Battle Support

What wonderful worship services we had yesterday morning and evening! The messages were so fitting for the time... especially in light of some of the problems many have been facing lately. God is so good to us, giving us that extra encouragement we sometimes need, and the wisdom we need in our fight against the wicked one, who seems to be working overtime these days against God's people, and the ministries in which they serve. But how good it is to come into God's house and be renewed, despite the enemy's schemes. Truly, there is victory in Jesus!!!















We enjoyed special music by the One Way Trio, who were with us in both services. They're a great group, with a powerful sound all their own. Absolutely fantastic! But even greater than their voices, were their song choices yesterday. They sang of deliverance, of freedom, and of God's provision... all through the blood of our Saviour. If I could have somehow captured the experience of those services yesterday... the blessings of those songs being sung... I'd have saved it and uploaded it somehow, to share with you today.

Sunday School was equally as "filling" yesterday morning. We concluded our three-month study on spiritual warfare. I must tell you, as I told my ladies in class, I've shed some tears over this study's end. With all that's going on around us these days, it's been such an important study, because WE ALL need to be aware of the fight we're in each and every day, and how to stand firm in the midst of it. The Bible is so specific on this subject, and of it's importance. Yet, sadly, it's one of those things people are too quick to rush right through, completely missing what God intended for us to "get". I've truly enjoyed this study, probably more so than any other we've done thus far. Perhaps it's because I, too, have been reminded of these critical truths, and have gotten my own life better prepared for the battle. As always, the Lord so graciously gives us what we need, when we need it. (Thank You, Jesus!)

I had been thinking for some time now, of doing a "Monday Briefing" type post, to allow those who didn't make it to Sunday School to "catch up" on what they missed. But my fear in doing so was that then I'd be making it easy for them to stay home on Sunday mornings. "Why come to Sunday School, if you can get the scoop later, online?" I surely didn't want to contribute to anyone "laying out" of church, especially when I've prayed so hard, and for so long, for them to come! I still don't have a peace about doing that, but I'm gonna make an exception, at least for today, because I feel those who couldn't be here yesterday NEED to know how the Lord is working.

As I said, we wrapped up our study on spiritual warfare. This week, we dealt with the last piece of our "armour", which is prayer. Ephesians 6:18 says, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints".

We should all stop and consider our own prayer lives. Do we lift one another up in prayer, as we ought to? Do we pray fervently for our Pastors, deacons, teachers (and other leaders)? Do we pray specificially for them... for wisdom, discernment, for good health and for renewal of their mind?

We saw in this week's lesson that, as believers, it is our duty to pray for one another. In doing so, we're uniting with the other "members of the body", helping one another to stand, in the daily battle against satan. I was thinking about that this week, and it occurred to me, if we aren't praying for one another as we should, then we're just sitting idly by, allowing the enemy to attack (and quite possibly defeat) our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

How convicting is that thought???

We already know about the new commandment Jesus gave us... I touched on that in my last post, in fact. We're to love one another as He loves us. Therefore, if we truly love one another, we're not apt to sit back and allow satan to unmercifully attack our fellow believers. We'll help them in their fight against him. We'll support them, as they stand and especially as they "serve on the frontlines". They need our prayers! They need us to make specific petitions on their behalf, each and every day. Without this support, how will they stand? How long can they stand alone?

One of our heart-searching questions in Sunday School this week was "How effective would our Pastor's ministry be... IF every member prayed for him AS I pray for him?"

We also could ask the same, in reference to our teachers and any other ministry-leaders. How DO we pray for them? Again, we should all consider our own prayer lives, and how effectively we pray for those in leadership positions. We must begin praying as we were called to do, to help them (one another) stand.

I was reminded this week of a beautiful illustration in the Old Testament. In Exodus, chapter 17, we read of the conflict between Israel and Amalek. Moses instructed Joshua to take men into battle. While they fought, Moses stood on top of a nearby hill, with the rod of God in his hand. As Moses held the rod high, Israel prevailed in battle. When he dropped his hands in fatigue, Amalek prevailed. When Aaron and Hur saw Moses' hands begin to drop, they came alongside and held them up. They supported him until Israel won the victory.

Moses stood before God on behalf of the forces engaged in war on the battlefield (with the support of Aaron and Hur). We should do the same by interceding for one another as we fight our spiritual battles. Like Moses, we must come before God with our outstretched prayers for those who are fighting. And like Aaron and Hur, we must stand alongside others to support them with our prayers.

Prayer is indeed a vital part of our defense against the enemy's attacks!

My own personal request of my ladies in Sunday School is that they lift me up in their prayers daily. The enemy has indeed waged his attacks, especially in the past several weeks. So I need their prayers, to help support me when my arms grow weary, like Moses' did.

We also need to pray fervently for our Pastor, who leads our church body. We need to pray for his good health and clarity of mind, not only as he studies and brings us the Word, but also in his decision-making in our church's business and ministry needs. He needs discernment to see through those who may come under false pretenses, those the Holy Spirit warned us of, throughout Scripture, but I think of the book of Jude now, specifically. We need to pray for our Pastor to continuously stand for what is right... those Biblical principles upon which we're all to be conformed to.

But even besides our Pastor, and teachers, and ministry leaders, we need to remember in our prayers the entire church staff. We need to cover each and every one in our prayers daily, because it's through the staff here that many things get accomplished... things that we often take for granted. Folks (myself included) often walk in at the appointed time for services, oblivious to all the planning and preparation that goes into making the wheels turn here. I suppose too often, we just assume it gets done automatically, somehow. But that isn't the case. We are blessed to have many hands involved behind the scenes, and we ought to cover these people in our prayers. The devil fights in these areas, as well as in the pulpit/podium. Sometimes he causes distractions and diversions in these "forgotten areas", in his schemes to devise even bigger trouble elsewhere.

We need to remember these things... and sometimes take a step back and see that this is what's happening, so we can know how better to pray for one another. The devil will wage these wars against us... sometimes even amongst us, if we aren't careful. So we just need to pray!

Again, this has been such an exciting study for me. I can't tell you the times I've so needed what the lesson was about in that given week. I say it all the time (from experience) the Lord indeed gives us what we need, when we need it.

But I pray that we'll all do as this week's lesson called for us to do... lift our brothers and sisters up in our prayers, and help one another to stand against the strategies and evil devices satan uses against us.

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