Look out for the Enemy!

Encouragement from Elisabeth Elliott

"The Psalms are full of prayers to God to defeat adversaries-nations, foes, enemies. The Lord of hosts (also translated the Lord of the armies of heaven) is called upon to arise and conquer. People who live in a country not at war may tend to skip over such prayers as not applicable to them, unless they recognize as an adversary anything or anyone that would defeat the purpose of God.

The peoples shake their heads at us;...

I am covered with shame....

But we do not forget Thee,...

We have not gone back on our purpose....

Bestir Thyself, Lord; why cost Thou sleep?...

Arise and come to our help;

For Thy love's sake set us free.

(Ps 44:14,15,17,18,23,26 NEB)

If it were not for the adversaries who make us conscious of our impotence, how would we learn to trust God's omnipotence?"

By: Elisabeth Elliott
To read the entire devotion click here.

We are in great danger of becoming comfortable in our daily lives if we do not recognize the enemy. I think the last two lines show the importance of knowing the enemy and praying for deliverance. As the wise woman says, anything that attempts to destroy the purposes of God is the enemy. Watch out for the enemy - He could be anywhere!

Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda

By Shel Silverstein

All the Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas
Layin' in the sun,
Talkin' 'bout the things
They woulda coulda shoulda done...
But those Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas
All ran away and hid
From one little Did.

How can I do it?

A result of Mother's Day - no doubt - I have been thinking, praying, fretting, about how to be a better mother. This may seem a little basic, but it was a good reminder for me. I had just been thinking about it and I walked into my sister in-law's room and saw this on her wall:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

It's a good thing to remember in any relationship. All together it is a good passage, pretty familiar... Taken piece by piece it is much more challenging and hits a little closer to home.

The Root

"The reason we can't just make it all (anxiety and fear) go away is that fear isn't the root of our problem. Our anxiety is simply a symptom of something else, a tip off that our hearts are bent in the wrong direction." Trust by: Lydia Brownback

Anxiety is a sin. It isn't anything less, and there are no excuses. There are plenty of reasons to be anxious, but there are more reasons to "Trust in the LORD with all your heart..."

Psalm 13:5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

Psalm 31:14 But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.”

Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is
my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Isaiah 21:10 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.

Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.