Tag: Love Pray Fish

The Full Armor of God

“The Armor of God is a metaphor in the Bible found in Ephesians 6:10 – 18 that reminds Christians about the reality of spiritual battle and describes the protection available.  The full armor of God comprises of the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit”, Christianity.com (2019).

Ephesians 10 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints”, Bible Gateway KJV (2021).

10” In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. 11 Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. 13 Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. 14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having [b]tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), 15 and having [c]strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. 16 Above all, lift up the [protective] [d]shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God”, Bible Gateway Amplified (2021).

The first piece of the Armor of God mentioned is the Wide Band of Truth (tightened) meaning personal integrity, and moral courage.  As a Christian it is vitally important to keep our personal integrity intact, in other words we need to live our lives with strong morals and values by upholding strong values no matter the situation or who is watching.  If no one is watching, would you still make the same decisions and choices?  The answer should be it doesn’t matter if anyone is watching, we act the same. 

What is moral courage?  Moral courage is standing up for what you know to be right.  An example of not having moral courage is Pilate. “When Jesus was taken before Pilate to be “tried,” Pilate displayed an absence of moral courage. Pilate was the Roman procurator of Judea; he was the highest official representative of Rome who was responsible for administering justice and keeping peace. When Pilate tried Jesus, he found Him innocent of any wrongdoing saying, “I find no fault in this man” (Luke. 23:4). His responsibility at this point was to protect the innocent Jesus from the Jewish Sanhedrin and mob. He should have dispersed the crowd and taken a stand for right, even if he had to employ his Roman soldiers to enforce it”, Mike Willis (2012).

“Like many politicians, however, Pilate lacked the courage of his convictions. He sought to avoid having to take a stand on the issue of Jesus by sending him to Herod. When Herod returned Jesus, Pilate tried to pacify the Jews by releasing a prisoner for them, offering Barabbas and Jesus. He expected that the mob would prefer that Jesus be released rather than Barabbas. When they chose Barabbas over Jesus, his plans were foiled. He then sought to appease the Jews by scourging Jesus (Luke. 23:16), but the Jews still wanted Jesus dead. Finally, Pilate gave in to their will, trying to release himself from the guilt of his sin by washing his hands of the matter (Matthew 27:24). His display did not excuse his sin of lacking the moral courage to do what was right. He gave in to the mob rather than defending what was right”, Mike Willis (2012). 

Another example of not having moral courage is when Peter denied Jesus three times see Mathew 26: 69–75.

Next, the Breastplate of Righteousness.  The Breastplate of Righteousness is equivalent to an upright heart and an upright heart is one without motive.  “When we say that the heart must be upright, we do not merely mean that it should not be crooked. We mean that there should not be any motive or aim in one’s heart. For the elders to oversee the church, they must have a heart that can say before God that their help to the brothers and sisters and their leading of their spiritual pursuit are with absolutely no motive”, The Elders’ Management of the Church, Witness Lee  (2014).

The church I attend recently went through something like this.  Our Pastor left and we formed a pastoral search committee, for more than one and a half years, we searched for a Pastor and we did so without an agenda.  The only agenda we had was what was best for the church and we were successful filling the position. 

Next, the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news].  The Gospel of Peace.  It is so peaceful knowing that as believers, we don’t have to worry about tomorrow.  We live in uncertain times.  We lost someone crossing our main street here in small town America.  And just the day before we lost someone when a train hit a log truck.  Not to mention, all the other things that could happen, heart attack, stroke, tornadoes, flooding and let’s not forget COVID. 

Having peace of mind is invaluable, because of Jesus Christ we can face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news when we do pass, we will have everlasting life in Heaven.

Above all, lift up the [protective] [d]shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Everyday we are attacked by the devil, he will try everything to try and keep us from being a child of God.  He will try anything to get us to question our faith, therefore we must use our shield and our helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit (word of God) to stand firm from the devil’s attacks, especially the word of God.  Every time we are attacked, we should dig deep into the word of God for answers and reassurance.  The more we pray and read the Bible, the more reassurance and protection we have from the devil.

And let’s not forget the Helmet of Salvation.  We can be sure that the devil does lose the battle in the long run.  The Bible tells us so.  We may be attacked while we are here on this earth by the devil, but in the end, in Heaven, there will be no devil.

Are you suited up with the full armor of God?  Are you wearing your Belt of Truth, your Breastplate of Righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, your Shield of Faith, your helmet of Salvation and your sword of the Spirit, because when you do, nothing can touch you, not even the devil!  And rest assured some day we will be in Heaven and it will all be worth it. 

God Bless you, let’s make Jesus famous.  Let’s make Heaven crowded and don’t forget to Love, Pray and Fish. 

Love, Pray, Fish

I think this is going to be my new catchphrase from now on; Love, Pray, Fish

John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  35. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Bible Gateway 2020)  

The World we live in is consumed with so much hate right now, we have people killing each other, we have riots, we have violent protests, Antifa, terrorist groups, and the Corona virus.  The World is a scary place right now.  However, instead of hating, we should love one another, like Jesus told his disciples.

I got up around 530 in the morning the other day and I went fishing, on the way to my favorite fishing spot, I admired a beautiful sunrise.  I was also able to pray and share my thoughts and concerns with God and take in God’s beautiful World he created to include eight deer, what I found interesting was that they were so spread out.  There was one group of three and the other five were scattered out.  I could not believe how many deer I kept seeing.  I arrived at the ponds and jumped into a boat, the fog was lifting off the pond, it was so beautiful, and it gave me a peaceful calming.  I didn’t’ have a care in the world while I was fishing.  It was a great place to escape from the crazy world we live in.

God’s Beautiful Work
Pond relection
Boat
God’s Country
Feeding the Family
Fish Fry

 

Later that day, I had a Pastoral Committee meeting and I told them I went fishing and I didn’t have a care in the world at that time, and one of them said “I wouldn’t go as far as saying that.”

But, what do we really have to worry about?  Yes we live in a sinful world that is being taken over by sin right now, like I stated above, we have the Corona virus running rampant, there are people killing each other, we have violent protesting, and riots, people are blocking the roads, it’s just crazy out there in the World, but what is the ultimate goal of a person of faith, that believes that Jesus died for their sins and we are saved through God’s grace?  It’s to meet our maker in Heaven, right!  I’m not saying I want to get the Corona virus, but as followers of Christ, what do we really have to fear?  Yes, we are persecuted for being different, Yes, we are different, and we have a strong belief in Jesus Christ.  There is a common thread here, being different whether it is what color of skin we have or what country we are from.  So, love like Jesus, pray and give it to God, and fish.  That is what I did.  I was able to relax and forget about all my worries and I fed my family in the process.

 

The Church in Obedience

In our Sunday school lesson this week we are studying being obedient as a Christian.  And while we are not meeting in Sunday school, my wife and I try to keep up with our Sunday lessons. 

In the introduction our lesson states “Sometimes we can complicate the concept of following God.  Following God can be summed up simply as obedience.  This is really all that God demands of His people.  He does not call believers to be perfect, for God knows that perfection is impossible for mortal human beings.  All God asks is that we obey him.  Christianity is really that simple.  This lesson challenges the believer in the area of obedience.  Are you willing to be obedient to God even though it may result in opposition by men?  We find a great example to follow from the apostles as they remained obedient to God despite the opposition they faced.  More firsts develop in Acts 5:17 – 32: the first miraculous escape from prison and the first beating.” (Baptist Expositor Learner/Spring 2020 Witness to Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria: A study of Acts 1-8)      

As Christians we get persecuted because we believe in something that others may not, because we believe in God and that we are saved by God’s grace.  That he sent his only son to die on the Cross for our sins so that we may have eternal life in Heaven.  You can see in the below scripture that the apostles stood fast in their faith in God, even though they knew they were going to be persecuted. 

17 “Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,

18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.

19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,

20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

21 And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

22 But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned and told,

23 Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.

24 Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.

25 Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.

26 Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.

27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,

28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.

29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

33 When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.

34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;

35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.

36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.

37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.

38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:

39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” (Bible Gateway King James Version 2020)

It’s hard to stay the course and have faith as Christians, but that is exactly what we are called to do.  Love, Pray and Fish (more on that later).