An Aggressive Church, Fully Willing, On the Battle Field

1. Long has Satan fought, resisting
 Faithful sons of God,
 So the fighting church should notice,
 Spread the message broad.

 God ordained us as His soldiers,
 Bearing sword and shield,
For His purpose fully willing
 On the battle field.


 2. Hosts of darkness now are gathered,
 Conflict has begun,
So the fighting church must gather
 Those who’ll fight, not run.

 3. Are there rebels still in God’s court
 Who still love this age?
If the church is not aggressive,
 Battle we’ll not wage.

 4. Who’s afraid to fight the devil,
 Dare the enemy?
If the saints shrink from Christ’s kingdom,
 Shameful they will be.

 5. “He not with Me is against Me,“
 There’s no other choice.
 Where’s the fighting church, God-fearing?
 Fealty we must voice.

 6. Lo, God’s Conqu’ror still is conqu’ring;
 Rise, assume His might!
Fighting church, on Calv’ry’s hillside
 He did win the fight!

 7. Once He fully faced the devil,
 We must face him too,
 Else the fighting church can only
 Other troops review.

 8. Christ is calling overcomers.
 Who would please the King?
 Now the fighting church should put on
 Armor threatening.

 Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/8649#ixzz2I9SKHPza

 "If the church is not aggressive"?? Somewhere we've lost sight of this mindset. We've become tolerant, politically correct, soft, weak, selfish, and just plain out don't love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, strength!

God ordained us as His soldiers, Bearing sword and shield,
 For His purpose fully willing On the battle field.

This is what we were saved unto, called unto! If we don't live it, it's not just that we are being disobedient, we are missing out on the very thing that would fulfill us and bring the knowledge that we are doing what we were created to do.

 It's also sad that we don't sing hymns like this more often. The meter of this hymn is one that is extremely rare. In fact, I could only find a couple hymn tunes in all my searching, but none were at all familiar, except the tune written by J. H. Burke, usually song to "Yesterday, Today, Forever Jesus is the Same" (without the chorus).

 Perhaps if our churches and our children were singing more of this kind of song, and less of the "5 words repeated 5 times" kind, we would be in a different place today.

"I never meant for it to go that far"

Temptation.

Sin.

Shame.

Secrecy.

More shame.

Fear of being caught.

Obsession.

Still more shame.

Depression.

Desperation.

Yet more shame.

I NEVER meant for it to go this far.

But satan did. He meant for it to go this far from the moment we were born. He hooks us in with just a little bit, a small thing, a tiny compromise. And before we know it, we are in so deep over our heads, it is controlling our lives, our time, our thoughts, sucking the life out of us. Whether it ends with us burning in hell, or our bodies and souls destroyed, he always intended for us to go that far-and further.

Today God showed me a flip side of this painful scenario. He showed me that satan is saying the exact thing about those who God has rescued and delivered out of the very same thing referred to above. Satan NEVER meant for our salvation to go this far! He never meant for us to be delivered from the addiction, the fear, the shame, the defilement, the lies he had enticed us to become slaves to! He intended from the very beginning to kill, steal and destroy us. John 10:10 What a powerful picture to think of him lamenting and wailing because of what we have allowed God to do in our lives!

So at the end of the day, and at the end of my life, satan or me - who will be saying -

"I NEVER meant for it to go this far!"?

Adoption

Last week, our van had decided to take a vacation from running us all around this side of the world, so we were stuck at home, unable to all get to church.

Instead, David found a sermon by Voddie Baucham about Adoption, so we all settled down on the couch in the living room to hear what he had to say about it. I don't have much experience with Mr. Baucham, so I had no idea what he might have to say on the subject.

As it turned out, I was so encouraged, refreshed, and blessed by the loving things he had to say. Not only did he make possibly the strongest case for adoption I have ever heard from the Bible, but he also spoke from his own life experiences of being an adoptive parent.

Never in my life have I heard preached or thought of Genesis 48 as an "adoption ceremony". We laughed and cried as we identified with so many of the things he spoke about. Take a few minutes to listen to it, even if it's while you're cooking or cleaning.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=113101250246

War Cry

This, My Friends, is the TRUTH.

Granny Gear

You know those days...those weeks...those times...we run into hard times, and since suicide usually isn't a viable option, we hunch our shoulders, lower our heads, and go into "granny gear". We think we've got to plow on through in our own strength.


The Lies

"I can get through this"

"I'll be ok"

"Just grin and bear it"

"It will get better eventually"

Friends, this is operating in the flesh - and therefore, it is sin. God has so much more for us than "grinning and
bearing". This is us settling for dumpster-diving, when He has a banquet table set up for us in the other room!


The Truth

1. We're not just conquerors, we are more than conquerors.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."
Romans 8:35, 37

2. Assume a proper position for a Child of God
 A. Stand-Ephesians 6:13
 B. Sit-Ephesians 1:18-20
 C. Soar-Isaiah 40:31

Nowhere in Scripture do we find a directive or an example to believers of a head down, shoulders hunched position. Instead, we are in Christ, who is seated at the right hand of God, far above ALL principalities, powers, might, and dominions. But if satan can get us to take our eyes off of Christ, then he has already rendered us ineffectual against him.

 3. Walk in the Spirit, not the flesh.
 "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." Ephesians 6:12

 "Granny Gear" is trying to continue to fight the good fight in the flesh. It simply will not work. That's why it is so hard to keep going on days like these. But in Christ, we have all the power we need, not only to make it through the hard times, but to victoriously come through them, stronger on the other side!
 Why can't I remember this when I'm in the middle of the mire??? I'm laughing at myself, since this is where I have been for a few weeks now. Talk about preaching to the choir. :-D

 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." Ephesians 6:10 If you need prayer, or would like to be an encouragement, please leave a message or send an email.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
                                                      John 8:44
I was talking to a friend yesterday, and she was asking me why a certain person, whom she cares for deeply, has come so far from what she knows is Truth. At first my mind went to all these different "explanations", but then God reminded me, "It is because she is believing lies".
All sin, guilt, depression, discouragement - ALL of it - comes from believing lies.
"No one will know"
"You don't have to make this right"
"No one cares about you or what you are going through"
"God doesn't love you, why else would you be in this situation"
"It will never get any better"
"Being a Mother and raising Godly children isn't enough. You have to have a REAL career to be worth anything"
The list goes on and on.
Satan brings his lies to us in several ways.
1. Direct Darts
       Satan cannot read our minds, but he can shoot fiery lie-darts into our minds. He will even start the lie with "I..." to make it seem like it originated with us. "I can skip reading and studying my Bible for a while, and it won't kill me." Yes, we CAN skip reading and studying our Bible for a while, and NO God will most likely not kill us for it, those things are true. But it will hurt us and cause damage - not because we haven't done our "good works for the day", but because our mind is no longer being renewed. The mind is satan's biggest battleground, and most of our battles are won or lost right there.
2. Parrot People
       We are constantly bombarded with lies from people around us. Family, church goers, media, government, friends and strangers alike. After a while, it gets hard not to believe them! But, as I told my friend, those lies they are spouting are NOT originating with the people saying them. They are simply Parroting satan's lies - because they have already BELIEVED them, and they now literally see them as the truth.
God says that is a very, very dangerous place to be.
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
                                     Isaiah 5:20
When we believe satan's lies, it is our hearts that our affected. It's like the lie worms its way into our heart and causes it to begin to rot. Once our heart is rotten, it will come out in our actions.
  "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he".
                                                   Proverbs 23:7
"...For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things."
                                             Matthew 12:34-35
The Bible says there is only one way to prevent ourselves from being overtaken by the lies - and that is to renew our minds daily.
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
                                                   Romans 12:2

O Church Arise

O Church Arise, and put your armor on,

Hear the call of Christ our Captain.

For now the weak can say that they are strong

In the strength that God has given

With shield of Faith and Belt of Truth

We'll stand against the devil's lies.

An Army bold, whose battle cry is, "LOVE"

Reaching out to those in darkness.

A call to WAR, to LOVE the captive Soul,

But to RAGE against the captor.

And with the Sword, that makes the wounded whole

We will fight with Faith and Valor.

When pressed with trials on every side,

We know the outcome is secure.

And Christ WILL have the prize for which He died -

An Inheritance of Nations

~Keith and Kristin Getty

This song has become the battle cry of my heart and life in the past month or so since I first heard it. Fighting for the Truth is NOT easy. It's a daredevil life, one in which I constantly live in a state of "daring the devil" to attack me with everything he has. But I know my outcome is secure. I WILL have the souls that I fight for - IF I'm willing to fight. But if the Church will not rise up and fight, then who will??

Welcome to this blog, where I will be writing about the Truth that God is leading me into. Occasionally, I will publish a post from my Mom, or another fellow soldier seeking Truth.

I can promise you, what you will find here is not conventional. It's not mainstream Christianity, nor is it Independent Fundamental Baptist ;-)

~It is BIBLE.

~It is consistent with God's Character throughout the ages - or I NO LONGER BELIEVE IT.

~It brings freedom, not bondage.

~It bears fruit in the lives of those who live it.

With that said, let me hasten to say that I don't know everything. Lol! God will be teaching me until the day I lay down my sword and close my eyes in sleep.

Please feel free to comment, ask questions, respectfully disagree, and/or show from Scripture where I am wrong. However, please don't quote traditions, Baptist doctrine, Calvin, Arminius, etc, as I no longer care what they have to say. Search the Scriptures for yourself - for in them you think you have eternal life. And they are they, which testify of Christ.