Monthly Archives: July 2016

What a Wall Can’t Do

26 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by in National Tragedy

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Broken Wall

 

For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one newman, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. ~ Ephesians 2:14-16, NASB

 

Every time Trump and his Republican supporters say they are going to build a great wall, I think about one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost. That poem is “Mending Wall.”

There are several lines from this famous dramatic monologue that resonate with me, as well as inspire me to be a better human being, a better communicator, and a better neighbor. Those lines are:

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun;
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast. ~ ll. 1-4
 

Oh, just another kind of outdoor game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’ ~ ll. 21-27
 

‘Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.’… ~ ll. 32-36a
 

Frost has conveyed my sentiments, exactly. Indeed, just as the world repeatedly said that there was something about the Berlin Wall—for example—and this “something” wanted it down, then it finally came down, the same will be repeatedly said about any wall that Trump and his Republicans might build between our country and the country of Mexico. Hopefully, it will not have to come down, because it will not be built.

At any rate, before the people on both sides of the Berlin Wall started to dismantle their wall with hammers and picks, and before cranes and bulldozers finally pulled down what was left of that wall, the Berlin Wall NEVER completely stopped people from crossing the border from East to West. I believe the same will be true of any wall that might be built between America and Mexico. It won’t stop Mexicans from illegally crossing the border into America!  Where there’s a will, there always is a way!

The bottom line is that the Berlin Wall divided families and neighborhoods and suppressed human rights. A wall between America and Mexico will do the same things. Therefore, if America is going to build a wall, then all Americans need to ask themselves: What and who are we are really “walling in or walling out”?  Who will our wall “offend”?

Human nature and Mother Nature being what they are, we can be sure that there always will be ‘someone’ and ‘something’ that won’t like a wall. This truth is why I pray that all of the loving, altruistic, humane, generous, and just Americans not only will speak out against this proposed wall but also will do WHATEVER is necessary to guarantee that this proposed wall never gets built. It will be a tragedy if it is erected.  Why?

Building a great wall along the border between America and Mexico—a great wall that will be 1,989 miles long—will be a tragedy because this wall will divide families and suppress the human rights of the undocumented immigrants (in this case, the Mexicans) now living in America who, under a Trump regime, most definitely will get deported—will be sent back to Mexico. For this reason, it is futile to think that said proposed wall will ever be able to “mend” (repair what is broken in) America.

The uncomfortable truth is that not even a “good wall” will make us—Americans and Mexicans—“good neighbors” who are peaceful, loving, caring, fair, unprejudiced, helpful, selfless, and impartial. Only the Holy Spirit of God can develop and perfect these characteristics in us!

Spiritual Warfare Verses’ Supernatural Power Demonstrated Only in Christ’s Soldiers Who Work Them

01 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by in Spiritual

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SpiritualWarfare

 

Many modern-day believers in Christ do not understand that they are fighting an unseen war. These believers fail to understand that an invisible and evil force started this unseen war—they do not comprehend that the mission of this enemy of God is to get as many human beings as he can to be thrown into the Lake of Fire with him. As a result, he will not stop until he reaches his primary goal. Put differently, the devil’s spiritual war against God will never be over in this world until either the devil achieves his main objective or God achieves His Main Purpose.

This above truth is why God’s enemy daily starts battles—those interludes in his war against God that help the devil accomplish small goals that move him forward to his final objective. That is why Christians’ inability to comprehend they are fighting an unseen war in this world is why they repeatedly are defeated—why they suffer so many losses and experience so many downfalls, failures, setbacks, retreats, surrenders, and so on and so forth. In other words, they daily are fighting a losing battle of one kind or another. The final outcome of these defeats is they also lose their war against the forces of evil.

Now, God neither intends for His Children to be ignorant of this unseen war nor intends for His Children to fight this unseen war naked, powerless, and unprepared. God realizes that the fight against His enemy is long—that His Children will be fighting countless battles before His War against the devil will be won in all of His Sons and Daughters’ lives. For sure, God makes it possible for all of His Children to pull off being winners of every battle the devil initiates. Every victory is His Sons and Daughters, because God clothes His Children with His Holy Spirit, whose ministry involves, but is not limited to, filling them with their own spiritual gift(s), giving them a portion of God’s Will, giving them a portion of God’s Faith, equipping them with God’s spiritual Armor, and empowering them with Christ’s supernatural Power and Authority—all of which mean God’s Children then will have His Ability to resist the devil’s fiery darts, as well as God’s Ability to thwart the devil’s evil schemes.

With all of God’s powerful spiritual weaponry and spiritual gifts, and with the desire He gives us to be prepared to do battle, we can face the forces of evil daily, but only if we also read His Word; know His Word; love our God with our whole body, soul, and spirit; exercise our measure of faith; surrender to Christ’s Lordship, cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and are God’s faithful and obedient Children. The bottom line is that God’s ultimate end for us is our spiritual maturity—becoming completely Christlike, having the Mind of Christ, and operating in the Fullness of Christ or the Fullness of the Godhead.

Without a doubt, our spiritual growth—becoming so spiritually mature that we are able to defeat the spiritual battles the devil instigates in our lives—begins with knowing more about what is real in this world as opposed to what is false in this world. In other words, our spiritual maturity begins with us growing in the knowledge of God’s Divine Truths. Knowing His Divine Truths means our spiritual maturity only is achieved when we read His Word daily, understand His Word daily, and work His Word daily.

Our knowledge of spiritual warfare and the proper mindset/attitude we need to have about our unseen war come from knowing God’s Divine Truths. That is why He provides us with at least 39 Bible verses/passages that either deal specifically with spiritual warfare or the godly attitude we need to have about the ways the devil is fighting us (God’s Children and Christ’s Soldiers) for our living souls—our minds, wills, desires, determinations, consciences, affections, emotions, personalities, five senses, common sense, and so on and so forth. In short, since we ARE living souls who HAVE living souls, we need to know and understand that the devil is after everything that pertains to our living souls (where the devil truly loves to operate; where he definitely loves to make his appeal to our emotions and affections—our fleshly lusts, desires, and appetites). Put differently, the supernatural power that is in the Word of God only can be demonstrated by those of us (we who are children of God and soldiers of Christ) who absolutely know, understand, and work God’s specific Scriptures that apply to our spiritual warfare and our godly attitude.  

Thirty-nine Bible verses/passages that either deal with our spiritual warfare or our proper mindset about the unseen war in this world where the devil is fighting us for our living souls are as follows:

 

  1. Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

  1. Joshua 10:25

Joshua then said to them, “Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies with whom you fight.”

  1. 2 Samuel 22:40

“For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

  1. Psalm 18:32-36

The God who girds me with strength And makes my way blameless?  He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, And sets me upon my high places. He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.  You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds me; And Your gentleness makes me great. You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.

  1. 2 Chronicles 32:6-8

He appointed military officers over the people and gathered them to him in the square at the city gate, and spoke encouragingly to them, saying, “Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; for the one with us is greater than the one with him. With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

  1. Zechariah 4:6

Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’” says the LORD of hosts.

  1. Matthew 6:13

‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’

  1. Matthew 26:41

“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

  1. Mark 14:38

“Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

  1. Luke 22:31-32

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

  1. John 16:33

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

  1. Acts 12:5

So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.

  1. Romans 7:23

but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.

  1. Romans 13:12-14

The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

  1. 1 Corinthians 16:13

Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

  1. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

  1. Galatians 5:17

For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

  1. Galatians 6:1

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

  1. Ephesians 3:16

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,

  1. Ephesians 6:10

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

  1. Ephesians 6:11

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

  1. Ephesians 6:12

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

  1. Ephesians 6:13-17

Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

  1. Ephesians 6:18

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

  1. Philippians 1:27-30

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

  1. Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

  1. 2 Thessalonians 1:4

therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.

  1. 2 Thessalonians 3:2

and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.

  1. 1 Timothy 6:12

Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

  1. 2 Timothy 2:3

Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

  1. 2 Timothy 3:12

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

  1. 2 Timothy 4:18

The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

  1. Hebrews 3:13

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

  1. Hebrews 12:4

You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;

  1. 1 Peter 2:11

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

  1. 1 Peter 4:12-13

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

  1. 1 Peter 5:8

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

  1. 1 Peter 5:9-10

But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

  1. Revelation 12:10 

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

 

Finally, let those of us who are followers of Christ study the above Bible verses/passages so that we will know them. Then, let us as soldiers of Christ daily work these Bible verses/passages by putting them into practice. Selah . . . . .