The armor of God - Equipped for a life that matters

The armor of God - Equipped for a life that matters

Ever since the beginning of created man, there has been the struggle of good and evil in our world, our circles of relationships, and
within ourselves. God in his great wisdom, desires us to choose an
everlasting relationship with Him through Jesus Christ his son. The strength we gain by being actively engaged in this relationship gives us the foundation to live victoriously day to day. Over the next several writings, I invite you to examine the following passage from :

(NIV) Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. [13] Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. [14] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, [15] and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. [16] In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [18] And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

As if commanding a troop of soldiers not to lose hope and to be prepared for the battle ahead , Paul says

" Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. "


He, like a good leader, wanted his people to be prepared for the realities that lay ahead. He knew the most important resource that anyone could need was found in a close personal relationship with the great Creator. Without that knowledge of where there power came from, that the battles would spiritually take them under.

Jesus was given all authority in heaven and earth and it is that source of power he wants us to be equipped in before we face life victoriously. This is done with the armor of God !

A thought for the week....
You matter enough for God to offer to empower you with His strength for each day. Take him up on that offer each day. !!

His Servant,

Jeff

God !

You are too big for me to understand
But I am invited to know you

You are too Holy for me to set eyes on
Yet you want me to seek you

You are too majestic for me to fathom
Yet you humbled yourself to poverty for me

You are from everlasting to everlasting
Yet you hear my fleeting concerns

You alone God are worthy of all praise
Yet you were scourged by a crown of thorns for my salvation.

You are the creator of everything we know Yet you call me friend and in fact your child !

There is coming a day when every knee will bend and every tongue confess that you are Lord .
Yet you wait patiently to hear me volunteer my praise today!

You are amazing God

Imagine .......

Imagine .....

Sometimes in the middle of life's busy highway it is good to pause and ponder what it will look like when we get to our final destination. What will we see when we really do see Jesus face to face. What will we feel. How will we react ? A favorite verse of mine in John is one where we are encouraged to think of that day that is coming.

I can just see the glimmer in Jesus eyes after having defeated sin and death for you saying... Just wait and see what I have for you. My task now is to go and spend my Time preparing a special place for when I bring you to meet me. He knows well the challenges we will face on our journey, but with the joy of eternal restoration, commanded us not to grow discouraged but just keep trusting in God and in Christ his only Son.

(NIV) John 14:1-4
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. [2] In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. [4] You know the way to the place where I am going."

So in keeping with taking a journey I pause to imagine my destination of meeting my savior face to face, I offer these thoughts and images of that day.

Will the joy I felt the day I found you as my savior at Clydehurst undeneath a large pine tree by the snack shack be as fresh as that day ?

Will the I feel the joy you take in my salvation ?

Will I have words to express the many thanks I have for seeing your hand in my life over and over ?

Will I truly see the enormity of your sacrifice for me when I see you in all the splendor, majesty, and power you left to redeem me?

Will I weep for the nail scars in your hands and feet on my behalf and for my sin?

Will I see the places in my life I allowed my stubbornness to miss your voice ?

Will I see those you used in my life to steer me to you ?

Will I see the gifts you truly planted in my heart ?

Will I understand your grace toward me ?

Can we walk along heaven and speak openly ?

Will I laugh outloud at the comedies in life you allowed ?

Will all my pretenses drop in humility ?

Are the streets really made of pure gold ?



There is a great worship song called "I can only imagine" sung by the group Mercy Me that grabbed my attention this week. It describes the emotion of the experience of meeting Jesus face to face.

I Can Only Imagine.

I can only imagine what it will be like when I walk by your side.

I can only imagine what my eyes will see when your face is before me. I can only imagine .....

Surrounded by your glory what will my heart feel !

Will I dance for you Jesus, or in awe of you be still...

Will I stand in your presence, or to my knees will I fall...

Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all !

I can only imagine ...

I can only imagine ...

I can only imagine ... When that day comes and I find myself standing in the SON.

I can only imagine ...
When all I would do is forever .. Forever worship you.

I can only imagine ...

I can only imagine...


Take some time to imagine that day and may it lift your spirit and direct your path this week !!

His servant,

Jeff

(NIV) Revelation 4:11
"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

Reflections and Resolutions

The year has passed with its many resolutions,

The steps we took and deeds we planted

Are now the foundation of our reflections….

So the questions I must ask

I pray to God will shape my tasks



Did I see my neighbor with love ?

Did I hear your voice from above ?

Did I think about Your Word to Us ?

Did I revel in your mercy in the cross ?

Did my life move closer your Son ?

Did I demonstrate to others, You are the only one ?



Were the trials that came my way weathered with Grace ?

Were the Joys you gave, received with praise ?

Were the prayers I prayed, lifted in humility ?

Did I serve you each day to the best of my ability ?

Were the weak around me, given my words of kindness ?

Did I slow down enough to enlighten blindness ?



Were the struggles of those you entrusted to me,

Lightened and lifted with your love for them to see ?

Were the hopes and dreams you have planted
Supported with giving of the resources you granted ?



And so I start another year and consider my resolutions

I ask that you touch my heart with this year’s solutions.

To pursue first your kingdom here on earth

So that all those around me, will understand their worth

And to live each day before your throne

Until my work on earth is done.



Psalm 19:14

May the words of my mouth and the mediations of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, Oh Lord, my strength and redeemer.



Jeff

In The Shoes of a Shepherd

In The Shoes of a Shepherd

I really love thinking through the season at Christmas. It is a great time to think about family, friends, and home comings. It seems that even with all the hype and marketing that goes around Christmas; there is a place in the human soul that wants to be home for Christmas. It stems from our God given desire to be a part of something. To be someone that matters. To be loved and having someone to love.

Among my favorite stories is the story of the Shepherds in the fields, minding their business of tending to the sheep, when suddenly the sky lit up. Angelic hosts appeared to these everyday workers, in a quiet field, removed from the town where the event of Christ’s birth was happening. Luke states it like this :

Luke 2:8-19

(8) And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

(9) And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were in great fear.

(10) And the angel said to them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.

(11) For to you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

(12) And this shall be a sign to you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes, lying in a manger.

(13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

(14) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.

(15) And it came to pass, when the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even to Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known to us.

(16) And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

(17) And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

(18) And all they that heard it, wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

(19) But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.





I am always amazed by the fact that God chose to announce his birth in this manner on earth. He could have come to kings, queens, mayors, governors, and people of great authority in government. He could have come to the great businessmen of the day, but He didn’t. He chose a quiet field on the edge of town, where the common sheep herder was making a meager living, and keeping watch. Sheep herding was a very humble job, without much glory or pay. These men probably understood the struggles of life very well. Sleeping outside, staying with the sheep, isolation, possible loneliness. And now, suddenly, without warning, the Bible says the glory of the Lord shone around them. Can you imagine the fear and concern that they had? The surprise of it all, let alone the fact that the night was as day, and a heavenly host of angels came out of nowhere to tell them something. WOW. What a night. The first thing the angel of the Lord did was to calm their fear. He told them it was good news. God was offering peace on earth, and good will toward men.



Have you ever sat and thought about this story and tried to put yourself in the shoes of the shepherd ? In one night, they went from obscure to being in the very presence of the Glory of God, by the angels that God sent to them. In that moment, they became the avenue that God Almighty chose to reveal his coming to earth. Talk about a place in history! I bet they looked around at the other shepherds to see if they were seeing the same thing that they were. If I were in their shoes, I would have thought I was nuts for a moment. When it started to sink in that they were being approached by the Angel of the Lord, and they saw the Radiant Light that shone around them in the middle of the night, the Bible says that they were frightened. I think that is an understatement. With that kind of presence, you would have nowhere to turn if it were bad news!



But the Everlasting God had a message of hope to give his creation that had been lost to the ravages of sin for millenniums.



The news was simple… The message was clear…. The joy was overwhelming and obvious….

(11) For to you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

(12) And this shall be a sign to you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes, lying in a manger.

(13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

(14) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.



I sent my son… He is in Bethlehem… He is Christ the Lord… (Sent from Heaven). You will find him to worship if you go into town and look for a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes (nothing fancy) and lying in a manger. And then the angels could not keep in their praise. Glory to God in the highest , and on earth peace, good will towards men.



I bet any notion that those shepherds felt unimportant vanished forever that night. That moment was life changing. To be the focal point of that announcement forever changed their sense of importance. And the content of the message was so great, that it forever changed the outlook and hope of mankind. A savior, Christ the Lord… My very son…. My greatest treasure… sent to you, for you, to redeem you, and restore you to a relationship with God Almighty. !!! There was no questions left in their mind as to whether there was a God or not. No question of his authority, or agenda either. Any scholar could ask a shepherd what he thought about Christ, and the shepherd’s theology was spot on.



I believe God sent the message in that manner, because all of us find ourselves in the “Shoes of a Shepherd ” at various junctures of our lives. At times we feel lonely, isolated, not respected, feet dirty, lousy job, long days at work… or unfortunate circumstances. But in the middle of it all, God was coming to all of us that night, saying “Do Not Be Afraid”. “I Bring You Good News”. I want you to have great joy…. I want their to be complete reconciliation between us…. Go and see what I sent… Worship him, adore him, but most of all receive him as your Savior…. I sent him from heaven…



God’s Peace to You,




Jeff Dyk

Faith, Obedience, and Hope

Faith, Obedience, and Hope

It had been a long hard day of hiking in the hot sun, with all their belongings in tow. A column of people miles long were walking away from generations of slavery and imprisonment by the Egyptian Pharaoh, and now, just when they thought they were free, they were being pinned up against the Red Sea with the Egyptian Army bearing down on them full speed. Pharaoh had once again changed his mind about letting them go. The situation seemed to be hopeless. Once again, they figured to see brutality take its toll on them, and now even more so because they were fleeing their slave masters.

You see, the years of being beaten down by their slave owners and masters, and being forced to work under nearly unlivable conditions had beaten down the hopes and dreams of the people. The constant fear they faced for their lives every day had made them to think they could never be free from their place in life, and that their destination would eventually be to die in bondage to the Egyptians. Hope seemed out of reach.

But behind the scenes, God had been preparing his people for the events that would follow. A man named Moses, one of their own, had grown up inside the Egyptian kingdom as a son of the Egyptians. God revealed his true heritage to him, and called him to confront the Pharaoh of Egypt to let his people go. As Moses began to do this, he witnessed God respond to his faithfulness to obey and produce a series of great miracles to reveal his power and authority to command nature itself to obey Him. So Moses stepped out in faith, obeyed God and confronted Pharaoh to let God’s people go. What followed was an amazing series of God’s hand moving to prove his faithfulness to Moses as he obeyed. Rivers turning to blood, and wiping out the Egyptian water supply, fields of dust turning to lice, a invasion of frogs, locusts, flies did not convince Pharaoh, but it did train Moses as to the power and faithfulness of God. Finally, Pharaoh let God’s people go, when the first born of those who had not covered their door posts were killed, Pharaoh momentarily gave in and allowed Moses to orchestrate the march. Just before the march from Egypt, Moses gave his people this word from God

Exodus 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, standstill, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. 14 and the Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace.

Moses commanded them to not fear, and watch as the Lord delivered them. They would no longer be bothered by their enemies. So now you can imagine their thoughts as they saw the barrier of the Red Sea and began to question their destiny.

But then at the last moment, God came through as promised. God had Moses stretch out his hand across the ocean and it opened up for the Israelites to walk across on dry land. He then commanded the ocean to close in on the pursuing army and the Israelites watched their captors defeated at the hands of God almighty.

Exodus 14:27-31

(27) And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

(28) And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.

(29) But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

(30) Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore

.

I love the last verse of the chapter when the years of bondage was lifted off of God’s people. They saw, believed, and feared (Obeyed) the Lord. The basis of their faith had been shifted back onto their Lord. For the first time in decades, the people had real hope based on real faith because a man chose to obey God.

Exodus 14:31

(31) And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

Throughout the scriptures, God eludes to this message for all people. Have faith in God, Listen to his life giving commands, and have hope in the places he is taking you. God did this to redeem us from the bondage’s of sin that have built up in our lives. He desires freedom, and freedom can only exist as we live according to his precepts to enjoy how he made us. And as for our final destination, well, that is our ultimate hope.

John 14:1-6

(1) Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

(2) In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

(3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

(4) And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

(5) Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

(6) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

God Bless and have a great week full of HOPE.

His Servant,

Jeff Dyk

What Jesus Looks Like Today

They had just stopped to visit and were reluctant to share their need, but the look in the young mother’s eyes gave them away. The young couple did not know where to go or what to do. They were just kicked out of their apartment, had lost a job, had a 15 day old baby with needs. Having slept a couple of nights in their car, they were desperate.'



We began to search for a solution that would help this couple care for their baby, and get the help that they needed. The events that followed amazed me at how caring people in the name of Christ could respond to the needs of someone they had never met.



Roofing, food, counseling, and care were found quickly for this couple through a connection through Justice for All. Within hours, a nightly place for the mother to care for her child was secured, along with the access to appropriate medical advice and care for the child. Meals were provided, a local tire company fixed their car flat for free, and many steps were taken to get this young couple the help they needed in a manner that built dignity, and provided compassionate help and advice for them.



All of these events working together in sequence from independent people and ministries to combine an effort that gives the couple a chance to land on their feet again.



It made me ask the question, “What does Jesus Look Like Today” if you were looking for him. When Christ spoke the following while here on earth, it revealed the answer to this question.




Matthew 25: 35 – 40

25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 25:36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 25:38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? 25:39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 25:40 and the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’



As you go through your day this week, “What will Jesus Look Like to You ?”



Will it be a neighbor in need ?



Someone who needs a smile or vote of confidence ?


Someone who needs your forgiveness ?


A ministry in need of support ?


May God Bless your Week.


In His Service,



Jeff Dyk