"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can
take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
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.
Therefore put on the full armor of God..." Ephesians 6:10-13
A little spiritual battle broke out on Monday night. It did not surprise me. It just frustrated me. I did not handle it so well either. In my mind, I knew it was one of the devil's schemes. But, my mouth chose to ignore that memo and take sides with my emotions. Not pretty.
God is so gracious and forgiving though. He loves me in spite of myself. He loves you too. NO MATTER WHAT! We cannot out sin God's forgiveness and love.
In an effort to contain my frustration, I decided to occupy my mind by reading. I'm in the process of reading the book "Radical" by David Platt, and it was close by so I started with it. I was only able to focus for a few paragraphs before my thoughts drifted back to the spiritual battle field. Not to mention that I was also getting tired.
So, I prayed out loud. First I asked for forgiveness, and then I asked God to show me how to specifically respond to my situation. I told Him how tired I was and that I really did not want to deal with the situation anymore at the moment. So, I asked Him to please let me get some sleep and to show me what to do about my situation IN A DREAM. *I have never asked Him to do that before. I'm not even sure where it came from then. I just heard myself saying those words!*
I felt compelled to read just a little more until I was ready to actually fall asleep. And do you know what David Platt began talking about 2 paragraphs later???.....
THE AMERICAN DREAM!!!
"As the American dream goes, we can do anything we set our minds to accomplish. There is no limit to what we can accomplish when we combine ingenuity, imagination, and innovation with skill and hard work... The American dream prizes what people can accomplish when they believe in themselves and trust in themselves, and we are drawn toward such thinking.
But the Gospel has different priorities. The Gospel beckons us to die to ourselves and to believe in God and to trust in His power. In the Gospel, God confronts us with our utter inability to accomplish anything of value apart from Him.
As long as we achieve our desires in our own power, we will always attribute it to our own glory. While the goal of the American dream is to make much of us, the goal of the Gospel in to make much of God.
In direct contradiction to the American dream, God actually delights in exalting our inability. He intentionally puts His people in situations where they come face to face with their need for Him. In the process, He powerfully demonstrates His ability to provide everything His people need in ways they could never have mustered up or imagined. And in the end, He makes much of His own name." (Radical chapter 3)
Uhhh, I would definitely say that God spoke to me through a "dream" - The American Dream!!! I was blown away - again! Basically, God told me to rely soley on Him and His power so He could get the glory. I just need to keep my mouth closed and LET HIM DO THE FIGHTING FOR ME! "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14
David Platt, actually starts chapter 3 of Radical with a true story about a new pastor in a foreign country who encountered a serious threat from a witch doctor and how God clearly took care of that situation. Talk about spiritual warfare!!!
He also talks about Joshua and the Battle of Jericho. Jericho was the first city the Israelites would need to conquer in the Promised Land. Remember, God told them to march around the city for seven days. Then on the 7th time around on the 7th day, the priest played their trumpets and the walls fell down.
About the Battle of Jericho, Platt says, "Don't miss what God is doing. He was divinely orchestrating the events of His people so that in the end only He could get the glory for what would happen. But notice carefully what you don't see. You don't see all the Israelites going up to the trumpet players and telling them what an incredible job they did that day. No. Instead you see the people of Israel realizing that only God could have done this.
This is how God works. He puts His people in positions where they are desperate for His power, and then shows His provision in ways that display His greatness." (Radical chapter 3)
Okay. Not only did God speak to me through a "dream" while I was wide awake, He also threw the Promised Land in there too. You see, Sunday was my husband's 40th birthday. He and I had a conversation about being tired of wandering around (like the Israelites did in the wilderness) for 40 years. It is time to cross over into the Promised Land!
I feel like our current spiritual battle is the first thing that needs to be conquered in the Promised Land (just like Jericho.) God has made it very clear that the battle is His and victory will only come through Him.
Isn't our God absolutely amazing??!!!
Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,
Nancy
