more Bibles than I do. We both still have the old worn out Living Bibles with the padded green covers that seemed to be the preferred Bible of our teen years. We have the "more scholarly" New American Standard Bibles required in our Bible college years. We have the marked up and worn thin Bibles that carried us through our early ministry years and other Bibles from all of the subsequent seasons of life since. We also have many different translations of the Bible.

When I was a child most Bibles looked alike and most were the King James translation. The Bible was easily recognizable- a black leather cover stamped with the words Holy Bible wrapped around gold edged, incredibly thin paper pages. It was a revered possession in my childhood home. In a similar way that there are rules for handling the American flag out of respect for what it stands for, my daddy had Bible handling rules. You didn't set the Bible down on the floor. You didn't stack other objects on top of the Bible. I wonder what my daddy would think of my journaling Bible that I write, draw and color in! The truth is, I'm a lot less concerned with how carefully we physically treat our Bibles, and a lot more concerned about how we treat the Bible as the Word of God.  Sadly, we live in an age when, even in the church, we think that what we think about what the Bible means is exalted above finding out what God Himself says it means. We think we can ignore the parts that make us uncomfortable or that go against the current cultural mindset. We have lost our reverence for God's Word in a much more serious way than setting a cup of coffee on it's cover - we have lost our reverence for its words, for embracing it as God breathed truth, for honoring it as our plumb line for living.

When we reverence the Bible for what it is, when we welcome it and receive it into our mind and heart as the very Word of God, it can do its effective, supernatural work in our lives.
And we also [especially] thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God [which you heard] from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it].
1 Thessalonians 2:13

God wants His Word to speak to us, to be a living and active powerful word in our lives. He wants His Word to enlighten us and show us the truth about, not only Who God is, but who we are. His Word can show us the truth about ourselves.
For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes ofthe heart.
Hebrews 4:12

I fear that there is a loss of reverence for God's Word in our day. However, even history confirms to us that in spite of the fact that evil men have tried to dismiss or even to destroy God's Word, it has continued to stand. In spite of the rise and fall of evil empires, the attempts of demonic dictators to stamp it out, the twisting it and misusing it and abusing it by the wicked, even our own efforts to reason away the parts that make us uncomfortable and our attempts to embrace the parts we like and ignore the parts we don't...God's Word will stand forever. The issue isn't will God's Word survive, the issue is will we survive if we keep disregarding it.

still following,

www.justfollowingjesus.com