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This is a Spiritual Battle
Andrea Lende • November 6, 2020
I Corinthians 16:13-14
This is a Spiritual Battle
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Let-Everything-Be-Done-in-Love-em4ih3
I Corinthians 16:13-14
“Be alert and on your guard; stand firm in your faith. Act like men and be courageous; grow in strength!”
“Let everything you do be done in love (true love to God and man as inspired by God’s love for us).”
Paul was giving his final instructions to the church of Corinth.
First, he warned them to be on alert for dangerous situations.
He told them to be ready to defend themselves and their faith.
He told them to hold firm.
He told them to be courageous.
It almost seemed that he was warning them to be ready for battle.
Spiritual battle that is.
This reminded me the Bible tells us that we war not with the physical world but with the spiritual world.
It seems the spiritual battle is currently at an all-time high.
As we move through these most difficult days, we must know there is a war in the spiritual realm seeking to destroy each of us.
As such, we need to be prayed up.
We need to spend time with the Lord and ask Him to clothe us in His armor.
We need be prepared in our spirits to withstand the attacks of the enemy.
We need to don the armor of the Lord.
Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the:
Belt of truth.
Breastplate of Integrity.
Helmet of Salvation.
Sword of the Spirit – the Bible.
The Gospel of peace.
Shield of faith - quenches the flaming missiles of the enemy.
And to pray – “Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty.”
Paul also tells the people to do everything in love.
Not the kind of love we know of as human beings.
But the kind of love the Lord has for us.
We, in turn, need to love others as the Lord loves us.
How?
How can we possibly love through all of this?
By prayer.
Only the Lord can help us love others as He loves us.
He can soften our hearts to love.
Today I choose love over hate and pray the Lord equips me with His armor to fight and win the battle that rages.
May you find that love conquers all and the Lord will put His armor on you to withstand the spiritual battle of today.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me the battle that is upon our nation is a spiritual battle. You have given each of us the tools we need to win this battle. Lord, I pray You equip each of Your people with Your full armor. Protect us with the belt of truth, the breastplate of integrity, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit (Bible), the Gospel of peace, and the shield of faith which quenches the flaming missiles of the enemy. Nudge us and inspire us to pray – to pray without ceasing, Lord. Strengthen each of us to stand firm, be on alert, and do the right thing at all times and on every occasion. Do not let discouragement touch our hearts or our actions but keep us in a place of love. May Your Holy Spirit put love in each our spirits so we can love as You love, Father. Help us love one another. Help us honor one another as a child of Yours. Help us know You are still in control as You always are, Lord. All glory be Yours! You are great and are to be greatly praised! We praise You, Father. Help us praise You all day long. Help us bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing our prayer.
Answer: I AM the Great I AM, and I will clothe you and all My people in My full armor.
Response: Strengthen each of us as we battle the enemy, Lord.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.