Offense

This week I started lifting more weights than normal and can real feel a difference. I am becoming more sore but feel stronger. My times at the gym this week were purposeful and I had others working out with me. I didn't just go through the motions but worked hard and I feel better and stronger because of it. I often wonder if this example transfers over to my spiritual life. Ephesians 6:10 says,

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might."

Paul continues to go to write about putting on the armor of God and reminded us that we are in a spiritual battle and we need to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Just think about an actual battle for a second. If you had to go fight a massive army who would you pick to go with you? Wouldn't you want the biggest, strongest, mightiest person you could find? If this is the case then why so often do we go into the spiritual battle without the biggest, strongest, mightiest person we know? We give up too quickly, we try to do it ourselves, and we often time end up defeated and weak.

I would encourage you to read Ephesians 6:10-20. Take a look at your spiritual walk and see if you are strong in the Lord. As children of God, co-heirs with Christ we have the Holy Spirit to help us. We have a God who has given us weapons and strength to fight this fight of faith. My prayer is that today you would understand that it is a spiritual battle, that you wouldn't just try to play defense but that you would fasten the belt of truth, that you would put on the breastplate of righteousness, take of the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation and play offense with the sword of the Spirit. Remember that the weapons for warfare are spiritual and should be rooted in prayer.

Mental Battle

My cousin Lincoln wrote this and he gave me persmission to share it with you.

Mental Battle
By Lincoln Troyer

Doesn't it always hurt when God works on you mentally? Why does it hurt so bad? My only conclusion i can come up with is becasue God is changing how we normally think to the way we are suppose to think. Life is a constant change. You never stop changing. I think if someone stops changing then that person can no longer live life. They get stuck in what they know and refusing to change. They build up bitterness and hatred in their harts and become hard towards one another. That is not a spot to be in. Satan is very good at what he does. He is the father of all lies (John 8:44). As christians we are in a constant spiritual battle and a lot of the battle is a done in the mind. Once you accept Jesus into your heart he saves your soul. Nothing can take that away. Satan hates that! The only thing he can do now is to make you unaffective for God's Kingdom. His biggest attack is on your mind. Your mind has 5 basic purposes; learn, think, know, understand and interpret. Your mind is the most powerful tool of your body. Satan is so good at distorting the truths. He wants you and I to make choices based on our sinful nature and to believe some sort of a distorted truth. Thats my biggest one I tend to believe, the distorted truth. It makes you feel like crap. Even when you know the truth your mind is so used to thinking the latter you run wild with that. Then you get all tore up in thinking lies and one thing leads you to another. Then you start getting angry, sad or depressed and not believing the truths about yourself! or a situation! The wrong emotions kick in and your done...You start to pray and cry out to God who hears your prayers in heaven and answers your call. God wants us to know, understand and correctly interpret the truth in order to renew your mind! Pray to God in that moment of thought to rip the falsehood out of your mind and set the truth in you. Constantly stay in the Word. Memorize some of God's Truths. The Bible is the word of God. It is life to all who read it and by reading it it will radically change your life. Let God take control of your mind.