Peace and Rest

As I was getting into bed last night, frustrated, worn-out, depleted, I picked up my devotional - out of a feeling of obligation, not desire. No matter what, God has the right word for me at the right time.

Here's what He provided me, my manna:

"Have you ever noticed that in the quiet darkness of night there seems to be something special about the presence of God? He is always with you, even during the daytime, and you can talk to Him anytime, even when you're busy. But during the day there are many distractions that keep you from focusing on His presence for an extended period of time. And by the end of the day you've often experienced problems and frustration that can cause you to feel lonely and needy. It is then that you can finally give God the time and attention to the one who is the answer to your needs. When you yearn for God in the night, seek Him earnestly, and you'll find He will minister to you in a special way. He will provide answers to any problems you may have, and He will give you peace and rest."

 From the book Ending Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2004 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

It was a bit like being hit square between the eyes with a 2x4.  Realizing that He did not move.  He was right there, all along.  The entire day was His.  He knew my frustrations and the distractions that arose.  He knew my feelings.  He was waiting for me to seek Him earnestly.  Although peace and rest did not come for many hours, God did and does provide.  He met me where I was and ministered to me as only He can.

Lord, thank You for Your infinite wisdom.  Thank You for continuing to draw me to You.  You know my innermost thoughts and feelings.  You know my needs and supply them at every turn.  You are the all knowing, all present, all powerful Lord and I seek to honor You.

ChristinaLynn }i{

God - The Ultimate Multi-Tasker

A good friend told me one time that there are certain things about our beliefs - and they may be different for each of us - that we just can not wrap our minds around.  We must accept these things on faith alone because our finite brains can not comprehend the endless possibilities of an Infinite Creator.  For her, I believe it was the Trinity, how one God can be three and yet still be One. 

For me, at least for today, it is God's omnipresence.  You've heard the saying, "Wherever you are, be all there."  God is truly everywhere.  Not the way we are, spread so thin that we do a lot of things, but don't do any of them well.  He is fully present here with me, just as much as He is fully present on the other side of the world with someone else, and just as much as He is fully in Heaven with the saints and those who have passed before us.

It is more than my finite brain can comprehend, but I delight in the knowledge that one day, I will see Him face to face.  Never more to wonder how He does what He does.  Simply delighting in His presence.

Lord, teach me today how to live in Your presence and be all there.

ChristinaLynn }i{

A Plight for Flight

Today it is my priviledge to share with you the plight of a man near and dear to my heart, "ole Blake."

You'll love his story and I hope that you'll share his story and if you can, support his causes.  Here's a little about him, in his own words:

• "Cold and peaceful tonight, a great day for me again, I got to help a student with his science project, His dad is military and deployed overseas, I like being a stand in Dad when it comes to helping kids to learn and understand, Guess I should have truly been a real teacher instead of just teaching how to build model planes. After my bout with death in 1974, I awoke knowing that what part of my life was not spent in earning a living and suporting my family, was to be spent in helping others. For years I tried this and that helping foks and I felt good about doing it..but I also felt that there was something else, another way that I should helping, then one day, I discovered that I love helping kids to learn to build model airplanes, I also learned that I could teach them a lot more than building if I used the plane building as examples of things in real life too, like 'Integrity' of a glue and then relating what integrity meant otherwise. Likewise about being 'honest' about whether or not you completed all the steps in the plan. As we built, the kids learned to trust me and I came to realize that some of my answers to their questions were opinions right off the top of my head with no real foundation to the answers. It was then that I returned to school, not for a degree but to learn to give qualified answers to their questions. My reasoning, though faulty it may be was that if they trusted me, what I might tell them just might affect the way they lived their lives. And I did not want to give bad advice. Although not formally, I am still going to school to learn how to answer their question and teach them even more about life as I learn it. Now perhaps you may understand why I want to build my 'Legacy of Wings Project' and why ole Blake is happy in his heart, but empty in his pocketbook" 
• "Hello Folks, Blake Walston here, 69 years young. Just an old man who is happily married for  49 years (August 1, 2011) and who builds, teaches, flies model airplanes, and enjoys internet conversation with good people world wide. I have a dream to share that I want to make happen. I am too old to solicit funds to make this dream come true and I have no gimmicks or sales pitches, just want to share an old man’s dream of a legacy that I want to leave behind. I ask only for prayers if you are a praying person and good wishes if you are not.
  This is the dream:  Legacy of Wings Project:  The purpose of Legacy of wings is help kids and young adults find the careers that they love, to find work that they enjoy and by  doing so, my hope is that they will learn how to fly not particularly in the air but in their hearts and minds.  It is a pure joy to work around someone that loves their work. It creates a very happy atmosphere."   Read more about the Legacy of Wings Project here.
• "Because of a bankruptcy by our landlord, we received notice December 30, that we are going to be evicted from our home unless we can pay off 80% of the balance which is $20,000, we need to come up with $16000 dolllars, Our retirement pay is not great enough to borrow the money. If there is a way that we can get 500 people to donate 30 dollars we will own the house free and clear. If anyone cares to donate I have a paypal account at this address: ablaker2@sbcglobal.net I thank you in advance for spreading the word And if there is ever a way to repay it, I will. If you care to google our home, we are located at 114 Cardinal Ave. Perry, Georgia, 31069 My cell phone is 478-997-1653, I want to be sure folks know this is not a scam."

I know the heart of this man is flying tonight from the graciousness of friends, family and even total strangers that have donated to help him keep a roof over the heads of his dear wife and her mother.  As of this writing, they are still needing 349 donations of $30.  I am enthralled to know how high his heart will fly when they reach their goal and keep their home!


Trusting in God's love to share this story and hoping it reaches the world!

ChristinaLynn }i{

God Helps Those...

Who help others.

I know that's not how the saying goes, but I do think it's way more accurate. 

Here's a chance to prove me wrong:

"Just for those who have not seen this before. From The Walston's house, we wish you a great New Year. May you live in good health, aquire enough wealth to keep you safe and warm and enough love to fill your life with some left over to share. Now a special request that I am very reluctant to make. Because of a bankruptcy by our landlord, we received notice December 30, that we are going to be evicted from our home unless we can pay off 80% of the balance which is 20,000, we need to come up with 16000 dolllars, Our retirement pay is not great enough to borrow the money. If there is a way that we can get 500 people to donate 30 dollars we will own the house free and clear. If anyone cares to donate I have a paypal account at this address: ablaker2@sbcglobal.net I thank you in advance for spreading the word. And if there is ever a way to repay it, I will. If you care to google our home, we are located at 114 Cardinal Ave. Perry, Georgia, 31069 My cell phone is 478-997-1653, I want to be sure folks know this is not a scam. Hugs and May God Bless Regards ole Blake Please do not contribute if it would in anyway cause material injury to yourself or family"

This is a man who spends as much of his "free" time as possible giving to others.  He's now in need of help and God has already shown up in a BIG way and I have no doubt we will soon be hearing a shout of hooray all the way from Perry, Ga to let us know the goal has been met!


Will you be part of it?
 
ChristinaLynn }i{

A New Year

As we embark on a new year, there are so many tasks and activities to be done to prepare ourselves for success.  A new year provides us a great opportunity to take inventory of our lives.  Spiritual.  Mental.  Physical.  Financial.  Social.  Things like updating budgets, home organizing, goal setting become commonplace in our vocabulary.

While we go through this process, it is also a wonderful opportunity to take inventory of our blessings.  To "name them one by one," just as the old song states.  Keeping in mind that blessings sometimes come in wolves clothing.  My sister once wrote this (I hope she still believes it):

BE THANKFUL

Be thankful for the valley, 

It means you've just come off one mountain and are heading towards another.

Be thankful for illnesses, 

Without them good health wouldn't mean as much.

Be thankful for the time, however long or short, you had with your loved one before God called them home,

Those precious memories will be with you until you see them again.

Be thankful for your family, even when they drive you crazy, 

Without them you'd be alone in this world.

Be thankful for the lean times, 

They make the wealthy times that much sweeter.

Be thankful for your sins, 

They're why Christ died for you!

   ---Michelle Rodgers

There will always be those who have it better or worse than we do and there will always be times that were better or worse for us.  Regardless of better or worse, we need to be able to not only live in the circumstances we are currently in, but learn how to thrive and be joyful in any circumstance. 

Praising Him through it all.

ChristinaLynn }i{

Create In Me

Since you've come to this blog, you have probably figured out by now that I enjoy writing.  You may also have come to the realization that I don't spend nearly enough time writing.

I lead a busy life.  I find that my family and my physical body crave structure, discipline and schedules to be prosperous, but my mind and soul crave spontaneity, creativity and diversity to not just live, but to thrive.  Lately, thriving has taken a back seat to simply surviving.

There are times when I must force myself to take a step back and re-evaluate my goals and priorities and weed out things that are keeping me busy that are just not that important.  Usually this process begins with me feeling overwhelmed, having missed some deadlines - whether "real" or self-imposed, and frustrated, feeling like life is just too difficult and so tired of racing the salmon to the top of the stream.

http://www.christart.com/Christian Clip Art

I also often come to the place where I know that some of the things I am passionate about, I am constantly being pulled away from.  I know this pull all too well and I know where it comes from.  I know that Jeremiah 29:11 says:  "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"  Anything else is not from God.

There have been so many things that God has placed on my heart to share with you over these past few weeks that may now be lost forever.  To stop.  Listen.  Acknowledge and accept.  Then obey His will right away is of the utmost importance.  The inspiration of the Spirit is not a switch that I can turn on and off when it is convenient for me.  The frailty of the moment soon passes and the opportunity to change a life that should have been touched by my obedience may never come again.

God uses the things that I am passionate about to reach others and also to change me to be more like Him.  These passions are my spiritual gifts that were determined by God to prosper me, not to harm me, in every situation, in this generation as He saves me to the uttermost.  Not just once from the depths of hell, but daily He saves me from a life apart from God.  As Expositor's Commentary says, "...complete deliverance, no matter what the need..."

Praise God for the uttermost! 

Lord, Thank You for saving me to the uttermost as only You can!  Help me to obey Your will by acting on the passions that the Spirit ignites.  Don't let a moment pass that can be used to further Your kingdom in my life and the lives of others here on earth and for eternity.  Create in me a clean heart and a new life in You!

ChristinaLynn }i{

The Mountains and the Valleys

I was blessed to be in the house of the Lord for two special opportunities last week. First to hear teaching from a woman truly annointed by God - practical, honest, real preaching of The Word. Then, to be a part of the Girls of Grace Conference.

A neighbor and true friend invited me to the women's fellowship at her church and I was sincerely blessed! The event, the fellowship, and the message made an impact on me that I am grateful for.

I found myself, even before the message began, getting easily distracted in my thoughts and letting my mind wander. Thoughts then came to mind that I was not "feeling" what I was participating in. My head was there, but my heart was just not in it. The message God brought home through the speaker was to renew my mind in a way to insist on His presence in my daily life. Also that we have to sharpen our spiritual senses and learn to perceive the kingdom of God in our present reality. As the speaker said, this requires me to see and trust a different reality and to take an offensive posture of the heart, presenting myself for service to God in order to "rise up" in outlasting, enduring victory to overcome!

Then, the Girls of Grace Conference Saturday was a blessing for myself and my daughter. So many special speakers and worship music! I learned how to be a Wildflower for Christ with the three C's: Clear out the contamination, Cultivate with the Son and Water of Life, to become a new Creation! I learned how I reflect God uniquely through His beauty and His mystery in Psalm 17:8, 45:11 and Zephaniah 3:17. I learned that breaking free means having balance and balance means having the right amount of concern, not too much and not too little. Balance brings respect rather than judgement.

My daughter's eyes were opened to the "Wait for Steak" campaign that taught her that there isn't a man on the planet that can complete her, don't look for one and don't expect it from one. This was presented in such a great way to make an impact on teenage girls not to settle for a boy instead of waiting for a man and really detailed what qualities they should be looking for in a man, knowing that manhood is a CHOICE!

I was also blessed to be with friends! I think we sometimes take for granted, or just ignore the need for female companionship, mentoring and accountability that we so desperately need in this life.

And I have truly experienced the unfortunate battle from the enemy since Saturday.

Lord, I pray that You will remove the distractions and competing priorities that are taking me away from Your Word and Your Will. Make my focus Lord, on God and family first!

ChristinaLynn }i{

God Will Make A Way!

Excited to see what God has in-store for me today!    The appointment that was going to take me away from Ladies Bible Study today was postponed for a few days.  

Now I wish I had done my homework!!

ChristinaLynn }i{

Priorities

Have you ever had one of those moments where you had to make a decision about what would make "the list" today and what would just get bumped? 

I had one of those moments today.  Even though I thought when school started back things would calm down and give me a little more time to get things done, I have been running from one appointment to the next for the past three weeks and today was no exception. 

As I was readying the little ones for preschool and gettin the baby fed and changed, I was reviewing my day in my head.  Open house tonight for the older two kids, two different schools but at the same time.  Well, I can't be in two places at once.  Have to pick up a few things at the drug store.  Need to make a grocery shopping list with coupons to complete before the sale ends tomorrow.  Finish laundry that was started late yesterday.  Oldest son has a doctor's appointment in the afternoon, so daughter will have to wait after school until I get back.  So the question creeps up:  Do I really have time to go to Ladies Bible Study this morning?  Well no, honestly, I do not have time to go.  It's the first meeting of the fall session, maybe they won't be doing much except going over the layout, routine, etc. 

I drop the twins off at preschool and start heading down to the church, then pull into a parking lot to make sure I have some cash for the book or if I'll need to run back home to get my checkbook.  Ok, cash is there, time to decide.  The Still, Small Voice speaks to me:  "Go, God will provide." 

No arguing with that.  I'm on my way. 

I arrived a few minutes early and decided to check my phone for any news or messages.  Started out of the car, unpacked the stroller and I over hear someone referring to my business.  Exciting!  She wants to book with me.  As I went into the sanctuary, it was refreshing to be back in the fellowship of other women.  I was able to spend some time with our Children's Minister who has been diligently praying for and checking up on our baby who's been having some medical challenges.  It was nice to see some familiar friends, some I've known for years and some I've just met.  It was also nice to meet some new women who've recently joined our church or who are visiting.  Even though it was the first meeting of the fall session, it was a full lesson.  A refreshed video study, A Woman's Heart:  God's Dwelling Place by Beth Moore.  The audio wasn't working on the overhead screens, so we had to view on a small TV on a cart.  I didn't have the exact amount for the book and there was no change, but our Children's Minister was able to make change for me.  The baby was being loud and wanting to pull everyone's attention to him.  A very sweet lady helped me rock and soothe the baby.  I'm sure it was nice for him to see anyone other than me for even just a few minutes.  Another friend helped soothe a baby, giving the mom a quick break. 

I was truly blessed to be in the house of the Lord today and so touched by the encouragement and support of such godly women.  Now, to carve out time for the daily homework that is part of the workbook study because the Voice has returned, "Do it, God will provide."

When we set our priorities in-line with God's will, He will fill our cup to overflow.  That's not to say there won't be challenges, but that those challenges will be met with a means of fulfillment that can't be matched.   

ChristinaLynn }i{

I was listening to today's sermon, one of a series about running the race with passion.  I heard Pastor Chuck say, "Things don't move from disorder to order unless God is involved."  While he was referring to the theory of evolution and how it couldn't possibly be true, God had a different plan for me this morning. 

He brought a verse to memory, although I couldn't remember it exaclty and I couldn't think of the reference.  So, as I was searching through my Bible's concordance and previous sermon notes, God brought me to these verses:

• James 5:16a - Confess your faults one to another.
• I John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, He is faithful & just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I did eventually find the original verse, but it was quite an interesting path.  The verse I was Matthew 5:23-24:  So if you are standing before the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and suddenly remember that a friend has something against you, leave your sacrifice there beside the altar and go and apologize and be reconciled to him, and then come and offer your sacrifice to God. 

You see, I have a friend that believes she has something against me.  Even though what I originally did wasn't wrong, she was hurt by it.  I have apologized for the hurt.  I have asked God's forgiveness for hurting her.  Then, believing I could "clear the air" with all parties involved, I hurt her again.  I was concerned that I would be offering my sacrifice to God with something in my heart and life that would make my sacrifice unacceptable to God.  God continually brought me to verses to show me that I've tried to do everything I can to make the situation right.  

Unfortunately, it does not work like a giant eraser. There are still hurt feelings on both sides.  There is still quite a bit of awkwardness.  It is something we will both have to work through.  And, I know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

God is good.  All the time!

ChristinaLynn }i{

Seeking a Sign

My devotional today was again an interesting one.  From Luke 11:29-30, Jesus talks about people asking for a sign from God and He says "The Son of Man will be a sign for the people of this time."

We have to be clear here, Jesus was talking about a sign or proof to the doubters.  Phile Ware says, "Let's believe, trusing that what Jesus promises is just as true as God's promise was to send Him!"

I believe this can not only be applied to those seeking Christ, but also to those who know Him, but are struggling in their faith.  We may not receive a sign or a miracle.  The author tells us, "The faith hurdle is to trust when all looks hopeless and the miracle we desire does not happen before our eyes and on our time schedule."   

Mark 9:24 states, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

Even when we believe, we still have unbelief.  How much we believe and how much unbelief we have may vary at times.  As one goes up, the other goes down.  So, the daily life application here is to figure out what makes our belief rise and our unbelief diminish.  It's a truly personal answer and may vary greatly through our circumstances.

"Lord, help my unbelief!  Help me to find the ways that cause my faith to increase.  As I decrease, You increase and my relationship with You grows!" 

ChristinaLynn }i{

Cleaning Out the Bad

I just read an interesting devotional based on Luke 11:24-26.  These verses refer to the time when Jesus cast a demon out of a man.  Jesus went on to say that the demon was cast out, but still existed and was searching for a place to rest.  When the demon could find no suitable place to rest, it went back to the person it had left and found that the person had removed all of the bad, so now there was plenty of room for seven more evil spirits, more evil than even it was, to live inside the man.  Now, the man has more trouble than before.

Ever feel that way?  You got rid of one bad thing only to have seven more show up at your door? 

I know I have!  Sometimes it feels as though we can never win.  We can never get ahead.  Like we are getting rid of the bad, only to have more and more bad take its place.  My husband says regularly that we have too much stress in our lives and we just keep adding more.  And he's right.  So, what do you do?  How do you stop this vicious cycle?

The teaching here is to replace the bad with the good.  Phil Ware says, "We must replace the old bad things with God's presence, power, and purpose in our lives. Let's pursue Jesus and the character and concerns of His kingdom, letting the Holy Spirit fill and empower us and make us truly instruments of grace in God's Kingdom."


"...instruments of grace..."  What does that really mean?  I've often heard the acronym, God's Riches At Christ' Expense.  Merriam-Webster defines grace as unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification and goes on to say:  approval, favor, privilege, reprieve.  The thesaurus also says that grace is a quality that gives something special worth.  Christ's death on the cross certainly gives us special worth.  I believe God expects us to treat others as though they have special worth as well.  After all, He died for them, just as much as He died for us.  Treating others as if they have God's grace, helps further His Kingdom.  But, we must also remember to treat ourselves as if we have special worth.  Filling our hearts, minds and bodies with things that support and encourage that grace. 

You see, if we simply clear out the dust, dirt and cobwebs from our homes we leave room for the dirt, dust and cobwebs to return - along with much more.  We have to add the air purifiers, fresh flowers and scents to make our homes pleasant.  We must continue with daily cleaning and maintenance to keep the dirt and cobwebs from coming back.  We must "pledge" the surfaces to keep the dust from sticking.  The same applies to our hearts and minds.  We must fill our hearts and minds with the things of God to keep the evil from returning - and bringing its friends!


ChristinaLynn }i{

An old Cherokee told his grandson, "My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, & ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, & truth."

The boy thought about it, and asked, "Grandfather, which wolf wins?"

The old man quietly replied, "The one you feed."


ChristinaLynn }i{

It was great to be in the house of the Lord today!!  Pastor Chuck delivered a message titled Run With Passion:  Stoke the Inner Fire based on I Corinthians 12 & 13.  I was blessed to receive this message!

Many of you who have been around the Christian circuit for a while have heard about agape love.  Many of you will say that agape love represents God's unconditional love toward us.  Did you know that our word "agony" comes from the word agape?  Alan Redpath defines it as "the actual absorption of our being in one great passion."  The same work is used to describe man's love of sin and the world in John 3:19 and I John 2:15. 

As Pastor Chuck explained it today, when you look at it that way - we all need a heart transplant and a blood transfusion!  The infections of our heart - anger, envy, pride, jealousy, selfishness - can not simply be removed.  The heart must be opened up.  Each infectious part must be cleansed and the heart allowed to heal before it can function usefully again.  We know that only God's love has the healing power to make this happen.  It's that love that we then need to express to others.  It must live in every crevice of our heart, replacing the infectious, rotting flesh of our sin in order to shine through us to others. 

We know in I Corinthians 13 it says Faith, Hope and Love, but the greatest of these is Love.  I ask you:  Can you have Faith and Hope but not have Love?  Of course you can!  Many who do not believe in God have faith in other people and things.  They still have hope for their uncertain future.  But they can never have the agape love that God uses to heal our hearts.  That love that exudes from those who fully trust in Him and allow Him to slice open their hearts and cleanse them with the love His Son poured out on the cross.  That love doesn't exist without Him.  Without the Faith in an everlasting Messiah.  Without the Hope of an eternity at His feet.

What infections have you been harboring in your heart?

Lord, I have been selfish with the time and resources You have allotted me.  At times this selfishness has led to laziness, anger, envy and jealousy.  Please help me to adjust the microscope of Your Love to focus fully on You.  Remove the infections of my heart through the cleansing power of Your blood and replace it with the Faith of The Messiah who rose again, the Hope of an eternity with You and the agape Love of an all-powerful Saviour!

ChristinaLynn }i{

Great Song!

Heard a great song yesterday at church, as sung by Quarter's Road.  Here's a snip-it:

My God's not dead
He's surely alive!
He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion!

ChristinaLynn }i{

When All of Life Surrounds You

The struggle seems too much

When all of life surrounds you

When there's no one here to talk to

More overwhelming than you knew

When the only one who knows

Has the same burden and the stress

Your heart feels so heavy

To even take a breath

God is the One who understands

He holds you through it all

His shoulders are so broad

But on Him you must call

He's strong enough to take it

But it must come from me

I must give it to Him freely

Or it can never be.

ChristinaLynn }i{

Cherokee Legend

Received this today and just had to share!

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian Youth's' rite of Passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him an leaves him - alone.  He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it.  He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified.  He can hear all kinds of noises.  Wild beasts must surely be all around him.  Maybe even some human might do him harm.  The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold.  It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.

It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him.

He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone.  Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us.  Sitting on the stump beside us.  When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

If you liked this story, pass it on.  If not, you took off your blindfold before dawn.

Moral of the story:

Just because you can't see God, doesn't mean He is not there. 

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."

ChristinaLynn }i{

Francis Chan

A video MUST SEE!



ChristinaLynn }i{

The Lord's Prayer - Part 8

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever.  Amen.

This is our opportunity to make bold declarations of faith, to know that God answers our prayers.  As it says in Psalm 37:4, we know that God is able and willing to give us the desires of our heart because we have examined ourselves to be in His will and asked for His will to be done and we have delighted ourselves in Him.  We can then take a last opportunity to praise Him again for all He has done and all He is doing.

I hope that you all have enjoyed this study of The Lord's Prayer and how we can apply it to our daily prayer lives. 

ChristinaLynn }i{

The Lord's Prayer - Part 7

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil...

This is another segment where we pray for God's help, but we also have to do our part.  We need to equip ourselves for the battle that we are going to face.  Yes, it's a battle.  We are asking God to lead us not into temptation, but also to deliver us from evil when we face temptation.  We will face temptations, one way or another and we have to have ourselves equipped to fight that temptation when it arises. 

This brings us to Ephesians 6:11-18.  Put on the whole armor of God.  The Bible says we should gird our loins with TRUTH and this refers to the most sensitive, delicate parts of our body and spirit to be protected with the truth.  Then, to put on the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS, which is to protect your heart with what is right according to God's standard, not the world's.  Next, we are to READY our feet with the Gospel of peace.  This is to make sure we are ready to share the peace that God offers.  We should then have the shield of FAITH.  The stronger your faith, the easier it will be to defeat and protect yourself from the attacks of the enemy.  Then comes the helmet of SALVATION and the sword of the spirit, the BIBLE.  We must believe in and accept God's gift of salvation and hide His Word in our heart by memorizing Scriptures to be prepared for the battle.  Lastly, we learn that we must PRAY in the spirit, which is to pray according to God's will as we discussed in The Lord's Prayer - Part 4.

You can read more about another post on my previous blog about the armor of God here. 

ChristinaLynn }i{