Tag: Fighting our battles

How To Fight Our Battles

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-08-12
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 3 We live in this world, but we don’t act like its people 4 or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God’s power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments 5 and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people’s thoughts and make them obey Christ. 6 And when you completely obey him, we will punish anyone who refuses to obey.

APPLICATION: Try to imagine serving on a church board where you might be asked to pray for, encourage and give godly wisdom to your pastor on what you feel God would have his role be as a humble and obedient servant. Some among his disciples would want him to be more aggressive, but some may want him to be more docile, with hopes of calming down the rough edges of those who are very vocal. Some leaders will want the pastor to stand firm against all apparent wrong-doing, while some will want him to ‘roll with the flow’ and try to accept this modern age of unusual adult and children behavior. But I want to encourage you to join me in looking at what Paul exampled before us as a mighty warrior for the Kingdom. In our Scripture today, Paul is responding to claims coming back to him from the church at Corinth where they felt like he was bold, and very critical to say anything in his letters to the church, but not so much when he visited them in person. I immediately thought of an old saying ‘idleness is the Devil’s workshop’! For if this congregation was busy about the mission of Jesus Christ, and determined to tell the world about His love and His saving grace, will they possibly have time for such petty accusations against this proven man of God? But before you become any more judgmental of the Corinthian church, let me encourage you to examine yourself, and then your church. How many conversations have you had, or been a part of, where the pastor was being criticized for something very petty? Perhaps the clothes he wore; perhaps condemning him for the example used in his sermon; the song he wanted sung that morning; the hug he gave to Sue, but not even a smile or handshake to you; I’m sure you get the picture. Do you get the impression that Paul would have nipped much of this in the bud, seeing that nothing good could come out of such conversation and accusations? Isn’t it obvious that Paul promoted the positive impact of what the church should have on its members and in the community in which it serves? I was so impressed with the very last sentence in our verses today. It is so easy for church leaders to condemn their pastor, but wouldn’t things change a bit if they were told that they should get their act together and be in full compliance with God’s laws before trying to impose even stricter laws on their members? For those readers and listeners who do not attend a church where they are aware of similar challenges to these, please rejoice in the fact that you are far enough removed from church politics! I am convinced that unless you are able to worship God together with other believers and be of one mind and spirit, then Satan will easily find room for a wedge to cause division and fraction between you. And that’s where you personally, and the church collectively, loses its witness to the lost for which you are intended to save. I love the new contemporary Christian song that includes the lyrics about solving your issues on your knees – that’s where God can open your eyes, and the eyes of any offender. Live in the world my friend, but be a light in the darkness to those with bad intentions.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Paul said that he used God’s power, that can destroy fortresses – those that Satan erects to destroy the witness of the church and its members, to destroy arguments and division!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, You are worthy of our praise and greatly to be glorified here on earth. In so many cases, we have not been good stewards of Your church, and we have not touched the hearts of the lost because of our own disobedience and lack of commitment to You and Your kingdom’s work. Please forgive us Lord and raise up leaders around us that will totally commit themselves to You and be in full compliance to Your Word, so that they will be respected and obeyed in Your church. The world is watching, because they want to find proof of what a blood saved church looks like. Lord may the words from my lips, and the thoughts from my heart be acceptable to You, my Rock and my Redeemer. May I then, be the first of many who will say like Paul, do as I do and not just what I say. May they always see Jesus in us! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

It’s Not Your Battle – It’s God’s

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2021-03-05
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Chronicles 20:12-15
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”
13 As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, 14 the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel…..
15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

OBSERVATION: King Jehoshaphat was extremely concerned about the large army heading his way, so he had a very serious prayer meeting together with his people, asking God to protect them. However, God spoke through a Levite named Jahaziel, who then went to Jehoshaphat and shared the words in our Scripture today. What a message, and oh how applicable it is to us today!

APPLICATION: Take your time and think about your most urgent prayer request. You’ve shed many tears over the matter, and you’ve made this the top priority in your personal prayer time for days.  You’ve asked your pastor to join you in prayer; you may have asked the church elders to anoint you with oil and pray over you; and your family is equally as burdened with you about your worry. What must you do now? Friends, reflect on our Scripture today, and spend some time letting that sink in. Our God’s not dead, and you’ve given your problem to Him. You’ve asked Him to hear your prayer – know your concern; heal your body, take care of the problem you are facing, or guide you into saying the right thing to your relatives in need of the Savior. But wait a moment, don’t we often hear doubt in our minds as we pray? In our Scripture, the king and the people were told that God had responded to their prayers (their pleading), so they needn’t worry any longer, but that the Almighty God now owns the problem and the outcome. What’s different with you? Oh that’s right, God is not doing what you told Him to do. Child of God, may we all be reminded today that our God is not a puppet. Yes, He’s still a prayer answering God; He’s still in control of what our tomorrows will look like, and yes, He is still very capable of guiding us in the right path. But always be reminded that we are asking God for His will to be done. Let me share a story from a friend, that may serve to illustrate my point. He had a relative who had been in a bad wreck. The family prayed endlessly that God would keep this young man alive. They had their church join them in the same request of God. Years later in reflection, my friend questioned if they prayed the right way for this younger family member, as the young adult lived many more years, but was a mere ‘vegetable’. Friends when we plead with God in prayer, let’s please be willing to ask God for His perfect will in the situation, and as His obedient children, let’s respect His decision. It may be right in line with what we are asking, but I believe that the end result will cause us to shout praises to our Lord and King, for He alone is worthy of our praise. Friends, our God created this world; He made the animals and us humans, with all our complexities; He also created a heavenly realm for us to live with Him eternally. Is there anything that He can’t do? Do you suppose that any of our problems are too big for Him? In our Scripture today, we know that God proved Himself to Jahaziel, the king and the people, for He won the battle that they were so worried about, and He did it without them lifting a finger. Why is our faith so small, the battle’s not ours, it’s God’s. Trust Him with your battles today, won’t you?

PRAYER: Oh Lord, please give us the faith to surrender our needs to You at all times. Just like any kid would do to their parent, may we be willing to plead with You for our needs and concerns, and to always return thanks and offer up praises for Your response to our requests. Lord, help us to be so attuned to placing our needs before You, that when we come with the urgent, earth shattering cases, that we would be comfortable in presenting yet another case at Your feet, knowing that You will hear our prayer and respond in Your way and in Your best timing. Please help us to be comfortable in surrendering our battles to You, knowing that You’re in charge of everything that goes on in this world, yet our humble request is a top priority to You, because of Your love for each of us. Thank You Lord for saving my soul! You’re my King! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!