Battle of Spiritual Realm

A baby learns to sit first before he starts to stand and walk. The Christian life also begins with sitting. God “raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). How well we walk after that depends on how well we sit and rest in the finished work of Christ. The promised land was a land of rest where God promised His people “large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant” (Deuteronomy 6:10–11).   But for 40 years, God’s people wandered in the wilderness because they refused to believe that God had given them a land where everything had been prepared—the work was finished. They could not believe that God had given them a land full of good things to enjoy, a land which just flowed with His abundant supply. Today, there are believers who still cannot believe th

When you look in the dictionary the word fear has two main definitions: A distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, threat or evil whether the threat is real or imagined; and a reverential awe, as in the fear of the Lord.  With this in mind, what does the verse “God has not given us a spirit of fear” mean? Let’s start by looking at the whole verse which is found in 2 Timothy 1:7: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” The New King James says it this way – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Based on the definition of the word, it can’t mean reverential awe because that wouldn’t make sense. Clearly fear means something else so let’s dig deeper to understand what it means. Let’s also consider the proper response we should have to fear. Photo credit: Unsplash/Aziz Acharki

To understand the battle of spiritual warfare, we need to begin with acknowledging that we are in a war. Battles make up smaller components of the bigger picture. By definition, battles involve combat between two persons, between factions, between armies and they consist of any type of "extended contest, struggle, or controversy" (Webster-Merriam).  As Christians, we are in a spiritual battle of some sort on a daily basis. In warfare, battles are fought on different fronts, for different reasons, and with varying degrees of intensity. The same is true in spiritual warfare. Our spiritual battles and warfare are real, even though we cannot physically see the attacker. But, we can educate ourselves on how the battles are fought and how they impact our lives on a daily basis. We have to ask ourselves, “Why do we even want to fight?” It will do us no good to educate ourselves on the battle if we see no reason for the fight. War is very controversial today in t

"I want to be remembered as a player that didn't waste a moment." After Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant’s tragic helicopter crash that killed them along with seven others, stories about the NBA legend’s faith surfaced. According to an Instagram post from Randy Shepherd of Crossfire Ministry, Kobe already accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He revealed to WLOS News 13, “We were telling different guys about Crossfire basketball ministry, and Kobe was there. And I said Kobe, have you ever invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your life as your Lord and Savior? A question I’ve asked a lot of people from kids to the president, and he said, ‘Yes I’ve done that’.” View this post on Instagram Some people have text me this afternoon and ask if we ever had a chance to witness to Kobe Bryant?....Jamie and I met and talked to him (Kobe) briefly in London, England in a hotel lobby at the Summer Olympics.....We said to K

  …Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.  2 Chronicles 20:15 When faced with a problem or challenge, we tend to ask ourselves, “What am I going to do?” And well-meaning family members and friends will come along and ask, “What are you going to do?” Jehoshaphat faced a multitude of enemies. But instead of focusing on what he would do, he prayed, “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (2 Chronicles 20:12). When we turn our eyes to God, we will hear Him say, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s...You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:15, 17). But standing still is the last thing we want to do when th