Expect Intense Spiritual Warfare. by E.M. Bonds

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Ephesians 6:11

"It cannot be stated too frequently that the life of a Christian involves warfare, an intense conflict, a lifelong contest. It is a battle, moreover, waged against invisible foes who are always seeking to entrap, deceive, and ruin the souls of men. The life to which Holy Scripture calls men is no picnic or holiday trip. Ti is no pastime, no pleasure jaunt. It entails effort, wrestling, and struggling. It demands the putting forth of the full energy of the Spirit in order to frustrate the foe and to come off, at the last, more than a conqueror. It is no primrose path, no rose-scented dalliance. From start to finish, it is war. From the hour in which he first draws sword, to that in which he doffs his harness, the Christian warrior is compelled to "endure hardship as a good soldier" (2 Tim. 2:3).
What a misconception many people have of the Christian life! How little the average church member appears to understand the character of the conflict and its demands. How ignorant he seems to be of the enemies he must encounter if he seeks to serve God faithfully and thus succeed in getting to heaven and receive the crown of life. He seems scarcely to realize that the world, the flesh, and the Devil will oppose his onward march and will defeat him utterly, unless he gives himself to constant vigilance and unceasing prayer.

Reflection
Why do so many Christians misunderstand the nature of spiritual warfare and its effect on their lives? What are you doing to remain strong against the enemies of God?"

As I'm reading some of E.M. Bonds works and searching out to be better praying child of God. this was an encouragement believe it or not.

From "Experiencing God Day by Day"

March 18
God's Provision Brings Glory
“Call on Me in a day of trouble;
I will rescue you, and you will honor Me.”—Psalm 50:15
Did you know that you bring glory to God by calling upon Him when you are in distress? God promised He would deliver you if you turned to Him. You deny the Lord honor that is rightfully His every time you find yourself in difficulty and you fail to call upon Him for help! There may be times when God allows you to reach a point of need so that you can call upon Him, and thus let Him demonstrate to a watching world the difference He makes in the lives of His children. If God never allowed you to experience need, people around you might never have the opportunity to witness God's provision in the life of a Christian. If you never faced a shortfall, you might be tempted to feel self-sufficient and without any need of God in your daily life.
Pride will tempt you to think that you do not need to seek God's assistance. Self-regard will seek to convince you that you can handle your dilemma through your own wisdom, resources, and hard work. Pride will also rob glory from God and seek to give it to you. Don't allow your pride to take what rightfully belongs to the Lord. Call upon your Lord and wait exclusively upon Him to rescue you. Then give Him the glory that He deserves.
Self-sufficiency can greatly hinder your ability to experience God and bring Him honor. The next time you are in distress, turn to Him!Experiencing God Day by Day: A Devotional and Journal.

Just thoughts....

Believe it or not I had just wrote a long paragraph on some things I'm dealing with. I had to delete them. Not sure if that is the path I wanted to take. Pray for us. I'm in uncharted territory.

Good devo today.....

March 4
Meditate on These Things
Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.—Philippians 4:8
What you think about in your unguarded moments reflects what your mind dwells upon. What you speak about when your guard is down is a good gauge of what is in your heart (Matt. 12:34). Your mind needs exercise just as your physical body does. To keep your body healthy, you must be careful what you put into it, and you must exercise regularly. To keep your thoughts pure, you must guard what goes into your mind. To exercise your mind, you must contemplate things that are noble and truths that stretch your mind.
Some Christians allow the world to fill their minds with ungodly thinking. Some people seem drawn to concentrate on the negative, choosing to be pessimistic about everything. Some remain satisfied with thinking of the mundane. Others fail to intentionally place Scripture in their thoughts, choosing instead to adopt human reasoning. Others, however, choose to expose their minds to the truths of God—to that which is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and good.
The things you allow your mind to dwell on will be revealed by the way you live. If you focus on negative things, you will inevitably be a negative person. If you allow unholy thoughts to fill your mind, ungodliness will become common in your life. If you fill your mind with thoughts of Christ, you will become Christlike.
What you fill your mind with is a matter of choice. Choose to concentrate on the magnificent truths of God, and they will create in you a noble character that brings glory to God.Experiencing God Day by Day: A Devotional and Journal.

Just musing...

After reading my devotion. I was just thinking of all the ministries that are going on. Is the ministries there to serve others? Are they there to reach more people for Christ?
My mind was just racing, seeing all the ministers, pda's, latest cell phones I even saw a minister driving a new jag and saying how bad he was hurting for his people being unemployed. Maybe I'm not looking at it right? I'm praying that God would help me with that and put me in a place I can be used as servant.
Now don't get me wrong, I love gadgets. But when gadgets and things become a drudgery, consume our time and disrupt our thinking. We need to chunk them. How funny, next time you see me, I might have a "crackberry" myself. Blessings to all and may God draw you closer to him.

Powerful devotion...

January 21

Sanctified and Then Sent

Sanctify them by the truth;

Your word is truth.

As You sent Me into the world,

I also have sent them into the world.—John 17:17–18

God will always sanctify you before He sends you. The Father set aside the twelve disciples and made them holy by the Truth, His Son. As they related to Jesus, the Truth (John 14:6), the disciples were refined by that Truth and were prepared to be sent out to preach the gospel. Jesus challenged their ambitions (Luke 9:46–48), chastised their lack of faith (Matt. 17:19–20), refuted Satan's influence (Matt. 16:23), and denounced their pride (Matt. 26:33–35). When Jesus had finished preparing them, the disciples were sent out in such power that their world was never the same again.

Satan will try to convince you that your sin renders you useless to God. That is a lie from the author and father of lies. As soon as you sin, the Deceiver will whisper, “You failure! You are now of no use to God.” This can bring a deep sense of defeat and hopelessness to a Christian. Yet, there is no freedom that compares to a soul set free by God's grace. When God's people allow God's truth to realign them to God's will and God's standard, then the power of God will be released through them the same way it was through the first disciples.

The Truth will set you free. The Truth is: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9), and we are restored to usefulness to God.

Experiencing God Day by Day: A Devotional and Journal.