Starting With Our Spiritual Armor

I started writing a blog on Monday night, and spent three hours working on it, and almost done, it got deleted somehow.  I have been having a few episodes where that has been happening, and almost losing the blog, but had always been able to save it in the end, somehow.  Not this time.  I took a few days off, because I was extremely discouraged by putting in so much time and effort, just to have it disappear on me.  Yesterday, I was thinking about it, and I thought, it's not lost, somewhere out there in cyberspace, it is making an impact.  An angel, a demon, or one of those great clouds of witnesses that are up in heaven, has seen that blog, and been impacted by it.  I was impacted by it.  So, forgive me for having a mini meltdown, but I am back to business.  (when I say a demon may be impacted, they are impacted by the fact that I am giving Jesus honor and worship, they don't like it, so it is a weapon in their face.  That is what I mean by that.).
As I was praying to God about my meltdown, I felt like He was telling me, to work on something He has been laying on my heart to do.  A long time ago, I was totally impacted by our spiritual armor and what it means to us.  What each piece does, and how we need to think of it, as we put it on.  So, today I will be writing the verses that talk about our spiritual armor, and then on future blogs, I will be going over each piece of that armor.
In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].
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 the deceits of the devil.
For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the depotisms against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your grouond on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].
Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude (righteousness) and right standing with God.
And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.
Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].
And take up the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.
Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty.  To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people).     Ephesians 6:10 - 18
For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we do not belong either to the night or to darkness.
Accordingly then, let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us keep wide awake (alert, watchful, cautious, and on our guard) and let us be sober [calm, collected, and circumspect].
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, get drunk at night.
But we belong to the day; therefore, let us be sober and put on the breastplate (corslet) of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation.  I Thess. 5:5-8
And He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor [no one to intervene on behalf of truth and right]; therefore, His own arm brought Him victory, and His own righteousness [having the Spirit without measure] sustained Him.
For [the Lord] put on righteousness as a breastplate or coat of mail, and salvation as a helmet upon His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal [and furious divine jealousy] as a cloak.  Isaiah 59:16-17

My dear friends and family, think on these words tonight or tomorrow.  Let them sink deep into your heart.  Meditate on what God is speaking to you about them.  I eagerly look forward to sharing this with you on Saturday night.  I have to take tomorrow off, as it is Kaylee's birthday, and we will be celebrating her wonderful place in our family.  God bless you all.  Love you my dear ones.

Sowing and Reaping

Today our Pastor Dave and Pastor Fred did a tag team effort on their sermons about tithing.  Both pastors brought great insight and knowledge about what tithing is and isn't.  One thing that is very clear in our tithing, is that we need to do it for God and not for ourselves.  What I mean is that when we give, if we are giving to get something from God, we have already lost what we were hoping for.

We need to give out of an abundant heart of love towards God, not for what we can gain.  I have always loved tithing, and I even had some trouble once, because I gave some pennies, and for some reason, it was a problem.  I don't know why, I just remember everyone asking me if I had given that money, and I told them, "yes, I did, but I didn't understand what the problem was."  I guess it might have been a specific amount given that blew them away, or I have no clue, but it left me with a determination to give, even if no one else understood why I gave, or how I gave.  I was going to give, like God always led me to give.  Freely and completely.

There is a verse in the Bible that talks about us reaping what we sow.  The world calls it "Karma", but it has been in the Bible a long time.  It is a truth that many of us are just learning about, but it is true nonetheless.  I have been led by God to give flowers from time to time.  I never know why He has led me to do so, but I have done it in faith.  In the years since I have done that, I have reaped lovely bouquets of flowers of all kinds.  Star of Davids, fresh flowers from gardens, these lovely Narcissus blooms that a friend gave me for a birthday gift.  Flowers from my husband and children, tulips, and so many more precious blessings.  I have found that the kindness of remembrance to ease a hurting heart, has been more than replenished in my life, at times when I, too, needed those lovely blooms to help me along.

What have you sown lately?  Good or bad?  Truth or lies?  Help or a turned back?  Have you sown into God's Kingdom by tithing?  Truly that is the most awesome gift given to us.  I recently sent a tithe to someone who God had laid on my heart to give to.  This person ministers to the Lord, by helping others with no hope of being given payment for her time and effort.  God told me she is His minister, and that I was to seed into her life.  The gift I gave to her, has enabled her to get a computer to help in even more ways.  She had been trusting God for the money, and Isolino and my obedience, helped her to do that.  Now, we have a part in her ministry, because of that seed that was sown.  When we give to our local church bodies, we help them to help others that need help.  Because of our little church body, people in disaster areas have been helped.  We have a few husband and wife teams that go out and help in these disaster areas and their help is vital to those in such need.  One husband went to Haiti a few times, and his sharing of that time was tremendous.  We are part of that, through our fellowship together, and how our church seeds into this ministry.

You may not always agree with how the money is spent or what its going for, but your job is to not give to the church because you agree with them, but because God has placed you there, and you are called to support your local body.  You are to be giving to God, not man anyway.  So, if you think you are giving to man, by tithing to the church, then you have already gotten it wrong.  What the people of the church do with that money, is even a greater place of obedience.  You see, once you give, they are answerable to God in how they use that money.  You are the one that has acted in obedience to give as God lays on your heart to give.