It is so
easy to get caught up in the cares of this world; people need food, clothing,
housing, hope, strength is given to feed their needs. We wrestle daily with the
needs of ourselves, the needs of others and how to supply all these things; but
we are told our God shall supply all our needs according to His riches in
glory! So why do we worry about such things?
Why do we
stress about wearing shoes with holes? When they are still covering our feet
and keeping us warm, there is no need to worry.
We people
are full of worry, stress, and anger these days! It seems as if we have to take
on the world and its troubles and carry it wherever we go. I like to personally
juggle as much junk as I possibly can to try to help others, to do my duties as
a wife and mother and member of my church, neighborhood and society in general;
I am sure I am not alone in this plight. I want to fix it all! I take on other people’s
hurts and anger, I load up on a few irritations of my own and then I wonder why
I cannot find peace enough to sleep through the night?
I need to
learn what Elsa learned in what has become one of my favorite songs; Let it Go!
Just
because we are able to fix things for someone does not mean we are supposed to
do it, sometimes God has a better plan.
Jacob was
ready to give his brother half of his goods and people in order to fix the
problem he felt he created many years ago. But God had a better plan! He had
already blessed Esau and had his own plan for his children and lands. Jacob did
not know this because he did not get there yet. During the time he was
wrestling with himself over things he stopped and wrestled an angel to get a
blessing from God. He did not realize God had planned to do so in the first
place but because of his wrestling we know a few things.
Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won. He wept and pleaded for
a blessing from him. There at Bethel
he met God face to face, and God spoke to him—
Hosea 12:4
1-
We too can wrestle with God when we do not
understand what is going on. Some versions say that he wrestled with God
himself, some say it was an angel either way He got a face to face talk with
God Himself.
2-
We can cry out to Him and ask God for a face to
face talk! He will oblige.
3-
Our God listens when we cry out to Him.
When we get face to face, or face to floor before Him we can
realize what we are really fussing, or fretting over is not worth the fight. It
is not against that person who wronged us, or the car that wont start, it is
not even our broken bodies that we are really fighting; it is not flesh and
blood but principalities, or spiritual things in darkness, that we are
fighting.
So how do we fight against spiritual things? We are not yet spirit,
but God is!
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We worship Him.
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We listen to Him.
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We obey Him.
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We walk in His presence.
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We will have peace over any situation.
You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship,
for salvation is of the Jews. But the
hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in
spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit,
and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John
4:22-24
When we worship Him, we must worship him in spirit and in
truth; in spirit; from our heart to His, from our soul to Him. Do you know when
you sing a song in church you are not always worshiping God? You can sing a
song about what you feel but until you actually feel that song it is not real.
It is not truthful worship until the song is a truth to your heart. You have to
make it your heart’s song, then you are worshiping in spirit and in truth.
The world puts a scary take on
a spirit, but we all have a spirit, it is our soul. When we worship God in
spirit it means we are worshiping Him from our soul to His. It is not just an
act but it also has encompassed our being and pulled at our soul. From Spirit
to spirit.
There is nothing scary about
that! When we connect with God in worship it is the most wonderful thing. It is
complete worship.
Put on all of God’s
armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the
devil. For we]are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but
against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers
in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every
piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of
evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Ephesians
6:11-13
We must put on the whole armor of God in order
to stand. We cannot be part time Christians. We must be full of the spirit (
sword) we must be full of faith (shield) we must be prepped and ready ( shoes)
we must be protected by salvation ( helmet) and we must be walking in His
presence with righteousness in God’s eyes. ( breastplate) When we have all
these things in our daily lives then we can do battle with those evil dudes!
Then we can fight against the spiritual
wickedness in dark places that hide themselves among our friends who are rude
to us, or the guy who cuts us off; they try to cloud our thinking so that we
lash out in anger instead of realizing its not about them, it is about getting
our eyes off of God. His purpose is to keep us focused on Him so that we can
walk in peace knowing Him. That was His plan in the beginning with Adam and
Eve, but they blew it. Since then we have fought their fight with everyone
around us; but God has a plan! He wants us to walk in peace, to worship Him in
spirit and in truth! The truth is that we are not fighting our friends and cars
and everything else that is bothering us. Not even our bodies are going to trip
us up if we are focused on God. When the
floods come in and we are in the right place we will not get stressed, we will
walk through the water and not be afraid! For God is with us!
“Fear
not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your
name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with
you; Isaiah 43:1-3
For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood… but against what? Against the spiritual
wickedness in this world, let us let God take care of the problem and fight it
on our knees.
Dear
heavenly Father; we give you all the troubles and people that are effecting our
lives negatively today Lord. We ask that you would fight the battle for us as
we worship you in Spirit and in Truth. Help us to keep our armor on and not forget
the battle belongs to You, In Jesus name, amen.
Suggested
reading: Jeremiah 43:1-28, Ephesians 6:1-24, John 4:1-54, Galatians 4:1-31