Are You Immune From Catching Spiritual Viruses?

Face it, we all do what we can to stay healthy. I mean who loves being sick. Sure people love to call in "sick" to get the day off, but not when we really are sick. It makes us miserable, grouchy, and often times impacts plans we have to forgo because we can't physically participate in them. Who loves being sick while you're on vacation. I would wager almost everyone would say NO ONE!

So why then, are we willing to put ourselves spiritually at risk to all the viruses in the the world today. I guess some would call them temptations. Just because you are a believer doesn't mean you are spiritually immune, in fact, you are the biggest challenge and target in the unseen realm. One day we will realize exactly what we are up against and it won't be pretty. Some have been privy to what is really going on when we least expect it and others dabble in things they have no idea what they are truly doing.

As believers it is our daily responsibility to ensure we have our antibiotics, our antibacterial wash, and plenty of supplies to ward off any attacks. But even with the best intentions, we fail. Sometimes, miserably and wonder how we managed to get sick.

It will always come subtlety just like it did for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Imagine, they were perfect creatures, not like us, living in a perfect place, again not us. Yet Satan tempted them with twisting of God's Words.

When God told them they could do every single thing in Eden except for one, ANYTHING, why was the one thing they couldn't have enough to tempt them. Initially it wasn't. It wasn't until the serpent caught Eve off guard and twisted God's words in Genesis 3"1-5 in the NIV, 

"Did God really say, " you couldn't eat from any tree in the garden?"  The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die." "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Isn't it interesting that Eve, wasn't concerned that the serpent was talking to her? It didn't freak her out, instead she was focusing on the thoughts going on in her mind, questioning whether she may have heard God correctly. Isn't that like the temptations we face?

It begins in our thought life, and then moves to our words or action. We don't just blindly say or do things, our thoughts give birth to sin! That is why it is so important to guard our thoughts. Our thoughts are influenced by what we see, and what we hear so it is imperative that we remain on guard and make sure the things we think about through what we see and hear are godly. We need to stop trying to justify our actions and believe they won't have an impact in our life. It may not happen right away, but overtime, those things build up and the things we look at and hear become more and more twisted in our thoughts and before we know it, we slip and fall.

The enemy loves to work in the lives of believers of Jesus because people in the world who don't know better are already doing the work of the enemy anyway. They are feeding on the lusts of the eyes and ears, fulfilling the selfish desires of their heart, living it up as they say, for tomorrow we might die right?

Yikes, what a twisted world we truly live in! There is more to life than what we really see and hear, but we must have spiritual eyes and ears to know the truth. We must not fall into the trap or the lies of the world that would try to justify there isn't anything we can do to change things, because we can. But it must begin with us first. We are the biggest threat to the world, believers of Jesus! We need to ensure that we don't fall victim to the viruses of corruption, deceit, lies and temptations of the world, because we don't live here. Our home is in heaven.

We need to do a few things to ensure we don't fall into the traps of getting sick. So what can we do to beef up our immune systems spiritually?

1. Read the Bible every day! Even if it's just 5 minutes, crack it open and ask God to show you what you need today! The more you study the Word of God, the more you will be prepared to know the lies when the world tries to twist it.

2. Pray! It's the most powerful weapon we possess and the one we fail to use the most. If the enemy can get us to stop praying it takes the focus off of God, and puts it on us and what is happening in our life. Prayer puts us in immediate communication of God and we are spiritually transported into the very presence and throne room of God. Picture that, the next time you are praying!

3. Sing praise and worship songs to God every single day. In fact, I challenge you to spend the next 30 days incorporating at least 15 minutes or more of praise and worship music in your day. Try listening to some just before you head off to sleep. Power comes in our worship and it's the one thing angels can't do. I can imagine how they flock to churches just to watch what happens when we spend time singing them to our heavenly Father. Embark on the journey because it truly is life changing. The more you worship, the less struggle you will have in your spiritual walk. When we fall down, it will make us get back up a whole lot quicker!

4. Spend time in church! It's our spiritual booster shot! It helps get us through the time we have to spend in the world, and unites us with other believers. For those that find reasons to avoid church, get over it. It's not about YOU, it's about HIM! It's about us, standing together united in prayer, in song, and in the Word of God. It's about the sick and wounded coming to know more about our God, and trust me, there are people in church that are coming there for whatever reason, and they will be making judgments about the God we serve, based on what they see in us. What will they see in You? It's it about YOU or about Him?

We need to remember, that every single day we walk onto the battlefield not a play ground. We need to ensure we have all that we need to wage that daily war, just like a soldier or warrior would never step into a situation without his weapons, we need to ensure we have ours.

Ephesians 6:10-18 ~ "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. 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. 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. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (NIV). 

What does all the armor mean?

Belt of Truth: A dishonest Christian can't hope to understand the father of lies himself. Means integrity, a life of practical truthfulness and honesty!

Breastplate of Righteousness: practical righteous character and deeds of a believer.

Feet fitted with a readiness that comes from the gospel of peace: the gospel is the firm foundation on which believers stand and we need to defend and spread it to the world.

Shield of Faith: used to protect us from the assaults of Satan to penetrate the believer who places his trust in God.

Sword of the Spirit: Our only weapon and it is an offensive weapon, a specific word that needs to be spoken in a specific situation, therefore you must know the Bible intimately!

Pray in the Spirit: Without prayer, all the armor would be of no use. Perseverance and patience in prayer are essential. NEVER GIVE UP even if your answer doesn't come right away.

In fact in Revelation 5:8b  ~ :The twenty four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." (NIV).

Our prayers are in heaven and God has kept every single one of them. If they weren't important, why does God keep them in golden bowls? Because they are precious to Him, like incense, something the high priests were required to offer up daily to God. We are meant to pray daily! It causes a reaction in heaven and God is never too busy to hear them.

So today, have you prepared yourself spiritually to avoid catching any spiritual virus? Time to suit up and prepare for battle. Oh and by the way, we win in the end, no matter what the enemy tries to tell you! Remind him of his future next time he reminds you of your failure!

Isaiah 54:17 ~ "No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me. ~ declares the LORD." (NIV).

Six Inches for Jesus

"Just remember, six inches for Jesus!"

That saying has lasted in my mind since first hearing it during Michael's 16th birthday party from his sister, Danielle, a young women that is wish beyond her 17 years! She was explaining that some of her dating friends seemed to be glued to the hips and to help avoid unnecessary temptation, she reminds them to remain six inches away from one another, six inches for Jesus in order to stay spiritually and physically pure until marriage.

Wise advice indeed and one I have quoted more than once to my daughter who has just begun to date her first boyfriend and both of them wishing to stay pure until marriage. But temptation is hard at times. Is six inches really enough?

But where does temptation even come from?

Satan wants to undermine our faith by using various deceptive schemes to entice us to sin, sowing within us the seeds of doubt, unbelief and rebellion. Two of his very powerful temptations were those of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, in which he achieved his purpose, and of Jesus in the wilderness, in which he failed. These two instances show that Satan's favorite device is to tamper with the word of God.

The Bible encourages Christians to stand firm in the faith and to watch out for temptation. God promises to help us resist temptation, and He assures us that He will not allow temptation beyond what we can endure. As our compassionate and sympathetic high priest, Jesus, who has experienced human temptation, is ready to bring our prayers for strength in times of temptation before the Father.

Temptation must not be confused with God's testing of our faith as a way of strengthening it, for God never entices us to sin against Him. When faced with confusion of what to do, consider what God's Word says about anything. His Word is 100% reliable about any decision that goes against what He has commanded.

Remember our thought life will be the first the enemy will attempt to attack. He will try and convince us that there is no harm in simply talking to that "friend" at work of the opposite sex about the problems you are facing in your marriage, that there is nothing the Bible teaches that you can't go into a bar and have a few drinks as long as you stay in control, or visit that website just to check things out. But remember, it's to gain a foothold in your life, because our thoughts lead us to compromising actions that will eventually get us into hot water and cause us to get into more trouble than ever before.

Joseph went faced with Potipher's wife tempting him in the palace, ran so fast, he left his cloak behind. That is precisely what we need to do in order to walk along the path God has laid out before us so perfectly. It is a war we must wage daily and one we must never take for granted thinking we are above being tempted. That is just where the enemy would love for you to keep thinking those thoughts.

So back to the original question to keep you from your temptation, is six inches for Jesus enough? It might be, but if it isn't do WHATEVER it takes to distance yourself from that temptation. Don't visit a bar if alcohol is too tempting. Don't browse the internet if websites are too tempting, if someone you work with is your temptation, transfer to another position or department and if necessary, quit and find a different job. The point is wherever you have to go to stay on God's path, GO, RUN!!!

For some six inches isn't enough, but moving into a different city or state might be, but the simple truth the lies behind the saying, "Six inches for Jesus!" certainly can inspire us to remain diligent when facing whatever temptations the enemy tries to send our way.

Thanks to Danielle Vega for my inspiration for this post!!!

"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me," For God cannot be tempted by evil, not does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, give birth to sin. Don't be deceived dear brothers." ~ James 1: 13-16

Just How Involved Do You Want to Get?

Picture Credit: Pic taken from www.cheo36@deviantart.com

Today was a day, I had seen coming for quite some time. While I can't go into specific details about what prompted this post, it made me realize just what a daily battle we face every single day. When stuff happens in our lives, in our neighborhoods, in our country, we all want things to change, but when confront with the question just how involved do you want to get, we shy away. We want someone else to step up and be the strong one who will stand unwavering in the face of what's to come. The person who might have to face going to court to testify against someone, the person who might have to point to someone in a line up, the person who has to make that first initial call. But when asked, we want to remain uninvolved, anonymous, unknown.

Why is that? What are we so afraid of?

Retaliation if someone finds out it's us that made the call or pointed the finger. The one who turned them in.

What about the safety of those of us willing to stand up for what is right without wearing a gun or badge?

Who will protect us when things end badly, if they do at all?

We've seen enough of the news stories or watched courtroom drama's to see how it can play out. The witness testifies but soon they or someone they love winds up on the short end of the proverbial stick.

That is why I believe people need to stand up to what they fear.

If God is for us, who can be against us.

Don't we trust Him enough to rely on His protection, His army of warriors to watch over us day and night?

We, as Christians, believers in Jesus Christ, need to begin to take more risks.

To stand up for those without a voice, who need our help. For those injustices taking place in our homes, our neighborhoods, and in our country. We need to stand up and get involved. We need to let those around us know that we will not simply smile and wave and hope someone else will do it.

God has called us to a daily battle. One not found in the battlefields but in the spiritual world. We need to arm ourselves with His armor and begin to wage the war on our knees.

Lately I've been dealing with spiritual battles in my dreams. I've been committing more of God's Word to my memory in the battle I face at night. At first I woke up in great fear because it was so real and I haven't had those feelings since I was on the verge of becoming a believer. Where I was held bound by a force so evil that movement and speech was impossible. Only remembering what I needed in order to be free and to call on the name of Jesus Christ as a believer was the only way I was able to be set free.

There is power in that Christians!

"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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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". ~ Ephesians 6: 10-13

I only fear the world is going to get worse and we will be called to action like never before. Let us go boldly into the fight, but let us remember that we are just passing through this world and this is not our permanent home.

So when you get the call asking just how involved do you want to get what will you do? How involved will you get? 

Where is God When I Need Him?

It's been quite awhile since I can honestly say I have been inspired by God to write a post that I felt is something that needed to be told. Funny thing was that this topic was inspired by a conversation I had this morning with my daughter. We were speaking about how people can be so endowed with their God-given faith and then fall up short for some reason.

The conversation was based around spiritual warfare and how some people can wage war against evil and not have come to God before heading to battle, even though they may be called to that purpose. I explained that it is possible to step out and think you're doing God's will because it may be the purpose your life has been designed around but to leave God behind in the process.

Too often I feel that we pray to God for an answer to a prayer we so desperately need to be answered and when it doesn't come, we feel God left us hanging. What we may in fact fail to see is God just simply didn't answer it the way you might have desired, but God never left you hanging.

I think too often as children of faith, we feel a sense of entitlement that because we are God's children, He owes us those answers to prayer we need. What we fail to understand is God knows what we need and what is best for us. I explained it to my daughter this way, as a parent I only want what is best for you and even though I want nothing more than to give you whatever it is you ask for, sometimes it's not what you need. For example, lets say you want another pair of shoes but you really don't need them and even though you may beg and plead for those shoes, I don't give them to you. Not because you don't deserve them, not because I don't love you, not because you are a child of mine, but because I see a bigger need for you to be addressed even though you can't.

So you think I didn't answer your prayer. You think I failed you. You think I don't love you and in fact, you must have done something wrong so maybe I am punishing you. So now you turn the other direction and simply stop asking me for anything.

It's funny when we can view things quite simply from a parent/child perspective and not from a human/God perspective, yet it is the same.

God perhaps didn't answer your prayer because it wasn't what you really needed, in fact perhaps He had something else in mind. Too often our expectations of God are that He will always answer us in the way we expect, but when that doesn't happen, we think God abandoned us. Now we are like spoiled children, turning our backs on God and walking away.

God doesn't owe us explanations or answers for anything He does. We will never have the answers to the question, "Why, God, why?" In some cases I think the answer to that would be beyond our comprehension to understand His reasoning, so we are not told. Yet one day, we will know the answers to all those times we cried out for help and didn't receive it like we wanted. I do know this, God loves us more than we could ever imagine. He never fails us. NEVER!

So when bad things happen, when you cry out to Him and He doesn't answer like you think He should, accept it. He has answered. You can ask for an explanation but it may not come. This is life in a sin-filled world. Choice are made every single day by Christians and non-Christians alike, and sometimes those choices will affect us in life-changing ways, however don't be bitter or angry at God. Ask Him to help you deal with your emotions and feelings.

Instead of running away from Him, run to Him. God will NEVER forsake you. Even if faced with a life and death situation and you cry out for His help and He doesn't answer in the manner you wanted, He still has answered. He has kept you safe, but you may still have to endure the battle and the injuries. Hold on to this scripture when hard times come...

A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.

Isaiah 42:3-4

God will bring you through your battles in this world, but whatever you do, do not go into the darkness unarmed and without Him by your side. He may keep you from harm but it's not worth the price.

"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. 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. 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. " ~ Ephesians 6:10-13