Monthly Archives: November 2014

November 14, 2014 · 5:00 AM

10 Scriptures On Obedience

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1. An undisciplined, self-willed life is puny; an obedient, God-willed life is spacious. (Proverbs 15:32 MSG)

2. Samuel said, “Which does the Lord prefer: obedience or offerings and sacrifices? It is better to obey him than to sacrifice the best sheep to him. (1 Samuel 15:22 GNB)

3. [Live] as children of obedience [to God]; do not conform yourselves to the evil desires [that governed you] in your former ignorance [when you did not know the requirements of the Gospel]. (1 Peter 1:14 AMP)

4. Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. (Ephesians 6:1 NLT)

5. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; (Isaiah 1:19 AMP)

6. Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, (Titus 3:1 ESV)

7. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:19 NLT)

8. For as the human body apart from the spirit is lifeless, so faith apart from [its] works of obedience is also dead. (James 2:26 AMP)

9. “Preach to the people of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem. Tell them this: ‘This is GOD ’s Message, the Message of Israel’s God to you. Anyone who does not keep the terms of this covenant is cursed. The terms are clear. I made them plain to your ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt, out of the iron furnace of suffering. “‘Obey what I tell you. Do exactly what I command you. Your obedience will close the deal. You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours. This will provide the conditions in which I will be able to do what I promised your ancestors: to give them a fertile and lush land. And, as you know, that’s what I did.’” “Yes, GOD,” I replied. “That’s true.” “‘Obey what I tell you. Do exactly what I command you. Your obedience will close the deal. You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours. This will provide the conditions in which I will be able to do what I promised your ancestors: to give them a fertile and lush land. And, as you know, that’s what I did.’” “Yes, GOD,” I replied. “That’s true.” (Jeremiah 11:4-5 MSG)

10. I will give them a new heart and a new mind. I will take away their stubborn heart of stone and will give them an obedient heart. (Ezekiel 11:19 GNB)

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November 13, 2014 · 5:00 AM

Double Rainbows

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It wasn’t long ago that I was driving home from woke when I saw this double rainbow. It was so brilliant that people (myself included) were pulling over to take photos of it. Anyone who has read the Bible knows that God placed the rainbow as a sign to remember His promise to not flood the earth again. But, when I see a double rainbow, I think it must mean something extra special. When I I think of two promises side by side in the Bible, I think of God’s promises to care for orphans and widows because they’re usually mentioned together.

One of the promises is found in Psalm 68:5. David wrote that God is a father to the fatherless and a protector of widows. He knew God as much as anyone in the Bible and he wrote that about Him. In Deuteronomy 10:18, Moses said, “God ensures orphans and widows receive justice.” He wrote that after spending forty days and nights in God’s presence. It’s clear that God Himself has made a covenant with both orphans and widows as much as He had with Noah.

God has used ordinary men and women throughout history to be a father to the fatherless and a champion of widows. He has always looked for men and women who would step up and answer that call. Today is no different than any other time since the world was made. God wants to use people who are willing to say, “Here am I. Use me.” His invitation goes out, but only a few ever respond. What God does with those few is nothing short of amazing. Just like Jesus multiplied the fish and the bread, He multiplies the affect one can when fulfilling His promises to others.

Every day people choose to give of their time, their resources and abilities to help Coreluv make a difference. What started as one family responding to that call has led to thousands giving to defend orphans so that the fatherless could have fathers. The defenseless now have advocates working tirelessly so that they have food, shelter, clean water, education, job skills and the medical care they need. God is fulfilling His covenant to the orphan and the widow through people like you and me when we partner with organizations like that.

There is no greater joy than to be the very fulfillment of God’s promises. There is not a better way to store up treasures in Heaven than to be a father to the fatherless and a champion of widows. When I see a double rainbow, I smile because I know that God is reminding me that He has promised to care for orphans and widows and in some small way, I get to be a part of it. My hope and prayer is that the next time you see a double rainbow, you’ll think of orphans and widows and answer His call with, “Here am I. Use me.”

November is Orphan Awareness month. If you would like to find out more about how you can help defend orphans and widows, click here and select “Get Involved”. I personally partner with this organization and have seen first hand how my money is put to use. Pray and ask God how you can be a part of fulfilling His promise to orphans and widows.

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November 12, 2014 · 6:32 AM

Overflowing With Hope

“Let us hold fast the confession of [our] hope without wavering, for He who promised [is] faithful.” Hebrews 10:23 NKJV

Hope is defined as “to expect with confidence.” Another definition states “to desire with expectation.” The fact that “hope” occurs sixty-nine times in the New Testament (NKJV) is significant. Many scholars and such emphasize faith, grace and love but hope is also important!

Hope is what we can hang on to in our sometimes uncertain and unsettling world.

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,” Hebrews 6:19 NKJV

An anchor keeps a boat from randomly roaming the waves. It prevents the vessel from drifting off course. The anchor provides stability, allowing the boat to stay in a designated position. We need an anchor of hope to keep us from drifting or becoming caught up in currents that can get us off course. 

Hope affords us God’s peace and presence in the midst of those circumstances we can’t comprehend. Hope is the confident expectancy of God’s hand to keep us firmly planted in His will no matter what is going on around us.

We are often programmed to believe our best results stem from our best efforts. And yes that is often true to a certain degree. However, I have found that in matters where I have been truly helpless, unable to physically affect the changes I want to see, it has been hope for God’s best that has held me together and delivered the best outcomes.

I have often heard individuals state they were “afraid to get their hopes up.” They allow their fear of disappointment to override a faith for their future.

Yet, I am afraid not to get my hopes up. Without hope, some of the more mundane aspects of life would overwhelm me. Hope keeps me afloat and on top of those waves that threaten to overtake me.

Hope is necessary. 

Rarely are our lives stress free and smooth sailing all the time. God knows we need the anchor of hope to keep us in Him as we traverse stormy waters and trials that threaten to pull us under.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our heats by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5: 1-5 NKJV

Many people are merely existing instead of living because they are hopeless. They have no positive expectation for their future. A lack of desire or vision for the future places people at risk to be moved by any current (trend, idea, deceit) that would float them aimlessly along instead of being firmly anchored in God and His best for their lives.

Hopelessness forces people to rely on themselves and their own (often inadequate) efforts for the fulfillment they are desperate for. Disappointments in life can surely bring most of us to the brink of hopelessness. Yet, we are instructed to hold on and not “cast away” our confidence in God.

If you have lost hope, God can make you hopeful once more. What should you hope for? Ask God.

The more we seek God, the more He speaks to us.

God gives us dreams, ideas, visions, promptings, confirmations and declarations. God stirs within us the things we truly desire, can work toward, pray for and confidently await.

Dare to stir up your hope! You’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain.

“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope,” Romans 15:4 NKJV

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” 
Hebrews 10:35-36 NKJV

This guest post was written by Lilka Raphael. You can find more of her writings and musings at BisforBlessed.com and GodAutismAndMe.com. She has written two devotional books: “P is for Prayer” and “God and the Garden”.

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November 11, 2014 · 6:00 AM

The Prayers Of Paul

Paul lived an incredible life. He went from an aggressive persecutor of the church to an aggressive follower of Jesus Christ. He was shipwrecked three times, bitten by a venomous snake, stoned and left for dead, deathly ill for over a year, imprisoned and eventually beheaded. Yet he would write two thirds of the New Testament and stay firmly fixed on his calling to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul was probably able to do all this because of his strong prayer life. Each of his letters to the churches are filled with him praying for them and asking for very focused prayers for himself. His recorded prayers are not long but they are powerful. Paul is very consistent with his prayers through each Epistle and Ephesians provides us with a great example.

When you have a chance I suggest that you start by reading Ephesians 1:1-23. Paul begins in verse two by praying a blessing of grace and peace over the church. (This was a standard greeting of the day and used by other Apostles). Grace and Peace are such powerful words. When you actually look at the original Greek, you see that Paul prayed for the Ephesians to be “lavished” with Grace and Peace. If you think about it, when you have God’s grace and His peace, what else do you really need? His grace is given to you freely. You don’t have to work for it and you don’t need to be good to earn it. His peace is complete; it is greater than our circumstances. Our circumstances may be difficult at times but His peace will see us through every time. It is a peace that invades our thoughts and emotions.

Paul then uses verses 3-14 to praise God and remind the Ephesians of the good things they have received from God. When life is hard, it is easy to forget the blessings that God has lavished upon us. Paul reminded them (and now reminds us) of how we have been adopted by God and how we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus. It is so easy to forget all of the good things that God has done for us. Paul wanted to be sure they never forgot the gift of the Holy Spirit and that we are counted as God’s very own possession. On a regular basis it is important to write down how God has blessed your life. When did He show up when you thought you had no hope? Then weave into your prayers those events along with Paul’s reminders.

In verses 15-23 Paul begins to thank God for the Ephesians and prays that they will receive God’s wisdom and revelation and that they would know Him better. Paul makes sure they know that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is working in their own lives and that same power works in our life.

At the end of Ephesians, Paul asks for the church to pray for him. When he wrote this Epistle he was in prison. One would think he would ask them to pray for him to be set free. However, Paul saw beyond his current circumstances to something greater. He asked them to pray that he would preach with boldness. In Ephesians 6:19 he asks that he could speak “fearlessly” (NIV). He is in prison, in chains and all he asks for is the ability to preach fearlessly.

Let’s break it down to the few key points of Paul’s prayer:

1. Pray for the Grace and Peace of God to be lavished on you, your family and for others.
2. When you pray take time to remember the work of salvation and remember the specific blessings God has worked in your life.
3. Pray for yourself and others that you may know God in an ever deeper and richer way.
4. Pray beyond your circumstances. God is madly and passionately in love with you. He cares about your needs but something happens when we focus our prayers on a greater cause, a cause where you will live out his perfect and good will. If we have God’s grace and peace and pray beyond our circumstances, I am sure God will meet our needs in the right way.

These thoughts are not intended to be the only way we pray. My hope is that they will become a starting place so that your prayer life will grow richer and more effective.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the prayers of Paul. What other key elements stand out to you?

Jon Stallings is a bi-vocational pastor and blogger from Stockbridge GA. He is co-pastor, along with his wife Janice, of Life Church in Conyers Ga. He also works for a technology company in Atlanta. Jon is passionate about helping others live out their own God given calling. He blogs about faith, leadership and life at www.jonstallings.com. You can also connect with him on twitter @jonstallings

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November 10, 2014 · 6:00 AM

Being Little Children

It becomes increasingly difficult to remember what it was like to just be a kid. Running around in the woods behind our house, picking blackberry’s along trails, or making mud-pies in our dirt driveway. I fear that we are not growing-up as much as we are dumbing-down. Why do we let the creativity, passions, and the joy of life taper off as we get older? Who said that we were supposed to stop playing in puddles or gazing at the stars for hours? I’m reminded of what Matthew 18:3 tells us Jesus said, “‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven’.” I’ve heard many commentaries on this passage of scripture over the years, and I think many of them miss the mark. Yes, it is true that we need to have a child-like faith and we need to be open, receptive, and trusting toward God. But, there is a freedom that children have, a resilience they possess that has all but vanish from us by the time we enter adulthood.

True, it is utterly impossible for us to “become like little children” in the natural. For that matter, we can’t do it mentally or figuratively without divine intervention. The biggest problem with this idea, the Jesus-curve-ball if you will, is that he was asking everyone to be something that they had spent the better part of their lives trying not to be! Think about it. We can probably all recount the days of wishing, in hopeful naivety, about how great it was going to be when we were teenagers, or 20-something, married, etc. We literally wished our lives away. Now, here sits Jesus telling everyone they can’t even get into his Kingdom unless they start acting like little children – little, clueless, simple-minded, needy, helpless children. But what if he knows something we don’t? I know, it’s a stretch of the imagination to say the God of the universe, creator of both seen and unseen, could know things in greater depth than you and me. Notwithstanding, what if he is trying to bring us back to a place of wonderment and innocence. What if he is trying to free us from our need to be in-control, and independent?

I would wager that Jesus is saying that he desires for each of us to simply give-up. Imagine how different would the world look to you if you became a child again? We couldn’t reach the tall shelf in the closet. We couldn’t lift the heavy branch that fell in the back yard. We wouldn’t be able to touch the pedals in the car or reach the steering wheel. But we would know who to ask for help. I’ve watched my own kids risk life and limb to climb cabinets and strain while attempting to lift an impossibly heavy object. My kids always knew that they were just one prayer (or request) away from getting exactly what they need. Maybe Jesus is asking us to stop all the trying and striving to be “grown-ups” and humble ourselves to simply ask – simply trust. This I know for sure, he is eager and willing. The question is, are we?

This post was written by Chris Brown. He serves as the Director of the School of Missions for coreluv.org and is a worship leader. You can find more of his life perceptions at beingaltered.com.

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November 7, 2014 · 5:30 AM

10 Scriptures On Forgiving Others

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1. Smart people know how to hold their tongue; their grandeur is to forgive and forget. (Proverbs 19:11 MSG)

2. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your failings and shortcomings. (Mark 11:26 AMP)

3. For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Matthew 6:14 AMP)

4. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. (Colossians 3:13 NLT)

5. Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. (Galatians 6:1-3 MSG)

6. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop. (Mark 11:25 AMP)

7. If you want people to like you, forgive them when they wrong you. Remembering wrongs can break up a friendship. (Proverbs 17:9 GNB)

8. “Be alert. If you see your friend going wrong, correct him. If he responds, forgive him. Even if it’s personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, ‘I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,’ forgive him.” (Luke 17:3-4 MSG)

9. Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ. (Ephesians 4:32 GNB)

10. Now is the time to forgive this man and help him back on his feet. If all you do is pour on the guilt, you could very well drown him in it. My counsel now is to pour on the love. (2 Corinthians 2:8 MSG)

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November 6, 2014 · 6:19 AM

Spiritual Supplements

If you’re like me, you have no shortage of friends who either take supplements or sell them. I have friends who take supplements to lose weight, to gain weight and muscle, to be healthier and to fight off infections. There are supplements for just about everything. My friends who take them talk about the benefits they receive constantly. They understand that to get the complete nutrition their body needs, they have to take these supplements. It’s not so different with our faith.

We constantly need to be giving our spirit nutrition through God’s Word, books that help us grow and godly fellowship. Peter understood that in order to grow our faith, we needed to supplement it. In II Peter 1:5-7 he said, “Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self control, and self control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.” That’s a lot of supplements.

I love how he said to supplement your faith with a generous provision. That means we shouldn’t hold back on these. We need to load up on them. I don’t know anyone who couldn’t use more of any of these. The first thing he said to add to our faith was moral excellence. One version of the Bible translated that as goodness. Be good to others. Show the love of Christ through your actions. The next was knowledge. I believe we are to be knowledgeable in the Word of God as well as other areas of life. In order to be a more effective witness for Christ, you have to be more knowledgeable about what others believe and why.

The next one isn’t one many of us like to add. Self control is a tough pill to swallow. We expect it out of others, but rarely hold ourselves accountable for it. Having self control helps us to live more effective lives. He coupled self control with patient endurance. Those two work together. We need to be patient as God is working in our lives. It’s not easy and often it hurts, but the end result is beautiful. Don’t run from what God is doing. Exercise self control and patiently endure all that a God is doing. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is your faith.

Next, Peter said to supplement our faith with godliness. He saved the harder things for last I think. It’s important that we live godly lives so others can see a difference in how we live. A life with supplemented faith lives differently than a life of no faith. To that, he told us to add brotherly affection. Jesus said that the world would know us by our love for one another. It’s time we quit arguing with other believers on our differences and started finding the common ground we share. When we do that, we will begin to replace the arguments with brotherly affection.

Peter capped off all of this with an important one. The final thing in this list to supplement our faith with is love for everyone. We’ve got to find ways to demonstrate the love that Jesus showed those who didn’t agree with Him and put Him on the cross. He didn’t go to the cross yelling about how they were going to Hell. Instead, He was praying for their souls and offering to meet them in Paradise. We’ve got to find a way to show that kind of love to those who don’t agree with our faith or lifestyle. That’s how we will win them over. We get to that point by taking spiritual supplements.

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November 5, 2014 · 6:15 AM

Prayer: God Never Changes

Lord,

I want to start off by praising you for giving me another day to live. I don’t want to take any day you give me for granted. I know all too well that things can change instantly. I’m thankful that you have provided for my needs. You have given me all that I have and made sure that I have more than enough. Even through lean times, you have sustained me to ensure I didn’t go without the necessities of life. In times of plenty and in times of poverty, you have supplied all of my needs.

I’ve learned throughout my life that you are consistent. As I watch the seasons change, I’m reminded that you never change. It seems as though everything changes here, but I can count on you never changing. Your love for me doesn’t depend on what time of year it is, how well I serve you or how much money I have. It is constant as well. I’m reminded of the scripture in Romans 5:8 that says, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Your love isn’t conditional. It never changes.

In a world of changing situations and changing people, it’s good to know you never do. You are my rock and my foundation. I can always rely on and trust in you because I know you will always be there for me. When people have deserted me, you have stood by me. When people have failed me, you have never let me down. When others have knocked me down, you were the one who picked me up. I have learned to put my trust in you rather than in others. Thank you for your faithfulness.

Help me to forgive those who have failed me, let me down or hurt me. Help me to seek forgiveness from those I’ve hurt, let down or failed. There’s not one of us who are perfect. There’s not one who doesn’t need grace from another or from you. Teach me how to give your type of love, forgiveness and grace to others. I want to be proactive in demonstrating the kind of love you have shown me. I know I have a long way to go, but you are the one who can help me get there.

I now pray for those who have wronged me in some way. Bless them, Lord, instead of cursing them. Show them the same compassion you showed to me. I can hear your words as you prayed for those who put you there: “Father, forgive them.” I pray the same for those who have wronged me in some way because I know it was a part of your plan to get me where you needed me and to make me who you wanted me to be. Help them to find their forgiveness in you. May they see you as the unchanging rock you are and learn to trust in you rather than to hurt others.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen.

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November 4, 2014 · 7:05 AM

Not “It”!

I remember playing chasing games as a kid. To determine who was “it”, we would all say, “Not it,” and the last one to say it was “it”. If we didn’t like the outcome, we’d try it again. “1-2-3- not it!” At the dinner table, the person who had to pray was the last one to the table and had their thumb up with their hand resting on the table. We’d rush to the kitchen to sit down and have our thumb up so we wouldn’t be “it”. So much of our lives we rush and do our best to not be “it”. When something needs to be done, we’d rather that someone else do it rather than us volunteer for it.

In Isaiah 6, he speaks of going to Heaven and seeing The Lord. When he realized what was happening, he panicked. He realized he was unworthy to be there. During his panic, an angel flew to him with a burning coal from the altar and touched his lips. The angel said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and you sins are forgiven.” Just then he heard The Lord ask, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” Instead of saying, “Not it,” or putting his thumb up, Isaiah said, “Here I am. Send me.”

He volunteered for a job that many of us have tried to get out of most of our lives. We use the excuse that we are not qualified to go on His behalf. But all through scripture, God uses the least qualified. He likes to use the least qualified because it makes the outcome that much greater of a testimony to His ability. We also use the excuse of, “I’m not perfect” or “I have too many sins to be used by God.” That’s what was happening to Isaiah when the angel came and removed his sins. God doesn’t need someone perfect to carry out His plan, He needs someone willing.

When you look at the imperfect people that God did the most amazing things through, it shows He can use anyone. Moses had a low self esteem and anger issues, yet he delivered Israel from Egypt. David committed adultery and murder, yet he is the most famous King of Israel and wrote most of Psalms. Peter was impulsive and ran his mouth too much, yet Jesus told him that he would be the cornerstone for the Church. Paul persecuted Christians and killed them, yet God used him to win thousands and to write most of the New Testament. There’s no excuse we can give as to why God can’t use us. It comes down to agreeing to say, “Yes. Here am I.”

You don’t have to be afraid of what God has called you to do. You don’t have to worry about failure. Even if you fail doing what God asks, you are successful in His eyes because you stepped out in faith. Failure is the greatest stepping stone to success and obedience is the greatest stepping stone to miracles. God is looking for the person who relishes being last to get their thumb up and will volunteer to say, “It!” Isaiah did and God used him in a mighty way. Who knows what God can accomplish through all of your imperfections. My guess is it will be nothing short of amazing.

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November 3, 2014 · 6:46 AM

The War Of The Mind

This weekend, I heard the song “Courageous” by Casting Crowns. It had been a while since I heard it. There was one part that resonated in me. The line said, “In the war of the mind I will make my stand.” I forget sometimes that there is a constant war going on in my mind to decide who gets to control my thoughts. I’m the type of person who can get caught up in my thoughts so much that I don’t hear anything going on outside my mind (my wife can attest to this!). I can be looking right at you and not hear anything because of what I’m thinking.

The war of the mind and the battle for your thoughts is important. Your thoughts determine how you feel. When you first wake up, what thoughts go through your mind? That determines how you feel about the day. Then, the way you feel about things determines how you act. If those feelings are negative, you don’t want to get up, so you hit the snooze. If they’re positive, you get up ready to face the day. All of your actions, both positive and negative, begin with your thoughts. That’s why Satan usually attacks there first.

Think of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 3, Eve was minding her own business and satan came to her in the firm of a serpent. To create doubt, he asked, “Can it really be that God has said, ‘You shall not eat from every tree of the garden?'” When she explained they could eat from all the tress except one or else they would die, he went after her thoughts again. He said, “You shall not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened.” With those attacks on her thought process, she changed how due felt about the tree.

Verse 6 says, “And when the woman saw that the tree was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.” Can you see the pattern? Her thoughts changed how she saw the tree. At first it was untouchable because God said. Thorn it became suitable and pleasant. Her attitude changed toward the tree. Now it became delightful and desired so she acted on those thoughts and ate. What was once off limits and she would have never considered became desired all because she lost the war of the mind.

I think that why Paul wrote in Ephesians 6 about the necessity of the Full Armor of God. In verse 11, he wrote, “Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which
God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and deceits of the devil.” As he listed out the different pieces of armor, salvation was a helmet. The helmet protects your head. It was symbolic of protecting your mind against the thoughts that come from the enemy to get you to do wrong.

If you’re struggling with the war of the mind, go to Ephesians 6:10-18 and read it. Put on the Armor of God so you can withstand the attacks of the enemy. God did not leave you helpless in this battle. He gave you this armor and the Holy Spirit to help you. Don’t buy into your thoughts that give you negative feelings and cause you to do things that you would have never considered before. Be honest with a close friend to have them pray for you and to hold you accountable. You can win this war by protecting your thoughts. You can stand up to the strategies and deceits the enemy brings. You don’t have to repeat Eve’s mistake.

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