What kind of soldier am I?

Ephesians 6:18-20 (NKJV) 

¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--
¹⁹ and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The Christian soldier is to pray at all seasons, and under all circumstances. His praying must be arranged so as to cover his times of peace as well as his hours of active conflict. It must be available in his marching and his fighting. Prayer must diffuse all effort, impregnate all ventures, and decide all issues. The Christian soldier must be as intense in his praying as in his fighting, for his victories will depend very much more on his praying than on his fighting. Fervent supplication must be added to steady resolve, prayer and supplication must supplement the armor of God. The Holy Spirit must aid the supplication with His own strenuous plea. And the soldier must pray in the Spirit. In this, as in other forms of warfare, eternal vigilance is the price of victory; and thus, watchfulness and persistent perseverance, must mark the every activity of the Christian warrior.

The soldier-prayer must reflect its profound concern for the success and well-being of the whole army. The battle is not altogether a personal matter; victory cannot be achieved for self, alone. There is a sense, in which the entire army of Christ is involved. The cause of God, His saints, their woes and trials, their duties and crosses, all should find a voice and a leader in the Christian soldier, when he prays. He dare not limit his praying to himself. Nothing dries up spiritual secretions so certainly and completely; nothing poisons the fountain of spiritual life so effectively; nothing acts in such deadly fashion, as selfish praying.

The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds.

Prayer Warriors,

Reading this brought a question to my mind.

         What kind of soldier am I?

Oh, how I desire to be that one ready for battle, in or out of season, having the full armor of God. Fervently praying for the body of Christ, my neighbors, family member’s, our country….sometimes we have to ask ourselves, why don’t we pray more? There are lots of reasons but one is maybe if I really fought in battle (prayer) the enemy would come and rage war. You’re probably right. Fear cannot be a factor in how we live our lives as Christians. We may not say it out loud but if I"m not moving forward in obedience or I’ll just lay low, I’m still a Christian and I’m on my way to heaven but are the people around you, are they? So if we’re not moving forward in an area of our Christian walk, are we walking in fear or faith? This is very convicting for me! A good soldier is always prepared and is ready to defend those that are around him. They are not concern about their own lives but the lives of others. I’m not saying we won’t experience fear but if we let control our lives in way or another…….keeping us from experiencing everything Christ had intended for us to walk in. Enemy will put fear in our hearts, but we have a promise…..

   

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

          Hebrews 13:6 (NKJV) 
          ⁶ So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

Let’s be soldiers, full of faith, ready for battle in prayer for the people he has put in our path.

          Blessings,
          Christina 

Kissed by the Father

Psalm 85:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰ Mercy and truth have met together;

Righteousness and peace have kissed.

Prayer Warriors,

When our Lord spake that parable of the prodigal son, and represented the Father as seeing his child afar off in his misery, and how he had compassion on him, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him, one cannot but feel what a touching and tender illustration he has given of this most exquisite passage of his own word: Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

 Barton Bouchier.

The Treasury of David.

                                         

What a beautiful picture does he give us on God’s mercy, truth, righteousness and peace? The prodigal son came to His senses (Luke 15:17) because He finally wanted to live in God’s Truth and not his own. The truth of God is amazing because reality sets in, and I see what a mess I’ve been sitting in. Then there’s that choice of what will I choose? Do I keep living in the mess I made or do I receive the Mercy of God, which was given to the prodigal son, and for you and I. God will always meet us with mercy, they are new every morning. He covers us with Christ Righteousness, the cross, the Lamb that was slain. We need to be a people that forgive and receive forgiveness. Where there is forgiveness, there is peace. Christ died so that we can be forgiven and be at Peace with God.

We need to pray for the prodigals in our lives and for our brothers and sisters in Christ and for ourselves. We need to walk in mercy and truth, but there has to be that balance. We can speak the truth, but it has to be full of mercy. Jesus spoke the truth always, but His eyes were full of mercy. We cannot forget that the righteousness we have, has been given to us by Jesus Christ. I had a debt, I could not pay and He paid debt, he did not owe. It was paid on Calvary. And we can have the peace of God that passes all understanding in whatever we may be going through.

When the prodigal son came home to His father, He was met with a kiss, full of love and mercy. 

Just like our Heavenly Father does! 

Blessing,

Christina

Riding the Heavens

Deuteronomy 33:26-29 (NKJV)
²⁶  "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, And in His excellency on the clouds.
²⁷  The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, 'Destroy!'
²⁸  Then Israel shall dwell in safety, The fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine; His heavens shall also drop dew.
²⁹  Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, The shield of your help And the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, And you shall tread down their high places."

Prayer Warriors,

When I read these verses,  my heart began to melt.

Our Lord loves us so much, that He rides the heavens to save us. I remember watching the movie "Lord of the Rings" and in one of the scenes, there's is a battle going on between good and evil men. As the battle rages, it looks like the good guys are going to lose. Then a big bright light shines down from the heavens and there on the mountain sits Gandalf on a white horse with an army of men behind him. I don't to tell have you who wins the war.

Can you picture it...... 

You can tell that I really like this movie but there has been times in my life where I've had to physically look to the heavens and picture my Lord coming to my rescue.

There is no one like our Lord! We are to rejoice and be happy(Deuteronomy 33:29). 
He's our shield, our  Prince of Peace. He's saved our children and set a path before them.
He provides and His mercies are new every morning. He's given us eternal life.

Look up and see your Redeemer riding the heavens.

Blessings Ladies,
Christina   

My Sanctuary

Psalm 63:1-8 (NKJV)

A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.

3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.

4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.

7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

Prayer Warriors,

May we seek Him early and may our souls thirst for Him daily. We look at our world around us, our trials, situations we see our children in. We feel like David, in a wilderness, brokenhearted. But he went into the sanctuary and saw the power and glory of God. David was hiding in caves, there was no church nearby. The cave became his sanctuary, where he could praise God.

Let where ever you’re at, let it be your sanctuary today.

The foot of your bed.

The closet of your room.

Your car.

Walking down your street.

In the stillness of the night as your laying in your bed.

Praise Him, even when you don’t understand what he’s doing in your life.

Praise Him, even when life seems unfair.

Praise Him, even when the ones close to you, hurt you the most.

You see, when we praise Him in the trails of life. You say, “I trust you Lord” with all things. 

You are my help in time of need. My soul will follow close.

See His power and glory work in your life today.

Blessings Ladies,

Christina 

MORE THAN A CONQUEROR

Romans 8:35-37 (NKJV)
³⁵  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
³⁶  As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
³⁷  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Prayer Warriors,

What's the difference between a conqueror and more than a conqueror?   

Well, who doesn't like to win ,or conquer things...... I have to admit, when I've prayed about a situation and it gets resolved right away. I feel victorious but then I'm on to the next one, not really felling satisfied in my soul.  

Alexander the Great, had conquered the world, at the age of 33 and when he looked around, he felt there was no more to conquer. He went on a ten day, drunken state, wondered the streets, caught ammonia and died. The soul wasn't satisfied.

How about the prayers we labor over, the trials that seem to last a lifetime. Wondering why He won't answer that one prayer. Lord, why are you so quiet right now. What are you doing? 

Christ, wants us to be more than conquerors. Here are some great examples:

 Daniel 3:16-25 (NKJV) 
¹⁶  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
¹⁷  If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
¹⁸  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

Acts 7:58-60 (NKJV)
⁵⁸  and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
⁵⁹  And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
⁶⁰  Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

 Luke 22:41-42 (NKJV) 

⁴¹  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed,
⁴²  saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."

When we're going through the fire, He is walking with us and people see Him.
When people throw stones at us, we can look up and forgive them.
When we're taking up our cross daily, and we can say," Not my will, but yours be done."

Our children, family and neighbors are watching and may they see the Love of  Christ in us. 

Nothing, can ever separate us from the love of Christ, for in Him, we are more than conquerors.

Blessings,
Christina 

   

You Will Lack Nothing

Deuteronomy 8:6-10 (ESV)
⁶  So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.
⁷  For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills,
⁸  a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey,
⁹  a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.
¹⁰  And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 

Prayer Warriors,

There is so much going on in these verses, but I just want us to concentrate on a couple of things. In verse 7, I want us to see that he brings us "into a good land"...... and He starts to describe the Promise Land and what His people will enter into. You see, no matter our circumstances, it's a good land. Why? Lets look at verse 9, "in which you lack nothing" there is not one no good thing we lack. Our father tells us, He will not withhold, one good thing from His children. Just like we withhold no good things  from our children, unless we believe it won't be good for them.....so our farther will also. If we don't have it, it's not good for us, plain and simple. He is a good God and He loves His children, so don't let the enemy till you differently, don't believe his lies. God is our provider! Yes,we must work, like they had too, till the land and dig for copper, but verse 10 tells us, "you shall eat and be full, you shall bless the Lord you God for the good land he has give you."

1 Corinthians 1:4-9 (ESV)
⁴  I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,
⁵  that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—
⁶  even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—
⁷  so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
⁸  who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
⁹  God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ladies,

Now let's look at the spiritual aspects of lacking nothing...... Why? We are rich in Him. Who? In Christ Jesus our Lord. In verse 7, he's telling us, we are lacking nothing because we are rich in him in all speech and knowledge. His grace has been poured over us. I believe the Lord wants to use you Ladies, in ways you haven't fully pursued. There could be many reasons why you haven't.......but don't let that stop you from walking in the gifts that He has given you! If he has called you, then he has equipped you. Remember, there's not one good thing that He has withheld from you. You lack nothing because of the grace of Jesus Christ, he has given you all things.

You see Ladies, whether its physical or spiritual we lack nothing! 

Blessings,
Christina 

HE BROUGHT US OUT THAT HE MIGHT BRING US IN

Deuteronomy 6:23 (HCSB)
²³  but He brought us from there in order to lead us in and give us the land that He swore to our fathers. 

Prayer Warriors,

He brought us out, that He might bring us in. Today, the Lord taught me, that I just didn't save you, just leave you in the state where I found you. Even being a christian for years, and thinking, I've grown over the years. I'm not where I use to be. Then hearing Him speak to my heart, I started to wonder, am I where He wants me to be in my walk with Him........

IN MINISTRY

MOTHER

WIFE

FRIEND

MY JOB

BEING A WITNESS

ETC.........

I could go on, but you know where I'm going with this. You know, that Lord never takes you out of something and not bring you into something better. He has great plans for our lives, He promised us. The trials we may go through, or the detours we take. We begin to wonder in the wilderness like the children of Israel. What should have taken 11 days, it took 40 years for the next generation to enter in.

God has placed things in our hearts and wants us to journey with Him, into the promise land. It might be a physical, or spiritual one, maybe both. The thought of new place, or ministry, or job........... 
We put fear into our hearts, or we think about our past and we start to question. Is this what God really wants? Can I do This? Why me? Sometimes these questions keep us in the wilderness. How long we stay there, is up to us, so lets take steps of faith and let Him lead us into His perfect plan. 
For here and eternity.   

God wants us to enter into a journey with Him and lets take the next generation with us.

Blessings,
Christina