Winning the Battle of Life: The Unseen Battle
I once believed long ago that becoming a Christian would make my life easier. Instead what has happened is my ability to handle life has become easier, because of my faith in Christ, but I still have trials and tribulations. I know who I am and whose I am, but I am not exempt from trouble. I know who I was Before Christ (B.C.) and who I am After Christ (A.C.) and they are not the same person. I know that my past is under the blood and my present is covered by His love. I know when the destroyer tries to work havoc in my life that Isaiah 54:17 says, that no weapon formed against me shall prevail and I will refute every tongue that accuses me. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from God.
I still face challenges everyday, just because I live here on earth. But, I told my Sunday School class that since we fight the unseen battle, a spiritual warfare we cannot see, we should not contribute to it by gossiping and lying about someone ourselves. Because, as soon as you put those words out there it creates a battlefield and those words adds pressure to situation or someone's life. When someone gossip about you or you gossip about someone else you are literally trying to destroy them with your tongue. Actually gossip is equal to hate and strife. Proverbs 26:20-22, "Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts." Sticks and stones do break your bones and words actual hurt down to the inmost parts of a person soul. I think a lot women and men who gossip have little self-worth. Basically, since they cannot have what they envy in others they talk about them and try to destroy them through lies. They would have a better life if they would control their tongue. I Peter 3:10, "For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech." James 1:26, "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. " Satan uses gossip as a weapon because it is not easily seen as the lie it is. It is a weapon of deception. How many times did you hear lies/half truths about a famous person that made it way through all the social networks (facebook, twitter, emails, etc.) only to have it retracted a week later by someone who started the gossip email chain. Just because you repeat something several times does not make it the truth.
The battle of the tongue is a spiritual warfare orchestrated by the demons of this world. Paul tells us that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and darkness of this world. The demons of the unseen world are assigned to mess up your mind by beginning your day with an evil report. I know a person who lied on someone and it almost destroyed the other person family, except for the grace of God. Gossip/lies/untruths are all tricks of the enemy to bring the pressures on and turn your faith to worry. Satan would like for your mind to be led astray from a pure and sincere devotion to Christ by the pressures of life or worried about the lies others are saying about you.
But, when the pressure is on the victory is on!
Lesson 1: State away from a loose mouth man or woman. Proverbs 20:19, "A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man (woman) who talks too much."
Lesson 2: Obadiah 1:12, You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. " Why? Because we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The stick you throw may break someone's window, but a stone thrown back at you can bring the entire roof down.
Lesson 3: Believers must replace gossip with love, forgiveness and the building up of one another. If you want to have that more abundant life you must stop the gossiping. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
If you feel burden by the pressures of life because you are fighting this battle you cannot see, remember that NO weapon formed against you shall prevail. Paul states again, 2 Corinthian 4:8, “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.
The unseen battle is won by faith in Jesus Christ. The Lord is a stronghold when your enemies and your foes attack you, they will stumble and fall. Have faith in God, everything will be alright. These things will work themselves out. Let your conversation this week be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. I pray we all learn this lesson and God will not have to teach us again.
For Him Only,
Pastor Patricia
I still face challenges everyday, just because I live here on earth. But, I told my Sunday School class that since we fight the unseen battle, a spiritual warfare we cannot see, we should not contribute to it by gossiping and lying about someone ourselves. Because, as soon as you put those words out there it creates a battlefield and those words adds pressure to situation or someone's life. When someone gossip about you or you gossip about someone else you are literally trying to destroy them with your tongue. Actually gossip is equal to hate and strife. Proverbs 26:20-22, "Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts." Sticks and stones do break your bones and words actual hurt down to the inmost parts of a person soul. I think a lot women and men who gossip have little self-worth. Basically, since they cannot have what they envy in others they talk about them and try to destroy them through lies. They would have a better life if they would control their tongue. I Peter 3:10, "For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech." James 1:26, "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. " Satan uses gossip as a weapon because it is not easily seen as the lie it is. It is a weapon of deception. How many times did you hear lies/half truths about a famous person that made it way through all the social networks (facebook, twitter, emails, etc.) only to have it retracted a week later by someone who started the gossip email chain. Just because you repeat something several times does not make it the truth.
The battle of the tongue is a spiritual warfare orchestrated by the demons of this world. Paul tells us that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and darkness of this world. The demons of the unseen world are assigned to mess up your mind by beginning your day with an evil report. I know a person who lied on someone and it almost destroyed the other person family, except for the grace of God. Gossip/lies/untruths are all tricks of the enemy to bring the pressures on and turn your faith to worry. Satan would like for your mind to be led astray from a pure and sincere devotion to Christ by the pressures of life or worried about the lies others are saying about you.
But, when the pressure is on the victory is on!
Lesson 1: State away from a loose mouth man or woman. Proverbs 20:19, "A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man (woman) who talks too much."
Lesson 2: Obadiah 1:12, You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. " Why? Because we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The stick you throw may break someone's window, but a stone thrown back at you can bring the entire roof down.
Lesson 3: Believers must replace gossip with love, forgiveness and the building up of one another. If you want to have that more abundant life you must stop the gossiping. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
If you feel burden by the pressures of life because you are fighting this battle you cannot see, remember that NO weapon formed against you shall prevail. Paul states again, 2 Corinthian 4:8, “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.
The unseen battle is won by faith in Jesus Christ. The Lord is a stronghold when your enemies and your foes attack you, they will stumble and fall. Have faith in God, everything will be alright. These things will work themselves out. Let your conversation this week be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. I pray we all learn this lesson and God will not have to teach us again.
For Him Only,
Pastor Patricia
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