Use Your Sword

“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, He was hungry. The devil said to Him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”

~Luke 4:1-4

We have all been tempted at one time or another. I’m tempted every Thanksgiving to eat more pumpkin pie than I should! We talk about temptation without giving it a lot of thought but when Jesus was tempted in the desert, the entire future of mankind was at stake. But Jesus had an answer—the Word of God. No matter what the devil offered, Jesus never offered an opinion, He simply used God’s Word and defeated the devil. What might our lives look like if we approached temptation the same way Jesus did?

“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a Voice from Heaven said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’ (Matthew 3:16-17).”

I find it interesting that it wasn’t until after Jesus was baptized in water and by the Holy Spirit, that He heard the voice of God, and only then did the devil try to divert Christ’s attention away from His God-given purpose. But no matter what the devil said, Jesus answered by using God’s Word. The Word of God is powerful. The Bible says it’s living and active, sharp enough to divide the soul and judge the heart (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word is called the sword of the Spirit and is part of the armor of God (Ephesians 6:17), but like any weapon, we must know how to use it.

“We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, Who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the Word of God, which is at work in you believers (1 Thessalonians 2:12-13).”

Read Hebrews 4-6

© 2018 Marie McGaha

Our Weakest Moments

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

~Ephesians 6:12

Most people have either heard this verse, or used this verse, when someone is having problems, either physical or spiritual. But what does it mean? We might not be in a physical fight, but certainly, we do have emotional and spiritual battles, and we do wrestle with ourselves. And it wears us out. Sometimes, those battles can get so intense that we feel like curling up in a ball and giving up. That’s what satan does to us. He attacks our mind, especially when we have something going on in the physical world. When we’re facing a crisis, have medical issues, financial problems, have lost a loved one, or anything that affects us emotionally, satan uses those moments to attack. He is always there in our weakest moments and kicks us while we’re down.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).”

We are physical beings, we live in the physical world, and we rely on our five senses to tell us what is going on. But when it comes to spiritual forces, our physical senses are useless and satan knows that. When we are under attack by what we can’t see, taste, hear, touch or smell, we can be quickly overcome by fear, doubt, anxiety, worry, and stress. And all of those are in our mind, yet they can quickly take a physical toll on our bodies. We get run down, tired, lose sleep, and it becomes a vicious cycle that overwhelms us and takes us farther from God. But there is something we can do about it—first, pray. Pray. Pray. Pray some more. Especially when we don’t feel like praying. Secondly, praise God. Give the Lord all the glory and praise due His Name for the victory He is giving us in overcoming the devil. Third, worship. Put on worship music and sing. The enemy of our spirit and mind cannot stand in the presence of prayer, praise and worship.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-7).”

Read Hebrews 1-3

©2018 Marie McGaha

Holding Grudges

“So, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” 

~Matthew 5:23-24

People hold grudges. We also hold on to pain caused by others. We feel as if we are owed something by those who have ridiculed and hurt us. We feel as if holding on to those painful events, we are somehow teaching the person we blame a lesson. But we aren’t doing a thing to that person, we are only allowing them to continue to hurt us. Holding on to pain causes resentment and anger that affects every part of our lives and keeps us from being what God wants us to be. When we hold on to past events that hurt us, we are holding on to the person who caused the pain, and we remain their victim.

We can cry out to God to make the pain go away but until we let go of the pain, and the person who caused it, the pain won’t go away. We must let go and forgive those who hurt us if we are to ever be what God wants us to be in Him. Forgiving people who hurt us isn’t easy, but it is possible.

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive (Colossians 3:12-13).” 

It can be easy to think that someone who has hurt us deserves our anger and we shouldn’t have to forgive them. But forgiving those who have hurt us isn’t for them, it’s for us. Unforgiveness causes anger, hatred, and resentment, which can lead us to turn away from God instead of to Him. When we forgive, we are saying, “I am not going to carry this burden any longer. I am giving my burdens over to God and I’m freeing up that place in my heart for the Lord to occupy instead.”

“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).”

Read Philemon

©2018 Marie McGaha

Dancing In Heaven

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head above all.  Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all. In Your hand are power and might, and in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.  And now we thank you, our God, and praise Your glorious Name.”

~1 Chronicles 29:11-13

I was posting our book of the month on my company website this morning and got to thinking of how wonderful the Lord really is. The book is called Signing To The Angels by Claire Muller. It’s the true story of how this wonderful, godly lady and her husband adopted a two-year-old girl no one wanted. Shelly was born deaf and mute, she couldn’t walk or feed herself, yet she was a sparkling little jewel God had created. Shelly only lived to age 21 but in her short life, she touched the lives of all she met. And although I never met her, just by reading this book, Shelly left an indelible mark on my soul.

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:17-20).”

Sometimes, I think we forget how blessed we are, and how much God has done for us because we get bogged down in trials of life. Our five senses are on overload and our lives are filled with the stresses of this world and it can become too much to bear. This life is but for a moment and then it will be over, and what lies beyond is a life with Christ Jesus. A glorious life that we can’t imagine now but will cause this life to fade from memory. Every trial we face, every day we press forward is leading us home to glory in Christ Jesus. We endure using the Lord’s strength, drawing on His wisdom and love, through prayer and worship. And one day, like Shelly, we will be dancing in Heaven on streets of gold.

“So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:10-12).” 

Read Titus

You can see Signing To The Angels by Claire Muller here

© 2018 Marie McGaha

Guard Your Heart

“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”

~Matthew 5:29-30

Modern technology has brought some marvelous innovations. In addition to advances in medicine and healthier living, it has brought us closer together. When I was a child, we never imagined being able to video chat with my grandmother the way I can with my grandchildren now. We have information from across the world at the click of a mouse or the touch of a screen twenty-four hours a day, but we also have the corruption that comes with it. There is nothing meant for good that the devil doesn’t use to corrupt.

“Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in Your ways (Psalm 119:36-37.”

What we watch and listen to may seem harmless, but it isn’t. Whatever comes in through our senses, goes to our hearts. We can’t unsee or unhear anything, and the more that we allow in, the tighter the grip it has. We guard our hearts and mind by guarding what we see and hear.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2).”

Read 2 Timothy

©2018 Marie McGaha

Words Hurt

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

~Ephesians 4:29

I was listening to a woman speak to her young child one day and wondered how she could say the things she did to him. I know people say things to one another that are not meant seriously, but do we really pay attention to the words of our mouth? We say evil things to the ones we love, we call them names when we’re angry, and even in jest, we use crude terms when speaking to others. But once the words are out there, they can’t be unheard or taken back. I remember when I was young, my father called me “Chubs.” I was a chubby child but the teasing I endured for it affected me my entire life. Words hurt.

“The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned (Matthew 12:35-37).”

When we speak to others, we must remember that every word is being recorded in Heaven and we will answer for them. The Bible tells us to make sure our speech is seasoned and full of grace (Colossians 4:6), and to speak in love (Ephesians 4:15), and that harsh words stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1). Everything we see and hear on TV, in social media, and other places are full of foul words, cursing, anger, and crude jokes. When we hear these things, they do invade our subconscious, and eventually, we begin to use the same words. We have to guard our hearts and our ears in order to keep our minds on Christ and our mouths full of lovely words.

“Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.  For whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.  For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil (1 Peter 3:9-12).”

Read 1 Timothy

©2018 Marie McGaha

Love Is A Verb

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”

~Romans 12:19-21

Christian life is much different than life in this world. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. We are to live in peace, help others, feed our enemies, and overcome evil by doing good. That may be contrary to the life we had before accepting Christ as our Savior, but that is what the nature of Christ is all about—changing lives by changing our perspective. And when our perspective changes, how we treat others changes. When we treat others the way Jesus treated people, their perspective changes. Christ did not change the lives of those He met by some magic spell, He changed them through love, one life at a time. And He is still doing that through every person who accepts Him as their Savior.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).”

Love is verb, not a noun—not a feeling but an action. Christ showed love to everyone He met. He showed love by feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and treating people with respect. That may be contrary to the world we live in, nevertheless, we are commanded to love others the way Christ loves us. It doesn’t mean we have to approve of the way someone is living, but it does mean if we can give them a hand to change their life, we should. Actions will always speak louder than words, and when we act in love, we are fulfilling God’s commands.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:7-11).” 

Read 1 Thessalonians; Weekend Reading 2 Thessalonians

©2018 Marie McGaha