Sunday's service was about healing. Basically about living the full life that God has given to us. It's been awhile since I've been fully in service. See, as I've mentioned before I've been taking the membership course at Third Day on Wednesdays. This coming Wednesday is the last class. It's been great, but this next step, as with all steps closer to living fully for God, has brought up different attacks from the enemy. I've just been pressed in. That's what I pulled out of the services. Pastor was talking about being oppressed and even depressed. It made me think on the picture I had of that box in August.
I started sketching out the different pressures that keep us, or at least me, in that box. Mostly it was me and the enemy attacking my many weaknesses - through doubts, fears, pains, expectations others have for me, my own expectations, and my own plans. How quickly I forget to put on the full armour of God and see the world fractally through Him. I'll be really honest with you - I don't often struggle in situations - my life works, and I haven't suffered through different problems - it's just been surfacely good. That's guilt inducing, because when I do struggle, it's internally and I always feel horrible about struggling against nothing, even though it is much to me. Growing in God is painful and I'll never say that the Christian walk is easy, but it's always worth it. It's painful in the moment - there's no denying that, but always we can look back and see the growth in our walks. I look back at my life before God and am astounded. Every time. I don't know how I survived, but for His hand in my life and in the moments I grasped for Him without even knowing Him. But again, since I've been saved not much has changed surfacely. I have changed - can't even tell you or express how much, but still, I want to be more in Him. Isn't that what living for God is all about? In all times and all seasons I will live for God. By putting on the armour daily we protect that choice. I need to pray all the time - all through my day, so that it's His instead. I don't want to forget these things, so as this year comes to a close, I'm going to press onward - out of the box - and put an increased effort into putting on God's armour. I'm going to declare it daily, because He heals all of us fully - and I need to remind myself to let Him and to protect the works He has done, is doing, and will do in me. I am His.
Ephesians 6:10-18
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints"
--> Such encompassing verses. To live like this is to move forward, such as the verse of this year. Taking it up more determinedly:
Philippians 3:13-14
"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
--> That's the only kind of pressing I want to do.
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