Wrestling with Evil

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age.

Ephesians 6:11-12

When wrestlers compete, they rely on both strength and strategy to overcome their opponent. Even before the match begins, a wrestler takes a moment to size up his opponent, looking for his opponent's potential vulnerabilities, while remaining fully aware of his own. The passage in Ephesians uses the image of a wrestling match to convey the ongoing struggle and preparation that standing strong against evil entails - and it reminds you to be sure that you are fighting the right opponent.

People may do evil things, but your battle is not with individuals. Your battle is with evil itself. The Ephesians were well-acquainted with principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness - different kinds of evil spirits. The society was heavily involved in sorcery and magic. Even those who chose not to follow God were aware there was some kind of spiritual battle going on behind the scenes of their everyday lives. Ephesians 6 provides readers with God's guidelines on how to effectively fight that battle.

Mixing metaphors between wrestling and fighting a battle, Ephesians 6 instructs you to cover yourself with God-given armor. This protective gear is described in more detail in subsequent verses, but it includes things such as truth, righteousness, God's Spirit, God's Word, and prayer. As you choose to don God's armor each day and remind yourself who your opponent really is, you'll find yourself well prepared to hold your ground against evil.

Being prepared to encounter evil and focusing on it are two different things. Stay focused on God. His Spirit will make you aware of any battles you need to face.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God for his guidance and strength in your personal spiritual fight against evil. It is not flesh to flesh, fist to fist battle that we prepare for but a spiritual battle against the enemy. God's truths are the armor he has given us to protect us through the journey. Let us not take it lightly that we need to prepare daily through prayer and time with scripture to feed our body, mind and spirit with all the goodness God provides us. Let us not be spiritually starved or else the enemy will take away our victory. ~ MME Team

Seize the Moment

Be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely. Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times.

Ephesians 5:15-16

Life is filled with opportunities - and obstacles that can prevent you from grabbing hold of them. The secret to making the most of your life lies in making the most of your time.

The first three words hold the key: be very careful. In the original language, this admonition is much stronger and fuller than what sounds here like a mother's passing comment to her kids as they head outside. The words describe a way of living (or "walking," as the Bible often describes it) that is precise, accurate, and deliberate. It involves both forethought and a heightened sense of awareness. It's similar to the way you drive a car. You need to be constantly attentive, responding appropriately to the ever-changing situations you find yourself in. You swerve to avoid hazards, brake for pedestrians, and follow the rules of the road. Your skill, knowledge, and vigilance help you make wise decisions at a moment's notice.

To live wisely you need to do the same thing. You need to face each day spiritually alert. You need to recognize evil, so you can avoid it like a dangerous hazard in the road. At the same time,  you need to be on the lookout for opportunities to show love to others and to God - and to grab hold of them. The good news is that God is in the car with you. His Spirit will help guide your daily journey toward a life full of well-utilized opportunities.

When you start your car, recall the words from the book of Ephesians. They can be a reminder to keep your eyes open for opportunities to make a positive difference throughout your day.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God and be very careful in how you live. ~ MME Team

Running to Win

One thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.

Philippians 3:13-14

When the apostle Paul said there is "one thing I always do," it is time to sit up and listen. Paul summarized his goal in life and shared a couple of quick tips on how to persevere toward reaching it. That makes his advice not only important, but extremely helpful to those with that same goal in mind.

Paul's images of "straining toward what is ahead" and "trying to reach the goal" paint a picture of a long-distance runner whose focus on the rewards of the finish line gives him the strength to persevere, one step at a time. The goal Paul pointed to is God's call to run toward a Jesus-centered life, leaving his self-centered life behind in the dust. The prize he longed to reach was not eternal life, because Jesus's death has already achieved that. Instead, Paul pursued a mature Christian life, one that yielded rewards both in heaven and on earth. 

Paul's purpose and process for perseverance provide practical applications you can use every day of your life. Put your past mistakes, victories, and self-reliance behind you. Focus your attention and energy on Jesus, not on those running the race alongside you. Keep moving forward - your endurance increases the harder and the farther you run. Keep the finish line in sight. It doesn't mark the end of your life; it marks the beginning of an eternity spent in the winner's circle with Jesus, the One who enables you to be victorious.

Persevering toward maturity in your faith takes both personal effort and the transforming power of God's Spirit. God works through you as you do his work.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God for obedience over your mind and body to run the race he has laid out for you. Let us not get lost in our own self-reliance and/or abilities. Rely only on God's will and seek sustainability to worship him even in the times of pain and hurt. Our flesh is weak but our spirit is strong when we a-line our life's purpose with that of God's gifts.

Time to Change Your Mind

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 

Romans 12:2

Your mind is like the control center of your body. It helps direct your thoughts, your actions, and your emotions. Before God's Spirit made his home inside you, you ran that control center the way you thought was best. Chances are, the culture and practices of those around you helped shape your thoughts and consequently your actions. But once you invited God's Spirit into your life, there was a change in influence, leadership, and direction.

Choosing to renew your mind is the key to making that change complete. God guides and directs your mind, but he does not control it. God provides you with the power to transform your mind, to change the way you think so that your mind is more in line with his heart - to allow your mind to become all he originally designed it to be.

The Greek word for conform actually translates as "masquerade." Without God in you life, you live a charade and are not your authentic self. God's transformation of who you once pretended to be into who he created you to be is an ongoing process. Part of this process is testing what you believe by putting your faith into practice. Experiments help prove scientific truths. Living what you believe helps prove spiritual truths. As you practice what you have learned about changing the way you think, you will better understand who  you are and what God's desires is for your life.

You can help renew your mind by providing an environment that's favorable to the process. Carefully choose what you watch, take part in, and listen to, making sure that your choices line up with what pleases God.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray for spiritual strength from God to devalue all that is not from him and to honor all that is from him. Value of life comes from the love of the Father; from God's Spirit made home inside of you. ~ MME Team

Piecing Life Together

May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together - spirit, soul, and body - and keep you fit for the coming of the Master, Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

He recognized that people cannot achieve the process of maturity that leads to wholeness though self-effort. It requires the power of God. 

          A jigsaw puzzle is made up of multiple parts. It is only when these parts are put together, when the puzzle is whole and complete, that you see the picture it was designed to display. Your life is the same way. Your life is made up of many complex components: family, life, job, hobbies, physical health, emotional state, present circumstances, past experiences, hope for the future, relationship with God. It would be easy to feel that your life is fragmented, like unconnected pieces of a puzzle that don't seem to fit. But that isn't the way you were designed.

          God designed you to be whole and complete, where every part of your life interconnects with his love and his plan. This doesn't happen automatically or overnight. That is why the apostle Paul asked God to help the people in the church at Thessalonica to continue to move closer toward wholeness in their lives. He recognized that people cannot achieve the process of maturity that leads to wholeness though self-effort. It requires the power of God. Paul's prayer is one you need to pray for yourself.

          Ask God to help pull the pieces of your life together according to his original design. As you choose to keep God at the center of your life, you'll find your own unique "picture" becoming more complete. Your job, your relationships, and your dreams work together, linked to one another because they are each solidly linked back to God.

          Let Paul's prayer make you more aware of the big picture behind what's going on in your life. Ask God to help you get a better glimpse of what that really is.

          ~ MME Team

         

Blade of Truth

God's word is alive and working and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones. And it judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts.

Hebrews 4:12

The family has an invaluable role in passing on the faith in a joyful and bold manner. Children will learn that they are members of the Body of Christ and have a valuable role in the Church. Let us read the Bible as a family of God.

          The Bible is not your ordinary book. Like a surgeon's scalpel, it has the power to slice through lies to expose raw truth. It can prick a guilty conscience, heal a broken heart, or open eyes that have long been blind to God's existence. The verse in Hebrews is like the Bible's warning label. It lets you know that what you're holding in your hands should be handled carefully - and that it will leave a reader or listener a changed person.

          That's because the Bible is much more than merely print on paper. The Bible is alive with the power of God's Spirit. Like Jesus, its genesis is both fully human and fully divine. Through ordinary people wrote it, God worked through those writers in an extraordinary way. Throughout the Bible's sixty-six books of history, prophecy, and guidelines for living written over a period of six hundred years by more than thirty authors using three languages, there is a consistency of purpose about God and his plan that mere coincidence could never achieve.

          The Bible is not a reference book to teach you about God. The Bible is an invitation to connect with God in a personal way - and to learn more about yourself in the process. The more time you spend reading the Bible and meditating on how God wants you to apply what you've read, the more you'll learn to recognize the whisper of God's Spirit in your life and to see his hand at work in the world around you.

          Get to know God better by becoming better acquainted with the Bible. Reading one psalm and a chapter from one of the Gospels each morning is a great way to begin.

          Pray for heavenly vision, to transform your view of the Bible from mere words to the THE WORD. "The Word is God's most intimate, and informative, communication with those whom he created." ~ MME Team