“10 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. 11 So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way.” Ephesians 6:10-11 MESSAGE Paraphrase
Just a couple days ago a friend was describing how their morning had gone. Unfortunately, there had been various setbacks all morning. My friend began to tell me about their experiences. He said, “it felt like bug bites all over. I kept swatting them away. Finally, in Jesus Name, I was able to calm down.” My friend was telling me how the Enemy (Satan) had been attacking him with negative thoughts.
If this sounds like your experiences on certain days, I’ve got Good News. Jesus is bigger than our “bug” problems. When we (Christians) take a firm stand in faith and Jesus Name, the enemy (Satan) will always run. He is defeated. Death has been defeated. Jesus resurrection was the final blow. Jesus conquered Satan and death (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 24-26 NLT).
God has done His part in our redemption story by sending His One and only Son. Jesus became our only hope for rescue. On the Cross, He who was Holy took upon Himself, the unholy sin of the world. Because of Jesus sacrifice we can be forgiven of sin and set free of eternal punishment and death (Romans 8:1-2 NLT).
So why do we still struggle even after getting our Jesus story started? Like my friend described being annoyed, (swatting bug bites) our enemy is the “lord of the flies.” He really knows how to annoy (tempt) people. Jesus has taken care of sin/death and heaven/hell but we still have to fight our way through the present world with temptations, doubts, betrayal, and sin.
Our fight is never alone. God is with us. Ephesians 6 describes we have been given our battle gear, the Armor of God. Not the kind of weapons the world uses; God’s weapons are unique and only for the Army of God. You can read ahead before the weekend the list of God’s Armor in Ephesians 6:10-18.
Author, Priscilla Shirer writes in her book, Armor of God, “When we stand behind the Shield of Faith the flaming arrows of the enemy will fizzle.” God is bigger!
Join us this weekend Journey Sat@6pm/Sun@10:30am. Bring a seat buddy and friend. It’s going to be a fun and exciting time as we wrap up the current fall series, Forward Thinking. We have a baptism and rededication planned for the Sunday service together. If you have a public decision to make regarding your Jesus story let us know. We can help you get your Jesus story started for the first time or a relaunch of your faith to get started again?
Also, Sunday is our annual Journey Church (indoor) picnic. Journey is providing drinks with Cane’s Chicken for the main menu. You are invited to bring sides and deserts. There will be plenty to share with everyone who is our guest.
And that abut wraps it up… See you there….
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