Weapons for God's Warriors

Lately I've noticed that a lot of things that are beyond my control have been going wrong.  I don't think I'll list them since my mom tends to read this and I'd rather not give her a heart attack.  I've been wondering why, since I know my heart is right with God and I've been growing quite a bit lately.  I tend to be a shy sort of person and lately I've been pushing out of my comfort zone, getting more involved in several different ministries.

Well...that's most likely my answer.  We have an enemy, and he doesn't like us reaching others for Christ.
He'd much rather I keep my faith to myself.
Too bad!
Our God is stronger, and He is faithful to His children. Through His power, not our own, we can get through any trial the enemy throws at us.  He has lots of sly strategies that he uses against us, but for each God has given us a weapon.  We've been warned:  Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.-1 Peter 5:8-9  So when it feels like we are having fiery darts hurled at us, we most likely are!  But we have weapons that our enemy cannot stand against.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
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.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.-Ephesians 6:10-13
 I wrote the following from Ephesians 6:10-20. Anything not italicized is my interpretation based verses 14-20.

Weapon:  The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The sword is what we fight with, cutting the enemy off.  When Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days and nights and the devil began to tempt him Jesus responded with scripture.  The devil cannot stand against the word of God.                  
We usually come under attack in several ways. Guilt: "God could never forgive me this time..." But we can fight this with God's Word:
Romans 3:23- for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Take that! The opposite of guilt is forgiveness.

What about fear? I have struggled with that.  And what is the opposite of fear?   Faith.  Here's a promise:  Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.- Duet. 31:6
So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"-Hebrews 13:6

Weapon:   The shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.-Romans 5:1        
When guilt, doubt, discouragement, fear, etc. are thrown at us we can throw up our shield of faith, knowing that our God loves us and though our circumstances may be overwhelming at times, we live in a temporary world with temporary trials.  Even in our trials we can have peace knowing that God is with us.  We aren't alone in this life.  He is always there.              

Weapon:    The helmet of salvation...Have you ever taken a bad blow to the head? It can knock you senseless.  But when you have a helmet on, it protects you from what could be a devastating injury.  The worst attack is to cause us to question our salvation, isn't it?  But keep your helmet on- we have this promise:
for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'- Romans 10:13  There are so many verses that assure us of our salvation! The most quoted must be John 3:16:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Take that!  We can be sure of our salvation.

Weapon:   The belt of truth, buckled around your waist...  You know what part of our bodies is very vulnerable? Our ribs protect our heart and lungs, our skull protects our brain, but our belly has virtually no protection.  So in our battle, we protect one of our most vulnerable parts with truth.
This goes back to knowing the word of God, because that's where we find the truth of all things spiritual.

Take that!  When we know the truth we can't be deceived.
               
Weapon:   The breastplate of righteousness... The breastplate puts a protective layer of steel over the heart.  Christ's sacrifice cleanses our hearts and makes them righteous.  In order to keep this protective covering when we see we're going wrong we should take it to our Father and confess it right away, so that we can remain pure.

Weapon :  Feet fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  Sometimes it's better to have feet that are ready to run!  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.-Romans 9:25

Paul ends this chapter by saying, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray for me also, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."- Ephesians 6:19-20

So let's put on our armor, keep fighting the good fight, and keep drawing closer to the Father who loves us!.
As my Pastor said this morning, it is in the trials that we grow, and in the trials that we find Him.
Wishing you blessings in our Lord and Savior.

No other name by which we are saved but the Name of the Lord
Oh that the world will know Your Name... 
That the nations will call on the Name of the Lord
The Name of Yeshua (Jesus)

Russian Mission Group Warns Of Crackdown On Evangelicals; Anti-Putin Protesters Gather

Russian Mission Group Warns Of Crackdown On Evangelicals; Anti-Putin Protesters Gather

Monday, February 6, 2012 (4:33 am)

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MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News)– As protesters demanding more freedom and fair elections prepared to demonstrate in freezing temperatures in Moscow Saturday, February 4, a major Russian mission group warned of more difficulties for evangelical Christians and other, religious, minorities in Russia and other former Soviet Union nations.
"Even as demonstrations increase, protesters’ hold on religion and civil liberties appears to be slipping in the North Caucasus and Central Asia," explained Russian Ministries in a statement to Worthy News.
"The situation in Russia has been building over the last several years, and is as much about religious liberty as it is about political freedom," the group added.
Russian Ministries, which is involved in several aid and education projects and evangelism, told Worthy News that recent reports "document an alarming increase in limiting the freedoms of minority or dissenting religious perspectives across much of the post-Soviet region."
It also said that Siberia, Russia, local courts have attempted to ban the publication of alternate religious books, calling adherents to Hare Krishna “madmen.” The group compared the situation with the Soviet era. "In Soviet times, cults were targeted for persecution, and evangelical Christians were purposefully labeled as followers of a cult."
ETHNIC VIOLENCE
It comes at a same time when ethnic violence is on the rise, with Russian officials reporting this week the deaths of 13 people in a shootout in the North Caucasus between Islamist militants and Russian servicemen.
Russian Ministries said that with the "ethnic violence rising at the same time as religious liberty is under threat, the need to train next generation Christian leaders has never been higher."
Michael Cherenkov, vice-president for Association for Spiritual Renewal, seemed to agree in remarks distributed by Russian Ministries.
"A campaign [to limit religious freedoms] has been taking place in many regions of the Russian Federation for several years already,” he added.
He said requests from the Orthodox Church, which closely cooperates with the Kremlin, "to local authorities to destroy rental agreements and other forms of partnerships with Protestants have become common practice."
EXTREMISM CONCERNS
He claimed the church was "concerned about ‘extremism’" and added that "The formation of a common enemy is the best grounds for the mobilization of the ‘Orthodox.’"
Cherenkov said Russian Orthodox leaders "are losing their authority" so they "need to portray Protestants as 'sectarian fanatics.' In comparison, the Orthodox portray themselves as the real, native spiritual leaders, something they never were in reality.”
There was no immediate reaction from the Orthodox Church. Its national televised Christmas service in Moscow is usually attended by prime minister, and soon to be president, Vladimir Putin and other leaders.
Russian Ministries, a U.S. backed group with operations across Russia, said it is cooperating with local Christians to "respond correctly and wisely to the changing political climate across the region."
It said it is "committed to promoting religious liberty for all" in Russia, neighboring Belarus and Central Asia where, it added, "religious restrictions and persecutions are [also] on the rise."
REGISTRATION DEMANDS
Forum 18, a human rights monitoring service based in Norway, said in its latest report that that in Kyrgyzstan, "No progress has been made in dealing with registration applications from—among others—hundreds of mosques, unregistered Protestant churches, and the Hare Krishna community.”
In the Nagorno-Karabakh region, a Baptist conscientious objector was sentence to a one-year prison term for refusing to serve in the military. "Fines against Baptists and other religious workers in Uzbekistan are on the upswing. Mission Ministries told Worthy News.
"Activities under fire include reading as a group, allowing children to participate in services and any other activity consider as “proselytism” or “missionary activity.” Fines have been levied and repressive laws against religious freedom sign into law in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan."
Russian Ministries said it has been seen the many "white ribbons, balloons and flags snapping in the wind" recently with anti-Putin demonstrators expected to gather again to hold "anti-fraud banners high" in Moscow on Saturday, February 4.
Putin, who has come also under international pressure over perceived autocratic policies and alleged election fraud by his party in recent elections, is expected to begin a six-year run as president "if the [upcoming presidential] election goes as predicted," Russian Ministries said.

In John 15:18-27 Jesus addressed the issue of persecution:

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you.  Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.'  If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.  If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.  They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin.  Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.  He who hates me hates my Father as well.  If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin.  But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.  But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'  When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.  And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning."

Here in the United States we have been blessed to have a climate of acceptance, though it is changing.  Considering this passage, and that as Jesus said, "No servant is greater than his master" we can expect this reaction from those who are not like us.  But we can take comfort from the fact that he overcame this world, and is within us in the Spirit to give us peace and strength no matter our circumstance.  When the world mocks and condemns us, we remember that he was mocked and condemned.  We have his promise in John 16:33- In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.

I'll leave you with one more verse: Philippians 4:27  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

And a prayer:  Father, please bless and give your peace and strength to your church around the world.  Help us to share our faith in you in our everyday lives.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Sudanese Christian Teen Abducted by Muslims Prays for Captors

(christiansunite.com) - A young Sudanese Christian teenager who was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and physically attacked over the course of one year is praying that her former captors, a gang of Muslims who tried to force her to convert to Islam, find mercy.

After escaping last July, she says she is praying that Jesus reveals himself to her assailants, and "forgives them for what they did to me." Hiba Abdelfadil Anglo says she escaped from them with the help of God who did not want her to suffer any more (for more information, go to www.persecution.net/su-2011-08-11.htm). "I want to thank God who saved me from the hands of the abductors," said Hiba just two months after she escaped. "I also thank God for all believers all over the world for their prayers for me and my family. It was because of your prayers that my situation changed."

Hiba, who missed one year of school due to the abduction, is in school again, but her widowed mother lost her job after taking time to search for her daughter, so the financial burdens are a strain.

Please pray that Hiba's physical and emotional wounds will be healed and that she will succeed in her studies and grow in her faith. Please pray that her captors' knees will bend before Jesus, and that they will turn to the one true God in repentance. Pray that God will strengthen and embolden the Church in Sudan.

To post a prayer of solidarity with Hiba, please visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall at www.persecution.net/prayerwall. To learn more about how Sudanese believers suffer for Christ's sake, go to www.persecution.net/sudan.htm.

What an example of faith and forgiveness!

In Matthew 5:44, Jesus tells us: "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven."  He goes on to say that even the pagans and tax collectors love those who love them.

There's nothing extraordinary about loving back those who love us.  But it take strength and courage to set aside our justifiable anger towards people who have hurt us, like this young girl did, and love and pray for them.  Where we must draw the line though, is in not putting ourselves in further danger from those who have shown themselves to be dangerous to us.

Father, please bring comfort to this young girl and help her to heal.  I would pray that her captors will be brought to justice and find redemption.  Help me to forgive others as You have forgiven me.