Fight

1 Samuel 25:28

"...for the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the LORD's battles."

Who are you fighting for?

Some battles will have a lasting effect, and some won't. Pick the fights whose victories will echo into eternity.

Fight the good fight of the faith. [1 Timothy 6:12]

Fight as though your life and the lives of others depend on it, because they do.

Fight for Jesus, because He fought for you.

Others

Proverbs 5:9

"Lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel"

This is written about the adulteress, the woman of sin, but I'm pretty sure there's so much more than that. 

Unforgiveness.

Bitterness.

Impurity.

Sin.

Hatred.

Jealousy.

There is no end to the cruel “others” who are more than happy to use up your strength and take your years.

We only have a few years on this earth. Be careful what you give them to.

Proverbs 5:8

"Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house."

How?

Proverbs 5:7

"Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say."

Give your best strength and all your years to following the One who is good.

Times

I hear You say:

My Love is over, it's underneath
It's inside, it's in between
The times you doubt Me
When you can't feel
The times that you question
'Is this for real?'

The times you've broken
The times that you mend
The times you hate Me and the times that you bend
Well My Love is over, it's underneath
It's inside, it's in between

These times you're healing
And when your heart breaks
The times that you feel like you've fallen from grace
The times you're hurting
The times that you heal
The times you go hungry and are tempted to steal

In times of confusion and chaos and pain
I'm there in your sorrow,
Under the weight of your shame

I'm there through your heartache
I'm there in the storm
My love, I will keep you by My power alone

I don’t care where you've fallen
Where you have been
I'll never forsake you
My Love never ends, it never ends


Listen to the song by Tenth Avenue North

Jonah & The Sailors

Jonah 1:1-16

God asked Jonah to go and share His message with the people of Ninevah. Jonah just turned and ran instead, and hopped on a boat to Tarshish. [Go ahead and say that name a few times, it’s a guaranteed party.] God did not take Jonah’s disobedience lightly, so He created a violent storm strong enough to break ships in half. 

--> God does not take your obedience/disobedience lightly.

In the midst of the violent storm, all the sailors on the ship that Jonah caught “were afraid and each cried out to his own god.” They threw out cargo in the hope that they could lighten the load and feel the storm less. The sailors even tried to row their way out of the storm, which resulted in the storm growing increasingly worse. They turned to their own gods, and they tried to help themselves. Both failed.

They then asked a million questions of Jonah:

“Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

Jonah’s reply:

“I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

--> Jonah’s entire identity and answer to all their questions was wrapped up solely in the God that he worshipped. Where's your identity at?

The sailors then prayed to this God, the God of the land and the sea. God in His magnificent power calmed the sea. 

“At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.”

The sailors, who had just cried out to their own gods to no avail, now worshipped the One True God. Their own strength had failed them, but they now stood in awe of the strength of the Almighty God.

Although God despises disobedience, He used that, along with Jonah’s declaration of his faith as an opportunity to display His glory to some sailors who may never have seen Him otherwise. God is bigger than everything, so let Him use every part of you including your moments of disobedience, to bring His redemption to your world.

The best thing is to obey. But when do you run away to your Tarshish instead, remember that God is there too. Repent, before God has to use a storm to rock the boats of everyone around you. Then arise and speak His name. Who knows, in the midst of violent storms you may see redemption come to your ship.

Broken

Hosea 8:6

“This calf--a craftsman has made it; it is not God. It will be broken in pieces, that calf of Samaria.”

In Exodus 32 the Israelites “gathered around Aaron and said, ‘Come, make us gods who will go before us.’” They lost sight of God, the God in whose presence and glory they had trembled not long before. They lost sight of their God, so they became impatient and looked for anything that they could worship and give their lives to.

The Israelites went for a golden calf, something I’m fairly certain you don’t have chilling in your garden. But if you’re anything like me, you do have a few potential non-golden, non-calf idols scattered around your world. Idols came in all shapes and sizes these days: cars, money, jobs, family, friends, dogs, holidays, dreams, hobbies…

All these things require more of us then I think we often realise. But even worse, they take away from the people who love us: “Aaron answered them, ‘Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” We start taking our time, gifts, energy and resources away from the One who deserves it and the ones that need it, and invest them in unworthy idols.

We give our lives, forgetting that “This [idol]; it is not God. It will be broken in pieces.”

This friend, they are not God. Though they love and care for you, they cannot save or satisfy your heart. They will disappoint you; they will be broken in pieces.

This job; it is not God. Though it will allow you to provide for yourself and your family, it is not your ultimate Provider. It will be broken in pieces.

This dream; it is not God. Though it may be from God and of God, the dream in itself is not enough for you. Don’t hold on too tightly, it will be broken into pieces.

This [______]; it is not God. It will be broken in pieces.

Fill in the blank for your own life, and remind yourself often.

God alone can rescue, save, satisfy, provide, fulfil, forgive and never let you down.

Look to Him, worship Him, give your time, gifts, energy and resources to Him. 

He alone is worthy.

This Jesus; He is God. He will never be broken in pieces.

See also: Last God Standing

Armour [Righteousness: 1]

Ephesians 6:14

"Stand firm then...with the breastplate of righteousness in place."

Our heart and lungs are pretty vital to our survival, making the breastplate a necessity in our suit of armour. The material that makes up the breastplate is important. It needs to be light so as not to be a heavy weight to carry yet at the same time impenetrable, solid and lasting in the face of an onslaught.

Going out to battle with a rag over your chest is a certain death sentence.

[Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..."]

Yet some people will go out to face their life, with their own righteousness covering them, their own stinking, unclean, filthy attempt at righteousness. But when the bullets start flying, a rag will be pointless.

We need something so much stronger to cover us.

[2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."]

Jesus took our rags, and he took our place. In exchange he gave us his perfect, impenetrable righteousness. His righteousness is an easy burden, and it is an everlasting protection. 

But how can we afford this breastplate of the finest material? We can't. It is a beautiful gift from our heavenly Father. He gave us his Son.

[Jeremiah 23:6 "This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness."]

When Jesus lives inside of us, he becomes our perfect righteousness, our everlasting protection.

Armour [Truth]

Ephesians 6:14

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist..."

The main purpose of a belt (fashion aside) is to keep the wearer from looking like a fool with their pants on the ground. A belt prevents moments of embarrassment and shame, and gives the wearer the freedom to let go of their pants and move.

The truth of God is like a belt, holding us together and keeping our lives in place. The truth sets us free from the lies of the devil and his conniving plans to embarrass and shame us and helps us be everything we were made to be.

But in order to be effective, the belt must be buckled around your own waist. Your dad/mom/friend/brother/sister wearing a belt won't keep your pants in place, you have to wear the belt! You have to know and believe the truth for yourself, in your own heart and mind. Without it, your life is in constant danger of falling down and falling apart. When the world comes crashing down all around you, God's truth will remain.

The truths of God are beautiful and they are endless, but here are a few basic truths to buckle around your heart that you may stand firm and stand strong til the end:

God is everything he says he is. Nothing less, nothing more.

- Exodus 34:5-7

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
- Psalm 139:14

There is amazing hope in what God has planned for your future.
- Jeremiah 29:11

Every single time you do something against God's will, ie sin, you deserve to die.
But for each death you deserved to die, Jesus died so that you may live forever.
- Romans 6:23

Jesus will take care of you and supply you with everything you'll ever need.
- Philippians 4:19

We will live with Jesus and and worship and adore him with everyone that believes in him in heaven forever.
- John 14:3

Know the truth. Believe the truth. It will hold you together and it will set you free.