PART 3 

It’s very easy and natural to become caught up in life’s painful experiences… 

The following commentary on our Proverbs 23:7 scripture:  “As you think in your heart, so are you,”  is so relevant to what I am purposed to share with you through this short series.  It reads: 

“We live in a society absorbed with its own feelings. Today, people are addicted to seeing themselves as victims and demanding special tolerance, favor, acceptance, or gifts. Yet a mind concerned with its own painful experiences, rejections, mistakes, or emotional hurts is one that refuses healing.” 

Let’s hear that again: A mind (your thinking), concerned with, occupied, consumed with, its own painful experiences, rejections, mistakes, or emotional hurts is on that refuses healing.  How? Because there is no allotment of room for thinking as God thinks, according to His Word, in the mind consumed with our earthly experiences. 

“Our emotions comfort us like old bandages, and many of us – you perhaps – are afraid to see what is underneath. Pain should serve to teach and mature us, not box us into the darkness. Hebrews 2:10 says that Christ Himself learned by the things He suffered—His pain was His teacher. Likewise, our painful experiences can teach us the contrasts between this human life and the glorious life for which God is right now preparing us.”  

If we’ll accept it; if we’ll choose to “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”   It’s this transformation process that will ultimately lead us to the only true ‘happily ever after – eternity with Christ – happily ever after forever and ever and ever…. 

You have the freedom, the power, this day and every day hereafter to CHOOSE to learn and practice GOD’S ways in your thinking, His thinking that leads to becoming “transformed.” 

If you’re a believer, how do you think about yourself?  Do you think about yourself through the filter of all that you have endured through life, how you’ve suffered or sin?  Does your past suffering and sins dictate your thinking today, your decision making and actions?  Or does what GOD says about you dictate your thinking, decision making, and actions? 

“God doesn’t make junk, mistakes, or spare parts.  He made YOU for a purpose!”  But it’s your choice to believe this truth about yourself – no matter how you’ve suffered or sinned.  He wants you to be transformed through your thinking, to become ALL He created you to be, to fulfill the purposes for which He created you and gain – even in this earthly life – the true happily ever after that will ultimately segue into eternal happily ever after.   

I encourage you to work to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  To “take captive every thought” and speak God’s truths to yourself, not the lies of the enemy purposed to destroy you through your wounding life experiences whether against you or by your own choices. 

The first step is to honestly ask yourself this question:  Do I really want to be free from the bondage of how you have suffered or sinned?  It doesn’t matter to what degree you’ve suffered or sinned.  Suffering is suffering; sin is sin.  

In John 8:31-32, God promises, “If you hold to my teaching… THEN you will know the truth, and the truth will MAKE you free.  And the SON makes you free, you will be free, indeed.”  

“HE is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”  

——– 

If you haven’t read my life testimony, I hope you will consider getting it.  Why?  Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep: The Story of Sara proves that the promises of God are real and miracles do happen.  It proves that despite how we have suffered or sin, we can be ‘transformed by the renewing of our mind’ toward becoming ALL He created us to be as unique individuals.  It proves who GOD IS and can be intimately in our daily lives, purposed and empowered by His Spirit.  Click here to read the beginning of Chapter 1. 

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PART 2

Choices.  “As one thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7)

In Matthew 12:30, God says, “Anyone who is not with me is against me,” and continues in verse 33 with a truth that directly ties back to “As you think in your heart, so are you.”  It says, “If you make a tree good, its fruit will be good. If you make a tree bad, its fruit will be bad. You can tell a tree by its fruit.

Frankly, you and I don’t stand a chance in this ugly life without choosing allegiance to God and His principles through His son, Jesus Christ – with every thought that enters our heads. 

Your childhood – whether good or bad – deeply influenced how you would think as an adult, the decisions you would make, the actions (or non-actions) you would take.  The beauty of finally becoming an adult is that we gain the personal power of ‘choice’.  To choose how we would think about ourselves, others, circumstances.  Through the filter of our human nature, or through the truths according to God’s Word.

“As you think in your heart, so are you.”  Consider this:  Your every single thought leads to a decision – whether conscious or not (even a non-decision is a decision by default).  Your every single decision leads to an action (or non-action, by default an act).  Your every thought, decision, and action (or non-action), influences and directly impacts yourself and all others you come into contact with. 

This is precisely why God tells us in II Corinthians 12:5 “… take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  Like a good and caring parent demands obedience from her children for their well-being and safety, God demands obedience from His children for their well-being and safety.  He’s saying to us through the principle of II Corinthians 12:5 that EVERY single thought that comes into our heads from the time we awaken each morning will naturally come out of our flawed, sinful nature, therefore, to be obedient to Christ (HIS way of thinking), we must take ‘conscious control’ of EVERY thought.  Again, because our every thought will either impact and influence FOR Christ (good), or against Him (evil).  These are the only two choices, which is why He says…

“Choose this day whom you will serve.” 
“Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” 

Take ‘conscious control’ of your EVERY thought, because your every thought from this moment forward will continue to shape you and influence and impact others – by your own choice – either toward God’s BEST for you – transformation, healing, wholeness, purpose, empowerment…, or against God’s best for you, giving the evil one more power. 

And the result?  “You can tell a tree by its fruit.“

 Part 3

HAS GOD GIFTED AND CALLED YOU TO SERVE AS A WRITER? DO YOU HAVE THAT URGING IN YOUR SPIRIT TO SHARE GOD’S WORD, HIS PRINCIPLES AND PROMISES WITH OTHERS THROUGH WRITING? If so, we invite you to contact us about joining our writing team as we strive to deliver a fresh, short Morning Message 7 days a week.  

CONTACT: saraministry2007@gmail.com  

WEB SITE: www.sara-ministry.com

PART 1

Proverbs 23:7 teaches this principle: 

“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

‘Man’ is non-gender.  “As a woman THINKS in her heart, so is she.”

Closer to home: “As YOU think in your heart, so are you.” 

“As you think in your heart about yourself, so are you.”  This truth clearly indicates that God has given you and me the freedom to choose, each and every day, how we will think.  How we will think about ourselves, our circumstances, and others. 

There’s only two choices:  Either you will choose to think from a human nature standpoint which God says is flawed, skewed, dark, ugly, evil because of the sin nature we were born into (Romans 3:23); or we will choose to follow His command from Romans 12:2:  “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world – the way you would naturally think out of your sin nature – but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

There’s only two sides in life and in death:  Good and evil.  They are continually at war with each other.  We see this play out every day in our lives and throughout our world racked with sin and evil, purposed to devour and destroy us.  In I Peter 5:8 God warns you and to me, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 

Each of us has experienced sin and evil in this life – too often against us personally.  No one escapes the impact and influences that evil perpetrates against us.  So consider this truth:  every sin and evil that has wreaked havoc in your life began with one person’s thinking.  That thinking led to a decision, and that decision to an action.  That action resulted in harming you, hurting you, wounding you in some way.  And that harm, that wounding, has in turn influenced who you are and your own thinking. 

By the choices you make in your thinking, you will either perpetuate evil or war against.

“As one thinks in his heart, so is he.”

YOUR every thought, MY every thought, will lead to a decision of some kind (even a non-decision is by nature a decision), and that decision will lead to an action of some kind (even a non-action is by nature an act).  Your every thought, decision, and action WILL impact and influence who we are, and will impact and influence others – either for good, according to God’s principles, or for bad, according to the principles of sin and evil at work in our lives.

Consider the far reaching and inner depths of the implications of your every thought, and how your every thought will either perpetuate evil or combat againt it.   And we’ll look at this further tomorrow, in Part 2.

Part 2

HAS GOD GIFTED AND CALLED YOU TO SERVE AS A WRITER? DO YOU HAVE THAT URGING IN YOUR SPIRIT TO SHARE GOD’S WORD, HIS PRINCIPLES AND PROMISES WITH OTHERS THROUGH WRITING? If so, we invite you to contact us about joining our writing team as we strive to deliver a fresh, short Morning Message 7 days a week.  

CONTACT: saraministry2007@gmail.com  

WEB SITE: www.sara-ministry.com

Key to this series on JOY (bottom of page). 

Simcha is again the root word for joy used in our next King James Old Testament scripture.  I began to wonder if and when the other four root words for joy are used (see key at bottom of page).  So, I looked at every verse ahead of us until I reached the first one which had a different Hebrew root. It’s Ezra 6:16  

In this scripture, the root for joy is Chedvah (Aramaic), which, as you can see from our key, is not included in our key.  I found this very interesting since the root Hebrew words for ‘joy’ pulled up the five in our key.  So, I took a deeper look at Chedvah (khed-vaw) and found that it’s definition carries two sub-root words:  

1. Qal:  to rejoice
2. Piel:  to make glad, gladden

Now, I’m curious how the meaning of these newly uncovered words for JOY plays out in Ezra 6:16 in context with verses 15-17.  ‘Joy’ appears in verse 16:

“Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.” 

The re-building of God’s temple was finally complete – after a long time.  The emphasis in the book of Ezra is on the rebuilding of the Temple. God’s people – the Israelites – began the work around the year 520 B.C. (some historians note it as 537), known as The Persian Period.  When they finally saw their hard labor come to completion, it was in the year 516 B.C. and the dedication in 515 B.C..  

Some of you have built your own houses.  You know the intensive time in details, decisions, labor, and setbacks that go into building a new home.  The Israelites definitely had some major setbacks.  So, when the temple of God was complete in all its glory, they were ‘glad’ – VERY glad – to finally see all their hard work come to an end and then plan for, carry out, and witness the great dedication and first ceremonial sacrifices to God.  They Quled (rejoiced!), and were Piel (glad). 

We go through great trails and much hard work and effort to see something worthy to its completion – school is a big one.  Going for that Master’s degree or Doctorate.  For many, seeing High School graduation is a major feat due to undesirable home environments.  In the end, we’re ‘whew’ glad.  We rejoice… and hopefully GIVE THANKS TO GOD for all He did to see you through. 

Joy Copyright 2010 Jen Miller – All Rights Reserved   

Key for this study:
The Old Testament text language is Hebrew.  Hebrew has several words for joy that is fascinating, each with different shades of meaning, graded in order of its intensity:

‘Simcha’ means happiness in the most full sense.
‘Gila’ is a stronger sensation of joy but more temporary, fleeting and worldly
‘rina’ is a joy related to singing and shouting.
‘ditza’ is joy related to dancing.
‘hanaah’ is enjoyment  of something specific – like a food you enjoy.

NOTE: Throughout this study I’ll be using the King James Version of scripture as my research base for all 187 references, as this version is known to be the most accurate in translation from the original Hebrew and Greek text from which we have gained the Word of God. I don’t want man’s perspective on joy; I want God’s, so I want to uncover joy in the most literal translation.  For ease of understanding, however, I will be incorporating the KJV’s joy words into the NIV scriptures, as the NIV is the next closest translation in accuracy, yet easier to understand.  In other words, I’ll be inserting in the NIV text the original ‘joy’ words from the KJV where it might otherwise be substituted in translation in the NIV. The KJV ’joy’ words I insert into the NIV scriptures will be indicated with italics and underlining so you can quickly identify which words are from the KJV.

HAS GOD GIFTED AND CALLED YOU TO SERVE AS A WRITER? DO YOU HAVE THAT URGING IN YOUR SPIRIT TO SHARE GOD’S WORD, HIS PRINCIPLES AND PROMISES WITH OTHERS THROUGH WRITING? If so, we invite you to contact us about joining our writing team as we strive to deliver a fresh, short Morning Message 7 days a week.  

CONTACT: saraministry2007@gmail.com  

WEB SITE: www.sara-ministry.com

 Romans 12:2 (NIV)

“…be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

What does this scripture mean for us today? Why?  How do we ‘renew’ our minds?

1. Romans 12:2 is a directive from our Fathert.  It’s not a suggestion or request; it’s a command.  But as with everything our gracious God asks us to do, He gives us a personal CHOICE to obey or not.

2.  He doesn’t say or even suggest in this scripture that He will renew our minds for us.  He tells US to do this ourselves, “BE TRANSFORMED…” and He tells us how!

3.  Aside from obeying for the sake of obeying, the resulting purposes for obeying Romans 12:2 are:

• to become ALL that He created us to be as His children (transformed);
• to draw others to Him for the sake of eternity, free from sin, evil, and death, free from hopeless and eternal separation from Him…
• to teach others to become ALL that He created them to be,

Thus the circle of NEW LIFE is continually perpetuated.

4. How do we become transformed?  First, we must recognize who we are by nature.   We were born with a sin ‘nature’.   By virture of that sin nature we naturally ’think’, make ‘choices’, and  ’act’ out of our sin nature.  The natural results of thinking, making choices, and acting out of a sin nature is damage, disaster, devastation, debilitation, and ultimately death.  Eternal death for those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior, and a ‘dead’ earthly life for the Christian who does not seek to obey His commands designed for our GOOD and for fulfiling HIS purposes.

God warns in Romans 3:23,  ”For all have sinned and come short of the GLORY of God.”   He declares in James 4:17, “…to him who knows to do good and does not doit, to him it is sin.  He promises in Romas 6:23 that “…the wages of sin is death…”   But, He pleads HOPE and LIFE in 2 Peter 3:9 that he is “not willing that any should perish,” and assures us in John 10:10, “I have come that they [all mankind] may have LIFE, and have it to the FULL.”

To ‘renew’ our mind would then be to make a conscious choice to daily, hourly PRACTICE

• ‘thinking’ differently than our natural tendency.  Practice thinking as God does,  according to His Word;
• making ‘choices’ differently than our natural tendency.  Practice thinking according to the principles and promises of His Word; and
• ‘acting’ differently than our natural tendency.  Practice acting out of those NEW and DIFFERENT thoughts and choices.

5.  This command to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” is not limited to certain circumstances, times, or people.  It’s for ALL circumstances, at ALL times, with ALL people.   Wow… consider the ramifications…

6.  The result of obeying this Romans 12:2 directive would impact not only ourselves and the way we view others and circumstances, but it would impact ALL those in our lives:  our husbands, children, in-laws, other extended family members, friends, acquaintences, strangers…, and in EVERY circumstance great and small.

The result of obedience is TRANSFORMATION.

7.  The daily, hourly practice of ‘renewing’ our minds – like anything worthy and righeous - will require  sacrifice.  Sometimes it will be a sacrifice of our time, other times it will be a sacrifice of our pride… our opinions, our money…  But according to I Samuel 15:22, “…to obey is better than sacrifice.”

Our responsibility, purpose, as children of God is…

• to become ALL God created us to be so we might…
• draw others to Him for salvation and eternal life, then…
• make disciples, “teaching them to observe EVERYTHING
  I have commanded YOU.

 Again, the circle of NEW LIFE continually perpetuates.

WILL YOU TAKE THE ROMANS 12:2 CHALLENGE?

Begin today; right now.  Practice renewing your mind according to God’s principles with every thought, every decision, every action, in everycircumstanc, and with every person, and watch the TRANSFORMATION of YOU and others into NEW LIFE.

‘Morning Message’ is a ministry of The Sara Ministry
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• Part 1 – by Jen Miller
• Part 2 – by Jen Miller
• Part 3 – by Jen Miller
• Part 4 – by Jen Miller
• Part 5 – by Randi Shafer, Guest Writer
• Part 6 – by Randi Shafer, Guest Writer
• Part 7 – by Randi Shafer, Guest Writer
• Part 8 – by Randi Shafer, Guest Writer

‘Morning Message’ is a ministry of The Sara Ministry
IF YOU WISH TO SUBSCRIBE OTHERS
to receive our ‘Morning Message’, simply send your list of names and email addresses to: saraministry2007@gmail.com. Your contacts may unsubscribe at any time. 

HAS GOD GIFTED AND CALLED YOU TO SERVE AS A WRITER? DO YOU HAVE THAT URGING IN YOUR SPIRIT TO SHARE GOD’S WORD, HIS PRINCIPLES AND PROMISES WITH OTHERS THROUGH WRITING? If so, we invite you to contact us about joining our writing team as we strive to deliver a fresh, short Morning Message 7 days a week. 

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Pastoral Counsel – Jen Miller
Crisis: 309.712.5149
Appointment: jen@sara-ministry.com
Jen is a… 

Part 4: Continuing study of Ephesians 6:13-14
“…and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm…”

Please… do not underestimate the power or purposes of the Creator of the Universe, the ONE true and LIVING GOD. 

Please… do not negate Him and your personal relevance to HIM in this raging war He is leading in this thing called ‘life’. 

Please…do not underestimate or negate the certain judgment we individually will face before Him regarding our daily, personal choices and how those choices have either been for Him or against Him. 

If choices and actions begin with a ‘thought’ – and they do! – where are we to begin individually with our personal choices to be ‘for’ God or ‘against’ Him? With Romans 12:2… 

“Be transformed by the RENEWING of your mind.” 

HOW? 

1.  Live CONSCIOUS of EVERY thought – “taking EVERY thought captive.” 2 Corinthians 10:5
2.  Read, study, know, and practice the LIVING WORD of God with EVERY thought, decision, action, with EVERY person you come into contact with – even briefly – and in EVERY circumstance.  2 Timothy 2:15
3.  Live in constant conversation / relationship with God through prayer.  (The word ‘pray’ appears 73 times in the New Testament alone. NIV) 

I love how Coach Mark changed the phrase ‘pay attention to God’ to:‘pray attention to God’. How right-on this statement is. 

A ‘relationship’ with God is NOT  about an obligatory or guilt-initiated, or even self-desired 10 minutes or 30 minutes we may choose to spend time with him in prayer or His Word.  It’s about our 24/7 ‘communication’ in ‘relatonship’ with HIM, and our 24/7 ‘consciousness’ to ‘carrying out’ His principles and promises with every thought, decision, action, interaction, reaction, with every person who comes into our life, in every relationship we have (even momentary ones), in every circumstance and situation (even the most mundane). 

Just as Coach Mark challenged us to stop being “bench warmers”, and “get in the game,” Coach Bob echoed this challenge, as I do.  Either we’re for God 24/7 or we’re not.  Either we’re active for God or we’re not. 

I challenge you to get up if you’re down in spirit or unmotivated for the cause of Christ.   (I’m not talking to those active warriors who are taking a temporary rest for refueling.  Even Jesus did that and encourages us to do the same.) If you’re down in spirit or unmotivated for the cause of Christ, I challenge you to dig deep within, pull yourself up by your boot straps if that is what’s needed, and be pro-active for the cause of Christ, doing your part to WAR in the spiritual battle. 

DO EVERYTHING (the Word indicates in our Ephesians 6 study), to  equip yourself to  ‘STAND FIRM’ in who GOD PURPOSED YOU TO BE in carrying outyour responsibility in this spiritual war.  If you don’t know who that ‘you’ is, I challenge you to be pro-active to find out who God created YOU to be. 

“…when you have done everything to stand.  Stand FIRM then….” 

There are two key words in this instruction to you and me:
Stand and  Everything [all] 

God’s directive to “STAND” indicates a choice in our spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical posture.  His directive to ‘STAND’ indicates one is either in a lying, kneeling, sitting, or downward posture, and also an encouragement when one is growing weak in standing and about to fall.  We need HIS fortification to have the ability to continue to stand on His principles and promises, which brings us back to look at this phrase ‘when you have done EVERYTHING to stand’.   But first you must GET UP and STAND if you’re not already and you desire to choose to be obedient to our God. 

Once  standing, the instruction to “STAND FIRM then” is indicative of our ABILITY to ‘remain’ standing spiritually, emotionally, and mentally and not be moved or fall from the purposes in which He has positioned us in the spiritual war.  His purpose?  To SERVE HIM and OTHERS through Him in this battle. 

The place He has designed for you to be active in STANDING to fight in this spiritual war is EVERYWHERE YOU SET FOOT:  at home, school, work, church, Wal-Mart, restaurants, market, vacations, in the car, on the bus, in an airplane, at the doctor and dentist, the vet, the service station… any and every place where you are at any given time, for any given reason where there are PEOPLE.  Our God is no respector of person or place.  His work is needed EVERYWHERE at EVERY MOMENT.   Even where there are NO people, you still have a choice to STAND by 1) being a person of integrity, and 2) by taking those quiet opportunities to grow stronger in your communication with HIM and be reinforced and refueled by HIM for the next going out to people in your everyday life.  How?  Prayer, reading the Word, practicing scripture memory, listening to Christian talk radio and music, etc.. 

Am I suggesting we never kick back and have some fun or rest? No! These are essential to the refreshing and refueling we need.  I am talking about a life-stle change if GOD and His principles and promises are not at the center of your heart, your thoughts, your decisions, your actions 24/7. 

In closing and in readiness for part 5, let’s look at this excerpt again. 

“…and when you have done everything to stand,” indicates a practice ofpurposed preparation we must take to ensure we will be ‘able’ to ‘stand firm’. 

What does life present day in and day out in ‘every place’ where we find ourselves – at any given moment – that necessitates a choice to either obey God’s directive to “stand” on His principles and promises or not in this 24/7 spiritual war we live in? 

Check out Part 5…  

Pastoral Counsel – Jen Miller
Crisis: 309.712.5149
Appointment: jen@sara-ministry.com
Jen is a… 

Part 7:  Continuing study of Ephesians 6:13-14
“…and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm…”

By guest writer, Randi Shaffer. 

Let’s visit the previous post to remind us what this armor business is all about… 

Roman legionaries: they are known as history’s most disciplined and skilled soldiers…professional soldiers.  These men committed themselves not to simply fight the most contemporary campaign, but to twenty-five years of service.  They trained relentlessly.  They were never found without their armor.  They conditioned their bodies to endure the most rigorous challenge. 

Simply put, they were ‘always ready’ so as to not be “caught off guard” by the enemy. 

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” –Ephesians 6:14-15 

We’ve already discussed the importance of the “belt of truth” and the necessity of humbly putting it on.  Now we move to Paul’s instruction to have the “breastplate of righteousness in place” (and, no, this isn’t a discourse about the proper undergarment for a modest Christian woman).  Next time, we’ll examine the footwear.  

The “breastplate” worn by a Roman soldier of Paul’s day would have probably looked like this: 

The purpose of the breastplate was purely defensive.  Its job was to protect the soldier’s torso, and thus, his most vital organs (heart, lungs, stomach). 

If a vital organ is critically injured, the consequences are severe—sometimes fatal. 

Paul says our spiritual breastplate is righteousness: 

Righteousness = standing upright 

Righteousness is the state of being in a right relationship with God, and acting in ways that agree with His standards. 

When we are ‘right’ with God, we feel as though we can ‘stand upright’ and not be embarrassed or ashamed. 

Remember, Ephesians 6:14-15 says we must buckle the belt of truth around our waist, and we must have the breastplate of righteousness in place.  How do we get the breastplate in place?  We have to put it on! Look again at the picture of the breastplate.  That was not easy to put on.  In fact, soldiers could not put it on by themselves, they helped each other put them on and buckle and lace them up. 

In the same way, we cannot put on righteousness for ourselves.  The only way we can be cloaked in righteousness is if Jesus puts it on for us!  Jesus is the only way we can have a right relationship with God.  And it is only through the Holy Spirit that we are able to act in agreement with God’s standards.  And it is with the help of other believers standing armored with us, helping each other with our armor that gives us greater encouragement to ‘stand firm’. 

So what does righteousness protect us from?  Fatal spiritual injury. 

Remember, Ephesians 6 explains we are in a spiritual battle.  If we refuse to allow Jesus to cloak us in righteousness, we will die spiritually for eternity.  Each of us is guaranteed that our souls will exist for the rest of time, beginning with the moment we were conceived… but how do you want to exist? 

Jesus says that He gives us abundant and eternal LIFE.  The alternative is a meaningless and miserable EXISTENCE.  The moment we allow Jesus to cloak us in His righteousness, that abundant and eternal life begins! 

But, even then, we must keep the breastplate in place in order to enjoy an abundant life here on earth.  Each un-forgiven, repeated sin compromises our armor.  It makes us vulnerable to serious injury at the hand of our spiritual enemy. 

• Our dishonesties enable Satan to lie to us.
• Our sexual sins give Satan permission to take away our purity.
• Our addictions give Satan power to enslave us.
• Our negative and critical spirit begs Satan to breed more discontentment.

I’m writing this teaching just as much for myself as for anyone of you.  Let’s help each other to have the strongest armor with the most integrity we can possibly have as a church body. 

• If you don’t have a training partner—get one!

(We have seasoned, selfless women of faith standing ready to partner with you.  Contact Kristie Toniny, our Discipleship & Prayer Coordinator.) 

• If you don’t listen to others when they try to give you feedback—stop it; listen!
• If you aren’t praying regularly—start now!

Most importantly, if you haven’t allowed Jesus into your life to cover youand begin changing you from the inside-out, talk to Him. Simply ask Him to give you LIFE.  He promises He WILL.  If you decide to take this most important, eternal LIFE step, please let Coach Mark, Coach Bob, Coach Jen Miller, or myself know your decision so we can help you on your journey! 

Mirror-Check Time 

What sins are compromising the integrity of your armor?  Remember, the first step is simply admitting you have a problem! 

Check back as we continue to examine the “full armor of God”!

‘Morning Message’ is a ministry of The Sara Ministry
IF YOU WISH TO SUBSCRIBE OTHERS
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HAS GOD GIFTED AND CALLED YOU TO SERVE AS A WRITER? DO YOU HAVE THAT URGING IN YOUR SPIRIT TO SHARE GOD’S WORD, HIS PRINCIPLES AND PROMISES WITH OTHERS THROUGH WRITING? If so, we invite you to contact us about joining our writing team as we strive to deliver a fresh, short Morning Message 7 days a week. 

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Pastoral Counsel – Jen Miller
Crisis: 309.712.5149
Appointment: jen@sara-ministry.com
Jen is a… 

Part 5:  Continuing study of Ephesians 6:13-14
“…and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm…”

By guest writer, Randi Shaffer. 

What does life present day in and day out, in every place we find ourselves at any given moment that necessitates a choice to either obey God’s directive to “stand” on His principles and promises or not in this 24/7 spiritual war we live in? 

An intimate look at daily life as presented to one Christian woman…

2000 miles away, Mom is suffering from what may be M.S.  Brother is an Iraqi war veteran whose wounds far outlast his scars; he is now an addict and alcoholic who struggles daily to choose sobriety.  Dad seems to be…depressed. 

10 hours away, Grandpa is dying.  Grandma is…depressed.  Aunt is physically and emotionally exhausted from caring for her parents. 

Several rooms away, stepdaughter is torn between confusion, fear, and sadness.  Husband hates his job and can’t forgive himself for past mistakes, and he is…depressed. 

Meanwhile, she just miscarried a child. She is surrounded daily by souls enslaved to addiction and mental health issues who constantly remind her of her own character defects and sadness. Sometimes she feels like God is far away. 

They’re broke, in debt, and can’t pay their bills on time. She looks at their lovely home and only sees an exhibit of their past irresponsible spending.  She knows they may lose their home.  She feels like she has failed… 

Maybe this Christian woman sounds like you. She is for certain…me.  I am the daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, stepmother, wife, and case manager shared in all the above of these precious souls. 

But, I am… no longer hopelessly depressed.  Why? 

Let’s continue to examine God’s word as written through Paul for the answer: 

“…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 tostand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…”  Ephesians 6:12-14   

This passage says we’re supposed to put on God’s armor, starting with a belt for “when the day of evil comes.”  But has “the day of evil” even arrived yet? 

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”  Ephesians 5:15-16  

Yep, the “day of evil” is here. 

So, I can’t afford to shut down.  I need to do “everything” necessary to be able to stand firm, because my struggle is not with humanity (my own humanness nor anyone else’s).  No, it’s with something much bigger, more powerful, more distracting, and frighteningly more strategic. It’s with something that is actually “out to get me.”  Maybe I should approach this struggle as a soldier would approach a battle against his most capable enemy. I need to be disciplined, strong, ready to follow orders, armed, anddangerous. 

Just like the Roman soldiers back in Paul’s day… 

Check back as we begin to examine the “full armor of God” and continue our search for “the reason for the hope that [I] have!” 1 Peter 3:15 

Mirror-check time: 

With what are you struggling?  What paralyzes you in these “days of evil”?  Something to think about… 

‘Morning Message’ is a ministry of The Sara Ministry
IF YOU WISH TO SUBSCRIBE OTHERS
to receive our ‘Morning Message’, simply send your list of names and email addresses to: saraministry2007@gmail.com. Your contacts may unsubscribe at any time. 

HAS GOD GIFTED AND CALLED YOU TO SERVE AS A WRITER? DO YOU HAVE THAT URGING IN YOUR SPIRIT TO SHARE GOD’S WORD, HIS PRINCIPLES AND PROMISES WITH OTHERS THROUGH WRITING? If so, we invite you to contact us about joining our writing team as we strive to deliver a fresh, short Morning Message 7 days a week. 

UNSUBSCRIBE: If you wish to no longer receive the Morning Message, simply reply to this email with: Please Remove. 

CONTACT: saraministry2007@gmail.com 

WEB SITE: www.sara-ministry.com

Pastoral Counsel – Jen Miller
Crisis: 309.712.5149
Appointment: jen@sara-ministry.com
Jen is a… 

Part 3:  Continuing study of Ephesians 6:13-14
“…and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm…”

This very real spiritual war that you and I are encased in is taking captive, torturing and destroying countless lives, every second of every day, and countless lives for ALL of eternity.  Whether we acknowledge it or not, it infiltrates every aspect of your life and mine, waking and sleeping.  (Yes, even in sleep!) 

The spiritual battle began in heaven, with ONE ‘thought’, when the angel Lucifer considered to himself that he could reign higher than his Creator, God.  From that one thought, he made a ‘decision’ – that he would challenge God in an effort to overthrow Him.  From that one decision, he ‘acted’ and that one act changed the atmosphere and activity of heaven, then earth, and sin reigned in the hearts of men beginning with Adam through to this day in time – 2009. 

Through the generations, this three-fold process of thought, decision, action has propagated and perpetuated sin and evil with every human being born into the world, including you and me.  It continues with YOU and ME, with each and every thought that enters our minds, minute by minute.  This is why He tells us to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 

Every thought that enters our minds is in regard to either 

• God
• ones self
• another person
• a relationship (with people & God)
• a situation or circumstance

That thought is then followed by a ‘decision’ (a choice)  - even from the most seemingly mundane – and that decision is followed by an ‘action’. 

EVEN OUR DECISIONS TO ‘NOT’ ACT IS A CHOICE THAT RESULTS IN ACTION:  THE ACT OF DOING NOTHING. 

EVERYTHING that transpires in our lives, 24 / 7, waking or sleeping, is the direct result of a thought, then a decision, then an action on the part of people, spirits, Satan, or God. 

YOU IMPACT THE WORLD WITH YOUR EVERY THOUGHT, DECISION, AND ACTION, whether you are conscious of it or not.“Taking EVERY THOUGHT captive” gives us a clearer discernment and direction whether or not we are acting FOR GOD or AGAINST GOD. 

Yours, mine, and every other person’s process of  thought, decision, and action impacts YOU and ME and everyone else, either directly or indirectly.   It impacts our relationship with God, our spouse, our children, our immediate and extended family members, our co-workers, our friends, our acquaintances, and the strangers who cross our path at any given moment – including those strangers we encounter on the Internet in chat rooms, blogs, bulletin boards, auction sites, etc… 

Technology is yet another means by which we move through the process of thought, decision, and action which either perpetuates the power and purposes of God (directly or indirectly), or evil (Satan and his demons). 

With God, there is no gray area.  He says we are either “for Him or against Him.”  There is no sitting on the fence.  With EVERY thought, decision, and action – even in the most seemingly mundane – we are making a CHOICE for Him or against Him. 

Matthew 12:25 says, “Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” 

 Then He goes on to state in conclusion of this text, “He who is not with me isagainst me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” He does not mean ‘some of the time’, or at ‘certain times’, but with every thought, decision, action as we move through the minutes of our days… 

DO YOU GET IT, that YOU and I play a KEY role in this life-impacting and eternity-impacting war?  Otherwise, God would not have created you or I in the first place.  But, since we were created by God, you and I have a purposedirectly related to impacting this war for Christ or against Him.  

Joy Copyright 2010 Jen Miller – All Rights Reserved  

‘Morning Message’ is a ministry of The Sara Ministry
IF YOU WISH TO SUBSCRIBE OTHERS
to receive our ‘Morning Message’, simply send your list of names and email addresses to: saraministry2007@gmail.com. Your contacts may unsubscribe at any time.  

HAS GOD GIFTED AND CALLED YOU TO SERVE AS A WRITER? DO YOU HAVE THAT URGING IN YOUR SPIRIT TO SHARE GOD’S WORD, HIS PRINCIPLES AND PROMISES WITH OTHERS THROUGH WRITING? If so, we invite you to contact us about joining our writing team as we strive to deliver a fresh, short Morning Message 7 days a week.  

UNSUBSCRIBE: If you wish to no longer receive the Morning Message, simply reply to this email with: Please Remove.  

CONTACT: saraministry2007@gmail.com  

WEB SITE: www.sara-ministry.com