"I was in a serious battle. Everything that was normally light and bright now seemed dark and dull. As I stood there in the darkness I felt I was in quicksand, knowing that if I didn't react and do something quick I would panic and drown.
"I picked up the sword. Surprisingly, it wasn't heavy or difficult for me to grasp...it was then that I realized the Spirit of God was holding my arm up. Then as if by some miracle, that sword cut through the fog and light pierced through the darkness. Peace came to my heart. I knew that as long as I made use of that sword I would be ok.
"My battle wasn't taking place in the normal sense; this was a battle for my mind. The enemy was throwing accusations in my face. My emotions started spinning out of control as Satan's lies flooded my heart. Desperately, I tried rejecting them but my feeble attempts to ignore only cause the battle to rage more fiercely within. What a poor soldier I turned out to be!
"Then, someone stepped to my side and offered a glistening, sharp edged sword. 'This is no ordinary sword. Listen to its promptings and be ready to use it wherever you go', he said.
"Throughout the day, those evil accusations, thoughts, and emotions would lurk in the shadows but I was much more alert to the truth with the sword at my side. I hate battles...but when battles do come, the Word of God shines even brighter as the Sword of Truth dismantles the evil."
-Julie Jalbert
"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
The forth aspect of prayer that we want to look at today is scripture praying. Just as Julie discovered from experience, we find it is crucial to keep our sword by our side at all times. In the book of Ephesians the Bible is referred to as "the sword of the Spirit". This weapon is the only offensive weapon we have.
The real battle isn't the fight against your thoughts, emotions, or even the accusations of the enemy. No, I find that the real battle is against becoming indifferent to the Truth and neglecting the presence of God through the absence of prayer. “It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.” (C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters)
The most powerful way you can pray is using God's own words. To pray His Word is to pray in His Will. To pray His Word allows His Truth to become engrafted into our hearts. Our sword grows sharper as our awareness of its power grows deeper.
This week, why don't you take a passage of scripture, personalize it in your own words and pray through it every day? One of the best places to start is found in the Psalms! Have you spent time in prayer today? If not, it might be a good idea to take a break right now and go to your knees. Just like Julie, you and I need to grab our weapon and use it! Take up your sword and FIGHT!
"The Truth WILL set you free!"
1 comment:
"The most powerful way you can pray is using God's own words. To pray his words is to pray His will..."
Wow! So true! Thanks for this Laurie and Julie!
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