Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /home1/heartof6/public_html/blog/wp-content/themes/responsive-mobile/includes/functions-extentions.php on line 35
Home › Posts tagged clarity

clarity

Prepare For Your Warfare

Posted on by

 

Click To Play     

 

Click To Play     

Ephesians 6:10-12

[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.

Paul, a man who spoke with great clarity, brought forth one of the most powerful understandings to how we can begin to overcome in spiritual warfare.

For the first step to winning any battle is to understand what you must do to preserve your longevity to see the victory!

Ephesians 6:13

[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.

Paul spoke to an acceptance that we must learn that we need all that God has given us to believe, know, learn and demonstrate. For to be lacking in any part of the whole armor leaves vulnerabilities for the enemies weapons!

Ephesians 6:14

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

To girt up your loins is to mentally prepare yourself for something difficult, literally to tie up long loose clothes as they were more practical for work or travel. The breastplate was the central part of the Roman armor. To not wear it into battle was asking for death, for it protects the most vital organs of your body. I can tell you with certainty that there is no greater way to protect your heart than to live right in the sight of God. When wearing the breastplate the attacks that would normally be fatal are of no effect and roll off of you with very little consequences!

Proverbs 11:4-8

[4] Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.
[5] The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
[6] The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness.
[7] When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.
[8] The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.

Righteousness will prevail against all attacks of the integrity of your inner soul and personal life.

Ephesians 6:15

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

A spiritual shoe is something that aids our movement and defense and is not relative to our appearance. To appreciate the preparation of the gospel we must know what shoes are made of they are durable, made to last the journey of your life

Luke 2:10

[10] And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Even the afflictions of the world cannot darken the glory of the good news of Jesus Christ!

Ephesians 6:16

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

A shield protects from the head, chest, waist, arms and legs. It is the greatest protection and without it we cannot press in to attack. The fiery darts are intended to bring doubts to your inner confidence to withstand and keep fighting.

1 John 5:4

[4] For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Ephesians 6:17

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

Knowing that you are saved forevermore and that you are a child of God protects you and keeps your face, eyes, nose, mouth, ears and mind! The sword of the spirit is the word of God, the same weapon Jesus used against Satan, and the same weapon you use to attack! For all other virtues create a mighty warrior in the Lord and brings dominion to finally win!

Ephesians 6:18

[18] Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

With all and supplication is to demonstrate through faith of the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly. Doing this in the spirit will help you to not only stay motivated to protect yourself but to persevere the same way of life for the believer, and most importantly for the witness to all!

Personal Perspectives On Pain, Discouragement, Growth, Humility

Posted on by

When you are in growing stages in your personal life I am finding that there are many different phases to the art of growth. I would be lying if I said that coming to this realization has always been the easiest concept to grasp. I am so thankful today for the times in my life that I have been in a place where God was able to show to me mightily that He reigns and is in control of all things.

We have been heavily involved with our building project at the church we regularly attend. And by heavily, I mean to say that we are consumed in all parts: mentally, physically, and spiritually. There have been days where the load has been light and the faith in your heart seems never ending when you think of the finished product. Then there are the moments when you are in the harder days working yourself until you cannot stand as you wonder “Lord God, when will the help we need come”. I stood on a lift hanging about 45-50 feet in the air and realized I was in a growth stage. It hurts. I was hurt. I went home just to lay down and cry inside and out and (in my own flesh) wonder what more I could do to move it forward. I began to think of how much more could be done if there was more help, but in doing this I began to feel low and sad before the Lord. This did nothing but attempt to perform a work of discouragement to my heart. Sure there are all kinds of people that offer advice and how you can begin to overcome the way you feel, but sometimes you simply cannot hear it for how low you feel. In this moment I realized that discouragement is a real spirit that attempts to weigh upon the hearts of people.

The next thing I began to think was, “who could I confide in?”. All of the people that you could consider or run through your lists of “trustworthy candidates” could never compare to the comfort of God. Sometimes the only way growth can begin is when you cast your cares before God. It allows you to be lighter, to have more clarity, and to be able to actually receive joy. Once I got past attempting to reach out just to be more upset, I began to call out on God in my mind. As I began to, God worked a silent miracle: my heart was touched with humility. The love of God began to rush through my mind and work its way into my heart. Then it finally hit me like a flood.

I know now that all of the scars, cuts and bruises that you would sacrifice for a literal building is a representation of the way we face persecution spiritually. The efforts that are given are efforts given to God in love, even our acts of physical obedience. I have now realized that when I face mental discouragement that it is just a part of growing and being able to be stronger. When things or people attempt to discourage me, it has to flee and can only through the comfort of the spirit of God. And all for what? The ability to lead others, of course! Jesus Christ walked this world with a love without compare, giving Himself through all He could do while He lived and the greatest gift of humility when He was crucified on the cross.

So today? I press on. I may end up aching in my body, being hurt in my heart, or being persecuted greatly in my mind. I continue the cause of the cross. I continue so that I may exercise humility and love for all that need a better life like I did. At the end of the day, we are here to grow and continue and pursue the mark of the high calling! Let your calling shine and your obedience be fluent. Be benevolent and never waiver due to the lack of giving in others. Show yourself to be a true witness of the love of God! Learn to recognize growth and embrace where God is trying to take you!

Feeling Frustrated? Find The Peace Of God!

Posted on by

THE WORD

Philippians 4:7 – And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

It is an unfortunate truth to accept but we all have learned through experience that it is impossible to avoid all the situations that will bring out the worst in us. Sometimes we will want to get upset because of the circumstance when trying to understand why it happened. Other times we get upset with ourselves because we could have made a better decision and yet chose differently. I think about when Jesus was out on the boat with the disciples. They all began to panic greatly and fear was present. I can imagine hearing “I cannot believe we came out here in this weather” or “we came out all this way for this?!?” There will be countless times where it will be hard to find clarity about the why or what of an event. We become frustrated, angry with life, and needing answers from our state of panic.

And as we read on the disciples went to rouse Jesus out of His slumber but only to hear Him speak to the storm, “Peace, be still” That stirs my heart and soul to not only recognize the power of the peace of God, but the awesome power of God. To be able to speak to the tempests of our lives and have dominion over it all is so amazing. It is wonderful to know that through our faith as we believe we can overcome the raging seas by speaking peace over our circumstances! Find the peace of God in your life today!

PUT INTO PRACTICE

To fully understand the peace of God you must allow it to be fulfilled in your life. This is done best in prayer. For practice I encourage you to take the issue that you are dealing with and enter into surrender by starting out your prayer with the following:

“God, you see this situation in my life. I accept that I may not understand the plan behind that which I am suffering. I put my trust in your will for my life and pray that peace will help me to get through everything that attempts to rise within my human nature. Help me to forgive those who have harmed me and to release bitterness that has come from my confusion. I will obey your holy word and make my best efforts to be a loving example.”

Finding Clarity Through The Fog

Posted on by

Proverbs 29:18 – Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

2 Corinthians 12:1 – It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

– – – –

One of the easiest things for people to do in the midst of a confusing situation is to simply give up. Giving up is usually followed a by decreased obedience, which in turn leads to a prolonged spiritual death. A spiritual death means that there is no life to you to draw strength from God. In essence, it is like walking through the fog with no vision. We are going only on our sense of what we think is right to do. When you consider that and our rate of failure, it scares me.

It scares me to think that people are going through the motions of life and being a part of it but doing it blindly without any purpose or knowingly what they want from it. You see, the entire basis of belief to God and Jesus Christ is through faith. In the midst of the fog of confusion, my faith is unlocked when I hope upon the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. I may not know where I am at in a trial because it is new or I may be too emotionally connected. What do I know? I do know of what God has already done for me! I have the roads of hope in my life that I have traveled and made it through before!

The only clarity that I can find in the midst of chaos is trusting God and to know that if He has done it before, that He will do it again. God will never leave or forsake His children! You should know that you are not alone and should not be wandering around in life without God. Recognize your guide, and let him lead you! We should not try to take the “grab life by the horns” approach because the latter outcome of this is usually a guaranteed failure. We cannot realize the outcome of any future for any trial. God sees into our tomorrows! Allow God to be the light in the midst of your darkness! Turn the lights on! Find some clarity through the word of God and all the spiritual things that will lift you above the hard times and let you see things for what they truly are!

– – – –

Put Into Practice:

When I first began to drive, I always wondered why it was so hard to drive through fog with the lights on the brightest setting. I thought, “You would think the most amount of light would get you through the fog, right?” In all reality, the best solution was to use a dimmer light and to hear the wisdom of others. That is the advice I give you today. When you hear a great God-given word to you, try not to resist it to bad and think your brighter ideas will solve it all. Trust your brothers and sisters in Christ that bring the word of God at your churches to give you the right now word to lead you through tough times! And if you are not getting it there, pray for it!