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What are we battling against

If we are going to war in our prayer closets, what are we setting our sights on?  The things that we hate and fear,  or the things that are the enemies of God?

I see a lot of prayer requests about sickness or death – healing in the flesh – but much fewer requests about healing eternal in the spiritual areas of life that matter most. I see requests and seeking of physical prosperity – security by earthly means – but much fewer requests about strengthening faith in God to provide what He has already promised.

If we are going to war in our prayer closets,  shouldn’t we know the enemy whom we should be targeting? And do we believe the true enemy to be who our deceitful hearts tell us to wage war against, or do we look to God for His guidance regarding who our true enemies should be? If we serve the Lord, aren’t His enemies clearly our true enemies that are the real threat to us and our brothers and sisters?

Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.

So clearly, these are big on the Lord’s hit list:

1) Pride
2) Deceit
3) Treachery
4) Wickedness
5) Gossip/False Testimony
6) Dissention/Division/Envy/Jealousy

1 John 2:15-17 ESV
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever

He again tells us not to love the world:

1) desires of the flesh
2) desires of the eyes
3) pride in possessions

Those things are passing away.

According to this, what many pray for as “blessings” are “not from the Father” but are “from the world”. So we might begin asking ourselves, who are they praying to if they are asking for those things to be given that are “from the world”? The Father has a name for this worldly, fleshly provider and it is mammon. These are not the “good gifts”, the “eternal gifts”, the “true riches” that God has stored up for His children.

If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?  And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?  No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Luke 16:11-13 ESV
http://bible.com/59/luk.16.11-13.ESV

The “unrighteous wealth”, it is “that which is another’s” and we are tested in whether or not we are faithful with it –  being good stewards, using it for God’s glory,  bringing Him Honor and glory – or whether we are enticed by the desires of the flesh,  the desires of our eyes,  and the pride of possessions.

These enemies of God, are they our enemies as well? Are we doing battle against these enemies in our prayer closets?

And isn’t it clear that our enemies are not our brothers and sisters?

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 ESV
http://bible.com/59/eph.6.12.ESV

And what enemies are keeping our brothers and sisters from entering into the Kingdom of God?  Aren’t these clearly the enemies of God’s wish that none should perish? Shouldn’t these enemies be targeted in our prayer closets? How do we recognize when these enemies are at work in our lives and the lives of our brothers and sisters?

Galatians 5:19-21 ESV
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Romans 8:7 ESV
For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

Evidence of the work of the enemy, evidence of sin,  of sickness leading to eternal spiritual death:
1) sexual immorality
2) impurity
3) sensuality
4) idolatry
5) sorcery
6) enmity
7) strife
8) jealousy
9) fits of anger
10) rivalries
11) dissensions
12) divisions
13) envy
14) drunkenness
15) orgies

Be on lookout for this evidence of the enemy, as if standing guard on a watch tower. And let your battle cries to heaven be heard for spiritual reinforcements, and let your gentle encouragement be a warning to those ensnared and in need of healing.

We and our brothers and sisters need to be delivered from these enemies of God,  and that is why we do battle against these giants with the stone of our prayers.

1 John 2:4-6 ESV
Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

We want to see the captives set free so they will live and will “walk in the way He walked”.

Romans 8:13 ESV
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Yes, we seek lives freed from the bondage of these captors, so that we all are growing and becoming more like our teacher, with our minds set upon the higher things,  not things of the world or of the flesh. 

2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So put on your armor,  Child of God,  it is time to do battle, now that the light has been sinned upon our true enemies.

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT
http://bible.com/116/eph.6.10-18.NLT

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Debauchery and Imperfection

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Last night at the jail, my message was on our imperfection but His perfection – about Him reconciling us to be more like Him – about experiencing His touch upon our lives now, not just after our hearts have stopped beating. It was about coming broken daily to see His healing and correction continue to take place in our lives. It was about looking not at ourselves,  but looking to Christ for our salvation.

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I started out the message singing a very broken and imperfect delivery of the children’s song “Jesus loves Me”, standing in that cell block amongst some who were attending the Bible Study and many who sat in their bunk areas far away. This was clearly a broken and imperfect performance as the song lifted out of my range and my voice cracked and I even laughed at myself at one point. You see, I can normally sing fairly well,  but I had asked the Lord to use me however was best to deliver His message tonight, not so that I would receive any glory or honor. And for a message on imperfection, He was doing a great job of it in the opener – and I started into the message, letting the Holy Spirit guide us along the night’s journey into the Word of God.

In the middle of the message, I was mentioning Galatians 5 and someone said their translation had the word “debauchery” and they asked what it meant. My immediate thoughts trying to explain this old word that is rarely used today went to sexual immorality and promiscuity, but it covers so much more than that. My answer was imperfect and left room for improvement – yet again demonstrating that we don’t have to be perfect (nor will we be this side of judgement) in order to share testimony and truth about the Word of God.

You see,  it isn’t just about sexual things,  but it means any excessive indulgence that separates us from walking in the Spirit and giving God glory. I’m thankful for my brother,  Michael Mcleymore, who was there beside me, ready to quickly assist with greater clarification,  explaining that it could be anything taken too far,  even wasting our day away playing video games or watching TV in excess instead of using the day for the glory of God.

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It is about excess. Taking the things of this earth that exist for our survival,  for our health, for our enjoyment – and perverting their use from their natural intended purpose for which we should be giving God thanks and praise,  and instead perverting them into something excessive and distracting from God’s glory.

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And it all comes down to who is the Lord of our life. It comes down to our individual choices and decisions,  moment to moment,  breath by breath,  and who we are choosing to serve and glorify with those choices. Whether we are using our lives for their intended purpose of bringing Him glory and honor – sharing the Good News, loving and serving others, making disciples,  equipping the saints, walking in the Spirit, and obeying His commandments – or if we have made it about ourselves and we are proving it by our excessive enjoyment of worldly pleasures and lack of concern for God and for others.

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Settling and getting comfortable with our own imperfections will allow them to grow into debauchery. But walking this path of reconciliation with Christ,  seeking His healing touch daily will help us identify, cut away, cast off, and be delivered from those things that have no place in the life of a vessel of the Holy Spirit. Choosing to feed the flesh with individual decisions will exercise those fleshly desires in our lives,  or choosing to submit and walk in the Spirit will exercise His strength in overcoming those temptations and evil influences in our lives.

So we should ask ourselves, not whether we are perfect or imperfect – because if we don’t recognize that we are imperfect, how deep have we fallen into the darkness. But we should ask ourselves,  what path am I choosing to walk, the narrow path that is seldom chosen, or the broad way that leads to destruction?

de·bauch·er·y dəˈbôCHərē/ noun
noun: debauchery; plural noun: debaucheries
excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures.

“a life of self-absorption and debauchery”

synonyms:
dissipation, degeneracy, corruption, vice, depravity;
immodesty, indecency, perversion, iniquity, wickedness, sinfulness, impropriety, immorality;
lasciviousness, salaciousness, lechery, lewdness, lust, promiscuity, wantonness, profligacy;
decadence, intemperance, sybaritism;
turpitude

Ephesians 5:18 ESV
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

Galatians 5:19-21 ESV
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Romans 13:13 ESV
Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

Romans 1:26-27 ESV
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Ephesians 5:1-33 ESV
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

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Love fills fully

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 ESV
http://bible.com/59/gal.5.22-23.ESV

Love does not replace the law. Love does not break the law. Love fulfills the law.

Love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. God is Love.

But love is not just a feeling. Love is not just good intentions. Love is not just words, nor is it just actions.

Continue reading “Love fills fully” →

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No fear? Is that the problem?

Ecclesiastes 8:9-13 NLT
I have thought deeply about all that goes on here under the sun, where people have the power to hurt each other. I have seen wicked people buried with honor. Yet they were the very ones who frequented the Temple and are now praised in the same city where they committed their crimes! This, too, is meaningless. When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. But even though a person sins a hundred times and still lives a long time, I know that those who fear God will be better off. The wicked will not prosper, for they do not fear God. Their days will never grow long like the evening shadows.

If we are not convicted of our own sins – if we say,  that XYZ is not a sin when the Word of God says that it is – how can we say that we are a humble servant of the Lord? The wicked argue over what is sin and what is not sin,  blinded by the curse of the law,  looking for a way to escape the conviction by saying,  “No, that isn’t sin. The law is of no use.”

Continue reading “No fear? Is that the problem?” →

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We need to eat if we are going to have strength for the day

Proverbs 18:5 NLT
It is not right to acquit the guilty or deny justice to the innocent.

Yes, some are guilty and some are innocent,  and there is a distinct difference between the two. We should expect judgement for the guilty and expect acquittal for the innocent. Mercy and forgiveness does not do away with the need for justice and truth. It is our path to finding truth while we are yet lost.

So one might ask, how do we know if we are lost?

Continue reading “We need to eat if we are going to have strength for the day” →

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So which Jesus do you worship?

There are times when I see criticism from one set of “organized believers” aimed at another set. It wearies me deep within my soul.

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When this comes up (and unfortunately it comes up way too often), I usually first address the situation with two sets of verses:

Continue reading “So which Jesus do you worship?” →

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How are you?

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“How are you?”

A wise friend recently asked, “Is there any other question that leads us to lie more consistently on a daily basis?”

Hasn’t “How are you?” become the social norm for acknowledging someone’s presence, while dismissing their value?

Continue reading “How are you?” →

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Applying the Blood in our Life

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Galatians 5:13 NLT
For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

Continue reading “Applying the Blood in our Life” →

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Surrender All

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You might be a Pharisee if:

It is important to you that you give 10 percent of your money to the church

You might know Christ if:

You have surrendered your whole life and everything in it to Christ.

Continue reading “Surrender All” →

hballingerLeave a comment

Bear each others burdens

Galatians 6:2 AMP
Bear (endure, carry) one another’s burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it]

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
———————————————

Yes,  sometimes it isn’t easy to endure someone else’s moral faults – but I try to remind myself how much people have forgiven me for in my own life.

At times, I find myself grumbling about what someone else is or isn’t doing at work,  home, church,  wherever – and it’s such a dark and dirty place to let my mind go to. So why do I even let it go there?

This is a struggle for me at times. And I ask myself,  at what point do I step in and do something about it?

And is the problem really the other person,  or is it my attitude? In some cases it is just my attitude,  but in other cases it is both. So I should fix my attitude first, then if my attitude is corrected and the problem still exists in the other person’s actions,  I should offer loving and gentle guidance if and when it is appropriate for me to do so.

But I have to fix my attitude first.

I’m really struggling with this. Especially when I see situations where multiple people are being negatively affected by one person’s actions, and where the attitudes of a group is being brought down by the actions (or idleness) of a few or of one.

Yes, sometimes our murmuring is justified from an early/worldly perspective when we are carrying the weight and one person knows but refuses to do their part, and it begins to affect the others if the disease is not either healed or cut out. Spiritually, I should be wondering how I can either heal it or cut it out the disease before it spreads even more death -,not grumbling about the person. However, knowing how to best do this isn’t always easy.

2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 AMP
For you yourselves know how it is necessary to imitate our example, for we were not disorderly or shirking of duty when we were with you [we were not idle]. Nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and struggle we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden or impose on any of you [for our support]. [It was] not because we do not have a right [to such support], but [we wished] to make ourselves an example for you to follow. For while we were yet with you, we gave you this rule and charge: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat. Indeed, we hear that some among you are disorderly [that they are passing their lives in idleness, neglectful of duty], being busy with other people’s affairs instead of their own and doing no work. Now we charge and exhort such persons [as ministers in Him exhorting those] in the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) that they work in quietness and earn their own food and other necessities.