Roadtrip 2009

WE ARE AT WAR!!!!!

I googled "pictures of World War II" yesterday. I got all kinds of pictures. There were pics of airplanes, tanks, Hitler, FDR, and nazi symbols. But the picture that caught my attention the most were ones like this :

It may actually be a little fuzzy, but this pic is of a bank building in Milan, Italy. All over Europe, Africa, and the Pacific battleships were sunk, soldiers died, airplanes and tanks were destroyed. This war took place over several years and involved primarily two opposing sides.

In the same way, this is what is happening to our souls. Destruction is occurring when we let sinful desires rule our hearts. Listen to the words of Peter: "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul." (1 Peter 2:11)

WE ARE AT WAR!! I am not sure if you know it or not, but your soul is a battlefield. Your soul is just like the beaches of Normandy (D-Day) or the bunkers of Iwo Jima. Satan desires to win your soul. So he uses every weapon (fame, money, girls, etc) to win. And sometimes he wins a battle. That battle takes place in your heart.

I wrote out two questions and 20 multiple choice answers to help you think about where you are in your battle:

Question #1

What best describes your current situation in spiritual battle?

1. In basic training
2. In the mess hall
3. Running from the battle
4. Running to the battle
5. In communication with Headquarters
6. In the latrine
7. Dedicated to my mission
8. A prisoner of war (P.O.W.)
9. Camouflaged
10. Absent without leave (A.W.O.L.)
11. A M.A.S.H. unit
12. Wounded
13. In the trenches
14. Obeying my orders
15. Ready to help other soldiers
16. Practicing my drills daily
17. Military observer
18. Sitting Duck
19 Covert Operations

Question #2

My biggest problems in spiritual battles are: (Explain your answer)

1. I forget my equipment
2. I run away from battles
3. I doubt my enlistment into the army of God
4. Enemy distractions
5. Fatigue (I'm tired)
6. I lose communication with the Commander
7. I don't know my training manual
8. Family road blocks
9. The enemy takes me prisoner to sin
10. I lose focus in the battle
11. I fail to trust the commander
12. Sneak attacks on my faith
13. Sabataged friendships
14. I worry about what others will think
15. Enlisting God's help
16. False intelligence
17. Lack of courage
18. Too many battles at one time
19. Fear
20. Other?_________________________

We all are at war whether we accept it or not. A great thing is that we are at war together and with a Commander who has an awesome stategy. Comment on where you are in this war and we'll strive to help and encourage each other.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)

Squirm

Over the past 4 weeks, I have noticed something in our new girl. Whenever I hold her, at first she squirms.......a lot. I speak to her and hold her in my arms and eventually she settles down. But she does not do this at all with Erica. At an instant Erica will hold her and she is calm. It's because she is more comfortable with Erica. Sadie has spent countless hours with Erica (a good number of them at 2 am)! Sadie is familiar with her smell, sound of her voice, etc. She squirms in my arms because she is not familiar with me. You know where I am going with this, right?

I wonder how many times we squirm to get out of God's arms or out of His presence because it is just uncomfortable? When He speaks to us we do not recognize His voice (John 10:4). When we come into His presence we talk to others, think more about the hot guy/girl next to us or in our math class, find ways to go to the bathroom, etc. It is all because we are not comfortable with being in His arms. And the only way for us to get comfortable is for us to spend time to get to know Him. Think about it this way. How do you get to know your family? You sit around the dinner table with your family. You go to the grocery store and help you parents go shopping. You go on vacation with your family. Should I continue more with some examples? When we know God we will want to be with Him because of who He is.

James 4:8
Come near to God and He will come near to you.....

Live it,
BB