It Might Be Spiritual Warfare If . . . .

1. You woke up this morning.  Seriously, spiritual warfare is all around us. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, "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."

2. You feel condemnation. Romans 8:1-2 assures us that we who are in Christ Jesus have been freed from  condemnation. However, we have an enemy that continually threatens us with the feeling that we deserve God's judgment. The enemy is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44) As a child of God, you have the right to remind your enemy that the victory over your soul has already been won.

3. You feel torn between sinful desires and what the Spirit desires. Romans 8:5-8 makes it very clear that those who are saved have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. Those who are not saved are hostile to God. They cannot submit to God, and they are unable to please Him. If you repeatedly yield to temptation, you are losing the battle for your soul. Give your heart and mind to the Holy Spirit.

4. You feel powerless. Romans 8:9-11 promises that we have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead living in us when the Spirit lives in us. Does the Spirit live in you? He alone can empower you to win your spiritual battles.

5. You aren't sure if the Spirit is leading you. Romans 8:12-14 makes it clear that the sons of God are led by the Spirit. How often are you seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit? He will lead you in the path of life. Sin only leads to death.

6. You are a slave to fear. The enemy fills you with fear. The Spirit confirms in your spirit that you are God's child. As a co-heir with Christ, you have no need to live in fear. (Romans 8:15-17)  Your Father will conquer your fear when you allow Him to do so. 

Even though satan knows that his fate is sealed and that he will lose the final battle, he is waging war for as long as he is allowed to rule this world. Are you going to allow him to win any more battles in your life? What is keeping you from surrendering your life to Christ? His promises are true. Let your mind be controlled by the Spirit, and he will give you a life of peace.

Share your story of spiritual warfare in the comments!

Amazing Daughter Post

My amazing daughter brings me so much joy!

I don't often post on social media regarding my amazing daughter, Jacque. She does not enjoy the spotlight and much prefers staying in the background. She has given me instructions not to tag her in pics because it blows up her phone. I'm more likely to send her a private message, or text her a link, or pick up the phone so I can hear her sweet and soothing voice.

If you've never had a Jacque hug, then you haven't felt true love. The thing her daddy and I missed the most when she went off to college was our Jacque hugs. She is forever our Baby Jacque, no matter how grown up she thinks she is. I also missed our "I love you more" contests. She always seemed to one-up me with something like, "I love you to infinity and beyond," or something else immeasurable. She would be proud that I just used thesaurus.com to find the word "immeasurable." Jacque loves language, and she writes with a giftedness that inspires her readers. She also loves to read, and her imagination enables her to travel the world and the universe. Her intelligence impresses me. She is just an amazing girl.

Jacque's spiritual giftedness lies in her servant heart. "I just really enjoy helping others, Mom." Her freshman year in college, she started her professional organizing business "Sorting Etc." She combines her helping skills with her slight tendency to be OCD and creates workable systems for people to gain control over their cluttered lives. She has this incredible gift of bringing calm out of chaos as she helps others make life-impacting decisions. Jacque's favorite thing about her high school years was being a mentor to girls younger than her. She beamed when they called her "Mom." Her inspiration comes from drawing out the creativity hidden in others, especially when others lack confidence in themselves.

It has been fun for me as Jacque's mom to see her personal confidence flourish. Jacque is naturally shy and introverted; so it was super fun for us to watch her first solo performance of her original oratory at a drama competition. Her natural sarcasm oozed from every syllable as she delivered her speech. It was delightful to hear the audience laugh at her wit. She usually saves her wisecracks for close friends and family. Jacque's greatest triumph was winning a medal for being State Runner-up in drama. Jacque's confidence also grew by leaps and bounds as she participated on her academic team. She claims that her greatest high school accomplishment was being the captain of her academic team her senior year. She was proud that she could put her communication and encouragement skills to good use as she helped her team excel.

Some may find it hard to believe, but Jacque was a very stubborn child. If it wasn't her idea, Jacque would not do it. Her number one trick was that she would not smile. "I lost my smile," she would pout, and it was everyone else's job to hunt for the elusive happy face. Most often, we could find it hidden in someone's pocket. Her grandma and I like to blame her stubborn streak on her daddy, because her mama was as compliant as they come. "I don't know how you do it," my mom would say. Well, I'll tell you how I did it, I prayed and prayed. I prayed that God would shape the stubbornness in both of my children into the God-given character of persistence. I prayed that God would use that trait to mold my children into leaders and not followers, to be people who could stand up for what was right in the face of strong opposition. I am especially grateful that God heard my prayer and answered it one hundred percent.

So, now that my Baby Jacque really is all grown up and busting the curve in all of her college classes, I am still praying for her. I pray that she never gives up on her dreams. I pray that she pursues her love for God with passion. Jacque has always loved Jesus, and I miss the songs she made up as a little girl about how wonderful his love for her was. I pray that Jacque can see and hear God as he guides her toward her future. I believe he has huge plans for her, and I don't want anything to get in her way. My heart hurts when she hurts, and I hate it anytime she has to struggle through stressful times. I want life to be easy for her even though I know the best learning takes place in the classroom of adversity.

I want the whole world to see what I see in my amazing daughter. I pray that God surrounds her with people who return the favor of encouragement that she so willingly offers to others. I pray God brings her the perfect mate designed in God's image and that he will love Jesus first and Jacque a very close second. I pray he treats her like the princess she is, because she is a daughter of the King of kings. I pray they will have a love relationship like Jacque's daddy and I do. I pray they can serve God with the power of the Holy Spirit and be world changers. I pray that Jacque will have the courage to change the world in spite of the people around her. I pray that Jacque will know and believe that she is the amazing daughter I know her to be. Being Jacque's mama is the greatest assignment I could ever hope for, and it brings me unending joy!

I Do What I Hate

It's the age-old struggle with sin. We all do it. We may ask God's forgiveness for a sin one minute, and we're right back at it the next.

The two sin habits I struggle with repeatedly are busyness and worry. I get overwhelmed, stressed out, and burned out because I work, work, work instead of asking God to plan my days. I freak out about finances rather than trusting God to provide all I need. I tell myself not to worry, but that's like saying, "Do not think about a pink elephant." As soon as I say it, that's all I can think about. You know what I mean?

This is what Paul was talking about in Romans 7:7-25. He said that before he studied God's law, he didn't know what sin was. Once he understood what sin was, it seized him by the throat and brought him death. God's law reveals to us that we are utterly hopeless without a Savior. We need Jesus!

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." Romans 7:15, 18, 20  I've always been puzzled by Paul's tongue twister in this passage, but I often feel the same way about my own sin. I wonder if this is where we get the phrase, "The devil made me do it"? Do you need to confess your sin to God and ask him to help you get off the merry-go-round? Find an accountability partner to help you.

Romans 7:24-25  This is the hope of the gospel! While we were wretched and completely drowning in sin, God rescued us! Thanks be to God! Our Savior is Jesus Christ our LORD! Hallelujah, what a Savior!!