This blog is about the fourth chapter in the Bible study, Spiritual Warfare, written by Jack Kuhatschek.
Ephesians 6:10-20
1. “As you read this passage, what battlefield images come to mind?” I know it may seem odd, but an image of a weak person, like me, surrounded by almost a force field comes to mind. This person in standing in the middle of a huge battle and all of these forces are against her, but she is protected. In a lot of ways, that is what is going on. Satan is using all of his resources to attack me, but I am protected by God. Even though I am weak, He isn’t.
2. “Why must we rely on God’s power if we are to be victorious against our spiritual enemies (vv. 10-11)?” We can’t do it alone. Satan is a lot stronger than us when we rely on our own power. He can easily beat any one of us. But with God on our side, Satan is completely powerless. He will always lose, but only when we rely on God’s power.
3. “Throughout Paul’s life he was opposed, flogged, stoned and imprisoned by various human enemies. Why then does he claim that our struggle is ‘not against flesh and blood’ (v. 12)?” Although a lot of physical things happen to us as believers, the real fight isn’t about the physical things. There are spiritual things behind these physical events. The real fight is for our souls, but we are still in the flesh, and so although things are happening physically, the struggle isn’t against flesh and blood. It is against Satan. The flesh and blood is just the battleground, in a way.
4. “Paul identifies our true enemies as ‘the devil’ (v. 11) and the demonic rulers, authorities, powers and spiritual forces of this dark age (v. 12). What evidence do you see of these hostile forces in your life or the lives of Christians you know?” I have personally been attacked by demons before. I know that there are dark forces out there and that the devil was real. When I was fifteen, a dark “shadow” used to come into my room and watch me. The feel of the air was so dark and I would get scared and cry. But when I prayed to God to make it go away, it always went away. That’s why I know it wasn’t just a shadow cast on the wall (Besides, how does a shadow get on the ceiling when there is NO light in the room?) or my imagination. I’ve also known someone who claimed to be possessed by a demon, and I honestly believe that they were. There is no other way to explain some of the things they did and said. I know that there are dark forces in this world and they are so real.
5. “Why do you think Paul states three times that we must stand our ground, do everything to stand and stand firm (vv. 13-14)?” Back then when people were in battle, if they were not standing, they were dead or dying. Either way, they were losing or had already lost the fight. If we stand our ground, Satan can’t make any progress. If we back down, he will use that to beat us. If we don’t stand our ground, it shows a lack of faith in our God, Who is stronger than Satan.
6. “Why are both truth and righteousness essential components of our armor (v. 14; see also Isaiah 11:5 and 59:17)?” Truth is described as the belt. Back in the day this was written, the belt secured the breastplate and back piece, and held the scabbard and sword. In the same sort of way, the truth holds together everything in our spiritual armor. If we didn’t know that all of this was based on truth, we wouldn’t be able to trust our armor, and it would be useless. We need the truth in order to protect ourselves from Satan’s attacks. Righteousness is described as a breastplate. This really stood out to me because a breastplate covers and protects your heart. If you live righteously, and accept the righteousness God gives you to cover your past sins, then there is no guilt that Satan can use to attack your heart. I know in my life that when I feel guilty about something I’ve done and it consumes me, Satan uses that to attack me. We need the righteousness God gives us in order to protect our hearts.
7. “How can the gospel message that you have peace with God (v. 15) give you strength to stand against spiritual opponents?” The stakes in this spiritual battle are our souls. If we know we have peace with God, then Satan has nothing to use against us. He wants to convince us that God doesn’t accept us, and that we shouldn’t follow and obey Him, but when we know that we have peace with God, that all falls apart.
8. “Faith (v. 16) refers to both what we believe and who we believe in. How can our faith act like a shield against all of the evil one’s flaming arrows?” When we have faith in God and what we know He does and will do for us, we are shielded from all of Satan’s attacks.
9. “What flaming arrows has the devil aimed at you recently?” I made a huge mistake back in May. Satan has used that and tried to use that many times to get to me. He has tried to convince me that I am worthless. I know that I am not, because God has made me clean. Also, he has been aiming arrows of doubt at me, but I know that God’s will for my life is already written, and that what God wants to happen will happen. I will not be left out or thrown away. God loves me and will take care of me as He always has. Lastly, the devil has been aiming arrows of bad health at me. He has attacked my body so much lately and some days I can hardly handle the pain. As I sat down and decided to do this blog instead of knit some more, my body (which was fine all day) was filled with so much pain that I had to lie down for a minute and pray to God to take away the pain. I believed that God would take away that pain, and He did. “In what ways do you need to exercise faith in God’s protection and promises?” Sometimes I focus so much on just getting by that I forget that God intends for us to have life and to have it abundantly. I know He protects me, but sometimes I forget about His other promises. I need to remember and have faith in His promises in my day to day life.
10. “The ‘sword of the Spirit’ (v. 17) is our only offensive weapon. Why do we need both the Spirit of God and the Word of God to defeat that devil?” We need the Spirit of God because words alone are not enough to defeat the devil. Knowledge of God’s Word does not impress the devil, because he himself knows God’s Word. What he doesn’t have, however, is the Spirit of God. We have that Spirit in us, and the Spirit is stronger than the devil will ever be. However, we cannot just have the Spirit of God, because we would know nothing about the Spirit of God without the Word of God, which guides us and tells us what we need to know about Him. That is why both are essential to build our “sword of the Spirit.”
11. “Although prayer (vv. 18-20) isn’t listed as one of the pieces of our armor, how is prayer a vital component of your spiritual warfare?” Without prayer, none of the armor would be possible. We cannot say that we are depending on God for our protection if we are not even talking to Him! Prayer is our connection with God, and without it, we are just setting ourselves up to get defeated by the enemy. You wouldn’t go into battle without asking the commander in chief what the plan was! In the same way, we shouldn’t go into a spiritual battle without asking God for guidance and protection.
This blog has been intense to write for me. There has been a lot of spiritual warfare in this room, and even in my body. Satan did not want me to do this study. But I will not let his wishes stop me from doing what God wants me to do. I will not let his wishes stop me from learning what God wants me to learn.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Philippians: The Atmosphere in Philippi
This blog is about pages 136-137 in the book The Smart Guide to the Bible: Paul and the Prison Epistles.
Paul had four reasons for writing to the church in Philippi:
“1. Express his gratitude for the financial support from the Philippians sent with Epaphroditus. (4:10, 15-18)
2. Encourage the Philippians to live in joy regardless of their circumstances. (1:12-26; 4:4-9)
3. Influence those who are in disagreement to become united. (2:2-4; 4:2-3)
4. Correct the wrong teachings of legalism. (3:1-19)”
This means that the church was helping Paul financially, and although they were doing really well in a lot of ways, they were having problems with disunity and falling back on dependency on the law instead of the mercy that God offers. They were also struggling with being joyful in the middle of difficult situations, and Paul wanted to send them encouragement.
What amazes me is that while Paul wrote this, he was in jail. He was going through his own difficulties, and he was demonstrating this joy that can be obtained in all situations. I really admire that. It takes a great man to encourage people going through their own problems when his own problems are huge.
Paul had four reasons for writing to the church in Philippi:
“1. Express his gratitude for the financial support from the Philippians sent with Epaphroditus. (4:10, 15-18)
2. Encourage the Philippians to live in joy regardless of their circumstances. (1:12-26; 4:4-9)
3. Influence those who are in disagreement to become united. (2:2-4; 4:2-3)
4. Correct the wrong teachings of legalism. (3:1-19)”
This means that the church was helping Paul financially, and although they were doing really well in a lot of ways, they were having problems with disunity and falling back on dependency on the law instead of the mercy that God offers. They were also struggling with being joyful in the middle of difficult situations, and Paul wanted to send them encouragement.
What amazes me is that while Paul wrote this, he was in jail. He was going through his own difficulties, and he was demonstrating this joy that can be obtained in all situations. I really admire that. It takes a great man to encourage people going through their own problems when his own problems are huge.
Philippians: Let's Get Started
This blog is about pages 135-136 in the book The Smart Guide to the Bible: Paul and the Prison Epistles.
When Paul went to Philippi ten years before this book was written, his first three converts were from different levels of society. Lydia was a seller of purple (and extremely expensive dye), and was among the rich. The jailer that Paul converted when God used an earthquake to remove Paul’s chains was among the working, middle class of society. And the demented Greek slave girl that was used by her owners to tell fortunes was among the lowest of society.
The fact that these people were from all levels of society really gets to me. It shows that God and the Good News are not just for those that are poor and needy or for those that are rich. They are for all that can hear about them. Every person around the world needs God just as much as the next person. These very different converts in Philippi demonstrate that.
When Paul went to Philippi ten years before this book was written, his first three converts were from different levels of society. Lydia was a seller of purple (and extremely expensive dye), and was among the rich. The jailer that Paul converted when God used an earthquake to remove Paul’s chains was among the working, middle class of society. And the demented Greek slave girl that was used by her owners to tell fortunes was among the lowest of society.
The fact that these people were from all levels of society really gets to me. It shows that God and the Good News are not just for those that are poor and needy or for those that are rich. They are for all that can hear about them. Every person around the world needs God just as much as the next person. These very different converts in Philippi demonstrate that.
Hearing from God Each Morning (August 3)
This blog is about today’s devotion in the book Hearing from God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer.
Today’s devotion tells us that God has a lot He wants to tell us, and we can learn from Him and grow closer to Him every day. We need to approach our devotion time with Him as something we want to do, a pleasure, than a duty that we must carry out every day.
I’ll admit, for me it’s hard to get started on my devotions sometimes. I just don’t feel into it, or the thought of cracking open a book and reading just bores me. Other times I can hardly wait until I do devotions because I know there is a lot God wants to show me in His Word. Either way, most of the time when I start my devotions, I get sucked into them. I enjoy being in God’s Word and learning from Him so much. During times when I am not doing as long of devotions I start to feel so lonely and I miss the time I spent with God.
Right now I’m tired and stressed. I could just go do a million things today that really don’t need to be done, or I could spend more time with God. It’s always good to spend a lot of time with God, but today I feel like it is extremely important that I spend more time with God in prayer and devotions.
Today’s devotion tells us that God has a lot He wants to tell us, and we can learn from Him and grow closer to Him every day. We need to approach our devotion time with Him as something we want to do, a pleasure, than a duty that we must carry out every day.
I’ll admit, for me it’s hard to get started on my devotions sometimes. I just don’t feel into it, or the thought of cracking open a book and reading just bores me. Other times I can hardly wait until I do devotions because I know there is a lot God wants to show me in His Word. Either way, most of the time when I start my devotions, I get sucked into them. I enjoy being in God’s Word and learning from Him so much. During times when I am not doing as long of devotions I start to feel so lonely and I miss the time I spent with God.
Right now I’m tired and stressed. I could just go do a million things today that really don’t need to be done, or I could spend more time with God. It’s always good to spend a lot of time with God, but today I feel like it is extremely important that I spend more time with God in prayer and devotions.
Hearing from God Each Morning (August 2)
This blog is about today’s devotion in the book Hearing from God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer.
God doesn’t just want us to be obedient to Him in the big things, but in the small things as well. He wants us to follow Him wholeheartedly, and not just when we want to impress Him or get ourselves out of trouble. When we obey Him in the small things, it shows Him that we are capable to follow His lead on the bigger things.
What is really getting to me lately is what I say. I’ve been thinking a lot more about the words that come out of my mouth. Things I wouldn’t give a second thought to saying before I think about and hold back now. God calls us to not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, and I’ve let a lot of it come out of my mouth before. I still do, because I’m not perfect. But now I don’t just say things and never think of them again. When I slip up, I notice now. I notice and repent of that, because if I can’t control the tiny things like the words out of my mouth, how am I supposed to do the bigger things God has planned for my life? The small things mean way more than people would like to think.
I believe that the little things in life are what make the character of a person. Most people would react the same and “correct” way in a lot of big situations. Ask anyone if they would give up their life for their best friend and most of them would say that they would. But when you watch the little details of peoples’ lives, that is where their true character is found. The way a person lives their day-to-day life means so much more than one big great decision. Anyone can make one really important decision right once. But can everyone make lots of little right decisions on a daily basis? No. The great news is, when we accept Jesus into our heart and the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, we aren’t alone in making those decisions. We have help. I’m ever grateful for this, because without God in my life, I know I wouldn’t be the person I am right now. This is not me. This is God living in me.
I know I got really off topic in this blog, but it really started a whole chain of thoughts that I felt I really needed to write down.
God doesn’t just want us to be obedient to Him in the big things, but in the small things as well. He wants us to follow Him wholeheartedly, and not just when we want to impress Him or get ourselves out of trouble. When we obey Him in the small things, it shows Him that we are capable to follow His lead on the bigger things.
What is really getting to me lately is what I say. I’ve been thinking a lot more about the words that come out of my mouth. Things I wouldn’t give a second thought to saying before I think about and hold back now. God calls us to not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, and I’ve let a lot of it come out of my mouth before. I still do, because I’m not perfect. But now I don’t just say things and never think of them again. When I slip up, I notice now. I notice and repent of that, because if I can’t control the tiny things like the words out of my mouth, how am I supposed to do the bigger things God has planned for my life? The small things mean way more than people would like to think.
I believe that the little things in life are what make the character of a person. Most people would react the same and “correct” way in a lot of big situations. Ask anyone if they would give up their life for their best friend and most of them would say that they would. But when you watch the little details of peoples’ lives, that is where their true character is found. The way a person lives their day-to-day life means so much more than one big great decision. Anyone can make one really important decision right once. But can everyone make lots of little right decisions on a daily basis? No. The great news is, when we accept Jesus into our heart and the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, we aren’t alone in making those decisions. We have help. I’m ever grateful for this, because without God in my life, I know I wouldn’t be the person I am right now. This is not me. This is God living in me.
I know I got really off topic in this blog, but it really started a whole chain of thoughts that I felt I really needed to write down.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Hearing from God Each Morning (August 1)
This blog is about today’s devotion in the book Hearing from God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer.
Today’s devotion is something that I have had on my mind a lot this past couple of days. Meyer talks about how we pray specific prayers to God asking Him what we should do in certain situations, such as, “God, do you want me to take this job or wait for another?” The thing is, God wants to help us and guide us in these decisions, but He also wants us to live in His general will. If we are not doing the things He tells us to do in His Word (and doing those we are NOT supposed to do), then we are not living in His will for us, and it is harder for us to hear from Him.
There are things I need to eliminate in my life in order to better hear from God. He is leading me places and I need to be as in tune with Him and His will as possible, or I may miss what He is trying to show me. I need to learn to do what He has already told me to do as I wait for Him to tell me what I need to do next.
Today’s devotion is something that I have had on my mind a lot this past couple of days. Meyer talks about how we pray specific prayers to God asking Him what we should do in certain situations, such as, “God, do you want me to take this job or wait for another?” The thing is, God wants to help us and guide us in these decisions, but He also wants us to live in His general will. If we are not doing the things He tells us to do in His Word (and doing those we are NOT supposed to do), then we are not living in His will for us, and it is harder for us to hear from Him.
There are things I need to eliminate in my life in order to better hear from God. He is leading me places and I need to be as in tune with Him and His will as possible, or I may miss what He is trying to show me. I need to learn to do what He has already told me to do as I wait for Him to tell me what I need to do next.
Hearing from God Each Morning (July 31)
This blog is about today’s devotion in the book Hearing from God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer.
In today’s devotion, Meyer talks about being obedient to God. When we are obedient to God, He will add the knowledge and wisdom we need. We cannot have that if we are not listening to Him and doing what He tells us to do.
God may ask me to do big things or to do small things, but whatever He asks me to do, I need to do. When I refuse to do any thing that He asks me to do, that is disobedience, and I am not in the center of His will for me. I need to surrender to Him daily, and even every moment of every day. When I feel Him tugging at my heart, I need to open it and listen to what He has to say.
In today’s devotion, Meyer talks about being obedient to God. When we are obedient to God, He will add the knowledge and wisdom we need. We cannot have that if we are not listening to Him and doing what He tells us to do.
God may ask me to do big things or to do small things, but whatever He asks me to do, I need to do. When I refuse to do any thing that He asks me to do, that is disobedience, and I am not in the center of His will for me. I need to surrender to Him daily, and even every moment of every day. When I feel Him tugging at my heart, I need to open it and listen to what He has to say.
Wooster Church of the Nazarene
Tonight I went to Wooster Church of the Nazarene for a worship and prayer time. It was truly amazing!
Within minutes of entering the doors to the sanctuary, I could feel the Holy Spirit’s presence so strong in the room. By the time we found our seats, my right hand began to shake. It continued to shake as I began to worship God. For those that know me, I am not the type to do much moving or anything during a church service. I have always felt that there is a certain way to act during church, or in any public place. But tonight I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to leave all of that behind. So hands held high, I made my way to the front of the church where they had cleared a place for dancing and praying. I began to dance, the whole while my hand was shaking.
This whole time, I was praying with a boldness I had never prayed with before. I was crying out to God, begging Him to give me the power to interpret tongues, since we have so many people in our prayer group that speak in tongues, but no one who can interpret. I cried out to God and said, “God, You are speaking through these people but we do not know what they are saying. God, help me to know what they are saying. We need to know what you are saying. Give me this power, God. Please, God.” The songs seemed to hit me hard, too. It seemed like they were all about hearing God’s voice and saying the things that He says and doing the things that He does. As my hand was shaking and I could feel the Holy Spirit’s presence, I knew that what I prayed for would be answered if I continued to pray earnestly.
After a short while, I fell to my knees, then onto my stomach where I laid facedown and prayed. I prayed, “God, Jacob wrestled You all night to get Your blessing, and I will lay here on my stomach praying all night if that’s what it takes for You to give me this gift that the group needs. We are incomplete without it, and we need it to be completely effective. I will not leave until you bless me!” I prayed words like these over and over, along with saying, “God, I believe, help my unbelief. Give me more faith. I need more faith. You said that faith the size of a mustard seed could move mountains, and I have that much faith. But I need even more faith, God.” All the while I was on the ground crying and praying to God.
I told God I would not move from that place until I knew He had blessed me. Even when I started to feel a lot of pain in my body from staying in that position, I did not sit up. I did not stand. When people around me were all dancing and clapping and praising God, I stayed on my stomach amidst it all and cried out to God. I told God, “God, I don’t want to be here like this. I want to be up dancing and praising you with everyone else. But it’s Your will that I get this, so I will stay here and suffer this pain until you bless me. I will look like a fool on the ground waiting for You, but this is where You want me.”
Soon, the music calmed down again, and I felt my body get really cold. Then, I was covered in water. I felt as if I was in the middle of a river, with the cold water rushing around me. The speaker began to talk about the Living Water. I knew that the Holy Spirit’s presence was surrounding me, and I felt overwhelmed. My body was shaking uncontrollably, something that I had been a little skeptical about when I first started viewing IHOP (When the Spirit hits someone, sometimes their body jerks and shakes in uncontrollable ways. This was something I was uncomfortable with.). But as I was there, I kept praying, “God, okay, I believe. I’m sorry I ever doubted that this was You. I’m sorry I kept thinking that You had to be a certain way. Help me to break down all of these walls.”
After a while, my body began to hurt so badly that I wondered if I could get up if I tried. I began to cry out to God, “God, I’m weak! I’m weak! Help me! Fill me with Your Spirit because I am not strong enough to do anything! Give me Your Spirit so that I can interpret tongues. You can use me, God!” My body was fighting the pain, but then the verse Exodus 14:14 came to mind: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” So for the next several minutes, I held as still as I could, facedown on the ground. I continued to pray to God.
After a little while longer, I began to sing softly a few lines from a song, “If You can use anything, Lord, You can use me. If You can use anything, Lord, You can use me. Take my hands, Lord, and my feet, everything, Lord, speak through me. If You can use anything, Lord, You can use me.”
Then, finally, a little after that I felt at peace, even though God had not affirmed that I would get the gift in the way that I thought (or any way at all at this point). I sat up and continued to pray a little more. I prayed more for the gift to interpret tongues, then got up and went to my seat, where I began to cry. After Elizabeth and I went to the restroom, we came back and I had this feeling that I needed to check my phone. I got a text from my friend with a Bible verse in it. I scrolled down and all I saw was “Corinthians 12:9-10,” and I just assumed she meant 1 Corinthians. So I turned in the Bible to that passage, which speaks about spiritual gifts, and says, “to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.” As I read this, I began to laugh out loud. I showed Aaron the passage and explained what I had been praying for, then showed him the text. That’s when I noticed that when I scrolled up, there was actually a 2 in front of Corinthians. God kept me from seeing it the first time!
But Aaron said to look at the other passage, since it could also have something for me concerning my prayers for the night. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” When I read this, I was even more amazed. This passage talked about how my weakness is covered by God’s strength, which is something that I spent a lot of the time praying about.
I was content to keep this as my affirmation that God was giving me the power to interpret tongues. But as we were walking out of the sanctuary, a woman came and stopped me and said, “God wanted me to talk to you and tell you that you were given a key tonight. I don’t know if that means anything to you; it doesn’t make much sense to me.” My eyes got wide and I hugged the woman and thanked her. I told her it meant so much to me, and it does. God has given me the spiritual gift to interpret tongues. So after three hours of praying facedown on the floor, I now know that God has given me that gift. I will not waste what He has given me!
Within minutes of entering the doors to the sanctuary, I could feel the Holy Spirit’s presence so strong in the room. By the time we found our seats, my right hand began to shake. It continued to shake as I began to worship God. For those that know me, I am not the type to do much moving or anything during a church service. I have always felt that there is a certain way to act during church, or in any public place. But tonight I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to leave all of that behind. So hands held high, I made my way to the front of the church where they had cleared a place for dancing and praying. I began to dance, the whole while my hand was shaking.
This whole time, I was praying with a boldness I had never prayed with before. I was crying out to God, begging Him to give me the power to interpret tongues, since we have so many people in our prayer group that speak in tongues, but no one who can interpret. I cried out to God and said, “God, You are speaking through these people but we do not know what they are saying. God, help me to know what they are saying. We need to know what you are saying. Give me this power, God. Please, God.” The songs seemed to hit me hard, too. It seemed like they were all about hearing God’s voice and saying the things that He says and doing the things that He does. As my hand was shaking and I could feel the Holy Spirit’s presence, I knew that what I prayed for would be answered if I continued to pray earnestly.
After a short while, I fell to my knees, then onto my stomach where I laid facedown and prayed. I prayed, “God, Jacob wrestled You all night to get Your blessing, and I will lay here on my stomach praying all night if that’s what it takes for You to give me this gift that the group needs. We are incomplete without it, and we need it to be completely effective. I will not leave until you bless me!” I prayed words like these over and over, along with saying, “God, I believe, help my unbelief. Give me more faith. I need more faith. You said that faith the size of a mustard seed could move mountains, and I have that much faith. But I need even more faith, God.” All the while I was on the ground crying and praying to God.
I told God I would not move from that place until I knew He had blessed me. Even when I started to feel a lot of pain in my body from staying in that position, I did not sit up. I did not stand. When people around me were all dancing and clapping and praising God, I stayed on my stomach amidst it all and cried out to God. I told God, “God, I don’t want to be here like this. I want to be up dancing and praising you with everyone else. But it’s Your will that I get this, so I will stay here and suffer this pain until you bless me. I will look like a fool on the ground waiting for You, but this is where You want me.”
Soon, the music calmed down again, and I felt my body get really cold. Then, I was covered in water. I felt as if I was in the middle of a river, with the cold water rushing around me. The speaker began to talk about the Living Water. I knew that the Holy Spirit’s presence was surrounding me, and I felt overwhelmed. My body was shaking uncontrollably, something that I had been a little skeptical about when I first started viewing IHOP (When the Spirit hits someone, sometimes their body jerks and shakes in uncontrollable ways. This was something I was uncomfortable with.). But as I was there, I kept praying, “God, okay, I believe. I’m sorry I ever doubted that this was You. I’m sorry I kept thinking that You had to be a certain way. Help me to break down all of these walls.”
After a while, my body began to hurt so badly that I wondered if I could get up if I tried. I began to cry out to God, “God, I’m weak! I’m weak! Help me! Fill me with Your Spirit because I am not strong enough to do anything! Give me Your Spirit so that I can interpret tongues. You can use me, God!” My body was fighting the pain, but then the verse Exodus 14:14 came to mind: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” So for the next several minutes, I held as still as I could, facedown on the ground. I continued to pray to God.
After a little while longer, I began to sing softly a few lines from a song, “If You can use anything, Lord, You can use me. If You can use anything, Lord, You can use me. Take my hands, Lord, and my feet, everything, Lord, speak through me. If You can use anything, Lord, You can use me.”
Then, finally, a little after that I felt at peace, even though God had not affirmed that I would get the gift in the way that I thought (or any way at all at this point). I sat up and continued to pray a little more. I prayed more for the gift to interpret tongues, then got up and went to my seat, where I began to cry. After Elizabeth and I went to the restroom, we came back and I had this feeling that I needed to check my phone. I got a text from my friend with a Bible verse in it. I scrolled down and all I saw was “Corinthians 12:9-10,” and I just assumed she meant 1 Corinthians. So I turned in the Bible to that passage, which speaks about spiritual gifts, and says, “to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.” As I read this, I began to laugh out loud. I showed Aaron the passage and explained what I had been praying for, then showed him the text. That’s when I noticed that when I scrolled up, there was actually a 2 in front of Corinthians. God kept me from seeing it the first time!
But Aaron said to look at the other passage, since it could also have something for me concerning my prayers for the night. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” When I read this, I was even more amazed. This passage talked about how my weakness is covered by God’s strength, which is something that I spent a lot of the time praying about.
I was content to keep this as my affirmation that God was giving me the power to interpret tongues. But as we were walking out of the sanctuary, a woman came and stopped me and said, “God wanted me to talk to you and tell you that you were given a key tonight. I don’t know if that means anything to you; it doesn’t make much sense to me.” My eyes got wide and I hugged the woman and thanked her. I told her it meant so much to me, and it does. God has given me the spiritual gift to interpret tongues. So after three hours of praying facedown on the floor, I now know that God has given me that gift. I will not waste what He has given me!
Hearing from God Each Morning (July 30)
This blog is about today’s devotion in the book Hearing from God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer.
Today’s devotion was about taking time to spend with God, and letting everything else (even working for God through church or ministry) come second to our relationship with Him. We need to build our schedules around Him, instead of trying to work Him into them.
I feel like I am not getting enough time with God, even though I am doing church activities and going to prayer group. I still need my time one-on-one with God in the mornings and at night. For me, it takes a little more effort to get started, but once my time with God starts, I get sucked in and I can easily spend time in His Word. I just need to be more disciplined about spending that time with Him. He has a lot to tell me, and I need to really tune in and listen.
Today’s devotion was about taking time to spend with God, and letting everything else (even working for God through church or ministry) come second to our relationship with Him. We need to build our schedules around Him, instead of trying to work Him into them.
I feel like I am not getting enough time with God, even though I am doing church activities and going to prayer group. I still need my time one-on-one with God in the mornings and at night. For me, it takes a little more effort to get started, but once my time with God starts, I get sucked in and I can easily spend time in His Word. I just need to be more disciplined about spending that time with Him. He has a lot to tell me, and I need to really tune in and listen.
Restoration and Carrie Faith
Tonight was another very powerful night at prayer group. As we shared prayer requests, I shared what was on my heart concerning my family and my health, and I began to cry. I left the room to go to the bathroom so I could be alone to cry. As I walked, the pain that God had healed from my leg came back. It hurt until I turned around and went back and sat down to listen. God wanted me in that room for every minute of what He was going to do that night.
One of the first things we prayed for was for the restoration of God’s chosen people. We prayed that they would find their way back to God. And although we prayed for the people of Jerusalem and Israel, the Nazarene church was on my heart. I have felt convicted by God that I should be helping to restore the Nazarene church to how He wants His church to be. I have had friends of other denominations telling me not to stay so set on the Nazarene church for my missions later in life, but I feel like I need to stay and fix what is broken, even within my church. I also need to fix what is broken within me. I’m still not so comfortable with the things I’m learning and seeing. I’m not used to dancing in church and multiple people praying out loud. But this is what God wants us to be. He wants a community of believers living without all of the walls we build up. I feel like my church has those walls and ceremonies in a lot of ways. In a lot of ways, though, they are on the right track, though. But we can all improve and draw closer to God.
Then the prayer time got a lot more personal. Before I really knew it, several people had their hands on me and they were praying over me. They prayed for my family and the situation at home, but they also prayed for a spiritual mother and father for me. They also prayed for strength and healing: emotional, spiritual, and physical strength and healing. The whole time, I was soaked in tears. My head was resting in my lap and I was sobbing. Tears soaked my face and legs. The pain in my body was so sharp and it was very bothersome. Then people were praying for me to have more faith. And I do need more faith. I still struggle with some of the things I’m learning, and I still have a hard time asking God for things because I feel like asking is not my right (which I know deep down that I am a child of God and I have every right to ask for healing, but I still struggle with the idea that God would actually heal me.), and it just isn’t my personality to ask people for things. The whole time, I could just feel God saying to my soul over and over, “Carrie Faith, carry faith. Carrie Faith, carry faith.” My name means so much. Not just my middle name, but my first name as well. I am supposed to carry faith. My faith will change the world. God can use even the littlest faith to change the world.
I feel like after this time of prayer and fellowship, I will be able to rest peacefully for the first time in a week. Reconnecting with God’s people in such a spiritual way is good for the soul!
One of the first things we prayed for was for the restoration of God’s chosen people. We prayed that they would find their way back to God. And although we prayed for the people of Jerusalem and Israel, the Nazarene church was on my heart. I have felt convicted by God that I should be helping to restore the Nazarene church to how He wants His church to be. I have had friends of other denominations telling me not to stay so set on the Nazarene church for my missions later in life, but I feel like I need to stay and fix what is broken, even within my church. I also need to fix what is broken within me. I’m still not so comfortable with the things I’m learning and seeing. I’m not used to dancing in church and multiple people praying out loud. But this is what God wants us to be. He wants a community of believers living without all of the walls we build up. I feel like my church has those walls and ceremonies in a lot of ways. In a lot of ways, though, they are on the right track, though. But we can all improve and draw closer to God.
Then the prayer time got a lot more personal. Before I really knew it, several people had their hands on me and they were praying over me. They prayed for my family and the situation at home, but they also prayed for a spiritual mother and father for me. They also prayed for strength and healing: emotional, spiritual, and physical strength and healing. The whole time, I was soaked in tears. My head was resting in my lap and I was sobbing. Tears soaked my face and legs. The pain in my body was so sharp and it was very bothersome. Then people were praying for me to have more faith. And I do need more faith. I still struggle with some of the things I’m learning, and I still have a hard time asking God for things because I feel like asking is not my right (which I know deep down that I am a child of God and I have every right to ask for healing, but I still struggle with the idea that God would actually heal me.), and it just isn’t my personality to ask people for things. The whole time, I could just feel God saying to my soul over and over, “Carrie Faith, carry faith. Carrie Faith, carry faith.” My name means so much. Not just my middle name, but my first name as well. I am supposed to carry faith. My faith will change the world. God can use even the littlest faith to change the world.
I feel like after this time of prayer and fellowship, I will be able to rest peacefully for the first time in a week. Reconnecting with God’s people in such a spiritual way is good for the soul!
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