Battle of Spiritual Realm

[Cast] all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7) Psalm 56:3 says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Notice: it does not say, “I never struggle with fear.” Fear strikes, and the battle begins. So the Bible does not assume that true believers will have no anxieties. Instead, the Bible tells us how to fight when they strike. For example, 1 Peter 5:7 says, “[Cast] all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” It does not say, you will never feel any anxieties. It says, when you have them, cast them on God. When the mud splatters your windshield and you temporarily lose sight of the road and start to swerve in anxiety, turn on your wipers and squirt your windshield washer. So my response to the person who has to deal with feelings of anxiety every day is to say: that’s more or less normal. At least it is for me, ever since my teenage years. The issue is: How do we fight them? The answer to that question is: we fight anxieties by f...

Larry Sparks, Dallas, Texas I don't have a prophetic word about the coronavirus...I do, however, have a very clear word from the Lord about a supernatural key that will help the Church silence the all-consuming roar of fear right now, starting with our own lives. When fear boasts loud, it should be a convicting call for the praises of God's people to become even louder. We don't praise God for a result; we praise Him because He is worthy – no matter what is going on around us. The Lord Is Restoring the ROAR of Praise! I prophesy that the Lord is restoring the ROAR of praise, for the ROAR of praise and the SHOUT of the King will empower the people of God to war victoriously against the prevailing spirit of fear that is contaminating the earth. Wash your hands, yes. Buy appropriate supplies and food (and toilet paper!), absolutely. Be prepared and operate in wisdom. But there must be a sound of praise roaring once again from the Church. For the last 1...

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks you have probably seen, heard, and read about the coronavirus that is disrupting life all over the globe. And it is quite likely that it has had a direct impact on you, even if you have not yet gotten sick from it. Social distancing has become a new by-word in the past few days. The banning of large gatherings, including churches, and the closing of many establishments where people gather are common. Empty shelves at the grocery store are a normal sight. And there is the expectation that things will get worse before they begin to improve. Many people automatically look to connect any large-scale disaster to Revelation and see in it a sign of the end. But should we? This article will look at this virus and its relationship to Revelation. And then at how, as Christians, we should respond to it. What Is This Coronavirus? There seems to be a lot of confusion about this virus, starting with its name. Cor...

Prayer is a response to promises, that is, to the assurances of God’s future grace. Prayer is drawing on the account where God has deposited all his stores of future grace. Prayer is not hoping in the dark that there might be a God of good intentions out there. Prayer banks on the promise of God, and goes to the bank every day and draws on stores of future grace needed for that day. Don’t miss the connection between the two halves of this great verse. Notice the “that is why”: “All the promises of God are Yes in Christ.  That is why  (therefore) we pray Amen through him, to God’s glory.” To make sure we see it, let’s turn the two halves around: When we pray, we say Amen to God through Christ,  because  God has said a decisive Amen to all his promises in Christ. Prayer is the confident plea for God to make good on his promises of future grace — for Christ’s sake. Prayer links our faith in future grace with the foundation of it all, Jesus Chr...

Tolkien's Faith and His Writings The first installment of the epic Lord of the Rings Trilogy was first published in 1954. Since that time, the world of Middle-Earth has fascinated readers and transformed lives. Today, I desire to delve into this incredible story and share with you how Tolkien’s enduring faith is expressed in his novels. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic and believed firmly in the truths of Christianity. Now before I begin, I want to state that The Lord of the Rings can be enjoyed without reading through Christ-colored glasses, and I will never accept the idea that The Lord of the Rings is a Christian allegory. On the contrary, Tolkien detested allegory and stated himself that his novels were never written with the intent of preaching religion; however, Tolkien was always quick to admit that all of his works were written in the Christian tradition and therefore were full of Christian symbols. In the entire canon of Tolkien’s pr...

He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty. — 1 Samuel 20:25 In a season when many of us are gathering around the table with our family and friends, it seems apt to talk about who’s around the table. In 1 Samuel chapter 20, we see a picture of the person Saul has become. Having once been a man of God—to the point that God chose and anointed him to be King—with direct access to the voice of the Lord through his prophet Samuel, he’s now chased away that wise and just voice and replaced it with a yes man , Abner.   God directs people in and out of our lives. He sends the right people, to the right place, with the right plan. And if we are open to His voice, we will recognize these people in our lives. The problem is, the enemy does the same thing. He sends people into our path as well; hoping the distraction and ego stroking will cause us to invite the wrong people to sit at ...

  Exodus 13:21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. When the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, God led them by going before them in a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. By day, God spread the pillar of cloud as a covering over His people in the desert to prevent the scorching sun from striking them down. The people were shaded and kept cool. Today, you are also under His covering. He will not allow you to be struck down (see Psalm 121:3–8), nor be oppressed by the “heat” of the day (see Isaiah 54:14). At night, when the desert became dark and cold, God gave His people the pillar of fire to light the way for them, as well as to keep them warm and safe. Today, as you walk with God, you wi...