that I can teach other people how to step into the goodness that God has in store for all of us. So as I move along in my journey, I guess theres nothing more - or probably better that I can do for myself than to be completely open and raw and honest about hunting down my dreams. One of the dreams that I have is to go on a child rescue in the sex trafficking industry. I have this sense of unrest within me that - even tho I have a great job and I'm successful in that arena - I will never be at peace until I see babies taken out of the darkness of sexual abuse and slavery. They need me - they need you. I raised my hand a long time ago for God to pick me - and the closer I get to that goal, the more God is putting me in situations that are kind of scary and new to me - but he is right there with me at my side - like sitting on his lap and snuggling into his chest, knowing that he has my best interest at heart and allowing me to see and get accustomed to just a little bit of darkness at a time.
So how does someone who came from being in the bondage of fear, to wanting to go into the darkness to dispel fear? GOD! I was never in the military, I have a very limited amount of practice time at the shooting range, but I have a heart that longs to serve in a capacity that will truly change lives and restore children to the kingdom, and I have the ultimate weapon that anyone could ever use - the word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. I hear the cries and it makes me angry that I haven't been ready for them yet - but i'm getting there.. It's finally my season of forging armor.
forge1
fôrj/
verb
gerund or present participle: forging
1.
make or shape (a metal object) by heating it in a fire or furnace and beating or hammering it.
That doesn't sound so pretty does it - going through the fire - you have to want what you're after enough and be willing to let God work this in you. It's not easy - but if you can keep the renewed mindset that He is doing this for your good and not to harm you - making you stronger - then you've already won half the battle! God is a gentle God when disciplining his babies - he won't give you more than you can handle. Psalm 18:35 says "You have given me the shield of your
salvation,
and your
right hand supported me,
and
your gentleness made me great."
I know I have fallen prey to trying to get stronger, mentally and physically in my own strength. But there is a strength that we can tap into that is far greater than we can ever tap into here on earth. When we align ourselves with the plans God has for us, not only our desire will spur us on, but so will he. Stay with me for a moment while I take a little side road to explain something to you... In Psalm 91:4 it says He will cover you with his pinions,
and
under his wings you will find refuge;
his
faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Ok so being a modern english speaking American - I read this and had no idea what a pinion was or a buckler - sounds kind of medieval right? I've heard of a pinion in the car - and i'm pretty sure that he doesn't want to drop an engine on my head so what in modern day english does this mean? A pinion, is the outer part of a birds wing that allows it to fly - he wants to put that on us. There does come a time in life where we need to finally fly the nest of his security and comfort and launch out into unknown territory - fully relying on the strength that he has given us to do so. I don't know about you, but I would much rather rely on the infinite strength, energy and wisdom that my daddy has than anything I could ever accomplish here on earth. I didn't forget about the buckler either - what is that? It is a small shield worn on the left arm in battle. It's HIS shield and He's got you doubly protected with not only his shield - but this cool extra sidearm piece. Personally - I love the thought of tucking myself under his wings - and like a child who likes to play dress up in my daddys work boots, I'm going to take hold of His shield and His sword and His faithfulness - because he has mastered the art of war, and he has mastered his suit of armor to where no weapon can remain. He already won the battle, his suits of armor are ours to take and use at will. What greater armor could you ever need than the power of God as your suit?
Fears display themselves proudly as chinks in our armor that need repair. What fear grips you so powerfully that the spirit of God himself can not dispense? What fear do you have? Lay it down at the foot of the cross and ask your daddy to rid you of that fear. It works. The way God has seemed to work that out in me has been to put me in situations that were similar to how the initial fear was birthed - and he walks me through those same feelings and shows me that now I have nothing to be afraid of. I am a daughter of a King - and he wants me to walk in my righteousness - and the only way to get there is to rid myself of the things that are not of God. Fear is the absence of faith. But don't let that condemn you - because life is certainly far from being perfect, and there are many reasons why we fall into fear. But when we nuzzle ourselves into the wings of the Lord and spend time with him in communion, his perfect love will cast out your fears. I love looking fear in the eye and conquering it, because you can either let fear rule your life or you can let it give you the drive to be a warrior. World events can cause undue fear in our lives - but is the reality of what is going on in the world supposed to be the reality of the kingdom life? NO - we are called to a higher level - a level of kingdom thinking and acting..
Isaiah 8:11-15English Standard Version (ESV)
Fear God, Wait for the Lord
11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
Let God be your fear - and I don't mean in the old testament sense. I used to fear God as an old testament God - I ran from him because I thought him to be an abusive God who hated me - I thought he was just waiting to wipe me from the face of the earth - despised and rejected - but he has taught me and proven that he is the same as the perfect theology that we see in Jesus. Jesus for me was my gateway drug to falling in love with my father. I saw Jesus as the loving one who was shielding me from a hateful father - but the more I leaned in and got to know Jesus, the more I was given true revelation of who my daddy is - and boyyyy does he know how to love his babies!
Walking in his love changes you. The closer one can become to knowing who Jesus is - the more like him we can become. Jesus is a warrior - with a mighty sword and fire in his eyes to bring justice. That same burning desire should be in all of us. We were not meant to live out our days preaching or serving within the church walls - there is a hurting and dying world out there and we as Christ followers need to be in the world pulling his babies out of the mud (See Jude 1:23) - we need to be the light out there in the darkness of the night and being unafraid to cross enemy lines to save who he has called us to save. The mud isn't pretty - the dark isn't pretty - but God didn't rescue you so you could live life in a white picket fence - he rescued you and made you strong so that you could go back in to the darkness and cast your light and be an atmosphere changer - that doesn't take a wimp! It takes a warrior - do you want to leave His loved ones behind and pretend that their pain doesn't matter? I can't handle the thought of people dying at my expense because I didn't do anything about it.
So I put on my armor daily - and when chinks appear I ask daddy to heal me in that area - heal me daddy and make me stronger - and reveal to me my weaknesses!
So how do you prepare your armor? Do you even know what your armor is?
Ephesians 6:10-18English Standard Version (ESV)
The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Tear this verse apart shall we?
1. Be strong in the Lord... and that means? Get to know him - you can't trust someone you don't know. This is a process. Start with the word of God - become intimate with scripture to renew your mind.
2. Put on the armor:
A. The helmet of salvation: Renew your mind into kingdom thinking - find out what kingdom thinking is and start changing your thought process to match how God thinks about you - and if your thoughts don't line up with his, start believing his thoughts.
B. The Belt of truth: Know his truth, speak the truth, walk in integrity in everything that you do - this will be your greatest defense - because the truth speaks for itself.
C. The breastplate of righteousness: Get your emotional being in check - quit making decisions based on how you feel at the moment. Guard your heart against attack - don't let wounds harden you - this is a key area to ask God to heal you in. Cain didn't kill Abel with a rock - he had already killed him in his mind with his hatred for his brother.
D. Shoes of peace: We are given a spirit of peace - and frequently peace is our greatest weapon - there are times to defend ourselves with boldness and force - but first and foremost - let the spirit of peace be with you through all situations. Peace is the evidence of the holy spirit - upon receiving Jesus, you were given the holy spirit to guide you as a compass. He will lead you through things that may be uncomfortable - but know that he is with you.
E. The shield of faith: When you are walking in truth and integrity but you are facing a battle anyway - hold on to the shield that is laid out before you as a guard against attacks of the enemy. This is your first layer of defense when facing the day - hold your shield out in front of you - especially if their are chinks in the rest of your armor. Let this shield protect you as you strengthen yourself in other areas. Think also of this as a level of confidence - when you are in a battle - you face it with a strong will and confidence - and ready for battle - you know what needs to be done. A sort of - come at me bro - i'm ready!
F. The sword of the spirit: The word of God, and as a believer, we are meant to walk in communion with him. So if there is something that God has told you to do that other people oppose of - you obey God above all others. think of Jesus in his last days - his disciples were telling him not to go to the cross - but he said - "23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance[a] to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Know what God has told you and don't let anyone deter you from that path.
G. Pray at all times in the spirit: What on earth does this mean? As a holy spirit filled believer - you are given the gift of tongues that allows you to pray in the language of the Holy Spirit. Tapping into this gift is one of your most powerful weapons because not only are you praying, but you are praying the thoughts of God himself.
Are you ready for a wrap up? I ask of you to pray on all of these things and ponder them for your life - what do they mean for you personally? And of course I won't leave you without praying...
Dear Jesus; every day is a new beginning in your kingdom, I pray that you will stir within the spirit of everyone reading this to grow stronger in you. I pray for a complete sozo healing of all past hurts - emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally. For you Lord have not given us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. Help us to tap into your unending power, your unending love, and your peace that passes all understanding, that we may walk in the ways of your kingdom and bring restoration to a hurting and dying world. Strengthen us in a way that you know how best to do daddy - may we lay down our inside the box thinking and let you heal us the way you know will work. Show us our purpose and give us a dream to pursue Lord, and equip us with the tools to get it done. Thank you for your love and your protection, in Jesus name Amen
Don't walk away without grabbing your tools...
Warriors Prayer...
Heavenly Father,
Your Warrior prepares for battle.
Today I claim victory over Satan by putting on
The whole Armour of God!
Your Warrior prepares for battle.
Today I claim victory over Satan by putting on
The whole Armour of God!
I put on the Girdle of Truth!
May I stand firm in the truth of Your Word
So I will not be a victim of Satan’s lies.
I put on the Breastplate of Righteousness!
May it guard my heart from evil
So I will remain pure and holy,
Protected under the blood of Jesus Christ.
I put on the Shoes of Peace!
May I stand firm in the Good News of the Gospel
So Your peace will shine through me
And be a light to all I encounter.
I take the Shield of Faith!
May I be ready for Satan’s fiery darts of
Doubt, denial and deceit
So I will not be vulnerable to spiritual defeat.
I put on the Helmet of Salvation!
May I keep my mind focused on You
So Satan will not have a stronghold on my Thoughts.
I take the Sword of the Spirit!
May the two-edged sword of Your Word
Be ready in my hands
So I can expose the tempting words of Satan.
By faith your warrior has put on
The whole Armour of God!
I am prepared to live this day in spiritual victory!
May I stand firm in the truth of Your Word
So I will not be a victim of Satan’s lies.
I put on the Breastplate of Righteousness!
May it guard my heart from evil
So I will remain pure and holy,
Protected under the blood of Jesus Christ.
I put on the Shoes of Peace!
May I stand firm in the Good News of the Gospel
So Your peace will shine through me
And be a light to all I encounter.
I take the Shield of Faith!
May I be ready for Satan’s fiery darts of
Doubt, denial and deceit
So I will not be vulnerable to spiritual defeat.
I put on the Helmet of Salvation!
May I keep my mind focused on You
So Satan will not have a stronghold on my Thoughts.
I take the Sword of the Spirit!
May the two-edged sword of Your Word
Be ready in my hands
So I can expose the tempting words of Satan.
By faith your warrior has put on
The whole Armour of God!
I am prepared to live this day in spiritual victory!
Proverbs 27:17 - "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."
Be blessed, be loved, and get yourself in with a great body of warriors and start training with the best!
