encouragement from someone who has been through the fire

Tag: house group

  • Battle ready

    I experienced interesting pictures while in quiet time this morning with my wife. We had been reading and praying about new beginnings and fresh starts in the Word and devotional notes. We had spent time chatting about this topic earlier this morning too. The pictures were of a knight putting on armour and his armoured metal helmet went on last. It was very vibrant and strangely real. In the next picture there were strange, frightening monsters being rounded up and locked away in a cell. As we prayed more and I spoke of what I had experienced a few minutes earlier, I felt that one interpretation could be of me ( or us) putting on our spiritual armour as described in        Ephesians: 6.10-18. The helmet of course covers the head, and is described as protection for the mind. The monsters were perhaps intrusive thoughts, dark whispers, demonic attacks. With the full armour on, these monsters no longer have any power or influence. They are disarmed and taken away by God.

    Another verse that came to mind was about taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, (2 Corinthians 10:5.) and I thought that this tied in with the monsters being locked away. This verse also talks about repenting of ungodly thoughts and surrendering instead to obedience to God.

    Much of this was vaguely familiar to me, and people tell me often to put my armour on. I try to listen, and I do pray it on when I remember. I’ve been reminded these last few weeks of the consequences of not doing it though. The whispers are deceitful and persuasive. I often get taken in by them, and they get louder as I pay them attention.

    We prayed a lot about strategies for being more alert and driven to be closer to Jesus. We have made a choice to pursue this relationship more. Not making grandiose goals or plans to have it all as we expect it to be in record time. Just small baby steps with our Father in heaven, to be led into a better place, closer together and closer to Him.

    In this battle that we all find ourselves, it is easy to think that even with the full armour we still do it by our own strength. Even strength in numbers through house group or church, which of course is essential too. But we are reminded that not only is the battle the Lord’s, but the victory is not dependant on success through any current struggle, problem, or battle in daily life. It has already been won at Calvary. We serve the One who is all-victorious. We serve the King.

  • Solitude

    Recently our church house group has begun studying a practice known as solitude. It is similar to meditation I guess, involving focussing on a few breath cycles, stilling the mind and letting any thoughts pass by. We are trying to focus our attention in a peaceful state on God. We close our eyes and simply wait. The trick is not to try and force or control anything, but simply to be still and wait expectantly. It is initially proving more difficult than I thought it would be. Time moves very slowly. For me, all sorts of thoughts, pictures, stresses and plans swirl around. We have been learning that the trick is not to fight these but simply notice them and move on.

    To be honest, when we were starting to discuss this series, I was highly sceptical of it. Defensive and evasive even. I’m not sure why exactly. It has been developed, in part, by a well-known preacher, John Mark Comer. I trust his teaching and my friends in the group who organised the study.

    Five days in it is not only not as strange as I initially thought it might be, it’s quite exciting. As an introvert I have no issue of spending time on my own. But I’m realising more and more that these moments spent by myself, with closed eyes, open hands and heart, being still and reverent before my King, I’m far from alone.

  • When our faith shall be our eyes

    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    Last night at church house group we discussed faith. According to the Oxford dictionary, faith can be defined as having complete trust or confidence in something or someone. A strong belief in the doctrines of religion, based on conviction rather than proof.

    We discussed that some Atheists only believe in what can be proven, theorised, studied, recreated in a laboratory, tested, based on empirical evidence. That the whole universe occurred by accident from a single cell or atom, and it happened to develop into an ordered, structured universe, with a planet able to support a diverse range of life.

    We do not have that much faith.

    But we do have faith in the invisible. In things that cannot necessarily be found in a test tube. We believe in a spiritual realm. In our Father and creator God. Much of what He created can be studied in a lab, but our trust in Him does not depend on that alone.

    The universe was made by His command so that what is seen was not made from what is visible.

    We climb metaphorical staircases that we cannot see the top of. We just choose to take a step at a time and trust it leads somewhere wonderful. Even if that does not get fulfilled in our lifetime.

    Many great people were remembered not by what mistakes they made, their failings, their weaknesses. But by their faith. Hebrews 11 lists people such as Abraham, Noah, and Moses. Interestingly none of those giants of the faith ever received the full reward on earth.

    God had something better prepared for them in heaven. Their legacy has gone through the ages, enjoyed by multitudes, even to this blog.

    We push on, through triumph and hardship, knowing that Jesus has plans that we do not always understand. But are always good and can have impact to others and even future generations.

    It is not always easy, it does not always make sense.

    But our hope is that as we follow our King,

    Our faith will be our eyes.

    Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels.com
  • If you had heaven..

    If you had heaven..

    At church house group recently we discussed an interesting question. If you had heaven, with every good thing. Every blessing. Every person you have ever loved. All of nature. All your favourite places from Earth. All the foods you love, and all those yet to be discovered. Everything you could ever imagine. Perfection. But Jesus was not there. Would it still be heaven for you?

    The consensus was mostly around the view that this heaven would actually be hell as Jesus is not there. The debate went on for some time though. It was considered that if someone offered you this heaven without Jesus, they may well be someone that had offered a tempting fruit once a long time ago.

    As I pondered this discussion later while listening to some worship music, I was struck by the thought that:

    If Jesus could have heaven with every good thing. Every luxury. Every bit of nature. Every angel. Every prophet and apostle. Father God and Holy Spirit. But not every single one of his beloveds. It would not be heaven to Him.

    This also led to the train of thought of how it must break His heart knowing that many of His pinnacle of creation human beings will not be there. This challenges me to try again to witness to people of the love and miracles I have come to know.