THE SWORD AND THE WARRIOR

Words that SPEAK into our life’s situations today. WORDS that go deep into our soul and speak light and 'wake up' calls to our minds. 1 Thessalonians 5 (NLT)," Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. " And here are beautiful words from the NLT Life Application Study Bible to the above verse "Our joy, prayers, and thankfulness should not fluctuate with our circumstances or feelings. Obeying these three commands--BE JOYFUL, NEVER stop PRAYING and BE THANKFUL-- often goes against our natural inclinations. When we make a conscious decision to do what God says, however, we will begin to see people in a new perspective. When we do God's will, we will find it easier to be joyful and thankful." So, going into work today, facing any of life's blessings, or challenges, this is how we must enter the ring. JOYFUL! THANKFUL! ALWAYS PRAYING! 3 Jesus says, “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” John 15:12 (NLT). Really!? No matter how hard I try this human will fall short. But, what Jesus said is not a suggestion. It is a command! To do this I must go beyond my own human experience. I must go out of this world. I must have a new Spirit put on like putting on new clothing. I must wear something greater than myself. The Holy Spirit. I am not called to just believe in Him, but to wear Him! Galatians 4:6 (NIV) Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father." 4 Beautiful words of encouragement for life today in the midst of the crazy times we live in! Who can change our world? We can! We can as we act with boldness in knowing who we are ACTING on behalf of. We are all called to be Esther’s and Mordechai’s in our worlds. Do you still have breath? Don't give up! New Living Testament notes on Esther 10:3 " in the Book of Esther, we clearly see God at work in the lives of individuals and in the Affairs of a Nation. Even when it looks as if the world is in the hands of evil people, God is still in control, protecting those who are his. Although we may not understand everything happening around us, we must trust in God's protection and retain our integrity by doing what we know is right. Esther, who risked her life by appearing before the king, became a heroine. Mordecai, who is effectively condemned to death, Rose to become the second highest ranking official in the nation. No matter how hopeless our condition, or how much we would like to give up, we need not despair. God is in control of our world." 10 The Head. Control the head and you control them. “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NLT) In football, when I was playing inside linebacker, I would have offensive lineman, much bigger than myself, powering off the line to crush and take me out of the play. Seemingly, my survival, would be to avoid them, go around them or do a quick matador 'Ole!'. But no, I went through them! I stopped them in their tracks and threw them aside. I was able to move a bigger body by controlling their head. No matter how big you are your body will go with the head. Control the head, you control the whole body. So, my focus was to, with a powerful blow, put my helmet into the center of their helmet, controlling their advance, which would block the line for the running back to get through, and then tossing them out of the way and, myself, or another defensive player, would tackle the running back. The key was the HEAD. No matter how big and strong they were, the head always controls you, and where their head goes they went. We have an enemy in this life, Satan, and he wants to control your head, to get into the way you THINK and influence and try to control you. The mind is a battlefield. How we think is so critical, but Jesus has already delivered that victorious blow to the enemy. We just need to take ahold of it. Romans 12:2 (NLT) "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." Concerning control, our direction daily, it’s about the HEAD, the mind, the way you think. Now we have to let God control and change the direction of the way we think. Ask Him, and He will. Get into His Living Word and He will speak to you. His Words to you will change you, the way you think. He is there with you, wanting to, offering you this gift. So, allow Him to 'change you, even the way you think'. Peace.