THANK YOU!! to ALL who made HopeFest 2015 a great success!! despite the sweltering heat ; ) CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS!
After a weekend of impact that encroaches upon the devil’s territory by directly assaulting poverty; a struggle inevitably ensues. Struggle means to engage in conflict, or to make one’s way with difficulty. It is to make a forceful or violent effort to get free of restraint or constriction; to strive to achieve or attain something in the face of difficulty or resistance. The struggle is not imaginary. We’re not making this warfare up. As they say now…the struggle is real…but it’s not with PEOPLE.
In Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul instructs us to “put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes. For 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.” This is hard to remember when you are in the midst of a painful personal conflict, but he reiterates, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.“ Paul knew that some of our greatest struggles would be relational, but we wouldn’t realize that there were greater forces involved attempting to thwart us from fulfilling God’s purposes. We fight battles, not in our own strength, but with God’s armor: truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, the helmet of the hope of salvation, the sword of the Spirit – the Word of God, and most importantly the shield of faith to quench the devil’s fiery darts. Armor up!!
In 2 Corinthians 2:9-11, a man had brought much offense to the believers at Corinth and to Paul. He affirms that they are upset, but instructs them what to do:
I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him. I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.
Yes, they caused A LOT of painful trouble. It hur
t badly, and you opposed them (yelled, gave them the silent treatment, had the hard conversation). Enough with the punishment. Now…it’s time to forgive, comfort, and re-affirm your love for them…so they won’t be overcome with discouragement. So that they will know that your love’s not going anywhere. We forgive with Christ’s authority, for the benefit of the wounded person, (that’s US!) so that Satan won’t outwit or take advantage of us! for we are not ignorant of his intentions, designs or devices. These things we know, but they’re really hard to do! As we fight for our freedom in this area to keep ourselves from bitterness (Heb 12:15)…the struggle is real!
t badly, and you opposed them (yelled, gave them the silent treatment, had the hard conversation). Enough with the punishment. Now…it’s time to forgive, comfort, and re-affirm your love for them…so they won’t be overcome with discouragement. So that they will know that your love’s not going anywhere. We forgive with Christ’s authority, for the benefit of the wounded person, (that’s US!) so that Satan won’t outwit or take advantage of us! for we are not ignorant of his intentions, designs or devices. These things we know, but they’re really hard to do! As we fight for our freedom in this area to keep ourselves from bitterness (Heb 12:15)…the struggle is real!
